What I remember most is how surprised they looked when I responded back to them in Spanish. I guess I know why. They’d whip their head around: “You speak Spanish?” Mexico, Argentina, Honduras, would all be as astonished as the next person in line to order chips and salsa. Although, we all know that chips and salsa isn’t even a Hispanic dish, just another Americanized one. So, why is it that we live in a world where we expect everyone to know English? Why is it such a double standard? Because that’s what it is: a double standard.
We say we live in one of the most successful nations, that we are it– tomorrow’s finest, and today’s brightest. But how can we call ourselves the brightest when most of the nation refuses to learn a second language?
While I visited Argentina, children at the age of seven knew more words in English than I could even attempt to say in Spanish. We say it’s okay, they know English, so why do we possibly need to know Spanish? But isn’t that a ridiculous thought? Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer, put it simply: “He who knows no foreign languages knows nothing of his own.” It is imperative to understand the uniqueness and beauty that comes with a foreign language. It alters the way you learn and how you view things. It impacts the way you think, and challenges you to not only immerse yourself in a new language, but in a new culture. It is more than a new way of speaking; it is a new way of life. Charlemagne is credited for saying: “To have another language is to possess a second soul.” Languages connect us. They allow us to communicate with one another in attempts to form relationships. When we try to communicate using another’s language, we show them that we value their culture and their way of life just as much as we value our own.
I have studied Spanish for years in school.
I still can’t speak Spanish as well as many nine-year old’s in Argentina can speak English.
All over the world, people from the United States are seen as people who dont care for other languages, for other cultures. In this country, we are told that we only have to take up to a certain amount of credits of a language. While other countries are credited for being fluent in a second language. Why dont schools enforce the idea of being bilingual? Why is it so uncommon to aspire to be fluent in a language other than your own?
The school I visited while I was in Argentina had a bilingual education – they taught everything in both Spanish and English. Crazy, right? The United States has not successfully incorporated a bilingual education into schools. The American Federation of Teachers revealed that “[…] at most around 3 percent of the elementary grades population (prekindergarten through grade 8) [are enrolled in bilingual programs today].” Crazy. But dont you worry, when you visit another country, they’ll know English. Honestly, some might even be better at English than you are.
Oh, by the way!
Did you notice the donts? Or are we accustomed to not knowing our own language too? Dont worry, spell check will fix it for your next English paper.