The following fun facts were provided by Nicole Naditz. Feel free to use in your own school!

Did you know that...

• According to a 2011 Bloomberg ranking of world languages other than English, the number 1 language U.S. businesses want employees to know was Mandarin Chinese? The next most sought-after languages by U.S. businesses were: French (no. 2) and Arabic (no. 3), with Spanish ranking fourth.  Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, German, Italian and Korean round out the top 10 languages needed by American businesses.
• More than one-third of businesses want people specifically for their language skills?
• Multilingual individuals can expect to earn between 2 and 20% more at their jobs than their English-only colleagues, depending on the industry?
• There is a large (and largely unmet) demand for multilingual employees in journalism, computer games design industry, engineering, marketing and medicine?
• People who speak two or more languages are four times less likely to suffer cognitive impairments?
• Once you've learned a second language, it is even easier to learn another one? Research shows that bilinguals find it easier to learn a third language than monolinguals do to learn a second language.
• According to a 2012 statement by the Council on Foreign Relations, "Americans who speak English alone will increasingly face a disadvantage in competing for some of the best jobs in business?"
• A survey of American businesses operating oversees conducted by the Modern Language Association found that many companies give preference to candidates with foreign language skills when hiring new management personnel, provided other business experience and abilities are equal?
• Four out of five new jobs in the United States are created as a result of foreign trade, according to the National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Language? Show your love for language today!
• Each year, 200,000 Americans lose out on jobs with business because they don’t know another language, according to author Edward Trimnell.
• Knowledge of world languages has been shown to increase mental flexibility in children.
• In his book, Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization, Yong Zhao  says that  “American companies lose an estimated 2 billion dollars a year due to inadequate cross-cultural guidance for their employees in multicultural situations.”  and “…nearly 30 percent of the companies believed they had failed to exploit fully their international business opportunities due to insufficient personnel with international skills.”
• According to a 2012 statement by the Council on Foreign Relations, "Americans who speak English alone will increasingly face a disadvantage in competing for some of the best jobs in business."
• A recent University of Wisconsin–Madison report identified engineering, information technology, chemistry and biology, and management as fields showing the greatest increase in demand for a workforce with global talent, including language proficiency?
• The American Association of School Administrators said, “Knowledge of foreign languages is one of the most important skills that students will need to develop in order to prosper in this century?”
• Knowledge of world languages has correlated to increased problem-solving capabilities in children?
• According to the Committee for Economic Development, America’s continued role as a global leader will depend on our students’ abilities to interact with the world community both inside and outside our borders?
• The College Board (the organization that develops the SAT) has repeatedly found that world language study increases SAT scores in English/Language Arts and Math? The more years you study the same language, the greater the increase in those test scores.