STATEMENT 0E PERMISSION TO COPY 
In presenting this paper in partial fulfillment of the 
requirements for an advanced degree at Montana State University, I 
agree that the Library shall make it freely available for inspection. 
I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this paper 
for scholarly purposes may be granted by my major professor, or in his 
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copying or publication of this paper for financial gain shall not be 
allowed without my written permission. 
Signature — \AA> 
Date CiUk^Jl ^ ~H ■ 
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES 
by 
Gabriela Munoz Mahn 
A professional paper submitted in partial fulfillment 
of the requirements for the degree 
of 
Master of Education 
with concentration in 
Adult and Higher Education 
Approved: 
jfTLt/ 22 Ik. 
Chairperson, Graduate 
MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY 
Bozeman, Montana 
April, 1977 
iii 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 
The writer would like to thank, particularly, her Adv/isor, 
Dr. Earl N. Ringo, for his encouragement and patient understanding. 
Also Mrs. Goan G. Stovall, whose enthusiasm has sparked many of the 
ideas in this paper. 
Special thanks to my husband, whose constructive criticism 
and experience made the writing of this paper much easier. 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Page 
VITA  ii 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT  iii 
LIST OF TABLES  vii 
ABSTRACT . . .   viii 
Chapter 
1. INTRODUCTION   1 
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM   2 
NEED FOR THE STUDY  2 
GENERAL QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED  4 
GENERAL PROCEDURE  5 
The Instrument  ^ 
Sample and Delimitations  5 
DEFINITION OF TERMS  6 
SUMMARY  7 
Chapter 
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE  8 
Introduction   8 
Traditional Assumptions in Foreign Language Teaching. 8 
Individualization of Instruction in Foreign Languages. 10 
What is Interdisciplinary? .    10 
Why Interdisciplinary?    . 11 
Chapter 
v 
Page 
Some Problems Encountered in tho Establishment of 
Interdisciplinary Programs  .  13 
Interdisciplinary Programs at Five American 
Institutions  '\0t 
Summary  16 
3. PROCEDURES  17 
Introduction  17 
Population Description  17 
Type of Study    18 
Method of Collecting Data  18 
Method of Organizing Data  19 
Analysis of Data   19 
Summary   20 
4. FINDINGS  21 
Introduction   21 
Data Collected   21 
Additional Findings  26 
Summary  27 
5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS  28 
Introduction  28 
Discussion  ..... 28 
Curriculum Design   28 
Curriculum Content 30 
Evaluation  33 
Summary   36 
vi 
Page 
APPENDIXES    30 
Appendix 1  39 
Appendix 2  42 
Appendix 3  49 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 51 
vii 
LIST OF TABLES 
Table Page 
1. Languages reported as Most Useful   . 23 
2. Desirable Levels of Proficiency for Foreigh Language 
Occupations  24 
3. Most Often Mentioned Specialties to Benefit from 
Foreign Languages  25 
Vlll 
ABSTRACT 
Ths problem of this study was to determine whether or not 
graduates with a background in foreign languages will be hired by 
multilingual corporations over graduates without the foreign language 
ability; and if so, what skills and professional levels of competency 
are most desirable. A questionnaire was designed and sent to a sample 
of multinational corporations in the United States. The results were 
tallied and presented in the form of percentages and tables. The 
results showed that: 1) Multinational corporations will hire persons 
with a background in foreign languages to back up their specialties, 
over persons without the language, all other things being equal. 
2) Spanish, French, and German, followed by Chinese, Russian, and 
Japanese, in that order, are the languages in most demand. 3) Oral 
skills are preferred over written skills. 4) A Foreign Service Insti¬ 
tute rating of 3 and 3+ (Minimum Professional Proficiency) is 
desirable if the language is to be used on the job. 3) A listing of 
specialties which would benefit from a foreign language was presented. 
It was concluded, on the basis of this study that: 1) The audiolingual 
and interdisciplinary approaches could give students the ability to 
apply foreign language skills to other disciplines; 2) Curriculum 
content would be of more benefit if it were more diversified; 3) The 
Foreign Service Institute method of evaluating language proficiency 
could be beneficial if it were adapted to the academic setting. 
Chapter 1 
INTRODUCTION 
A paradoxical situation exists in the Field of Foreign lan¬ 
guages in the United States today. On the one hand most oF us are 
aware oF the need to be able to communicate in a language other than 
English. At the international level the United States carries a great 
share oF the responsibility for maintaining world peace. Economically 
we are dependent on other countries and conversely, they are dependent 
on us. States like Montana can no longer aFFord to remain in isolation 
this becomes maniFest in recent eFForts to sell local products in new 
and distant markets. Also, as our natural resources dwindle, we 
become more dependent on the natural resources oF other countries. 
This all requires the ability to communicate eFFectively with 
people oF other countries, and the burden oF communication should not 
be placed only on them. 
The other side oF the paradox is this: even though we realize 
that Foreign languages are essential to better relations and under¬ 
standing among people, we continue to cling to our old habits: 1) By 
restricting the use oF Foreign languages to the conFines oF the class¬ 
rooms; 2) By Failing to see the relevance oF Foreign languages to 
disciplines closely related to our daily lives, such as commerce, 
transportation, banking, recreation, etc. 
2 
The questions me can raise at this point are: 1) HOUJ can we 
in education help to make foreign languages more relevant to students? 
2) Should we extend the use of foreign languages to other disciplines? 
and if so, 3) How can we do it? 
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 
The problem of this study was to determine whether or not 
graduates with a background in foreign languages would be hired by 
multinational corporations over graduates without the foreign language 
ability; and if so, what skills and professional levels of competency 
would be most desirable. 
NEED FOR THE STUDY 
This study was of importance because traditionally the content 
in the study of foreign languages has been limited to the study of 
literature. However, a language is a skill that can be applied to 
other fields, such as technical knowledge, business, travel, etc. To 
this point the foreign language skills have been channelled mainly to 
the teaching profession. 
For most students who enter the field of languages the pros¬ 
pects for employment after graduation are slim. Candidates applying 
for positions at an institution of higher education have stated that 
the academic crisis is severe because of a continuous decrease in 
3 
language enrollment and overstaffing. Also, because many universities 
have dropped the foreign language from their requirements for advanced 
degrees. The background of these candidates uiith many years of exper¬ 
ience mas in philology and medieval literature. 
In an open letter to his colleagues, dated October 16, 1976, 
William D, Schaefer, Executive Director of the Modern Language Associa¬ 
tion of America, expressed his viem of the situation as folloms: "No 
chairman can be ignorant of the disastrous employment future facing 
Ph.D's in English and foreign languages." 
The domnmard trend in foreign languages began in 1970; in 1974 
the drop in registrations mas 6.2/6 at institutions of higher education 
(Brod, 1976). The continuous drop in enrollments in foreign languages 
has caused concern among both teachers and administrators, mho face 
the problem of maintaining costly departments for a small number of 
students. These concerns mere discussed in October 1976 at a meeting 
of school officials and language teachers at the High School in 
Bozeman. Some of the points brought up are of special interest here: 
A. Severe decline in' foreign language enrollments. 
B. Difficulties in maintaining upper division courses. 
C. More pressure on administration to increase class sizes 
and drop classes mith small enrollments. 
