Why Study French?

• The French language is widely spoken on all continents including Antarctica, and under water (Cousteau Foundation & Comex), in space (Ariane Espace & Airbus), and in cyber space (French is the second most used language on the Internet).
   
• French is the only foreign language that can be useful throughout the world as well as in the United States. (Check out the facts: French: The Most Practical Foreign Language.)
   
• French is the foreign language spoken by our largest trading partner (Canada). The province of Quebec alone is the sixth largest trading partner of the United States with approximately $72 billion in trade in 2009.
   
• The US government recognizes the limited pool of critical experts available to deal with terrorism and promoting strong international relations. Consequently, both the CIA and FBI now aggressively recruit instructors, agents, analysts, translators, and interpreters in a list of specific languages that includes French. In fact, the CIA offers a hiring bonus as high as $35,000 for language capabilities. For the National Security Agency, French remains important because of the many African nations that speak the language.
   
• Paris, France is the number one tourist destination worldwide.
   
• French double majors are very attractive candidates for law school, medical school, and other graduate programs.
   
• French teachers are in such demand that the State of Missouri offers student loan forgiveness to teachers of French in the public schools.

OK that sounds good, I do love French, but I know that I will never live in a French-speaking country, and I do not want to teach or work for the government.

• French (as any other foreign language) will benefit you even if you never use it (very unlikely though), because going through the process of learning French gives you skills and qualities that are useful and marketable no matter what you do: memorization, analytical reading and writing skills, as well as adaptability, tolerance for difference, and problem-solving skills.
   
• How many people do you know around you who speak French? Not those who took an occasional class, but people who have mastered the French language. "Not too many" is probably the answer. Do you know why? Because learning and mastering French is difficult and not everybody has the motivation to do what it takes. Also, not too many people speak French as their first language in the United States. This means that any student who masters the French language in this country can demonstrate that they are able to accomplish something very demanding, and that they can succeed in a foreign and challenging environment. Finally, when these graduates apply for companies seeking a specialist in French or Francophone culture/language in the US, they will rarely be in competition with native speakers, thus increasing their chances to be hired.

Why should we bother learning French since everybody speaks English around the world?

• It is precisely because the entire world speaks English that knowing another language such as French gets you ahead. Imagine two American executives going to France to negotiate with two French executives. First Case Scenario: all of them speak English but only the two French executives speak French. Second Case Scenario: all of them speak both French and English. In the first scenario, the French executives will have the advantage, knowing that whenever they break into French (for instance using their cell phone), the other two will not understand what they are saying. In the second scenario, the American executives can decide if they will let their French counterparts know they speak French. Even if the entire meeting is conducted in English, every one is on a level playing field.

A DEGREE IN FRENCH: YOUR KEY TO THE WORLD!