Posted by admin on February 2nd, 2010 in Communication, Education

According to a recent article in the New York Times, thousands of public schools have stopped teaching foreign languages in the last decade.  Chinese classes on the other hand have increased.  It seems the Chinese government is sending teachers from China to schools around the world  and are paying part of their salaries.

We Don’t Value Languages

Americans know fewer foreign languages  than our counter-parts in other rich nations of the world.  When we lived overseas I realized just how little we value languages in the U.S.  For instance, in Switzerland, it’s common for kids to grow up speaking 2-3 languages – sometimes 4 or 5.  Granted they are surrounded by the countries that speak the other languages but it’s not just that.  There is a fundamental desire by most Europeans to speak multiple languages in order to communicate in business or simply while on vacation.

According to a recent government survey, almost 1,600 American public and private schools are teaching Chinese, up from 300 or so a decade ago.  In the 1980’s there was a spurt of interest in Japanese but thousands have dropped that language, the survey found.  Additionally, French, German and Russian are declining.  Parents, students and educators are recognizing China’s emergence and believe fluency can open opportunities.

Really?

I question if this is achievable.  For one thing, the language is very, very difficult and takes many years of solid study to be even functionally literate.  There is also the issue of dialects.  The dialect spoken in Shanghai is very different from the one spoken in Beijing.  So although it’s a noble goal, I think kids are better off learning a language they can either stick to for multiple years or at least learn a language they can practice and use frequently at home.

How many kids in Middle America are going to become fluent in Mandarin and use that to be marketable?  If exposure to the language is the goal, I guess that’s acceptable as long as parents and teens are realistic as to the trade-offs.   If we’re trading away other languages that perhaps they could actually USE in every day life (Spanish almost everywhere and French in the states bordering Canada)  I don’t think it’s a good idea.  Just because it’s subsidized doesn’t mean it’s a practical alternative for our kids.  Obviously one article doesn’t make me an expert so I’d like to read more on the subject.  If any of you have experience with this, I’d be interested in hearing about it.

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