Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One

Chapter 1 (Excerpt)

Does an English-speaker really Need a Foreign Language?

If you have picked up this book, then it is safe to assume that you already have your own reasons for wanting to learn another language. Perhaps your company is about to begin a joint venture with an Austrian company, and you are musing about brushing up on the German you studied in college. Alternatively, you might just be looking for one more "edge" to add to your resume. Or maybe you witnessed another English speaker rattling confidently away in a foreign language and you thought, "Wow, that looks like fun!—Could I learn to do that?" Whatever the source of your interest, you likely already have that first spark of motivation.

Nonetheless, enthusiasm for self-improvement initiatives often fades. (I wish I had a $10 bill for every New Year's resolution that I've broken over the years.) Although the novelty of a new undertaking can be intoxicating, at some point it becomes work—and you will need solid reasons to continue forward. Alternatively, a coworker or a relative may ask you, "Why are you spending your valuable spare time learning French?"  After all, there is a lot to compete for your time. Moreover, you are about to begin an endeavor which will consume not only time—but effort, and a moderate amount of money. It is important for you to take your first step on the journey with a firm sense of commitment.

In the English-speaking world, the importance of language study is by no means accepted as self-evident. The percentage of native-born Americans who can actually speak a foreign language is abysmally small. The exact numbers are hard to come by, but ask yourself: among your friends, family members and professional colleagues who were born in the United States, how many could hold a conversation in any language besides English? Few readers will know more than one or two people who fulfill these criteria—and the majority will not know a single native-born American who can pass the test.

Volunteers at Oklahoma State University recently conducted a "Language Ambush" project in order to gain some measurement of language skills among students on the OSU campus. Language Ambush volunteers approached OSU students and asked them a simple question (such as the time) in a foreign language such as German, Japanese, or Spanish. Only six percent passed the test. Keep in mind: this experiment was conducted in an academic environment. In the general population, it is likely that fewer than one percent of respondents would have been able to pass the test.

Monolingualism has costs. In his 1987 book, The Tongue-Tied American: Confronting the Foreign Language Crisis, Senator Paul Simon reported that 200,000 Americans miss out on job opportunities because they do not know a foreign language. And that was in 1987—before the fall of communism, the rise of China as an economic power, or NAFTA. Given the growth of global business since the late 1980s, it is reasonable to assume that the number would be many times higher today. Moreover, missed job opportunities are only part of the economic cost involved. Monolingualism is a fundamental shortcoming that impedes American professionals who must manage, sell, and negotiate in the global marketplace.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that Britons would have high rates of bilingualism and multilingualism. After all, Great Britain is part of the linguistically diverse European Union. Such hopes are quickly disappointed by the data: The United Kingdom is the most monolingual country in the EU. When dealing with the rest of the world, the average Briton—like the average American—must rely on others to translate and interpret.

A study conducted by the British House of Lords in 2005 found that poor foreign language skills in Britain have begun to affect the nation's economic performance. A major British newspaper reported a "deeply disturbing" lack of language skills that threatens to leave Britain unable to ‘protect our interests' abroad and to compete economically in Europe."

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Why does this situation exist in the English-speaking world? There are a handful of reasons—some obvious, some more arcane................

(End of Chapter Excerpt)

Copyright © 2005 Beechmont Crest Publishing