In the USA, foreign languages ​​are being studied less: why is this happening?

The number of foreign language programs in the United States is declining. This may be due to the crisis in humanities education - STEM is preferred to it, as well as the development of AI translators, reports SkillBox.

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College and university enrollment in foreign language courses in the United States fell 16,6% (from 1,4 million to 1,2 million) between fall 2016 and fall 2021. The total number of language programs during this period decreased by 961, that is, by 8,2%. Such figures are given in report Modern Language Association of America (MLA).

According to the data collected, enrollment in German and Arabic and Modern Hebrew programs declined the most. Only 38,3% of programs increased enrollment or remained stable, with this percentage higher for later levels of study. And only three of the fifteen most frequently studied language programs saw overall enrollment growth.

Why the number of language programs is declining

Part of the decline, experts note in the report, may be due to an overall decline in enrollment due to the pandemic at the end of the period studied. However, the impact on language programs has been greater than on others: while average student enrollment at US universities fell 2016% from 2021 to 8, foreign language enrollment is falling twice as fast.

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Axios linked the situation to the general crisis in liberal arts education in the United States. It is noted that funding for such programs is being cut in many universities. In general, U.S. institutions are cutting programs that typically enroll fewer students and increasing the number of more popular STEM programs. Such training gives graduates a more in-demand specialty with high salaries in the future.

AI-based translators and popular language-learning apps may also be contributing to the decline in interest in language programs: the more such technological innovations spread, the more students may decide that learning languages ​​is no longer necessary.

However, experts are sounding the alarm because learning a foreign language is also an understanding of another culture, which arises when communicating in a new language environment.

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The most successful language programs, the MLA report notes, focus on the application of language in real-world contexts.

“Emphasis on the cultural component of language learning is important in response to both student interest and the needs of local communities and businesses,” the report’s authors said. After all, understanding the cultures and languages ​​of different countries today is required not only from professional translators.

Which language continues to gain popularity and why?

Not all language programs in the US have reduced enrollment. In the five years studied, he grew up in three of the fifteen most studied languages—Korean, American Sign Language, and Biblical Hebrew. Moreover, the enrollment of students who study the Korean language increased the most in percentage terms - by 38,3% (from 13,9 to 19,3 thousand people).

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In absolute numbers, of course, Korean is much inferior to the most popular languages. For example, seven times more people enrolled in French programs in 2021. But nevertheless, interest in him has clearly grown.

Experts have noted this trend before. The demand for the Korean language is explained by cultural factors. For example, the musical genre K-pop, which originated in South Korea, is quite popular in the world. In this case, learning Korean is primarily a way to support your interests.

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