Quote:
Originally Posted by dyna mo
I'm just not getting the foreign language requirement thing, if any language beyond english should be included as required curriculum it should be a programming language,
not some random foreign language just for the sake of it.
I mean, what, I'm supposed to learn french or italian or portuguese or arabic or japanese because why? I've traveled through a handful of non-english speaking countries so if I knew 1 extra language that means I would get to use it in 1 country for the 2 days I'm there.
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Well, Spanish is the primary language in probably 20+ countries including most of the Western Hemisphere outside of USA & Canada. It's extremely helpful for me, YMMV depending on lifestyle & travels.
Others are going to become more & more important for business as the East becomes the new economic powerhouse - Mandarin, Hindi, etc.
But aside from "most bang for your buck" language-wise, learning a new language usually means you've gotten your brain out of its comfort zone. It actually helps you understand your *own* language better. You gain more knowledge about the culture you're studying, I'd argue you even get an understanding of the nuances of how that culture thinks. When taught to kids at a young age, a second language can help spark curiosity about other places that wouldn't be there otherwise.
In my experience, Americans who are multi-lingual are almost without exception more well-rounded & knowledgeable about the world outside their USA bubble than those who only speak English.