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The question of whether or not K-12 education should consist of foreign language education is one which has become increasingly relevant in this age of globalization. It is however, unfortunate that American students are the ones caught in the middle of the debate. From South America to Asia, it is typically expected that a child will learn at least one language besides their mother-tongue. Likewise, in Europe it is not uncommon to meet a polyglot; someone who speaks multiple languages. It is only here that children, and subsequently adults, fail to learn another language.

The three most common languages in the world are Mandarin, Spanish and English, respectively. The first should not come as a surprise, given that one out of five people on Earth is Chinese. However, it has only been in the last 5-10 years that Spanish has overtaken English as the number two language. Major cities like Miami, Chicago and New York have recognized and reacted to the increase in Spanish speakers, via language expansion in marketing and education. Conversely, much of suburban America has buried its head in the sand in the hopes that the issue of language education will go away. It won't, and each successive generation of young Americans who fail to learn a foreign language will be worse off because of it.

It is important to keep in mind that the rankings can be somewhat misleading. Speakers of Mandarin do not just barely outnumber speakers of Spanish and English. The difference is by a margin of 9 percent, and increasing. While this may not immediately seem like a very large number, it is in fact a difference of hundreds of millions of people. Likewise, speakers of Arabic and Hindi, are actually not far behind in the rankings, and while neither is expected to dramatically gain speakers in the US, both will continue to do so throughout the world, particularly in the regions of the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The future of American diplomacy may well depend of the ability of future leaders to communicate in the languages of the future.

Of course, no one can deny that as an international language, English has never been more popular. More international business is conducted in English than in any other language. The nations leading colleges and universities are experiencing record numbers of international student enrollment, and the Internet has made access to American language and culture easier than ever. All that being said, a world in which Americans know only one language, while everyone else knows many, puts America at a terrible disadvantage in education, business and diplomacy. Is America really prepared to take such a risk, especially at the expense of future generations?

While our money, Constitution and laws are all written in English, the United States of America does not actually have an official language. Perhaps it is because this country was founded on the ideals of diversity in religion, culture and language. American English is in fact a hybrid of German, French and numerous other dialects. It is time for America to educate its children about the true origins of this great nation, and in turn, prepare them for the multilingual future that lies ahead.

Learn more about this author, Sophia Harrison.
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