Why study French?

Many people have the impression that the subjects you study in high school or college have a single, direct relationship to what you do as a career. A French major teaches French, right? Not necessarily! The thing is, a degree in French, a minor in French, the acquisition of working skills in the French language, all teach fundamental skills that students will draw on, perhaps unknowingly, during their working life.  Of course, the fact that you can speak a foreign language, and solid, well-motivated Daemen students will really command the language after two years, is a tremendous attraction to employers. A company can teach you their own "rules and regulations" in the course of an eight-week training seminar, but they can't teach you a foreign language in eight weeks. If students were asked to list "fundamental skills" that they consider to be important in finding a good job, most would put "communication" at or near the top! Yes, you say, we mean communication in English, but think for a moment about what constitutes good communication. The skills you learn as you acquire a foreign language are, precisely, the skills that make for good communication in any language: the ability to pause, to reflect on what you want to convey before you start to speak; the ability to choose the correct word from several possibilities, to convey your message exactly as you want; the awareness that there are "grammar rules" in English, just as there are in foreign languages, a fact that we sometimes overlook since we acquire our first language "naturally." You learn that there is a big difference in the ease or difficulty of writing a foreign language as opposed to speaking one! Writing is easier because you have the chance to reflect on what you are going to write and to review it. Bring this awareness to bear on your communicative abilities in any language, on your own. In a world, which is coming together, economically, every day, the importance of being aware of other cultures is paramount. There is an old argument that most people in the world speak English, so why should we speak French/Spanish/German...? Well, most people in the business world, and many "ordinary" people in many countries do speak English, but they don't behave the way we do in their personal and professional lives. Learning not to be shocked at they way others do things is part of being a sensitive and professional person. So, even if you don't want to "be a teacher," don't dismiss the value of foreign languages, or of many liberal arts subjects. There is a true and tested reason why many of the best colleges and universities in the world, even in today's economic climate, still build all of their programs on a solid liberal arts foundation. The skills that these courses bring to you are, ultimately, skills that the teacher hints at, but that you acquire for yourself. This is by far the most valuable kind of learning there is!   Just a short list of possible employers who are known to hire foreign language degree holders:    Advertising Agencies - Commercial Institutions  Environmental Firms - Health Care Facilities  Manufacturing -  Media Companies  Newspapers -  Professional Associations  Public Relations Companies -  Sports Organizations  Travel and Tourism Industry Professor Kevin Telford, Department Chair