Language Learning for a Global Workforce
by Robyn Tellefsen
International commerce, modern technology, urbanization, business travel, and tourism have made the world a smaller place, blurring national borders and creating a globalized, multicultural society. In order to become a truly multicultural society, though, we must become a multilingual society. That's why professionals who want to gain an edge in the global workforce are turning to intensive foreign language study at the university level.
The U.S. Language Flagship
In view of the 21st century global workforce demand for trained professionals who are fluent foreign language speakers, the United States government launched a Language Flagship initiative. The 8-year-old partnership funds graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 study in the critical languages - languages for which demand for trained speakers exceeds supply. Currently, 23 U.S. universities host Flagship Centers, each offering intensive instruction in a single critical language: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi/Urdu, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Swahili.
Flagship language students study language in addition to their major, completing their major coursework at the same time as they're working toward Flagship certification. The experience is as intense as (or more intense than) a double major, but students benefit from foreign language and international experience in a distinct professional field. Courses are conducted entirely in the foreign language; students also learn how to navigate the foreign culture and establish and maintain long-term professional relationships.
Each Flagship program includes at least a yearlong study abroad capstone experience at one of 11 overseas Flagship sites, many of which are administered by the American Councils for International Education. But it's not the typical study abroad experience where you're clustered with fellow international students. Flagship students benefit from homestays, direct enrollment in a host university, peer tutoring, internships, and individualized language training with online, biweekly reports sent to academic advisers in the U.S. Students also have plenty of opportunities to give back to the foreign community through service.
The ultimate goal of each program is for students to graduate at the Superior level on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages scale or with a score of 3 (a professional level) on the Interagency Language Roundtable scale (which ranges from 0 to 5). In this way, students are poised to become global professionals, workers in a variety of fields who possess superior language abilities.
No matter where you live, you will encounter people of different nationalities and cultures. When you commit to advanced language education, you'll gain invaluable cultural knowledge and experience as well as professional-level foreign language skills. It's the perfect way to broaden your worldview and secure your position as a hot commodity in the global workforce.
