Posts Tagged ‘language’
Wanna Cheesesteak? Speak English
3:15 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Food| Immigration| language · 15 Comments
13 Jun 2006
Does your mouth water at the idea of a succulent Philly Cheesesteak sandwich? Maybe you’ve been to Philadelphia’s famed eatery Geno’s and had one there. Next time you go, keep in mind that your English better be up to par if you want to order yourself one of these puppies:
A sign in a landmark Philadelphia restaurant asking customers to order in English is sparking controversy in the metropolis known as the “City of Brotherly Love.”
The owner of Geno’s Steaks said on Thursday that the sign, “This is America — when ordering speak English,” is intended to encourage immigrants to learn the language and assimilate into U.S. society, but one Latino activist said it’s racist.
First of all, I’ve never seen a Spanish speaker expect a non-Spanish speaker to understand what he’s saying — I see them struggling with the little English they know. That said, is this sign a reaction to the fact that Spanish-speaking customers are communicating with Spanish-speaking employees in their native language? Sorry, but you can’t restrict that.
The White House has trouble with “English”
8:40 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Politics| language · 2 Comments
19 May 2006
Lots of buzz around the topic of the English as the official language of the U.S. On the Reuters news website, Alberto Gonzales’s explaining away of the issue is classified under the heading “World Crises”:
President George W. Bush has long opposed making English the country’s national language, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on Friday, a day after the Senate voted to do so, but the White House said later Gonzales had got caught in a “linguistic snare.”The Senate vote came in an amendment to proposed legislation overhauling U.S. immigration law and directed the government to “preserve and enhance” the role of English. Opponents said it could affect the status of some multilingual services offered by government organizations.
Adding to the confusion, the Senate also adopted a softer amendment calling English the “unifying language” of the United States. Senators take both versions into negotiations over a final bill with the U.S. House of Representatives.
Gonzales is quick to defend Dubya by saying:
“The president has never supported making English the national language,” Gonzales said after meeting with state and local officials in Texas to discuss cooperation on enforcement of immigration laws.
He said Bush has instead long supported a concept called “English-Plus,” believing that it was good to be proficient in more than one language.Later on Friday, the White House weighed in to clarify Gonzales’ remarks, saying the president does not believe in English as an “official” language.
Apparently the “little mix up” stemmed from confusion around the terms “national language” and “official language”, according to Reuters.
Related:
Via / Reuters
MTV goes Spanglish
10:51 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism| TV · 4 Comments
4 Apr 2006
Just when you thought the world had enough MTV channels — with what seems like millions in Latin America, Asia and Europe — MTV has announced its new venture, MTV Tr3s.
Tr3s is a new channel catering to the much underserved US Latino market, aged 18-34, an untapped demographic which advertisers have been waiting to target, but up until this point haven’t been able to do en masse because of the lack of content available to support them.
The channel is said to have a “Spanglish” format, which put in the hands of MTV makes me a bit wary, as I commented on another blog today. I am cautiously optimistic, however.
What would be really interesting to see would be Tr3s with content similar to that of MTV, which goes beyond videos to offer reality shows, gossip, celebs, etc. Not because I am particularly inclined towards that kind of programming, but because I think viewers will be. A TV version of VivirLatino might be a good idea, no, MTV? Gimme a call.
Via / Reuters
Santana makes fans vibrate?
2:46 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism| Celebrities| language · Comments Off
23 Mar 2006
Proof that translation is thorny terrain. We reference a lot of stories from QuePasa.com here on VL but the headline of this one really stood out to me for obvious reasons:
Santana makes thousands of Peruvians vibrate in concert
Oh, goodness.
Lima, Peru, March 22, 2006 (Notimex).- Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana made thousands of Peruvians vibrate in a concert last Tuesday at the Monumental Stadium, east of Lima, the Peruvian media said today.
Is that a good or a bad thing? And is it legal to do that in public?
Via / Que Pasa
Lost in Musical Translation
26 Dec 2005
I wish that more Latino musicians would stick with the language that made them popular. I love Shakira’s music when the accompanying lyrics are in Spanish. I don’t like Shakira as much when the words coming out of her mouth are in English. I think that unfortunately much is lost in translation. I understand that it is important for Latino artists to attempt to capture the U.S. market but nowadays that doesn’t mean you have to sing in English.
