Bilingualism For Tomorrow

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's February 2008

download word file, 4 pages 0.0

Americans need to take a lesson or two from the other countries of the world. The United States is one of the only countries that have a single official language. By communicating in only one language, the citizens of our fair country have isolated themselves from other cultures. In actuality, this is quite a feat. The world is becoming increasingly globalized by innovative technology and transportation systems. It is practically impossible to stay isolated from the rest of the world when you can pick up the phone to call Russia, e-mail a friend in Japan, and book a flight to France for the weekend all in the span of an hour. However, we Americans manage to pull the blinders on just as easy as a pair of Isotoners. Opportunities for international and cross-cultural understanding are knocking on our doorstep ready to remove the blinders, but are we ready to answer the door? One such opportunity is learning a foreign language to communicate more effectively with a larger number of people around the world.

The majority of four-year colleges and universities in the United States offer one or more foreign languages as an option to students wishing to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree instead of a Bachelor of Science degree. However, all degree-seekers should be required to fulfill twelve credit hours of a foreign language before earning their undergraduate degree.

Studying a foreign language for two years can be rewarding and valuable on a personal as well as a societal level. One of the prime motivations for getting a college degree is to get a good job after the student's studies are completed. Learning a foreign language can greatly enhance a person's marketability and worth. It increases the eligibility of job applicants to international corporations. The Department of English as...