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According to the 1990 Census, 329 different languages are spoken in the United States
today including English; however, 97 percent of Americans speak English "well"
or "very well." (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
A study published by the U.S. Department of Labor, (Monthly Labor Review,
December 1992) shows that immigrants learn English more rapidly when there is less
native-language support around them.
Based on 1980 and 1990 Census data on the increase in the population of those whose
English-speaking ability was classified "not well" or "not at all," if
the current trend continues, by the year 2050 there will be over 21 million people unable
to speak English in the United States, making up 5.75 percent of the entire population.
(Based on U.S. Census Bureau, 1980, 1990)
From 1980 to 1990, Canada's dual-language requirement cost a minimum of $6.7 billion.
Canada is one-tenth the population of the United States and spent that amount
accommodating only two languages. A similar dual-language policy would cost the United
States more than $60 billion over 10 years. Depending on the exact number of languages
accommodated of the total 329, these Canadian calculations take the price tag of official
multilingualism in the United States up to $10 billion per year, $100 billion over 10
years. (Source: Annual Report of the Canadian Commissioner of Official Languages)
In 1994, the IRS printed and distributed 500,000 copies of 1040 forms and instruction
booklets in Spanish and manned an 800-number hotline with Spanish-speakers. Of the
half-million forms distributed, only 718 were returned. The total cost of the Spanish
forms was $113,000, bringing the cost of each completed form to $157. The IRS is
considering expanding this service to other languages. (Source: Internal Revenue Service)
In July 1993, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) conducted a U.S.
citizenship swearing-in ceremony almost entirely in Spanish. (Source: INS, various news
sources)
California offers drivers license exams in 30 different languages, New York in 23 and
Michigan in 20. In all, 38 states currently offer the exam in languages other than
English. (Source: Dept. of Motor Vehicles in all 50 states)
Beginning in 1997, high school students in New York may take their Regents exams, except
the English test, in a foreign language. After the tests are prepared in English, they
will be translated into as many languages as officials deem necessary, including Spanish,
Creole and Chinese. (Source: New York Post)
The Los Angeles City Council prints all its public notices in six foreign languages in
addition to English, doubling its annual budget to $1 million. (Source: Los Angeles
Times)
The city of Los Angeles spent $900,000 to print bilingual ballots in six foreign
languages for the 1993 special mayoral election. (Source: Los Angeles Times)
A report by the General Accounting Office (GAO) revealed that the federal government
fails to track documents printed in other languages. The Government Printing Office (GPO)
shows that from 1990-94, the GPO printed 265 different foreign-language publications for
various government agencies. Since each government agency can print documents without
going through the Government Printing Office, this is only a partial figure for the number
of multilingual federal documents. (Source: General Accounting Office)
The U.S. Postal Service has printed one million brochures designed to help clerks
communicate with customers in nine languages which will be distributed nationwide.
(Source: Federal Times, 2/19/96)
A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) housing inspector who spoke only broken
English was sent to Germantown, New York with an interpreter to inspect flood damage. The
inspector couldn't speak English well enough to understand the flood victims' needs. (Register
Star, 2/13/96)
The Selective Service System developed a Spanish-language comic book, "Las
Aventuras de Carmelo," to reach young Hispanic males with information about
registering for the draft. About 20,000 copies of the book are distributed free monthly
throughout the Washington, DC area. (Source: Washington Post, 3/6/95)
The Social Security Administration is hiring more bilingual staff in an effort to
"dramatically reduce reliance on middlemen in developing claims of
non-English-speaking applicants." (Source: Washington Times, 9/4/95)
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