One of the biggest assumptions that we, Latinos, face especially those of us that “look it” is that we all speak Spanish.  For those that it’s happened to, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  I have to admit that I’ve been on both the giving and receiving end.
It’s interesting. Â Yesterday, I had a conversation with a friend of mine about this. She, an immigrant feels that Latinos should know how to speak Spanish. Â If people ask, you might as well know. Â More importantly, speaking more than one language (i.e Spanish) will mean better professional opportunities and more money.
I had to respond by playing devil’s advocate. Â Why should I have to speak Spanish? My whole thing is that, if I grew up in the US speaking English, why should I speak Spanish just because I “look” like I should? Â Hell, the U.S. isn’t a predominantly Spanish speaking country. Â To be honest, I still don’t completely agree with her, though she makes perfect sense. Â Be proactive by learning Spanish, especially if you’ll probably be asked. Â Also, by being bilingual, you’ll probably make more money. Â Fortunately, I already speak Spanish so it wasn’t like she had to convince me.
So I guess that I still have unanswered questions.  Just because someone is Latino does this mean that there’s some unseen obligation to speak Spanish?  I would say no.  It’s just me talking, but I think that it should be up to the individual.  Is it the Latino’s problem for not being able to speak Spanish?  Or is the bigger problem of the person that assumes that we are born speaking rapid fire Spanish?  This question is harder to answer so I’ll leave it up to you.  Who do you think is the one with the problem?
Author: José A. RodrÃguez
Jose, I agree with your comments 100%. I find it quite amusing when the exact opposite happens to me, as I do not necessarily look ‘latino’ by first glance and hispanics talk to me in English, or when non-hispanics are fascinated to hear how fluent my Spanish is since they assume I am not hispanic.
My children will more than likely be born and raised in the U.S. at this point, but it would be detrimental to them not to learn and speak Spanish, regardless of the way they’ll look. Plus, their grandparents back in Mexico sure as hell are not going to be talking to them in fluent English!
It happens in the african american community too..Being half Jamaican everyone assumes you speak patwa. However you do speak Swahili, and a little Portuguese, being born and raised in the US.
Was your last line a statement or a question, DJ?
Jose
Jose,
And me, on the other hand, speak it, but very little. My grandfather was born and raised in Mexico. When he passed, speaking Spanish stopped completely. My grandmother was Polish. Spanish was NOT her forte! Once he passed, though, it stopped. My father is so far removed from the language, he says he probably could not even carry a simple conversation. His 2 brothers and 4 sisters all stopped speaking. About the article, I don’t really look “hispanic” so, I don’t get the “assumption” that I speak it.. Anyhow, just thought I would make a comment! Nice work on the mag! Toodles!
I have many, many Latino friends, and friends of other cultures, yet I am not Latino and I am frequently approached and spoken to in Spanish by strangers in the Latino community. It actually makes me feel bad that I do not know how to communicate with them, especially if that is the only way they can communicate fluently. But, it doesn’t really bother me – my entire life I’ve been asked what nationality I am – from Asian to Latino and “something else.”
We are living in a multilingual, multinational country where I’m happy that someone can actually comfortably ask me what my nationality is.
It has occurred to me that it would do me some good professionally and personally to also learn Spanish (I speak French to a limited degree).
I just read your comment. You brought up something almost as important. I’ve had similar experiences. I’ve been mistake for Italian (am a little bit) and also Middle Eastern (not that I know of).
It’s nice of you that you wish that you could speak Spanish to communicate with them. You shouldn’t feel bad though. Although, as you also agreed with me, learning it would open up professional opportunities. I’d also say that other types would be extended as well.
Jose A. Rodriguez
Mi Estilo
Editor-in-Chief
I’ve been mistaken for Italian, Hawaiian, and living in Dearborn Heights many, many times Arabic, once even Russian. I am Mexican and i don’t look it. But, when people find out I’m Mexican they assume I wasn’t born here and that I speak fluent Spanish. In school kids would ask why I bothered taking Spanish classes, which only ended up putting more pressure on me to be the best in the class and make sure I “acted” really Mexican, which was a laugh considering I grew up being in the only non-white family on my block, to my cousins I was a “white girl”,my parents rarely spoke to me in Spanish, and I don’t like beans (which I’ve learned is apparently our trademark as Mexicans). I’d like to speak better Spanish, but because its a part of who i am not because I feel pressured by others to be the kind of Mexican they “expect”.
Crissy, your comment as well as others brings up the point that you can’t always assume that you can figure out what someone is based on their features. As in your case, mine and others, the person guess can and is usually wrong.
As for the pressure you feel, I totally relate. I’ve spoken Spanish since I was born. However, writing is one of my weaknesses. I didn’t start studying Spanish until college. One of the funniest experiences was how in one of my classes the best student wasn’t me but a girl from Poland. It wasn’t funny that she was from Poland. It was that she was from another, a non-Spanish speaking country outdoing me at my own language. It was even worse in a translation class, I ended up with a D-. Everyone used to tell me, “Oh, you’ll ace this class. You’ve been speaking it [Spanish] your whole life.” Didn’t make any difference.