D. Teachers feel pressured to keep all students in order to 
maintain or project enrollments mithin allomable limits 
for minimum class size. 
E. Many students do not feel the need to enroll in a foreign 
language course as a pre-requisite to higher education'.' 
A 
F. Students Feel the foreign language curriculum is meant only 
for above average students; they are therefore concerned 
that their grade point average will suffer in foreign 
languages. 
[j. There is a sharp increase in elective course offerings for 
students to choose from.* 
The following items were considered as possible solutions to the prob¬ 
lem: 1) A philosophy should be developed for the District in regard to 
foreign languages. 2) the number of languages taught should be reduced 
3) A minimum number of students that would constitute a class should be 
established, as well as a maximum class size for effective foreign 
language instruction. A) There is a need for more direct counseling in 
student curriculum decisions. 
In order to find adequate solutions to these problems, it is 
necessary to explore ways of making languages more relevant to the need 
of the people. This study was an attempt to explore opportunities for 
graduates with a background in foreign languages. 
GENERAL QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED 
The problem of this study opened up many questions; however, the 
scope of this investigation was limited to the following general 
questions: 
1. Is there a need for students to enter a particular field, 
and to back up their specialties with a foreign language? 
2. All other qualifications being equal, will graduates who 
*Used with permission of the Bozeman Senior High School. 
5 
possess a specialty which is backed up by a foreign language be hired 
over those who do not? 
3. What languages are most useful for career purposes? 
4. What skills in the foreign language are most useful on 
the job? (oral versus written) 
5. According to Foreign Service Institute levels of pro¬ 
ficiency in a foreign language, what level would be most desirable for 
job purposes? (Foreign Service Institute proficiency levels are 
described in Appendix 1) 
6. What fields could benefit most from foreign languages? 
GENERAL PROCEDURE 
The Instrument 
In order to answer the questions posed in the previous section, 
the investigator constructed an instrument based on the general 
questions (Please see Appendix 2, The Instrument and Cover Letter). 
Sample and Delimitations 
The questionnaire was sent to a systematic random sample drawn 
from a listing of multinational companies contained in the American 
Encyclopedia of International Information, Vol. 2, Directory of Ameri*' 
can Firms Operating in Foreign Countries, compiled by Juvenal L. 
Angel, Simon and Schuster, Inc., New York, 1969. 
This work contains the names and addresses of 3200 multi- 
6 
national companies. The sample was delimited to four percent of those 
names. 
For accuracy and in order to update the information, the names 
were checked against Standard and Poor*3 Register of Corporations, 
Directors and Executives, 1976, Corporations, Vol. 1, New York, N.Y. 
1976. 
A descriptive analysis was made from the data collected. This 
analysis was presented in the form of percentages and tables were 
constructed to illustrate the results. 
DEFINITION OF TERMS 
1. Traditional approach to language teaching: The study of 
foreign language seen as a sequence that begins with the teaching of 
linguistic skills and ends with literary analysis (Burrelli, 1975). 
2. Audio lingual method: Listening, speaking, reading, 
writing sequence in learning a language. 
3. Individualization of Instruction: A variety of techniques 
and instructional resources utilized to meet the needs of students 
individually (Horn, 1975). 
4. Interdisciplinary: A crossing of intellectual or curricu¬ 
lar boundaries (Warriner, 1971). Synonymous with multidisciplinary. 
7 
SUMMARY 
The field of foreign languages is facing a crisis ujith the 
sharp drop in enrollments and a lack of job opportunities for high 
school and university language teachers. 
The problem of this investigation urns to determine whether or 
not graduates with a background in foreign languages will be hired by 
multinational corporations over graduates without the foreign language 
ability; and if so, what skills and professional levels of competency 
are most desirable. To solve the problem, a questionnaire was con¬ 
structed and sent to a sample of multinational companies. 
A descriptive analysis was made from the data collected. 
Chapter 2 
REVIEW OF RELATED LIJERATURE 
Introduction 
Three major topics in the literature reviewed relate directly 
to the problem of this investigation: 1) The traditional assumptions 
and methods of teaching foreign languages; 2) Individualization of 
instruction in foreign languages, a new trend which has emerged within 
the last decade; 3) The interdisciplinary nature of programs which 
have been organized in several schools throughout the United States. 
Traditional Assumptions in Foreign Language Teaching 
Throughout the years several assumptions evolved in the approach 
to foreign language instruction. A brief look at these assumptions 
will allow us to form in our minds an idea of what is meant by the 
term "traditional." 
Traditionally, foreign language study was regarded as a 
sequence that began with the teaching of linguistic skills and ended 
with the analysis of literature (Burrelli, 1975). Emphasis was 
placed mainly on the development of reading and translating skills 
(Brooks, 1963). 
The use of English in the classroom was central to the learning 
of the foreign language. English was used in translation exercises, 
grammatical explanations, examples, etc. (Brooks, 1963). 
9 
One of the main goals of the traditional approach mas to become 
proficient in the grammatical rules of the language mithout concern 
for their application to real life situations. Teaching mas oriented 
to the use of books and the blackboard (Brooks, 1963). 
At the high school level it mas assumed that foreign language 
instruction should be geared to the elite students mho mere college 
bound (Strasheim, 1972). Since most advanced courses at the college 
level mere literature courses, lomer level courses mere restricted to 
meet the standards of a college literature course and the Advanced 
Placement Examinations (Warriner, 1970, Corrin et al., 1966). 
The above notions not only prevented teachers from being inno¬ 
vative in their teaching (Warriner, 1970), but also implied that 
students learn the same may and that the methods used applied to all 
students (Logan, 1972). 
This situation remained unchanged until the introduction of 
the audiolingual approach in the early sixties, mhich shifted the 
emphasis from the reading and translating to the listening and speak¬ 
ing skills (Brooks, 1963). 
In spite of the fact that many students today do not find the 
study of literature to be relevant to their needs, the upper level 
high school and college courses continue to be literature oriented 
mith a fern exceptions (Gilbert, 1976). 
10 
Individualization of Instruction in Foreign Languages 
Upon reviewing the literature of the late sixties and early 
seventies, the trend that emerges from most articles is a push towards 
more individualized forms of instruction in foreign lamguages. 
Individualization is a term which can be generally defined as 
a variety of techniques used to adapt instructional resources to meet 
the needs of individual students (Horn, 1975). 
There are many approaches to individualization. Logan, 1972, 
describes seven categories of individualization: 
1. Self-pacing 
2. Independent study 
3. Ability grouping within a traditional class 
4. Remedial and enrichment courses 
5. Use of materials and content of student’s choice 
6. Interdisciplinary courses 
7. A combination of various techniques 
Within the scope of this study the investigator will focus on 
the interdisciplinary approach. 
What is Interdisciplinary? 
The study of foreign languages has never been a pure discipline 
The content of language instruction has been, by necessity, inter¬ 
disciplinary to some extent. By interdisciplinary it is meant the 
crossing of intellectual or curricular barriers (Warriner, 1971). 
11 
Most programs in foreign languages, especially at the beginning 
levels, have dealt with the study of culture, history, literature of 
the countries where the language being learned is spoken (Warriner, 
1971). At the more advanced levels the emphasis has been placed more 
on the literature. What the advocates of interdisciplinary language 
programs are trying to do is to bring about, not a drastic change, but 
a focusing on a variety of disciplines in order to make foreign lang¬ 
uage study, not only more appealing, but more relevant to more students 
(Horn, 1975; Honig, 1974; Warriner, 1971; Corrin et al., 1966). 
