The Language Barrier

International trade, communication and tourism have increased the need to break down language barriers. The common language is no excuse in today’s competitive, global marketplace for a US company to cut production costs by building a plant in Ireland instead of setting up shop in Eastern Europe where labor costs are much lower. It’s time for governments, educators and the media to increase the exposure to and the acquisition of foreign languages. The world market is only truly accessible to those who can communicate successfully in the different languages of the world. So why is it that so many university graduates have not yet been given the language skills necessary to function in a global marketplace? The future of any given society depends on the education of its youth. We must insist that language skills be given the importance they deserve to avoid that our children become second class citizens.
Gordon