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."
ODU students, Alumni, and community members are supporting Lead with Languages by sharing their stories. Listen to what they have to say!
