Federally Funded Language Program

In Ohio, Oregon, and Texas, a federally funded pilot program is experimenting with teaching preschoolers foreign languages. This seems like a good idea because language experts generally agree that people learn new languages far easier when they are very young.

Ohio hopes to set a national example of the benefits of having citizens interested in other languages and other cultures. In particular, they are interested in the economic benefits of such a program, although they also realize that having residents who understand foreign language and culture could help support positive international relations and promote national security.

An article in the Akron Beacon Journal focuses on the goals of the program in Ohio.
The article outlines the goals of the program as:
(1) "Expanding foreign-language training--from pre-kindergarten to adult-education classes" and promoting study abroad opportunities
(2)" Increasing the number of foreign-language teachers and creating Internet language courses"
(3) "Creating a one-stop shop--called the Ohio Language and Culture Service Center--where residents can locate interpretation services, study-abroad opportunities and teacher training. Companies could get help creating foreign Web sites, developing culturally appropriate ad campaigns and testing their products."
(4) "Developing a social-networking group called "Language Partnering for Life" that would organize cultural festivals, international events, study groups and trips abroad. The group also would link people, such as foreign business owners and possible investors."

Looking further into the philosophy behind the new program, I found that it will include specific tools to tell how far each student should have prgressed at any given stage. The program's goal according to http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/10/22/bilingual.ART_ART_10-22-07_B1_VT88EKT.html?type=rss "is to make sure that people who want to work overseas or with foreign businesses or governments can carry on a conversation." The people supporting $333,333 of government funding of the program clearly think that they will gain more than this sum worth indirectly from their education program. I read somewhere recently that by learning English, a Spanish speaker in this country gains one million dollars of lifetime salary. There is no reason this can not work the other way around as well; when the Ohioans learn new languages, they gain economic opportunities. Like all education, language education can help people to be more economically successful. Clearly, the languages we speak affect the ways we think and live our lives not simply psychologically, but also through their simple economic benefits of knowing another language.