Of all the skills that a person could have in today's globalized world, few serve individuals – and the larger society – as well as knowing how to speak another language.
People who speak another language score higher on tests and think more creatively, have access to a wider variety of jobs, and can more fully enjoy and participate in other cultures or converse with people from diverse backgrounds.
Knowledge of foreign languages is also vital to America's national security and diplomacy. Yet, according to the U.S Government Accountability Office, nearly one in four Foreign Service officers do not meet the language proficiency requirements that they should meet to do their jobs.
Despite all these reasons to learn a foreign language, there has been a steep decline in foreign language instruction in America's colleges and universities. Researchers at the Modern Language Association recently found that colleges lost 651 foreign language programs from 2013 to 2016
The advice to learn foreign languages has been repeated for decades, but how much does it really help native speakers of English, professionally, to learn other languages? Additionally, does the decline of language courses at traditional schools reflect cheaper, better alternatives online?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by aristarchus on Thursday February 07 2019, @08:49AM (1 child)
Or, your brain is already full, since you are a STEM student. (Let me think: Special Temporary and Eccentric Module?) No, the point is not some technical skill, like sucking your bosses dick or khallowing richies, the point is to understand the nature, structure, and logic of natural language systems. Fluency is a by-products, as are most STEM majors, whom we could just toss of the Pier with no great loss. I mean, it used to be jocks, now it STEM! What idiot of a PhEd came up with this? We have to teach kids Fortran so they can learn syntax? Madness, sheer and utter madness. Must be America.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 07 2019, @09:02AM
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It is.