Two factors have apparently spurred growth of the Spanish-language music market in the United States. The main one is the burgeoning Latino population, currently more than 42 million — practically a country within a country. Some in the music industry also say there is increased interest for Latin music on the part of Anglos, although that may just be wishful thinking. According to Alberto del Castillo, vice president of marketing at Fonovisa Records, a Univision company, ”it is definitively not necessary” to sing in English to sell in the United States.
Via / Monterry Herald
Latinos Surfing in Two Worlds
26 Dec 2005
Latinos in the U.S. don’t just live in two worlds, we web surf in two worlds too. According to an article in this month’s Hispanic Business, 70% of English speaking Latinos are plugged in. We prefer the English language internet when we’re at work (is that when you are reading VL?), while we gravitate to Spanish language or bilingual sites in the comfort of our homes. The article also states that:
11.3 million individuals (79 percent) expressed a preference for English or bilingual online materials. More specifically: 7.5 million of the total Hispanic audience (52 percent) prefer English and another 3.8 million (27 percent) prefer bilingual materials.
Via / Hispanic Business
Canada: Spanish Spoken Here
26 Dec 2005
Latinos are representing in Canada, about 700,000 strong making them the third largest minority in that country according to the Toronto Star.
Via / The Latin Americanist
Just Say Feliz Navidad and Be Done With It?
20 Dec 2005
With media talking heads and politicians worrying about how to properly greet people during the winter holidays without offending anyone or leaving anyone out (because it’s not like there’s a war going on or anything), according to DiversityInc, Christian Science Monitor columnist and comedian Julia Gorin has the solution, just say “Feliz Navidad”. According to the article:
Her solution stems from the knowledge that Latino cultures so far don’t seem to be troubled by wording complexes. “Latin Americans, for example, aren’t about to alter the greeting ‘Feliz Navidad.’ Like the song says, ‘Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas….’ It doesn’t say, ‘Feliz Día de Fiesta! Feliz Día de Fiesta!’ In fact, the Yahoo! dictionary doesn’t even have a translation for ‘holiday’ in Spanish,” says Gorin.
High Demand for Minority Caregivers
5 Dec 2005
It seems that no matter what part of the country you are located, there is a huge demand for health professionals to help meet the diverse needs of the U.S. population.
According to the San Bernardino County Sun, minorities “…hold the majority of all chronic disease statistics,” yet they are the minority among health care professionals.
This disparity has to change in order to adequately meet the needs of all patients. The question then is how will the health community recruit more minorities into the health profession? The interesting thing is that this recruiting effort must go beyond simply hiring more minorities, and an effort must be made to recruit individuals that have an understanding of language and cultural differences.
Among the Latino population, language is one of many barriers to health care. One in four is uninsured and one in seven has Type II diabetes.
Read My Lips: Subtitles Distract Me
4:00 pm By Maegan La Mala · Bilingualism| Marketing| Movies| TV · Comments Off
9 Nov 2005
I understand and accept the use of Spanish subtitles in English language movies. It lets Hollywood attract the dollars, I mean, attention, of non-English dominant Latinos who would stay away otherwise. According to a recent report subtitled movies can bring in up to 40% of theatre revenue and comprise nearly the same percentage of movies rented. I’m almost ashamed to admit that I agree with an anonymous gringa who reported being annoyed with subtitles in a Chicago area theatre.
Hola!
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- Pedro Julio Serrano on the Murder of Lopez Mercado
- Bay Area Community Members to Hold Vigil and Release Statement about Murders in Maryland and Puerto Rico
- Transgender Day of Remembrance and Latin@s
- Dear Troll(s):
- Puerto Rican, Latino Clergy, Theology Professors, Community Members To Condemn Brutal Hate Killing of Gay Puerto Rican Man
- Vigils for Justice y en Memoria de Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado
- Russell Athletic rehires fired union organizers
- When Things Go Wrong…Terribly Wrong.
- Official VivirLatino Statement on Lou Dobbs Leaving CNN
- Sexual Violence Against Women in Immigrant Detention
