This position paper was presented to the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies in October, 1978, and stressed the importance of providing Americans with opportunities to study foreign languages. (CFM)

The Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State trains government employees in languages for foreign service. The Interagency Language Roundtable provides a forum for managerial linguists, and the author suggests its cooperation with university language departments. (CK)

Johns Hopkins University has become affiliated with a Germanistisches Institut in Germany in order to establish a graduate program abroad. The arrangement between the schools is described. (SW)

The career option of translation and/or interpretation is described. The history of the occupations, potential employers and salaries, the work done, training and places it is given, and the demand for different languages are discussed. (RM)

In 1973, a survey was conducted among 100 businesses and government agencies that employ speakers of other languages. Thirty-nine out of fifty-eight organizations that employ German speakers reported over 8,000 job opportunities. Combined with additional skills, knowledge of German is highly practical for finding employment. (SC)

Proposes a system of ceritfication of career-related language skills based on voluntary examination. (CK)

Argues in favor of the Doctor of Arts degree for foreign language teachers to achieve both better preparation for teachers and an increase in advanced foreign language study. (CK)

In the fall of 1973, an experimental college course designed exclusively for students with a background of high school German was initiated at the University of Texas at Arlington. The course was limited to those who placed out of the first semester but not high enough for the third semester on the UTA placement test. The course was found to be…

Activities are cited of the five task forces for the promotion of language study. The task forces concern institutional language policy, the commonly taught languages, the less commonly taught languages, public awareness, and government relations. (SW)

Suggestions are made for increasing student interest and motivation for language learning. Classes should be settings for communicating the language and not for mere rote learning of pattern practices. Students should be aware of the roles languages play in the world, career opportunities, and different cultures in the community. (SW)