There is nothing more practical (or classier), than being able to speak more than one language. Bi- or multi-lingualism gives graduates more opportunities than monolingual students. And they will sound sophisticated while opening those doors.
To graduate, Puget Sound requires students to take at least two semesters of foreign language at the 100 level, or one semester at the 200 level. Alternately, those who score a four or five on an Advanced Placement exam or a passing grade on a proficiency test can bypass the requirement entirely.
Realistically, what can two semesters of a foreign language achieve for a student?
At the 100 level, students only learn the very basics of grammar and vocabulary. One year is also not enough to develop a passable accent. Once the requirement is completed, without further exposure to the target language, students forget what they learned very quickly.
On the other hand, four years of language courses could improve students’ conversational ability at the level that would be useful acquiring almost any job there is.
Organizations as prestigious as the State Department, the CIA and the FBI are keen on bilingual applicants who can work internationally. High-profile companies like Amazon and Apple offer numerous jobs for Portuguese, Korean and Chinese speakers in translation, which can pay salaries upwards of $600,000 per year.
Not only that, but learning a different language improves the learner’s native language as well.
Romance languages like English, French and Spanish, for example, are all so closely related that learning one can improve skills in another.
According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, speaking a second language can also improve academic performance.
A study showed that students who studied Spanish three times a week for 30 minutes scored much higher on math and language tests than students who studied only English.
“Studying a language will build your overall language abilities and strengthen your skills in interpretation and understanding. Learning the grammar of another language is an important way to get a better handle on grammar in general,” Russell Berman of CNN wrote.
“Expanding your foreign language vocabulary helps you think about words and their meanings in complex ways.”
“J’ai appris le français parce que je voulais comprendre la culture, et certainement la langue est la clé de la culture et de toutes ses spécificités,” (“I learned French because I wanted to understand the culture, and language is certainly the key to culture and all of its components”) Pilar Fuentes, a translator for the United Nations in Geneva, said.
Realistically, languages will never be the first priority for someone not majoring in them, simply because a science student, for example, will focus on getting their science credits done, while languages take the backseat. Students are busy with classes and extracurriculars, and many do not have extra time to devote to another language.
However, that same science student could greatly benefit from learning German, as many science journals publish in German. Why not institute language classes a few times a week that can offer at least some instruction without quite the commitment?
Consistent study of a language over four years—even without out-of-class work—can go a long way towards fluency, and fluency can go a long way towards getting and keeping a desirable job.
It would be unreasonable to assume that students can make time for a full language class every semester, but cutting out the heavy out-of-class workload could give rise to a class that is both useful and (hopefully) enjoyable.
Imagine the sheer amount of culture that would emanate from the University if every student was at least passably bilingual; not only would Puget Sound become the classiest university on the West Coast, students here would become the most employable students in the nation.