Why Americans Should Learn a Second Language

Even though English is spoken in many countries around the world, native born residents of the United States should not use that as an excuse to avoid studying another language. If anything, there should be more interest than ever on the part of people in the United States in becoming fluent in another language. And fluency means having the ability, for example, (1) to hold a complete conversation in the foreign language, (2) to read a newspaper or book written in that language, (3) to write a coherent letter or article in the language, etc.

Many native born U.S. citizens can say such things as “hello,” “thank you,” or “please” in a second language. But have them watch a news broadcast in that language and ask them to relate what they’ve heard and they’re incapable of doing so. That type of demonstration clearly indicates that they are by no means fluent in a language other than English.

Currently, many agencies of the U.S. federal government are desperately seeking people who speak Arabic and other languages spoken by people in areas in and around the Middle East. Clearly, the government’s attempt to strengthen its intelligence capability, in connection with placing a greater emphasis on homeland security, is driving the search for Arabic linguists.

Fundamentally, of course, studying a foreign language involves (1) learning vocabulary and (2) becoming familiar with grammatical constructions. However, acquiring true fluency in a second language involves much more than rote memorization of words, phrases and grammar rules.

In order to be effective, an interpreter or translator, has to have the ability to convey meaning effectively and accurately. More specifically, the ability the grasp an idea enunciated in one language and then convey it satisfactorily into another is what distinguishes first-rate interpreters and translators. Being able to do that requires familiarity not only with individual words or phrases but also wtih the history, culture and society of the people who speak the language.

That’s one reason why, for example, it will take the United States an appreciable period of time before it will possess staffs of linguists able fully to function effectively in the war against terrorists. It takes years to acquire a thorough appreciation for the values, beliefs and customs of another country.

Perhaps local school jurisdictions across the United States should be reconfiguring their curricula to encourage native born students to study a language other than English. This means moving also beyond the traditional offerings in Spanish or French, including more languages which use different alphabets (e.g. Arabic, Chinese, Russian, etc.) Not only will such instruction, if properly provided, enable students to develop fluency in a language, it will help them to understand better the world in which they’re living.

Globalization removes barriers between people. As the United States seeks to attract more and more people to its way of life (and system of beliefs), it could benefit immensely by having more of its own people capable of communicating effectively with others in their own languages.