Asian Language Crisis Grips Australia(1/3)

The last census" class="hjdict" word="census" target=_blank>census found that almost 400 different languages are spoken in homes across Australia, where a quarter of the population was born overseas.

In the 1980s the government gave special attention to teaching Asian languages in schools and universities as Canberra sought closer ties with its regional neighbors.
But increasingly it appears that commitment has waned, and Australia is less able to deal with its neighbors.

Figures show that only 13 percent of Australian high school graduates know a foreign language, less than half of those are proficient in an Asian language. Four decades ago, 40 percent had foreign language skills.

Research by Australian universities has shown that a monolingual country often performs worse in international trade and diplomacy.

Professor Elise Tipton from Sydney University says increasingly students do not feel the need to learn another language to boost their careers.

She believes that Australia's economic boom, which is driven by red-hot demand for its minerals, is helping mask serious deficiencies in its language skills.