It is at the heart of second language study, whether the communication takes place face-to-face, in writing, or across centuries through the reading of literature. 

Through the study of other languages, students gain a knowledge and understanding of the cultures that use that language and, in fact, cannot truly master the language until they have also mastered the cultural contexts in which the language occurs.

Learning languages provides connections to additional bodies of knowledge that may be unavailable to the monolingual English speaker. 

Through comparisons and contrasts with the language being studied, students develop insight into the nature of language and the concept of culture and realize that there are multiple ways of viewing the world.

Together, these elements enable the student of languages to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world in a variety of contexts and in culturally appropriate ways.