In Second Language Pitfalls (Feb. 8, Daily Egyptian), Robert McCormick explains why he believes that it is unnecessary for Americans to learn foreign languages. He cites a writer who claims that knowing a language will not necessarily translate into improved business; she contends that someone who learns only a smattering may commit an error through ignorance of the nuances of a language, and that simple etiquette and common courtesy are more important.

Significantly, the journalist Mr. McCormick cites is a Singaporean stationed in Australia. Singapore has been so successful at teaching its people English that many Singaporeans are more at home speaking English than their ancestral language, they certainly need not worry about misunderstanding Australians.

However, Americans are not exactly renowned for their sensitivity towards other cultures. Learning any foreign language is a way for us to broaden our horizons, and one of the best ways to learn about a culture is by studying the language in college. Crash courses aside, foreign language learning does not usually consist of mere rote memorization of the vocabulary and grammar, but also involves learning about the culture and customs of the country concerned.

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Moreover, with regard to Asian languages in particular, because so few Americans are willing to learn them, Asians are delighted when an American has taken the effort to learn even a little of their language.

Mr. McCormick focuses on the irrelevance of learning a language in order to do business abroad. Perhaps he feels that the same is true of those who want to practice journalism in foreign countries – that they need not learn the local language. In fact, why bother to study journalism – or anything else – if you cannot master it in thirty days?

Dept. of Foreign Languages, associate professor