Howdy, UT.

"Need" - probably not for most situations today.

But I think it offers much to the total education of everyone to learn enough of another language to at least puzzle out news articles, books, etc. I'm not what I consider fluent in any other language, but I get by in several because the two I seriously learned a million years ago are extendable to similar languages. The only things I would change are: 1) I wish I had been a better student in those studies and 2) I wish I used them more often than I do. Knowing enough to struggle thru simple conversations in other languages has been very valuable to me in real world situations - and it's polite.

So I guess I disagree with your postulate. Nomad's post is right on, especially the broader topic of well-rounded education. BTW, in my experiences so far, the pure hard-science types are fewer than the pure non-science types and the softheads are, well, softheads - very deficiently educated and very narrowly opinionated. Of course hardheads are, well, hardheads... undergraduate studies should be WELL rounded. "Specialization is for insects..."

I'm glad some of my corners and edges are at least radiused or chamfered...

Tom