language is one of the most important things people use to communicate 3

8/7/2019 Language is One of the Most Important Things People Use to Communicate 3

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Running Header: Language 1

The Effects of Language on the Social Mobility of

Latinos.

Cherie Skidmore

Indiana University east

April 22, 2011


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Abstract

How does language affect the social mobility of Latino in

America? Language influences all aspects of ones life whether

they speak English, Spanish or both languages. Language can have

an effect on education, health, employment and causes

discrimination, which in turn affect ones social mobility in

life. In addition, if they are bilingual it can cause different

effects, negative or positive on ones life. Outcomes will be

different if someone is bilingual compared to if someone only

speaks Spanish. The social mobility of Latino is limited due to

the constraints of language. They have a harder time improving

their life because the language barrier can hold them back. It

is hard to move up in life when so many things are limited by

the language one speaks.


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Introduction

Language has a large effect on social mobility. When a

person cannot communicate effectively with those around them, it

is harder for them to excel and move up in the world. Language

affects health, education, employment and causes discrimination.

These things all affect social mobility. When language conflicts

arise, things cannot be done. Many Latinos speak only Spanish,

while others are bilingual. When a person cannot communicate in

a way that can be understood by those around them they might not

receive the help they need, or they may lose out on something

due to misunderstandings. Ones health could turn for the worse

if you cannot explain what is wrong or receive the care you

need. One can lose out on a good education if there language

keeps them from learning what they need to know, and keeps them

from graduating from high school or going to college. In

addition, any employment they might be able to get will be

limited if an employer is not able communicate with the employee

well.

A large majority of Latinos live in poverty are unable to

move out of it. Language is one of the things that hinder this.

Language affects all of their life and is one of the harder

things to change, as a person gets older.


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Health

One of the most important things that are affected by language

is a persons health. Many Latinos come to the United States and

only speak Spanish and it is not as easy for them to pick up

another language. Because of this, they might not get the

healthcare they need, as they cannot communicate their

needs.Many of them are reluctant to seek care because the

experiences can be negative for them because of the language

barrier.In addition, Latino parents area lot more apt to say

that their children are in poorer health than parents that are

not Latino (Tiara, 2006).

One way language affects their health is by limiting their

access to health care. As many of them do not speak English,

they have a hard time making appointments, explaining to a

doctor or nurse what is wrong and understanding any questions

about their problem, or information about after care and any

information about the sickness they might have. They receive

less preventive services and less access than people who speak

English (Taira, 1999). This increases how often they are sick

and their chances at having a serious illness.

Not being able to communicate will healthcare workers also

causes many of Latinos to avoid seeking healthcare until the

last possible minute because they only speak Spanish. When they


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wait so long to receive needed care, it makes things worse.

They could have an infection that could have spread far, they

could have missed out on having cancer detected in its early

stages and an injury might not be able to be repaired as well or

repaired at all because they waited. In addition, many Latinos

see caregivers as less caring when there is a language barrier

between them and that also makes them avoid seeking healthcare,

when they might see it as a negative experience(Sandoval-

Griffen, 2009). One example is of a young man who had a growth

on his leg and went to an emergency room to seek care. Because

of his lack of English, he left withhaving received no help at

all. The healthcare givers were not fully able to understand

what was wrong and told him they could not help him. It was days

later he got lucky to come across a mobile clinic with a Spanish

speaker who was able to help him and tell he had a fungus and

give him medicinefor him (Sandoval-Griffen, 2009). He had to

wait longer to receive care because he only spoke Spanish and

that is a problem many of Latinos deal with. Having to go to

multiple places to seek help delays medical care for the

problems at hand and can end with serious complications and

consequences. One Latinos had injured his back and after seeking

care at multiple places, he was finally able to be seen at one

hospital with a translator. Due to the time he had to travel and


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time taken to get help, it caused more damage to his back and he

now has serious back problems and is unable to work anymore.

This person has now been left with in poverty because he cannot

work, taking away his chances at social mobility.

