Discusses sensitivity to other cultural values and second language skills in Canada. Believes three conditions are essential to further Canadians' understanding of fellow Canadians who speak other languages including requirements which reflect this as a priority; programs should stress cultural achievements associated with languages; current…

Suggests foreign language teachers can use comparison of physical life in the relevant country with that in the United States as way to sharpen understanding of other cultures and encourage participation in foreign study programs. Uses Germany as an example. (Author/BK)

Reviews the present situation of foreign languages in the U.S. and discusses the prospects for their future. Sees reasons for believing that the near future may bring a resurgence of interest in at least some modern languages and advocates intimate knowledge of a foreign language and culture for its humanistic value. (MES)

Reports on the findings and recommendations of the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies, which was concerned with the elementary and secondary curriculum. (IRT)

Argues for a comprehensive approach toward teaching German as a second language in response to students' needs to acquire a global perspective. Rather than stressing only syntax, grammar, and vocabulary, German language education should also attempt to teach sensitivity to, knowledge of, and insight into German culture. (JL)

Calls on foreign language departments to take a closer look at a long-standing component of their curriculum: culture. The discussion focuses on language and culture, teaching foreign cultures, and foreign cultures, transnationality, and globalization. (Author/VWL)

Reviews research about orality and literacy. Since foreign language students are already somewhat literate in a first language, the traditional orality-based foreign language teaching should be revised to first teach reading and writing, the literacy skills. (DJD)

Landeskunde, or cultural studies, in Germany is a discipline trapped in a circle because the only avenues of development open to it relegate it to a subsidiary role within language education. If it is to develop in the long term, it will be necessary for it to define its objectives independently of language learning. (Contains five references.)…

Describes a translation and interpretation program at the University of California, Long Beach. The program affords students in both English and Spanish an opportunity to develop and perfect their linguistic skills and cultural knowledge to pursue a career in the field of translation and interpretation. The program covers technical vocabulary,…

Suggests that in certain regions of the country such as Iowa, two foreign language goals should take precedence over the goal of language proficiency in elementary schools: (1) to introduce children to other languages and cultures, and (2) to show that they can learn to communicate successfully in another language. (SED)

A professionally oriented language course at the University of New South Wales (Australia) is described that is designed for students who have studied German in high school and wish to continue studying it to enhance their employment prospects. Both linguistic proficiency and German business culture are emphasized. (LB)

Different approaches to the question of how to invite broader participation by minorities in language study are discussed. It is noted that language study must be connected to job opportunity, build on minority students' affinity with other cultures, teach language as a living tool, and encourage mentor-protege relations. (Contains four…

The integration of language and culture should be a priority for language teaching and learning in the coming decade. College-level second language instruction should include discussion (but not mastery of) such related aspects as dialects, heuristics, jargon, and social/class differences in pronunciation and language use. (CB)

Problems which college level foreign language instruction must attack are cultural inertia fostered by the rise of English as the world lingua franca; pressure to include more languages and subjects in higher education; subordination of the field to the interest of social sciences; and inroads of "general literature" into the place of primary…

Comments on the declining interest in foreign language and culture studies as a manifestation of ethnocentrism negatively affecting our international policies and our understanding of the differences within American society. Mentions the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' policy statement and the New Jersey's state-wide plan…