Language News

Get Involved: Let’s Prepare Students to Succeed in a Global Workforce

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We believe that more American students should prepare for a global workforce. 

In 2014, more than half-a-million US job postings sought foreign language proficiency from its candidates. That's no surprise, considering that one-in-three midsized to large companies are working with a global clientele. Despite this trend, only 10 percent of American students study abroad and even fewer (7 percent) enroll in a foreign language course.

With International Education Week upon us (November 16-20, 2015), we are proud to announce the #LanguageMatters campaign, which underscores the importance of language and cultural immersion in the study abroad experience.

This campaign will encourage students to extend their time in-country, experience more countries and cultures unlike their own, and arm themselves with a tool that enables full participation in the target society: language.

Why Language?
When students return from overseas, their favorite stories are usually not about the sites, history, or culture--they mostly talk about people they've met. Students recall late evening exchanges with new acquaintances, impromptu meetings on the street with strangers, and everyday experiences with host families. In these valuable moments, language matters.

Our goal is to enrich study abroad with a message and a movement to remind students, parents, teachers, schools, communities, businesses, foundations, and government leaders that language matters for the next generation of global citizens.

Get Involved During International Education Week
We hope you will add your voice to the #LanguageMatters movement. Please join us on Twitter and use the #LanguageMatters and #IEW2015 hashtags to support language learning for all Americans. Check out the Language Matters social media guide for material and images.

Take Action
Visit the Language Matters website and sign on to be part of the campaign to demonstrate your support. Start a conversation on your social media accounts; use our photos and conversation starters to get your audience involved.

Send the Language Matters social media guide to your students, alumni, colleagues, and friends; ask them to share their story on Twitter using the #LanguageMatters and #IEW2015 hashtags.

Host a social media contest on your channels; ask followers to submit videos, photos, or any other digital medium to share why #languagematters.