MEDIA RELEASE   Know What I Mean? “Ambushed” San Franciscans score a generous C- in Discover Languages pop quiz   SAN FRANCISCO– “Quelle heure est-il?” Do you know the answer to this question? If you do, you’re in select company. During a language pop quiz on Market Street today, language students and teachers asked passersby the question “What time is it?” in a variety of languages and collected almost 1,400 responses in just a two-hour period.   Teachers and students from the San Francisco Bay Area and from as far away as Sacramento conducted the “Language Ambush” in 8 languages during the lunch hour. In addition to the commonly taught languages of French and Spanish, interviewers used Urdu, Punjabi, Swahili, German, Italian, and Portuguese.   The results of the unscientific multilingual quiz indicate that the average San Francisco resident needs more language skills to support the nation’s need for proficient speakers of a variety of languages other than English, as well as San Francisco’s position as a major city in the world’s fifth largest economy.   The results were: 1249 (89.53%) passers-by did not respond at all to the question 64 (4.62%) answered the question in English. 82 (5.92%) people responded accurately in the correct language.   “San Francisco’s score is surprising when you consider its diversity combined with its status as a major business center in California. San Francisco really does have a seat on the world stage and the results of the Language Ambush highlight our need to make language proficiency a greater priority starting in elementary school.” said Nicole Naditz, event organizer and Chair of the California Language Teachers’ Association Discover Languages Committee. “In addition to helping to sustain our economy, language skills lead to higher standardized test scores in English, math and social science for all students, regardless of race or socio-economic status. Being multi-lingual has also been shown to improve cognitive flexibility and problem solving skills. Clearly, we have work to do to ensure that more students receive an education that provides them with these benefits.”   Similar language pop quizzes have occurred around the country since the Year of Languages in 2005.  Once the Year of Languages came to a close, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, and local and state language teacher associations, began Discover Languages . . . Discover the World!, a decade-long public awareness campaign designed to highlight the value and benefits of multilingualism and language education.   Media Contacts: Nicole Naditz (916) 267-5577 madamenaditz@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natomas High School (Sacramento, CA) language students prepare for their recent Discover Languages Month language ambush.