The u s foreign language deficit

THE U.S. FOREIGN
LANGUAGE DEFICIT
Strategies for Maintaining a
Competitive Edge in a
Globalized World

Kathleen Stein-Smith


The U.S. Foreign Language Deficit



Kathleen Stein-Smith

The U.S. Foreign
Language Deficit
Strategies for Maintaining a Competitive Edge
in a Globalized World


Kathleen Stein-Smith
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Teaneck, New Jersey, USA

ISBN 978-3-319-34158-3
ISBN 978-3-319-34159-0
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-34159-0

(eBook)

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PREFACE

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE IN A GLOBALIZED
WORLD
In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, facing global
issues that require global solutions, it is increasingly important—essential
for our survival, in fact—that we communicate, and that we communicate
effectively.
According to the United Nations (UN) website, “The correct interpretation and translation of these six languages, in both spoken and written

form, is very important to the work of the Organization, because this
enables clear and concise communication on issues of global importance.”
It goes on to affirm, “Multilingualism enables communication between
the UN’s linguistically and culturally diverse Member States within the
meeting rooms and halls of the UN.  By promoting tolerance, multilingualism also ensures increased participation of all Member States in the
Organization’s work, as well as greater effectiveness, better outcomes and
more involvement.”
Americans are among the least likely to speak another language. The
United States’ foreign language deficit impacts our economic and national
security, affecting both individuals and our society as a whole.
This deficit affects our ability to effectively navigate the globalized
world and our own multicultural and multilingual society. In addition,
individuals without foreign language skills and knowledge of other cultures are often not able to enjoy cultural and entertainment events and the
experience of travel abroad firsthand.
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PREFACE

Many career opportunities require or prefer foreign language and intercultural skills, leaving many U.S. jobs unfilled, or filled by workers from
other parts of the world with the desired skill set.
We should communicate the value of foreign language skills, especially
to young people, as a career asset, and offer the opportunity for them to
learn foreign languages beginning at an early age and to continue to proficiency and even fluency.
We can act as individuals—in our families and communities, in the
workplace, and through our elected officials to effect change. Educators—
in the classroom and through research, can create and deliver the best
instructional theory and material for learners of all ages and backgrounds.

Government officials, agencies, and departments can develop policies to
empower students, prospective workers, and citizens to develop foreign
language skills. Businesses can facilitate foreign language learning on site
or through funding by their employees. Identifying other foreign language stakeholders—potential partners—is an essential first step.
Most importantly, we can work together—as parents, educators, public
officials, and business leaders—in what has been referred to as the language enterprise partnership to support foreign language learning.
The “Many Languages One World” (MLOW) Essay Contest and
Global Youth Forum, New  York City’s French révolution bilingue, and
the British Academy’s Languages Programme and partnership with The
Guardian, are just a few of the wonderful examples of language enterprise
stakeholder partnerships.
We can work together to build motivation to get students into the
classroom and keep them there, and we can support immersion and heritage language programs to increase foreign language achievement.
The time is now, and the need is urgent. Globalization has resulted in
a vastly more interconnected world, and yet only 25% of Americans speak
another language. College and university enrollment in a course in a language other than English has fallen to 8.1%, the lowest-ever percentage
reported, while virtually all students in the European Union (EU) and
beyond study one or more languages beginning at an early age.
Getting the word out to stakeholder groups and to the general population, and present and potential foreign language learners is critical. Using
the best in research on foreign languages and foreign language education,
strategic social marketing, and influence from a perspective that embraces
methods, including but not limited to social media, the campaign will
include multiple participants and methods, or mini-campaigns, to best
reach populations with diverse reasons for studying foreign languages.


PREFACE

vii

It is especially important to highlight the benefits of learning another
language. Foreign language learning and foreign language skills have many
benefits. One of the most significant is the impact of foreign language on
intelligence and ability in a variety of settings. A frequently cited circumstance is the influence of foreign language skill on standardized test scores.
Knowledge of more than one language has also been shown to increase
our ability to multitask and to prioritize multiple tasks. Knowledge and
regular use of one or more foreign languages have been demonstrated to
effectively improve mental acuity, stave off dementia, and improve memory function. Multilingual persons have also been demonstrated to have
better observational skills and to make more rational decisions. In addition, knowledge of one or more foreign languages tends to make us more
aware of the grammar and structure of our own native language.
At the end of the day, it is important to remember—and to remind
all our stakeholders—that foreign language is both a personal and workplace skill. It is necessary to develop and expand curriculum and related
programs that will empower our students to develop the level of foreign
language skills needed in the workplace, and to develop specific career
pathways for students into the language-services sector—which is predicted to increase faster than average and is worth more than $25 billion a
year in the U.S. alone—and related sectors with literally millions of career
opportunities.



