The San Francisco Gate – Dan Hamilton and Stacie Nevadomski Berdan 
The real issue is demand, which has been diminishing for decades and starts long before college: Nationwide, only 1 in 5 students from kindergarten through high school is taught a foreign language. Only 16 states require any world language learning at all in K-12 — and usually this amounts to only two years in high school. Language proficiency requirements are on the wane. Yet learning French or Korean is no different from learning English: It takes time to become proficient. Those who grow up without opportunities to learn other languages aren’t likely to ask for them when they get to college. It’s a vicious cycle, especially if parents have little to no experience with other languages. (more)