It is in Australia's best interest to look beyond speaking only English.

[Francis Hult]

Via lgpolicy...
 
Matthew Davies
April 28, 2008

It is in Australia's best interest to look beyond speaking only English.

THE 2020 Summit missed half of the problem: Australia's weakness in
foreign languages comes from widespread problems of attitude.
Overcoming bad attitudes is crucial to mastering languages. How could
Australians miss the publicity for Prime Minister Rudd's command of
Mandarin? And what does it say of Australian identity and our place in
the world when such pride and curiosity greet a public figure who has
mastered another tongue very different from his first language of
English? The paradox is extreme. Rudd's language ability contrasts
starkly with debate about Australia's foreign language education,
where leading professionals have long reported a worsening crisis.

Since the 1960s, Australia has plummeted in foreign language learning.
Strange then that the 2020 Summit really only restated much that has
been urged at different times in past decades: more foreign language
skill, covering Asia in general and Indonesia in particular. As a
domestic social issue, the state of our foreign language learning
suggests many of us have tunnel vision, if not stunted minds. Globally
it amounts to a major and long-term strategic weakness, comparing
poorly with most other countries. Overcoming the "language gap" is not
just a matter of sectoral policy and budgeting. The challenges of
learning a language are fundamental: even before the process starts, a
learner's own cultural background and personality help determine
performance in the new language.

This story was found at:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/27/1209234652864.html



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