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Jan 21, 2007 I teach English as a second language to students in the United States of America who are either visiting the country on visa, citizen applicants, or naturalized citizens. Each semester, I have a classroom as diverse as my beloved country, with students originating from Peru, Germany, Poland, India, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Russia, Korea, Italy, Thailand, and a variety of other countries. The vast majority of my students are hard-working people, eager to learn the common language of our nation so that they can advance socially and economically to provide for their families and themselves. At the end of each semester, my students exit with the keys to successful verbal communication and it is an intensely rewarding experience for me to witness their transformations. Many of them exude a confidence that they did not have prior to understanding the language and happily speak of their dreams and goals. What concerns me, though, is the current gravitation towards officially altering the USA to a bi-lingual nation. This does not threaten me as an ESL teacher, for there are plenty of other teaching occupations I could and would gladly fill; but it does seriously concern me as an American citizen. One of the problems I can immediately foresee with such an official change would be that our familiar American political and legal terms could not be precisely translated into other languages. This would open up a canyon of misinterpretations of the law, no doubt resulting in a never-ending blizzard of lawsuits. Consider, also, the endless accommodations each state would have to make for other languages on driving tests. Officially embracing an additional language would open the door for other languages to be considered official. The states would be required to rewrite their driver's license tests in the four to five thousand languages in current use in order to accommodate every future applicant and would extend to other licenses. How many languages would one see a “Stop” sign in? We would not be able to fit them all on one pole. Currently, foreign language ballots for US elections are provided in more than 375 voting districts. This appears to be conflicting with the law, which requires naturalized citizens to read, write, and speak basic English. Knowing that only legal citizens may vote, the foreign language ballots seem unnecessary. Think about our basic need for public safety as well. It is vital for a country to have a unified language to communicate danger, safety rules, directions, warnings, etc. How else would we be able to successfully aid everyone in times of disaster? As an American, I embrace multiculturalism and enjoy the different dialects our country’s citizens have. I also do not in any way think that people should stop speaking another language just because they are learning English. In fact, I tell all of my students who know another language that it will be of great benefit to them culturally, economically, and socially to know more than one language. It is imperative, though, to have a unified, national system for disseminating information. Without one, we will be a nation of confused people, literally without a clue as to what others are trying to tell us. ------------ About the author: Christine Bruness is a published author and artist who creates "nonlinear art from the heart". She believes in the infinite power of nature and recognizes the great potential of dreams and imagination. Her artwork and/or poetry most recently appeared in Skyline Magazine, Haiku Haven, Bewildering Stories, Because We Write, Ken*Again, 63 Channels, Spinnings, Transcendent Visions, Poet's Ink Review, Poet Express, Roses and Rainbows, Musings, SP Quill, OCEAN, Bolts of Silk, A Hudson View, Charlotte's Web, The Cynic Online Magazine: Cafe Del Sol, Wild Violet, and WOMB. Her first published book of poetry, Imbalance, An Experimental Collection of Micro Stories and Poetry received the Rose/Rosemary Zientek Award. In 2005, Christine received an Arts Grant from the NJ Meadowlands Commission for her original abstract artwork. She lives in NJ with her husband Richard and their two cats Daisy and Shadow. The couple created a small backyard sanctuary, certified by the National Wildlife Federation, to promote the environment in the area. Strays often visit and are always fed and welcome. Email: chatnoir@comcast.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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