For a second, put aside investments in computer science, ethnic studies and visual arts — we need to bolster our foreign language programs across the county, state and country.
I’ve taken Spanish since seventh grade, and am currently in advanced placement Spanish literature — the highest level offered at Burlingame High School. But I feel woefully unprepared to have a conversation with fluent Spanish speakers outside of a school setting, and I certainly wouldn’t be comfortable citing Spanish as a reliable skill on a job application. In a class where the majority of my classmates are native speakers or students who took immersion classes throughout elementary school, I can’t help but feel far behind as I struggle to converse with my teacher daily and rely heavily on translators to understand assigned texts.
The blame for my language incompetence should not be placed on my teachers. I’ve had excellent foreign language teachers at both Burlingame Intermediate School and Burlingame High School. I’ve received As in every Spanish class I’ve taken, and I scored highly on the AP Spanish language and culture exam. By every measure and account, I’ve received the ideal foreign language education. And I’m still struggling. That reality begs the question: If fluency is unattainable for even the most prepared foreign language student, how is the rest of the country faring?
Not well. In fact, just 20% of K-12 students study a foreign language, while 92% of European students do. Only 7.5% of American students will continue to study a language in college. Often, that decision isn’t a voluntary one. Between 2013 and 2016, colleges lost 651 foreign language programs, according to research from the Modern Language Association. When schools must implement cost-saving measures, foreign language programs are the first to go. The University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, for example, eliminated French, German and Spanish majors in recent years to meet budget cuts.
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For students who do receive a foreign language education, it is often too little, too late, as Tufts University student Matthew Rampe notes. We are most receptive to a second language before the age of 10, but most foreign language programs aren’t introduced until middle school — with the rare exception of immersion programs. This was the case for me and Rampe, and the same is true for thousands of students around the country.
It’s easy to argue that the devolution of multilingualism is inevitable — when Google Translate can solve language barriers and play the role of an interpreter, having a student with the same capabilities seems redundant. But have we stopped teaching algebra because Chat GPT or a graphing calculator can spit out the same result it takes sixth graders a year to learn? No, because we have commonly accepted the standalone value of learning — and the accompanying soft skills of perseverance, collaboration and passion that come with it.
We should treat learning a language with the same level of respect — if not more.
For one, unlike the content learned in geometry, world history and biology, bilingualism is a marketable skill. A 2019 survey found that 9 in 10 U.S. employers rely on employees who are multilingual — a data point that isn’t likely to decline in the near future. More importantly, multilingualism is closely linked to cultural awareness, tolerance and diversity. If students internalize the value of another language, they also inherently absorb the contributions of that culture. In a world starved for empathy and overwhelmed by judgment and division, multilingualism could be key to overcoming our preconceived biases.
Solutions sound better on paper than in practice. Expanding immersion programs, offering foreign language classes in elementary schools and reintroducing foreign language requirements at the college level are all laudable goals. But none are attainable without qualified teachers, adequate funding and state support. And to do that, we must remind ourselves of the invaluable social, cultural and economic benefits of multilingualism. Just as we advocate for STEM, arts and technology classes, we must also demand better for our language programs. In fact, let’s bring them to the top of the agenda.
Elise Spenner is a senior at Burlingame High School. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.
Thank you Elise for raising this for discussion. As a former linguist and language instructor I can attest to how easy it is for the youngest ones to absorb different languages (little sponges) and how much harder it becomes as we get older. Yes, computers will assist with basic translation but truly learning a foreign language opens our minds up to more than just the words, it opens our hearts to how people who speak other languages think. As to your concerns about your personal competency with Spanish, I believe that if you found yourself in a country where Spanish was the primary language you would find that in some number of months you would become a very competent conversationalist. Your desire to understand other people, your empathy, and your determination would all work together to achieve that. I do hope that more pre-K through 5 schools offer immersion as an option because, again, as a linguist and language instructor, I also found that the more one open's their minds to a new language, our brain's wiring becomes more open to learning other things like math and science. I failed at math over and over again until after I learned Korean, when I found myself in a college math course and realized that a Korean phrase that meant you "can NOT NOT do that" was a double negative which equaled a positive. Game changer. Keep writing Elise!!!!
