The Importance of Language in Culture - Essay Example

The term “lost in translation” is a meaningful and relevant term because it explains a cultural dilemma that could potentially be avoided. As human beings, one of our greatest assets is our breadth inability to communicate with one another thus advancing the possibility of peaceful and constructive cohabitation, Language skills set us apart from the animal kingdom and allow us an avenue of information exchange and understanding.

Since America’s genesis, it has been a melting pot composed of many different cultures and ethnicities. Certainly, it can be said that English is the language of the American majority, but is often not the first language of many Americans. It makes sense to place English as an educational priority for those residing in America, if for no other reason than to equip them with the language of their new land. The inverse of this, however, is the importance of the preservations of other languages as well.

It has long been an educational controversy as to whether to give equal classroom time or even a portion of classroom time to the education of other languages. The answer to this is multifaceted, but ultimately yes.