| The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent there are practical uses for modern foreign language skills and whether these skills actually enhance employability. In addition, the researcher wished to ascertain which foreign languages are currently in use in the activities of American government, business and industry, which ones are used most often and how foreign languages are used in these organizations.;A two page questionnaire was sent to 412 randomly selected business, government and industrial organizations. There were 306 responses, yielding a return rate of 74.27 percent. It was found that Spanish was by far the most commonly used language, followed by French and German. A variety of uses for languages were reported. Translations of various types were most common along with the writing of business letters. Most respondents reported that 5 percent or less of their employees are required to use a modern foreign language, and those who do are usually in either the professional/technical or the manager/administrator category.;Respondents were about equally divided as to whether foreign language skills enhance employability. There was, however, a clear majority of those who stated that language skills do not result in higher starting salaries.;It was concluded that there are needs for foreign language skills in the organizations surveyed. However, prospective employees are more in demand when language skills are combined with additional areas of expertise.;The following recommendations were made: (1) College and university programs should include (but not be made up exclusively of) courses which give students a fluent working vocabulary of business and technical terms in their chosen second language in addition to conversational skills. (2) College and university programs in technical and business areas should encourage the study of foreign languages as part of their degree programs in order to keep up with the growing need for persons in these areas skilled in the use of languages other than English. In addition, departments of modern languages should initiate programs in conjunction with other departments to develop curricula which will produce graduates trained in several skills rather than one narrow specialty. |
