Can the Lack of Foreign Language Skills Do Harm to the US Economy and National Competitiveness |
Posted: May 21, 2019 |
The United States is by no-doubt a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country, although the study of foreign languages has not been given any priority. However, this country has begun to feel some disadvantages caused by the lack of official initiatives from top government to promote and prioritize foreign language learning, particularly when many US businesses find needs to go global and demand for people with foreign language skills is high. In this aspect, the United States was on a par with Great Britain. Lack of foreign language skills is already a pressing problem in both countries. In the United States, the dominant language has already been English. While the world economy is gradually going more and more global, the number of American students on foreign language research continues to decline. It's seen as sliding backwards. It can prevent the country from competing economically in the future. The study examined language learning in the United States. The American academy of arts and sciences prepared a report at the request of congress. The United States council for international education produced another report. In a study by the American academy of arts and sciences, the number of secondary schools offering foreign language courses fell. In 1977, about 75 percent of secondary schools offered foreign language courses. In 2008, that number dropped to 58%. In primary school, the number dropped from 31 percent to 25 percent over the same period. Compared with public primary schools, more private primary schools (50%) offer foreign language courses, of which only 15% offer language courses. A report by the U.S. council on international education, released in 2017, titled "the national k-12 foreign language enrollment survey," found that 20 percent of the school-age population participates in foreign language programs. At the state level, foreign languages are required for graduation in 11 states. Twenty-four states offer different options, including foreign languages, to graduate, while 16 states do not include foreign languages as part of their graduation requirements. The decline in the number of students learning foreign languages has increased proficiency between many countries and the United States. According to the report, only about 20 percent of adults in the United States know a language other than English, while in the European Union, about two-thirds of adults in the region speak two or more languages. In the United States, about 200,000 students are studying Chinese, while in China, about 300 million to 400 million students are English learners. Only a handful of American students are studying languages that are critical to American business or national security, such as Russian, Korean and Arabic. According to the American council on international education, 46 percent of high school language classes are in Spanish, followed by French at 21 percent. The next three languages are German (8.71%), Latin (8.51%) and Chinese (6.43%). One thing that seems to be forgotten, according to researchers and educators, is that language exchange other than English can expand a student's overall learning skills, mainly because those engaged in foreign language learning are toddlers. The survey also noted that Americans' lack of foreign language skills is considered a "foreign language emergency." This country relies too much on foreign language translation services (for example, the translation between Chinese and English). It is seen as a risk to the us economy and national foreign policy. Three years ago, a report by the PEW Research Institute said the United States lacked a national mandate to enforce foreign language learning among American students. In the European Union, some 224 countries require high school students to study their mother tongue with other languages for at least a year. The report shows that the country is lagging behind the development of key skills in the 21st century. It also shows that because of this, the us risks missing out on non-English conversations. Esther Brimmer, CEO of the International Educators Association (NAFSA), said the lack of foreign language skills also affects humanitarian services because most of the crises are in places with little or no English. International aid groups and American diplomats should be able to speak non-western languages because of the frequent crises in areas where Persian, Arabic and Chinese are the main languages. The department of defense agrees; Lack of oral foreign language skills can affect national security. Dr. Michael Nugent, director of the pentagon's office of defense language and national security education, said U.S. defense and other government officials stationed outside the United States should be aware of the region According to Dr. Nugent, acceptance and promotion in the U.S. military and foreign service does not require the ability to speak a second language, especially important ones like Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, and Hindi. Bengali and Azerbaijani. He added that the current challenges are lack of resources and ineffective foreign language teaching methods. According to Dr Nugent, there are about 10 or 15 years of foreign-language "emergencies". Several important reasons lead to the lack of foreign language skills among American students. Almost all American states face a shortage of foreign language teachers. American parents, especially those with third graders, require foreign language classes to be included in school curricula. However, parents want this to happen because they believe it amounts to academic success. There is a lack of information about how foreign language skills can improve a child's chances of getting a better job later in life. Previous reports have said that interest in foreign language studies in the United States has been sporadic. When demand is high, the country is focused on language learning. An example of this was the campaign to promote the learning of Russian during the cold war. Another period of encouragement to learn foreign languages, especially middle eastern languages after the 2001 terrorist attacks. According to the results of the study and the above examples, there is a clear indication that language learning methods require a better strategy. The suggestion is to improve access to languages by students and other learners at all ages, socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities. The education system should treat language learning the same way it treats other subjects, such as math and science, that require competence. The system should ensure that students reach a proficient functional level. In addition, there should be state funding and promotion. Vivien Stewart, vice President of education at the Asia Society, said another reason for the United States lagging behind its international peers in foreign language learning is the timing of the introduction of language learning in American schools. She says in many countries, language learning begins in primary school, giving students more time to learn the language. In the United States, foreign language education starts from high school, students only need to learn the language for one year, which is not enough to improve their proficiency and fluency. Almost all the top 25 industrialized countries have started k-5 language courses. In the United States, students begin learning foreign languages at about age 14. In Europe, 21 countries require nine years of foreign language study for students.
|
||||||||||||||||
|