{"id":7386,"date":"2018-09-10T08:28:57","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T12:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/?p=7386"},"modified":"2020-10-01T11:56:46","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T15:56:46","slug":"its-time-to-invest-in-foreign-language-instruction-at-the-professional-level-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2018\/09\/10\/its-time-to-invest-in-foreign-language-instruction-at-the-professional-level-too\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s time to invest in foreign language instruction at the professional level, too."},"content":{"rendered":"

In a popular op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Patrice Apodaca makes the case that it\u2019s time to invest in foreign-language instruction<\/a>, namely in public schools. We couldn\u2019t agree more, but the buck doesn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n

Apodaca wastes little time reiterating the need for foreign languages in the modern, globalized economy. That topic has been covered almost to the point of ubiquity\u2014even a bi-partisan Congressional report<\/a> recently called for Americans \u201cto value language education as a persistent national need similar to education in math or English, and to ensure that a useful level of proficiency is within every student\u2019s reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, she focuses on how we got ourselves into this mess (cuts to foreign language programs in the wake of No Child Left Behind, teacher shortages, etc.) and more importantly how we can get ourselves out of it. A public school parent herself, Apodaca\u2019s solutions target mainly the education system:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will take a state-by-state, district-by-district effort to place foreign-language instruction higher on the list of priorities. And even then questions surrounding funding will likely be hotly contested. Where to find qualified teachers will also be problematic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Improving and expanding foreign language education in every school in every district is the ideal long-term solution. But the op-ed points out the obvious, long-term problems that accompany such a significant policy shift. The U.S. can\u2019t afford<\/a> to wait for the education system to find more qualified teachers and fund more foreign language programs at the K-12 level\u2014the benefits of which are a generation away at best.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A report<\/a> by the Economist Intelligence Unit determined that U.S. businesses are \u201cdangerously overlooking the need to invest in training\u201d, particularly since with 49% of surveyed businesses confirmed that communication misunderstandings resulted in \u201cfinancial losses after a major cross-border deal has fallen through\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"professional<\/p>\n

To mitigate these risks in the short-term, the U.S. needs an organization-by-organization effort to build current language capacity.<\/strong> Businesses, non-profits, and government agencies can directly reap the benefits of their own foreign language training programs. It\u2019s never too late to invest in language skills at the professional level, despite what Apodaca contends about age limits:<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch tells us that children must begin learning a foreign language by age 10 in order to achieve complete fluency. After the age 17 or 18, the ability to become merely proficient precipitously drops.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, as we\u2019ve discussed previously<\/a>, is simply not true. Research tells us there likely exists a \u201ccritical period\u201d for language learning, a threshold after which it becomes more difficult\u2014but by no means impossible\u2014to reach native-like levels.<\/p>\n

Consider the many government agencies for whom language skills are mission critical. The Department of Defense and the State Department both provide language training to service members and diplomats aged well into their 30s and 40s, if not older. Many candidates must score an ILR 3\/3, defined as \u201cgeneral professional proficiency\u201d, or proficient enough to achieve their mission and represent our country abroad.<\/p>\n

According to the Foreign Service Institute, adult learners achieve these impressive levels of proficiency in a relatively short period of time<\/a>, ranging from about six months for languages like Spanish or French to 12-18 months for more difficult languages like Arabic or Mandarin. While this shows it\u2019s possible<\/em> for adult learners to achieve sufficient proficiency, full-time language training is not always practical<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Very few organizations can afford the costs\u2014in terms of logistics and in terms of disruption and lost productivity\u2014of full-time, off-site language training programs. Thanks to technology, however, viable remote training alternatives<\/a> provide similar results with significantly less disruption and at lower costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Congressional report discovered \u201can emerging consensus among leaders in business and politics, teachers, scientists, and community members that proficiency in English is not sufficient to meet the nation\u2019s needs in a shrinking world.\u201d It\u2019s time for those leaders to invest in foreign language instruction at the professional level, too, lest we continue to face the same language deficit for another generation.<\/p>\n

To close her op-ed, Apodaca reiterates the difficulties facing language education reform, but implores policy makers to pursue it anyway: \u201cBut regardless of the difficulties \u2014 funding issues, a dearth of qualified teachers, a lack of political and institutional will \u2014 we can and must do something about this problem, and we should do it quickly and decisively.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s right, especially about that last part. Educators, but also policy makers, business leaders, and other organizations, must invest in foreign language skills at all levels to improve our country’s language capacity as soon as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"professional

In a popular op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Patrice Apodaca makes the case that it\u2019s time to invest in foreign-language instruction, namely in public schools. We couldn\u2019t agree more, but the buck doesn\u2019t stop there. Apodaca wastes little time reiterating the need for foreign languages in the modern, globalized economy. That topic has been…<\/p>\n

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