There is a joke that is sometimes told in Europe — in its classrooms, corporate offices, international airports and at restaurant tables. Whether it is delivered in French, Spanish or Italian, its translation to English is always the same.

What do you call a person who speaks three languages? answer: trilingual

What do you call a person who speaks two languages? answer: bilingual

What do you call a person who speaks just one language? answer: American (cringe)

While English may certainly be the universal language, we do ourselves a great disservice when we insist on remaining monolingual. Through globalization, the world has become a smaller place. Interactions with those oceans away are increasingly common. It’s no longer enough to just be citizens of the United States; we must be citizens of the world.

This makes it all the more imperative that not only should UMB require its students in the College of Liberal Arts (and in all of its colleges) to take two semesters of a foreign language and gain basic proficiency, but it should also encourage students to complete intermediate proficiency as well. This can be successfully achieved in just two years.

This Foreign Language requirement should not be viewed as a hardship, but rather as an opportunity that can positively improve your overall college experience as well as increase your chances of a brighter post-UMB future.

The benefits that these few semesters of a foreign language can have on a student’s future can be very valuable. Professor Vetri Nathan, the newest member of the Italian department, believes that the acquisition of a second language at the university level can translate into success in the workplace. It gives you a better understanding of our ever-changing world. “How much of a world citizen do you want to be?” Nathan asks.

“Being able to recognize and understand differences of opinion and different perspectives are what hiring managers will look for in a new hire,” Nathan explains. “Proficiency in a second language makes a well-rounded person and presents an interesting dimension when looking at a CV.”

“If you are intercultural, than you have the interpersonal skills desired in the workplace,” he adds.

Remember: we want jobs. This is why we are all here, right?

We are fortunate to have a selection of foreign languages at UMB that reads like a meeting of United Nations delegates. With a quick visit to WISER, you can easily get a jump start on your future. The Department of Modern Languages offers courses in eight different languages — French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, German, Russian and Vietnamese — while both Spanish and Portuguese classes can be found in the Hispanic Studies Department. This exposure extends beyond the classroom with student-run foreign language and culture clubs, such as Club Italia.

A foreign language class, however, is much more than just learning to say buenos dias, bonjour, or buon giorno; it’s a cultural experience as well. It’s brings you priceless knowledge from professors who bring their own world to you, right in the classroom. It gives you a foundation to become a better global citizen, and a more marketable global citizen too.

With second language acquisition, there are also some surprising extra benefits as well. Last semester, a student enrolled in a professional editing class offered by the English department. Her intermediate Italian class actually helped her understand long-forgotten grammatical terms and structures of her native English language. At the end of the semester, not only did she feel that her Italian improved, but she saw a noticeable improvement in her written and spoken English. The acquisition of a second language made her a better English speaker and writer.

I know this because that student was me.