Four related articles and an editorial appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer's series "Overcoming our language barriers."
John J. Castellani, President of the Business Roundtable, write in his article "Speaking the language of globalization:
"....The business community has long called for stronger math and science programs and the need to double the number of science, technology, engineering and math graduates with bachelor's degrees by 2015. But as a 2006 report by the Committee for Economic Development notes, businesses require "employees with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures to market products to customers around the globe and to work effectively with foreign employees and partners in other countries."
It's time for business leaders and concerned community members to sound a new clarion call that will wake up policymakers and educators to the importance of teaching foreign languages to our children.
Mitch Leventhal and Susan Bacon write in their article "Benefits of language study can be subtle:"
We know, for example, that children studying a second language are better able to solve problems from multiple points of view, and to discover alternate solutions. They exhibit superior first-language development, greater cognitive flexibility, cultural awareness, concept formation and creativity. Students with second language ability tend to perform at a higher level on English reading and mathematics achievement tests.
For those who believe that these benefits are limited to children of higher socioeconomic background, it is important to know that children from all backgrounds who are allowed to continue their first language while learning a second language have been proven to develop distinctive and improved perceptual strategies and more advanced processing in certain verbal tasks and abstract thinking. It just makes plain sense to educate our children in more than one language and to start at an early age.
Bret Lovejoy, Executive Director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, writes in his article "Grant is great chance for whole community:"
...But, as research has proven, the most important element of a successful language program is "time on task" - in other words, students taking foreign languages need more time to study the language during school and must have opportunities to use the language in settings outside of school. Foreign language offerings must, therefore, begin in the early grades and continue in unbroken sequences - kindergarten through 12th grade - and then be articulated with postsecondary courses. This is the only way we will produce students with actual proficiency in languages with the ability to communicate with and understand others using the language....
Robert A. McDonald, vice chairman for global operations of Proctor & Gamble, writes in his article "Language is the frabric that clothes our spirit:"
...Our mission has been and always will be to touch and improve lives, and to do that we must have a deep understanding of the needs and wants of individuals regardless of their culture, race or origins. For us, the consumer is boss, and to be successful we must be able to literally and figuratively be able to speak their language.
Our ability to learn languages other than our mother tongue is one of our greatest gifts because of the insights and understanding it reveals. It is a skill that has always been highly valued by the world, and none more so than today, as we do business and expand our personal horizons beyond our own shores....
The Enquirer editorial "Join in the global conversation:"
....But despite the difficulty - and a tradition of Americans believing foreigners should interact with them in English - it's time for the nation to catch up to the rest of the world.
Doing it will take more than limited federal grants. Full fluency requires long-term, well-coordinated language study that starts in primary grades and carries into high school and college (where, currently, only 8 percent of students study a foreign language).
Beyond school, American children need foreign language exposure at home, via computer instruction, books and materials, and opportunities to interact with native speakers.
Raising state requirements is a critical step - albeit complicated by pressures to raise reading and math performance - as is offering alternative certification paths to strong potential teachers who lack traditional training.
Schools will respond to higher state requirements and increased parental demand for foreign language offerings, but there's a critical role for American businesses as well. Offering targeted financial support for teacher recruitment and training, curriculum and testing development, and language enrichment programs would be a great way to help grow a bilingual and culturally sensitive workforce.
It's no longer enough to be at the global table. Foreign language skills will enable Americans to take part in the conversations taking place.
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