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Posts Tagged ‘bilingual’

Knowing more makes you stupid

1:10 pm By la Macha · Bilingualism| Education| Immigration| children · 6 Comments

7 Oct 2009

One of my biggest pet peeves about anti-immigration pro-nativist rhetoric is how it has created this universal idea in U.S. culture about what “stupid” really is, especially in the area of language. Specifically, if you don’t speak English, you are actually (among other things) stupid. Irritating logic to say the least, but somewhat understandable how easily racism can twist lack of comprehension into stupidity.

What is beyond fathomable–what just destroys my faith in humanity every time I hear it, is the idea that being *bilingual* (or speaking more than one language), means you are stupid. Or “lagging behind.” Or somehow unable to keep up with the world or simply unprepared for life.

Witness: This very interesting clip from CNN that showcases a white family that decided to send their white children to a school that teaches it’s kids in Spanish. Which means that the kids are fluently bilingual before they graduate.

Notice how many times the reporter let us know that the kids are not “lagging behind?” And that there is a waiting list to get into the school? And that, holy Jesus, it’s actually a GOOD thing to know more? That when you know more, you are actually SMARTER?

I’ve said it a thousand times, and I’ll say it again here. Only in the Good Ol’ U.S. of A. could the population be so blinded by racism that we actually refuse to be educated in the attempt to ‘be smart.”

Only here could we honestly take pride in and form a national identity around ignorance.

Betty Crocker goes bilingual

5:15 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism| Food| Marketing · Comments Off

10 Nov 2005

Betty gets sabrosa:

Betty Crocker may be the first lady of the American kitchen, but will she succeed as la gran dama de la cocina latina?

General Mills, the brand’s owner, and John Wiley and Sons, its exclusive book publisher, are betting she will.

In August they published Cocina Betty Crocker: Favorite American Recipes in Spanish and English. The book prints traditional American recipes such as apple pie and sloppy Joes side by side in the two languages. Next to instructions for Macaroni and Cheese, are directions for Macarrones con Queso.

No Spanish at work at all

8:05 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism| Politics| business · Comments Off

10 Nov 2005

The subject of company bans on the use of Spanish among employees has been getting a lot of pickup in the press lately. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Sephora (a favorite store of mine) was one of the first in a wave of businesses accused of imposing “English Only” rules:

Hispanic employees at a Sephora store in New York say their ability to speak Spanish was crucial when they were selling lipstick and eye shadow to well-heeled Chilean and Argentine tourists. But they say that if they uttered any Spanish to each other, even in the lunch room, they were reprimanded by managers.

Are employees filing more claims these days, or are employers becoming increasingly less tolerant of employees speaking their language in the workplace? Are we moving forward with regard to standing up for our rights or are this country’s workplaces beginning to mimic the conservative climate of the nation itself?

Shame on Sephora. And shame on any other business that tries to marginalize its employees because of the language they speak.

Via / Post-Gazette.com and Hispanic Tips

Kids Might Learn Spanish the Easy Way

3:43 pm By Maegan La Mala · Bilingualism| Education| Florida| children · 1 Comment

4 Nov 2005

Florida Senator Les Miller has proposed a bill that would require all students in the state from grades K – 2 have mandatory Spanish lessons starting in 2007.

First of all, I think this is a great idea. The article goes on to outline that the bill doesn’t really show where the money or the teachers would come from – that the idea is cool, but no one is sure how to implement it.

Once Again, Are We Speaking the Same Language?

11:32 am By Maegan La Mala · Bilingualism| Magazines| Marketing · 1 Comment

3 Nov 2005

As I was sitting in the doctor’s office yesterday, I picked up a magazine and conducted a quick research study – I guess that’s what happens when you make me wait so long!

The magazine was Latina, and something interesting popped out at me right away. The magazine is written in English – which gives me an idea right away that they must be targeting Latinos born in the US, who often are more comfortable with English than Spanish. So why are so many of the ads in Spanish?

Since I had the time, I counted them. I counted 78 ads overall: 51% were in Spanish, 42% in English, and the rest basically didn’t have any ad copy. Over half of the ads are in Spanish in a magazine that is written in English.

My assessment: This is an issue that we’ve discussed here at VL, from various angles, most recently with La Mala’s post, Aqui We No Watch Espanish. I think these companies say, “Hey, a Latino publication – stick our Latino ads in there. Hmm, but our Latino ads are in Spanish, and Latina is a magazine written in English. Oh well, it’s all the same anyway, isn’t it?”

Maybe there is some strategy out there that I don’t know about. Some detailed market research that would explain this. But my guess is that there is not. What advertising & marketing people are probably beginning to figure out is that the term Latino is very broad, and depending on which market segment they are after, the strategy is going to have to change.

Yo hablo coreano

2:20 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism · Comments Off

26 Sep 2005

I love stories of mestizaje, of cultures and languages intertwined, I guess because I am a mixed bag of idiomas and etnias myself. For that reason, today’s LA Times article on what I would call “the new face of bilingualism” made me smile. Not only does it speak to new immigrants’ capacity to adapt in the US, but also to the growing importance of Spanish in the world. This piece offers perspectives from Latinos who are learning Korean, and Koreans learning Spanish, as they live their lives side by side in Los Angeles’ Koreatown:

“At the beginning, English was very important – and it still is, if I need to go to a government office or court or get a license,” Aliaga, 32, said as he sat behind a small display case in his soccer-supply shop in Koreatown.

“For me, (learning Korean) is as important because I lived in Koreatown. Now I am able to communicate with Koreans.”

“In California, Spanish is more important than English,” said Paik, a Seoul native. “I haven’t found any inconvenience because I don’t speak English. … I don’t need to speak English. If you can speak Spanish, you can drive, employers can have clients, you can order in restaurants, you can do anything.”

Welcome to the new America.

Gilmore Girls: Rory Speaks Spanish

12:11 pm By Maegan La Mala · Bilingualism| TV · Comments Off

21 Sep 2005

While I was watching one of my favorite shows last night, the Gilmore Girls, I realized that while Rory was stumbling through a conversation in Spanish with the maid, Esperanza…there were no subtitles. This was a conversation that must have lasted at least one minute long.

Now it’s possible that they did not subtitle the conversation because it was not important to know what they were saying. But it’s also possible that we are now starting to see more obvious signs of an even more obvious trend.

Is the US getting to the point that it will just be expected thatthe general population has, at the very least, a basic level of Spanish? My opinion: If we’re not there today, we will be soon.

Freddie’s Stubborn Grandmother

11:52 am By Maegan La Mala · TV · Comments Off

19 Sep 2005

Related to a previous post “Español Ready for Primetime”, ABC will also air a new sitcom “Freddie” on October 5. The characters in the show will include Freddie’s (played by Freddie Prinze Jr.) grandmother, a temperamental woman who refuses to speak English and only responds in Spanish.

Her dialogue will apparently be subtitled for English-speaking viewers. Although I’m not sure that this sitcom will be long-lived, nor am I confident that this scenario is the most appropriate one, this is part of an overall trend to use and accept the Spanish language as part of American culture.

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