“Would you like to register for our store’s credit card? I mean, I’m so sorry…do you have a Social Security Number?” the retail worker asked my mother hesitantly, cutting her off in the middle of her sentence.
I am the first-generation child of Chinese immigrants. My parents came to the United States in the nineties to further their college education. My father had been accepted into university at the age of fifteen; my mother had graduated at the top of her class. They were accepted into American universities with honors, and have worked successfully up the ladder to where we are now.
But when they open their mouths, people stare: my parents, like so many other immigrants, do not speak perfect English.
This diverse society still, to this day, harbors stigma toward accents and broken speech.
This is usually met with thinly veiled and uncomfortable smiles from adults, and awkward silence from some of my peers. I’ll never forget what my middle school classmates asked me, pulling me aside after being introduced to my family: “Do you think they understand what we’re saying? Don’t you think you should explain or translate for us?” But of course they understand; if they could pass college courses and be a part of everyday America, they can understand what you’re saying. Why do those whose first language is English – mainly the average, white American – automatically associate imperfect English with a lack of intelligence, knowledge, or culture, or even, as that store employee suggested, a lack of legality?
My parents’ mere presence should firmly say that they were hardworking enough and intelligent enough to learn a new language from a very young age, use it to enter the United States, and be a part of this diverse society that still, to this day, harbors stigma toward accents and broken speech. If you’ve ever taken a second language – and most Americans have, for four years of high school – you must know how difficult it is to grasp another language and, most importantly, be able to use it in everyday speech with those who are more fluent. It breaks my heart to see my parents face impoliteness and disrespect after everything they’ve been through and succeeded at.
So please, show some respect to the immigrants who have worked so hard to get to where they are. Imperfect English should not be something people are ashamed of – rather, we as a country should begin seeing it as a badge of hard work, success, and dignity.
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