Maryland: Frederick Co. debates official language

[Harold Schiffman]

Frederick News-Post: Frederick Co. debates official language

April 23, 2008 - 7:45am
The Frederick County Commissioners are considering whether to
designate English as the official county language.

Commissioner Charles Jenkins, a Republican, proposed the ordinance
last week. It would require that all county documents be in English.
They are scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to hold a public
hearing for possible passage. This is the latest of several proposals
by Jenkins and other Frederick County politicians aimed at illegal
immigration, and Jenkins said there will be more coming. He plans to
propose a local employment law to reduce illegal immigration, he said.
His previous attempt to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving
county benefits, like public education and library use, failed.

Jenkins fears that non-English speakers will demand translations of
lengthy government documents like comprehensive plans or solid waste
management evaluations. "I want to be proactive and have a policy in
place that says if there's going to be anything written that we
produce, it would be in English," Jenkins said. Commissioner John L.
Thompson, Jr., a Republican, supports the legislation, so Jenkins
needs only one more vote to send it to public hearing. Commissioners
President Jan Gardner, a Democrat, said she would support designating
English as the official language, but would not support an ordinance
that prevents county departments from using other languages.

"I think we should encourage people to learn the English language, but
I wouldn't want to be prevented from providing written instructional
materials to English language learners," Gardner said. She also
believes the county should be able to use other languages for public
health or safety reasons.
Jenkins hopes to limit the amount of money spent on services for
non-English speakers. He has objected to mandates for interpreters in
schools and jails, and wants to draw the line before the county incurs
more expenses for translation. He does not believe the proposal would
affect documents prepared through programs with state funding, like
materials for foreign language classes in schools or some health
department programs.

Currently, the county translates some documents, such as an ad about
the Head Start early education program and information on health
services. Funding for those translations are not specifically set
aside in the county's operating budget. Jenkins does not favor any
ordinance that only offers a ceremonial designation and would not
prevent translations of county documents. His proposal has the support
of Help Save Maryland, a group that urges lawmakers to protect the
state against the "negative effects of illegal aliens."

Steven R. Berryman, the Frederick County coordinator of Help Save
Maryland, said the group believes citizenship should be earned. "It
needs to be a privilege to be a citizen in the United States, and with
privileges come responsibilities," he said. "One of the costs of
admission to the U.S. should be learning English, as the teachings of
America are found in the English language." The onus should be on
immigrants coming to the country to follow the laws and learn the
language, rather than on the county taxpayers, he said. But not
translating could be more expensive in the long run, said Maria Shuck,
a Spanish interpreter and the coordinator of the Limited English
Proficiency program at Frederick Memorial Hospital.

She said the county should encourage the use of qualified interpreters
and translators, especially in the legal, medical, social service and
educational arenas. It can be difficult to learn a foreign language,
and even after a few years of classes and immersion, technical
terminology and cultural nuances can remain foreign. "In my personal
opinion, I think when groups get together to demand that a law be
passed to make English the official language, it's really more of a
mechanism to make some kind of anti-immigration statement," Shuck
said.

http://helpsavemaryland.blogspot.com/2008/04/frederick-news-post-frederick-co.html

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