Speaking 2+ languages

[berryslp]

Hi everyone, do you think it is necessary for an aspiring SLP to speak at least 2 languages? For instance, is this something that admissions committees or employers look at when selecting their students, or hiring in the field?

 

I was born and raised in Canada, so I have spoken English my entire life. My parents are immigrants, but they did not teach me their native language while I was growing up. I am definitely interested in learning their native language on my own (via classes, books, etc), but I was curious to see how knowing only 1 language would affect my prospects in applying and working in the SLP field. 

 

 

[Jay's Brain]

I'm not in SLP, so my response may not be completely accurate, but I doubt that speaking one language exclusively is a big deterrence in your admissions to a program. Of course, speaking more than one language will be of interest when your application is reviewed, but how much it affects your chances may have to do with more with what you plan to study and build your graduate career on. For instance, if you were to look at pathological deficiencies in a different culture (maybe your native one), it may make sense that knowing how to speak it will be seen as an advantage.

SLP encompasses a lot of things, and your admissions will factor in your experiences in the field, your academics, and any other way of identifying how competent you are in this line of work. So don't let that get in your way!

[JFFA]

http://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/Demographic-Profile-Bilingual-Spanish-Service-Members.pdf 

 

From my understanding, it is a wonderful thing, but in actuality only a small percent of SLPs are bilingual (might very a little depending upon you definition) and an even smaller percent actually provide services in multiple languages. For those who do, the majority provide services in English and Spanish. I think it is a shame that more SLPs and people in general in the US do not speak multiple languages; however, in regards to your question I would say it absolutely not NECESSARY to speak multiple languages. Note, there is also a difference between identifying as speaking multiple languages and practicing/providing services in multiple languages. That is not to say that it does not help either in terms of admission, jobs, and other personal aspects of life to learn another language. It does, some schools have special bilingual focus and some area especially are looking for bilingual SLPs. I'd think of it more as something viewed as a bonus not a handicap, and not speaking another language does not means at all that you will have a particularly hard time getting into graduate school or getting a job. Bottom line is it's great, but not necessary and sadly the majority of clinicians are do not provide services in multiple languages.  

[berryslp]

Thank you for your responses!! They were definitely helpful and it's given me a few things to keep in mind  

[ImHis]

As a trilingual Canadian who applied this year and prior, I would say that knowing a language other than is not going to put you at an advantage unless you're applying to bilingual (Spanish) masters programs.

 

I highly recommend applying to schools closer to the border (such as New York, Michigan, Minot State, some of the Minnesotta schools, Washington, Wisconsin). They receive and accept many Canadians. Ask the directors or admissions if they are aware of the rigorous curriculums of Canadian universities and if they consider the grading system since our schools don't have grade inflation. It might actually help you.