'Year of Languages' seeks to broaden cultural horizons.

As the United States observes the "Year of Languages," foreign language advocates are seeking to raise the profile of language study in community colleges across the country.

For the typical community-college student, workforce training or basic education may often trump learning a new language. But foreign language study can be the gateway to greater cultural understanding, a skill that will be crucial in this increasingly interconnected world. Despite this need, however, postsecondary enrollment in foreign language studies had dropped to a mere 8 percent of students by 2002, according to the American Council on Education.

To foster foreign language study and cultural appreciation, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, or ACTFL, named 2005 the Year of Languages in the United States.

"I think what the Year of Languages is trying to do, on all levels, is to demonstrate to the public how important language and culture is to the post-9/ll world," said Dr. Richard Kalfus, humanities department chair at St. Louis Community College and the sole community-college representative on the ACTFL executive committee.

"Language study is more than just learning vocabulary, grammar and syntax. It is also about studying and understanding a culture that is very different from one's own," said Susan Barkley, dean of world languages, cultures and communications at Richland College. Richland is part of the Dallas County Community College District, which offers 11 different languages.

"The idea is to expand the role of languages in our lives," Kalfus said. For example, he added that Europeans have a wider view of languages by virtue of their geography--Europeans are exposed to different cultures on an almost daily basis. But to a different degree, the same thing is happening here in the United States.

"We're no longer a monolinguistic society. Contact with foreign speakers is continually increasing," Kalfus said. A recent Roper poll bears him out, finding that on a weekly basis, 48 percent of Americans deal with someone whose first language is not English.

Aside from the obvious cultural benefits, knowledge of a foreign language maximizes earning power, as well.

"The business sector tells us that on the whole, individuals that are bilingual earn up to $10,000 more a year," Barkley said. "Furthermore, in a global economy, potential employees who have another language as part of their skill-set are often selected over those who speak only English. Richland itself is an example of that increased earning power. Community-college employees who can assist others in languages other than English receive a yearly stipend of $600."

Language skills have been found to have more esoteric rewards, too. Recent studies have found increased brain function in people who are bilingual. A study conducted by the University College London found that bilingual speakers literally had denser brains, much as people who exercise have stronger muscles than those who don't. Another study, originating from York University in Toronto, Canada, found that people who knew a second language had better concentration skills.

These elements of language study may seem irrelevant for the financially challenged student who can't enjoy one of the best rewards of language education--study abroad. For community-college students, a study-abroad trip may seem an unrealistic, if not impossible, goal. But a wide variety of such programs exist, and most provide some form of stipend or financial aid. For example, the American Association of Teachers of German has a program operated through U.S. community colleges, the Work Immersion Study Program, which gives students a 12-week paid internship at a German company, where the salary covers living expenses.

Another version of the short-term study-abroad trip is found in the many school-sponsored lower-cost excursions to Central America, where room and board are offered along with language instruction for a small fee and volunteer work.

High schools also are an important part of stimulating interest in foreign language, both through traditional instruction and by offering affordable exchange programs.

As always in the community-college arena, funding is an issue. Kalfus said that as long as schools staff foreign language departments with adjunct faculty, there will be a sense that language studies are pushed to the side. When schools are "ready to commit the dollars, you'll have change," he said.

Barkley disagreed, saying Richland requires the same credentials from adjuncts as it does from full-time faculty.