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No Hablo Espanol
Earlier this month Utah launched, with little fanfare, www.espanol.utah.gov, a Spanish-language companion to the state’s Web site at www.utah.gov. The site contained 10 pages of information about taxes, health care, and so on in Spanish. A few days ago they took it down in the face of complaints that it violates Utah’s “English as the official language” law. I think I’m going to be sick.
Don’t get me wrong. I think that we’ll all be better off if immigrants are assimilated into mainstream culture, including language, rather than forming a separate sub-culture. But I’m also a realist and realize that that change happens over generations and the best place to make that happen is in the schools.
The level of xenophobia and insecurity required to say that government shouldn’t make useful information available in a variety of formats and languages is just stunning. This is really about erecting barriers, not assimilation. I’m embarrased.
I wonder if putting a link to Babelfish on each page at Utah.gov that said “see this page in Spanish” would violate “official language” laws? From my reading of the law, I don’t think so.
Posted by windley on June 14, 2006 9:55 AM
Comment from C.E. Lopes at June 14, 2006 11:11 AM
Amen!!!
I don't speak spanish, my native tongue is Portuguese, but as an immigrant that got here through employment and always strived to get in touch with the local customs, I can tell you that the attitude of the American people nowadays is far from conducive to assimilation.
Most people just want immigrants to go away. They are seen as an overall threat and are not valued for their actual or potential contribution.
In Europe most countries have their official websites available in multiple languages. What is the problem with that if it will increase penetration among the population? Just saying "learn english" is not going to solve the issue and certainly not going to provide an immediate solution for the folks that do not speak the language.
Frankly, I would go a step further. I would provide the most essential government information in several languages! Probably all the ones that are the most common in the Area - be it Spanish, Chinese, Hindu, Portuguese or Japanese. Doesn't matter.
I'm happy some people understand the issue and are embarrassed...
Linking to translation services is a risk. You just can't trust those things to do a half decent job and who knows what misinterpretation will come from it? I can see the lawsuits: "The State linked me to a translator and I misunderstood! Is it my fault?"
Comment from James Robertson at June 14, 2006 3:00 PM
Erecting barriers? Who's actually doing that? We have a flood of low skilled labor coming in right now, and it's questionable whether we can assimilate them fast enough. See France, suburban riots, for the result of having millions of unassimilated, low skilled laborers enter.
And Xenophobia? I'm disgusted that people pull out the race card to discredit a perfectly valid argument. There's just as good an argument that the open borders crowd is anti-black - because which urban population do you think would otherwise be getting most of the available low skill jobs, in order to try and move up the ladder?
Ascribing a desire to control the border to racism is a tactic designed to stop debate, not engender it. You go look at the urban unemployment levels in the typical American inner city, and then tell me with a straight face that we "need" lots of unskilled laborers for "jobs that American won't do".
Comment from Bryant Cutler at June 14, 2006 3:22 PM
I agree, this is absolutely criminal. It's one thing to try to maintain tight border security and make sure that people take a legal path to citizenship. I understand that it's impractical to provide all government materials in multiple languages. However, it's another thing entirely to deny those in our community who are less-than-fluent in Enlgish the basic services that a government website should provide. It's not as if www.espanol.utah.gov is some extravagantly expensive government program - it's a handful of webpages! I mean, come ON!
Comment from Phil Windley at June 14, 2006 3:29 PM
James, I find it interesting that you took my comments about eGovernment in Spanish and quickly conflated them with illegal immigration. I think that says more about your feelings than mine.
Comment from James Robertson at June 14, 2006 3:49 PM
Phil,
The bare minimum that an immigrant should do is learn English. My grandfather arrived in 1890, spoke only Swedish, and had no skills. He learned English and worked his way up. Neither he nor any of his generation expected to see ballots or other government information in their native language. Wny should my tax dollars go to the expense of translation? If previous generations of immigrants managed, why is it impossible for this one?
Why do you want the extra money to be spent in ways that actively discourages full participation in the life of the country?
Comment from Phil Windley at June 14, 2006 3:55 PM
It turns out that no tax dollars were spent on this. So, that's hardly the point on this one issue.
Even so, as I said in my post, I think there are ways of assimilating people into the culture that don't involve a "sink or swim" mentality. As a people we have considerably greater resources than in your grandfather's time. Your grandfather probably lived in a 800 sq ft house with no toilets too. If it was good enough for him, why isn't it good enough for you? Or is it just "what was good enough for him is good enough for those other people..."?
Actually, I'd argue that I want tax dollars spent in ways that encourage participation and you're arguing against that.
Comment from mossback at June 14, 2006 6:20 PM
This is surprising considering Utahns did such a fantastic job volunteering and reaching out with their language skills during the Olympics to help people feel welcome. I know when I'm visiting another country I always appreciate attempts at translation into English - I don't *expect* it but it's a nice gesture and often provides a bit of comic relief. :)
Comment from James Robertson at June 14, 2006 8:29 PM
My grandfather actually ended up owning a Victorian home in the hills of Westchester, NY - he built a construction business. So no, he didn't live his life in squalor...
Comment from C.E. Lopes at June 14, 2006 11:03 PM
I don't think this is the forum to discuss illegal immigration and "pulling the card of racism", especially since that was not the subject of Phil's original post.
But I have to reply with some thoughts:
a) Congratulations to your grandpa. Mind, though, he came here when immigration was a bit more lax and opportunities to ascend were a little bit better. This is still a great country for immigrants - hence the interest of the better part of planet earth in coming here.
b) The fact that he didn't have sweedish support because it was pretty much unthinkable at the time, doesn't mean that we can't do it today if it is inexpensive and will help people right at this moment. The cost of a web-site in a second language (or a third, or a fourth...) should be minimal - we can even have the interested community paying for the translation if that is the case.
c) You obviously have no understanding of what is it that your grandpa went through. Assimilating is not easy and it doesn't happen on the blink of an eye. Not for highly educated people, let alone for people with little to no education as you mention.
d) This country will not "assimilate them fast enough". They have to choose to be assimilated. The more secure these people feel about this country, the easier it will be to assimilate. Understanding what is it that the government here is and how it operates is a basic right and will lead to easier assimilation.
At no point the question of legality or illegality of immigrants was brought up in the original post or in any of the comments but yours.
There are legal immigrants that don't speak the language. No one is advocating that they don't learn English - that needs to be addressed as they must speak the language.
But not providing options for the present regarding what are the basic services provided by the government they support with their taxes, isn't very smart either. It will pose another barrier to their assimilation - which as I said, isn't easy in the first place.
I don't mean this as an offense at all: sometimes I really think every single human should be required to live in a foreign country for a while...
Comment from Devin Thorpe at June 14, 2006 11:03 PM
Phil,
Thanks for writing this post. My wife told me what had happened a few days ago and she and I both felt like the Spanish-language information on the state web site was appropriate and the least we can do to help immigrants and visitors to not only feel welcome but also to become fully productive members of our community. If we don't help them assimilate, they will have no choice but to create insular sub-cultures that perpetuate differences down through generations.
We need to do more--not less--to help immigrants to Utah.
Thanks again!
ddt
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