The growing need for bilingual skills

As a professor of Romance languages, I was happy to read “Mandarin speaks to a growing audience” (Nov. 26).

Dual-language schools such as the one described in the article are a great way to make students bilingual and bicultural. It makes little difference what the two languages are.

The bilingual skills that students acquire will make it easier to learn another language and will also help them develop a mental agility that is useful in learning anything else.

DOMENICO MACERI

Santa Maria, Calif.

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Although many parents understand the importance of learning languages, particularly those that are likely to be important to the nation’s future, the California State University system does not. It would rather invest money in programs of dubious value with the sole purpose of granting as many degrees as possible to create the illusion that its graduates are educated.

The CSU system should be an important resource in providing people educated in such languages as Arabic and Chinese, because the ability to become fluent in languages is not confined to the families of the affluent and privileged.

Of course, to achieve this, substantial foreign language instruction would have to be required as part of general education, in which promising students could be identified and encouraged to pursue fluency.

Unfortunately, at present it is highly unlikely that the CSU system has any interest in such an investment of resources or appreciation of its importance.

GEORGE M. LEWIS

San Luis Obispo

The writer is a professor emeritus of mathematics at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

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This article points out the slow reaction of U.S. schools to our nation’s growing need for more Chinese-speaking Americans. This need to be more global in outlook prompted Vistamar School in the South Bay to offer four years of Mandarin Chinese.

We found a native Chinese-speaking teacher, born in Los Angeles and with plenty of teaching experience in California, and sent her to China to learn how to teach Mandarin Chinese. As world events keep proving, America needs creative solutions now.

ROMAYNE LEVEE

Manhattan Beach

The writer is on the board of trustees at Vistamar School in El Segundo.