Introduction
Immigrants form a significant part of countries like the USA and other economically stable nations. They have what the locals term to be a limited access to the English language because it is not their mother tongue. The issue that underlies the speaking of broken English is identifiable in a language barrier. Language barrier refers to a limitation, not only in speech, but also in the understanding of English, which is the language in question. Amy Tan, in her writing that is titled “mother tongue,” recognizes the effects of language a barrier and the stereotyping it presents. The same issue is exploited in the a comprehensive article in the New York Times that tells a story of how a set of immigrants failed to get help from police officers because of how they spoke.
Indeed, the language barrier is an issue that is not taken seriously even as those who suffer from it continue to be traumatized by the ridicule from the societies in which they live. In her literature, Amy says,” I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.” She says this in reference of how she perceived her mother when she spoke in broken English. Her mother was a Spanish immigrant who was often caught up in the difficulty of having to explain herself to people in banks, when collecting Cheques and in her other dailies. The same perception that the writer had of her mother is the way the world would look at someone who had limited knowledge of the English language. The brokenness is often associated with lack of seriousness and ignorance, when it may not be the case. The quality of the thoughts that an individual has is usually limited to their audience when they do not speak proper English. Most of the people that are affected by such end up traumatized and have to go to lengths to facilitate their endeavors. In her article, Amy evidences talking on the phone with people when her mother needed services so that they would be delivered. Because she could speak in perfect English, her mother often used her. She says, “When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone and pretend that I was her (Tan, Amy, 2).” The statement showcases the shamefulness and things that people who are affected by English go through because of the subsequent language barrier.
It would be considered child’s play if those were the only issues that affected such individuals. Sometimes, the services that they cannot access because of the aspect of a language barrier are extreme in nature (Barclay, Eliza, 1). The barrier has created a stigmatization where the people who attend to such individuals either do not understand or take them seriously. The writer experienced an incident in a hospital with her mother that highlights the seriousness of the situation. Her mother had gone for scans that she had taken a while back which had shown that she had a tumor. When she went to collect them, the hospital vehemently refused and cited that they had lost them. Upon calling the writer, who’s English was flawless; they were assured that the scans would be located. They undercut her because of the issue of a language barrier. Amy says, “And when the doctor finally called me, her daughter, who spoke in perfect English, we had assurances that the scans will be found.” The happening highlights how much the stigmatization from a language barrier is dangerous.
In the article, “language barrier continues to thwart victims of crimes,” there were two cases under scrutiny that involved individuals calling the police for help to no avail. Josefina Ramirez tried to explain to the police after she called 911 for help but got herself into a more complicated situation. She had had a threatening situation with her husband who had locked her out. When the two police officers showed up, she begged for an English interpreter but they vehemently refused to let her have one. They did not make any substantially reasonable effort to understand her and finally threw her out of the building premises. She said, “Instead of protecting me they hurt me.” Josefina’s situation is similar to many other native speakers who have to face the trauma of not being able to access important help because of the issue of a language barrier. She further implored, “I understood nothing of what was going on.” The case of Josefina brought into the light the aspect of the limitations faced by native speakers because of a language barrier, and that people do not take them seriously. Josephina further explained, “I was scared but I could not explain myself to them.” Another case that rose to fame in the police department about the plight of immigrants when it came to their language was that of Daisy Garcia. She had filed a report in Spanish in May 2013, about abuse from her husband but nobody cared to translate the Spanish in the report. Later, Daisy was found murdered, together with her two children. In the report, Garcia wrote, “I asked if he was thinking of killing me and he said yes (Turkewitz, Julie, 4).” Apparently, had her Spanish been interpreted, the situation would have been avoided.
Conclusion
The two literatures show how the stigmatization in language barriers can affect the individuals that are mostly affected by it. The individuals who cannot speak proper English are denied access to protection, health and to properly speak their minds. It can be traumatizing for them since they would then be forced to reside in a cage and exist in their world. Such individuals have been set apart from the rest even though their native speech does not limit them in any way. Through such stereotypical behavior, the society has rendered them useless for that which they cannot help.
Works Cited
Tan, Amy. "Mother Tongue." 1 Jan. 2008. Print.
Turkewitz, Julie. "Language Barrier Continues to Thwart Victims of Crimes." The New York Times 11 May 2014. Print.
Barclay, Eliza. "Language Barriers Complicate Immigrants' Medical Problems." The Washington Post 21 Apr. 2009. Print.
