Learning world languages should not be a one-time experience exclusive to high school students. Absorbing and truly becoming fluent in a language takes years of practice, and the American approach to teaching foreign languages in public education must be improved to meet this expectation.
When taught various languages from a young age, students develop their speech and comprehension levels quicker. While most European countries, such as Latvia and the Netherlands, implement foreign language as a mandatory subject starting from ages 6 to 9, the U.S. places less significance on the subject, only requiring it for a one or two years in high school in California. As a result, this difference in approach can be noted in language fluency.The U.S. has a 20% bilingual rate among adults. In contrast, this number lies at 65% throughout Europe, according to the European Commission. In the few required foreign language years in the U.S, the curriculum only completes introductory information and basic conversation, which proves insufficient to provide fluency and application in social or work environments.
European culture, which places a heavy focus on multiculturalism, contrasts the U.S’s more individualistic society. In countries like Luxembourg and Sweden, it is commonly believed that having a wide foundational linguistic base gives a competitive advantage in the workplace. Among U.S. employers, 90% reported a reliance on multilinguistic employees according to an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) published survey. With English commonly seen as an international communication bridge, countries with English as its official language, such as the U.K. or Canada, tend to have less bilingual speakers than others. The United Kingdom sits at about 36%, while Ireland lies at around a third of that with 13%.
Language learning isn’t a priority in the U.S. and is often only viewed as a graduation requirement. This lack of learning is further amplified by the prevalence and ease of online tools such as Google Translate and ChatGPT, allowing for easy opt-outs to learning. However, people can also use online resources to expand their linguistic capabilities. For example, Duolingo is a free yet highly valuable option amongst those wanting to improve their knowledge.
Although parents can also pay for classes, consume media in a specific language, or speak a target language at home themselves to further world language development, this responsibility should not fall solely on their hands. Public education needs to take steps to ensure prepared and well-balanced generations. By implementing language learning early on in education, and building deeper cultural importance on biliteracy in a similar fashion to countries like Sweden, the U.S. can create a more effective approach to teaching world languages. The American education system should create a new wave of multilingual thinkers. Foreign language exposure and integration in schools are the first steps in building a more connected nation.
