"How many colleges in the country can offer advanced courses in Tagalog, Vietnamese or Bulgarian?" Gessel said. "There are no others. There is no need, no interest and no faculty able to do it."

The need exists at BYU because the LDS Church needs experts in those and many other languages.

---

BYU students expand linguistic horizons

75 — Percentage of BYU students who speak a language other than English

100 — Number of different languages spoken by BYU students

43 — Number of languages regularly taught on campus, with 23 more available with sufficient student interest

20 — Approximate percentage of official interpreters and hosts for foreign dignitaries, athletes and coaches during the 2002 Winter Olympics who were BYU students or faculty

---

E-mail: twalch@desnews.com