[lg policy] Foreign Language Policies: Is Everyone Else Really Speaking English?

Wed Sep 2 15:28:17 UTC 2015

 Foreign Language Policies: Is Everyone Else Really Speaking English?
By Heather Singmaster
<http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/> on September
1, 2015 7:00 PM

Only 25%
<http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/13/learning-a-foreign-language-a-must-in-europe-not-so-in-america/>
of Americans speak a second 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, 75% <http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=6466>
of the world does not speak English.

Let's explore some of the policies other countries have regarding
English—and why they matter to the U.S.

*We are losing money*[image: languages.jpg]A recent and well-publicized
report by the Pew Research Center
<http://qz.com/453297/many-european-kids-learn-two-foreign-languages-by-age-9-most-americans-zero/>
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).

Starting in 2016, taking language classes may be voluntary in Britain
<http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21645247-woeful-approach-language-education-continues-shout-louder>
as
well. 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 ($90
billion
<http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21645247-woeful-approach-language-education-continues-shout-louder>)—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 Nick Brown
<http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/apr/14/seven-language-learning-uk-multilinguilism>,
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.

Not all native English-speaking locales are waiting for the world to learn
our language. In New Zealand
<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11438943>,
where 20% of students currently study a second language (the lowest
percentage since the 1930s), Auckland
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/67004998/auckland-council-gives-regional-languages-strategy-thumbs-up>
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.

*Diversity*Canada
<http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/number-of-students-enrolled-in-tdsb-s-summer-language-programs-doubles-1.2500694>
is also ahead of the United States. We all know they speak French in
Quebec, but in Toronto, an extremely diverse
<http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2015/03/toronto_developing_equity_through_global_competence.html>
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.

Here in the U.S., our growing diversity
<http://asiasociety.org/mapping-nation/> is helping to drive the demand
for translation services, which is now our fifth fastest-growing
<http://articles.philly.com/2015-08-11/business/65419439_1_language-care-cambridge>
occupation. Just look at Houston
<http://www.chron.com/jobs/article/Houston-shows-a-translator-interpreter-staffing-6377905.php>,
one of our most diverse cities, which is facing a shortage of local
interpreters. The Houston Independent School District
<http://www.hisdchoice.com/dual_languages> (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 English-only
<http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2015/08/24/hisd-open-arabic-language-immersion-magnet-school-monday/32253827/>
education.

*We are limiting higher education*An increasing number of universities
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10369467/More-European-universities-teaching-students-in-English.html>
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
Italy
<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/opinion/italys-new-lingua-franca.html?_r=2>,
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.

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 France
<http://www.thelocal.fr/20131112/english-proficiency-in-france-on-the-decline>,
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.

Anna Kristina Hultgren, a lecturer in English language and applied
linguistics at Britain's Open University, has studied Nordic countries
<https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/02/experts-consider-impact-english-global-language-instruction>
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.

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 South Africa
<https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/02/experts-consider-impact-english-global-language-instruction>
.

*Defense*Iran and Iraq are two of the lowest ranking countries on the
Education First English proficiency index <http://www.ef.edu/epi/>. 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. CW2 Rachid Akhrid
<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/>,
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.

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 Department of Defense
<http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/15/lawmakers-seek-to-reverse-cuts-to-foreign-language-training.html>
(DoD) to put more funding for world languages back into the 2016 budget.
The DoD wanted to cut $31 million
<http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/15/lawmakers-seek-to-reverse-cuts-to-foreign-language-training.html>
out of the $261 million budget of the Defense Language Institute Foreign
Language Center <http://www.dliflc.edu/>.

*English may not always be number one*Malaysian
<http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/02/04/mastering-a-third-language-will-help-not-hinder-malays/>
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.

Malaysians aren't the only ones learning Chinese around the globe: 750,000
people took the Official Chinese Language
<http://www.cctv-america.com/2015/03/03/chinese-as-a-second-language-growing-in-popularity>
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.

*Cognitive benefits*We should not forget about the many cognitive reasons
to learn another language, which I have outlined in a previous post (ward
off Alzheimer's
<http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2013/12/bilingualism_valuable_for_the_brain_and_society.html?qs=singmaster+global+learning+langauges>,
plus grow a bigger brain!). Japan
<http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32013613> 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
(5th grade). Rachel Sharp, Head of Languages at Cambridge International
School, agrees with this idea. She says that language study is a way
to overcome
apathy
<http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge-teacher-learning-foreign-languages/story-26189049-detail/story.html>,
increase tolerance and acceptance of others, and enhance life skills. Why
wouldn't we too want this for our youth?

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?
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2015/09/foreign_language_policies_around_the_world_is_everyone_else_really_speaking_english.html

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