Americans have long been amazed by multilingual countries such as Switzerland. But could bilingualism be the wave of the future here in the USA?
Certain US regions have always been affected by bilingual populations. Take, for example: Louisiana with its small but vibrant French and Creole-speaking communities, the Southwest with its Hispanic influence, and, of course, New York City, with its rich multi-cultural and multi-lingual heritage.
However, when a newspaper in Dubuque, Iowa publishes an article about how bilingualism may represent the future of the USA, one can’t help but take particular notice.
In an article entitled “Bilingualism the voice of the future,” journalist Katherine Fischer presents Dubuque’s multilingual past and expresses her enthusiasm over a multilingual future: “Julien Dubuque probably invited his fellow trappers, ‘Venez chez moi pour boire un coup – nous pouvons echanger des peaux.’ (‘Come over for a beer and we’ll swap pelts.’)…The influx of German and Irish immigrants certainly resulted in daily downtown conversations laced with ‘Ja, bitte’ …”
Fischer does a good job of pointing out the irony in Iowa’s “English as official language” law. Passed in 2002, the Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act specifies that all government business is to be conducted in English. This may seem logical for legislative debates and official meetings, but can be ridiculous when taken to the extreme. To make her point, Fischer emphasizes a case in which a state representative won a lawsuit against the state of Iowa for violating this law. The supposed “crime” was nothing more than posting voter registration information in Spanish as well as English on a state website!
At Language Translation, Inc. in San Diego, we don’t get involved in public political debates, but we do believe in the power of translation and interpretation in bringing communities together for business and other purposes. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information about our services and how we can make language work for you.
