Besides the phrases “buenos dias” and “¿puedo ir al baño?” I admit to remembering hardly a lick of Spanish from my high school years. Despite the hundreds of grammar exercises and vocabulary words teachers drilled into my head, I simply wasn't intent on learning a foreign language. To my mathematically and scientifically inclined mind, there was only one language of any practical interest offered at the school — JavaScript. For three years I practiced coding as an elective, and looking back on it now, it was one of the best decisions I made in high school.
With the need for jobs in software engineering and networking expanding and interest in computer science growing, educators and legislators from states all across the United States have begun proposing that computer programing be considered part of foreign language requirements at the high school level. In her column last week, Viewpoint writer Lauren Jackson argued coding is a “new literacy that must be acquired,” suggesting the University too should consider allowing computer science to fulfill the College’s language requirement. I would argue even further that for the majority of College students, two or three courses in computer science would far outweigh picking up a foreign language.
Detractors might argue that such a replacement of foreign languages at the high school level would cause a number of issues — that it would limit student’s understanding of different cultures and hurt student communication skills developed by learning foreign languages. Others argue coding languages should not be considered languages at all since they cannot be used to directly communicate — a fair point. Still, while it is easy to see where these arguments are coming from, the reality is that the skills begotten from learning a language in high school or college are simply not that beneficial, especially for students who start at the beginner level late in their teens. Sound scientific research shows the best time to learn a new language fluently lies in a “critical period” starting from birth until the age of seven. High schoolers who are just beginning a new language clearly fall out of that window, not to mention college students. Teens and young adults picking up languages so late in the game are barred from becoming proficient and fluent at a language in classroom-style settings. In contrast, learning code is much easier to begin later in life — after basic arithmetic concepts have been learned by students — but just as hard to master as conventional foreign languages.
The case for the importances of language in the business world is dying. Career expert Stacie Nevadomski Berdan notes that many jobs, especially in business, are lost to bilingual immigrants who possess “language skills and cross-cultural competency,” and concludes that learning a foreign language is vital to business career success. Yet as blogger “Darwin” of the “Darwin’s Money” personal finance blog points out, many domestic companies who desire diversity or language skills will simply hire second-generation immigrants who have grown up learning their native language at home and English at school. Fluent in both languages, these immigrants are far more prized than Americans who have only a few years of basic classroom experience. Moreover, Darwin argues most professionals at international companies speak English regardless, making it unnecessary to learn new languages in the first place. And with the rise of sophisticated translation technologies embedded into Google-owned apps like Word Lens and Google Translate, the need to be conversant in foreign languages is decreasing.
Without a doubt, learning a new language provides a host of side benefits, such as the opportunity to learn about new cultures and gain insight on different linguistic perspectives. Regardless, learning software languages in the century defined by the computer simply provides a more practical asset to college students. Java, C++, Python — these languages aren't just used in the United States, but are practiced the world over. Students interested in learning a new foreign language this late in the game should look into the University’s summer language programs, which offer immersive language environments for newcomers. For everyone else, taking coding classes provides far more bang per buck. Currently, the College requires students to earn between zero and 14 language credits as part of “competency requirements,” with exemptions given only through testing out. Meanwhile, only three overcrowded introductory computer science lectures (CS 1010, CS 1111 and CS 1112) are offered at the University, tending to reach over capacity within days of registration opening. The College should move to reduce traditional foreign language requirements, expand entry level coding courses and make coding-heavy courses eligible as credit toward language requirements.
Hasan Khan is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at h.khan@cavalierdaily.com.
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