INTRODUCTION

Americans are among the least likely in the world to speak another language. This U.S. foreign language deficit negatively impacts our national
and economic security, our ability to effectively navigate the global workplace and our multicultural communities, our individual career possibilities, and our ability to enjoy travel abroad and cultural pursuits to the
fullest.
This book examines the extent of the U.S. foreign language deficit, its
impact, and what can and should be done to address it, and the stakeholders and partners in the campaign for foreign languages.
It explores the economic impact of a resurgence of foreign language
on the U.S. economy and the next steps needed to develop specific career
pathways that will both meet the current and future needs of government,

business, and industry, and empower foreign language learners through
curriculum and career preparation.

ix



CONTENTS

Part I The Extent and Impact of the U.S. Foreign
Language Deficit

1

1

The Current Status of Languages in the United States

3

2

The Extent and Impact of the U.S. Foreign Language
Deficit

13

The Career Connection—Foreign Languages as a 
Career Asset: The Importance of Foreign Language
Knowledge and Intercultural Competence

23

3

Part II
4

5

Foreign Language Learning

33

The Importance of Foreign Language Skills in 
International Education and Education for Global
Citizenship

37

A Brief History of Foreign Language Learning in the 
United States

49

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xii

6

CONTENTS

Developing Foreign Language Capacity
in the U.S.—Heritage Language
and Immersion Programs

59

The Campaign for Foreign Languages

65

Addressing the U.S. Foreign Language
Deficit—The Campaign for Foreign Languages

69

8

Current Trends—Multilingualism as a Global Trend

77

9

Challenges—Getting Students Interested in Foreign
Languages and Keeping them Interested

85

10

Encouraging Signs—Advocacy, Biliteracy, and Creativity

89

11

The Resurgence of Foreign Languages in the U.S.

95

12

Conclusions and Future Directions—From the Foreign
Language Deficit to Foreign Languages 2.0

99

Concluding Thought—Foreign Languages 2.0—Curriculum
and Careers for a Changed World

107

References

109

Index

121

Part III
7


PART I

The Extent and Impact of the
U.S. Foreign Language Deficit


CHAPTER 1

The Current Status of Languages
in the United States

Abstract According to a Gallup poll, only 25% of Americans possess
the ability to conduct a conversation in a language other than English.
According to the Modern Language Association (MLA), only 8.1% of
U.S. college and university students are enrolled in a course in a language
other than English, and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign
Languages (ACTFL) reports that only 18.5% of K-12 students study a
foreign language. The United States has no official language.
Keywords Lingua franca • Foreign language deficit • Monolingualism
• Official language • Celebrities • Loan words

According to a Gallup poll, only 25% of Americans possess the ability to

conduct a conversation in a language other than English. When immigrants, their children, and other heritage language speakers are subtracted,
that leaves 10% of Americans with foreign language skills.
According to the Modern Language Association (MLA), only 8.1% of
United States college and university students are enrolled in a course in a
language other than English, and the American Council on the Teaching
of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) reports that only 18.5% of K-12 students
study a foreign language.
On the other hand, a recent Eurobarometer survey reported that 56%
of the respondents reported that they felt comfortable holding a conversation in another language, 28% felt comfortable conversing in two
© The Author(s) 2016
K. Stein-Smith, The U.S. Foreign Language Deficit,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-34159-0_1

