Since the colonial period, American higher education has prioritized foreign language study in both classical and modern languages. Yet in the twenty-first century, the United States faces a shortfall of professionals with strong language skills, jeopardizing both national security and global competitiveness. Eighty percent of Americans are monolingual, compared to only 25% of Europeans. A 2020 report by the Council on Foreign Relations showed that 15% of overseas positions requiring language proficiency are vacant, and 24% are filled by officers with insufficient language training. One out of four U.S. employers reports losing business because of lack of language skills on staff.
“Why America Needs Foreign Language Education at Its Colleges and Universities” is a guide for higher education leaders that summarizes in a quick, printable trifold the contents of ACTA’s report Ivory Towel of Babel.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY An old joke goes, “If a person who speaks two languages is bilingual, and a person who speaks three languages is trilingual, what do you call a person who speaks one language? . . . An American.” Almost 80% of Americans speak only English; by contrast, just 25% of adults in the European […]
Washington, DC — The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has released Ivory Tower of Babel: Rebuilding Language Learning in Higher Education for a More Secure and Competitive America, a new report examining the steep decline of foreign language study in U.S. higher education. The report shows that foreign language enrollments at colleges and […]
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