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<h1 id="page-title" class="">Foreign Language Policies: Is Everyone Else Really Speaking English?</h1>
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By <span class=""><a class="" href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/">Heather Singmaster</a></span> on <abbr class="" title="2015-09-01T19:00:10-05:00">
September 1, 2015 7:00 PM</abbr>
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</div> <p><span style="line-height:1.62">Only </span><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/13/learning-a-foreign-language-a-must-in-europe-not-so-in-america/" target="_blank" style="line-height:1.62">25%</a><span style="line-height:1.62"> of Americans speak a second </span><span style="line-height:1.62">language.
We rest on our laurels as speakers of English, believing that everyone
else is learning our language—the language of business. And in many
countries across the globe, English is being taught. However, studying
English doesn't always equal fluency or even a conversational speaking
level (think back to your one or two years of high school Spanish or
French!). Plus, not everyone is on the English bandwagon—by some
estimates, </span><a href="http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=6466" target="_blank" style="line-height:1.62">75%</a><span style="line-height:1.62"> of the world does not speak English.</span></p>
<p>Let's explore some of the policies other countries have regarding English—and why they matter to the U.S.</p>
<p><b>We are losing money<br></b><span style="line-height:1.62"><img src="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/assets_c/2015/09/languages-thumb-420xauto-14764.jpg" alt="languages.jpg" class="" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px;" height="279" width="420">A recent and well-publicized report by the </span><a href="http://qz.com/453297/many-european-kids-learn-two-foreign-languages-by-age-9-most-americans-zero/" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">Pew Research Center</a><span style="line-height:1.62">
showed that most European students are learning a second language, and
for a majority of them, this means learning English (over 90% of
secondary students and 73% of primary students). However—and this
shouldn't come as a surprise—Ireland and Scotland, two native
English-speaking countries, are the only countries in Europe that
currently do not require students to learn another language (but in
fairness to Ireland, their students learn in English and Irish). </span></p>
<p><span>Starting in 2016, taking language classes may be voluntary in </span><a href="http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21645247-woeful-approach-language-education-continues-shout-louder" target="_blank">Britain</a><span> as well. </span>But
having the same arrogant attitude toward learning languages as the U.S.
could cost Britain. James Foreman-Peck of Cardiff University estimates
the potential income lost from international trade because of a lack of
language proficiency is around 3.5% of GDP or £59 billion (<a href="http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21645247-woeful-approach-language-education-continues-shout-louder" target="_blank">$90 billion</a>)—something
he calls the "gross language effect." Can you imagine how much larger
that number would be if the same study was done on the U.S.? As <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/apr/14/seven-language-learning-uk-multilinguilism" target="_blank">Nick Brown</a>,
a business leader, said: "English is fine if you want to buy things,
but it's not the right language to use for people who want to sell
things." In other words, learning a language is your key into the local
culture and local economy.</p>
<p>Not all native English-speaking locales are waiting for the world to learn our language. In <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11438943" target="_blank">New Zealand</a>, where 20% of students currently study a second language (the lowest percentage since the 1930s), <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/67004998/auckland-council-gives-regional-languages-strategy-thumbs-up" target="_blank">Auckland</a>
is developing a regional languages strategy. This is seen as a first
step toward increasing language offerings in schools to build capacity
to meet increasing tourism and trade demands.</p>
<p><b>Diversity<br></b><a href="http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/number-of-students-enrolled-in-tdsb-s-summer-language-programs-doubles-1.2500694" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">Canada</a><span style="line-height:1.62"> is also ahead of the United States. We all know they speak French in Quebec, but in Toronto, an extremely </span><a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2015/03/toronto_developing_equity_through_global_competence.html" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">diverse</a><span style="line-height:1.62">
city, 2,000 elementary students were studying a second language for
free over the summer, courtesy of the Toronto District School Board.
"It's not only first generation newcomers, but it's second and third
generation young parents who want their children to understand their
cultural and linguistic background," says Karen Falconer, the Executive
Superintendent of International Education. </span></p>
<p>Here in the U.S., our <a href="http://asiasociety.org/mapping-nation/" target="_blank">growing diversity</a> is helping to drive the demand for translation services, which is now our <a href="http://articles.philly.com/2015-08-11/business/65419439_1_language-care-cambridge" target="_blank">fifth fastest-growing</a> occupation. Just look at <a href="http://www.chron.com/jobs/article/Houston-shows-a-translator-interpreter-staffing-6377905.php" target="_blank">Houston</a>, one of our most diverse cities, which is facing a shortage of local interpreters. The <a href="http://www.hisdchoice.com/dual_languages" target="_blank">Houston Independent School District</a>
(HISD), recognizing these challenges, is committed to the teaching of
world languages. Arabic is the second most spoken language in the city
after Spanish, so it makes sense that HISD opened a public Arabic
immersion school this year, the first in the country. But not everyone
agrees: a dozen protestors outside on the first day felt that these
students should be receiving <a href="http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2015/08/24/hisd-open-arabic-language-immersion-magnet-school-monday/32253827/" target="_blank">English-only</a> education.<span style="line-height:1.62"> </span></p>
<p><b>We are limiting higher education<br></b><span style="line-height:1.62">An increasing number of </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10369467/More-European-universities-teaching-students-in-English.html" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">universities</a><span style="line-height:1.62">
across Europe and the world are mandating that at least some courses,
if not entire programs of study, be taught in English. But not all
faculty agree with these policies, which are usually set by the
