These are but a few of the challenges faced by businesses dealing in a multilingual world without sufficient language skills on staff. We are at a critical juncture where we can no longer ignore the costs to business and the economic well being of the United States in a global context. The time is ripe for a public-private partnership to move us forward. As the federal government invests in bringing resources to inspire and support innovative models of language acquisition, business must engage in this partnership to bring foreign language capabilities squarely onto the balance sheet.
Working with our Flagship Centers, university and K-12 programs produce graduates who command languages at a professional level. This is an unprecedented advance in our education system. An active partnership between government, education and business will bring the success of these models to the entire nation, leveraging the investment of the federal government to the benefit of both the private and public sectors. Business’ collaboration will ensure that the United States continues to be competitive in both global and domestic economies.