Foreign Language

More than a decade after the state urged that students start learning a foreign language in the early grades, many local elementary schools are losing ground. Immersion programs, in which children study all of their subjects in the second language, are thriving in a few communities. But traditional foreign language classes, often for a few hours a week, have disappeared from elementary schools in Arlington, Bellingham, Franklin, Littleton, Marlborough, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, and Shrewsbury.

More than a decade after the state urged that students start learning a foreign language in the early grades, many local elementary schools are losing ground. Immersion programs, in which children study all of their subjects in the second language, are thriving in a few communities. But traditional foreign language classes, often for a few hours a week, have disappeared from elementary schools in Arlington, Bellingham, Franklin, Littleton, Marlborough, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, and Shrewsbury.

More than a decade after the state urged that students start learning a foreign language in the early grades, many local elementary schools are losing ground. Immersion programs, in which children study all of their subjects in the second language, are thriving in a few communities. But traditional foreign language classes, often for a few hours a week, have disappeared from elementary schools in Arlington, Bellingham, Franklin, Littleton, Marlborough, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, and Shrewsbury.

More than a decade after the state urged that students start learning a foreign language in the early grades, many local elementary schools are losing ground. Immersion programs, in which children study all of their subjects in the second language, are thriving in a few communities. But traditional foreign language classes, often for a few hours a week, have disappeared from elementary schools in Arlington, Bellingham, Franklin, Littleton, Marlborough, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, and Shrewsbury.

WASHINGTON -- Nearly one in five Americans speaks a language other than English at home, the Census Bureau says, an increase of nearly 50 percent during the past decade. Most speak Spanish, followed by Chinese, with Russian rising fast. Some 47 million Americans 5 and older used a language other than English in 2000, the bureau said. That translates into the nearly one in five, compared with roughly one in seven 10 years ago. In Massachusetts, 18.7 percent of the state's nearly 6 million people 5 and older, speak a foreign language at home -- less than 1 percent higher than...

PARIS - French children generally spend years learning foreign languages in school, but the results are often dismal. So President Nicolas Sarkozy called yesterday for an emergency plan to produce more bilingual students. In a speech outlining education reforms, Sarkozy underscored that “a foreign language is meant to be spoken,’’ and suggested language instruction should be shifted away from written grammar and memorization to emphasize oral skills. Students in French public schools begin a second language in middle school and often receive as many as six years...

NEW YORK - Two New York City council members want foreign-language store signs to be rewritten in English. Peter Koo and Dan Halloran say store signs should be mostly in English so police officers, firefighters, and consumers can correctly identify the businesses. . State law makes English mandatory for store signs, but the law is not enforced. In May, Koo and Halloran introduced a bill giving the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs power to ticket violators. They plan to introduce later this summer another bill requiring the signs to be at least 60 percent English.

The director of "A Separation" dished that the biggest diva on the set of his Oscar-nominated film was none other than his daughter. Asghar Farhadi joked during a panel discussion with directors vying for the foreign-language film Oscar at Sunday's 84th annual Academy Awards that his daughter, Sarina Farhadi, who plays an estranged Iranian couple's 11-year-old child, was the most difficult person to work with on the film, which is also up for...

Können sie Deutsch lesen? If you don't speak German, you don't have any idea what that sentence means. For a select group of students at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, however, it's embarrassingly easy. At this year's German National Exam, taken by high school students studying German across the United States, three Peabody students placed in the top 90th percentile nationally and two more in the upper 80s. One student, 17-year-old junior Steven Zarella, placed in the 99th percentile nationally.

Berlitz Publishing is hoping to make foreign travel more enjoyable for Americans with a new CD series called Rush Hour that blends practical language learning with music and catchy songs. "It won't prepare you to discuss in French what happens after death, but you'll be prepared for a number of situations that arise in daily life," said Howard Beckerman, the linguist and songwriter who came up with the concept and the songs for Rush Hour. As its name implies, Rush Hour is designed to be listened to on the go -- in the car while commuting, at the gym while exercising...