administration. In </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/opinion/italys-new-lingua-franca.html?_r=2" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">Italy</a><span style="line-height:1.62">,
the Milan Polytechnic administration moved to teach masters degrees in
English only. But the faculty cried foul and are trying to block it. The
policy is currently under consideration by the Constitutional Court—the
highest court in Italy. </span></p>
<p>Even if university faculty agree with English language policies, that
doesn't mean that they can immediately flip a switch and teach with the
same degree of expertise in English—or that students will have the same
degree of comprehension. Take for example <a href="http://www.thelocal.fr/20131112/english-proficiency-in-france-on-the-decline" target="_blank">France</a>,
where there was a huge uproar over allowing universities to teach
courses in English, which was outlawed until the summer of 2013. With
many policies in place to protect the French language, the country has
the weakest English skills of all European countries.</p>
<p>Anna Kristina Hultgren, a lecturer in English language and applied linguistics at Britain's Open University, has studied <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/02/experts-consider-impact-english-global-language-instruction" target="_blank">Nordic countries</a>
where there is a high degree of English ability. Even so, she found
that having to cope with English instruction meant professors and
students progressed much more slowly in their courses.</p>
<p>And in places like South Africa where there is still a huge disparity
in the education of blacks and whites, English instruction leaves
behind black students. "The young people who are from groups that were
marginalized under apartheid are still marginalized, and those who were
privileged are still privileged," says Russell H. Kaschula, a professor
of African language studies at Rhodes University, in <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/02/experts-consider-impact-english-global-language-instruction" target="_blank">South Africa</a>.</p>
<p><b>Defense<br></b><span style="line-height:1.62">Iran and Iraq are two of the lowest ranking countries on the Education First <a href="http://www.ef.edu/epi/" target="_blank">English proficiency index</a>.</span><span style="line-height:1.62"> If
we are going to be involved in security issues in these nations, we
need to speak their language—conversing with the locals opens many doors
and leads to better intelligence information. </span><a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/08/31/u-s-military-cultural-awareness-i-was-a-pro-saddam-protestor-was-called-a-camel-jockey-but-i-am-an-american-soldier-2/" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">CW2 Rachid Akhrid</a><span style="line-height:1.62">,
a Military Intelligence Officer in the United States Army, states that
his language and cultural abilities saved his unit more than once,
including the time they were lost and he was able to get directions from
the locals to get everyone back to base. </span></p>
<p>We continue to face large shortages in speakers of critical languages
like Arabic and Persian, not to mention Korean and Chinese. This could
be the motive for a bipartisan group of members of the House of
Representatives who recently asked the <a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/15/lawmakers-seek-to-reverse-cuts-to-foreign-language-training.html" target="_blank">Department of Defense</a> (DoD) to put more funding for world languages back into the 2016 budget. The DoD wanted to <a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/15/lawmakers-seek-to-reverse-cuts-to-foreign-language-training.html" target="_blank">cut $31 million</a> out of the $261 million budget of the <a href="http://www.dliflc.edu/" target="_blank">Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center</a>. </p>
<p><b>English may not always be number one<br></b><a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/02/04/mastering-a-third-language-will-help-not-hinder-malays/" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">Malaysian</a><span style="line-height:1.62">
parents are concerned that learning two languages—English and Malay—is
not enough to be successful. So now many are pushing their children to
learn a third— this often means Mandarin, as it is seen as opening doors
to future jobs. Some parents are even favoring Chinese over English as
China's sphere of influence grows in the region.</span><span style="line-height:1.62"> </span></p>
<p>Malaysians aren't the only ones learning Chinese around the globe: 750,000 people took the Official <a href="http://www.cctv-america.com/2015/03/03/chinese-as-a-second-language-growing-in-popularity" target="_blank">Chinese Language</a>
Proficiency test in 2010. While Chinese is not going to replace English
anytime soon, it is growing in importance. In the U.S. alone, college
enrollment in Chinese courses has jumped up by 51% since 2002.</p>
<b>Cognitive benefits<br></b><span style="line-height:1.62">We should not forget about the many cognitive reasons to learn another language, which I have outlined in a previous post (</span><a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2013/12/bilingualism_valuable_for_the_brain_and_society.html?qs=singmaster+global+learning+langauges" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">ward off Alzheimer's</a><span style="line-height:1.62">, plus grow a bigger brain!). </span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32013613" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">Japan</a><span style="line-height:1.62">
feels its students, who are studying abroad less than in the past, are
growing too insular and are seen as bored and not very motivated, and
therefore, less competitive in the international economy. One way the
government is combating this is by lowering the age that students begin
to learn English from age 13 to age 10 (5</span><sup>th</sup><span style="line-height:1.62">
grade). Rachel Sharp, Head of Languages at Cambridge International
School, agrees with this idea. She says that language study is a way to </span><a href="http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge-teacher-learning-foreign-languages/story-26189049-detail/story.html" style="line-height:1.62" target="_blank">overcome apathy</a><span style="line-height:1.62">, increase tolerance and acceptance of others, and enhance life skills. Why wouldn't we too want this for our youth?<br><br></span><span style="line-height:1.62">Not
everyone is speaking English, and we can't expect them to. There are so
many benefits that we are currently missing out on in our monolingual
bubble: enhanced business opportunities, smarter kids, stronger national
defense, and better communication within our local communities just to
name a few. So what do you say, America: can we stop turning a deaf ear
to the rest of the world?<br><a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2015/09/foreign_language_policies_around_the_world_is_everyone_else_really_speaking_english.html">http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2015/09/foreign_language_policies_around_the_world_is_everyone_else_really_speaking_english.html</a><br></span><div><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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