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K. STEIN-SMITH

other languages, and 11% were able to hold a conversation in two or more
additional languages.
The reasons for this U.S. and—to some extent—global anglophone
foreign language deficit have been attributed to a variety of causes,
ranging from the rise of English as a global lingua franca to American
parochialism.
Determining the reason(s) for the lack of interest and/or achievement
in foreign languages is important in developing an effective response and
in successfully addressing this foreign language deficit, and multiple reasons may require a multifaceted strategic social marketing campaign, targeting distinct subsets of potential foreign language learners.
However, the reality is that many—possibly even most—Americans do

not even give foreign languages more than a passing thought on a typical day, and if they do, it is typically the fleeting thought that speakers of
other languages should be learning and speaking English. Reflecting this,
fewer than half of the 50 states have a foreign language requirement for
high school graduation.
Confident in the seemingly global reach of English and historically
focused on local, regional, and national events, Americans are quietly—and
effectively—being left behind and marginalized in an increasingly interconnected and globalized world. Global mobility is growing at an increasingly rapid pace, including students and professionals, and today’s global
talent is seemingly effortlessly multilingual, with a repertory of linguistic
and cultural knowledge and skills, typically including global languages
such as French and English, international languages such as Spanish, and
locally and regionally important languages such as Portuguese, German,
Russian, Chinese, and so on.
On the other hand, even a relatively internationally minded American
is likely to lack more than a superficial knowledge of one additional language, typically Spanish, and Global/International Studies undergraduate
major programs are unlikely to require a foreign language beyond the
intermediate level, which does not generally represent business proficiency, when there is a foreign language requirement at all.
The importance of foreign language skills is sometimes less than noticeable to many of us in our daily routine, which typically may not include
the need to use another language, and it is important to remember that
most Americans, even in an interconnected, globalized world where travel
is relatively within reach financially for many, still do not have a passport.


THE CURRENT STATUS OF LANGUAGES IN THE UNITED STATES

5

However, employers are looking for those with foreign language skills.
In fact, the gap between demand and supply of foreign language skills is
growing, and the reasons for this include the increasing importance of
exports, especially of services, as part of the continuing economic recovery; a burgeoning languages services sector; widespread government need

for foreign language skills; and the search for global talent with foreign
language knowledge and intercultural skills by multinational corporations.
Despite this increasing importance of foreign language skill in the workplace, there has not been an equivalent resurgence of foreign language
learning among current and prospective workers.
Our safety and security also depend on foreign language knowledge.
Whether the discussion revolves around the need for foreign language
skills in government agencies at the federal, state, and local level—in social
services agencies, courts, hospitals, law enforcement, the military, the diplomatic service, and so on, or whether it is a question of the ability of
a monolingual English-speaking American to develop a broader understanding of global issues without being able to understand and read about
other worldviews expressed in other languages, foreign languages are
essential to our individual safety and security, and to that of our society. At
the same time, there is a worsening shortage of qualified foreign language
teachers, resulting in part from the precipitous decline in foreign language
majors in the 1970s and 80s.
On another level, our personal, individual quality of life is enhanced
by knowledge of other languages and cultures, and diminished by the
lack thereof. Americans are relatively less likely to be able to appreciate
literature, film, and vocal music in the original; to be less likely to able to
connect with locals during travel; and in conversation, the monolingual
American is less likely to be aware of the current issues, history, and cultural figures of another culture than a comparable international.
To add to the factors militating against American monolingualism, neuroscience tells us that bilingualism, the frequent use of more than one language, helps us to make more rational decisions and to stave off dementia,
and educational research tells us that knowledge of another language is an
asset both to bilingual students mastering English and to English-speaking
Americans learning a foreign language.
While this lack of intercultural literacy may seem at first only disheartening, it is actually a cause for serious concern for all of us, putting our
national and economic security at risk, adding a career disadvantage, rather


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K. STEIN-SMITH

than an asset, to our resume or curriculum vitae (CV), and making it more
difficult for us to be globally fluent.
And no global lingua franca lasts forever. Latin, Spanish, and French
have played this role for a time, and history tells us that English is likely to
be supplanted at some future date, or perhaps to evolve into a simplified
global English, sometimes referred to as “Globish.” This uncertain future
of English in a globalized world is yet another reason for all of us to be
concerned about the lack of foreign language skills in the U.S.
The U.S. foreign language deficit, deeply rooted in our history and
culture, has worsened over recent decades, at a time when globalization
has made the need to address it all the more urgent.
An example of the worsening of deficit is the decline in the percentage of postsecondary students enrolled in a course in a language
other than English—from 16% in 1960, to 8.1%, according to the most
recent MLA Enrollment Survey available. The absolute numbers may
not have decreased, but the percentage of educated Americans likely
to have some foreign language knowledge has decreased by 50% in the
last 50 years, just as postcolonialism has given way to globalization, and
increased interconnectedness has increased the need for foreign language skills.
It is important that we take action—as individuals among our family,
friends, and communities; as professionals within the workplace and within
our professional associations; as educators within our schools, school districts, and institutions of higher learning; as public intellectuals by speaking out for foreign languages; as citizens by voting, advocating, and being
candidates for public office; and as strategists by planning a multifaceted
strategic social marketing campaign for foreign languages.
The time is now—to work together to bring about the urgently needed
resurgence of foreign languages—for ourselves, our careers, and our society, but most importantly, for our future and for that of our children.

