Foreign Movies and the Pursuit of Happiness...

My wife and I watched an Italian movie over the weekend called "L' Eclisse" (The Eclipse), a black and silver cinematic gem. It is a classic tale about a sophisticated couple living in Rome who seek each other out after finding no contentment in their former loves or fulfillment in their professions. Sadly, in the end, neither of them find what they are looking for in each other and soon revert to their lonely and banal existence trapped in a material and monotonous world. I rate it "two thumbs, way up" as they say in the business.

The movie had everything you would expect from a 1960's Italian motion
Picture: impossibly attractive actors, striking landscapes and backgrounds, eye-catching automobiles, intelligent dialogue and of course, subtitles.

Funny thing about subtitles, they're annoying at first, but then you slowly forget you've been reading along through the movie as you get swept away in its emotional rollercoaster. I prefer subtitles because dubbed voices in English just don't seem to capture the subtle and the sublime expressions being emoted by the actors in their original language. Furthermore, I would contend that the juxtaposition of American English and the cityscapes of Rome would detract from the artistic and cultural experience one derives from watching this particular foreign movie for instance. Ideally, I would love to learn Italian and not need subtitles to enjoy the movie.

In many ways, the Spanish language serves as sub-titles writ large for many U.S. Hispanics. For instance, there is well-documented evidence that the vast majority of foreign language speakers and their kids are as aware as anyone of the importance of learning English. In fact, studies find that nearly one hundred percent of third generation Hispanics speak English. But first and second generation immigrants need those elemental "sub-titles" to better understand and navigate the English world we live in only because many have just begun their American experience.

It is undisputed that English is the dominant language in the United States and despite what you hear from paranoid alarmists, its status as our nation's choice language is not threatened with change anytime soon.
Actually, the opposite is true. The Center for Economic Policy reports that English is well on its way to becoming the dominant global language.

Nonetheless, many non-Hispanics feel unsettled because the impression for many is that Spanish is ever-present, ever expanding and ever encroaching unto sacred areas such as the Star Spangled Banner. Spanish is on billboards, on cable and satellite TV, in the back pages of church bulletins, and on government websites.

English, it is argued, is the unifying language that brings us all together.
Guess what folks? You won't find any old, or new immigrant for that matter dispute that assertion. If you think of Spanish as America's subtitle language (not to be confused as a subordinate language) during the immigrant's transition to English, you will find what I found out after watching that Italian movie. After a while you don't even realize you've been reading or hearing it. You might even want to learn Spanish in order to enjoy the culture and traditions associated with it.

Of course, Spanish is much more than a language that should be relegated to the role of serving as a mere sub-title. Regrettably, some of us are much too hasty to see the death of Spanish without taking into regard the enormous advantage it gives us in a global economy, the value we derive from it in our appreciation for the arts, and the wealth of culture it provides.

As E.J.Dionne writes, "raging against them shows little understanding of how new immigrants struggle to become loyal Americans who love their country -- and come to love the English language."

As humans we must begin to value each other's hopes and aspirations, but also value our differences and most importantly our commonality. As Americans, we must look to fulfill the truths echoed in the U.S.
Constitution - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But unlike that Italian couple in L' Eclisse, I hope you find what you're looking for.


Daniel Garza, President of PODER-HISPANIC Group