Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One: Online Version
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CHAPTER 1
Does an English-speaker really Need a Foreign Language?
If you have picked up this book, then it is safe to assume that you already have your own reasons for wanting to learn another language. Perhaps your company is about to begin a joint venture with an Austrian company, and you are musing about brushing up on the German you studied in college. Alternatively, you might just be looking for one more "edge" to add to your resume. Or maybe you witnessed another English speaker rattling confidently away in a foreign language and you thought, "Wow, that looks like fun!--Could I learn to do that?" Whatever the source of your interest, you likely already have that first spark of motivation.
Nonetheless, enthusiasm for self-improvement initiatives often fades. (I wish I had a $10 bill for every New Year's resolution that I've broken over the years.) Although the novelty of a new undertaking can be intoxicating, at some point it becomes work--and you will need solid reasons to continue forward. Alternatively, a coworker or a relative may ask you, "Why are you spending your valuable spare time learning French?" After all, there is a lot to compete for your time. Moreover, you are about to begin an endeavor which will consume not only time---but effort, and a moderate amount of money. It is important for you to take your first step on the journey with a firm sense of commitment.
In the English-speaking world, the importance of language study is by no means accepted as self-evident. The percentage of native-born Americans who can actually speak a foreign language is abysmally small. The exact numbers are hard to come by, but ask yourself: among your friends, family members and professional colleagues who were born in the United States, how many could hold a conversation in any language besides English? Few readers will know more than one or two people who fulfill these criteria--and the majority will not know a single native-born American who can pass the test.
Copyright 2005 Beechmont Crest Publishing
