In high school, most of us were required to take a foreign language for at least two years. I don’t know about you, but my classmates and I saw Spanish as an easy A.
Spanish was always seen as the fun class with the best teachers. But let’s face it, there was nothing really challenging in saying the vocabulary list aloud and doing a few worksheets.
After those two years were up, I continued to study Spanish while many other classmates didn’t. I had these dreams that’d I’d be fluent by the end of my senior year.
These dreams did not turn out to be a reality. Sure, I can differentiate tenses and know a lengthy list of vocabulary words, but put me in a situation where I have to actually speak with a Spanish speaker and I guarantee I’ll say “no” and try to escape the situation.
Many make the argument that since this is America and we speak English, there is no need to learn to speak Spanish.
Although these people are right that English is the most common language of the U.S., there is no “official” American language.
There are approximately 35.5 million homes that speak Spanish in the U.S., according to a 2009 American Community Survey done by the U.S. Census Bureau. Out of these 35.5 million homes, 45.7 percent of them are not able to speak English.
This makes Spanish the second most popular language in the U.S. As a result, one could make the argument that Spanish is also an “official” language of the U.S. However, the U.S. is not sensitive enough to this fact.
Ingrid Pufahl, author of “Foreign Language Teaching: What the United States Can Learn From Other Countries,” claims that foreign languages are considered less important than math, science and English and are more readily cut when math and reading test scores drop.
Pufahl also points out that students in the U.S. don’t start taking foreign languages until high school, and that most schools don’t expect proficiency in the language. In contrast, students abroad start learning foreign languages in elementary school and take it for nine to twelve years.
Take the Philippines, for example. A study done by the U.S. Census on the educational characteristics of Filipinos showed that 96 percent were able to speak their native tongue (Tagalog), while 63.7 percent were able to speak English.
Filipinos are taught English at a very young age and will become fluent in it if they want to enter college or get a job in the U.S, said Filipino native Kathy Bagarinao in an article to Philippines Today.
The Philippines brings up a great point — why not learn a new language for the sake of job opportunities in other countries?
“I think it is short-sighted to limit ourselves to an isolated existence and completely give up on international, global careers and goals early in life when language learning is easiest,” said Sarah Stahlbush, who teaches Spanish at Sunnyslope High School. “It should be required. It’s about acknowledging that if you want to belong to a world beyond your front door, then you will acquire the necessary skills. “
For example, the unemployment rate in the U.S. is at 9.1 percent, but lower unemployment rates can be found in Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Israel, Germany, Hong Kong, as well as many other countries.
Why put a limit on what you can learn and accomplish? Learning that second language opens doors, such as job opportunities.
The projected estimated Hispanic population in the U.S. in 2050 is 132.8 million, according to the U.S. Census. Spanish needs to be taught earlier and taken more seriously in this country, because English will not always be number one.
“I think it is arrogant to assume that English will be available, or should be available, wherever we go. The days when those thoughts and attitudes were OK are long gone,” Stahlbush said.
If you think about the career path you plan to go down, there is always a situation in which you will find yourself with a non-English speaker, especially in Arizona.
Doctors treat and lawyers represent non-English speakers, too.
Police come in contact with those who speak Spanish, as do firefighters. A bilingual journalist would be able to interview many different people.
Diplomats especially come across many different languages. High school and college students, take note: We’re heading in the direction of having to learn Spanish not only for the sake of convenience, but perhaps to understand our future employers.
Maybe it’s time to pay attention in those Spanish classes — your future could rely on it one day.
Reach the columnist at Olivia.Brunacini@asu.edu