Können sie Deutsch lesen? If you don't speak German, you don't have any idea what that sentence means. For a select group of students at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, however, it's embarrassingly easy. At this year's German National Exam, taken by high school students studying German across the United States, three Peabody students placed in the top 90th percentile nationally and two more in the upper 80s. One student, 17-year-old junior Steven Zarella, placed in the 99th percentile nationally.

The director of "A Separation" dished that the biggest diva on the set of his Oscar-nominated film was none other than his daughter. Asghar Farhadi joked during a panel discussion with directors vying for the foreign-language film Oscar at Sunday's 84th annual Academy Awards that his daughter, Sarina Farhadi, who plays an estranged Iranian couple's 11-year-old child, was the most difficult person to work with on the film, which is also up for...

When a new law regulating nonprofit groups was adopted in Massachusetts in 2006, accounting consultant Kevin Derrivan found himself explaining UPMIFA - the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act - to a lot of board directors. Acting as an information resource is just one of the many roles Derrivan performs as a financial management expert working for Accounting Management Solutions Inc. of Waltham. He has been asked to do everything from audit reviews to fill in as interim chief financial officer.

Not so long ago, the basic skills sought by employers were pretty simple: be literate, speak English, know some math, and understand specific roles in the company. But as technology has exploded, and competition has increased, basic skills demanded by employers today are more advanced. Carpenters need to know how to use a smartphone and Excel spreadsheets as well as a hammer. Librarians not only need to navigate book stacks, but also the Internet. Almost everyone should know how to type.

NEW YORK - Two New York City council members want foreign-language store signs to be rewritten in English. Peter Koo and Dan Halloran say store signs should be mostly in English so police officers, firefighters, and consumers can correctly identify the businesses. . State law makes English mandatory for store signs, but the law is not enforced. In May, Koo and Halloran introduced a bill giving the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs power to ticket violators. They plan to introduce later this summer another bill requiring the signs to be at least 60 percent...

On the cusp of adolescence, fresh from a childhood with relatives speaking a rich harmony of languages, Edwin Honig turned from Sherlock Holmes to his own kind of literary detective work that would lead to life as a poet, teacher, and translator. “At 13 I gave up Conan Doyle for Hart Crane and T.S. Eliot, reading for the magic of their special language,’’ he wrote in the introduction to “The Poet’s Other Voice,’’ a 1985 collection of conversations he conducted with other translators.

Not so long ago, the basic skills sought by employers were pretty simple: be literate, speak English, know some math, and understand specific roles in the company. But as technology has exploded, and competition has increased, basic skills demanded by employers today are more advanced. Carpenters need to know how to use a smartphone and Excel spreadsheets as well as a hammer. Librarians not only need to navigate book stacks, but also the Internet. Almost everyone should know how to type.

When a new law regulating nonprofit groups was adopted in Massachusetts in 2006, accounting consultant Kevin Derrivan found himself explaining UPMIFA - the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act - to a lot of board directors. Acting as an information resource is just one of the many roles Derrivan performs as a financial management expert working for Accounting Management Solutions Inc. of Waltham. He has been asked to do everything from audit reviews to fill in as interim chief financial officer.

A growing number of college students are studying foreign languages, a trend propelled by greater interest in Arabic, a broader palette of languages being taught, and more crowded language classes at community colleges, a new study finds. But despite the strong interest, experts warn that foreign language study on campuses is in peril because of budget cuts and a dwindling number of graduate students who form the foundation of future college language faculties. The latest figures from the Modern Language Association, released yesterday, show that enrollment in foreign language...

PARIS - French children generally spend years learning foreign languages in school, but the results are often dismal. So President Nicolas Sarkozy called yesterday for an emergency plan to produce more bilingual students. In a speech outlining education reforms, Sarkozy underscored that “a foreign language is meant to be spoken,’’ and suggested language instruction should be shifted away from written grammar and memorization to emphasize oral skills. Students in French public schools begin a second language in middle school and often receive as many...