As to you not liking beans, I don’t like menudo. We all have our preferences. For what my opinion is worth, your food taste doesn’t make you any less Mexican than me or anybody else. I hope that you can appreciate your uniqueness.
Jose A. Rodriguez
Mi Estilo
Editor-in-Chief
This is a funny issue. My parents spoke only Spanish in our home until they realized that we needed to learn English. They bought a TV. My mom’s radio was always tuned to KWKW and KALI, the only Spanish radio stations in LA in the 50′s and early 60′s. We grew up hearing both languages. I aced Spanish all through my schooling and didn’t have much patience for other pochos who struggled with it. I really get a kick out of people in Mexico asking me at what age I moved to the US. And, I still wince when I hear Mexican American public figures struggle through a sentence in Spanish. I’m most amazed when folks ask me why I don’t have an accent either way.
Let me put this out there. Does anybody think that either Latino-American public figures should either speak Spanish well or not at all? Max raises some really good points.
Jose A. Rodriguez
Mi Estilo
Editor-in-Chief
In response to Latino public figures, I do think that they should put extra effort in speaking good Spanish. It just makes sense for them to have the Hispanic and non-Hispanic Latino population on their side by gaining their trust through clear communication. You wouldn’t believe the huge difference it makes for my business when I meet somebody who is Hispanic and figures out that I am Hispanic also, making it a completely different conversation and so relaxed because we can talk to each other fluently.
We do need to recognize and respect the fact that there are many Latinos here in the U.S. that do not speak any Spanish or very limited, which is fine because that was their choice or their parents choice or whatever the situation was for them..
I think that it comes down to whether or not the attempt to speak Spanish is legitimate or not. For example, I went to France a number of years ago. When I came home people asked me if the French were rude to me. Even I expected it. Nothing of the sort happened. I made an effort to speak French (very horrible French) when I was there. I feel that they appreciated my efforts to speak their language and respect their customs. In the end, I think that it comes down to respect.
Jose A. Rodriguez
Mi Estilo
Editor-in-Chief
I guess I was hoping that this post was going to raise questions more related to community identity, which some of the comments have alluded to. Community identity and its relation to language has been something I’ve struggled with for quite a few years now.
My father refused to speak Spanish to me as a baby and child, despite my mom repeatedly asking him to (she’s Italian). My dad faced a lot of discrimination and hatred as a Cuban refugee in the 60s and 70s and the last thing he ever wanted was for me to not be able to fit into the mainstream culture. He didn’t want me to have an accent or anything that might betray me as non-WASP-white, despite my name. And while I didn’t even really realize what was going on as a kid (in other words, my dad was sucessful in his mission) and I can see his decisions and actions as loving and protective, I still have a lot of anger (and writing this comment has made me tear up a little, honestly) because I feel like a significant chunk of my identity was stolen from me without my permission and it’s never truly recoverable. He’s cut ties with most of his family (who are a little bit insane, to be honest) but my Spanish is atrocious (I also started taking it only in college and began from ground zero) and I feel like my lack of Spanish restricts my ability to participate in the community. At the same time, I also do not at all look Latina and I feel self-conscious that any attempt by me to integrate into the community looks like some crazy white girl, particularly since I was pretty much raised as a non-latina.
Anyway, it’s a sensitve subject for me that I still haven’t resolved for myself. I would like to be fluent speaker, but lack the confidence to engage in the community in a way that would let me practice and improve my language skills. It’s a self-defeating cycle.
Elisa, I wanted to thank you for your effort in responding to my piece. I can appreciate your feelings. I’ve known people and have heard of people whose families felt that they had to hide a part of their identity (i.e leaving language and customs behind). It’s for this reason that Mi Estilo’s motto is “Integrate…not assimilate.” We feel that Latinos and others can be whatever they wish without having to feel that they have to give up part(s) of their identity.
Having said this, for people such as yourself playing “catch-up,” the journey is a difficult one. I was fortunate that I didn’t go through what your dad went through. I have, however, heard the stories from my older cousins. They grew up in the ’60s. It’s not like it is now, where I think that things are better for Latinos. There’s a lot of crossover and intermingling. Look at the explosion of restaurants. Pitbull has a song on 95.5. There has been progress made, though there’s still room to go.
As to how you feel about being Latina and problems in learning the language, you shouldn’t let it get to you. If you choose to accept your Latino culture, this is on you. This is a choice that you and only you should make.
Don’t feel forced and never feel embarrassed or ashamed if you “fall short.” For what it’s worth, I don’t think that you do. I grew up speaking Spanish (my first language), am close to my Mexican culture and have been to Mexico a number of times. Despite all of this, I was once called a “Mexican gringo” (read my piece). Wrap your head around that. All that I can say to the haters is to go screw themselves. I am who I am and won’t make apologies for it. Neither should you.
Jose A. Rodriguez
Mi Estilo
Editor-in-Chief