There is also a problem for them when it comes to receiving

prescriptions, as many are of the instructions for them are not

translated or not translated correctly. In one investigation

done it was discovered that in the majority of states a

pharmacy was not required to provide anything translated for

them or any kind of verbal explanation of the medicine (Sangha,

2011). Many computer programs used by pharmacies have an error

rate of 50% (Sangha, 2011). Many phrases not translated are

apply topically, for 7 days, for 30 days, apply to

affected areas, with juice, take with food, and once a

day (Sangha, 2011) .More efficient methods are needed for

translating instructions for prescriptions by either changing

the computer programs they have or having access to a

translator. When one does not understand how to correctly take

the medicine they have or have the instructions translated

incorrectly that is very dangerous for them. It could make them

sicker, cause damage to their body or even kill them. There is

an increased chance of overdosing on the prescribed medicine or

not getting enough to take care of the illness at hand.


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There have been a few studies documenting the healthcare

problems Latinos face. One study was done using Symbolic

interactionism. Using this can help to increase understanding

into the experiences of those used in the study. It used

ethnographic methods to describe immigrant Mexican-origin

adolescents' experiences accessing health care in the U.S. and

identified their perceived barriers to and facilitators of

accessing health care services(Garcia, & Duckett, 2009). They

interviewed 14 Latino youth who had not been in the US very long

and did not speak English. They asked them to describe in detail

their experiences in trying to get healthcare. All the

participants said language barrier was the reason for having

problems in receiving healthcare (Garcia, & Duckett, 2009). They

said it was harder to receive care when they did not speak

English and they had more negative experiences because of that

(Garcia & Duckett, 2009).One example given by one of the

participants was when he had a fractured arm. He had to leave

one clinic and look for help in another because they first had

no one there to speak Spanish and he could not communicate with

anyone so he could receive the needed care (Garcia & Duckett,

2009).

Another study that was done gavequestionnaires to 645

Latinos, 584 Caucasians, and 514 AfricanAmericans who were from


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California. They questioned the participants about how they

rated their health, how often they got sick, and how often they

sought medical care when they were, how often they got checkups

and routine care. Results from the study showed that the Latino

participants rated their health more often as below average than

the Caucasian and African Americanparticipants did( Garcia, &

Duckett, 2009). They also were sick more often and only a small

percentage, 35% sought medical care when they were ill, with

most who did seek care, was only doing so when theyno longer

able to handle how they felt. Latinos also how fewer checkups

and less routine care than the Caucasian and African American

participants( Garcia, & Duckett, 2009).

All of the things that have been mentioned above as

problems for Spanish speaking Latinos. When they speak English,

things are very different for them. They can easily make

appointments, there less confusion when they speak with

healthcare givers and they are more willing to seek help quicker

when sick, as the language barrier is gone. They have fewer

worries when they can be understood and their experiences are

more positive which encourage them to continue to seek help

more.

Education


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Without an education a person will go nowhere, they will not be

able to move out of poverty. Without aneducation, one cannot

attend college and get agood job.Language limits what one learns

in school when they cannot speak English. 45% of Latino students

are English language learners (Cortina, 2006). From adolescence

and up,having to learn a second language is harder and can take

more time, which can slow students learning at school. Latinos

students are performing more poorly on national tests than

others with only According to the 2005 National Assessment of

Educational Progress, only 13% of fourth-grade Hispanic students

and 15% of eighth-grade students met proficiency reading

standards (Cellitti, 2008).

There are many ELL interventions that exist and many do not

work because they did not give enoughhelp to these students.

The teachers focus on academic skills and not enough on language

skills (Cellitti, 2008). There are two main types that are used.

One is a bilingual education class, where the class is taught in

the students home language and also in English. This way has

been shown to help students learn English and to keep up with

other students academically. Many people are against bilingual

education believing school should be English only. The other way

is the immersion class where it is taught completely in English

as many think this is the best way to learn English the


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fastest(Musetti, Salas & Perez, 2009). In addition, many areas do

not even have these programs nor any Spanish-speaking faculty in

which to help students and communicate with them and their

families.Non-English speaking students are absent more, have

lower grades, have higher dropout rates, and attend college

less.

Teachers who have not taken classes on Bilingual education may

not be able to relate to minority children and because of this,

they may treat them differently. Children quickly notice this

and then are often intimidated when in the classroom. "Many

young people may know some English but do not speak it in

classrooms for fear of being ridiculed by peers and criticized

by teachers.(Musetti, Salas & Perez, 2009). So many people

think that because a lot of Latinos do not speak English they do

not want their children to learn English, but the truth is, this

is a big misconception. The majority ofLatinosknow that English

is importantfor their children to succeed and achieve in the US

(Roach, 2006). In order for anyone to be able to fully achieve

in the society of today they need to know English. Latino

families are the most likely to be using another language at

home than other groups. Due to not having enough info, and long

days at work, parents may not know when, how, or where to get

help for their childrens education. Children then go without


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getting the full and good education most other students receive.

