A report out in March from the Pew Hispanic Center shows the number of Hispanics counted in the 2010 Census was much larger than expected in most states (out of 33 tallied). According to the report, Hispanics accounted for the majority (58 percent) of population growth over the decade in those states. The combined census total of 38.7 million Hispanics in those states was higher by 590,000 people (or 1.5 percent) than the bureau's own estimates.
These figures paint a picture of a country whose language access needs continue to grow well beyond English, particularly in the healthcare industry. It's not just Spanish either, although that's clearly the most pressing need. It's Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian. It's also Japanese, Arabic, Haitian Creole, French and Portuguese. In fact, more than 170 different languages and dialects are spoken in the United States by legal residents making a positive contribution to society.
The fact remains that more than 60 million people – about one in five legal U.S. residents – speak a language other than English at home. Not having the right support to overcome the language barriers when there is an emergency can be the difference between life and death. The Texas Association of Healthcare Interpreters and Translators (TAHIT) did a fantastic job illustrating the medical and social impacts with their public service announcement posted on YouTube.
The video shows a panicked mother arriving at an emergency room, desperately trying to get help for her infant daughter who has a high fever. Despite her frantic attempts to communicate the child's symptoms and the gravity of the situation, no one in the ER speaks the same language or understands a word she's saying. It's a parent's nightmare to be begging for help as people respond with gibberish.
The twist in this case: The woman speaks only English, and no one at the hospital does.
TAHIT's PSA – part of the organization's "Interpreters Save Lives" awareness campaign – and the report from the Pew Hispanic Center are both powerful reminders of the importance of language access for us all in an increasingly diverse population, regardless which language we speak.
Louis Provenzano, Jr. is Chief Executive Officer of Language Line Services.