The MLA study indicates that while Spanish, French and German still maintain the top three spots for most-studied languages within the United States, American Sign Language (ASL) now places fourth, with an impressive 16.4-percent enrollment increase since 2006. In fact, the only three languages with larger enrollment gains include Arabic (up 46 percent), Korean (up 19 percent) and Chinese (up 18 percent).

So why the recent spike in ASL enrollment? Various professors believe the 91,763 college undergraduates learning to communicate through ASL indicate the widespread acceptance of the language as a legitimate skill. From nurses to educators to scuba divers, it seems a growing portion of the public sector finds mastering ASL to be helpful, if not critical, in the “real world.” And with freelance interpreters cashing in approximately $40 to $60 per hour, ASL further serves as a skill students can utilize to earn extra cash. Those who are fluent have the potential to become highly coveted business, government and education interpreters.

And while foreign-language enrollment as a whole has risen 6.6 percent from 2006 to 2009, budget cuts currently threaten to diminish foreign-language studies at many universities nationwide. The MLA hopes the study demonstrates to universities the critical nature of studying a foreign language in a multicultural world, sealing in ASL, among other languages, as a necessary component to achieve a well-rounded post-secondary education.

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