Why Interdisciplinary? 
From the standpoint of language learning, a foreign language 
cannot be learned in a void. A language is a skill, which by itself 
might not be very important as a profession; however, when the con¬ 
tents of the language are diversified, this skill has a broader range 
of application (Fuller, 1975). 
Even for highly specific careers where a language is the basic 
skill, such as Translator/Precis and Interpreters at the United 
Nations and other international organizations, applicants must be 
qualified not only in the languages, but they must be highly qualified 
in a variety of other fields: political, economics, legal, literary 
and so on. As expressed in a job information brochure put out by the 
United Nations, the interpreter and translator must be a generalist 
(United Nations, RECR-I. 21c(12-75)E). 
12 
Jobs where the language is the main skill are fairly limited 
and the turnover is very slow. The United Nations has a staff of 
about ninety-eight interpreters; the State Department has only about 
fifty linguists of whom about twenty are interpreters. The Organiza¬ 
tion of American States, The World Bank, and other such organizations 
also employ a small number of interpreters, but in total there are no 
more than about one hundred seventy-five full time positions as 
interpreters in the entire United States (U.S. Department of State, 
1976). To qualify for these positions, applicants must be at least 
true bilinguals and have a broad education (U.S. Department of State, 
1976) . 
In the competitive job market of today, a specialty paired 
with a foreign language can give graduates an "edge" over those who 
do not have the language (Altman, 1976). More and more jobs are 
developing where a language can definitely be an asset. There are 
about 3200 companies in the United States with connections abroad 
(llonig, 1974). The United States yearly total of investments abroad 
is :|48 billion and American exports continue to grow at an average 
nine percent a year (Bureau of International Commerce leaflet n.d.). 
The United States Department of Commerce encourages businesses, small 
and large, to find markets abroad. Along with the growth in exports 
the need develops for qualified people in international marketing, 
international corporate law, economics, research, etc. All these are 
careers in which foreign language skills are useful (Honig, 1974). 
13 
The United States government is another source of employment 
for people with a background in foreign languages (Fuller, 1975). The 
Foreign Service, particularly, recruits candidates for appointments as 
Foreign Service Officers. Their academic and practical experience 
should be preferably relevant to economic and administrative work, 
communications, etc. Even though knowledge of a foreign language is 
not required, those applicants who pass a test in one or more languages 
are eligible to receive a higher salary (United States Department of 
State, 1976). Other government agencies in which languages are useful 
are the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Information Agency, the 
Army, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and numerous others 
(Honig, 1974). 
Other fields in which languages are useful are journalism and 
communications, religious and service organizations, social work, 
travel and tourism, hotel management, transportation, etc. However, 
in most cases experience in a particular specialty is given higher 
priority (Fuller, 1975; Honig, 1974). 
Some Problems Encountered in the Establishment of 
Interdisciplinary Programs 
The traditional assumptions described earlier; 1) That the 
study of foreign languages is to fulfill college requirements (Corrin 
et al., 1966), and 2) That language study is a sequence that begins 
with linguistic skills and ends, with literary analysis (Burrelli, 1975), 
have been particular barriers to change in the professional attitude 
14 
of foreign language instruction. 
In addition to the reluctance to change is the lack of 
teachers who are qualified to teach something other than literature in 
a foreign language (Corrin et al., 1966). 
Corrin et al.(l966) describe other problems such as lack of 
texts, instructional materials and journals available in areas other 
than literature. 
In a study conducted by Warriner (1971), teachers and adminis¬ 
trators reported that teacher apathy and jealousy, and lack of inter¬ 
departmental cooperation were often encountered in their attempt to 
establish interdisciplinary programs. 
Interdisciplinary Programs at Five American Institutions 
The interdisciplinary trend has been initiated at the high 
school level and in many cases it has proved to be successful (Warriner, 
1971). Here the investigator wishes to briefly describe what in her 
opinion are good examples of interdisciplinary programs at the higher 
education level. The following information was gathered from current 
catalogs and pamphlets. 
The American Graduate School of International Management 
(Thunderbird), Glendale, Arizona, founded in 1946, ie a private 
school which offers a Master of International Management degree. The 
curriculum is taught by three departments; World Business, Inter¬ 
national Studies, and Modern Languages. In addition to nine different 
15 
languages, courses are taught on the Multinational Corporation, inter¬ 
national banking, commercial correspondence and business language, 
advanced commercial Spanish, etc. 
The American University. Washington, D.C. has a School of 
International Service. Of interest here is a quote from an American 
University brochure (American University, n.d.): 
"There are subjects which are the province of no single 
discipline (international Service and Public Affairs). 
Their complexity grows as the world shrinks. Inter¬ 
disciplinary approaches to understanding and problem 
solving in intercultural relations are no longer only 
desirable; they are essential, and hence schools which are 
interdisciplinary in concept and design are essential. 
The School of International Service is such a school." 
Their degrees require research competence in one modern 
foreign language. The language program includes a practicum or 
internship. 
_The University of Denver has a Graduate School of International 
Studies which offers a multidisciplinary graduate program in technology, 
modernization and international studies. To facilitate interdisci¬ 
plinary work, the school offers programs in cooperation with the 
Divisions of Law, Arts and Sciences, and Business Administration of 
the University (University of Denver Bulletin, 1976). 
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. has a School of 
Language and Linguistics which provides specific training in transla¬ 
tion and interpretation. However, a core of courses in English, 
History, Philosophy, Economics, and Political Science is required 
(Georgetown University Pamphlet). 
16 
The Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, Monterey, California 
offers the Master of Arts in Intercultural Communication, which inte¬ 
grates courses in Economics, Management, Political Science, Internation 
al Studies, and Languages. Other graduate and undergraduate programs 
are also of an interdisciplinary nature which include foreign languages 
(General Catalog, 1975-1977). 
Summary 
The purpose of this review of literature was to examine, first, 
what traditionally has been the content of foreign language instruction 
The present trend of Individualization was examined, focusing on the 
interdisciplinary approach and employment opportunities open to gradu¬ 
ates with a diversified background plus foreign languages. 
Even though the job market for language specialists is somewhat 
limited, most authors concurred on the fact that a person with a 
"marketable" skill in addition to a foreign language, or vice versa, 
has better chances of finding interesting jobs over those who do not 
have the language. This concurrence made a strong case for the 
establishment of interdisciplinary programs in foreign languages. 
Chapter 3 
PROCEDURES 
1 ntroduction 
The problem of this study urns to determine whether graduates 
with a background in foreign languages will be hired by multinational 
corporations over graduates without the foreign language ability; and 
if so, what skills and professional levels of competency are most 
desirable. 
In this chapter the procedures for the accomplishment of this 
goal were discussed. Briefly described were the population included 
in the study, the type of study this was, the method for collecting 
and organizing the data, and the analysis of the data. 
Population Description 
Inasmuch as multinational corporations were considered to be 
one important source of employment for persons with foreign language 
skills, they were selected as the population for the study. 
