By: Paolo Ramos / Staff Writer
Assimilation should not be an option when moving to another country. The responsibility of learning the predominant language of that country should be a high priority, as it benefits the people moving into the country and allows for the country to better serve them.
In the United States, English is the predominant language spoken and used in federal and business transactions. Therefore, it should be expected of those desiring to live and do business in the U.S. to at least have a working knowledge of English.
Living in Miami undoubtedly exposes us to countless nuances and eccentricities, the by-products of the high cultural diversity within the city. This may also be a cause of frustration for some when trying to interact or do business in a city where the cultures and languages are not familiar.
The fact that Miami is so embracing of other cultures is often taken advantage of, and some who live and do business here have forgotten that cultural adaptation is a two-way street.
By living in the U.S., learning the language spoken by the majority of the country should be a necessity when choosing to live here, if for nothing more than to demonstrate courtesy for the generous hospitality offered by living here.
Miami, unlike most of the U.S., is considered to be more of a cultural mosaic rather than a melting pot, in that most immigrants from other countries can comfortably express their culture.
There is a fine line, however, between freedom of expression and outright disregard for a home country’s customs.
As of the year 2000 census, 80 percent of people living in the U.S. listed English as their first language. When compared to this data, Miami seems like a far outlier, with 75 percent listing other languages other than English as their first language.
Although these statistics may be accurate, they are potentially problematic considering the divide presented between small segments of the country in relation to the country as a whole.
In the U.S., unity between all states and the cities within them is important and idealized, in spite of the varying demographic degrees such as culture. Language, however, must be one of the key ties within all areas of the country.
Even my family has directly experienced the difficulty caused by the lack of English-speaking ability present in Miami.
Earlier last year, my father visited a tag agency in Hialeah to complete the registration for his car. The person he dealt with had difficulty speaking English, but reassured my dad that everything was in order. A few months later, I had to borrow my dad’s car in order to get my driver’s license. When the agent at the DMV ran his registration through, it did not show his car as being registered.
The language barrier present between the tag agency employee and my dad could have caused many more complications if it was discovered in a more drastic scenario.
It can be understood that businesses tailor their ways of communication to their intended audience.
Admittedly, Miami does have many ethnic pockets, and businesses should be entitled to serve them as such. However, when dealing with transactions that have the potential to produce serious legal ramifications, the language used must be understandable by every party involved.
In such transactions, English should always be the primary option as they deal with parties higher than local customers.
It is imperative that learning English be reinforced in the U.S., especially when related to important federal and business transactions.
Those immigrating into the country need to understand that English is the primary language used in everyday life in the U.S., and that though cultural expression is embraced, cultural assimilation is also expected.
Though the U.S. has not adopted a national language, many states have adopted English as the official language, including Florida.
A solution that may provide more incentive to acquire English would be to adopt a naturalization process similar to France.
In France, knowledge of the language and cultural customs carry much weight in the decision to naturalize a petitioner. In order to facilitate this process, the Department of Immigration could also offer a crash course in English language and U.S. customs in order to streamline the process.
Diversity should be embraced, but we ultimately live in a country where English is the most common language used for communication.
As a former immigrant, I have experienced first-hand what it is like to move to a country where the language and culture is unfamiliar. Even so, it can and should be done if you want to be a contributing member of society.
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