CINCINNATI, Ohio -- American students are falling far behind their international counterparts in learning second languages, creating economic disadvantages for U.S. businesses and raising national security concerns.
Virtually all European and Asian elementary students study a second language. But 97 percent of Ohio and Kentucky students do not because their schools don't offer it. The Committee for Economic Development says U.S. companies lose an estimated $2 billion each year because of employees' inadequate language skills and poor cultural competence.
A RAND Corp. survey of 16 of the largest global corporations found most to be highly critical of U.S. college graduates' foreign language skills. Language experts say the U.S. approach to language education has been too late and too disjointed.
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