A systematic random sample of multinational companies was 
taken from about 3200 names contained in the American Encyclopedia of 
International Information, Vol. 2, Directory of American Firms Opera¬ 
ting in Foreign Countries, compiled by Duvenal L. Angel, 1969. 
Starting with the third name on the list, every twentieth name 
was selected to be included in the sample. The Sample consisted of 
four percent of the 3200 companies. For accuracy the names and 
18 
addresses of the companies and the names of the officers to whom the 
questionnaire was sent were checked against Standard and Poor's 
Register of Corporations« Directors and Executives, 1976 Corporations, 
Vol. 1, 1976. As a result of this check the addresses of several 
companies and the names of various executives had to be updated. 
The sample included corporations located in twenty-nine 
states in the continental United States; it included one hundred and 
eleven different fields of products. 
Type of Study 
This was an investigative type of study. The categories 
included were companies and organizations at the multinational level, 
dealing in a wide range of business enterprises. 
Method of Collecting Data 
An instrument was constructed by the investigator in consulta¬ 
tion with university faculty, in order to collect the desired data. 
Due to its simplicity, no pre-test of the questionnaire was required. 
This instrument contained six questions designed to generate the 
following information: 
1. Whether a person with a foreign language to back up his/her 
specialty would be hired as opposed to a person with the same training 
but without the foreign language. 
2. What languages are most useful to the organization. 
19 
3. What skills in the foreign language are most useful to an 
organization: oral versus written. 
4. What level of proficiency would be most desirable according 
to Foreign Service Institute levels of proficiency criteria. (Please 
see Appendix 1.) 
5. What specialties or training would be desirable in addition 
to the foreign language. 
Comments were encouraged throughout the Instrument. (Please 
refer to Appendix 2, the Instrument.) 
Method of Organizing Data 
The results from the questionnaire were tallied and presented 
in the form of descriptive tables and percentages, as appropriate to 
the questions. 
Analysis of Data 
Due to the nature of this investigation, the analysis of data 
was made in a purely descriptive manner. Responses were tallied and 
the results were presented in the form of percentages and tables. 
Relevant comments from respondents were also included. 
20 
Summary 
This u/as an investigative type of study. A questionnaire iuas 
constructed and sent to a systematic random sample of multinational 
corporations. The sample consisted of four percent of 3200 companies. 
The data collected was organized and presented in the form of per¬ 
centages and tables. 
Chapter A 
FINDINGS 
I ntroduction 
In this section the investigator wishes to present the findings 
from data collected from a sample of multinational corporations. A 
questionnaire was sent officers of these companies in order to find out 
what their opinion is in regard to employment opportunities for people 
with a background in foreign languages. 
The findings in this chapter were reported following the order of 
the questions included in the questionnaire. (Please see Appendixes 2 & 3) 
Data Collected 
The questionnaire designed was sent to 128 multinational corpora¬ 
tions, four per cent from the 3200 listed in the source (Angel, 1969). 
A total of eighty replies were received. The responses were as follows: 
Question 1: Would your organization hire a person with a back¬ 
ground in foreign languages to back up his/her specialty? 
Of the respondents, eighty-one percent answered Yes; thirteen of 
the answers were No; and the remaining five percent of the respondents 
gave no answer to this question, as it was not applicable to their 
organization or hiring practices. 
Comments to this question from some of the respondents were: 
Yes - "If relevant to the position." (Lift trucks) 
"Prefer the language capability." (Clothing manufacturing) 
22 
"Particularly in product areas where we do international 
marketing." (Business machines) 
"Language would be a requirement in our international division." 
(Steel strapping) 
Of the respondents who answered No to this question, the comment 
a3
' "Our foreign business associates in all countries (about 8) 
speak enough English for all business purposes ... but a knowledge of 
German or French is a social advantage." (Engineering services) 
Question 2: Would your organization hire someone with a back¬ 
ground in foreign languages to back up his/her specialty as opposed to 
hiring someone with the same specialty but without the language? 
Of the respondents, sixty-one per cent answered Yes to this 
question; twenty per cent answered No; and nineteen per cent gave no 
answer. 
Comments to this question were: 
"The language would be useful in international sections of the 
company." (Business machines) 
"If the candidates were otherwise evenly matched." (Dairy 
products) 
Some of the respondents who answered No commented that the 
answer was based upon the fact that a language is not required for the 
position; that the languages would be considered, though it would not 
be the only determining factor, because it would not be a bona-fide 
occupational requirement. (Wood products) 
23 
Question 3: What language(s) u/ould be more useful in your 
organization? 
Chinese German Spanish 
French Russian Others 
When tallied, the responses were as follows: (More than one answer 
was given to this question. (See Table 1.) 
Table 1 
Languages Reported as Most Useful 
Language No. of Responses 
Spanish 50 
French 38 
German 31 
Chinese 11 
Russian 10 
Japanese 7 
I tali an 5 
Arabic 4 
Portuguese 3 
Dutch 2 
Swedish, Polish, Korean 1 
Question 4: What skills in the foreign language would be more 
useful in your organization? Speak/interpret Write/Translate 
This question was designed to determine whether or not there is 
preference for oral versus written skills or vice versa. Of all 
respondents, forty-seven per cent preferred the oral skills, twenty- 
eight per cent preferred the written skills, and twenty-six per cent 
24 
said both mere equally important. 
Question 5: According to Foreign Service Institute proficiency 
ratings (Appendix l), mhat mould be the minimum degree of proficiency 
you mould expect from your employee? 
The ratings range from one to five, five being native speaker 
proficiency. The responses are described in Table 2. 
Table 2 
Desirable Levels of Proficiency 
for Foreign Language Occupations 
Proficiency Level No. of Responses Percentage of Responses 
5 4 7% 
4 and 4+ 10 17/3 
3 and 3+ 35 58% 
2 and 2+ 11 
C
O
 
^
—
 
1 and 1+ 0 — 
Question 6: What other specialty or technical training in 
addition to a foreign language mould be most useful to your organiza¬ 
tion? 
A fern alternative choices accompanied this question. Homever, 
respondents added other specialties to their ansmers. The list of 
most useful specialties is given in Table 3. (More than one ansmer mas 
given to this question.) 
In spite of the large cross section of fields represented in 
the sample, engineering mas named in tmenty-three percent of the 
responses, as benefiting from a foreign language. 
25 
Table 3 
Most Often Mentioned Specialties to 
Benefit from Foreign Languages 
Specialty No. of Responses 
Engineering 
Accounting 20 
Budget/Finance 15 
General Administration 14 
Economics 13 
Administrative Secretary 11 
Travel/Transport 10 
Sales/Marketing 10 
Public/international Relations 8 
Foreign Affairs 4 
Agriculture 2 
Attorney 1 
Education 1 
Management 1 
Food Technology 1 
Other 2 
Of the respondents, an engineering firm expressed the nature of 
the problem in the following words: "We are an international engineering 
and construction company; we build plants world wide. Experience and 
skill in specialty would be first and main consideration. It would be 
of great advantage if our people spoke the native language, but I don't 
see any solution; over the years our people must work in many countries." 
26 
Additional Findings 
Letters from some of the respondents contained additional informa¬ 
tion regarding opportunities for applicants with a background in foreign 
languages. From a banking firm in New York: 
"Your project is of particular interest to me since my back¬ 
ground is in French and Spanish literature, and I taught French 
for three years. It would hav/e been useful to me when I began 
looking for work outside of the teaching field, to know where 
my language skills would have been applicable. 
