Category | Op Ed

Talk louder! I don’t speak E-n-g-l-i-s-h

Published on October 9, 2007 by The Sentinel

    My recent trip to Montréal reminded me of what it’s like to be a
foreigner in a land where your native tongue isn’t the common
language.  Oh sure, many Montréalers do speak English as a first or
second language and effortlessly switch back and forth as needed.  And
thankfully my French is robust enough to get me along in most everyday
situations, but there were times where I found myself lost in
translation, unable to sort out what I was hearing.

    There are parallels to how many of the illegal
aliens feel here in the U.S.: bewildered, sometimes left out, and a
little uncertain of how they’re viewed by the majority.  Whether
trying to sort out an announcement about a delay on the metro or trying
to follow the announcer for the diving act at Le Ronde theme park, I
felt I was missing something.  But at the end of my stay, I can
return back to English-speaking Georgia; our Spanish-speaking
“illegals” aren’t nearly so lucky.

    For me it was missing the nuanced remarks of the
pensioners at the roulette table or the pop song that got an audience
on their feet and singing along.  Trying to imagine living like
that every day would be an impetus for me to want to learn more French,
to become more fluent, and to enjoy the richness of everyday
life.  The same is true of the illegals in our midst.  They
don’t enjoy being cut out of everyday life and who would?

    Yet, in Montéal I was hardly a minority.  There
is diversity, but most everyone looked pretty much like I did. 
Visiting relatives in New Mexico -now that’s really feeling like a
minority!  And yet there are few Americans who can switch between
languages as effortlessly as Montréalers do.  We prefer, and
sometimes demand, that people speak English, denying the reality around
us, and in the process undercutting our own marketability.  But
I’m not like most Americans.  Coming from Florida I’ve long known
how essential a second language, particularly Spanish, is, whether for
everyday use or in a career to get ahead.  But it isn’t all
altruistic, partly it’s so I don’t get caught in a situation where I
may well need it and regret not having it.

    Many others have beaten the dead horse about why
Americans need to learn a second language, and I’m certainly a believer
in that, yet few of us actually bother to learn one or grumble when
it’s required of us.  But we need to keep that in mind when we
toss around the “Speak English” epithet at foreigners.  They’re
likely trying quite hard to learn English, and it’s not that
easy.  It might be easier if we all acted as good neighbors and
tried to add to our own vocabulary. 

    There is an old expression about walking a mile in
someone else’s shoes, and I believe that is appropriate here. I didn’t
choose Montréal as a vacation spot because I know French, but it
certainly made it a lot easier to get around.  I’ve walked a mile
in those shoes and came back with more than good memories; I came back
with a new appreciation for what so many “illegals” have to endure
every day.