Language and Newspapers

Newspapers have been a major source of information for centuries and have greatly affected the world and the way we communicate. At the start of the United States they were a vital tool in the formation of the American identity. America began and flourished as a land of immigrants and that is still relevant in modern day. Language is a very important aspect of modern society because of this. Many people who live in America do not speak English, therefore communication and mass media must have the ability to manage the language barrier within the population. Newspapers are a vital resource and expose massive amounts of information to the public, which is why it is important to print them in multiple languages. According to the following website http://www.infoplease.com/spot/hhmcensus1.html, Hispanics make up sixteen percent of the United States and there are sixteen million Asian-Americans within the country. A big portion of these statistics involve individuals who speak other languages. This is a major chunk of the country and the language barrier has to be considered. According to http://www.gadling.com/2007/09/30/how-many-languages-are-spoken-in-the-u-s-exactly/, there are fourteen million households where English is not the primary language and there are over 300 languages spoken in the United States. These statistics prove that there are many people in the US who do not know English, which means printing in other languages is critical. 

 

In addition to the informative benefits of multilingual print, there are also economic factors to consider. Immigration is at an all time high and many immigrants come to the US for work. Newspapers are a great place to start when looking for work and in general are helpful when looking for information, especially when in a new place. Without papers, Americans would struggle with getting important information and immigrants would be lost. Newspapers are an important medium and have been since the start of the country.  Newspapers have taken this into account and as technology advances, online sources have also caught on. The following link even translates news into any language of choice. http://www.humanitas-international.org/newstran/.  This site allows you to translate English news into Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and a variety of other languages. America is recognizing the need for multilingual print and is taking this priority to the web. Technological advancements have caused the newspaper industry to change, which is why having online sources for non-native speakers is very important. In addition to translation sites there are also complete online papers in other languages. The following link is a great example of a Spanish paper in the DC area.  http://eltiempolatino.com/. The site is stacked with articles, advertisements and news in sports and music. This link will take you to a Chinese online paper http://www.washingtonchinesenews.net/. These online sources are very helpful to non-native speakers allowing them to find important information, while also getting involved within the community. All in all, multilingual papers are important and make a difference within American society. Without these mediums, the public would be disconnected. Papers in other languages are another step closer to breaking down the language barrier within the country.