The aim of this essay is to present you with the reflections drawn upon the article titled. ‘Moving to US and Amassing a Fortune, No English Needed’ by Kirk Semple which was published in the Times in November in 2011. Semple approaches an issue which has been generating lots of heated debates among people since it provokes various reactions and beliefs. The issue on which Semple focuses is the extent to which the knowledge of a country’s language is or should be a prerequisite for immigrants who have decided to move to this country and settle down there. Although Semple focuses on both aspects of this issue which appears to be a double edged knife, highlighting equally its negative and positive elements, he seems to keep a more positive rather than negative attitude towards the lack of knowledge of the country’s language on behalf of the immigrants. Besides the title of the article seems to prepare its readers on the attitude which the article’s writer appears to hold towards this issue. The contrast existing between the words ‘Amassing’ and ‘No’ of the title create from the very beginning a sense of the writer to have identified the acquisition of a fortune as the normal consequence of ‘no’ which refers to the total lack of the language’s knowledge. Nevertheless it appears pretty weird if not peculiar or even ignorance for one to support that the lack of knowledge in any kind of field, even if this is the field of linguistics, can provide him/her with success. Standing on the threshold of the 21st century which has been characterized as the era of the rapid technological advances and the era of knowledge which has proven to be the real power in people’s hands, it does not seem so well-supported for one to think or believe that knowledge may not prove to be necessary. This paper presents in detail the structure of arguments as presented in the article and looks deep into their possible appliances and usefulness in real world nowadays. The paper will present you with all the reflections drawn upon the reading of this article and will examine all its aspects and beliefs trying to reach the conclusion regarding the evaluation and usefulness of such an article’s report.
These three cases are presented to the readers of the article through their interviews to the article’s writer. The article presents the belief each one of these three people – who are men – holds as far as the significance of the language’s knowledge is concerned. The readers of the article are actually provided with a kind of psychological portrait of each one of these men who reveal personal things about themselves regarding their beliefs in the factors leading to their professional success and their attitude towards their lack of knowledge of English. A different look to the usefulness and necessity of a language is given through these three men’s perspectives, a different point of view regarding the importance of a language in forming a national or cultural identity, a different view towards the kind of knowledge or skills that seem to be considered necessary nowadays as far as achieving success is concerned.
The first man presented is Felix Sanchez de la Vega Guzman who is a Mexican and came to the United States as an immigrant 40 years ago. Felix Sanchez ‘turned a business selling tortillas on the street into a $19 million food manufacturing empire’ according to the article. Felix even nowadays when asked something in English he appears to express himself in English through his first three to four words and then turns to the use of his mother tongue, Spanish.
The second case presented is Zhang Yulog from China who came to the United States in 1994 and presides today at the age of 39 over a $30 – million – a – year cellphone accessories empire. He knew nothing of the English language when he came to settle down in the United States and this is the case up to now. And the third case is that of a man from South Korea, Kim Ki Chol who has been a successful retailer who has contributed in the empowerment of the Korean population through the establishment and foundation of organizations and associations. Kim Ki Chol admits to having bought a number of series for learning English but he has performed no progress.
All the above mentioned cases chosen by Semple seem to represent the Spanish –speaking, Chinese and Korean immigrants who are considered to be the greatest rate of immigrants of the United States. They are all people holding a basic education or no educational certificates at all who came to the United States to go after their own personal dream of success inspired by the American dream of success. They all began out of nothing believing only in themselves and the power of their personal goal. And they all share a common result as far as their efforts are concerned. They managed to become successful without bothering to learn the English language. So the arising question of the article is: Is learning a foreign language, a language other than your mother tongue of insignificant value as far as your professional success is concerned? What is that makes the knowledge of a language necessary if not the settlement in the country where this language is spoken?
Semple seems to adopt the opinion of Nancy Fonet, a sociology teacher at the City University of New York who supports that the technological advances and the progress in technology have made it possible for immigrants to hold successful businesses without learning any languages. Communication has changed in such a way that it can be achieved through other kinds of communicational channels which are not using language as we know it.
