It’s a common demand that, upon moving to the US, immigrants should immediately learn English, and, after a relatively short amount of time, the expectation is that the level of English should be fluent, ideally without an accent, and generally delivered in a way that is easily understood by everyone.
After living and working abroad in both Japan and Albania, and traveling to several different countries, it occurs to me that most native English speakers, particularly in the US where travel is not as common, truly have no idea how privileged they are to have had the luck of being born in an English speaking country. Most of the people who demand the loudest that others learn English usually only speak one language themselves- oh, right, conveniently, English. The unacknowledged privilege is strong when it comes to language, ease of travel, ease of work, and respect.
Being a Foreign Worker and Not Knowing the Local Language: My Experience
This isn’t a revelation, but I don’t speak Albanian. Still, I accepted a job in Albania, and moved here. I was not required to learn any Albanian in order to obtain a work visa, and knowing Albanian is not a requirement of my job. Since I’ve been here I have learned the following:
Please, thank you, good morning, good day, good bye, yes, no, numbers (for counting and money), I’d like____, Can I have_________. I have also learned the Albanian alphabet and how to read Albanian.
And that’s it.
The extent of my Albanian language ability is contained in two lines of a blog post. I have accepted work in, and moved to, a foreign country where I do not know the language. I am trying, I am, and I love learning languages so I will continue. But between work and my daily life and cleaning my house or going out with friends or running errands I’m not dedicating hours a day to the endeavor. I find the Albanian language fascinating and difficult, and I want to learn more of it. For now, I’m just grateful that some Albanians speak enough basic English for me to get by. Most also speak fluent Italian, and my Spanish is basic; people will graciously accept the challenge of my speaking struggle Spanish, and their speaking awesome Italian. Between the two of us, we figure out about 75% of the point of the conversation.
I’m grateful for the kindness and patience I have been shown as a foreigner who speaks little to no Albanian. Because make no mistake, this is not the way foreigners without English, living in America, are treated. Not by a long shot.
I think of the vitriol with which the subject is often approached in America. A lot of people have a lot of strong opinions on how “they” should learn English if “they’re” coming to “our” country. Apparently, pressing 1 for English is an arduous task that is too much to ask, and signs in languages other than English are offensive.
I shudder to think how people would react if they knew that the man who works downstairs in my building at the convenience store kindly typed out my total in his calculator so that I could see it, since I had not yet learned the numbers- that’s far more work than simply pressing 1, y’all. They might be stunned at the effort expended by my neighbors who, realising I didn’t speak Albanian, asked me if I spoke English. When I said yes, one ran- yes, ran- off to find someone who did, who could help me. He came back and translated for me, with a smile on his face. I said thank you in Albanian, and he said you’re welcome in English.
The man in the first floor of our apartment building sells fruit and veggies, as well as other random household items. One Saturday, as I was getting my fruits and veggies from him, his young son was there, watching. The man handed me bags as I pointed, smiled, and said thank you. He tallied it all up and wrote it down with a smile. He bagged it all up for me. I gave him my money and told him goodbye in his language, which I don’t yet speak very well.
That child saw his father being helpful and kind to someone who was different from him- someone who didn’t even speak the same language. When I am reduced to pointing and smiling, I feel like a child. But so far I have never been made to feel ashamed, and I am incredibly grateful.
I know I am more trouble than someone who speaks Albanian. I know that it is more work to help me. I sometimes feel embarrassed that I don’t know more. I am trying to learn more. These barriers are not always easy. But shaming me for not knowing, or treating me poorly, wouldn’t make it easier. Those in the US often confront this issue with a vehemently unforgiving approach. But you can’t hate someone into learning something. Furthermore, 75% of Americans only speak one language. At the same time, 43% of Americans say you should learn as many languages as possible. 77% of white people think it’s essential for immigrants to learn English, but only 20% of white people think it’s essential for Americans to learn a second language. So you have an overwhelming majority of people demanding something that a) they themselves have never done and b) they don’t even think they should have to do in general.
Shared language is valuable. But if we get there with racist commentary intended to shame, coupled with unreasonable expectations for fluency and how fast that fluency is achieved, any connection via language is diminished by feeling ostracised from the larger community until one has “perfect” language command.
Compassion, not Criticism, When Dealing with Language Barriers
I teach children who do not speak English, and often we don’t have a shared language. The other day I found a child sobbing in the halls, inconsolable. I asked the other children “Please, ask him what is wrong!” Among them they spoke English, and each one also spoke a first language- Turkish, Albanian, Italian- but still none of us spoke his language. He was from Montenegro.
I rubbed his back and the Albanian cleaning lady wiped his tears, but we couldn’t say anything else. It’s a terribly frustrating thing to be separated by a language barrier like that. Of course there is immense value in a shared language for connection. But it takes time to get there. We can react to it by ignoring it, because it’s too hard, or we can react to it with anger because it’s annoying, or we can react to it by just being as nice as we can despite the fact that we can’t really talk at all with one another.
Sometimes when Scott, Tiara, Bobby, and I are out talking and laughing in English I think I have a small bit of an understanding of the experience of the Chinese women in my old neighborhood who knew very little English. They would sit and visit and eat together, comfortable speaking their language with one another and feeling connected in an English speaking world where they were, by and large, isolated. Of course the difference is that many people here do speak English, and I am, by dumb luck, a person who grew up speaking a language that is a very common and sought after second language.
Scott’s couch surfer, Julius, commented that it must be nice to be able to go virtually anywhere in the world and hear one’s native language. It’s a convenience and a privilege that far too many English speakers take for granted.
Those Who Speak No Second Language Demanding It of Others
Growing up in Texas, I have seen firsthand how cruel the conversation around immigrants and English can be. There is a common stereotype that immigrants don’t learn English, even though 50% of immigrants have strong English proficiency. Compare that to the fact that, as noted, 75% of Americans don’t speak a second language. It’s bizarre that those without a capability are shaming others for their lack, when that lack isn’t even a reality.
I teach at an international school filled with tens of languages, yet everyone is being educated in English, and seeking to learn English. That is a huge expanse of unearned privilege that I have just by virtue of being born in an English speaking country.
I am grateful that I, as a foreign worker in Albania, am not treated the same way foreign workers and/or non-English speakers are treated by some in America. I cannot imagine how much harder my life would be if I were treated with derision and handled rudely, if I were to be scoffed at or ignored, or if I would be not so gently “encouraged” to learn the language or get out. I know this is a complex topic and that it is wrapped up in many different issues.
Once you’re actually experiencing it, though, once you’re on the other side of it and you are the foreigner benefiting from the kindness of strangers, it is impossible to maintain a hardline stance. You see the need and the benefit of compassion and nuance.
I wish more people could have this experience so that they could have some compassion and understanding. You can’t hate someone into changing, and you have to acknowledge your own privilege before you demand something of others that have less privilege than you.
When people who have never learned a second language, never immigrated to another country, and have had the benefit of traveling the world and only speaking English want to pontificate on how others should learn a language, frankly I’m not listening.
Originally published October 6th, 2012, on Blogger
