It is significant to note that the following survey results is from IDC which is a marketing organization that among other things is researching the marketing aspects of the Internet economy -- which is rapidly expanding throughout the world.

It is very significant to note that IDC is not in any way associated with the current political debate on Bilingual/Multilingual Education. It is purely a marketing research organization. However, its findings are very significant to the Bilingual/Multilingual capability of U.S. students and workers.

Just this research alone is showing us the great ECONOMIC benefits and necessity that bilingualism and multi-lingualism is going to play (and is already playing) in the U.S. economy in the near future. To throw away the national language treasures we have in the U.S. by trying to get rid of bilingual and dual language education is absolutely insane. It is akin to ECONOMIC SUICIDE!

- Mike Peralta
 

The following quotes are from the World's Largest Web Survey as of Nov. 1999.

Report is at: http://www.idc.com/telb/projectatlas.htm

Some quotes from this report:

"A short document can't do justice to all the findings in Project Atlas(TM), but the message is clear. The Web is no longer a US-centric, English-language phenomenon. The new Internet Economy is a global economy."

"Web usage and Internet commerce are no longer confined to the US and a few developed countries. IDC's Project Atlas(TM), the world's largest Web-based survey, confirms the ubiquity of Internet usage and the penetration of Internet commerce into all countries, all walks of life."

"Most survey respondents said they preferred to visit Web sites in their local language"

"Its ubiquitous and electronic nature means that Web site managers, online marketing executives, Internet product managers, and dot-com start-ups all have to `think globally and act locally' when it comes to conducting business over the Internet."