Many times Latinos students are more often pushed into the

easier classes and more often put in special education classes

than Caucasian students (Roach, 2006).

Many of these Latino childrenstruggle in school because they

have a harder time doing the work as they lack the needed

English skills. They become frustrated and angry when they

cannot do their work and are not able to get extra help. They

have a low graduation rate because of this. Many drop out of

school because they give up. In one study of immigrant Latino,

students who came to the US when they were in the 9th grade or

earlier, showed the students had a hard time graduating. Out of

490 students followed using administrative data from the New

York City School system, only 22 percent graduated from High

School after four years(Cortina, 2006). Another thing that adds

to low graduation rates is when Latino students have to take ESL

classes they have less opportunity to take academic content

classes they need to graduate and the more time taking ESL

classes the more they miss out on. Therefore, they end up

lacking the required high school classes and knowledge for

entrance into a college (Cortina, 2006).The majority end up not

getting into college and being left with dead end jobs in their


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future.They missout on a chance at good education and bettering

their life.

College is dream many immigrant Latino adolescents have but

cannot achieve because they speak no or not enough English. Even

though a majority of Hispanics value higher education, 87% to be

exact, only 13 % actually have a college degree (Roach, 2006).

Many times, they lack they good grades to get into these

schools, if they even finishhigh school in the first place.

Most colleges requireSAT scores and many of these students are

unable to get the scores needed to be admitted to the

colleges.SAT tests require someone to be fluent in English to be

able to score high enough. This lack of education is why many

Latinos are in poverty and why many cannot get out of it.

Employment

Americans like to make the assumption that everyone thinks

like we do and that people from other places should just

naturally assimilate(Cultural and language barriers, 2002). The

truth is that language gets in the way of having working

communication and createsproblems in the workplace.

A high number of Latinos have a lot of education and experience

in their home country, but because they lack the English skills

needed, thesethings may not be recognized and do them any good


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(Cultural and language barriers, 2006). They could have been a

doctor before moving to the US, but because they lack the

language skills, they are stuck in a low paying job. Experience

does not matter much when you cannot communicate well. Even with

a good education from their home country, many Latinos are stuck

in the same jobs as uneducated Latinos.

When a person speaks only a little English, they can be

intimidated or frustrated when they attempt to communicate with

supervisors or coworkers who only speak English and vice versa.

Some workers may pretend they know what is being talked about,

but the truth is, they just may not know. In a variety of jobs,

this can beextremely dangerous. A recent Journal article that

was written about the increasing number of Latino workers

working in constructionstated that workers who speak little or

no Englishhave a higher risk of being in an accident on the job

because of not fully understanding safety standards(Cultural and

language barriers, 2002). Training on site is available through

varies places to help lessenmany language barriers and improve

safety conditions. Many contractors are using this

training,while many others act as like lets do nothing until

we are forced to, which may end up being very expensive for

themwhen there are high costs of injuries or deaths while on the

job(Cultural and language barriers, 2002).Other employers are


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the same. They know there is help availablethat can increase

communication and lesson the language gaps, but because they do

not want to spend the money or the time, they do not take

advantage of what offered. It is not until something bad

happens, such as an injury or a death, that something is done.

Either they seek help so they will be in less trouble or they

are forced to do things that will improve language problems.

Not speaking English not only lessens the chances of

getting a job but also increases the chances being injured on

the job. Regular safety training does not work well with Spanish

speakers as most times the training is only in English and there

is no alternative way for the workers to learn it. This results

in less than successful safety training. In one construction

site a petroleum tank link was to be locked and shut off so

welding could be done, but due to a language barrier with some

of the Latinos workers, it was not shutoff and an explosion

happened. There had been a problem with the communication of the

Spanish-speaking construction workers and the English-speaking

operators at the site (Vasquez& Stalnaker, 2004).

Not all language barriers may cause such bad consequences, but

they can add to to a lack of productivity, mistakes being made

or general lack of trust between the employer and

workers(Vasquez & Stalnaker, 2004), all of which one would not


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have to worry about if communication were more clear. Many

employers will not hire Spanish speakers because they believe

language barrier can slow down the work being done. Mistakes on

the job can be made if someone does not completely understand

directions or instructions, causing to lose their job many

times. Moreover, many Latino employees do not have any trust for

their employers because of the lack of communication. They

cannot always be sure what is being said to them or about them,

leaving questions to what was said. One example is of some

employees who worked for a landscaping company. The majority of

the workers spoke no English at all and the others understood

only a few words. Even though they continued to work for this

company, they were not sure if they could trust their employers.

