Hi Renz...Oh,
I forgot to mention that the response I had earlier was not my opinion, but those were impressions gathered from my recent attendance in the course- Bilingualism. I was just reporting the current trends in bilingual/multilingual world, not advocating on those, but actually frustrated with the trends. You must have read my other postings at other threads promoting Nihongo to Filipinos...and I am still rallying for its introduction to many high schools in the Philippines due to the big number of our countrymen entering Japan every year.
Oh, I think, I wasn't able to establish the right tone
(I was mad...as in mad
) when I was typing that report. What should have I said? Anyways...it's saddening that we can't have enough time to discuss the issues in print.
Not only in the USA but also in Japan where your ability to speak Spanish or other Asian languages is not a big advantage. If you know English and French here, you could be always sought after. Locals are always in search of tutors who could prepare them for their future tours in Europe. It maybe just me, but during my short visit in L.A. last year, I felt that my Spanish skills was almost useless. We were the last batch to learn Spanish in college. It was not so cool to speak the "Latino language", but knowing a bit of French especially when ordering food at a restaurant would raise eyebrows
and therefore add self-esteem. In HS classrooms in Japan, bilingual Japanese teachers now aim to study French to get ahead of others (English native speakers, and Filipino English speakers).
But this is just the superficial language demand. The real need lies in the greater support the big players in our world are searching for. The Japanese, who could pay big sums for service have constant need for translators to accompany them or translate information into their native language. My students who were in charge of translating their company websites, intellectual property rights, and product manual revisions were retained in their posts even during this economic downturn...Oh, more issues later...(GTG..some work waiting)
I am pushing Filipinos to learn Japanese, of course, as not literate in it would mean getting stuck to lower-paying jobs here in Japan. I'll share more later....
