Introduction
What do you remember from your high school Spanish classes? Could you order from your favorite place…entirely in Spanish? Hold a conversation with a Spanish speaker? If we dropped you in the middle of a Spanish-speaking neighborhood— a Spanish-speaking country, could you find your way?
At The Multilingual Project (TMP), our work to create a more robust and responsive multilingual education system begins with the lived experiences of the multilingual learners it serves. We work at the intersection of Language Transformation, Language Accessibility, and Language Education—three pillars that inform every research endeavor, campaign, and service we deliver. Our research agenda investigates the academic outcomes of multilingual learners, explores innovative language education models, and analyzes the economic impact of multilingualism. Our advocacy agenda focuses on equitable outcomes in multilingual K‑14 and higher education, promotes holistic approaches to second and heritage‑language pedagogy, and calls for seamless connections between K‑14, postsecondary, and workforce systems. This approach positions TMP as more than a translation company; we are linguists, advocates, and systems‑thinkers.
Earlier this month, TMP released our Multilingual Learner Continuum, a framework that recognizes three broad groups of multilingual learners, each with distinct nuance even within themselves:
- Second Language Learners (L2s) – Students who learn a language beyond their mother tongue in a formal or academic setting.
- Heritage Learners (HLs) – Learners raised in the U.S. with a connection to a non‑English language outside a formal or academic setting; students with varying linguistic needs and backgrounds.
- Native Speakers (NS) – Students who grew up in a country where they used their dominant language daily; students with varying linguistic needs and backgrounds.
Recognizing these nuances is pivotal to understanding the lived experiences, educational needs, and long-term career outcomes of every multilingual learner.
The State of Language in the United States
It’s not just you; nobody remembers much from their high school Spanish classes. And to appreciate the challenges facing language education, one must look beyond the classroom.
The United States recently designated English as the official language of the country, repealing federal law that had required agencies to expand access for individuals with limited English proficiency. What’s more, polling shows that a majority of U.S. adults—across racial and party lines—agree with establishing English as the official language. These developments are not isolated anomalies but indicators of deeper currents that suggest a federal devaluation of multilingualism.
For most Americans, the incentive to learn a second language is low. English dominates education, business, media, and governance. Many people can live their entire lives without ever needing a second language to navigate social or economic systems. In such a society, language learning is often framed as an “extra”—a nice‑to‑have, rather than a necessity— and our educational, social, and economic systems mirror that.
The Colorado Context: Supply, Demand, and Motivation
Zooming in on Colorado reveals a different, yet parallel, picture. The state’s 2024 Talent Pipeline Report highlighted Spanish among the top ten most in‑demand technical skills. Employers posted more than twenty thousand jobs requiring Spanish over a recent twelve‑month period, while over 777,000 job seekers identified Spanish as a skill. In other words, supply and demand don’t align neatly. What’s more, without clear wage data on the ROI of language education, learners are left guessing— leaving them to wonder why to invest the hours required to become truly bilingual.
For Colorado’s young people, social incentives are powerful. In a state where Latino culture is woven into daily life, learning Spanish can deepen community connections, foster intercultural appreciation, and even shape personal relationships. Yet social motivation rarely translates into robust programs. Without explicit pathways linking language education to careers—through internships, credentialing, or clear employer recognition—motivation and proficiency stall.
Postsecondary Language Education: Opportunity Lost?
The postsecondary landscape offers more promise. Universities often require at least two years of language study and encourage students to minor or double major in languages. Study‑abroad programs, conversation partners, and immersion experiences can excel classroom learning into fluency. Yet these opportunities remain underfunded at institutions across the country due to the decline in enrollment among language students.
What’s more, the COVID‑19 pandemic, for example, halted study‑abroad programs and disrupted language instruction worldwide. L2 students who stepped away during the pandemic often lost momentum, and research on language attrition in this cohort is still emerging.
Even under normal circumstances, postsecondary learners face barriers. Many students worry that a language major will not lead to a job; that it’ll only jeopardize their GPAs, or that they’ll lose language gains after graduation.
Heritage learners and native speakers, by contrast, often enroll to expand their bilingual range, only to find curricula that don’t recognize their home varieties. Without supportive curricula and clear signals from employers, postsecondary institutions struggle to justify investment in robust language programs, and students leave with only marginal gains.
The Missing Bridge (and The Opportunity to Build It)
This gives Colorado an incredible opportunity to reimagine language education as a bridge between learning and living. In this context, schools, districts, and institutions could:
- Integrate languages into other subjects, instead of relegating them to siloed “foreign language” courses.
- Provide sustained exposure beyond the classroom through immersion programs, internships, or community engagement.
- Align language pathways with learners’ real‑world goals—whether heritage learners seeking to deepen community engagement or L2 learners aspiring to work in bilingual environments.
- Recognize the intersection of language with identity, culture, and social capital.
Where We Go from Here
The Multilingual Project holds a radical belief that a multilingual world is a better one. To truly create a future where language students retain their bilingual progress, state, local, and federal systems must:
- Invest in Public‑Private Partnerships – Schools and nonprofits should work with businesses to create language‑rich internships and apprenticeships. Imagine a high‑school student practicing Spanish in a healthcare clinic or a college student translating materials for a local nonprofit. These experiences turn classroom vocabulary into professional capability.
- Create Language Pathways and Pipelines – school, district, and state leaders must design clear pathways from K‑12 into postsecondary and workforce systems. Dual‑language education programs should extend into high school and be reimagined beyond a single academic site.
- Collaborative Policy/Advocacy – Federal and state governments should work with colleges, universities, and employers to develop credentialing systems that employers recognize. Language policy should be framed not as a threat to unity but as a pathway to economic mobility, community enrichment, and global competitiveness.
- Collect Robust Data and Research – Institutions must track more robust data on the ROI of language education, track wages for bilingual workers, and analyze outcomes for heritage‑language learners.
- Celebrate Success – Schools and districts producing multilingual talent should be recognized and celebrated. Stories of dual‑language graduates, heritage‑language initiatives, and community partnerships should be amplified.
Conclusion: Beyond Words and Into Worlds
It’s not just you— few Americans retain much from their high‑school Spanish classes. And the reasons go far beyond personal memory— they stem from systemic undervaluation of language education, a lack of incentives, and an absence of pathways linking learning to life. The Multilingual Project is committed to changing that narrative. By aligning research, advocacy, and translation, we work to ensure that every learner—whether L2, heritage, or native speaker—has access to a high‑quality multilingual education and clear routes to meaningful bilingual careers.
The Multilingual Project is a nonpartisan, multimedia, research, advocacy, and translation company on a mission to reshape and reimagine a more robust and responsive multilingual education system in Colorado and beyond.