They felt that they made fun of them and even purposely left

checks short. This was not the case. The problem with the checks

was when they spoke about the missing hours, they were not able

to communicate to the secretary what they wanted and as she did

not understand them, she did not look into the missing hours and

nothing was done. In addition, what they though was them be

laughed at was just the employer joking around and assuming they

understood.

Also, even when workers speak English pretty good, the slang

that is used veryoften by Americans can create problems for


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Latino workers.For example, a person not familiar with

anexpression could easily misunderstand the saying off the top

of my head. One example is from a Latina worker who said she

was extremely confused when she heard a person say she had a

toboggan on. She was attempting to visualize this other person

with a sled open herhead(Cultural and language barriers, 2002).

We do not realize how easy we have it being understood by those

around us. Notknowing these words does not mean a person is

notintelligent or able, but that theyjust have not learned these

words that are used so much by others.

Discrimination

Speaking Spanish in a country where the majority speak

English can cause many problems and the worst is discrimination.

Being discriminated against because of your language can cause a

person to lose out on employment, education, healthcare, social

services and cause problems with everyday things.

Discrimination is when because of something that makes you

different, like speaking a different language, someone treats

you wrong, such as denying you a job or an apartment because of

this difference.

Many Latinos are discriminated against because they do not

speak English. 46 percent of Latinos feel like the language


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barrier was the biggest source of discrimination (Kilgore,

2011). This happens because many people think they choose not to

learn English. This is not true though as many do want to but

find it difficult to learn another language. Many Latinos do not

have the time to due to jobs and family care. When they do have

time to take English classes, many times it does not help much.

This is because for many of these people during those times is

the only time they really use English at all. Many live with

only Spanish speakers, work with only Spanish speakers and only

know Spanish speakers. Therefore, actually learning and

remembering what they are being taught is hard when they almost

never use outside of class.

Many people also think that when Latinos do not speak

English they do not deserve to be treated the same as other

people who do. Many people use this language barrier to their

advantage to use or trick Latinos who do not speak English. Many

Latinos have faced this problem when renting an apartment. They

do not completely understand what the property owner says at

times and end up signing a lease that is for more time than they

want a higher rent than expected and making them responsible for

repairs. Many are also turned down for apartments because when

property owners see they are not English speakers they choose


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not to rent to them and tell they the place is renteddo not call

them back and even hang up on them.

Many Latinos are also discriminated against when looking

for employment. While in some jobs it is necessary to have

fluent English language skills, others it is not. Many Latinos

are turned down for a job just because someone does not want to

give them a chance because they speak Spanish. In addition,

others who do get hired can face discrimination by being told

that because they do not speak English or enough English that

they cannot be paid as much as those who do. They also lose out

on pay raises and promotions because they are seen as lacking a

needed skill because of the language barrier and are not given a

chance to prove otherwise.

Latinos that are in school even face discrimination from

teachers and other faculty as they sometimes see them as not

being as intelligent because they cannot understand everything

and do not always do as good as those who speak English. They

discriminate against them by treating them differently and

keeping them back from doing what they are capable of doing.

Many are treated meanly by staff at schools because they believe

they need to speak English and are not trying and when ESL

classes are provided they believe they are receiving special

treatment that they do not deserve.


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Healthcare is one other thing in which Latinos can face

much discrimination. Many places offer translators but many

still are unwilling to offer this help to those who do not speak

English. Some healthcare givers also do not offer the same

quality of care to Latinos who do not speak English because they

feel, as they do not understandthem it does not matter what they

due. They might rush through and barely say anything, giving a

prescription and sending them away. While other have ordered

unneeded procedures, causing these Latinopatient to pay out more

money (Bard, Goettler, & Collins, 2009). When the patients do not

understand what the doctor is saying they sometimes agree to

something without realizing what or if it is necessary, costing

lots of money. They are treated differently. In one study showed

how Latinopatients received less pain medication than others for

injuries (Bard, Goettler, & Collins, 2009) and receive less

follow-up or referrals because of discrimination (Bard,

Goettler, & Collins, 2009).

