Lawrence Summers, stop talking crazy!

In an article in the New York Times, he made a rather spurious claim about the role language learning should play in preparing American students for the future: “While there is no gainsaying the insights that come from mastering a language, it will over time become less essential in doing business in Asia, treating patients in Africa or helping resolve conflicts in the Middle East.”

The New York Times then published a series of responses to Summers’ statement.  The rebuttals were killer, so we’ve pulled some of the most poignant excerpts for you:

“Today many Americans work abroad, competing with global graduates proficient in three to four languages and ever-stronger emerging market talent pools. Companies want globally competent employees – including multilanguage competency. Few starting out today could succeed as I did speaking only English. “

-Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, global executive, expert on international careers, and author of  “Go Global! Launching an International Career Here or Abroad.”

“Setting aside any of the numerous studies showing the benefits of bilingualism, knowing a language is key to understanding culture — a skill that is often underestimated. The American who has a nuanced ability with languages will hold a distinct advantage in negotiations or social exchange, and will thereby attain a deeper, richer experience. Years of learning a language, as well as the history and society of places where that language is spoken, develops a student with a truly multicultural outlook. Our global society is increasingly in need of individuals who look at issues with a broad perspective.”

-Clayton Lewis, headmaster at Washington International School

“Language … is the palette from which we draw all the colors of our life, and people who speak multiple languages have a larger palette and richer set of colors to draw from than those who are monolingual. Research shows that learning languages correlates positively with academic achievement and offers students a range of cognitive advantages, including the ability to shift between different symbol systems. Language is also a major mechanism for teaching students how to communicate across cultures – something U.S. students will need when working with their peers around the world, even if they are speaking English.”

-Anthony Jackson, vice president for education, Asia Society

“People often talk about the practical upsides to learning a second (a third, a fourth) language, like employability in this global economy. But learning a new tongue is important beyond that. A foreign language helps with the understanding of one’s native language. The process of learning to communicate in a foreign language often forces us to learn how to listen. Language provides insight into another way of thinking, another mind-set.”

“Learning a foreign language is about a way of being in the world, not about getting the next deal done. It telecasts respect for one’s interlocutor and cognitive curiosity even as it nourishes the brain’s jewel in the crown, its executive function. Indeed, neuroscience is beginning to show that the brains of bilinguals may have advantages in what will matter most in the global era: managing complexity, rational planning and meta-cognition.”

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