Sure! Here’s the translation to American English:
—
In 2023, a noteworthy 60% of upper secondary education students in the European Union (EU) studied two or more foreign languages, either as required subjects or as options within the curriculum. However, this percentage has seen a slight decrease of 0.8 percentage points compared to the 60.8% from the previous year. On the other hand, in the field of secondary vocational education, the percentage of students who chose to study multiple foreign languages was 34.8%, representing an increase of 1 percentage point compared to 2022.
According to the data, nine EU countries reported that over 90% of their students in general secondary education studied two or more foreign languages. France leads with an impressive 99.8%, followed by Romania at 99.1% and the Czech Republic at 98.5%. In contrast, the lowest percentages were found in Portugal (6.7%), Ireland (10.4%), and Spain (22.4%).
Regarding vocational education, Romania also stands out, with almost all students (97.2%) choosing to study multiple languages. Finland and Poland follow with figures of 85% and 78%, respectively. Conversely, Malta occupied the opposite end of the spectrum, with 0.0% of students in this category, along with Spain and Greece, where only 0.1% of young people opt for this type of training.
English remains the most popular foreign language in both types of education, with an impressive rate of 96% in general education and 80.1% in vocational education. In the general education sphere, Spanish ranks second at 27.1%, followed by German (21.2%), French (20.8%), and Italian (3.2%). In vocational training, German also holds second place (18.1%), followed by French (14.1%), Spanish (6.6%), and Russian (2.3%).
These figures highlight not only the significance of foreign languages in the European education system but also the notable disparities among different countries, disparities that can influence job opportunities and cultural integration for young people in an increasingly globalized continent.
via: MiMub in Spanish
