To Tony Mendez, it doesn’t make business sense.
Mendez, general manager of Poder 1110, the Rhode Island-based Spanish-language radio station, doesn’t understand the rationale behind proposed legislation that could make English the state’s official language, requiring that most of the government’s business be conducted in English only.
“Huge corporations understand the power of offering services in other languages,” Mendez said last week, noting that most consumer products come with instructions in various languages. “More and more there’s a global economy out there, but we’re putting up barriers.”
As state legislators debate a slew of bills before the R.I. General Assembly this session dealing with illegal immigration, this related bill has remained little discussed since it was submitted in January. Referred to the House Judiciary Committee, it has not been scheduled for a hearing.
It’s not the first time such as change to the state laws has been attempted. None have been successful.
But Rep. Kenneth Carter, the bill’s prime sponsor, said last month that he was optimistic that if it can make it out of committee and be debated on the House floor, this measure could have a chance of winning approval.
“What I’m trying to do is get everybody on the same page, with the same language,” said Carter (D-North Kingstown). “I think that would solve an awful lot of our problems.”
Not everyone sees it that way. Some legislative leaders, including House Majority Leader Gordon Fox, D-Providence, have indicated publicly that they don’t support the move, as have minority community leaders.
Gov. Donald L. Carcieri’s office, which has been drawn protests from some quarters over his executive order aimed at curbing illegal immigration, did not return a phone call seeking comment last week.
One thing everyone agrees upon: The topic of assigning an official state language is controversial, and the effects it might have on the business community are unclear.
Carter’s bill, which has four co-sponsors, would require the state to conduct its business, with some exceptions, almost exclusively in English, including “official documents, regulations, orders, transactions, proceedings, programs, meetings, publications, or actions taken or issued, which are conducted or regulated by … the state,” the bill says.
Among the exceptions: Actions, documents and policies necessary for trade, tourism and commerce; actions dealing with public safety and public health; and criminal proceedings in which victims’ or defendants’ rights are involved.
Also, the bill would not prohibit a state employee or legislator from communicating in another language while performing official business.
Carter said the proposal is intended to encourage residents to learn to communicate in English.
“Don’t forget your heritage; speak both languages,” Carter said. “If you’re going to take the benefits we’re giving and that are costing us a lot of money, at least learn to speak our language.”
“‘I’m not trying to pick on anyone,” he added. “What I’m trying to say is our predominant language is English. Our business is conducted in English. Let’s go back to that.”
Ramon Martinez, president and CEO of the Central Falls-based Latino advocacy group Progreso Latino, doesn’t dispute that English is the language of business.
In fact, his agency regularly offers English classes because he realizes the importance of learning to communicate in English. “If you don’t learn English, you’re not going to fare as well, you’re not going to be as prosperous,” Martinez said. “But to make it into a requirement, I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“I think our forefathers had the insight that once you make it the official language, that you open yourself up, in terms of the future, that when another population that speaks a different language is greater than the current population, then that language can be changed,” he said.
Sen. Juan Pichardo (D-Providence) said he believed setting an official language could possibly hurt Rhode Island companies, because international businesses in emerging foreign markets may be more reluctant to trade with a state that conducts business only in English.
“Businesses could lose out,” he said.
Latino businessman Jeshua Zapata said, indeed, perceptions could be crucial.
Zapata, cofounder of Xzito Creative Solutions LLC, a Pawtucket-based branding, Web development and marketing firm, said 70 percent of his clients are small Latino-owned businesses in Rhode Island in which the proprietors are more comfortable communicating in Spanish.
He fears that instituting English as the official state language might convince many of those business owners to pull up stakes and move to nearby states where documents and services are provided in other languages. “Will our state be perceived as not welcoming by not having secondary languages?” Zapata said.
Latino business people are keenly aware that becoming proficient in English is important to running an enterprise, Zapata said.
In fact, a friend of his who owns a counseling business recently lost out on a contract because it required that he speak English. A Colombian immigrant, the man has been in the United States for five years and is taking English classes. He still isn’t proficient.
“But he’s brilliant, and he’s got a lot to offer,” Zapata said.
And if Rhode Island were to make English the official language, Zapata said, he would likely struggle with the documents and paperwork that are not provided in Spanish.
“By not providing critical documents in their preferred language, we are jeopardizing compliance, and [putting] some of our citizens in an unfair playing field,” Zapata said.
With this legislation, Carter said, he is trying to curtail the printing of state documents and literature in numerous different languages.
“Why do we need to go through this expense, especially now, in the fiscal crisis we’re in?” Carter said. “If we can save $200,000 or $300,000 in printing or more, it’s a plus for our state. And I think that if you want to conduct business in this state, predominately it’s English.”
Mendez called the extra printing costs a “minor investment” to ensure that government is accessible to everyone.
“I don’t think creating an official language is wise,” he said. “We’ve done very good as a country so far without one.” •
Additional information on the R.I. General Assembly, including the House and Senate daily calendars and listings of measures introduced each day, is available at rilin.state.ri.us.
