HispanicVista Columnists

Does Hearing Spanish Around You Bother You?

 By Domingo Ivan Casañas/HispanicVista.com

April 18, 2005

By now you know that at times I write about issues that might ignite someone’s fire.  Well, today I just need to speak about something that I tend to see more in this country than others.   I have been fortunate enough that in the last two years I have traveled to seven different countries and five different U.S.A. States.  What I have noticed is that many Americans do not like to hear someone speak Spanish in their presence.  

I can understand if we are in an office of three people and two of us are speaking Spanish this might be rude.  But what I am talking about is when it is out in the open or in an office where there are many employees and two fluent Spanish speaking associates or friends start speaking Spanish with each other. In the other countries that I have visited this has not been an issue.

Are people so paranoid to think that these two individuals must be speaking Spanish because they want to hide something from them or they think that they are speaking about him or her?  Whatever it may be it sure bothers many.  Frankly, I don’t see the problem here.  You see, it is a common human nature to always go back to your native tongue.  Especially, when you find someone else that shares it.  So in what way does the person that does not understand Spanish think that this is wrong?  Yes, I know we are in America and I agree that someone that comes from a Latin America country should learn the English language so that they can get by in this great country.  What I am talking about is when a bilingual person prefers to speak Spanish with a friend or associate, why is it that many, right away exclaim “Hey not around me” or “Hey speak English”. 

Yes there are times that it can be rude if you are in a scenario that you are the only one there and the other two persons are speaking Spanish, but again let me remind you that I am speaking about cases where that is not the situation.  When I traveled to other countries and would hook up with someone that spoke Spanish we would never get a negative respond.  However when I would speak Spanish in any of the States that I visited in the U.S.A. I would get the same type of  “ hey speak English” attitude or a look telling me that I am doing something wrong.  Why is this? 

On the other hand we have dedicated bilingual workers in all types of jobs and they are responsible for their everyday tasks and yet when they are needed to translate, they have to take extra time away from their own tasks to do so, and yet they are not rewarded for this additional duty.  These good workers should be compensated with some additional annual bonus, or hourly pay increase because they are generating more goodwill and business for whatever the establishment is.  I urge employers to recognize this great workers that are capable of doing their job in the two languages and are helping the business grow and doing it all with a smile. 

According to the Morning Sun.Net World News in April of 2001 in Minneapolis a business owner was convicted of beating a Hispanic man because he was outraged that he was speaking Spanish at work.  Mr. Cecil Reiners 57 was found guilty of a hate crime, first-degree assault.  His victim Jose Padilla 20 was speaking to two of Mr. Reiners employees in Spanish.  According to the witnesses who testified Mr. Reiners yelled at Padilla “we don’t speak Spanish here”.  Mr. Reiners will be in jail for over seven years because of the assault.  This goes to show you that this is real, unfortunately.

I am one of the last persons to complaint about discrimination; I have been fortunate enough to always go throughout my life with no chip on my shoulder, or expecting something for nothing.  The ACLU to me is like the Communist party; I don’t need their help in a country like the United States of America.   But I also know that at times we tend to pre-judge people, we tend to think that others are talking about us, if we hear them speak another language.  To this I say, let’s not be paranoid about it; let foreigners speak in their God given tongue.  Oh, now I really did it, some of you are saying  “hey  that is how the terrorist did it to us”.  Well, let’s look at that issue, what we need to do is be more aware of our surrounding, from what I have heard some of the terrorists bragged in English what they were about to do and no one report them.  Also, it is up to our immigration officials, border patrol, U.S. Government, CIA and FBI to do their best not to let any anti-Americans get a free chance to harm us.   And it is up to us as Citizens to report any negative that we see or hear. 

So, relax a bit let me speak my Spanish with a friend without getting rattled.  We are not talking about you.  We just feel more comfortable speaking our native tongue.  Comprendes?

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Domingo Ivan Casañas, a contributing columnist to HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com) was born in Cuba and currently writes for several local newspapers in his hometown of Pittsburg/Antioch area in No. California. Domingo is also an author of a new book that will be released in June 2005 with the name of:  CUBA THE TARNISHED PEARL. Domingo has been nominated for the Citizen of the Year recognition award in his  hometown of Antioch. Contact at: LatinoAchievers@aol.com