[quote=Russell][quote=deadzone]
Bigger picture, learning additional languages here in U.S. is totally worthless if you don’t actually spend significant amount of time overseas actually using the language.[/quote]
Just curious, which foreign language did you achieve fluency in that doesn’t add increased perspective and other valuable things to your life here? I mean, you must have tested your theory?[/quote]
Getting back to this:
You said it was totally worthless but want to lean on a dollars and cents cost analysis and “pragmatism”
I can’t prove that it “penciled out” for me, even though I have performed activities in Spanish from two types of businesses several times and had my resume put to the top of the pile in one situation because of it. That’s because I started late and it could be argued that I could have put that energy into a high paying career or just making money stuffing envelopes. Money was never part of my motivation. Many people have benefited in ways not easily accounted for on a ledger. There are a lot of people who say, thank goodness I met that “sort of good at Spanish gringo” and the list will grow.I guess it’s kind of wierd to think that things we can do that benefit other people are not a “waste of time”? I also don’t think entertainment including cross cultural socializing is a waste of time.
For the English dominant kids starting in kindergarten or before, it seems like a no brainier. They get to learn the same stuff while they get bilingual that most of their monolingual friends do. How can picking up a free language and all the asscociated benefits, be a waste of time? That pencils out. Now it may be a setback to some kids but for others it will have advantages.
Have you watched the video? Can you say it is a waste of time for Jason or Durrel after doing so?
Yor post seems to deny all of these factor and things others see too. That’s what makes it “extreme”. Sorry if YOU feel like you wasted your time.