LANGUAGES IN THE UNITED STATES
Many people believe that English is the official language of the U.S., but

it is not. The U.S. has no de jure official language, but English is the de
facto language for government, business, and social use. In fact, a widely
circulated urban legend, the Muhlenberg Legend, has it that German had
barely missed by one vote in the House of Representatives becoming the
official language of the U.S..


THE CURRENT STATUS OF LANGUAGES IN THE UNITED STATES

7

Many languages co-exist in the U.S., with different languages more
predominant at different periods in history. French, English, and Spanish
in the U.S. are part of a postcolonial legacy of the First French Colonial
Empire, the British Empire, and the Spanish Empire. Other languages,
at times including the three postcolonial languages, have been brought
to the U.S. by groups of immigrants over the centuries and into the current era. According to the U.S. Census, more Americans listed German
ancestry than any other: over 46 million individuals in 2014. However,
although German is the third most widely studied language in the U.S.,
with just under 400,000 K-12 public school students enrolled, according
to the ACTFL Enrollment Survey, relatively few Americans speak German
today, with just over 1 million Americans over the age of five listed in the
Census report Language Use in the United States.
According to Language Use in the United States, according to responses
to the U.S. Census 2011 American Community Survey, over 60 million,
or one in five Americans over the age of five, speak a language other than
English in the home. In fact, 350 languages are spoken within the U.S.
Other than English, Spanish is by far the most widely spoken language in the U.S., with just over 37.5 million listed as speaking Spanish
in the home. In descending order, Chinese, French, Tagalog, Vietnamese,
Korean, and German round out the list of languages, each with more than

1 million speakers listed.
When considered in terms of states, in 2014 Slate published several very
illustrative maps based on the Census. The first, entitled “Most Commonly
Spoken Languages Other than English,” highlighted the predictable prevalence of Spanish, with only few states—Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire,
and Louisiana (French); North Dakota (German); Hawaii (Tagalog); and
Alaska (Yupik)—showing a language other than Spanish ranking second.
However, the second map, entitled “Most Commonly Spoken Language
Other than English or Spanish,” presented a much more varied picture,
with German the most prevalent in 16 states; French the most widely
spoken in 11 states and French Creole in a 12th state; Vietnamese in four
states; Tagalog in three states; Korean, Italian, and Navajo in two states;
and Dakota, Hmong, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, Yupik, Arabic, and
Polish in one state each.
Comparing the most frequently spoken languages in the U.S. (Spanish,
Chinese, French, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, and German) with the
foreign languages most studied in K-12 public schools (Spanish, French,
German, Latin, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian), the match is not complete. If college and university foreign language enrollments are examined,


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K. STEIN-SMITH

Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Latin, Arabic, Russian are the
leaders; again, foreign language study does not entirely reflect the languages spoken in the U.S. (Note: American Sign Language, replacing
German at number 3, has not been included in this listing).
In addition, the most widely spoken languages in the world are
Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Russian,
Portuguese, Japanese, German, and French. Again, the comparison of
languages spoken and languages studied does not reveal a complete match

between the foreign languages studied and those spoken.

FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN THE MEDIA—FILM, FICTION,
AND BILINGUAL CELEBRITIES
One of the most high-profile foreign language news stories in recent years
was the popularity of the Pope’s translator, Monsignor Mark Miles, and
the attention he received from the media and the general public as he
translated from Spanish to English during the Pope’s 2015 visit to the
U.S.
The use of foreign languages in the media, both fictional and realitybased, can raise awareness among students and young people as to the
usefulness and desirability of foreign language skills, and can even be used
as part of the curriculum and/or teaching methodology.
While representations of languages in the media can be used to reinforce foreign language skills like vocabulary and listening comprehension,
foreign language media is especially useful in terms of seeing the world
through another perspective, or lens, and in a direct or indirect manner.
For example, viewing the evening news in another language illustrates
the relative importance of specific news stories in the local news market.
For example, stories that lead the U.S. news may follow stories of larger
local importance in a news broadcast from another part of the world, or
in U.S-based news in another language, which will typically include features about the U.S., as well as about other parts of the world where the
language of the broadcast is the predominant language, about local personalities and celebrities in a specific linguistic group, or about sport that
is followed by a particular linguistic group in the U.S.
Popular broadcast programs and feature films teach about the target
culture in an indirect manner, by representation of social situations, family relationships, and so on, rather than narrative description. Talk shows,


