Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) today reintroduced the National Foreign Language Coordination Act, with Senators Thad Cochran (R-MS), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Russell Feingold (D-WI) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) as cosponsors.
Senator Akaka, Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, said during last week's hearing on the federal government's language strategy: "the United States is at risk without sufficient number of foreign language proficient individuals." Akaka explained that the federal government badly needs more multi-lingual workers, or counterterrorism intelligence will go untranslated and opportunities could be missed.
"Equally important is preserving the economic competitiveness of the United States. Globalization means that Americans must compete for jobs in a marketplace no longer confined to the boundaries of the United States. In short, both the security and economic vitality of the United States are tied to improving foreign language education," Akaka said.
"The communications failures of 9/11 clearly demonstrate that we can no longer ignore the consequence of our citizens being unable to converse fluently in languages other than English," Akaka said. He pointed out the 2000 Census found only 9.3 percent of all Americans speak both their native languages and another language fluently, compared with 56 percent of people in the European Union.
"It is troubling that five and a half years after September 11th, the federal government still lacks a coordinated strategy and leadership to increase the number of Americans who are proficient in foreign languages," said Akaka. "Without such a coordinated strategy, I fear that the country's national and economic security will be at greater risk."
Senator Akaka explained that the federal government has an essential role to play by collaborating with educators, state and local governments, foreign language associations, and the private sector to increase the number of Americans who speak and understand foreign languages.
"Just as I have advocated the need for deputy secretaries for management at the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to direct and sustain management leadership, I envision a National Language Director to be responsible for maintaining and leading a cooperative effort to strengthen our foreign language capabilities," Akaka said
Also today, Representative Brian Baird (D-WA) introduced the companion bill in the House. "In order for America to compete on a global playing field, we must close the language gap that currently exists," said Congressman Baird. "For our country's national security, there is tremendous need for translators of Arabic and Persian-Farsi languages. When it comes to our economic future, our country does not have enough workers with foreign language proficiency to compete with other economically vibrant countries."
The Senate and House bills would implement key recommendations of the DOD National Language Conference by:
- Developing policies and programs that build the nation's language and cultural understanding capability.
- Engaging federal, state, and local agencies and the private sector in solutions.
- Developing language and cultural competency across public and private sectors.
- Developing language skills in a wide range of critical languages.
- Strengthening our education system, programs, and tools in foreign languages and cultures.
- Integrating language training into career fields and increase the number of language professionals.
"To strengthen the role of the United States in the world, our country must ensure that there is a sufficient number of individuals who are proficient in languages other than their native languages. Increasing foreign language skills enhances national security, just as increasing foreign language skills allows Americans to compete on a more global and level playing field.," Akaka said.
