Despite an expansion of federal efforts to promote learning Arabic and other languages of the Islamic world, there has been no dramatic increase in Americans studying in countries where such languages are spoken, according to the latest statistics on overseas study. That’s the case even though the number of Americans studying abroad has more than doubled since the mid-1990s.
There are some signs of growing interest among American students in learning Arabic, which the U.S. intelligence community hopes will help bolster its ranks with specialists for the war on terrorism.
But as Karin Ryding, a professor of Arabic at Georgetown University, points out, U.S. intelligence can’t get by with “hothouse” Arabic speakers who have learned the language sitting in American classrooms. They must travel to the region and immerse themselves to become fluent.
Overall interest in foreign languages hasn’t surged either since the Sept. 11 attacks. The difficulty of learning Arabic and other Middle East languages means it will be years before academia can produce significantly more graduates fluent in languages important to U.S. national security. (Related story: Terror war lacks linguists)
“It’s going to take a good, long while. It’s going to be a lot more expensive. And it’s a question of whether you can afford to wait,” says Andrew Krepinevich, head of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a Washington-based defense think tank.
Numbers aren’t good
For 2002-03, the first full academic year after 9/11, 1,293 Americans studied in predominantly Muslim countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. That’s a 4.5% increase over the yearly average of 1,237 for the five years leading up to Sept. 11, according to an analysis of figures compiled by the Institute of International Education, which administers several federal study-abroad scholarship programs. The figures cover students who financed their own education as well as those who received private and public scholarships.
The list of majority-Muslim countries in which students studied is not identical from year to year but typically includes countries in the Middle East and North Africa such as Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and Turkey; and nations in Asia such as Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.
The institute’s figures show that more Americans are studying abroad: 174,629 in 2002-03, up from 84,403 in 1994-95. Yet fewer are focusing on foreign languages: Two decades ago, 16.7% of Americans studying abroad listed foreign languages as their primary field of study, according to the institute’s figures. A decade ago, it was down to 11.3%; for 2002-03, 7.9%.
“Despite our growing needs, the number of undergraduate foreign language degrees conferred is only 1% of all degrees,” Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said last month. Dodd is sponsoring legislation that would increase federal spending on language and foreign study and create a “national language director” to coordinate language programs.
The stakes are high, according to a January Pentagon report: “Conflict against enemies speaking less-commonly taught languages and thus the need for foreign language capability will not abate.”
Language ability is critical not just for fighting wars or spying, says Thomas Farrell, deputy assistant secretary of State for academic programs. It also means having a better knowledge of “regions of the world that are important to the United States,” Farrell says. “We’re seeking to demonstrate, especially to countries with Islamic populations, that people in the United States have respect for their societies and want to learn about them.”
Uptick in Arabic studies
For years, U.S. students didn’t learn much about Arabic. In 2002, the latest nationwide figures available, 10,584 students were studying Arabic, whether as a major or an elective. That was a 92% increase from 1998 but still amounted to fewer than 1% of all students enrolled in foreign language courses in 2002, according to a report by the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages.
The Department of Education is spending about $10 million this year for language study centers based in the Middle East, U.S. language development centers and scholarships for study abroad. The Pentagon is spending $3.6 million for Middle East language scholarships and other language programs. Some of the money is tied to promises that students will commit to jobs in national security.
The State Department handles the bulk of federal money for language scholarships through its Fulbright programs for undergraduates and scholars. Last year, the department spent $86 million on Fulbright and other programs out of a total education and cultural exchange budget of $231 million. Not all of that $86 million was focused on Muslim countries, however.
Concerned that no one coordinates the federal programs, a group of senators — including Dodd, Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii — wants to start a National Foreign Language Coordination Council.
For now, U.S. military and intelligence agencies compete with one another for a small pool of qualified candidates. Arabic professor John Walbridge of the University of Indiana is worried about the push to fill hiring quotas.
“They’re desperate for people,” Walbridge says. “They’re recruiting people who by no reasonable standard are ready to do intelligence work using Arabic.”
