Learning a foreign language in America
foreign languages after they are adults which is the worst time to start.
Children pick up foreign languages very easily and are able to pick up the
correct accent as well. This is extremely hard for adults to do. Most Americans
do not seriously start to learn a foreign language until they are in college or
older.
In contrast, in many foreign countries children start
learning English in grade schools. Some spend some time as exchange students in
U.S. high schools and then continue their studies in college.
When Americans get such a late start, it basically means
that they will not attain sufficient fluency in some languages to use the
foreign language for business. European languages are easy for Americans to
learn and it is possible to attain sufficient fluency in Spanish or French, but
it is nearly impossible to attain that level of fluency in Japanese, Chinese,
Arabic or many other languages unless a person starts very young or lives in
the country for some years.
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