As the anti-bilingual education crusader in California and Arizona, Ron Unz is not a name easily associated with the importance of multilingualism. Yet, in an article published several years ago, the California software entrepreneur wrote that in today’s world bilingual individuals have “a distinct edge over their English-only peers.” Unz is right. The advantages of knowing Spanish in California and many other parts of the United States are obvious. First of all there are economic benefits. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Miami reveals that linguistic knowledge among Hispanic families drastically affects family income. Families who spoke only Spanish had an average income of $18,000; those with only English $32,000; and those with Spanish and English $50,376. The figures were culled from 1990 census figures. Bilingual employees of the city of Los Angeles in designated positions earn 5 percent more than their monolingual colleagues. And bilingual teachers in the Los Angeles School District receive a yearly bonus of $5,000.

Companies are very well aware of the connection between Spanish and business. When you make a phone call AT&T and other major phone companies ask you to push “1” for English and “2” for Spanish. And if you watch television in Spanish, you see commercials from major American as well as international companies trying to capture more business. In international trade Spanish is also vital. Florida controls 50 percent of the trade with Caribbean countries and Central America. The Spanish language plays a key role. But even within U.S. business, particularly in California, Texas, New Jersey, New York and Florida, Spanish means sales and companies often prefer bilingual employees to monolingual ones. It’s a business decision. Knowledge of the language represents a vital skill.

American students have figured out which foreign language will pay dividends. Spanish is the most popular foreign language in U.S. high schools, colleges and universities. Figures released by the Modern Language Association reveal that for the first time in the history of foreign language enrollments, Spanish accounts for more than 50 percnet of the total. All the other foreign languages put together – French, German, Russian, Italian, Japanese, etc. – attract fewer students than Spanish.

Although knowing Spanish translates into greater profits both nationally and internationally, other languages can accomplish the same goal in the global market.

The Japanese know the importance of foreign languages. English is a basic subject in Japan. Japanese business understands that languages represent an important investment because of the purchasing power of the speakers. As Japanese executives are fond of saying, the language of business is the customer’s language. Learning languages is not something you can pick up in a weekend of intensive study. It’s a long-term process. That’s why in other countries the study of foreign languages begins in the early grades. By the time Dutch students are in high school, they are fluent in English and have been exposed to some other language. In most countries around the world any educated person will be able to communicate in several languages in addition to their indigenous one.

To be successful in the global economy, American companies need internationally educated employees who possess knowledge of other cultures. Designing and eventually marketing products all over the world requires a knowledge that can only be gained by studying world languages, the key to entering cultures.

To get these globally trained employees American education needs to lose its insularity and look beyond the confines of the English language. Although second or third languages in the United States have long been considered a frill, some hopeful changes are beginning to occur. As states get rid of bilingual education programs, which were designed to teach English and other subjects to immigrant children, newer language approaches are introduced. These are called dual-language schools, whose aim is to teach in two languages so that students will become bilingual. John Stanford International School, in Seattle, Washington is typical. It teaches kindergartners and first graders half a day in Spanish, the other in English. The school is very popular. It can accommodate only 50 students, but more than 265 parents wanted to enroll their children. Because of the strong demand, another dual language school will be set up in the school district within two years.

Other dual-language schools exist throughout the United States. Although their programs are not all alike, their goals are similar: create bilingual individuals. Former Secretary of Education Richard Riley wanted to quadruple the number of these schools to 1000 within five years. If American kids get a first class education, which includes knowledge of a foreign language, U.S. companies may be able to ward off the wane of the American economic might by investing in the future of children. Foreign languages, long seen as a frill, are becoming a basic subject alongside of English and Math as they already are in other countries. Companies doing international business should provide the financial support necessary to establish language programs in elementary schools and continue them in the higher grades. In the long run this support will generate better-prepared employees and, eventually, higher profits. The study of foreign languages from the early grades will eventually have another very positive effect – it will bring people together and reveal the common humanity we share regardless of the language we may speak.

Domenico Maceri teaches foreign languages at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, CA, United States. – Ed.



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