Америка - страна без языка

[peacetraveler22]

Did you know the USA has no official language? Last week, I sat in an Arlington, Virginia Immigration Court with two of my teenage clients from El Salvador. The room was stuffed with illegals waiting for their first hearing before the Court. This is standard practice, where the Judge sits on the bench, calls one party after the other, and reads the Department of Homeland Security's charges against the illegal. Over 80% of the people in the tiny room had no attorney, and simply showed up because they were instructed to, without the ability to speak or understand any English. However, this is the USA, the country with no native tongue, so there is no cause for concern. :)

Interpreters are provided for everyone in the Courts. Immediately, the Judge explained to the entire crowd why they were there, the purpose of the proceeding, and then echoed the magic words that "no one will be deported today...on this day, only the charges against you will be read, and you must designate a country for removal in the event you are not granted legal status in the U.S. at your full hearing." Absolutely every word the Judge spoke was immediately translated into Spanish by a live Court interpreter. At every Court appearance, and even at full hearings, an Interpreter is provided for non-English speakers free of charge. Sometimes the Interpreter is arranged in advance, sometimes you hear urgent calls over the Court intercoms for a Chinese interpreter, an Arabic interpreter, even Vietnamese. The list of languages is endless...

Why does America have no official language? Because the founding Fathers left this issue out when they drafted the U.S. Constitution. At almost every session of Congress, an amendment to the Constitution, making English the official language of the USA, is proposed. The proposed legislation usually reads something like this:

"The English language shall be the official language of the United States. As the official language, the English language shall be used for all public acts including every order, resolution, vote, or election, and for all records and judicial proceedings of the Government of the United States and the Governments of the several States."

Yet these Constitutional amendments have never passed at the Federal level. It's not really surprising given that America is an immigrant nation, the melting pot of the world where many cultures blend together to form a singular nation. At the State level, many regions have made English their official language for government business. Actually, I was quite surprised when I looked at the map, which you can see below. Why has only one of the New England States made English the official language?? Strange!



The majority of Americans (over 85% in recent polls) support making English the official language at ALL levels, and it's a constant source of debate and aggravation. I've seen protests here in Washington, DC on the issue several times.

Private owner of a small restaurant :)



Bumper sticker on car:



A Georgia driver who is passionate about the topic. :)



Personally, I have mixed feelings on this issue. I think interpreters should be provided at the Court and judicial level, but I also find it extremely annoying to call any service provider on the telephone and immediately hear an option to "Press 1" for Spanish. Similarly, it's common to be in a restaurant or retail space and encounter workers who don't understand or speak any English, despite the fact that they are working with the public. If you visit certain parts of the USA, including some neighborhoods in my area, you may feel that Spanish is the official language of the country. :)

What do you think? Should interpreters be provided in Courts? How does it work in Russia? If someone doesn't understand Russian are they out of luck? Or, will the Courts try to provide translation assistance? And the main question - can a country without an official language ever be truly unified?