Language teaching and modern economy

I have in 2009 heard the incredible assumption that education is the reproduction of what one has learned - which belongs to educational theory of the 19th century. A discipline is related to various exigencies. The debate between the purely academic or esthetic reasons for studying a subject and the utilitarian reasons has produced valid arguments and there only remains a need for emphasis on some of the reasons.

Language study (including the study of languages) is also related to academic/esthetic reasons. Due to personal choice, but also because the general economic situation dictates it, I tend to emphasise what is utilitarian in language study by putting forward a number of examples and arguments in favour of this position.

First of all, many people have the impression that there is a worldwide tendency for monolingualism. Reading language policy documents of Unesco, the CE and the EU proves otherwise. I wish to add some proof to the uncontested realities expressed by these organisations.

Maureen Watt, the Scottish ex-Secretary for Education and known to be a practical person and courageous administrator, left office on February 10 this year. Last year, Ms Watt declared that "a useful advantage in the global jobs market will be the ability to speak at least one foreign language". In practice, next year 2010 will see the results of the introduction of the Scottish Languages Baccalaureate designed to contribute to sustainable economic growth.

Peter Freeouf, linguist and professor at Chiang Mai University, Thailand, asked about the importance of language use, states that "it is important to know what you don't know but it's more important to use what you do".

Emphasising the necessity of languages in communication, Bulgarian poet Atanas Dalchev declared: "When someone does not know a language well, rather than say what he thinks, he thinks what he can say".

Communications expert Peter Mc Kenzie-Brow, an enthusiast for energy matters and Resource Company vice-president (and, thus, not "in" linguistics), states that "content-based instruction assumes that people learn a second language more successfully when they use it to acquire information". Also: "Bilingual workers have competitive advantages over their monoglot colleagues" and "this reality is more likely to intensify than diminish".

Benjamin Tejerine, Basque professor of sociology (and, thus, not a linguist), in his Language And Economy states: "From a strictly economic point of view... language industry involves hundreds of jobs and thousands of cultural products that will come back to... society... in investments, taxes and duties contributing to economic reproduction".

At a meeting of the Lifelong Learning Scrutiny sub-committee (Durham) it was made clear that "the particular issue for consideration is how far the skill needs of the business sector in relation to modern languages... are being delivered".

In his study of language use in the EU, The Teaching Of Foreign Languages In EU Countries, José Carlos Herreras states: "For other (non-linguistic) careers, students are supposed to have the level required to be able to use bibliographies in foreign languages as part of their programmes".

Last March 17 and 18, the universities of Neuchatel, Lausanne and Geneva organised a conference on linguistic diversity in scientific circles.

Two other conferences during the same period and on the same subject were organised at the University of Hawai, Tartu (Estonia), Graz (Austria) and Limerick (Ireland). On September 25 and 26 a conference, New Perspectives For The Revitalisation Of Lesser-Used Languages Due To Modern Technological Development, will be organised by the Budapest College of Communication and Business.

My conviction is that in Malta insufficient emphasis is made on the teaching of languages in relation to the internal economy and international economic exchanges. Some language lecturers only see in language learning a means of understanding foreign elements in local history.

Tourism, industry, communication etc. Are, thus, relegated to a "non-conformist attempt at moving away from the beauty of traditional language learning".

When implemented, such ideas become a waste of time, effort and money while educational authorities have a moral and administrative duty to correct them.

The state invests huge sums of money on education, including language education, and expects the money invested to bring back some profit in terms of employment, tourism and other aspects of the economy.

The de-romanticisation of analysis in linguistic pedagogy has led to more profession-related ergonomics. At a pre-profession educational level, this has established a utilitarian attitude in all areas of study.

In the linguistic field, exploitation of language/s for modern economic purposes is becoming a norm rather than an exception.

Initial sweeping statements tending to waive aside the importance of retaining multilingualism for economic reasons are thus proved to be wrong.