Why Studying a Foreign Language is Important

"Mastery of a foreign language is vital to many careers related to political science and international relations.  Increasingly, it is a job qualification for many entry level jobs.  But beyond the clear practical reasons to master languages and to study abroad to deepen understanding, students of all liberal arts disciplines and pre-professional majors benefit from learning to see the world through different eyes.  Coming to better understand how the world appears from non-American viewpoints is vital to prepare our nation to meet the challenges of the 21st century.  Not just leaders but all citizens are needed in this effort if the United States is to continue to achieve success."

Gordon Bowen
Professor of Political Science
Coordinator, International Relations

"The foreign languages at MBC are invaluable to our science students.  The careers that the vast majority of our science students pursue — whether as a physician or in a related health care field or as a field biologist that works with people from our own and other countries - require that our students understand cultures beyond our own.  If a student can communicate with people from culturally diverse groups they will be put at a significant advantage in all that they do.  For example, most physicians are faced with a large portion of their patients who do not speak English fluently.  Imagine how a non-English speaking patient will react to their new doctor and be put at ease by our former students' ability to speak to them directly about their medical problems.  Foreign language preparation helps our students become better citizens — no matter what their major."

Paul Deeble
Associate Professor of Biology

"Foreign language speakers will find more opportunities/possibilities for significant upper level work in museums and galleries, auction houses (like Sotheby and Christie) and arts centers. These organizations also want people who are able to read and write in French, Spanish (mostly) and also Italian and German.  The need for Arabic can be found in specific/specialized museums like the Sackler, for example. And Doctors without Borders often posts job listings for medical and non-medically trained people who are fluent in French for work in Africa."

Marlena Hobson
Associate Professor of Art History

"Any student who is seriously considering graduate school in art history needs facility in at least one foreign language. Most university programs in art history require at least two years of college-level French, German, or Italian.  Scholarship published in important foreign language books and journals is rarely available in translation and scholars must translate on their own."

Sara Nair James
Professor of Art History

"The study of foreign language is absolutely crucial to the effective, efficient, and humane delivery of health services. Cultural competency is essential to all who 'manage' or 'deliver' health care. Knowledge of a foreign language in a globally interdependent world not only makes good sense from a theoretical standpoint, it is good business — as health care is the people's business. When one thinks of a language other than English being used in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. in the U.S., Spanish comes immediately to mind as it should. I also feel it important to note that in the realm of international health, French is (along with English), a recognized language for clinical and administrative interactions. Organizations like the World Health Organization and the International Red Cross are 'French speaking' organizations. And don’t even start me on Quebec ... French is a requirement there for employment in a health care organization. 'Je me souviens' indeed!

Bottom line — we need to understand the needs of those we serve. Foreign language competency adds richness to the cultural understanding and also allows for health services to be delivered in a high quality fashion and that speaks to the quality of the service. Outcomes matter in health care — foreign language matters because it impacts those outcomes."

Steve Mosher
Professor of Health Care Administration

"Study of foreign languages is important in the chemistry and the sciences as increasing numbers of scientists hail from non-English speaking countries. In most professional settings, scientists nowadays work and collaborate with colleagues across the world. While English is often the language in which most scientists communicate, it is increasingly important for chemists and scientists to be conversant in other languages. For example, it is a great asset for a company to have a multilingual scientist on staff who can communicate or work in an overseas production or research facility. Consequently, foreign language skills are very important for science majors."

Peter Ruiz-Haas
Assistant Professor of Chemistry

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