Assessing the importance of learning foreign languages
If you are reading this, then the two of us have at least one commonality the ability to communicate using the English language. Whether we have been so fortunate as to have learned it as a native tongue, or so commendable as to have independently mastered it, we can enjoy the benefits of membership in a global community that largely recognizes English as the international language for business, entertainment, and hospitality.
Rooted in the heyday of the British Empire and its colonization strategies, which ensured the transplant of English to such far-flung destinations as Australia, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, and North America, the domination of the English language for international communications was further entrenched by the 20th century business interests of two of the wealthiest nations of the time, the United Kingdom and the United States. If there is any doubt as to the reach of English around our world, consider the booming market for instructors teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) throughout Asia, Europe, South America, as well as the significant numbers of international graduate students seeking higher degrees in Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK.
Certainly, for many around the globe, the importance of learning English as a second, if not third or fourth, language is justifiably perceived to be critical to professional success. Conversely, native English speakers often suffer a sense of complacency about the value of additional language skills.
In the short term, this narrow perspective is detrimental. Intellectually beneficial, learning a new language engages the brain in unique and valuable ways, encouraging intelligence by forcing neurons to create new pathways. Socially, undertaking the challenge of another language acknowledges the reality that ours is a global community in which no nation is justified to presume cultural or linguistic superiority.
Despite the current dominance of English language, the technological revolution has transformed the world such that nation states rely on one another for integral goods and services, giving new meaning to the World Wide Web. Not only are we connected in real time via the Internet, but also are bound by increasingly complex financial and consumer markets. Clear communication is critical to maintaining functional systems; this is not achieved simply by using the correct words, but in understanding on a cultural level the other parties to the dialogue. Language operates as much more than a mechanical tool of expression; it provides insight into the character, quirks, and heart of a country. Acquisition of a new language opens for the speaker a more profound understanding not only of another culture and its individuals, but also provides a lens through which to understand the biases and assumptions of one’s own culture.
In the long term, ignoring the necessity of learning a second language is unsustainable. The era of the English club is waning. In combination, native Mandarin Chinese and Spanish speakers are three times more populous than native English speakers. China’s economy is skyrocketing, South America is gaining stability, and the power of the once dominant US economy is petering out in the world marketplace. The second language of choice may be changing, but the reasons to become bilingual are only growing more compelling. Chinese, anyone?
