<
https://theconversation.com/lost-in-translation-the-geopolitical-risks-of-declining-foreign-language-learning-in-australia-and-nz-225787>
"As the 2024 academic year begins in Australia and New Zealand, optimism over
the state of foreign language learning at universities is in short supply.
Languages have taken a post-pandemic battering. In 2023 alone, New Zealand’s
Victoria University of Wellington decided to shut down its Greek, Latin and
Italian programmes, while the University of Otago in Dunedin opted to
discontinue German.
In Australia, Sydney’s Macquarie University has proposed cutting five languages
altogether – including German, Italian and Russian. Chinese, Croatian, Hindi,
Indonesian and Japanese are just some of the other languages that have faced
funding scrutiny at institutions across Australia and New Zealand since 2020.
The cuts are coming despite the outbreak of new wars and soaring geopolitical
tensions. As Australia and New Zealand both look to spend billions more on
military capabilities, it’s equally vital to support foreign language learning.
Languages are an essential component of the diplomatic and intelligence
toolkits. A decline in their teaching and learning has repercussions beyond
university campuses."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
