City debates official language

Councilman's suggested ordinance would put end to translating College Park laws into Spanish

Councilman Jack Perry (Ward 2) said his reasoning behind the proposal, which has received hefty opposition, is that city laws and codes can be misinterpreted when translated into another language.

Currently, city laws and documents such as council meeting notes can be translated into Spanish. The ordinance, if approved by the City Council, would still allow recycling/trash information, permit applications and payment services to be translated into Spanish.

"Laws are already open to interpretation as it is," he said. "Laws written in several languages will cause confusion and legal problems. Translations are filled with multiple meanings, which produce multiple interpretations."

The council is slated to vote on the ordinance in September. Perry said city documents would still be available in Spanish upon request, but laws would not be translated by the city, so it would be up to the resident to seek out translation.

According to the 2000 Census, 5.5 percent of College Park residents are Hispanic or Latino and 17.9 percent of city residents speak a language other than English at home.

Councilman Jonathan Molinatto (Dist. 1) said this ordinance is unfair to those residents.

"I understand why he wants this, but I think it will hamper the city's ability to reach out to our non-native English speaking population," he said. "I think it would be a slap in the face to all of them while they are trying to learn English. They would not be best served by being required to know English well enough to [understand] all the rules and regulations of the city."

Perry said his ordinance would not discourage people trying to learn English from being active in the community.

"Eighty-eight percent of the population in this country speaks English," Perry said. "You can do that without giving up your customs, heritage or beliefs."

Perry said there are several churches, organizations and civic associations that offer translation services.

"Who better to teach you English than someone who speaks your native language?" he said.

Adelphi resident Rosemary Torrico thinks the ordinance is a good idea, but said she is concerned that people will not be able to get laws translated.

"English is a good language," she said. "Everything here is in English and everyone speaks English. This is good because it will force people to learn."

Kim Propeack, advocacy director for Casa of Maryland, an immigrant advocacy organization, said the legal implications of the ordinance are not as important as the message it sends.

"I think that at the end of the day these ordinances have zero legal effect, so they become a declaration about whose culture we want in the city," she said. "College Park has been a socially and economically richer community because of its foreign population."

Propeack said other cities are going the opposite direction of Perry's ordinance, citing Washington, D.C., which offers government services in eight different languages.

Councilwoman Mary Cook (Dist. 4) said the city does not want to be unwelcoming to international residents, but she is in favor of the ordinance because she does not want to show favoritism to Latinos over other ethnicities.

"What about the Arab people in my neighborhood?" she said. "What about the Indian people? What about the Polish family down the street? I'm in favor of it just out of fairness of to other people."

Perry said he has received e-mails from constituents in support of the ordinance but is unsure whether it will pass.

"I wouldn't bet on the council one way or the other," he said. "I think there's some support there, but there are some people that say that because Jack proposed it, it's got to be bad."