New Arabic and Asian Language Office Opens Fall 2007

The development of the Arabic and Asian Language Office at Texas A&M University answers the campus and national need for fluency in Arabic, Chinese and Japanese.

One area that the College of Liberal Arts has actively worked to enhance is language instruction and the number of languages offered.

“Around the time that the former Department of Modern and Classical Languages split into the Departments of Hispanic Studies and European and Classical Languages and Cultures, the college began to think about other languages in general,” said Pamela R. Matthews, associate dean of liberal arts who oversees international initiatives. “We looked at the influence of Arabic and Asian languages and realized that we needed to be teaching them.”

The first step was hiring language instructors. Over the past three years, the college has hired five instructors to cover classes in the three languages. This past year the college created the Arabic and Asian Language Office and appointed Salah Ayari its first director, effective Sept. 1. Beginning in the fall 2007 semester, Chinese and Arabic will offer a second year of coursework and Japanese will offer classes through a fourth year of coursework. Read more about Ayari

“There is no question that in recent years, the dynamics of world politics and economics have highlighted U.S. shortages of people capable of communicating in languages like Arabic, Chinese and Japanese,” Ayari said. “It is important to build a generation of Americans who are equipped linguistically and culturally to communicate with people who live in that part of the world.”

National and world events in the past six years have elevated the interest in language studies, particularly Chinese and Arabic. Because China is one of the world’s largest markets, language fluency is essential for American businesses. Also, Arabic is a necessary language for representing America’s interests in the Middle East.

-30-