Nevertheless lots of troubling thoughts are risen through such an article and these witnesses of three people since there seems to be a one sided opinion expressed. In social issues of high conflict all opinions ought to be expressed so that a better conclusion could be drawn. Semple seems to have chosen these three specific cases aiming at highlighting the influence of technology on to the use of languages and the successes of businesses. But beyond any shadow of a doubt language is and will always be the main communicational channel for people. Serious concern is risen if one thinks that a new policy is adopted on behalf of immigrants concerning their learning the language of the country to which they immigrate. It is not so simple or without any other influences the situation which results in immigrants keeping their national identity without making any effort to adjust normally to the wider socio-cultural context of the country in which they have settled down. Immigration is supposed when seen under a social and economic aspect to be considered as the main way of people experiencing the merits of globalization through exchanges of cultural and historical context and cooperation. How can cooperation be achieved to its highest possible rate if immigrants stay united together but create another society within the society in which they are to adopt and live?
Immigrants need their social bonds and they definitely need to maintain their national identity. Besides this is what globalization is to be like. It is supposed to be a procedure through which an exchange of knowledge, cultural, historical and social characteristics is performed so that healthy dialogue and cooperation between countries is established. It is such a climate which will contribute to the prosperity of the global society.
But this does not mean on the other hand staying stuck to one’s national identity without making any effort to get to know anything new since there seems to be a possibility to survive due to the technological progress without really getting tired to learn anything new.
On the contrary there seems to be a very bad influence on people who remain ignorant of other civilizations. A country’s language is the living expression of a country’s mentality and civilization. How can immigrants adopt to the social and cultural system of a country if they have not tried to study and learn its language?
Apart from the issue of being fully and normally adopted to the civilization of the country to which they immigrate there is another issue of great importance. What are the social structures which are formed as a result of social and cultural minorities created and strictly keeping their differentiation from the wider social context within which they are asked to live? Could that lead to an even more troubling situation of multi-cultural miniatures of societies which are to operate and exist within a country’s society which seems to decay and lose its identity? The society formed on the threshold of the 21st century is supposed to be one multi-cultural society and not a combination of miniatures of different social systems which cannot mingle and be combined together normally.
The article shows that these three immigrants have no real problem of not having learnt the English language but still they seem to be feeling at least a bit awkward for not being able to have a discussion in English. So even these three men who have become so successful appear to have realized deep down their weakness in not having learn the language of the country in which they have spent their lives. The situation may be considered even worse if one keeps in mind that the language over which the debate is caused is the English language which has been established as the worldwide common language, the number one international language used in the fields of science, trade and studies.
How can a citizen of the global society live in a globalized worldwide community? It cannot be denied that technology is a weapon in people’s hands so that they can fight against their weaknesses due to their ignorance of specific knowledgeable areas but still knowledge cannot be replaced in power by any other kind of technological advance. Since America is the country which has attracted immigrants with the American dream and the big idea of being the country which offers equal opportunities for success to all, it ought to establish a policy which helps immigrants become equal members of a humane vital global society. ‘And welcome the newcomer into the civic life of our society, so that he or she too can more fully contribute to the community’ (Hing, pg215). Taking this into consideration it cannot be argued that language is the first way to achieve this welcome and feeling of humanity.
There is a saying on behalf of the Austrian linguist Wittgenstein regarding the importance of a language’s knowledge. Wittgenstein had said that ‘the borders of one’s language are the borders of one’s world’ highlighting in such a way that learning a language is a rich field of knowledge which actually contributes to people getting to know each other and themselves better.
Works Cited
Hing Onq Bill, Deporting Our Souls: Values, Morality and Immigration Policy, 1st ed. Cambridge University Press 2006
Legrain, Philippe, Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them, 1st ed. Little Brown 2007
Lunsford Andrea, Ruszkiewicz John, Walters Keith, Everything’s an Argument, 6th ed. Bedford ST Martin’s 2012, pg 648 ‘Moving to US and Amassing a Fortune, No English needed’, Kirk Semple
Zolberg, Aristide, A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America 1st ed. Harvard University Press 2006