THE CURRENT STATUS OF LANGUAGES IN THE UNITED STATES

9

soap operas, and general entertainment can complement news and feature
films in terms of both cultural knowledge and language skills.
The best-known example of a U.S.-based bilingual TV series is the classic ¿Que Pasa, U.S.A.?, a PBS sitcom set in Miami in the 1970s, describing
the lives of a Cuban-American family, with language(s) playing a significant role. Stand and Deliver and American Family are examples of a movie
and TV series that incorporate Spanish language words and phrases, as
do Dora the Explorer and Spy Kids among media intended primarily for
children.
Another series where language plays a central role is the recent series
Destination: Francophonie, a documentary series featuring parts of the
world where the French language is an official, predominant, or influential language. TV5Monde even provides relevant episode- and topicrelated instructional materials for educational use. The bilingual scenes
in Bon Cop, Bad Cop and Louis Cyr, both Canadian films, clearly illustrate Canadian French-English bilingualism, as does Justin Trudeau parle
le bilingue couramment!!! a widely viewed YouTube video of Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier in his political career.
While these and other media can be used to complement instruction,
several series have been developed specifically to convey curriculum, most
notably French in Action and Destinos, for French and Spanish, respectively, produced by PBS in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Originally
broadcast, and subsequently available on VHS and DVD, they are freely
available online. A variety of support materials are available for both, with
a sequel series of Destinos and an update of French in Action available.
The 2004 film, Year of the Yao, is among the most interesting, depicting the role of Yao Ming’s personal assistant and translator during the
basketball star’s first year in the NBA.
Examples of fictional characters using foreign language are numerous, with classic examples ranging from the use of French by aristocratic
characters in Tolstoy’s War and Peace to Agatha Christie’s iconic fictional
Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. Contemporary fictional characters who
use words and expressions from another language help to raise awareness
and appeal of that language and those who speak it among today’s readers.
Public figures like Secretary of State John Kerry and former Presidential
candidate Mitt Romney speak French, following in the tradition of Frenchspeaking Founding Fathers, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams,
and Thomas Jefferson.

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K. STEIN-SMITH

Celebrities, both past and present, who speak one or more additional
languages are the most generally appealing. They include classic celebrities
like Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn, modern movie stars like
Jodie Foster and Johnny Depp, and contemporary celebrities like Bradley
Cooper, Sandra Bullock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mila Kunis, and Natalie
Portman. Sports figures who speak one or more additional languages
include Roger Federer, Tony Parker, Kobe Bryant, and many more. Brad
Pitt and Angelina Jolie are among those who have committed to raising
their children to be bilingual, and Brad Pitt has publicly commented on
his difficulties in learning French, saying “I’ve got the Rosetta Stone for
French sitting right on the table in the bedroom, and it’s going to be
loaded into my brain. I know there are certain synapses in my brain that
just freeze dead at French, but I have to learn it because our kids are
speaking it.”
The multilingual CEO is increasingly common. Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg has made headlines by speaking his recently learned Chinese,
but he is only one of the many business leaders who speak additional
languages in an increasingly global marketplace. Steve Jobs spoke fluent
Armenian, and Bill Gates has expressed regrets that he never learned a
foreign language.
As part of the campaign to attract and retain foreign language learners of all ages, the appeal of popular culture, and specifically, bilingual
celebrities are a force to be reckoned with. Bilingual celebrities include
well-known personalities from movies and media, sports, politics and
world affairs. Their influence impacts all age groups, but is most keenly
felt among teenagers. The Pew Generation Next Survey found that the

most important goals among young people were to be rich (81%) and
famous (51%), with national and international affairs a priority for a mere
2%; celebrities may indeed be the thought leaders for this group.

