The Fulbright Program, part of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), has established the Critical Language Enhancement Award, which will aim at increasing the number of U.S. students studying languages deemed as “critical.”
The NSLI was enacted at the beginning of 2006 and “was designed to increase the number of Americans learning critical foreign languages, such as Arabic, Chinese ... and others through new and expanded programs from kindergarten through the university level and into the work force,” said Nicole Deaner, spokesperson for the United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Recipients of the Fulbright Critical Language Enhancement Award will be selected from those students already awarded a Fulbright U.S. grant and who intend to use one of the eligible languages as part of their Fulbright project, Deaner said.
Languages deemed “critical” by the National Security Language Initiative include Arabic, Azari, Bengali, Chinese, Mandarin, Farsi, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Marathi, Pashto, Punjabi, Russian, Pajak, Turkish, Urdu and Uzbek, so students who intend to pursue any of these languages will be eligible for the award, she added.
Students have voiced interest in studying the critical languages offered at the University, especially Arabic, said David Waldner, director of Middle East Studies Program and professor in the Government and Foreign Affairs department.
Students decide to study these languages for a variety of reasons, such as to become better citizens by understanding the area of the Middle East, to be desirable candidates when entering the workforce or for academic reasons, said Mohammed Sawaie, a professor in the politics department.
Second-year College student Hugh Lyford said he decided to study Arabic because of the importance of the Middle East in today’s politics.
“The Arabic world is so important on the global scene now that I imagine that knowing the language will make it very easy in getting a job in almost any field,” Lyford said.
Waldner said the critical languages are very difficult to learn and can only really be mastered when long periods of time are devoted to them.
“The Middle East is absolutely critical to American foreign policy, and there is an astonishing lack of knowledge about those regions,” Waldner said. “We just need to have a lot more knowledge about the region, and we’re not going to get that if people don’t develop the linguistic skills.”
Waldner and Sawaie both agreed that given the chance to study abroad and be immersed in the language and culture of foreign countries, students can benefit greatly.
“Ultimately, the Fulbright Critical Language Enhancement awardees will achieve a high level of proficiency in a targeted language and will go onto careers or ...further study,” Deaner said.
