Little else is more foreign to Americans than being able to use a foreign language. There are exceptions, of course.

The most notable exception is the Hispanic-American population. According to a recent report by Calvin Veltman, nearly 80 percent of this population of 13.5 billion is bilingual. Why? It's a matter of prosperity. To do well in America, it's important to speak English.

A lot of the rest of us are lucky enough to be born speaking English, right? So what's the problem?

The problem is that, for Americans, knowing other languages, too, is a matter of prosperity. To do well in the world, Americans need to speak other languages.

America is no longer the isolated nation it was 100 years ago: no nation is. We know what happens today in China, in France, and in Mexico. To do well in this shrinking world, Americans need to understand cultures, values, and languages that are very different from their own.

General Motors, for example, had a tough time selling its popular Chevrolet Nova in Latin America. That was because "No va!" in Spanish means "It doesn't go!" And Spanish is the second language most commonly taught in our schools and the most common second language spoken in our streets and homes.

Fortunately, interest in foreign languages is increasing. Some states have taken serious steps to make sure that all high schools (including small and rural high schools) offer foreign languages. And according to a 1987 survey, one-fifth of elementary schools offer some instruction in foreign languages. New technology (for example, courses delivered over satellite links) is also making instruction in Japanese and Russian more common. Instruction, however, needs to begin in the early grades, and it needs to be continuously available through high school.

Schools in the United States have had trouble sustaining foreign language programs. Parents and community members can do a lot to help. They can encourage their own children's interest in foreign languages. They can encourage schools to establish and keep foreign language programs. And finally, they can educate their neighbors about the reasons people need to speak other languages.

© National Parent Information Network

Credits: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Sc