It is vital to learn a language other than English, Koji Arizumi, director of The University of Alabama Critical Languages Center, said, and Americans are beginning to realize it.
“Twenty years ago, they didn’t think ‘we need another language.’ They thought everyone should speak English, but it’s not like that anymore,” Arizumi said.
He said there are several reasons why, in a changing world, it is important for UA students to learn a foreign language, and each language addresses its own area of need.
“Each language has a specific purpose,” he said. “Like Spanish – so many people speak Spanish here, so it’s convenient. Chinese is more for business. Many of the ROTC people are taking Arabic.”
Hillary Catlin, a senior majoring in speech-language pathology and minoring in Spanish, said she feels her language skills will help her in the future.
“I’ve made sure to mention it whenever I am looking for jobs,” Catlin said. “I’ve put it on my resumé for grad school. It kind of supplements everything… it gives me a leg-up because it shows that I know things that are outside of myself.”
Arizumi said the changing modern world requires students to adapt.
“It’s so important to know another language, other than English, in the 21st century. In Alabama, we are a little bit behind,” Arizumi said.
One reason these studies are becoming more necessary is that graduates are entering a world which has been altered by globalization and the rise of China.
China’s gross domestic product grew 7.8 percent in 2012, to $12.38 trillion, making it the second largest economy in the world, trailing only the United States, which grew 2.2 percent in 2012 to have a GDP of $15.66 trillion.
International business, especially in the automotive sector, has affected Alabama as well.
Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Hyundai all have assembly plants in Alabama; and, according to the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, in 2011, all three announced plans to expand their Alabama operations.
But it is not only the automotive industry in Alabama that searches for job candidates who have knowledge of a foreign language, Arizumi said.
“I just got a contact from Phifer, a company in OVERSET FOLLOWS:Tuscaloosa. They said ‘I need a person who can speak Chinese.’ They have manufacturing in China, and they want to send someone, but not too many people speak Chinese,” he said.
Laurie Arizumi, an instructor of Japanese at the University, said there are advantages to having foreign language proficiency even when such proficiency is not required.
“Even if it’s not needed for your job, it proves that you have a high level of intelligence, because it is difficult to learn a foreign language,” she said.
Laurie Arizumi also stressed the value of cross-cultural communication in a world which is increasingly globalized.
“These days, language teachers stress that as you’re learning a language, you have to learn it in a cultural context. Especially languages like Arabic, where the culture is very different from ours. It helps people understand each other.”
Catlin said her knowledge of a second language has helped her develop more awareness of the world around her and connect to those she encounters with different cultural backgrounds.
“In everyday life, I’m able to just walk around, and my ears perk up when I hear Spanish,” she said. “I’ve been to an ESL class, and it was just a lot easier to connect with [students] because I already knew Spanish. It put them at ease.”
This cultural understanding serves an important purpose in international businesses here in Alabama, Koji Arizumi said.
“For example, one Japanese company who has manufacturing here in Alabama needs someone who knows American culture and Japanese culture both, because that employer from Japan doesn’t know how [Alabamians] work, so they can’t communicate. They speak English, but they don’t know how Alabamians live or anything,” he said.
He said Mercedes had the same issue when they opened a plant in Tuscaloosa.
“They didn’t know what Alabamians do, what they like…they have a German way to do something,” Koji Arizumi said. “The mindset is from the German way to work, but it doesn’t work in Alabama.”
Foreign language proficiency might be important for cultural as well as economic reasons.
The number of people in the United States who speak a language other than English at home increased 140 percent between 1980 and 2011, according to the Census Bureau. The three largest increases were speakers of Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese.
A degree in a foreign language is not the best way to increase employability, Koji Arizumi said. Focus should be on excellent communication skills in that language.
“I want proficiency more,” he said. “Proficiency means how much they can communicate, not how many vocabulary words they know. Sometimes, ‘A-student’ does not mean ‘good communicator.’”
Applicants are tested, Koji Arizumi said, by their ability to hold a conversation, as judged by standards set out by either the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages or the Interagency Language Roundtable. The latter is primarily used in government settings.
“We can test people’s proficiency. We interview them, and after about 20 minutes of interviewing, we can [say] ‘this guy in this language is advanced, intermediate, or novice,’” he said. “If you can’t hold 20 minutes of conversation, you can’t get the job.”
Leading in today’s Crimson White:
Freshman duo make an impact for women’s team
Tin Top Restaurant and Oyster Bar trades beach atmosphere for quality seafood
