News
ELI Highlighted in Business Journal
A two-way street : Employers, employees benefit from a bilingual work force
09.17.2007
By Keith Loria
English as a second language study gives non-native English speakers the opportunity to develop or increase their language proficiency, providing the ability to communicate in English in everyday interactions and in job-related situations. Many of Westchester’s colleges and universities understand the importance of removing or lessening the language barrier and now offer classes to help, which many Hispanics in the county are taking part in.
The more advanced the ability to communicate in English, the greater their value to an employer,” said Judith H. Lewis, director of the English Language Institute at Manhattanville College. “With the growing Westchester Hispanic population, a bilingual employee brings the added benefit of being able to communicate with both English and (non-native English) speaking customers.”
Manhattanville offers year-round classes that range from beginners to advanced and have helped over 1,000 people learn to speak English better this year.
Many businesses are hiring workers who can speak English and Spanish because it helps them attract a wider group of potential customers.
“It is essentially a two-way street: ESL enables non-English speakers to function outside their own (Spanish speaking) enclaves where their native language is the language of communication, thereby increasing the customer base and the pool of potential employees in the greater Westchester community,” Lewis said. “In turn, bilingual employees will attract NNS customers who might otherwise have felt uncomfortable, which also increases business in the greater Westchester community.”
ESL classes provide a forum, and a support group, for NNS to quickly feel part of a group with a common bond. Perhaps the most important function of ESL classes is to help the NNS acquire the confidence needed to use English in public places.
Said Lewis: “The better all the residents of Westchester County are able to fully integrate into the life of the county, the greater the benefit to the community as a whole, and the more the county and its citizens will flourish economically, socially, and culturally.”