Foreign languages have never been so important as they are now in today’s increasingly globalized society.  From the increased number of international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the International Monetary Fund to facilitated communication methods, the world has become smaller. The Internet is one of the biggest factors in increased globalization. Corporations are able to conduct international business through websites, hold meetings over webcams, and communicate via email, increasing their productivity and allowing them to reach more consumers. News can be spread quickly and updated nearly instantly.  Facebook itself can be found in over ninety-eight countries and Google can search for webpages in 129 languages.

On November 10th, a number of Academy students joined language honors societies, recognizing the importance of both learning foreign languages and understanding other cultures.  Several students were inducted into the French Honors Society, which was founded last spring. Other students were inducted into the newly formed Spanish and Latin Honors Societies. All three of these languages are important in a variety of ways. There are approximately 322 million Spanish-speakers and 79 million French-speakers worldwide. Latin still plays an important role in important literature and understanding all Romance languages, such as English. Of the importance of understanding foreign languages and other cultures, Madame Keegan, Head of the World Language Department, said at the induction ceremony that “Our world is shrinking and the rules for success are evolving rapidly… The acquisition of another language and learning about world cultures is the first step in the development of cross-cultural understanding.”

This article was originally published in the January 2010 edition of Classic Columns