When Mary Beth Lambert, an international studies and French senior, arrived at the Political Science Institute in Aix-en-Provence, France, last September, she met other exchange students and instantly became aware of the large range of skill level in speaking French.
“Compared to some, I felt like a beginner that stuttered a lot and could never find the right word,” Lambert said.
Lambert said her decision to double major in French proved to be an incentive to continue taking French classes, improving her French speaking and comprehension level.
The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures encourages students with an advanced level in foreign language to double major, said Department Chair Emily Batinski.
Students speaking a foreign language will have more opportunities in the global economy, Batinski said.
“Foreign language students entering the job market can earn up to 10 percent more in salary than people applying for a job without a foreign language degree,” Batinski said. “Having this background provides a company more flexibility because they can do more with this person, and this person can do more for them.”
Locally, Batinski said Louisiana has strong oil ties with Latin and Central America and is the fifth largest international business connection in Spain.
France is responsible for 10,000 jobs in Louisiana, said Kevin Bongiorni, director of undergraduate studies in the department of French studies. Even though companies invest due to industry, Bongiorni said Louisiana’s rich French heritage has a significant link to attracting French companies.
Lambert said her experience abroad confirmed her decision to double major in French.
“My French degree is coupled with International Studies to be used for an international aspect,” Lambert said. “With my French degree, I can choose to work for the United Nations as an interpreter, work in a French embassy, be an international representative for a law firm or work as a liaison for an international corporation.”
In 2000, the United States Department of Education reported Spanish as the highest bachelor degree awarded in the foreign language degree category. French, German, Russian, Japanese and Italian languages followed Spanish in descending order.
Batinski said Spanish is the most studied foreign language at LSU as well.
“There is a high demand for Spanish throughout the world,” Batinski said. “Students can distinguish themselves with this language.”
The Hispanic population is continuing to grow in Baton Rouge, especially south of Baton Rouge, Batinski said. Advertising has never addressed the Hispanic population, but businesses now are attempting to tap into this large part of the American population. Agencies are hiring students with a foreign language degree to understand Spanish culture and solve the language barrier, Batinski said.
In 1980, Batinski said LSU created a French department and Spanish department separate from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. During an oil crisis in 1986, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures made severe budget cuts and brought Spanish back into foreign languages.
In the College of Arts and Sciences, students graduate with a degree in humanities and have the same job qualifications as each graduate in Arts and Sciences, said Bongiorni.
“But having a double major in a foreign language makes you different,” Bongiorni said. “To have a larger understanding and appreciation of another culture reflects a certain quality in education that’s value-added.”
Bongiorni said he persuades students, specifically freshmen, who test out of foreign language classes to pursue a double major. Bongiorni said students without an advanced level in a foreign language should double major as well.
Since each department within the College of Arts and Sciences has the same core curriculum, Bongiorni said the core requirements for each major cancel each other out and leave room for students to advance in two majors their junior and senior year.
Majoring or minoring in a foreign language gives students cultural awareness, Batinski said. When a company is politically and economically engaging with other cultures, employees who understand and can listen to cultural differences will be successful.
Learning a foreign language, Batinski said, opens a student’s perspective in a multicultural world.