According to a well-known biblical story, there once existed a universal language that everyone spoke and could understand. One day, the people gathered to build a city in their honor. In that city they decided to build a tower that would reach up to Paradise. However, when God saw their arrogance, He decided to confuse them by making them speak in different languages. As a result, people were forced to decommission the tower and demolish it. Likewise, today's language is equally confusing. There are thousands of languages ​​spoken in thousands of different countries, and sometimes communication is lost in translation. Only 26% of American adults are fluent in a second language (McComb), a very concerning statistic in an extremely multilingual world. What is even more concerning is the fact that in the 2007-2008 school year, only 25% of primary schools offered lessons in a foreign language (Rhodes and Pufahl), most of which were simply introductory lessons (Edvantia). Additionally, according to the Education Commission of the States (ECS), in 2007 the high school graduation requirements for 36 states either did not include foreign language study or foreign language study was an option. arts and world studies. Only 14 out of fifty states required or were in the process of requiring a foreign language for a high school diploma. It's no wonder the United States lags behind in foreign languages. While most European students are required to learn a foreign language by age eight, American students are barely asked to pronounce a syllable in a non-native language until age fourteen (Tagliere), and even then it is simply “strongly encouraging”. ....middle of paper...."PBS: Public BroadcastingService. Nov. 2003. Web. November 26, 2011. .Rhodes, Nancy C., and Ingrid Pufahl. Foreign Language Teaching in U.S. Schools: Findings from a national survey. CAL, 2010. Online ebook. Science Daily "Children can learn a second language in preschool, study results". .Tagliere, Julia right time to start?" BuzzleWeb portal: intelligent life on the Web November 26, 2011. .UPI a third easier." Breaking News, Breaking News, News Articles, News Videos, News Photos - UPI.com. May 21, 2009. Web. November 26. 2011..