The road to foreign language competency in the United States: A leadership perspective

Abstract

AbstractA prevailing thought regarding foreign language competency (FLC) is that it can lead to an advantaged workforce by improving performance, especially in service‐oriented professions. This prevailing thought is logical, considering banking, hospitality and tourism, social services, sales, and health care industries. Foreign language teachers, training and development professionals, workforce education professionals, and government agencies (e.g., the military) all play a leading role in the effort to improve FLC in segments of the U.S. workforce. Workplace learning and performance (WLP) establishes the framework for companies that can quantitatively demonstrate that having a foreign‐language‐competent staff will increase performance and company profits (or value for the nonprofit sector). Leadership competencies guide the function of workplace foreign language training and development and has a direct impact on the success of achieving workplace FLC. In addition, scenarios demonstrating how a foreign‐language‐competent staff might improve overall company performance are explored. Methods of conducting appropriate assessments prior to implementing a workplace foreign language training and development program are addressed.