By Among the many things I am grateful to my parents for is their native language, Spanish. While I have always taken pride in being bilingual, I recognize the struggle in the U.S. by those who are different and the pressure to belong that makes them hide their language skills.
The need to fit in is not the sole reason many Americans avoid practicing or learning another language. However, it is an ideology that must be addressed and changed.
English speakers have become too comfortable being monolingual, knowing they can confidently travel, believing others will accommodate them in different countries.
Other countries’ initiative to learn English should not be mistaken as a sign of our power. Knowledge is power, and in this case, many Americans lack it.
Choosing to remain monolingual, despite having access to language learning resources, can reflect a self-centered attitude — especially when travelers show little interest in learning even basic phrases of the destinations they visit.
“Today, English is the lingua franca. Like 500 years ago, French was the lingua franca in Europe,” Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literatures Department Chair Aparna Nayak said. “It’s a similar thing today because English is so integral to business and to research. A lot of stuff happens only in English.”
However, Nayak believes that people in other countries do not appreciate when visitors assume they will speak in their language.
When Nayak traveled to France with a group of honor students outside the French program, she taught them a few phrases, including, “I don’t speak French; may I ask in English?”
“I remember students asking, but why do French people have this reputation of being so rude? They were so nice to us, but that’s because you tried, right? Even if you don’t know how to say much, just trying is enough for people to say, ‘OK, I’ll make that effort if you can’t,’” Nayak said.
Learning another language is beneficial even without travel plans. While studying for a career, adding an additional major, minor, or certificate in a language can be a skill that will make any resume stand out.
“Languages are the largest minor really in the College of Liberal Arts,” Nayak said. “But we can take a lot more really. Like, Pretty much anybody studying anything should do a language, in my opinion.”
As a student pursuing a career in journalism, I decided it was imperative to learn a third language to have the power to communicate with multiple communities.
All communities deserve representation in news, which is why I plan to return to college after graduating to learn American Sign Language.
Currently, I am pursuing a minor in French and often receive emails encouraging students to enroll in language courses to prevent them from being cut.
When asked why students on campus may not be motivated to learn a new language, Nayak was unsure of the exact reason. However, she believed financial insecurities, time, and stereotypical assumptions about career paths might all be factors.
Apps like Duolingo can help students practice a language, but Nayak believes language learning is ineffective through apps alone, as they lack two-way communication.
“Think about a child; you initially learn to communicate, either through expressions, through your eyes, through words, right?” Nayak said. “You can do an app and learn to translate a few sentences, but that’s not really communication.”
According to Nayak, learning other languages has multiple benefits: physiologically, it strengthens the brain by improving speed and efficiency; emotionally, it fosters empathy for people and diverse cultures; and intellectually, it enhances critical and analytical thinking skills.
“You’re evaluating another culture, and then you’re looking at your own culture through the other cultures eyes, going ‘OK, why do we do these things, right, why do we behave like this,’” Nayak said.
Beyond professional advantages, intercultural competency is an important consideration for soon-to-be graduates preparing to enter their respective fields.
We are currently experiencing a political and cultural divide in the United States. However, learning about more cultures and languages can help unite our country, fostering kindness and understanding.
“Language learning increases empathy, and that, unfortunately, is sorely lacking right now in the world; but when you learn about other cultures, you learn to look at people from that culture as human beings and not just a number somewhere out there,” Nayak said.
Letting go of egocentric views as Americans and fostering curiosity to expand global knowledge allows people to grow and contributes to making America truly great.
“Language is connected to emotions. It’s connected to who we are; it roots us. And we’re all different, and that’s OK, but being multilingual then gives you so many tools to connect to so many people,” Nayak said.
