![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/03\/foreign-language.jpg\")
Edwin Murillo, assistant professor of Spanish, says what people call “foreign” language isn’t foreign at all.<\/p><\/div>\n
Being Bilingual<\/h3>\n\n- Bilingual students earn 5 to 20 percent more in base pay which, depending on the language, can mean as much $128,000 over a lifetime. (MIT economist Albert Saiz)<\/li>\n
- Between 2010 and 2015, the number of jobs needing bilingual applicants rose from about 240,000 to about 630,000. (New American Economy)<\/li>\n
- The onset of Alzheimer\u2019s can be delayed by 4-5 years for people who speak two languages. (Neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok)<\/li>\n
- People who speak multiple languages are excellent multi-taskers because they are able to switch between two systems of speech, writing and grammar. (University of Pennsylvania)<\/li>\n
- Bilingual students do better on standardized tests in math, reading and vocabulary. (Department of Psychology at Illinois State University)<\/li>\n
- Bilingual children develop superior attention, mental flexibility and memory. (S. National Library of MedicineNational Institutes of Health)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Edwin Murillo has a wish when it comes to foreign language.<\/p>\n
Drop the \u201cforeign.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpanish was the first European language to establish itself in the U.S.,\u201d he says. \u201cSt. Augustine (Fla.) was the first city; Santa Fe (N.M.) was the first state capital. You can\u2019t be foreign to the place you got to first. You take away that \u2018it doesn\u2019t belong here\u2019 idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, Native Americans lay claim to the true first languages of America, acknowledges Murillo, assistant professor of Spanish, but Spanish and later French are the original European languages to land on American shores.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get rid of that idea of foreign-ness because it literally perpetuates this stereotype of \u201cOh, this is new\u2019,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s Spanish or French or Latin, language learning is a four-semester necessity for a bachelor of arts at UTC. And while those majoring or minoring in a language understand the \u201cwhys\u201d of taking such classes, some students who don\u2019t have those academic goals think\u2014or actually say out loud\u2014\u201cWhy do I have to take a foreign language?\u00a0 What good will it do me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very much like a superpower,\u201d says Rob Liddell, executive director of the Center for Career and Leadership Development. \u201cIt can become a marketable skillset and I think it\u2019s already demonstrated its merit in the global market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liddell and professors from the Department of Modern and Classical Literature and Language say the upshot of learning a new language is easy to explain: Want to have a leg up when it comes to success after graduating? A foreign language provides the ladder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith any language there are benefits,\u201d says Josh Davies, head of both the Department of Modern and Classical Literature and Languages and the Department of Philosophy and Religion. \u201cIt is a cognitive process. You are developing your mind, your cultural sensitivities and, once you\u2019ve made that journey in any language, it changes you.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t just change your ability to interact with anyone because you\u2019ve gone through this journey,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019ve learned how to put yourself outside of your own cultural training. And that act in itself is extremely valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The world is getting smaller culturally and financially; businesses flow from one country to another, from one continent to another. A foreign language will not only make it possible to communicate, you\u2019ll be able to understand nuances in the language. Without that talent, you may insult someone and have no idea you\u2019re doing it. There goes that $1 million business deal.<\/p>\n
Monica Garoiu, assistant professor of French, says being bilingual \u201copens many doors\u201d as well as giving you a different perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very interesting to see your own culture through other eyes,\u201d says Garoiu, who grew up in Romania and learned to speak English when to the U.S. in 1997.<\/p>\n
Not having a foreign language in your pocket is going to leave \u201ca void,\u201d Murillo says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the increasingly interconnectedness of the markets and economies and people, that\u2019s going to be an unavoidable conflict,\u201d he says. \u201cThe ones that move in early, I think they\u2019re going to have a considerable advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
He mentions a friend who is a chemical engineer and speaks Spanish. Some the companies where he\u2019s worked have gone through economic downturns and let staff go, but not his friend, Murillo says.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time there is a downturn, he\u2019s the last engineer fired. His formal training in Spanish has always insulated him in downturns,\u201d Murillo says.<\/p>\n
Beyond the ability to communicate from a business standpoint, there\u2019s also the human connection made when you visit a foreign country and simply talk with its people, Davies says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you really connect with other people in other communities, there\u2019s nothing like being able to meet them and able to speak with them in their language,\u201d he says. \u201cYour relationship to communities will be very different depending on whether or not you can engage with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cLanguage is a builder of civic and empathetic virtues. The experience of having to be the learner in the most simple things\u2014 expressing yourself, of asking for help, of finding out what\u2019s going on. Putting yourself in the learner\u2019s position as an adult or young adult, you really begin to understand what other people go through when they\u2019re new and they come from somewhere else. It\u2019s really humbling, and it builds a sense of empathy.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Being Bilingual Bilingual students earn 5 to 20 percent more in base pay which, depending on the language, can mean as much $128,000 over a lifetime. (MIT economist Albert Saiz) Between 2010 and 2015, the number of jobs needing bilingual applicants rose from about 240,000 to about 630,000. (New American Economy) The onset of… <\/p>\n
