For a second, put aside investments in computer science, ethnic studies, and visual arts — we need to strengthen our foreign language programs across the county, state, and country.
I have been learning Spanish since seventh grade, and I am currently in the Advanced Placement for Spanish Literature – the highest level offered by Burlingame High School. But I feel woefully unprepared to have a conversation with fluent Spanish speakers outside of school, and I certainly wouldn’t be comfortable citing Spanish as a reliable skill on a job application. In a class where the majority of my classmates are native speakers or students who have taken immersive lessons throughout elementary school, I can’t help but feel far behind as I struggle to converse with my teacher daily and rely heavily on translators to understand assigned texts.
My linguistic incompetence should not be blamed on my teachers. I have had excellent foreign language teachers at both Burlingame Middle School and Burlingame High School. I got the same score every semester I took Spanish, earning high scores on the AP Spanish Language and Culture test. By all accounts, I received the perfect foreign language education. And I’m still suffering. This reality begs the question: If fluency is so elusive even for the most prepared foreign language students, then how is the rest of the country doing?
not good. In fact, only 20% of K-12 students study a foreign language, while 92% of European students do. Only 7.5% of American students will continue to study a language in college. Often, this decision is not a voluntary decision. Between 2013 and 2016, colleges lost 651 foreign language programs, according to research by the Modern Language Association. When schools have to implement cost-saving measures, foreign language programs are the first to disappear. For example, the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point has eliminated French, German and Spanish majors in recent years to meet budget cuts.
For students receiving foreign language instruction, it’s often too little, too late, notes Tufts University student Matthew Rampey. We are most receptive to a second language before the age of 10, but most foreign language programs are not offered until middle school—with the rare exception of immersion programs. This was the case for Rambi and me, and the same is true for thousands of students across the country.
It is easy to say that the transition of multilingualism is inevitable – when Google Translate can solve language barriers and play the role of interpreter, having a student with the same abilities seems redundant. But do we stop teaching algebra because a Chat GPT or graphing calculator can produce the same result that it takes 6th graders a year to learn? No, because we have generally accepted the independent value of learning – and the soft skills of persistence, collaboration and passion that come with it.
We should treat language learning with the same level of respect – if not more.
First, unlike content learned in engineering, world history, and biology, bilingualism is a marketable skill. A 2019 survey found that 9 in 10 U.S. employers rely on multilingual employees — a data point that is unlikely to decrease in the near future. Most importantly, multilingualism is closely linked to cultural awareness, tolerance and diversity. If students internalize the value of another language, they also inherently internalize the contributions of that culture. In a world starved for empathy and marked by judgment and division, multilingualism may be key to overcoming our prejudices.
The solutions look better on paper than in reality. Expanding immersion programs, offering foreign language classes in elementary schools and reintroducing foreign language requirements at the college level are all laudable goals. But none of it can be achieved without qualified teachers, adequate funding and state support. To do this, we must remind ourselves of the invaluable social, cultural and economic benefits resulting from multilingualism. Just as we advocate for STEM, arts, and technology classes, we must also advocate for improvement in our language programs. In fact, let’s put them at the top of the agenda.
Elise Spinner is a student at Burlingame High School. Student news appears in the weekend edition. You can email student news to news@smdailyjournal.com.
