Some Simple Truths About Language Usage Among U.S. Latinos

Give me a break  -- 55 million Latinos in the U.S. and confusion still lingers about the best language to use when communicating with Latinos?  Corporate America continues to pour millions of dollars into Spanish-language media, documents, and campaigns despite the fact that Latinos are becoming increasingly more English-dominant, and audiences for Spanish-language television, radio and print have been losing audiences for some time. Apparently, few marketers have come to grips with the demographic reality that two-thirds of U.S. Latinos are native-born and depend primarily on English-language communications.

This paradox has lingered for two main reasons.  First, too many self-serving marketers and media shops have sold the Spanish language as the single gateway to the Latino community in the U.S., reinforced by a history of biased, self-serving research studies.  Secondly, our nation’s academic institutions continue to produce graduates with little knowledge about the language and other characteristics of U.S. Latinos. In short, the collective Latino IQ of Corporate America is embarrassingly low and unable to distinguish fact from fantasy.

To clear up some of this confusion, I would like to share some simple truths about language usage gleaned from my 36 years of practical experience in conducting surveys and experiments with Latinos for a broad spectrum of private, public and academic clients. I am not a linguistics expert, but have studied the use of language in these studies. This experience has been reinforced by teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on Hispanic marketing, survey research, statistics, and mass communications.  Thus, these simple truths are not just subjective impressions about language usage, but grounded in academic and real-world experiences.

1. Not all Latinos communicate in Spanish.

We have heard and read about it for many years – Latinos have better recall of advertisements in Spanish, Latinos make love in Spanish, the love affair with Spanish telenovelas, and so on.  As a result, marketers continue to pour millions of advertising dollars into Spanish-language media and communications believing that they are reaching all segments of Latinos. However, substantial research evidence confirms the following two facts:

·       Spanish-language audiences are comprised primarily of recent immigrants who are generally less educated, have lower incomes, are the least connected to the Internet, and primarily apartment dwellers.

·       By contrast, native-born Latinos are more dependent on English-language communications,  and generally include children, voters, higher income earners, homeowners, the more highly educated and Internet connected, and professionals.

Although many marketers may prefer to bury their heads in the sand and remain loyal to their Spanish-language strategies, the organizations that are paying for advertising and media placements should be informed that their Spanish-language advertisements may not be reaching a sizeable segment of Latino consumers.

2. Do you understand what I am saying?

It is often the case that a Latino customer is presented a form to complete a transaction or register for a program or service.  Attorneys, healthcare providers, and mortgage companies often present documents that need signatures on documents that involve important decisions. In such circumstances, Latinos are typically asked if they understand what is being explained or what they are reading, and a head nod or “yes” response is usually accepted as confirmation that the information was “understood.”  But is this type of confirmation a valid one?   Perhaps not in some cases,  because there is no follow-up evidence that the information was really understood.  Latinos, especially immigrants, will often confirm that they understand an instruction or a document to save face and not admit that they lack the ability to read or understand that language. Consequently, it is important to ask a Latino customer to explain or demonstrate their comprehension of an instruction by asking them to repeat in their own words what the instruction means, or asking them to physically demonstrate their comprehension. In a healthcare setting, for example, it would be advisable to ask a Latino to repeat, in their own words, the instructions for taking their medication(s)  – clearly a more valid measure of comprehension than a simple head nod.

3. Translators are not the last word on language decisions.

Over the past years, I have used translators for a variety of tasks and languages, and appreciate the function that they serve. With few exceptions, I always use a certified translator with experience in the subject matter at hand, whether legal, healthcare, insurance, etc. – which helps to affirm the accuracy of the translation. However, it is a mistake to think that your job is done when a translator submits their finished product.  In addition to the accuracy of the translated document, it is equally important to know who the intended audience will be and their ability to read and understand the document.  Translators do not always know who the intended audience is, and sometimes produce documents whose reading difficulty level is too high, or include words or phrases that are unfamiliar to the intended audience. By copy testing or pilot testing the translated document, one can have the added assurance that the appropriate communication has been established with the Latino consumer.    

Hence, your customer, not the translator, should have the last word on the acceptability of translated documents.

4. The use of Spanish is decreasing, not increasing.

Although media stories often talk about the large numbers of Latinos that watch Spanish-language television, the media hype contradicts what has been known by demographers for the past decade. That is, the number of Latino immigrants in the U.S. – the primary audience for Spanish-language media – has been decreasing in recent years. As explained by the Pew Research Center, the demand for Spanish-language communications of all types is expected to decrease in the coming years, while the demand for English-language communications will increase as the children of the immigrants comprise a larger component of future population growth.  Of course, this does not mean that an organization should not offer or eliminate Spanish-language support; on the contrary, it underscores the importance of also including English-language communications when reaching out to Latino consumers.

5. Speaking Spanish is not an automatic qualifier for reading or writing in Spanish.

Naïve marketers are often surprised to observe that Latinos can be conversing in Spanish quite comfortably, but may have difficulty when asked to read or write in Spanish. What some marketers fail to understand is that a language usually has at four basic functions or components --  reading, speaking, writing, and listening --  and proficiency in one of these functions does not necessarily mean proficiency in the other functions. In addition, many immigrants from Mexico lack formal education and cannot read or write in Spanish, while other immigrants from Latin America tend to be more highly educated and literate.  By better understanding the origins and educational background of Latinos, marketers can develop communications that will be understood by Latinos in their target audience. Thus, one should always consider the language function being utilized when evaluating a translated document.

