With the rise of globalism came the challenge of maintaining open and effective communication. Nations and individuals are becoming more interdependent economically and thereby require efficient means of verbal communication. Parents are trying to prepare their children for the challenges of this ever-connected world and equip them to reap its bounty. To give their children a "leg up", these parents often turn to learning foreign languages.

Approximately 98% of Europeans think that learning another language is important to the future of their children. Europeans are so passionate on this subject that the EU has publicly announced its goal of creating a fully trilingual European population. This concept is not merely an idea; Europeans are putting their plan into action. As of 2015, less than half of Europeans are solely monolingual; 19% are bilingual, 25% are trilingual, and 10% speak more than three languages. The sheer fact that multilingual Europeans are currently the majority speaks volumes. However, these statics are not surprising. Because their borders tend to be more fluid and there are many nations crammed together on one land mass, European individuals are (relatively) more exposed to foreign languages. Therefore, they are more apt to learn them as well as feel motivated the teach their children multiple languages.

Americans also agree that speaking a foreign langue is an essential skill. A poll from Parents magazine found that 57% of readers believe that learning a second language is the most important skill for their child to develop in the future. However, unlike Europeans, Americans have not 'put their money where their mouth is.' Roughly 20% of Americans are multilingual, but many of these are immigrants who have found ways to learn English as their second language. Most born and bred Americans are not learning any tongue other than English. Of course, Americans are more isolated than Europeans. I can drive six hours and never leave my home state of Pennsylvania. In Europe, I could drive six hours and cross four national borders while encountering six distinct languages. A number of U.S. citizen rarely encounter foreign tongues, and therefore, are less motivated to learn them.

Despite most Americans' indolent approach towards learning a second language, the necessity to learn may be fast approaching. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that the hispanic population in the states will grow 86% between 2015 and 2050. This means that by 2050, individuals of hispanic descent will be the majority population demographic. When that day arrives, Spanish may become an integral part of American society. Those who do not know Spanish may be left behind in the transition. Finding employment could become difficult for Americans who failed to learn Spanish.

Though many Americans see learning another language as a laudable and important goal, they fail to put forth the effort to learn and teach foreign tongues. More and more public schools are cutting language programs. My high school eliminated its middle school foreign language program several years ago; and virtually anyone will agree that four years of a high school language class is not enough to make a person fluent. Experts have found that children learn languages best between the ages of 0-7. After puberty, the language learning ability declines drastically due to the decrease in the brains ability to create new circuits. If Americans truly want to create more multilingual citizens, they must start teaching the youth who can easily absorb the material and apply it as they grow. Just as the EU has made language learning a priority, so must the U.S government.

Globalization makes learning another language an essential skill in this world. The importance of multilingualism is not restricted to the worlds of international business and diplomacy. Americans will not be able to maintain their 'isolated-state' indefinitely, and may someday find themselves increasingly domestically exposed to foreign tongues. The United States has always been a melting pot of different cultures, customs, and languages, so you never know when you will encounter a non-english speaker. Language is an essential part of the essence of humanity. It is time we put forth effort to close the language gap.