Immigration

Language Barrier Problems

Nearly one out of every four consumers encountered problems in the past year because a businessperson or retail employee spoke poor English, according to a USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll.

  • Immigrants represent about 11 percent of the U. S. workforce.

  • About 14 million foreign-born U. S. residents told the Census Bureau in 1990 that they had limited or no English proficiency -- a figure thought to be much higher now, since 10 million legal and illegal immigrants have entered the country since then.

  • Economists say the lack of English proficiency among immigrants costs businesses more than $175 billion a year due to lost productivity, wages, tax revenue, employment compensation and work-related mis-communication.

  • Since limited English keeps many immigrants in low-wage jobs, immigrants' median income is about 30 percent below that of native-born workers.

Experts say discrimination lawsuits based on language proficiency are rising and courts are only just beginning to struggle with them.

Source: Gary Strauss, "Consumers Frustrated by Verbal Gridlock," USA Today, February 28, 1997.

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