Letters
By Staff -- Críticas, 1/1/2005
I recently read the Letter from the Editor in Críticas’s November/December 2004 edition and found it outstanding. I strongly agree with the anonymous librarian’s point of view. As a Hispanic immigrant who works at the public library in Maryville, Tennessee, I have experienced the struggle to create an awareness in the American population that the Spanish language is important. Hispanics are everywhere: businesses, services, schools, colleges, parks... everywhere! I partly agree with those who think that we are supposed to learn the language of the country we are living in. But we Hispanics love to read the works of famous Latin American writers (Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, to mention a few) written in their original language. Books just don’t “taste” the same if you read translations. Of course, there is a variety of cultural factors that influence the attitude that Hispanics have toward Spanish as their native language. It has been my wish and goal to encourage Hispanics in my area to keep their traditions and to speak our language, but at the same time, take advantage of the world of opportunities available in the United States, many of which will only be there if they speak English. Tennessee has a population of 2.2% Hispanics, and in the county I live in, it’s just 1.7%. But numbers are rising, not only here but everywhere across the U.S. I hope the editorial letter and the librarian’s ideas exposed in it help change people’s minds about having Spanish-language material in their libraries!—Regina Greene, Maryville, Tennessee
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