One of the most recent ways Latinos are facing

discrimination is from English-only laws being created in the

US. There exist three big arguments that are always mentioned in

favor of these English-only laws. First, it will increase

economic mobility for immigrants; second, it will unify

immigrants to mainstream America by embracing our core values;


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and lastly, it will force those immigrants to assimilate who

tend to be reluctant in learning the language (Rodriguez,

2009). We live in this global economic society where English and

Spanish are always second and fourth in the most spoken and as

the most desirable languages, with 508 million people speaking

English and 392 million speaking Spanish (Rodriguez, 2009).

Eventhough people try to say differently, census data states

that the majority of Latinos learns and speaks English, and only

2.5 percent speak only Spanish (Rodriguez, 2009).The statistics

prove that mostLatinos are not reluctant to learn the English or

integrate themselves into American society. If English were made

the national language it would not create this immediate social

awareness of inequality in which it would create equality. If

this were so then any of the 29 states that have declared

English the governments official language(Rodriguez, 2009)

would have already experienced this social equality already.

So many educational systems throughout the world embrace

bilingualism as an important value, and yet The US embraces

shadowing other languages, which are not only of economic, but

alsoof cultural importance in the US. It is a necessary

thingthat the US does away with this incorrect notion that

English only will solve systematic problems in our immigration

policies or that it will work as a saving grace for inequality


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(Molina-Villegas, 2004). The more we continue to hide the real

issues the more we distance ourselves from actually solving the

real social problems in our time that arerooted on

misconceptions as well as systematic and historical

inequality(Molina-Villegas, 2004).

When Latinos are discriminated against it hinders their

social mobility because people who feel because they do not

speak English they do not deserve the same treatment as those

who do. Denying them this equal treatment and the same rights

takes from them many chances of moving up in life, especially as

so many live in poverty and already face many challenges due to

their race and languages then makes things even harder.

Other effects

Language has an effect on other things that can affect social

mobility also. One example is when Latinos speak English they

have an increased rate of exposure to violence.In one study done

the researchers hypothesized that youth who are more fluent in

English would report greater exposure to violence than

students with lower English fluency (Kataoka, Langley & Stein,

2009).These findingshave beenconsistent with multiple other

studies that have been done before.


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There is also an increase in alcohol use among Latinoswho

speak English, than those who speak just Spanish. Latinos have

higher rates of drinking alcohol than do white or blacks

(Eptzein, Botvin & Diaz, 1999).

In one study, it was looked at the connection between language

spoken and alcohol use. In the study, they interviewed 1,295

middle school students who were Latinos (Eptzein, Botvin & Diaz,

1999). They were given questionnaires then and at one year

later. They measured alcohol use and language. Results showed

there was an increase in alcohol usage among the ones who spoke

English and Spanish. Moreover, when checked a year later the

bilingual speakers had an even higher usage of alcohol. In the

first part 50% of bilingual speakers had drank alcohol and that

increased to 67% in the one year follow-upEptzein, Botvin &

Diaz, 1999. Bilingual speakers also had a higher percentage in

having gotten drunk Eptzein, Botvin & Diaz, 1999.

Conclusion

There are many things that need to be done to help Latinos who

are unable to speak English and stuck where they are because of

that. More opportunities are needed to help them learn English.

The few English language programs that exist are not enough.

These Latinos need to have more immersion in the English


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language and need more opportunities for it. More thorough

English classes needed to be offered and be offered more than

just a couple of times a week.

Schools also need to offer ESL classes that will not take

away from the students class times, so they will not be behind

in the classes needed to graduate. Teachers and school faculty

also need to be better educated in understanding these bilingual

students. Bias need to be erased from schools. They need

education on diversity.

Diversity is something all people need to be more educated

about. Colleges need to make it a requirement, along with

foreign language classes, for all degrees, so when these people

go to work there might be more understanding that will exist and

dealing with people who speak another language might be made a

little easier and better for people.

For many Latinos to have more chances at social mobility

discrimination needs to be gone. Many people just lack an

understanding or the intelligence to treat these people no

different from others. Discrimination keeps many from good jobs,

an education and even having a good home. If people were just

more willing to listen and give others who are a different a

chance things could be changed even more, but so many are just

blind to their ignorance.


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So many are stuck in poverty and are unable to get out

because their language holds them back, but if the US could

worker harder like many of these Latinos due learning the

English language might be something more easily attained by the

many Latinos in the US.


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