Birthday Wish – Foreign Language Tapes

I was really surprised when my 12 year old granddaughter gave me her birthday wish list. Included was a desire for French language tapes. She appears to be highly motivated to want to travel and to speak a foreign language, and I was pleased to help her. My next door neighbor also surprised me by saying that her 6 year old daughter is studying Mandarin Chinese. She was looking for a new tutor and I gave her the name of a woman who spoke Chinese and lived down the street.

When I was in high school my classmates' response to foreign language requirements was "which language is the easiest?" We were full of U.S. pride and believed everyone around the globe spoke English so there was no reason to have to speak to people in their native tongue. As a result, my friends and I were limited by not being bilingual travelers.

Could it be that our country’s attitudes are changing? It is hard to believe that just a few years ago when we were angry at France for not participating in the Coalition of the Willing in Iraq, french fries became freedom fries in Congress. It made me aware of how our view of foreigners is often emotional rather than knowledgeable.

One thing that international wars accomplish is to make us conscious of being part of a world citizenry. Before 1992 few had ever heard of Bosnia and Herzegovina and certainly could not place these countries on a map. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, attention turned to the Middle East and by now most Americans can identify the location of Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. Yet, most people are still uninformed about the cultures of these ancient countries and few of us speak Farsi or Pashtu. Those we elect to office often make decisions affecting the lives of millions without understanding other cultures.

Illegal and legal immigrants from the south have created many city areas where only Spanish is spoken. Bilingual street signs, airport messages, and hospital admittance forms have become the norm in parts of the United States. Slowly, employers are seeing the benefit of being able to speak to a person in his or her native tongue. Bilingual assistance is available in court hearings and government agencies. Museum Tour looks for bilingual call center operators.

Words are important and different languages have words that imply a variety of meanings. Without being able to communicate in a person's native tongue there is a great chance of misinformation leading to mistakes. International travel is much more enjoyable if you can talk directly to the people. Jobs are available to those who speak second languages and, of course, language fluency is imperative for foreign service work.

When talking to Europeans or Asians we often hear that they speak four or five languages fluently. Why are they able to do this and we can not? Is it language fear? Not starting ear training at an early age? Less practice in memorization? Teacher training? Priorities? Expectations? Less international travel? Does the idea that the U.S. is a melting pot play into the notion that everyone must communicate through a common language – English? Does this belief make us less sensitive to the rich cultural variations that might enhance our lives if we embraced differences rather than eliminated them?

I believe that expectation plays a large part in the decision to learn another language. Children in certain countries are expected to speak more than their native tongue and their second language accomplishment is as much the norm as learning to play a sport. Parents encourage their children to travel abroad in order to become a well rounded person.

As a country that considers itself a world leader wouldn’t we be better off if we could speak to others without translators? Leadership involves communication and understanding. Let us help our next generation of children become part of a global community so they can make the world a kinder place. Expect them to become bilingual.

Please let me know your opinion about this issue. Go to Museum Tour’s blog site museumtour.blogspot.com and comment.

Museum Tour offers language product's for young and old. Bilingual Kids: French, Spanish, for ages 6+; Instant Immersion is offered in Italian, Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish, French, and Japanese which is a comprehensive program for older children and adults; The Talk Now Series is a practical first step for travelers interested in one of 23 language selections. For those who need immediate translation help World Traveler Language Translator offers 44 language translations and is a handy device to take on a trip.