Our bank has its own Language Training Center, which is 
part of the International Department. Virtually any language 
is taught if there is a need for it. The most commonly learned 
languages are English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and 
Portuguese. In addition, we have, or have had, students 
learning Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Dutch, Russian, Greek, 
Swedish, etc. We train employees of the International Depart¬ 
ment who will either be transferred overseas, travel overseas, 
and/or speak on the phone and meet with foreign-speaking 
customers. The spouses and family of people being transferred 
overseas are also eligible for language training. 
The International Department does prefer to hire people 
who speak at least one foreign language to back up their 
specialty in the banking field. Wherever possible, they would 
assign someone with a background in Spanish to work with 
Spanish-speaking countries. A student's desired level of 
proficiency is determined by his/her department, according to 
the amount of time to be spent overseas, previous knowledge of 
the language, the nature of his/her work, and the country to 
which he/she is assigned. The majority of the students, however, 
are trained to reach level S3-R3 or S4-R4. Spouses of employ¬ 
ees are usually approved for level S2-R2. 
A number of other banks in the New York area have recently 
begun to organize language programs also. It is possible, then 
for someone with a language background to use their skills in 
the business world." 
A broadcasting company wrote, providing information on their 
hiring practices in general: 
27 
"The employment practices at our company, as with many 
other organizations, involve a myriad number of factors in 
determination of a viable applicant. Each applicant for 
employment is screened by several individuals and consideration 
is given to the applicant's work experience, education, pre¬ 
sentation, career goals and other factors, as well as the 
tangible and intangible requirements of the open position for 
which the individual has applied." 
from an oil company: 
"We do not recruit directly into our International 
Division. As you may know, many overseas opportunities 
within international companies, such as ours, are filled by 
foreign nationals from the various countries in which they 
operate." 
Summary 
A questionnaire was designed and sent to four per cent of 3200 
multinational corporations. A total of eighty replies were received. 
Of the respondents, eighty-one per cent indicated that they would hire 
a person with a background in foreign languages. Spanish, French, and 
German, in that order, were found to be the languages most in demand. 
Speaking ability was found to be preferred over writing ability, and 
a Foreign Service Institute rating of three to three plus was found to 
be most desirable. A listing of specialties said to benefit from a 
foreign language was drawn. From the results of this study it became 
very evident that a technical skill paired with a foreign language is 
a valuable combination. 
Chapter 5 
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
Introduction 
A very distinct pattern of organization became evident from the 
results of this study. It mas established that multinational corpora¬ 
tions mill hire a person with a foreign language in addition to his/her 
specialty over the person u/ithout the language, all other things being 
equal. On the basis of that premise, the results addressed themselves 
to three areas in foreign language education: 1) Curriculum Design, 
or the "horn" of language teaching; 2) Curriculum Content, or "uuhat" 
to teach; and 3) Evaluation. 
Discussion 
Curriculum Design 
The information gathered through this study makes it possible to 
explore some alternatives on horn to make foreign languages a more rel¬ 
evant and marketable skill than it is at present. 
The results of the study showed that multinational corporations 
will hire a person with a foreign language to back up his/her specialty 
over a person without the language, all other things being equal. The 
following comments from respondents support this finding: 
From one shipping company the comment was: 
"As info, we are steamship agents, representing FESCO Line, 
as well as several other Soviet services. 
29 
Our principal requirements relate to specific areas of 
expertise in shipping; i.e., traffic, sales, documentation 
and vessel operations. Certainly, all other things being 
equal, we would hire the candidate with Russian language 
experience, over the candidate without." 
A comment from a waterproofing company was: "The language 
specialty is helpful for ;all export jobs, sales, traffic, marketing, 
or in international sections of the company." Other companies made 
similar comments. 
Fuller (1975) and Honig (1974) described numerous careers, such 
as technical and engineering, banking, government, law, journalism, 
communications (radio, television, films), airport, transportation, 
where a foreign language as an auxiliary skill would become an asset. 
Both authors point out that careers where the language is the main 
skill are limited; however, when the language is paired with another 
skill, the applicant has a definite advantage. Alter(l976) referred 
to this advantage as "the edge" in the competitive job market of today. 
It is the opinion of the investigator that programs of an inter¬ 
disciplinary nature would greatly help in giving students that "edge." 
Corrin, et al. (1966) suggested several ways: 1) By integrating 
foreign languages into other disciplines (history, geography, for 
example) through team teaching and joint (departmental) offerings, thus 
reducing fragmentation; 2) By broadening teache^ training; 3) By 
encouraging language majors to diversify in their minors; and 4) By 
requiring candidates for degrees at all levels to demonstrate foreign 
language proficiency in their disciplines. 
30 
Fuller (1975) and Honig (1974) suggest that more universities 
should introduce language courses which are related to other careers. 
It is the belief of the investigator that there is a great need 
to bring to the awareness of both students and school administrators 
the advantages of pairing a foreign language with another specialty. 
This awareness could be brought about through the news media and 
through professional organizations which deal with curriculum develop¬ 
ment and languages. 
Curriculum Content 
The results of questions one and two in the questionnaire 
addressed themselves to the "how" of an alternative approach to lan¬ 
guage instruction. The results of questions three, four, and six, 
are related to the "what" in foreign languages. (Please see Appendix 2, 
The Instrument.) 
The results showed that Spanish, French, and German,followed 
by Chinese, Russian, and Japanese, in that order, are ;some of the 
languages in greatest demand. (Please see Table 1.) These results 
i 
are supported by Brod (1976), whose survey of language registrations 
in colleges and universities in the United States showed that Spanish 
is the most widely taught language in the United States; it accounted 
for 43.4 per cent of the registrations in 1974, follwed by French, 
30.4 per cent; German, 18.3 per cent; and Russian, 3.9 per cent. In 
Brod's survey Russian showed an increase in registrations between 1970 
i 
and 1972. There was also a rapid growth in the enrollments of Chinese, 
sixty-one per cent during the same period. These figures are an indi¬ 
cation that developing markets and international events might have an 
effect on the need to learn a foreign language. 
Closely related to the question, "What languages to teach?" is 
the question, "What skills in the language should be emphasized?" 
Question four in the survey addressed itself to that problem. The 
results showed that oral skills, or the ability to speak and interpret, 
are slightly more valued than the written skills: forty-seven per cent 
for oral versus twenty-eight per cent for written. Some respondents 
added to this question that the ability to conduct business in a 
foreign language was important; others commented that the ability to 
use the language at least at the social level was desirable: "We see 
language skills as a useful indicator of cultural sensitivity and 
adaptability." 
Thus, in the opinion of the investigator, the findings support 
the continued use of the audiolingual approach, which stresses the 
listening and speaking skills over writing and translating,at least 
during the initial stages of learning. The contents, however, could 
be career oriented at any level, with the use of the audiolingual 
approach. The investigator finds no discrepancy in combining audio¬ 
lingual with interdisciplinary, since the former deals with method and 
the latter with content. The only stumbling blocks might be, as 
mentioned in the review of literature, the lack of appropriate 
32 
materials, lack of teachers qualified to teach innovative courses, and 
the lack of administrative cooperation (Corrin, et al.). 
