The Los Angeles Times – Catharine Hamm
“A reader recently wrote to ask about a language-immersion program. How in the world do you narrow the choices and figure out whether that program is right for you? Will the Spanish you learn in Mexico be comprehensible in Spain and vice versa? What if you make horrible mistakes and embarrass yourself? Learning a second language puts you in good company these days, Francois Grosjean wrote in Psychology Today: In 1980, about 11% of the U.S. population was bilingual. Today it’s nearly double that. “The position of prominence that English has in the U.S. is in no danger, but some room is now being made for other languages,” he wrote. “This can only lead to a person’s personal enrichment, increased ties between generations and cultures, and more diversity in job opportunities.” Some pretty great reasons to undertake this, but before you plunge headlong into this adventure for yourself or your child, consider these factors that you may need to be successful:” (more)