The foreign language deficit has had a negative impact on our economic and national security, and on the careers of many monolingual English-speaking Americans. In addition, it negatively impacts the ability of many Americans to enjoy world languages and cultures to the fullest, at home or during travel, and to effectively navigate local multilingual and multicultural communities. In an increasingly globalized world, Americans are increasingly isolated by our relative inability to communicate directly with others, and limited to understanding literature, media, and music only in translation.