UCO Language Professors’ Weigh In on The Importance of Being Bilingual

As the number of non-English speakers in the United States continues to grow, professors at the University of Central Oklahoma said when interviewed over the last two weeks that the foreign language education system needs to improve through increased investment in education. 

Between 2020 and 2025, more people immigrated to the United States than ever before, according to analysis from the Pew Research Center. 

Despite this, a study from the KFF (formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation) found that 47% of immigrants in the United States have “limited English proficiency.”

This trend is concerning for the United States because of the lack of bilingual speakers present in the country, said Jessica Appleby, a French professor in the UCO Department of Modern Languages. 

“The U.S., in general, is really behind a lot of other places. In Europe, it’s 59% of all Europeans that speak a second language, where it’s only about 20% in the U.S.,” said Appleby. 

Oklahoma House Bill 3278, which was passed in 2024, removed the mandatory foreign language requirement for students needed to graduate high school. This is something that could set Oklahoma students even further behind, Appleby said. 

“I think learning a second language should be especially important in Oklahoma,” said Sophia Clark, a German professor in the UCO Department of Modern Languages. 

“There are a lot of people who speak different languages in Oklahoma, and not only that, but native languages as well. I think we would all like to see more native languages in high school,” Clark said. 

Second language education early on in a person’s life is one of the most important things the U.S. could do to promote bilingualism, said Appleby. 

“What I’d really like to see is language learning starting in elementary school in a meaningful way,” Appleby said.

It is easier for kids to develop their language skills when the brain is still at an early point in its development, Appleby said. 

While she is satisfied with the state of UCO’s overall foreign language education programs, Clark said she would encourage students to continue to develop those skills even after they complete their required courses.

“Knowing a foreign language is a wonderful thing that, if you’re able to take advantage of, can really enrich your life and lead to more career opportunities,” said Clark. 

“I really like that everyone at UCO is required to take at least one semester of a language,” said Appleby. 

“From my experience, perhaps a lot of people come to our classes a little bit hesitant. Maybe they think that’s not what they want to study, but then they end up really enjoying the class and continuing further than they expected to,” said Appleby.

While it would be ideal to get to where the European Union is with language education, with their policy of residents knowing their country’s native tongue plus two foreign languages, the U.S. is a long way away from that currently, Appleby said. 

“As a language teacher, I would obviously love to see that. I think we could become really competitive in international job markets and international trade if we did become that multilingual,” said Appleby.

“That is a big step, though, to go from monolingual to trilingual, so I think our first step needs to be getting that bilingual emphasis first.”