Spielberg's West Side Story shows us the value of multilingualism
CNN
Director Steven Spielberg deliberately omitted subtitles for scenes in Spanish in his remake of the film "West Side Story'' which is currently in theaters. "If I subtitled the Spanish I'd simply be doubling down on the English and giving English the power over the Spanish. This was not going to happen in this film, I needed to respect the language enough not to subtitle it," he said. This is a bold move, as speaking a language other than English in this country inherits an apology.
Please, forgive my occasional verbal stumbles and awkward English pronunciation. English is not my first language. Sounds familiar? The term "nonnative speaker" is commonly used to describe people like me who grew up with another language and then learned English later on in life. It's time to change this demeaning adjective for one that respectfully refers to our linguistic identity. In the spirit of respect, stop making us apologize for who we are.
Elected officials, Jewish advocacy groups and civil rights leaders are vowing to “push back” against the message of a White nationalist group that staged a march last week near downtown Columbus, Ohio, calling the demonstration an act of hate unwelcome in their community – and the United States more broadly.
Senate Democrats have confirmed some of President Joe Biden’s picks for the federal bench this week in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for a total GOP blockade of judicial nominations – in part because several Republicans involved with the Trump transition process have been missing votes.