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When NOT speaking a second language is a problem

My last post was about presidential candidates who find that speaking a second language can be a disadvantage.

In this case though, it’s lack of fluency in a second language that’s the issue. Alejandrina Cabrera wanted to run for city council in the border town of San Luis, Arizona, but has been barred from the ballot because her English isn’t good enough.

After questions were raised about Mrs Cabrera’s abilities, a judge ordered a linguist to evaluate her. The linguist found she only had a “basic survival level” of English. But in San Luis, Spanish is the most used language, which raises questions about the necessity for city councillors to speak fluent English:

The linguistic dispute is taking place in this small southwestern Arizona city, where more than 90 percent of the population is Mexican-American and Spanish is widely used. In 1993, Cesar Chavez, the Latino civil rights leader, died in San Luis, which used to be a community of farm workers.

At a local pizzeria, the orders are taken in Spanish, although the waitress switched to English while asking about thick or thin crust. On the beat, police officers, some of whom come from the Mexican town of San Luis just across the border, say they communicate over the radio in English but interact with residents in Spanish.

“It’s strange to speak English here,” said Archibaldo Gurrola, a UPS deliveryman and former San Luis councilman who is a political ally of Mrs. Cabrera. “Spanish is what you hear everywhere, maybe with some English thrown in.” (Source: New York Times)