Corrin, et al. (1966) emphasized that a language should be 
viewed as a '‘tool" that could be applied to one's own discipline or 
skill; therefore, it is of importance that students should be given 
the opportunity to apply the language they are learning to practical 
situations. Learning to apply a foreign language to another discipline 
would be of great value career-wise. 
The idea of applying foreign languages to careers other than 
l 
teaching immediately brings up the question: What specialties are most 
likely to benefit from a foreign language? The results of this study 
provided some initial answers to this question. Even though the 
sample in this study included corporations involved in a wide range of 
fields (one hundred eleven different products or services), engineering 
was mentioned in thirty-one of the eighty responses. Business-related 
occupations showed the next largest number of responses. Several 
other occupations were mentioned as benefiting from a foreign language. 
(Please see Table 3, page 25.) 
Several conclusions may be drawn from these results: 
1. There is a need for other disciplines, such as Engineering, 
Business, Economics, Medicine, Social Sciences, etc., to take a closer 
look at the job market situation their graduates will face. Are they 
including in their programs courses that will give their graduates 
the edge"? 
33 
2. There is a need to find out uihat the employment requirements 
of multinational corporations and international organizations are, in 
order to train our language students accordingly. This information 
would also make it possible for university placement officers to assist 
in the placement and guidance of their graduates at the international 
level. 
3. The difficult employment situation mentioned previously 
makes imminent^the need to continue to conduct research in the field of 
foreign languages in careers. Questions which were beyond the scope of 
this paper, such as a statistical correlation of languages which can be 
best matched with particular specialties, and how to better integrate 
the language into the educational system, need to be explored further. 
Evaluation 
As a result of this study an important element of the education¬ 
al process emerged in a different light. 
To this point most grading in foreign language is done through 
the letter system. All universities reviewed showed this. Also, most 
tests in foreign languages test only one or two levels of language 
proficiency. For example, the Modern Language Association Cooperative 
Foreign Language Tests test only two levels of competency: 1-2 years 
high school or 2 semesters of college, and 3-4 years high school or 4 
semesters of college. The Pimsleur Modern Foreign Language Proficiency 
Tests test first and second level courses in grades seven through 
i 
twelve, o:r first and second semesters in college; the Advanced 
34 
Placement Examinations are designed to test high school students 
desiring college credit (Buros, 1972). No uniform method of conveying 
language proficiency in a more precise manner than "two years of French" 
or "fluent" and "good" is available (Defense Language Institute, 1977). 
The Foreign Service Institute's testing procedures were first 
instituted in 1956. By 1958 the United States Information Agency, the 
Agency for International Development and many other government agencies 
began to use the ratings. Today the Foreign Service Institute's 
Language Testing Unit administers about 3000 tests a year in forty 
languages (Foreign Service Institute, 1977). 
The tests are oral interviews, judged on the basis of absolute 
criteria. (Please see Appendix 1, Absolute Language Proficiency 
Ratings.) Whereas these are printed guidelines, there is no printed 
test sheet. The test depends for its reliability on a small number of 
well trained examiners who are in contact with each other. Whenever 
possible the testing team consists of a native speaker and an experi¬ 
enced linguist, both well informed in current events, warm, friendly, 
and tactful. It is felt that the testing techniques are so refined as 
to make it possible for any language teacher or native speaker to learn 
J 
them easily (Foreign Service Institute, 1977). 
In an effort to determine what the most desirable level of 
proficiency on the job would be, the only method appropriate to gather 
that information was the Foreign Service Institute's Absolute Language 
Proficiency Ratings. (Please see Appendix 1.) An abreviated form of 
35 
those guidelines urns included in the questionnaire sent to the corpora¬ 
tions. It was thus possible to obtain a uniform and meaningful idea 
of what level of proficiency is most desirable for career purposes. 
Fifty-eight per cent of the respondents said that an S-3, S-3+, 
or Minimum Professional Proficiency would be most desirable; eighteen 
per cent marked the S-2, S-2+, or Limited Working Proficiency level; 
seventeen per cent marked the S-4, S-4+, or Full Professional 
Proficiency level; only seven per cent of the respondents indicated 
preference for the S-5, Native or Bilingual Proficiency; and the S-1, 
S-1+, or Elementary Proficiency was not indicated by any of the 
respondents. (Please see Table 2, Page24.) 
It is the belief of the investigator that these findings are of 
great importance, not only in the formulation of educational objec¬ 
tives in foreign languages, but also in the evaluation of those 
objectives. For example, it would be realistic to say that students 
in Business Marketing would profit from the Minimum Professional 
Proficiency (S-3, S-3+) in Spanish. On that basis, the language 
department could formulate a program through which those students 
would attain that particular level of proficiency in the language. 
Ideally, the program would include courses pertinent to that field. 
It would then be possible to evaluate both the students and the program 
according to some absolute criteria similar to, or adapted from the 
criteria developed by the Foreign Service Institute. A system of 
this nature would have some obvious advantages: 1) It would make it 
36 
necessary for an institution to formulate integrated programs based on 
performance objectiv/es; 2) It mould make it possible to measure the 
effectiveness of programs according to definite, stable criteria; 3) It 
mould provide a uniform method to determine the proficiency attained by 
students at any stage of their program. It mould also provide a 
precise manner to convey that proficiency to their prospective 
employers. 
The investigator strongly feels that there is a need to explore 
and research the possible adaptation of Foreign Service Institute 
Absolute Language Proficiency Ratings to the academic system of foreign 
language evaluation. 
It has been the endeavor of the investigator to provide in this 
paper information and ideas mhich mill help place the study of foreign 
languages in a nem light. There is no question in her mind as to the 
value of learning a foreign language, both for personal enjoyment and 
for career purposes. If more people in the academic morld mould 
become amare of this, foreign languages mould be like vitamins floming 
through and enriching the educational system. 
Summary 
Three main topics of foreign language education mere discussed 
in this chapter, based on the findings of the study: l) Curriculum 
design. It mas suggested that the interdisciplinary approach to 
teaching languages, along mith the audiolingual method mould be 
37 
complementary and effective in providing students the language skills 
and ability to apply it to another discipline. 2) Curriculum content. 
It was suggested that Spanish, French, and German should be continued 
to be taught, and that oral skills should be emphasized. The results 
of the study indicated that some specialties are in demand when paired 
with a foreign language. It was suggested that more research is 
needed in the area of careers which could benefit from languages. 
3) Evaluation. It was suggested that the Absolute Language Proficiency 
Ratings used by some government agencies might be very useful if applied 
to the academic setting. 
APPENDIXES 
39 
APPENDIX 1 
FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE 
ABSOLUTE LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY RATINGS 
The rating scales described belou/ have been developed by the Foreign 
Service Institute to provide a meaningful method of characterizing the 
language skills of foreign service personnel of the Department of State 
and of other Government agencies. Unlike academic grades, which 
measure achievement in mastering the content of a prescribed course, 
the S-rating of speaking proficiency and the R-rating for reading 
proficiency are based on the absolute criterion of the command of an 
educated native speaker of the language. 
The definition of each proficiency level has been worded so as to be 
applicable to every language; obviously the amount of time and training 
required to reach a certain level will vary widely from language to 
language, as will the specific linguistic features. Nevertheless, a 
person with S-3's in both French and Chinese, for example, should have 
approximately equal linguistic competence in the two languages. 
