If you don't speak English, don't bother coming to Nashville!

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:01:20 +0100

Next Tuesday, Nashville, Tennessee could become the largest US city to ban government use of any language other than English. Civil rights groups, business leaders and even the local mayor are against the proposition. So how has the idea reached referendum level?

Like most cities in the US, Nashville official business is currently not restricted to any one language, meaning that residents can communicate with the state in any language they have translation services available for, if necessary. Metropolitan councillor Eric Crafton however, has lobbied the local government for a referendum on restricting the choice to English only. He believes, after himself managing to learn fluent Japanese while in the Navy in Japan, that immigrants too should adopt the language of their host country. Although there are thirty states in the US with English as the compulsory language, all major cities provide translation services. Nashville, known as the "Athens of the south" for its diverse population, would be the largest city to cut these. Crafton collected 5,500 signatures to warrant the referendum, which he says will unite the city's inhabitants and save money on translation services. But critics say the election itself is costing more than a hundred years' worth of the services, and will jeopardise the human rights of immigrant families and refugees. Crafton however, is not convinced. He hopes to spread the concept throughout the United States ("like a domino effect") where over 1% of US citizens do not speak English at all.

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If you don't speak English, don't bother coming to Nashville!