Edwin Murillo has a wish when it comes to foreign language.<\/p>\n
Drop the \u201cforeign.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpanish was the first European language to establish itself in the U.S.,\u201d he says. \u201cSt. Augustine (Fla.) was the first city; Santa Fe (N.M.) was the first state capital. You can\u2019t be foreign to the place you got to first. You take away that \u2018it doesn\u2019t belong here\u2019 idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, Native Americans lay claim to the true first languages of America, acknowledges Murillo, assistant professor of Spanish, but Spanish and later French are the original European languages to land on American shores.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get rid of that idea of foreign-ness because it literally perpetuates this stereotype of \u201cOh, this is new\u2019,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s Spanish or French or Latin, language learning is a four-semester necessity for a bachelor of arts at UTC. And while those majoring or minoring in a language understand the \u201cwhys\u201d of taking such classes, some students who don\u2019t have those academic goals think\u2014or actually say out loud\u2014\u201cWhy do I have to take a foreign language?\u00a0 What good will it do me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very much like a superpower,\u201d says Rob Liddell, executive director of the Center for Career and Leadership Development. \u201cIt can become a marketable skillset and I think it\u2019s already demonstrated its merit in the global market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liddell and professors from the Department of Modern and Classical Literature and Language say the upshot of learning a new language is easy to explain: Want to have a leg up when it comes to success after graduating? A foreign language provides the ladder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith any language there are benefits,\u201d says Josh Davies, head of both the Department of Modern and Classical Literature and Languages and the Department of Philosophy and Religion. \u201cIt is a cognitive process. You are developing your mind, your cultural sensitivities and, once you\u2019ve made that journey in any language, it changes you.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t just change your ability to interact with anyone because you\u2019ve gone through this journey,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019ve learned how to put yourself outside of your own cultural training. And that act in itself is extremely valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The world is getting smaller culturally and financially; businesses flow from one country to another, from one continent to another. A foreign language will not only make it possible to communicate, you\u2019ll be able to understand nuances in the language. Without that talent, you may insult someone and have no idea you\u2019re doing it. There goes that $1 million business deal.<\/p>\n
Monica Garoiu, assistant professor of French, says being bilingual \u201copens many doors\u201d as well as giving you a different perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very interesting to see your own culture through other eyes,\u201d says Garoiu, who grew up in Romania and learned to speak English when to the U.S. in 1997.<\/p>\n
Not having a foreign language in your pocket is going to leave \u201ca void,\u201d Murillo says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the increasingly interconnectedness of the markets and economies and people, that\u2019s going to be an unavoidable conflict,\u201d he says. \u201cThe ones that move in early, I think they\u2019re going to have a considerable advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
He mentions a friend who is a chemical engineer and speaks Spanish. Some the companies where he\u2019s worked have gone through economic downturns and let staff go, but not his friend, Murillo says.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time there is a downturn, he\u2019s the last engineer fired. His formal training in Spanish has always insulated him in downturns,\u201d Murillo says.<\/p>\n
Beyond the ability to communicate from a business standpoint, there\u2019s also the human connection made when you visit a foreign country and simply talk with its people, Davies says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you really connect with other people in other communities, there\u2019s nothing like being able to meet them and able to speak with them in their language,\u201d he says. \u201cYour relationship to communities will be very different depending on whether or not you can engage with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cLanguage is a builder of civic and empathetic virtues. The experience of having to be the learner in the most simple things\u2014 expressing yourself, of asking for help, of finding out what\u2019s going on. Putting yourself in the learner\u2019s position as an adult or young adult, you really begin to understand what other people go through when they\u2019re new and they come from somewhere else. It\u2019s really humbling, and it builds a sense of empathy.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Being Bilingual Bilingual students earn 5 to 20 percent more in base pay which, depending on the language, can mean as much $128,000 over a lifetime. (MIT economist Albert Saiz) Between 2010 and 2015, the number of jobs needing bilingual applicants rose from about 240,000 to about 630,000. (New American Economy) The onset of… <\/p>\n