Shiny Chandravel, Assistant Opinions & Humor Editor
In Tamil, there is no word for goodbye. Instead, we say, “poitu varen,” which directly translates to “I’m going and I’m coming back.” Growing up, it was the phrase I heard every time my dad would leave for work. It was what my relatives would say before I entered the airport after a long-awaited trip to visit them in India. It was the last thing I heard my grandfather say before he passed away.
“Poitu varen” is a constant reminder that goodbyes can be tender, farewells do not need to be permanent and that you ought to promise your loved ones to always come back.
It is a challenge to be born and raised in the United States and still feel deeply connected to your family’s culture. However, understanding, speaking, hearing and even reading my mother tongue has remained a uniquely powerful way for me to connect with my heritage, transcending political borders. My bilingualism shapes the way I experience the world around me.
According to Ethnologue, the U.S. remains one of the top five countries with the largest number of spoken languages as of 2024. We are home to a wide variety of dialects, speech patterns and sign languages carried by indigenous peoples and immigrants of all kinds.
Nevertheless, in a country this rich in language, the structure of our language education pales in comparison to that of other nations.
According to The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, only about one in five K-12 students and one in 12 university students are in a world language class. This is drastically deficient compared to the 92% of European students studying a second language.
Consequently, only 10% of American adults can speak a foreign language fluently as opposed to 65% of Europeans, according to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
According to UNESCO, 31 African countries have adopted multilingual education structures. Likewise, India has implemented the Three-Language Formula, simultaneously teaching English, Hindi and the respective regional language. According to the Pew Research Center, over 20 European countries have made studying a foreign language mandatory, typically starting between ages six and nine.
In comparison, the U.S. lacks any nationwide language education mandate. Education policies are left up to the states, leaving participation in secondary language programs inconsistent, with participation percentages as high as 51% in New Jersey and as low as 9% in states like New Mexico, Arizona and Arkansas, according to the Pew Research Center.
Since English is largely considered the global lingua franca, many English speakers find foreign language education to be merely superfluous. However, our poor investment in language education only puts Americans at a loss. We lose out on the cognitive benefits that language learning offers at a young age. We lose out on professional opportunities, including careers in international affairs and diplomacy. Our ability to travel with ease and be thoughtful global citizens is hindered.
Most importantly, we lose out on a deeper understanding of the people around us: our neighbors, classmates and coworkers whose languages, histories and experiences make America the multicultural home it is.
Our secondary language programs — or lack thereof — are a reflection of the broader cultural moment. Our stubbornness about being monolingual in an increasingly globalized world parallels a distinctly American expectation: others ought to adjust for our English-speaking world, while we do little to embrace theirs.
Backlash against multilingualism in the U.S. heightens with anti-immigration discourse. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2024, President Donald Trump attributed having to hear “languages that nobody in this country has ever heard of” to increased immigration. In a viral interview hosted by the New York Post, Vice President J.D. Vance stated, “I don’t know these people. They don’t speak the same language that I do,” referring to neighbors from different cultures.
The necessity of a common language cannot be understated. A common language is vital in promoting communication, unity and economic freedom for each citizen. However, statements like these made by Trump and Vance have little to do with promoting proficiency and literacy in English.
Instead, they present multilingualism as a threat to American culture, fearmongering the public into thinking that they will wake up to an America in which speaking English is no longer welcome — a country in which English speakers are treated the way they treat speakers of foreign languages today.
The infrastructure of language education in the U.S. lags behind other countries, but it will only remain that way if we as citizens refuse to value it.
VCU offers courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. Free apps and courses are available online and often at local public libraries. Yet, perhaps the best tutors are even closer than you think: your friends.
Let your Spanish-speaking friends teach you how to sing along to Spanish songs. Let your Arabic-speaking friends teach you to pronounce their favorite foods and treats. Let your Hindi-speaking friends show you the best Bollywood movies to watch. And let your Tamil friends teach you how to “go and come back.”
Learning new languages is more than learning new words. It is the active decision to invest in and embrace the people around you — to perceive the world the way others different from you do.
We ask ourselves as Americans why it seems we can never get on the same page. Perhaps we just need to learn to understand each other, language and all.