Lead with Languages is an unprecedented, multi-year campaign aimed at reversing the nation's language skills gap and making language learning a national priority. The campaign seeks to build awareness across the U.S. about the growing importance of language skills to a wide array of careers - and to our nation's economy, national security and international standing - with the ultimate goal of supporting a new generation of Americans competent in other languages and cultures and equipped to compete and succeed in a global economy.
"Ninety-five percent of the world's consumers live outside the U.S., and our own country's demographic makeup is changing dramatically, yet a minimal number of Americans are proficient or on their way to becoming proficient in a second language," said Marty Abbott, Executive Director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACFTL), which spearheaded the campaign. "We have a significant language gap in this country on which Lead with Languages will shine a national spotlight. Language proficiency is no longer a luxury; it is a vital necessity to career success in the 21st century and one of the top qualifications employers are now seeking."
¹ÏÉñÍø students, Alumni, and community members are supporting Lead with Languages by sharing their stories. Listen to what they have to say!
