Language as a measure of diversity

Gary Jacobsen
Published: September 29, 2008

In spite of the anti-Hispanic policies that local elected officials have pushed during the past year, our community remains diverse and, for the most part, a desirable place to live. Contrary to the desires of
the politicians, businesses, government offices and private individuals throughout Prince William County have made worthwhile efforts to ensure that everyone is welcome.

The Prince William County school system, for example, has a comprehensive ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program in order to meet the needs of students that represent over 120
different languages and cultures. The main ESOL office Web page also includes the following commendable statement: “We, the teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program of
Prince William County Public Schools, believe that speakers of other languages hold the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as other students in the United States.”

Additionally, some of the school district’s Web pages are in different languages to meet the needs of parents and students. For example, The Central Registration and Languages Center provides pages in
both English and Spanish.

The Northern Virginia Community College also promotes language diversity. The Woodbridge campus, for example, will offer 23 sections of Spanish instruction this fall, more than any other language and
more than in any previous year.

Many county activities also try to be inclusive. The Chinn Park Regional Library has an excellent collection of books in Russian, German, French and Spanish, both for students and for adults. Right next
door, the Chinn Aquatics and Fitness Center attempts to meet the needs of its many patrons by having signs in both English and Spanish (locker instructions, spas, etc.) Additionally, when I visited the
pool recently I was pleased to discover that two of the lifeguards had at least a working grasp of Spanish.

Elsewhere, the county police offices at the Gar-Field sub-station are noteworthy in that they have numerous signs in both English and Spanish to assist persons who have business with the police or with
the magistrate.

Local businesses have perhaps done the most to communicate with all county residents, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. McDonald’s restaurants, Auto Zone, Home Depot, Shopper’s Pharmacy
and Lowe’s are among those leading the way in hiring multi-lingual workers and in posting signs that are both in English and in Spanish. In addition, Lowe’s maintains a “Language Line” at customer
service counters in each store. At the touch of a button, a customer can access a translation service of more than 100 different languages, so they can shop for home improvement products in the
language that makes them feel most comfortable. In addition, “help” buttons, located throughout the store aisles, are primarily in English, but can be found also in Spanish, depending on the market.

The Sport & Health Club in Woodbridge stands out as another business that promotes and respects diversity. Membership counselors who speak both English and Spanish are available at all times to
accommodate members with different backgrounds. Lifeguards are temporary workers from Eastern Europe, and they speak not only English but also Russian, Ethiopian, Ukrainian or Polish, depending
on the country they came from.

In spite of all these positive trends, some politicians in our area contend that only English should be spoken or appear in written documents because English is the “official language” in the state. The
Code of Virginia, however, neither requires nor prohibits government operations in languages other than English. The relevant statutes on this issue do not, of course, apply to private businesses and to
individuals, regardless of the circumstances.

Gary Jacobsen lives in Woodbridge. Contact him at .