The scales are intended to apply principally to government personnel 
engaged in international affairs, especially of a diplomatic, political, 
economic and cultural nature. For this reason heavy stress is laid at 
the upper levels on accuracy of structure and precision of vocabulary 
sufficient to be both acceptable and effective in dealings with the 
educated citizen of the foreign country. 
As currently used, all the ratings except the S-5 and R-5 may be 
modified by a plus (+), indicating that proficiency substantially 
exceeds the minimum requirements for the level involved but falls short 
of those for the next higher level. 1 
DEFINITIONS OF ABSOLUTE RATINGS 
ELEMENTARY PROFICIENCY 
S-1 Able to satisfy routine travel needs and minimum courtesy 
requirements. Can ask and answer questions on topics very 
familiar ;to him; within the scope of his very limited language 
experience can understand simple questions and statements, 
allowing for slowed speech, repetition or paraphrase; speaking 
vocabulary inadequate to express anything but the most elemen¬ 
tary needs; errors in pronunciation and grammar are frequent, 
but can be understood by a native speaker used to dealing with 
40 
foreigners attempting to speak his language; tuhile topics 
which are "very familiar" and elementary needs vary con¬ 
siderably from individual to individual, any person at the 
S-1 level should be able to order a simple meal, ask for 
shelter or lodging, ask and give simple directions, make 
purchases, and tell time. 
R-1 Able to read some personal and place names, street signs, 
office and shop designations, numbers, and isolated words and 
phrases. Can recognize all the letters in the printed version 
of an alphabetic system and high-frequency elements of a 
syllabary or a character system. 
I 
LIMITED WORKING PROFICIENCY 
S-2 Able to satisfy routine social demands and limited work 
requirements. Can handle with confidence but not with facility 
most social situations including introductions and casual 
conversations about current events, as well as work, family, 
and autobiographical information; can handle limited work 
requirements, needing help in handling any complications or 
difficulties; can get the gist of most conversations on non¬ 
technical subjects (i.e. topics which require no specialized 
knowledge) and has a speaking vocabulary sufficient to express 
himself simply with some circum-locutions; accent, though 
often quite fdulty, is intelligible; can usually handle element 
ary constructions quite accurately but does not have thorough 
or confident control of the grammar. 
R-2 Able to read simple prose, in a form equivalent to typescript 
or printing, on subjects within a familiar context. With 
extensive use of a dictionary can get the general sense of 
routine business letters, international news items, or 
articles in technical fields within his competence. 
MINIMUM PROFESSIONAL PROFICIENCY 
S-3 Able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy 
and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and 
informal conversations on practical, social, and professional 
topics. Can discuss particular interests and special fields 
of competence with reasonable ease; comprehension is quite 
complete for a normal rate of speech; vocabulary is broad 
enough that he rarely has to grope for a word; accent may be 
obviously foreign; control of grammar good; errors never 
interfere with understanding and rarely disturb the native 
speaker. 
R-3 Able to read standard newspaper items addressed to the general 
reader, routine correspondBce« reports and technical material 
in his special field. Can grasp the essentials of articles of 
the above types without using a dictionary; for accurate 
understanding moderately frequent use of a dictionary is 
required. Has occasional difficulty with unusually complex 
structures and -low-frequency idioms. 
FULL PROFESSIONAL PROFICIENCY 
S-4 Able to use the language fluently and accurately on all levels 
normally pertinent to professional needs. Can understand and 
participate in any conversation within the range of his 
experience with a high degree of fluency and precision of 
vocabulary; would rarely be taken for a native speaker, but 
can respond appropriately even in unfamiliar situations; 
errors of pronunciation and grammar quite rare; can handle 
informal interpreting from and into the language. 
R-4 Able to read all styles and forms of the language pertinent to 
professional needs. With occasional use of a dictionary can 
read moderately difficult prose readily in any area directed 
to the general reader, and all material in his Special field 
including official and professional documents and correspond¬ 
ence; can read reasonably legible handwriting without 
difficulty. 
NATIVE OR BILINGUAL PROFICIENCY 
S-5 Speaking proficiency equivalent to that of an educated native 
speaker. Has complete fluency in the language such that his 
speech on all levels is fully accepted by educated native 
speakers in all of its features, including breadth of vocabu¬ 
lary and idiom, colloquialisms, and pertinent cultural 
references. 
i 
R-5 R&adinq proficiency equivalent to that of an educated native. 
Can read extremely difficult and abstract prose, as well as 
highly colloquial writings and the classic literary forms of 
the language. With varying degrees of difficulty can read all 
normal kinds of handwritten documents. 
42 
Appendix 2 
A CHECK LIST FOR SELF-APPRAISAL 
OF SPEAKING PROFICIENCY 
(All answers must be YES to achieve at least the level of 
proficiency listed on the left, except for four items at 
the S-3 level.) 
' YES 
S-0+ Can you use a minimum of thirty words in appropriate   
contexts? (i.e., not just count or recite the days   
of the week). 
S-1 Can you tell someone how to get from here to the 
nearest hotel, restaurant, or post office? 
Can you ask and tell the time of day, day of the 
week, date? 
Can you order a simple meal? 
Can you negotiate for a hotel room or a taxi ride 
at a just price? 
Can you buy a needed item of clothing or a bus or 
train ticket? ! 
Can you understand and respond correctly to form 
questions about your nationality, marital status, 
occupation, date and place of birth, etc.? 
Can you make a social introduction and use 
appropriate leave-taking expressions? 
Can you use the language well enough to assist 
someone who does not know the language in coping with 
the situations or problems covered by the S-1 range? 
S-1+ Can you meet all S-1 requirements and at least three 
of the S-2 requirements listed below? 
S-2 Can you describe your present or most recent job or 
activity in some detail? 
Can you give detailed information about your family, 
your house, the weather today? 
S-2 
YES NO 
43 
Can you take and giv/e simple messages over the 
telephone? 
Can you hire an employee, or arrange for special 
services (taking care of details such as salary, 
qualifications, hours, specific duties)? 
Can you give a brief autobiography and tell of 
immediate plans and hopes? 
Can you describe the geography of the United States 
or a familiar location? 
Can you describe the basic structure of the U.S. 
Government or of the U.S. educational system? 
Can you describe the purpose or function of the 
organization you represent? 
Do you feel confident that you understand what 
native speakers want to tell you on topics like 
those mentioned above and that they, understand you 
(linguistically) at least BO^b of the time? 
Can you use the language well enough to assist 
someone else who does not know the language in 
coping with the situations or problems covered 
by the S-2 range? 
S-2+ Can you meet all S-2 requirements and at least 
three of these S-3 requirements? 
S-3 (Answers should be NO) 
Are there grammatical features of the language 
which you try to avoid? 
Do you sometimes find yourself in the middle of 
a sentence you cannot finish because of linguistic 
limitations (grammar or vocabulary)? 
Do you find it difficult to follow and contribute 
to a conversation among native speakers who try to 
include you in their talk? 
Are you afraid that you will misunderstand informa¬ 
tion given to you over the telephone? 
i 
YES NO 
44 
S-3 (coni'd) (Answers should be YES) 
Can you speak to a group of educated native 
speakers on a professional subject and be sure 
you are communicating what you want to, without 
obviously amusing or irritating them linguistically? 
