Stop stupidity sign
Stop stupidity sign

I agree with Michael Hofmann, author, poet and translator who wrote in the British newspaper, The Guardian, about the importance of foreign language education.

I am glad the US is not following the UK and New Zealand and strategically cutting back on foreign language education because of a belief that it’s not valid. We may be axing foreign language programs because of lack of budget. The inward nature of Anglo countries in thinking that everyone should learn English and we shoul;dn’t bother learning foreign languages is disgusting. We need to learn other languages, and be multilingual to thrive in a global economy. It’s not about a cultural superiority argument, it’s precisely, as Hoffman writes, a need so that we can understand and communicate with people in other countries.

To speak another language isn’t just cultured, it’s a blow against stupidity: A leading translator argues that if we rely solely on English we’ll lose the curiosity that drove Milton and Orwell.

1 COMMENT

  1. Here, here! u00a0As a Spanish teacher, myself, I am pleased to see that pop culture and the television show “Glee!” are both using celebrities to help convey the importance of bilingualism in the United States! u00a0Did you hear the statistics? u00a0They are not made up!!! u00a0By the year 2030, English will be the SECOND most commonly used language in the U.S.A. u00a0I started my children on a program to introduce foreign languages at the age of three. u00a0Both are now fluent in Spanish and Italian. u00a0Everybody knows Rosetta Stone, but for the younger generations, I like http://www.heywordy.com. u00a0My family and I have never been more entertained while being introduced to a plethora of languages!u00a0

Comments are closed.