America—the symbol of multiculturalism(多元文化主义), the great melting pot—qualifies as part of the developed world, right? Not quite, if we consider the state of second language learning in schools across the country. According to a 2018 study, Europe often tops the U.S. in foreign language education in schools. 92% of European students are learning a language in school. In America it’s only 20%. In more than 20 European countries, studying a foreign language for at least one year is compulsory. In comparison, only 10 states and Washington D. C. require learning a foreign language for graduation.
I went to a public school in Pennsylvania that ranked on Newsweek’s list of America’s top high schools in 2015. Foreign language learning was not a graduation requirement. A common response to such stories and statistics is: So what? Why should Americans care about learning another language when English has recently seemed to dominate as the official language of the world?
The world is globalizing faster than we can imagine. More than half of the world’s population speaks more than one language. It is also increasingly becoming the need for success in this globalizing world. Having the ability to speak a second language opens up the possibility of traveling and immersing yourself in another part of the world. This means people can experience other cultures and traditions in places where you were previously kept away because you could not communicate in the language.
Learning a second language can be an efficient vehicle to help to bridge communities. Language is inseparable from culture, from politics, and from human identity. To speak another language means having access to a universe of different experiences and worldviews of another community of people. However all these possibilities become realities only when students are taught a second language at a young age. A 2018 MIT study suggests that native-like proficiency in a language is achieved only if students start learning by ten years old. In Europe, the average age that a student starts learning a language is between six and nine. American schools should follow suit.
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