E-mail from Dr. Robert Peckham - the value of French and the Humanities
French, like many of the language and other humanities programs, suffers from several disadvantages. First of all, the core status of many of these long-taught programs has never been properly recognized, or it has been challenged by advocates of vocational education, who are just as good as any of us are. If you read any of Stanley Fish’s column statements about the humanities, you will see a string of comments by otherwise intelligent people, which smacks of early to mid 20th century appeals for “well roundedness”. Hardly anyone mentions that French, for instance puts information about rarely-studied parts of the world before the eye of our students. I see very few detailed arguments about cognitive and other brain-function benefits of foreign language study:
Foreign Languages: An Essential Core Experience
People seem afraid to mention the direct benefits of studying a partiicular language. The remaining language proh=grams at SUNY Albany are associated with only about 3.9% of the state's export income, while those cut, from German on are associaterd with about 39% of the state's export income. Ironically, SUNY Albany’s point of pride in Nanoscale science and engineering is made quite hollow, when you consider most of the world’s nanoscale science and engineering programs are in universities where they speak the languages SUNY Albany has cast aside.
Focusing on French and national needs, it is no surprize that in the $14 billion/year industry of translation, French has always been among the top five languages. Proof for this statement can be found everywhere.
Looking at foreign direct investment, Of the 6 leading foreign investors in the US in 2009 representing nearly 80% of the total amount invested, 3 were countries where French is an official language. 45% of all foreign direct investment came from these 3 countries. Half of the 10 leading investor nations for 2008 and 2009 were Francophone countries. In general, foreign direct investment accounts for at least 12% of all manufacturing jobs in the US. Employees of foreign-owned companies operating in the United States continue to earn far higher wages on average than most workers of U.S. owned firms.
Considering export revenues, In 2009, 22 out of 50 states in the US derived over a third of their export revenues from countries where French is an official language. Through May of 2010, 3 of America's top 15 export destinations have been Francophone countries (=$121 billion). In assessing just one impact at home, it is generally acknowledged that for every $billion of export revenues 6000 jobs are either sustained or created.
Foreign Trade: State by 6-Digit HS Code and Top Countries [Census data]
state %
AR 35.8
CO 37
DE 34.2
IA 37.3
IL 34.9
IN 44.8
KY 41.4
ME 44.6
MI 51.6
MT 45.6
NV 67.2
NY 33.4
ND 60
OH 46.1
OK 34.1
PA 39.8
RI 37.8
SD 39.2
TN 35.2
VT 49.4
WV 33.7
WI 33.5
The study of foreign languages seems cursed by the number of high-profile people who could be better informed than the average frat-boy. We must face the misinformation of people like Chris Bryant ex Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Bill Clinton, who said in a 2000 state of the union address “Soon researchers will bring us devices that can translate
foreign languages as fast as you can talk”
Because we cannot see the immediate value of a subject like French is not a good reason to discount its value. That unseen value of French was and is at work in the lives of the 130 people mentioned in
You Wouldn't Know They Majored in French
TBob
Robert D. Peckham, Ph.D.
Professor of French
University of Tennessee at Martin
Chair, AATF Commission on Advocacy
Director, Globe-gate Intercultural Web Project