6. While the U.S. Census Bureau collects language data, it can be misleading.

Organizations often quote language statistics collected by the Census Bureau as evidence about the number of Spanish-speaking households that reside in the U.S. at any point in time.  The quality of this language data, however, is limited in several ways.  First, one question in the American Community Survey (2015) asks:  “Does this person speak a language other than English at home?” If the question is answered “yes,” then the next question that follows is:  “What is this language?  Thus, we learn from these two questions the number of persons that speak Spanish and other languages as well.  But it does not ask how well Spanish is spoken, or the extent to which that person uses Spanish in any given task.  Presumably, if a person utters one word in Spanish, then they are considered a “Spanish speaker.”

The only other language question included is:  “How well does this person speak English?” – to which one is provided four options:  “Very well,” “Well,” “Not well,” and “Not at all.”  While this type of language proficiency question is useful in providing some guidance on how well a person speaks the English language, other research that I have summarized elsewhere shows that Latinos tend to over-estimate their language skills on self-reported measures like the one used by the Census Bureau – a consequence of social desirability.  That is, native-born Latinos who are more English-language proficient often want others to think that they speak Spanish better than they actually do.  Immigrants, who are more Spanish-language proficient, often want others to think that they speak English better than they actually do.  Even when they claim proficiency in both languages, 9 in 10 native-born Latinos will choose an English-language interview when given a choice, while 9 in 10 immigrants will choose a Spanish-language interview.  Hence, the language that a Latino chooses when provided a choice is a more valid indicator of their language dominance than their self-reported language proficiency.  Our experience suggests that Latinos should always be provided the choice of English or Spanish when asked to complete a task – such as an interview or a written document. This simple procedure will usually assure that you will get a more valid response.  These Census Bureau language questions, while useful, are crude measures of language behavior that should be used cautiously when evaluating the language behavior of U.S. Latinos. Click on this link to read the white paper entitled “Are Latinos Over-Estimating Their Language Abilities with Self-Reported Measures?”  http://www.rinconassoc.com/category/publications  

7. Employers take great risks when using Latino employees for translations or language advice. 

As a shortcut, some companies will utilize Latino employees to translate documents or interpret on the spot when the situation demands it.  Unless you know the training and education of that employee, you are taking unnecessary risks in assigning them this responsibility. Latinos that are born in the U.S. rarely study Spanish formally in school and rely on the Spanish that they have heard or used growing up in their communities – often a mixture of English and Spanish.  Important documents that relate to employee personnel procedures, healthcare, safety, insurance or legal matters should only be translated by a certified translator and copy-tested to ensure that employees understand the translated documents or other visual aids.  Experience also suggests that graphic symbols, such as those used in hazard warning signs, also have cultural components that may not communicate the same message to culturally-diverse groups. Copy testing is especially important with signage that relies on graphic symbols since they are often used to warn or prevent injuries or accidents. 

8. Knowing a language does not necessarily mean that you know the culture. 

In the employment world, many occupations require proficiency in one or several languages.  While proficiency in a language other than English is a definite asset in many jobs, it should not be confused with knowledge of a particular culture.  It is not uncommon, for example, for a foreign-born Latino with an excellent command of the Spanish language to receive more consideration for a job than a similarly educated Latino whose Spanish proficiency is not as well polished --  the assumption being that a higher language proficiency also means more knowledge of the culture.  This assumption may not necessarily be a valid one since a native-born Latino may indeed have more knowledge of the U.S. Latino culture than a foreign-born Latino who happens to communicate well in Spanish. If the job  involves responsibilities with U.S. Latino consumers, then knowledge of the Latino culture in the U.S. should be just as important in employment decisions as proficiency in a language.

9.  Are Latinos really diverse?

I often hear statements about the wide diversity in Latino communities, a reference to the numerous countries of origin represented throughout the U.S.   Indeed, the U.S. Census Bureau tells us that about 22 countries are represented in the category known as Hispanic or Latino.  A look at the Latino population in some geographic areas, however, would lead one to re-think the use of the word “diversity.”  For example, the State of Texas included  10.1 million Latinos in 2013, representing a broad variety of Spanish-speaking countries.  However, fully 88 percent of Texas Latinos were of Mexican origin – not exactly the picture of diversity. Decisions regarding language usage should consider the primary countries of origin represented by the Latinos living in a particular community since the type of Spanish utilized can vary by country of origin.  How can you find out about the country of origin for a particular community?  It’s easy – just visit the Census Bureau Factfinder web site at http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml to obtain the Latino country of origin for any city, county, metropolitan area or state.

10.  Language ability depends on sight and sound as well.

My experience in conducting hundreds of focus groups with Latinos has shown that their ability to understand a written document or verbal instruction is sometimes influenced by limitations related to their visual acuity and hearing impairments.  Latinos will not readily admit when they are unable to see very clearly, but an astute observer will notice non-verbal cues that suggest a vision problem.  Similarly, hearing impairments can be subtle and not usually something that will be readily apparent.  As a moderator, I have addressed such issues by reading a document out loud so that everyone can hear and understand the instruction, and ensure that any written documents are provided in large fonts to enhance their readability. Rather than embarrass a person because they cannot see or hear very well, it makes more sense to offer options that will allow all persons to participate in the task or activity.