THE INFLUENCES OF OTHER LANGUAGES—LOAN WORDS
IN ENGLISH
Another reason that Americans may not be interested in learning another
language is the belief that languages are hard to learn. Languages vary in
the degree of difficulty of learning for an English-speaker, based on structure, vocabulary, alphabet, and so on. English is, however, chock-full of
loan words, or words from other languages.


THE CURRENT STATUS OF LANGUAGES IN THE UNITED STATES

11

It has often been said that any native English speaker already speaks
French, since 30% of the words in English come from French! Throughout
its history, English has always been enriched by loan words: words from
another language in close contact with English. While historical loan words
from the Anglo-Norman era like mutton, beef, and mansion are no longer
perceived as foreign by native English speakers, each group that brought
its language to U.S. shores has “lent” words to English. These include,
but are not limited to, sauerkraut, kindergarten (German); patio, cafeteria
(Spanish); al dente, broccoli (Italian); and à la mode, chic (French).
While foreign languages can be learned, and are learned by so many
around the world, the lack of knowledge of other languages and cultures
among Americans impacts our individual self-actualization and career
success.

CHAPTER 2

The Extent and Impact of the U.S. Foreign
Language Deficit

Abstract The foreign language deficit has had a negative impact on our
economic and national security, and on the careers of many monolingual
English-speaking Americans. In addition, it negatively impacts the ability
of many Americans to enjoy world languages and cultures to the fullest,
at home or during travel, and to effectively navigate local multilingual and
multicultural communities. In an increasingly globalized world, Americans
are increasingly isolated by our relative inability to communicate directly
with others, and limited to understanding literature, media, and music
only in translation.
Keywords Anglophone • Global competitiveness • Economic security
• National security • International education • Language services
• Global English • Global travel • Localization • Foreign-owned companies • Exports

THE EXTENT OF THE U.S. FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEFICIT
Americans tend not to speak foreign languages. According to a 2001 Gallup
poll, only 25% of Americans reported the ability to hold a conversation in
another language. If one deducts new immigrants and other heritage language speakers, the number of Americans capable of holding a conversation in a second language is approximately 10%. This compares unfavorably
to Europe, where 56% of adults report the ability to hold a conversation
© The Author(s) 2016
K. Stein-Smith, The U.S. Foreign Language Deficit,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-34159-0_2

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K. STEIN-SMITH

in a second language, 28% report the ability to converse in two additional
languages, and 11% can hold a conversation in three additional languages.
In July 2015, the Pew Research Center published a post highlighting
the lack of foreign language learning in the U.S. compared with Europe.
According to Lee’s 2013 Washington Post blog post on data released
by Edward Snowden, spy agencies have fewer than 2000 people proficient in
Middle Eastern languages, U.S. intelligence agencies employ fewer than
2000 individuals who are proficient in Middle Eastern languages and
slightly more than 900 who are proficient in Chinese languages.
In addition to the lack of foreign language skills, Americans also tend
not to study foreign languages. According to the ACTFL, only 18.5% of
U.S. K-12 public school students study a foreign language, and according
to the MLA, only 8.1% of college and university students are enrolled in
a course other than English. According to the National Council of State
Supervisors of Foreign Languages (NCSSFL), only 28 of the 50 states
have or are considering a foreign language requirement for high school
graduation.
Despite the public conversation about the importance of foreign
languages in recent years, foreign language enrollment may actually be
declining. In February 2015, the MLA announced that enrollment in foreign languages in colleges and universities had actually decreased by 6.7%
between 2009 and 2013, and that this decrease included even Spanish, by
far the most popular foreign language in the U.S.
And yet, Friedman writes in The Atlantic article “America’s Lacking
Foreign Language Skills,” “Each year as national budget priorities are
determined, language education is losing out.” In their Forbes 2012 article, “America’s Foreign Language Deficit,” Skorton and Altschuler affirm

that, “Schools at every level are balancing their budgets and offsetting
reductions in government allocations by cutting their offerings and/or
eliminating foreign language requirements.”
In summary, most Americans are not proficient in a foreign language,
and despite this realization, budget constraints are resulting in decreasing opportunities at all levels for students to study another language, and
enrollments continue to decline.

THE GLOBAL ANGLOPHONE FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEFICIT
This reluctance to learn another language is greatest in the U.S., but is
found throughout the anglophone/English-speaking world.