Some educational institutions allow their schoolers to forego foreign language classes in favor of other courses. It’s good when it is up to schoolers to decide what courses to take. Many can agree that it will be a reasonable decision for all schools to train new languages on a non-compulsory basis: learners should be entitled to decide on their own whether they want to master them or not.
We are Not Into Reading
With no doubt, practicing languages has a lot of benefits, and all of us would have a better life if we could speak one more language and could enjoy not-translated versions of our favorite classics. However, most Americans are not really into reading this type of literature even if it is translated. About 25 percent of adults haven’t perused a piece within the past year, whether in printed or digital form.
This is not because they don’t know the languages to read classics without translation, and not because they don’t like reading classics. This is mainly because they simply are not fond of reading. Of course, among uninterested readers, there are enthusiasts perusing The Peace and War in Russian, but they are thin on the ground though.
Students Must Not be Forced to Learn Foreign LanguagesThis Study is Distracting
Being compelled to master languages takes time from more valuable courses and distracts learners by expecting them to memorize a lot of new lexical units, and this is while they are getting used to a new accent and syntax. Since most learners are likely to lack a proper knowledge of their own dialect, this makes the learning process even more insuperable.
In fact, those beavering away at new languages are wasting their time: they would better turn to other classes, which are more valuable for them. Those who are got to learn languages instead of economics, for example, are not more likely to succeed in life. They would rather buy a persuasive essay in Spanish or French and spend the saved time and effort on something else, then break their head over writing it.
Some Say It is Good for the Social Sector
Broadly speaking, society can hardly benefit from more language study to the prejudice of other more beneficial lessons. This is to say, no one can compel schoolers to master new languages at the expense of some STEM-specific classes. With no doubt, all students would have a better life if they could explain themselves to a foreigner easily. Besides, their life would also be better if they did many other things, like playing tennis, cooking, racing, etc. It is crucial to get the idea right.
When teachers force pupils to master new languages, they make them give up on something else. And this something may be of a greater importance for them than an additional language.
Europeans Need This Study More than Americans
In Europe, along with English, they tend to master German, French, Polish, etc. This is due to the location, which is clustered with many countries where all speak in their native tongues. For example, when you are going to spend your vacation in the place which is an 8-hour drive from your home, then you will probably still be within the US. However, in Europe, you would surely cross several countries if you took such a long trip.
European countries are relatively small; therefore, all European nations, along with their mother tongues, live not far from each other. Thus, they need to know more cultures than the US citizens. Even if we travel to other lands, we are more likely to find someone who speaks our native tongue, in comparison with Europeans who travel abroad.
To Summarize
There are those who are sure that practicing new languages has many benefits even if one doesn’t speak them fluently. Of course, they are right. But they forget about the things one should sacrifice to find some time for enhancing language skills. While the country now spends much money on language instructions, there is an increasing number of schoolers who are not interested in discovering new cultures. Thus, it is vital to keep in mind that very few of them value this course of study indeed. It is time to start creating a free society, where all respect the human right of choice.
Of course, the earth would be a better place if we spoke multiple languages, but it also would be better with many other things, like incredible paintings, literature masterpieces, and cool music, and less of many other things, such as criminality, discrimination, and humiliation. In fact, learners don’t retain much of what they get at school, and new languages are worth mentioning here. Taking into account what students actually learn, retain, and then apply in practice, one can say that an optional study is a pretty good change one can incorporate into the industry.