As someone who has lived abroad and seriously studied a foreign
language, I know that it can be a daunting and often times frustrating task to
become acclimated to both a foreign culture and language. But at the same time I have experienced firsthand
the open-mindedness that culture immersion, the effectiveness of speaking the native
tongue when traveling abroad, and the general efforts to being a more engaged
global citizen.
I fully support Adm. James Stavridis, already fluent in
English, Spanish, and French and currently studying Portuguese, as he urges the
US military to add foreign language and foreign culture training to the requirements
of becoming an officer.
Tying this into the 8 spheres of wellness that I described
in my last post, it is clear that these efforts would fall under the umbrella
of 2; studying foreign language and culture is a way of exercising both
intellectual and social wellness. Studies
have shown that individuals who are bi- or multilingual have an intellectual
benefit over unilingual individuals. A
NYT study, to cite just one, suggests that being bilingual plainly makes you
smarter (read here). And what better way to
integrate globally than to familiarize ourselves with foreign cultures – moving
from thinking foreigners are weird and stupid to understanding that different
is sometimes just that: different.
I fully support foreign language study in the military, in
college, in junior and high schools, and as early as parents can provide such
learning for their children. I think
that the more consciously we all work to exercise as many of our spheres of
wellness that we can, the happier and more productive we all will be.
Let me know what you think about the Admiral’s suggestion
for US military officers, and also feel free to share your personal experiences
with foreign language, culture, and travel.
Brian
