Celebrity Corner
Public Relations
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Jennifer L McCafferty, Miss Wyoming
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Being Miss Wyoming has given me the wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact on the future of my state and my country, and I am honored to partner with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages to promote the campaign, Discover Languages: Discover the World! As a bilingual Spanish major at the University of Wyoming, I've seen the benefits that come from knowing another language and want to encourage others to do the same. Our world is becoming increasingly more connected, and communication is crucial. Only through knowing other languages can we begin to understand other cultures, thus strengthening our relationships both stateside and abroad and empowering us for success in a global society." |
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Brittlynn M Hall, Miss UAB
"As the titleholder of Miss University of Alabama, I have the opportunity to present my platform in a wide array of venues. Realizing the potential of this position, I decided that the most deserving and overlooked platform issue is foreign language acquisition and education! My platform, "Global and Domestic Opportunities Through Education," seeks to encourage and educate students to take advantage of not only their basic educations, but to also strive for success in an increasingly global community through foreign language acquisition."
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Marcia Ragonetti, Opera Singer
"My adult son recently scolded me, "Mom, why didn't you make me learn a musical instrument and really know a foreign language ?" So if I had one wish -- maybe two! -- it would be that my own parents had insisted -- with no excuses whatsoever -- that I learn and really use another language...or two or three. (The second wish would be to practice, practice, PRACTICE that piano!)
Today as a classical singer of over 25 years, I can usefully sing in a number of foreign languages -- Italian, French, German, Russian, Czech, even Ajerbaijani -- but oh, to dream in another language! That would be the fullest measure of language mastery.
Bravissimo, ACTFL! Here's my standing ovation for your dedication as "parents" of this big, beautiful, polylinguistic world in fostering not only the sounds of other languages but also the sense, the very soul of them, and all the cultural wonders they bestow upon us as human beings." |
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Frederica S. Brenneman, Judge Trial Referee, State of Connecticut
“In a new century with technology weaving the planet Earth into one global village, it is more important than ever that Americans learn languages other than English to promote friendships abroad and show that we are not the go-it-alone bullies that too many nations perceive us to be. We respect immigrants who take the trouble to become fluent in English; we owe them no less than to become fluent in their languages so that we can easily exchange our thoughts, ideas and hopes for a peaceful future.”
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Senator Thad Cochran, United States (R-MS), Co-Chair, Year of Languages Honorary Council
“The advantages of having foreign language capability range from greater opportunities for college admission to fulfilling National security needs. Foreign Language proficiency is a skill essential in the global relationships of industry, diplomacy, defense, and higher education. The ability to understand one another is essential to live peacefully and prosperously in a globalized society. I hope that the Year of Languages will encourage more Americans, especially students, to discover different cultures and learn new languages.”
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Bill Cosby, Actor
“If you know two languages, the level of your intelligence is multiplied a hundredfold in other people’s eyes.”
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Reg Weaver, President of the National Education Association
"The members of the National Education Association believe that foreign language instruction is a vital part of the total education process. As our country becomes more and more diverse, it is extrememly important for our students to learn how to effectively communicate with individuals of other nationalities. We are committed to ensuring that every child receives a quality education. This includes providing them with the skills and knowledge to understand and communicate with people of different cultures, and preparing them to compete in the global society. Our future leaders must be able to communicate successfully with diverse people throughout the world for our nation to survive."
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Peter Negroni, Senior VP, K-12, The College Board
Everyone who recognizes the unifying power of language will applaud the  abundance of federal, state, and local proclamations surrounding the Year of Languages initiative. As a language teacher, I always chose to envision a future in which every American spoke at least two languages. With the Year of Languages and the College Board’s World Languages Initiative, which doubles the number of languages offered through the Advanced Placement program, that future is now within our grasp. Congratulations to ACTFL for so effectively shining a national spotlight on the need to broaden our nation’s language repertoire.
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Jim Rogers, Author and Adventure Capitalist
The single best investment that US citizens can make now is to teach their children and grand children foreign language fluency. It is a gift for which they will be thanked many times in the 21st Century as the world rapidly changes. I suggest Chinese, but any major language will give them a huge leg up on their peers.
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| Julia Alvarez, Author
“Why not learn at least one other language of the Americas? After all, we’re Americans, part of a hemispheric familia we should get to know. And since by the year 2050, twenty-five percent of the United States Americans will be Latinos, many of whom speak Spanish, they will be part of our family. They will be us!
In fact, the best peace work in the world is learning someone else’ language because in doing so, you begin to understand a whole different way of putting the world together and naming it. Not only that, you’re able to communicate with those ‘foreign’ others and realize that though languages differ, the human heart speaks the same native tongue everywhere. When you learn someone else’s language, you knit the human family closer together.”
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