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American Council on the Teaching
of Foreign Languages
1001 N. Fairfax St
Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-894-2900
www.yearoflanguages.org
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Dear Sir/Madam:
Whether you are a business executive or a university or school system administrator, you work with a diverse population of individuals for whom English is not their native language. The need to communicate with, understand and be understood by others has never been greater for the future of our nation, our economy and our international relationships. Yet organizations face ever increasing competition for multilingual employees who can fulfill those communication needs. A U. S. Senate resolution establishes 2005: The Year of Languages in the United States, and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is spearheading a year-long celebration to make all Americans aware of the importance of language education. The success of our efforts, of course, will depend in large part on the endorsement and support of organizations like yours.
The goals of our Year of Languages initiative are simple, clear and designed to be meaningful to each and every member of our target audiences:
- To expand the public’s understanding of the role played by languages in all aspects of people’s lives, in society and in the future of human and international relations.
- To promote the importance of language learning and language proficiency, urging every American to commit to learning other languages.
- To build awareness of the diversity of languages that now play an integral part of everyday life in our country, from the people we live with, the people we work with and for, and the people with whom we do business.
- To promote the formation of a national task force to study and strengthen policies affecting the availability and quality of language learning and teaching and to make recommendations to strengthen U.S. policy.
ACTFL is coordinating activities and materials at the national, state and local levels in order to ensure the success and long-term impact of this initiative:
- National media events supported by press relations and print and broadcast promotion
- State and local events, competitions and programs targeting students, parents and adult learners
- Informational brochures to reach students, adults and community leaders
- Promotional items (posters, bookmarks, note pads, etc.) to deliver year-long awareness
Clearly, this is an ambitious plan with goals that will significantly affect not only our nation’s education and business communities, but our society as a whole. Our success, though, depends on the investment of time and resources of those businesses and organizations who will ultimately enjoy the dividends that The Year of Languages will deliver. I hope you will review this material and offer your organization’s assistance and involvement in our planned events.
Sincerely,
Bret Lovejoy
Executive Director
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