Foreign Language Study Requirements in EuropeA pop stereotype of Americans traveling away is the tourist who is at a loss when it comes to coping with any language other than English. Fair or not, the fact is that while the U.S. does non accept a national requirement for students to learn a foreign language in school, the typical European pupil must study multiple languages in the classroom before condign a teen.

Studying a 2d strange linguistic communication for at least one year is compulsory in more than than twenty European countries. In nigh European countries, students begin studying their showtime foreign linguistic communication every bit a compulsory school discipline between the ages of half dozen and 9, according to a 2012 report from Eurostat, the statistics arm of the European Commission. This varies by state and sometimes inside a land, with the German-speaking Community of Belgium – one of the iii federal communities of Belgium– starting its 3-year-olds on a strange language, but parts of the United Kingdom (excluding Scotland) waiting until historic period xi.

Ireland and Scotland are two exceptions that do not have compulsory linguistic communication requirements, merely Irish students acquire both English and Gaelic (neither is considered a foreign language); Scottish schools are still obligated to offer at to the lowest degree one strange-language option to all students ages 10-18. English language is the most-studied strange language across almost all European countries and at all instruction levels. Fully 73% of primary students in Europe and more than nine-in-x secondary students were learning English at school in 2009-10, the most recent years with available information.

Most Students in Europe Must Study Their First Foreign Language by Age 9
Although some countries mandate that students learn English equally their foreign language, the portion of pupils studying it remains high across the board, even in countries without this dominion. French and German were the next-most popular languages in nigh countries, with Spanish and Russian also widely taught as foreign languages in certain regions of the continent. The percentage of students learning another language was below 5% in most countries.

Meanwhile, the U.Southward. does non have a nationwide foreign-linguistic communication mandate at any level of teaching. Many states permit individual school districts to set linguistic communication requirements for high schoolhouse graduation, and primary schools have very low rates of even offer strange-linguistic communication grade piece of work. Some foreign-language learning standards can be met by taking not-linguistic communication classes. For example, California requires one course in either the arts or a foreign linguistic communication (including American Sign Linguistic communication) for all high school students. Oklahomans can opt to accept two years of the same foreign language or "of computer technology approved for college admission requirements." Conversely, New Bailiwick of jersey students must earn "at least v credits in world languages" or demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English before they can graduate high school.

Maybe because of these varying standards, few Americans who claim to speak a non-English language language say that they acquired those skills in school. Only 25% of American adults self-report speaking a linguistic communication other than English, according to the 2006 Full general Social Survey. Of those who know a 2nd language, 43% said they can speak that language "very well." Within this subset of multilinguals who are well-versed in a non-English language language, 89% caused these skills in the childhood home, compared with seven% citing schoolhouse equally their chief setting for language acquisition.

Kat Devlin is a former enquiry associate focusing on global attitudes at Pew Enquiry Center.