Language The State of Many Tongues

If the builders of the legendary Tower of Babel had hired a work crew from Utah, the massive structure might actually have been completed instead of collapsing in the confusion of the workers' diverse languages. The linguistically savvy Utahans could have worked like bees in a hive. Or at least that is the boast among modern-day locals, who are using their language skills to build the economy of their home state.

Sparsely populated, landlocked and laced with the deserts, mountains and rugged wilderness regions typical of the American West, Utah is an unlikely place to find people who collectively speak 90% of the world's written languages. "I can make one phone call and get a foreign-language speaker in 30 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a state of 2 million," says Fred Ball, head of the local Chamber of Commerce, who frequently is host to foreign executives. Per capita, Utah is the most linguistically diverse region of the U.S. -- a feature the state is exploiting to attract foreign businesses and make tourists feel more welcome. The world-class ski resorts at Park City and Deer Valley reflect the clientele by providing signs in both English and Japanese, and the state is hawking its linguistic skills as part of its campaign to be host of the Winter Olympics in 2002.

Much of the multilingual talent is a dividend from the missionary work performed by the Salt Lake City-based Mormon Church, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For decades the church has sent thousands of young men (and a few women) each year on missions to win converts around the world. They spend at least two years in an assigned region, preaching the Mormon message and living side by side with locals. With more than 8 million members worldwide, the church has 44,500 missionaries serving in 95 countries and 26 territories.

Each of those who serve first attend the Missionary Training Center in Provo, which can handle 3,000 students at a time. Part of their studies includes intensive language training for several hours a day, seven days a week. From Armenian to Vietnamese -- including such low-demand tongues as Estonian, Tahitian and Icelandic -- 38 different languages are taught at the center, usually by former missionaries or foreign students from nearby universities. At Mormon-backed Brigham Young University, more than 60% of the 28,000 students acquire extensive foreign-language experience.