A Nation Left Behind

In America, it is common to see stories on the nightly news about how the education system in the United States has fallen behind. Over the past few months, I have been given an eye-opening lesson on how true this is in one subject area; one that is never even mentioned in these broadcasts: foreign languages.

At home, I am considered to have a talent for languages other my native tongue. Compared to many Americans, the fact that I can converse and study in three of them is unusual. However, at my university in Budapest, it is common to find that many of my European pears have similar ability. In many cases, their English is practically perfect. The reason for this seems clear. In many European countries, foreign languages are mandatory starting from elementary school. By the time students graduate from university they have been given the time and opportunity to learn multiple languages quite well. I was taught the value of knowing multiple tongues from a early age, but could not any foreign language at school until 8th grade.
Many U.S. schools only require 2 years of a foreign language for high school graduation. Usually, the only language available is Spanish, which remains ubiquitous although some would prefer other linguistic options. Many students regard it as annoying and learn it only enough to pass the final exam.

Distressingly, the current U.S. language instruction program bears striking resemblance to the defunct attempts of the USSR to teach Russian in other nations behind the Iron Curtain in the 70's and 80's. Students from Poland to Romania were forced to learn the eastern Slavic language. Most of them simply passed the exam and forgot what they had learned by the start of the following school year.

One of my Polish professors in Kraków spent a few years teaching Polish in Washington D.C. One day she urged Americans to avoid the Muscovite's mistake. "It seems to me that Spanish in the U.S. is like Russian used to be here" she said in Polish. "Everyone has to learn the minimum amount and few can speak any of it." It was one of the most candid and insightful comments I had heard in a long time.

When abroad, I often feel that my own country's education system has forced me to work from a disadvantage. I have only been able to study Polish for five years, but I am competing with some who have learned languages since they were five. While I can always communicate, I must perfect my skills on the fly.

My Polish 'niece' and 'nephew' are about 8 years old. They already are learning English at their local elementary school. Although we speak Polish, they often teach me a thing or two about the language, and are eager for me to help them learn English words. On the other hand, my 11 year old American cousin is not learning any foreign language and regards them as 'stupid'. It is often said that a nation's youth are its future. If this is true, then I leave you with a question: with whom will that future lie in a globalized economy? The answer seems all to clear.