An intriguing POV, Ms. Spenner, but the question should be asked as to whether companies or individuals are increasing their numbers of foreign language classes. If not, then some would say there isn’t a need. Reinstituting language programs isn’t a priority. It is interesting you say content learned in geometry, world history, and biology aren’t marketable. I know plenty of those in STEM fields and the health industry that would beg to differ. As for world history, you may have a point…
I am proud to have a 9-year-old grandson fluent in both English (from his mom) and German (from his dad), with an impressive vocabulary. However, already as a 5-year-old he considered himself trilingual, since his grandpa’ had taught him Norwegian. So, his mom sat down with him and explained that he could not consider himself fluent in a language just because he knew a few words, - and especially not the kind of words his grandpa’ had taught him! But, she said, you are lucky since you learn English so early in life that you’ll grow up without an accent!
His response: “Oh, Mom, I want ever have an accident?”
A language can be viewed as a tool and/or as a cultural attribute. Being bilingual myself and can get by reasonably in Spanish, I have found knowing other languages to be enlightening and it makes me feel confident when visiting other countries. When I was in high school in the Netherlands we had to learn, besides Dutch, French, German and English. Not that we ended up fluent, but we could read and write those languages. My French and German are very rusty now but I can still communicate when in those countries. Need to admit that in the Netherlands we were surrounded by counties where different languages were spoken, so if one wanted to progress in business, foreign language mastery was a prerequisite, In this country folks have no need to learn other languages, hence being bilingual or trilingual is rare. Our children all followed Spanish immersion classes in Costa Rica so they are somewhat fluent. Problem is that everywhere one goes now, folks speak English, certainly in the Netherlands and in Costa Rica.
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(4) comments
Thank you Elise for raising this for discussion. As a former linguist and language instructor I can attest to how easy it is for the youngest ones to absorb different languages (little sponges) and how much harder it becomes as we get older. Yes, computers will assist with basic translation but truly learning a foreign language opens our minds up to more than just the words, it opens our hearts to how people who speak other languages think. As to your concerns about your personal competency with Spanish, I believe that if you found yourself in a country where Spanish was the primary language you would find that in some number of months you would become a very competent conversationalist. Your desire to understand other people, your empathy, and your determination would all work together to achieve that. I do hope that more pre-K through 5 schools offer immersion as an option because, again, as a linguist and language instructor, I also found that the more one open's their minds to a new language, our brain's wiring becomes more open to learning other things like math and science. I failed at math over and over again until after I learned Korean, when I found myself in a college math course and realized that a Korean phrase that meant you "can NOT NOT do that" was a double negative which equaled a positive. Game changer. Keep writing Elise!!!!
An intriguing POV, Ms. Spenner, but the question should be asked as to whether companies or individuals are increasing their numbers of foreign language classes. If not, then some would say there isn’t a need. Reinstituting language programs isn’t a priority. It is interesting you say content learned in geometry, world history, and biology aren’t marketable. I know plenty of those in STEM fields and the health industry that would beg to differ. As for world history, you may have a point…
I am proud to have a 9-year-old grandson fluent in both English (from his mom) and German (from his dad), with an impressive vocabulary. However, already as a 5-year-old he considered himself trilingual, since his grandpa’ had taught him Norwegian. So, his mom sat down with him and explained that he could not consider himself fluent in a language just because he knew a few words, - and especially not the kind of words his grandpa’ had taught him! But, she said, you are lucky since you learn English so early in life that you’ll grow up without an accent!
His response: “Oh, Mom, I want ever have an accident?”
A language can be viewed as a tool and/or as a cultural attribute. Being bilingual myself and can get by reasonably in Spanish, I have found knowing other languages to be enlightening and it makes me feel confident when visiting other countries. When I was in high school in the Netherlands we had to learn, besides Dutch, French, German and English. Not that we ended up fluent, but we could read and write those languages. My French and German are very rusty now but I can still communicate when in those countries. Need to admit that in the Netherlands we were surrounded by counties where different languages were spoken, so if one wanted to progress in business, foreign language mastery was a prerequisite, In this country folks have no need to learn other languages, hence being bilingual or trilingual is rare. Our children all followed Spanish immersion classes in Costa Rica so they are somewhat fluent. Problem is that everywhere one goes now, folks speak English, certainly in the Netherlands and in Costa Rica.
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