Lacking Language Skills: Article Analysis

Decent Essays
Friedman, Amelia. "America 's Lacking Language Skills." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 10 May 2015. Web. 05 May 2016.
In this article the author talks about how only 7% of college students are enrolled in a language class. It’s not that they don’t want to learn; the reason is that Americans think it’s not possible to learn another language. The world has evolved so much that everyone can communicate electronically in seconds throughout the globe, and soon everyone will need to speak different languages. Advocates argue over whether the US system of education should be maintained or if another method of education should be implemented, because one-fifth of all jobs in the world involve a foreign language. Students with dual-language
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In the workforce, more and more people are looking for bilinguals and such. It is reported that in Europe 53% of the population speaks two languages and can fluently converse in foreign languages. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says “To prosper economically and to improve relations with other countries, Americans need to read, speak and understand other languages.” The demand for and enrollment in foreign language courses is at its highest level since 1968. The article suggest that a change must be made in order for Americans to be successful in this complex and highly competitive world. The article also suggests finding a way to have new teaching methods in order to catch up to the rest of the …show more content…
The article also states that knowing other languages and cultures expands your way of thinking as well as your creativity and makes you retain information more easily by having that “extra” language. According to The Guardian, language education in the US has been mostly viewed as a national security issue and not an educational issue. The article suggest that for the sake of the future young Brits and Americans, should learn another language for the sake of their nations’ economic competitiveness, political success and security and personal benefit

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