Modesto City Schools requires that each graduating student take 1 full year of either a Fine Art or World Language.
The world is full of languages. How far do you have to go from your front door to know that this is true? Think about how many more people and places you could really get to know, newspapers and books you could read, movies and TV programs you could understand, and websites you could visit, with another language!
- Give yourself a competitive edge
Did you know that studying a second language can improve your skills and grades in math and English, and can improve entrance exam scores— SATs, ACTs, GREs, MCATs, and LSATs?
Research has shown that math and verbal SAT scores climb higher with each additional year of world language study. The longer you study a world language, the stronger your skills become to succeed in school. Studying a world language can improve your analytic and interpretive capacities, and three years of language study on your record will catch the eye of anyone reading your job or college application.
If you’ve already learned a language other than English at home, expanding your knowledge of its vocabulary, grammar, culture, and literature— at the same time you are learning English— will also improve your chances for success in school and in your career.
- More and more businesses work closely with companies in other countries
Businesses need many different kinds of workers who can communicate in different languages and understand other cultures. No matter what career you choose, if you’ve learned a second language, you’ll have a real advantage. A technician who knows Russian or German, the head of a company who knows Japanese or Spanish, or a salesperson who knows French or Chinese, can work successfully with many more people and in many more places than someone who knows only one language.
- There are lots of Americans who speak languages other than English
If you’ve ever thought of being a nurse, a doctor, a police officer, an architect, a businessperson, a singer, a plumber, or a webmaster, you will multiply your chances for success if you speak more than one language. A hotel manager or a customer- service representative who knows English and Spanish or English and Korean may look much better at promotion time than one who knows only English.
Professionals who know other languages are called on to travel and exchange information with people in other countries throughout their careers. Knowing more than one language enhances opportunities in government, business, health care, law enforcement, teaching, technology, the military, communications, industry, and marketing. An employer will see you as a bridge to new clients or customers if you know a second language.
- Connect with other cultures
Knowledge of other cultures will help you expand your personal horizons and become a responsible citizen. Your ability to talk to others and gather information beyond the world of English will contribute to your community and your country.
- What can you expect?
You will learn a second language in exciting new ways using technology and focusing on communication (speaking). Learning a language is not just learning grammar and vocabulary. It is learning new sounds, expressions, and ways of seeing things; it is learning how to function in another culture, how to know a new community from the inside out.
- How much can you learn?
Depending on how long you study, you can gain different levels of fluency. You will probably not sound like a native speaker. Don’t worry; you’re not expected to. You will, however, be understood, get where you want to go, read magazines or books for information or pleasure, and meet and talk with a whole new group of people. Of course, it doesn’t happen overnight. Like math, English, or other subjects, language learning takes time.
