From The Editor's Desk

Americans and people from nations around the world were shocked and horrified by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the crash of a fourth plane south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. In the midst of the numbness and disbelief that followed this tragedy, it was heartening that many nations expressed their solidarity with the United States and its people. In fact, Jean-Marie Colombani entitled his editorial, which appeared in Le Monde the day after the attacks, "Nous sommes tous Américains."

Now, a week later (September 18), CNN is reporting that sixty-two countries have declared their own citizens among the over 5,000 missing in the wake of the collapse of the twin towers, several other buildings, and a large section of the Pentagon. By my calculations, this could mean that somewhere between 20 and 25% of all those who may be dead will prove to be from other nations. This underscores the fact that now, more than ever, we are part of an interconnected world in which people from all over the globe may brush shoulders every day. What this means and what the tragedy has demonstrated is that more Americans must study foreign languages (yes, French among them!) and cultures if they are to have any chance for peace and understanding among different nations with their different histories, traditions, and religions.

We can not remain complacent when we know that CNN was making an around-the-clock plea for people who spoke Arabic to make themselves available to authorities because, apparently, neither the State Department nor the Department of Defense had enough such people among their ranks to deal with the immediate need. Nor was this the first time that such shortages in a variety of languages had existed.

This is not a time when universities, colleges, junior colleges, high schools, middle school, or elementary schools should be dropping languages or language requirements. To the contrary, part of rethinking life in the United States and any kind of national security policy in its most stark and literal terms should be a new plan for the infusion of federal and state dollars into the study of foreign languages and cultures. Nothing short of a long-term commitment will do. Life is indeed short, and we must realize the immediacy of our mission and professional responsibilities by contacting local, state, and federal authorities and elected officials and urging them to make the necessary commitment to fund the new programs we propose.

In my view our profession must be part of the long-term solution to world problems, including terrorism, and we must convince others to join us in this endeavor. If, as language professionals, we do not feel a sense of urgency and the need to commit ourselves to action now, we never will. So, let us act now!

Christopher P. Pinet