Bilingualism Can Help All of Us

Communication is key to surviving our society. Humans are meant to talk to each other and create relationships by interacting with new people. Talking to people who have different customs and traditions enriches our perspective in life, but problems arise when you aren’t able to communicate in another language.

I was raised to speak Spanish, which led to problems early on. I wasn’t able to communicate my feelings clearly because there weren’t people who understood me when I started going to school. I felt alone and isolated. The preschool that I went to didn’t know how to handle the situation, so they sent me to a program that was for children with learning disabilities.

My parents had a hard time trying to help me because they were new to everything. They were learning English along with me, so they constantly needed people to translate for them. It was especially difficult when there wasn’t anyone there to help.

All these problems started because people did not know how to speak Spanish. If there had been someone in each of the situations that my family had gone through, there would have been a chance my parents wouldn’t have suffered so much.

In the United States, about 47% of immigrant adults are limited English proficient as of 2024, according to KFF.org. This means these adults are not able to speak English well in their day-to-day lives. There are not many places that provide the information they need in their native language, making it hard for them to be informed about the things around them.

But this can change for the better.

In an article by DoTEFL, being bilingual has so many benefits. Bilingual people have higher cognitive abilities, like enhanced memory, better problem-solving skills, and delayed cognitive decline. In academics, people have an easier time learning new languages and an expanded knowledge of cultures. Even in jobs, people get better job opportunities and enhanced networking opportunities.

It takes a lot of effort to learn a whole new language, but that doesn’t mean it is not possible. By using the information you learn from your Spanish class, you can start practicing how to speak. There are people who only know Spanish and a little English who would be willing to let you practice with them. 

Having more people who know how to speak another language builds a better community and strengthens bonds between people. This would have been an ideal community for people like my parents.

Now, we can do that for those after us, the ability to communicate and have fun with new people.

Bianca Salazar is a Hutchinson freshman studying journalism. She can be contacted on Instagram @bancasalazar_bts.

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