Issues
Official English
Bilingual Education
English on the Job
Citizenship and Immigration
Bilingual Ballots
Puerto Rican Statehood
Ending E.O. 13166, the "Multilingual Mandate"


Contact us:
1601 N. Kent St.
Suite 1100
Arlington, VA
22209
ph: (703)816-8821

Immigrants must learn to speak the English language.
by Gloria Bertram
The [Utah] Spectrum & Daily News editorial board

Long ago immigrants came from many places to pursue a better life. They came from Ireland, France, Italy, England, etc. We had several languages spoken, and while people maintained their traditions and cultural expressions, it became necessary for them to learn English in order to succeed and accomplish their "American Dream."

Although immigrants are still coming for the same reasons their European predecessors came, our country has become so accommodating that English is almost no longer required to survive in this "Land of Freedom." Governmental programs are printed in several languages and it is hard to come by an automated telephone system that doesn't say "Para Español numero dos."

There are great workers in this country who don't speak English. But how can they ever aspire to be sitting in a better place if they cannot communicate? If they indeed have the talents to grow, then they are their worst enemy when it comes to promoting opportunities. And so are we, by creating a system that is too accommodating to their language.

As much as we appreciate the labor force immigrants represent, as long as they are legal, we would appreciate it even more if they learned English. There are many free tools to do so, like our weekly English lessons in el Sol Newspaper, ESL classes and just integrating into American society where they have no choice but to speak the language.

This is not a request to forget where they came from or abandon their traditions and culture. This is not even a request for immigrants to stop speaking their native language. This is a free country and people can speak in whatever language they feel more comfortable speaking, but English must be learned to adapt and incorporate into American society. It is not the American society who should adapt and accommodate their language. It is the immigrants who should adapt to ours.

Gloria Bertram is the employee representative on The Spectrum & Daily News editorial board.

This article is reprinted by ProEnglish, a non-profit organization for education and legal advocacy, under fair-use copyright laws. All copyrights are retained by the Spectrum and Daily News.