As fall quarter begins, many students face the question of how to fulfill a foreign language requirement or whether to continue a language already begun. 

I’ve lived abroad and spent my career in international finance. I’ve engaged with foreign languages both as a student and a teacher but mostly for sheer pleasure. 

At Stanford, my approach was haphazard. I took German one quarter and French the next. I dabbled in Mandarin Chinese. I don’t regret any of my language forays, but I recommend thinking seriously about why we study a foreign language in the first place and how we are most likely to succeed. 

Much of what we study in college soon becomes outdated, irrelevant or even proven wrong. A new language opens doors that will stay open for a lifetime. However, I have found that most Americans who study a foreign language never achieve proficiency. Why? Because we study foreign languages for all the wrong reasons. It’s difficult to succeed if you don’t know why you’re doing something in the first place.   

English has become the global language. Apps translate in real time. Why study a foreign language at all? 

In my experience, three reasons stand out. First, by immersing ourselves in a new culture, foreign language prompts us to see the world with fresh eyes. Second, it forces us to think and express ourselves more clearly in English. And third, it can help us discover our cultural roots. In short, it fulfills the true purpose of education: to lead us out of ourselves into a broader worldview. 

A foreign language acts as a kind of force multiplier. It opens us to different ways of seeing and being; it gives us a kind of mental agility we would otherwise lack. Take the English word happiness. To me it conjures up McDonald’s Happy Meals, “happy campers” or “happiness studies.” It sounds transactional. Snappy. The French bonheur invokes a languid, almost metaphysical contentment. Going back and forth between the two languages gives me a new perspective on happiness — and on France. 

Grappling with a foreign language also deepens our ability to think and express ourselves in English. Translating French taught me to sharpen my English. Translation is the ultimate act of comprehension; it compels us to precision in our thought. It helps us recognize how words stretch and shape our perceptions. 

Finally, learning a foreign language can help us understand our cultural roots. My father was an immigrant who fled Nazi Germany. I long avoided German, seeing the language as irrevocably tainted. But studying German introduced me to a fascinating culture which, it turns out, has deeply influenced America. There’s a reason Stanford has a German motto. From fairy tales to Freud, the German world has helped shape the American imagination. America’s scientific preeminence has benefitted from waves of German-speaking immigrants like Albert Einstein.

Let’s be honest, though. Learning a foreign language requires a serious commitment: ideally three years of study and at least six months of full-immersion abroad. To succeed you can’t simply sit back and rely on classroom instruction. You must take charge and make learning a language fun, playful and part of your daily routine. Keep in mind that children — the most prodigious absorbers of language — learn from nursery rhymes, fairy tales and listening to others. So should we. Tune in to songs, advertising jingles and movies. Listen to podcasts or interviews. Once you sense the rhythmical patterns of a language, it becomes far easier to remember new words and phrases and piece it all together. Go with the flow rather than agonizing over the meaning of every word. 

For most native English speakers, the languages most accessible are French, German and Latin. Why? Because they make up the DNA of English, they are easiest for us to learn. You won’t struggle much with the German word Arm, the French gouvernement or the Latin status quo. French, German and Latin are at the core of western culture and of our language. They help teach us who we are. 

A foreign language is not just a course or a grade — it’s a gift! Make sure you enjoy it. Play with it, babble a bit, delight in it — just as you did when you first learned English.

Paul Drexler ’72 has found that foreign language study at Stanford offers lifelong rewards. He remains grateful to his many fine instructors and professors.