Traveling through Europe this summer was incredible. With my recent (minuscule) acquisition of French, I was excited to practice un peu. I heard plenty of foreign languages — French, German, Dutch. I heard them outside Notre Dame cathedral, on a ‘Love Lock’ bridge overlooking the Rhine, in Amsterdam during the Pride Festival. In conversation with strangers, I found that any person under 40 likely knew perfect English along with their native tongue (and sometimes their ‘native tongue’ consisted of two languages). I was amazed — and a little disappointed in myself. By the end of the trip, I hadn’t practiced an ounce of French and I’d only picked up ‘Ausfahrt’ on the Autobahn.
Census Bureau data is not reliable when it comes to ascertaining how many Americans are truly multilingual. Yet I press you to ask those who’ve been born and raised in the United States if they can carry a conversation in a language other than English. My bet is that they can’t. I definitely can’t. The juxtaposition between Europe and the U.S. when it comes to multilingualism is, in my mind, too vast. The U.S. should place a higher emphasis on multilingual instruction and multilingualism in general.
Physiologically, the brain benefits when a person is multilingual. The brain becomes nimbler and more adept at forging new pathways, and learning another language has been shown to better stave off the effects of dementia or Alzheimer’s. It would fit, then, that many studies have shown that polyglots score better on standardized tests, remember lists or sequences better and focus better on tasks set before them. Indeed, a nearly incalculable number of benefits — ranging from being more conscious money-handlers to being more perceptive of one’s surroundings — accompany the ability to speak more than one language.
It’s nearly self-evident, but the benefits of multilingualism extend far beyond brain health and cognitive performance. Languages around the world contain words that Standard English simply can’t translate. For example, in Scottish vernacular the word ‘tartle’ means the act of hesitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name. In Spanish the word ‘duende’ has come to mean the mysterious power a work of art has to deeply move a person. Words like these exist in plenty and can only be effectively implemented (and appreciated) in languages other than English. Furthermore, knowing other languages makes a person more culturally astute and worldly. And sexy.
In the U.S., we have a couple of foreign-language options. Language immersion schools are increasingly useful resources for young children to learn secondary languages. Utah in particular offers a number of dual-language programs that expose children to other languages at early ages. But what are the chances of learning another language if we are older and have passed that prime age for language-acquisition? As we interact with people from any culture — a frequent opportunity at a university where cultures co-mingle so often — we should make learning foreign languages a priority rather than an avoided undertaking.
Admittedly, it is more difficult for monolingual adults to learn other languages. However expensive, language programs like Rosetta Stone and Fluenz have streamlined the language-learning process, relying heavily on time-tested techniques that ensure (with practice) at least some mastery. Beyond software, it’s not difficult to surround yourself with other languages. I find that French rap on YouTube is particularly delightful; in fact, listening to music from any culture is a great way to start acquiring the nuances, if not the words, of any language.
In Europe, diverse language epicenters are so close geographically that a person all but has to learn more than one language. In the U.S., we often think this isn’t the case. Here it is easy to speak only with people who know English. But it’s also surprisingly easy to speak with people who know languages other than English. We should make it a point to speak with these people, if not for a better brain, then for a more comprehensive worldview.