The Foreign Service Journal, June 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2017 99 A ny Foreign Service employee would agree that one of the joys of Foreign Service life is to experience the language of the host country. In fact, many argue that learning the native language avails Foreign Service families of countless opportunities for personal and cultural enrichment. And who among us learns that language with the most ease and gusto? That’s right; it’s our Foreign Service youth. While English-speaking education is available at most posts worldwide, more and more Foreign Service families are choosing to educate their children in a language other than that spoken at home. To find out more about this trend and to uncover the advantages and challenges of educating a child in a foreign language, the Family Liaison Office spoke to Regional Education Officer and Office of Overseas Schools resident language expert, Christine Brown. Family Liaison Office: What are the advantages and potential pitfalls of raising a bilingual child? Christine Brown: Over the last 15 years there has been much research conducted on the benefits of learning one or more languages. Scientists have noted that new neural pathways are formed when children learn and use more than one language. It appears that the more complex the second language, the greater the neurological gain. The science suggests that learning linguistically complex lan- guages or multiple languages from an early age into adult- hood may give a profound cognitive boost. Researchers outside the United States have also looked at the impact that learning other languages has on one’s native language ability, especially in the areas of reading comprehension, executive brain functioning (memory, reasoning, problem solving) and creativity. Marybeth Hunter is the education and youth specialist in the State Department’s Family Liaison Office. Christine Brown, a regional education officer, is the Office of Overseas School’s resident language expert. This is excerpted from their full-length interview in the December 2015 FSJ. FROM THE DECEMBER 2015 FSJ EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Multilingual Matters—How Foreign Service Students Can Make the Most of Language-Rich Experiences Abroad BY MARYBETH HUNTER AND CHRISTINE BROWN