Many North Americans have the misguided assumption that most people globally can communicate in English.  However, according to the CIA World Factbook, only 5.6 percent of the world’s population speaks English as a primary language.  Therefore, North Americans knowing more than one language have a definite edge over their competition in the global workforce, especially as technology brings us all closer together.   In many countries it is required to learn not just a second language, but sometimes a third.  Yet, the United States allows students to graduate from high school without credits in a foreign language.  Additionally, only about 9% of the population in the U.S. is multilingual compared to 52.7 % in Europe.  (World Languages and Cultures).