National Museum of Language Hosts Annual Dinner

A longtime language educator and entrepreneur told a gathering of colleagues that they must promote the study of foreign language to ensure the future of the field.

"We as language educators need to work together—not to promote our own language, but foreign language, in general," said Dr. Charles Stansfield, president of Second Language Testing Inc., in Rockville.

He spoke to a group of 60 at the National Museum of Language (NML) annual dinner at the in College Park on Sunday.

Stansfield gave a brief history of the study of language both nationally and internationally. He said language now is in a period of growth, but that growth will stagnate if language educators work in silos promoting solely the language that they teach.

The keynote address by Stansfield came during a four-hour event where guests also bid on silent auction items, such as a handmade afghan, jewelry, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra tickets, Baysox tickets and posters from various Broadway musicals. The event also included a 50/50 raffle and door prizes—all to raise money for the museum, which was founded in 1997. The event raised nearly $1,000 for the College Park museum, 7100 Baltimore Ave. #202.

Museum president Gary K. McCone said the museum is in talks with the City of College Park and a proposed charter school to possibly share space in the former . NML has outgrown its space on Baltimore Avenue and needs room to house more exhibits, and architects are drawing up plans to renovate the space, McCone said.

“We need a new space and that’s the only one available right now,” he said.

McCone also said the museum has been granted an avenue for donations from federal government workers. The 2011 Combined Federal Campaign will launch in October, and will allow workers to donate to the museum—among other organizations and charities—through payroll deduction, he said.