Supporting the Designation of the Year of the Languages
SUPPORTING THE DESIGNATION OF THE YEAR OF THE LANGUAGES -- (Extensions of Remarks - March 17, 2005)
SPEECH OF
HON. BETTY McCOLLUM
OF MINNESOTA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2005
Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Education and Workforce and the International Relations committees, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 122, Mr. HOLT's resolution to support and encourage the study of languages in the United States.
The promotion and expansion of language studies will ensure our nation's ability to compete in a global marketplace of the 21st Century. The United States needs a skilled workforce in government, national security, the scientific community and business who possess the language and cross-cultural skills to successfully engage our global community.
While colleges and universities across the U.S. provide for the study of languages and employ teachers and scholars in specialized languages, they have not had the resources or the incentives to recruit, retain, and graduate students in specialized languages at a rate equal to the demand. We need more students to study languages for the strength of our economy and for the security of U.S. interests here at home and abroad.
The federal government provides incentives for the study of math, science, and engineering because we have recognized the value of encouraging strong graduation rates in those areas. We should have the same recognition for the value that foreign language proficiency adds to other professional degrees.
At the University of Minnesota, between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004, while fourteen bachelor's degrees in East Asian languages were conferred, zero Masters and PhDs in East Asian languages were conferred. During the same time, zero degrees in Arabic languages were conferred at any level. And, zero degrees were conferred in South Asian languages at either the bachelor's or advanced degree levels.
In contrast, Chinese students as well as men and women from countries in the Middle East, India, and across the globe come, to the United States to study math, engineering, biology, and medicine-in English-their second or even third language. How many Americans have the ability or incentive to live in China and obtain an advanced understanding of the Chinese language? In Japan? In South Korea? The learning gap between the U.S. and countries in Europe and Asia is widening in math and science. Language acquisition is an essential component of our nation retaining our competitive edge.
I commend Mr. HOLT for his leadership on this important issue and, again, offer my strong support.
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