Fall - Winter
2007

Key Languages News

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Language in the News

English dominates in second generation. A study concluded that English is the dominant language among second-generation Hispanics in the United States. Only 23 per cent of first-generation Hispanic immigrants say they’re fluent in English, 88 per cent in the second generation, and 94 percent in the third. The study also found that Hispanics of Mexican origin are the slowest to adopt English. The Miami Herald. November 30, 2007.

Accent and  identity. Reasons such as unwillingness to assume another identity, a lack of confidence, and rejection of nativelike speech affect nonnative speakers of English and go beyond theories of brain and speech development. Some feel as if they were another person when they speak English; some feel that speaking without an accent would be like not telling the truth about themselves, like deceiving people about their background and identity. TESOL Connections. November 16, 2007.

Expanding the world of books. U.S. publishing houses are interested in reaching the reading needs of Spanish-speakers. More than 300,000 copies of El Código Da Vinci were sold quickly. Many publishing houses have established U.S. headquarters in Miami, and the Miami Book Fair International brought the first Translation Market this year. It was a one-day educational, trade-only forum to explore the issues of translation, foreign rights and licensing for international authors, publishers and industry executives. The Miami Herald. November 5^th, 2007.

Colleges value students who make the investment in foreign language study. Increasingly, more schools do have minimum requirements such as two years of foreign language study as part of their high school graduation requirements. On average, colleges require two years of foreign language study for admission. Many colleges recommend three. Jeffrey Brenzel, dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale University, said that “foreign language study shows commitment to a challenging curriculum in high school, but it prepares students for a world and for career paths that increasingly demand a working knowledge of other languages and cultures.” The Language Educator. November 2007.

Learning a second language can improve career opportunities. Learning languages often pays off in terms of career advancement, particularly in jobs in finance and sales. Call centers for collection agencies pay a 10% to 15% premium for bilingual workers. Language skills can also be key for service industries. Students studying a foreign language in college may be offered careers in international affairs, some in banking and finance, and make $100,000 a year. Being bilingual makes a worker a more desirable candidate, a better chance of getting a position and being successful. The Language Educator. November, 2007.

Vanishing Languages Identified by National Geographic Project. Of the estimated 7,000 languages spoken around the world, one dies out every two weeks. More than 500 languages may be spoken by fewer than 10 people. The areas the languages are vanishing most rapidly are eastern Siberia, northern Australia, central South America, Oklahoma, and the U.S. Pacific northwest. To learn more visit www.nationalgeographic.com/mission/enduringvoices The Language Educator. November, 2007.