Bilingualism and The New York City Labor Market
Creating a Competitive Edge for City Tech Grads by Ann Delilkan
T
he impetus for the Humanities department’s Bilingual Literacy Initiative includes a desire to boost enrollments in foreign language courses, the need to acknowledge the extraordinarily rich untapped linguistic capacity that City Tech students bring with them, and the imperative to fulfill the college’s mission of producing economically competitive and workplace-ready graduates by developing students’ marketable language skills. Discussion began Spring 2012, in consultation with linguistics and language instruction experts, including Mary Louise Pratt, former president of Modern Language Association (MLA). The Office of the Provost launched a Bilingual Literacy for the Professions panel series in January 2013. Andrew Beveridge (NYC demographer/Distinguished Professor of Sociology, QC) presented data on the Language Communities of NYC, mapping the location of the language communities from which our students come. Lesley Hirsch (NYC Labor Market Information Service Director, GC) traced hiring patterns over recent years as they relate to applicants’ language skills. Professor Roxana Delbene (Foreign Language, Humanities) spoke to the need to develop interdisciplinary courses that combine language and professional studies. Students’ linguistic data was provided by AIR. Panel sessions focused on four Professional Studies programs— Law and Paralegal Studies, Nursing 10
and Health Professions, Hospitality Management, and Human Services. At each, faculty from the relevant professions and a range of (frequently celebrated) invited guests provided professional/ personal testimonies to the largely student audience about bi-/multi-lingualism in the workplace. At the Nursing and Health Professions session, a related certificate option (Certified Medical Translator) was mentioned and will be explored by the Division Continuing Education.
of potential CUNY partners at BMCC and LaGuardia CC.
The wrap-up session featured Alicia Ramos (Chair, Spanish and Portuguese, Hunter; President, CUNY Council of World Languages) and Lesley Hirsch. Department chairs/ representatives heard about the pedagogical issues involved in creating professionally-focused language courses and how they might fit into the various School of Professional Studies (SoPS) programs. Professor Ramos also brought welcome news for our future undertakings: the interest
New York [is] the most linguistically diverse city in the world…A remarkable trove of endangered tongues has taken root in New York—languages born in every corner of the globe and now more commonly heard in various corners of New York than anywhere else.
NUCLEUS: A FACULTY COMMONS QUARTERLY
The Humanities department’s Foreign Language program thanks Faculty Commons for assistance with publicity, the active and committed participation of various SoPS faculty, especially the panel moderators and Dean Barbara Grumet, for her generous endorsement and involvement at every single session.
“The Lost Languages, Found in New York” New York Times, April 28, 2010
VOLUME 4 - DOUBLE ISSUE | SPRING/SUMMER 2013