A Language Lover Against Mandatory Study Abroad? by Kendal

A Language Lover Against Mandatory Study Abroad? by Kendal - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

One might call me a polyglot. I am pursuing a Spanish major and a French minor all while teaching myself Portuguese, German, and Russian on the side. Other countries fascinate me—their culture, their histories, and their languages. The thought of spending a semester abroad drowning in another country’s culture is quite honestly a dream of mine. I was wired this way, born with a hungry, almost romantic curiosity about foreign lands and old castles and strange words I do not understand. Because of my personal wish to study abroad, some might find it odd that I do not think study abroad trips should be required. However, if some students maintain a provincial mindset and would prefer the stereotypical American college experience, they should not be obligated to expand their horizons. Cultural literacy and education are a gift that should be only bestowed upon those who will “suck out all the marrow” of such an experience, as Thoreau might encourage. What should be non-negotiable is the study of at a minimum one foreign language.

According to an article put forth by Forbes magazine online, only 18% of Americans report the ability to speak a language other than English well. Fifty-three percent of our European counterparts across the pond report the same ability (Skorton and Altschuler). But why does that matter? Most everyone caters to our linguistic deficit it seems. Why should Americans rush to meet that gap? The same Forbes article answers that very question:

We should care – a lot – about our foreign language deficit. We need diplomats, intelligence and foreign policy experts, politicians, military leaders, business leaders, scientists, physicians, entrepreneurs, managers, technicians, historians, artists, and writers who are proficient in languages other than English. And we need them to read and speak less commonly taught languages (for which funding has recently been cut by the federal government) that are essential to our strategic and economic interests, such as Farsi, Bengali, Vietnamese, Burmese and Indonesian. (Skorton and Altschuler)

Not only should students be required to study a foreign language, but also they should want to. The job opportunities are numerous and in respected, lucrative fields. As a current college student, I know first-hand the fear of graduating without vocational prospects. To implement mandatory foreign language instruction would only benefit students post-graduation, or at least those who seriously and deeply understand their importance.

Should study abroad be mandatory? No, it should not—at least not in my opinion. The study abroad experience must be extended to those who want to challenge themselves, to become proficient in a way of life strange to their own. It is not always a comfortable experience. It is never a vacation. If universities and colleges required their students to at least study one foreign language, the number of students studying abroad might increase. Perhaps that one student finds a passion for a language for which she did not even realize she had talent. It is parochial and egocentric to assume the world will rush to meet our needs as mono-linguistic creatures. If we learn languages, the door to other cultures opens. And that is the door through which more Americans must walk.