If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Nelson Mandela.

The liberal arts college experience provides students an overview of the arts, humanities, and sciences while students engage with the community. Learning a foreign language is key to attaining both goals as it equips students with the skills needed to move through the world, as it is explained in the framework of 21st Century Learning.

Furthermore, The National Education Association (NEA) stresses the importance of learning languages as part of global competence in American Students: “Global competence refers to the acquisition of in-depth knowledge and understanding of international issues, an appreciation of and ability to learn and work with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, proficiency in a foreign language, and skills to function productively in an interdependent world community.” (Global Competence Is a 21st Century Imperative – An NEA policy brief). Additionally, the Lead with Language initiative by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) summarizes its importance: “Imagine waking up one day to a new reality. A world where English is only one of thousands of languages and 95% of Americans are left out the conversation. Realize that that day is today. In the world that we share 7 billion people, 75% don’t understand any English and the fastest growing economies across the globe are non-English speaking. How can we succeed? Answer: With Languages”

Language acquisition does not necessarily begin in college. Ideally it should begin in primary and secondary education, and, for some of our students, learning more than one language begins at home. The importance of learning language is also recognized with “the Seal of Biliteracy,” an award made by the State Department of Education to recognize students who have attained proficiency in English and one or more other world languages by their high school graduation. This seal is already being awarded in more than 30 states including the state of Georgia.

Teaching languages is not limited to teaching how to communicate effectively in a variety of situations. Teaching languages follows the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (ACFTL) standards. These include acquiring cultural competence and understanding (Cultures), connecting with other disciplines and gaining information and diverse perspectives to use the language to function in academic and career-related situations (Connections), developing insight into the nature of language and culture to interact with cultural competence (Comparisons), and communicating and interacting with cultural competence to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world (Communities).

These standards also reflect the current educational landscape, such as Common Core State Standards and College and Career Readiness. Over 40 states have already implemented the five “C’s” (communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities) in their language education programs.

In addition, extensive research about learning languages proves its countless advantages: language learning supports increased academic achievement, correlates with higher academic achievement on standardized test measures, benefits both monolingual English and English language learners in bilingual and two-way immersion programs, and accelerates the development of students’ reading abilities. There is evidence that language learners transfer skills from one language to another, and there is a correlation between second language learning and increased linguistic awareness. There are also correlations between language learning and students’ ability to hypothesize in science and between young children’s second language development and print awareness development.

Finally, there is evidence that heritage learners who use their language skills to interpret and translate for family members experience higher academic performance and greater self-efficacy. Likewise, there is a parallel between language study and higher scores on the SAT and ACT tests and high school foreign language study and higher academic performance at the college level.

Foreign language skills are a fundamental part of any liberal arts curriculum; it supports any field or academic area. Learning a second language complements all majors or minors and is the most popular of double majors.