Can you listen, take notes, and summarize accurately 
a speech or an informal discussion on your area of 
special interests, heard on the radio or over a 
public address system? 
Can you (on a social occasion) defend U.S. 
attitudes toward culture, race relations, or 
foreign aid from attack by an anti-American student 
or politician? 
Can you cope with such trying linguistic situa¬ 
tions as broken-down plumbing, an undeserved traffic 
ticket, a serious social or diplomatic blunder made 
by you or a colleague? 
Can you follow connected discourse on a non- j 
technical subject; e.g., a panel discussion on the 
status of women? 
Can you serve as an informal interpreter on subjects 
in the S-3 range? 
Do you feel that you have a professional command 
(rather than just a practical one) of the language? 
S-3+ Can you meet all S-3 requirements and at least three 
of these S-4 requirements? 
S-4 In professional discussions, is your vocabulary 
always extensive and precise enough to enable you to 
convey your exact meaning? 
Are you able to alter your speech deliberately, 
depending upon whether you are talking to university 
professors, close friends, employees, etc.? 
i 
Can you serve as an informal interpreter for a 
U.S. senator dr cabinet official on all diplomatic 
and social functions? 
45 
S-4 (cont'd) 
YES NO 
Do you practically never make a grammatical mistake? 
Do you think you can carry out any job assignment 
as effectively in the language as in English? 
S-4+ In discussion on all subjects, is your vocabulary 
always extensive and precise enough to enable you 
to convey your exact meaning? 
S-5 Do native speakers react to you as they do to each 
other? 
Do you sometimes feel more at home in the language 
than in English? 
Can you do mental arithmetic in the language without 
slowing down? 
Is your vocabulary at least as extensive and precise 
as in English? 
Do you consider yourself a native speaker of the 
language? 
46 
APPENDIX 2 
October 7, 1976 
Dear 
May I take a feui minutes from your busy schedule? My name is Gabriela 
Mahn. I am conducting research for a graduate degree project on the use 
of foreign languages in fields other than teaching. The purpose of the 
study is to find out what opportunities are available to university 
graduates who have a background in languages, along with their major 
field of study. 
The information you provide will help me to design a program of study 
in foreign languages that would better meet the needs of the students 
and the companies that hire them upon graduation. 
Would you kindly fill out the enclosed questionnaire and return it in 
the self-addressed envelope by October 27, 1976? Your name and that 
of your Company will be kept in strict confidence. 
I appreciate your cooperation and remain, 
Sincerely youijs, 
Gabriela Mahn 
Enc. 
47 
APPENDIX 2 (coot'd) 
FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRAINING QUESTIONNAIRE 
Gabriela Mahn - P.O. Box 124 
Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730 
Would you please fill out and return this questionnaire by 
October 27, 1976. If your answer to question No. 1 is negative, please 
indicate so and return the questionnaire anyway. Thank you. 
1. Would your organization hire a person with a background in foreign 
languages to back up his/her specialty? 
Yes No  
Comments: 
2. Would your organization hire someone with a background in foreign 
languages to back up his/her specialty as opposed to hiring someone 
with the same specialty but without the language? 
Yes  No  
Comments: 
3. What language(s) would be more useful in your organization? 
Chinese  German  Spanish  
French  Russian  Others  
4. What skills in the foreign language would be more useful in your 
organization? 
Speak/interpret  Write/Translate  
5. According to FSI proficiency ratings, what would be the minimum 
degree of proficiency you would expect from your employee? 
S-5 Speaks the language natively. Has the ability to use the 
language accurately and precisely as a graduate from a univer¬ 
sity.  
S-4 & 4+ Speaks the language with almost complete fluency. 
Approximates that of an educated native speaker, but with 
occasional random mistakes. 
48 
S-3 & 3+ Speaks the language fluently and accurately enough to 
be comfortable to listen to and understand. This is a high 
level of competence, the basis for incentive payments in 
several government agencies  
S-2 & 2+ Can communicate uncomplicated ideas and experiences 
without difficulty and can meet routine job demands. Limited 
in vocabulary, structural control, comprehension.   
S-1 & 1+ Can survive among natives but is difficult to under¬ 
stand. Uses gestures and actions to communicate.   
6. What other specialty or technical training in addition to a foreign 
language would be most useful to your organization? 
Administrative secretary  Agriculture  
Accounting  Budget/Finance   Economics   
Engineering   Education   Foreign Affairs  
General Administration  Public/International Relations 
Travel/Transportation   Other   
Comments: 
49 
APPENDIX 3 
All America Cables & Radio, Inc. 
Aluminum Co. of America 
American Bureau of Shipping 
American Foreign Insurance Assn. 
Anti-Hydro Waterproofing Co. 
Associated Spring Corp. 
Auto Specialties Mfg. Co. 
International B.F. Goodrich Co. 
Bantzen, Inc. 
Boy Manufacturing Co. 
Kellog Co. 
Keyes Firbre Co. 
Ted Bates & Company, Inc. 
Beatrice Foods Company 
Besser Co. 
Borden Co. 
C. F. Braun & Co. 
Carboline Co. 
Cascade Corporation 
Caterpillar Tractor Co. 
Chase International Investment Corp. 
Clark-Engine Compressor Div. 
Columbus McKinnon Corp. 
Consolidated Electrodynamics Corp. 
Continental Oil Co. 
Cory Corp. 
Dow Corning Corp. 
Lane-Wells Division 
Leeds and Northrup Co. 
Eli Lilly International Corp. 
Lockheed Aircraft Corp. 
MacDermid, Inc. 
Massey-Ferguson, Inc. 
Mechanical Handling Systems, Inc. 
Mobil Oil Corp. 
F.E. Meyers & Bro. Co. 
NBC Enterprises, Inc. 
National Distillers &/Chemical 
National Tank Co. 'Corp. 
North American Aviation, inc. 
Nuodex Division (Tenneco Chemicals, 
I nc.) 
Economics Laboratory, Inc. 
Engineers .International Corp. 
Evans Products Co. 
Farrel Corporation 
Fink & Pavia 
Flying Tiger Line, Inc. 
Fram Corp. 
General Binding Corp. 
Gibbs & Hill, Inc. 
Gorton Corp. 
Hallmark Cards, Inc. 
Hobart Mfg. Co. 
Howard-Cooper Corp. 
Hyster Company 
Omark Industries, Inc. 
Oscar D. O'Neill, Inc. 
Parker-Hannifin Corp. 
Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc. 
Pitney-Boiues, Inc. 
Polychrome Corp. 
Portco Corp. 
Prentice-Hall, Inc. 
Rain Bird Sprinkler Mfg. Corp. 
Readers Digest Assn., Inc. 
Resistoflex Corp. 
A.H. Robins Co., Inc. 
Ross Operating Valve Co., Inc. 
50 
Appendix 3 - cont'd 
9 
SCM Corporation 
Sarco Co., Inc. 
Sawyers, Inc. 
Sealy Mattress Co. 
W.A. Shaeffer Pen Co. 
Signode Corp. 
Tektronix, Inc. 
Transversal International Corp. 
Van Nuys Travel 
White Stag Mfg. Co. 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
52 
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i