RadioWest Transcript: October 10, 2000
By Vince Pearson

HOST: In the coming weeks Utah voters will decide whether to declare English the official language of the state. The proposal would make English sole language of government, and define when and where government entities can use languages other than English. Proponants say the measure will make government more efficient, while helping immigrants to learn English. But opponents are calling the measure unnecessary and mean-spirited and say won't accomplish its stated goals. KUER's Vince Pearson has the story.

Sound of Driver's license bureau...

REPORTER: At the Department of Motor Vehicles in west Salt Lake City, applicants for a license can take the written driver's test in two different languages. They can take it English, or they can take it in Spanish. And bi-lingual employees, like Spanish speaker Clint Parker, are more than willing to help clients in a language they can understand.

Parker talks to Soltello in Spanish.

Right now Parker is giving a road test to Maria Soltello, age 33, a recent immigrant from Mexico. Soltello is a brand new driver, she doesn't speak English well and tells Parker she's nervous. Under current office policy, the driver's road test is always given in English. But employees are permitted to explain the exam in another language so clients know what to expect.

(Parker explains in Spanish)

It's just a small service, but Parkers believes it makes his clients feel more comfortable.

PARKER: In giving road test with people I think that is very very helpful to explain to people what they are going to be doing during the test what kind of manuevers they are going to have to perform and basically what is expected.

The department of motor vehicles is just one of many agencies across the state currently providing services in languages other than English. Its also one of the clearest examples of the kinds of services that initiative A could ban. The initiative makes English the sole language of government and that means all government documents, transactions, and publications must be in English unless specifically exempted. And that could mean no more written drivers tests in Spanish and no more helping DMV clients in thier own language. Utahns for Official English spokesman Joe Hunter says it will unburden government, and help immigrants too.

HUNTER: "It is to a degree, a way of encouraging folks to learn and use English. It simply makes clear and sends a clear signal to those moving to our country or state, that when they get here if they want to participate in government fully and over the long term, that it will be tremendously helpful and important that they develop a capability with our common language."

Because the law contains a number of exemptions.. It's hard to pin down exactly which programs would be cut, how much that would save, and how it would affect clientele.

(Bring-up the sound of government services... )

Take this multi-lingual unemployment insurance phonebank at the Department of Workforce Services. Spokesman Curt Stewart says because the agency receives mostly federal money, it will go largely untouched by the measure.

STEWART: It won't change the way we do business. Because again the federal government requires if you receive federal funds, you have to provide assistance in the language of the person seeking the service.

Under the terms of Utah's ballot measure, languages other than English many be used when required by state or federal law or by law enforcement or public health and safety needs. Other languages would also be allowed for judicial proceedings, and to promote and encourage tourism and economic development among other things. It's a huge sweep of exceptions, and that's left agency heads unclear about how they'll be affected, says Lorna Vogt with the Utah Progressive Network.

VOGT: And that is what is so dangerous about this law. If we don't know how it is going to be interpreted or misinterpreted we cannot anticipate the impacts on agencies. We don't know how it will affect thier budgets, their services, if they are going to be sued because they are not providing services, or if they do provide services, will they be sued for that. And since no one really knows and that is the true danger.

In the last week KUER has contacted the Departments of Health and Human Services, the Department of Workforce Services, the Division of Child and Family Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and even the Office of Polynesian affairs. Officials at these agencies could not or would not point to one specific service which would be affected. Most said they had no idea. Deputy Utah Labor Commissioner, Alan Hennebold, was one of only two officials who acknowledged their services may be vulnerable. Hennebold says the measure might prevent the staff from explaining the workers compensation program.

HENNEBOLD: "We're not certain yet. We believe it is a possibility that the workers compensation program might not fall under an exemption, in which case we wouldn't be able to provide the Spanish-language pamphlet any longer or provide the translator services.

Proponents acknowledge the measure targets few existing programs and won't save much money. In fact the Legislative Fiscal Analyst found the cost savings would be minimal. But Joe Hunter with Utahns for Official English says voters need to look down the road. He says there are 120 language groups here and the government can't accomodate them all.

HUNTER: "We tend to focus on the fact that the predominant groups of immigrants tend to speak one or two different languages, we tend forget that 20 years from now, that may not be the case. And this in a sense is a kind of preventative medicine."

But for many within Utah's minority communities, the measure is a bitter pill to swallow.

(Sound of Mexican Hat dance.... )

Dancers in traditional costume performed the Mexican Hat dance at recent Centro Civico Mexicano Gala in downtown Salt Lake. About 50 people are gathered here in the Center's gynamisium to raise money to fight Initiative A. Many, like Archie Archulta, say the measure is insulting.

ARCHULETA: "If you look underneath this bill its, we have got to make these people learn English or else, which says two things, we are either too stupid to learn it on our own, or there is something definitely inferior about us, and it infuriates us... (English #5)

Jim Gonzales at Utah Democracy Project also finds it offensive. He says minority groups contribute to society whether or not they speak English.

GONZALES: "They pay their taxes, they contribute to this economy, they contribute to this society. And to be discounted so clearly and harshly is a huge insult."

But opponents of the initiative aren't the only ones angry. Initiative supporter Eric Stone says it's minorities who are rude.

STONE: "I would say that for someone to come to this country and demand that they be given services in in their language is a discourtesy to our country and to basically the great opportunities that we offer to immigrants."

With heated rhetoric on both sides there are many people who believe the English Iniative will prove divisive. And that's why many linguists are opposed to the measure. They say, if goal of the measure is to teach English, then it's the wrong way to go about it. BYU Linguistics Professor Ray Graham says minorities integrate when they feel welcomed by society, and they withdraw from the mainstream when they are put on the defensive.

GRAHAM: "This kind of policy tends to force people into relying more on thier own people and therefore doing less integration into majority society, and being less mobile, and therefore militating against the very objective that the law is supposedly created to produce."

If Utah voters decide to pass the measure, Utah will become 26th state in the nation to declare English its official language. It will become one of just a handful of states whose measure actually limits when and where government can use other languages. Supporters say the measure is needed to encourage immigrants to learn English and prevent waste in government. Opponents say the measure is unecessary and sends a mean-spirited message to those who are new to this country. Is it a form of preventive medicine or something that will make the problem worse? In the end thats what voters must decide November 7th.

I'm Vince Pearson, KUER News.

To hear this news story, listen to this short Quicktime audio clip. Listen to this news story by downloading a free version of Quicktime.