English is imperative - por que es tan dificil aprender el ingles, y por que es tan importante aprenderlo - TA: why it is so hard to learn English, and why it is so important to learn - Editorial

Hispanic Times Magazine, Dec, 1996 by Janey Marguarita Rifkin

We get letters!

Readers often writs to share their feelings about having immigrated to America fairly recently, living amidst another culture, and especially about the difficulties faced when English is a second language.

Learning a new language is not easy. A number of factors influence one's ability to learn. The primary one is age. Most immigrants who come to the U.S. as babies eventually learn English as virtual native-born Americans if they are exposed to the language on the school playground, through television, and peer conversation.

Those who are transplanted as adults will learn enough to get by, but most will never be fluent or lose their accent. Some may never learn the language due to low educational background in their own native tongue, or because they are too busy earning a living, or perhaps lack of desire. Gender also affects one's learning ability. Immigrant women who stay home and care for their children are less likely to learn than men who go to work and are forced to have some interaction with the English-speaking.

The bottom line is that English is the key to success in America. For anything more than jobs of menial labor, the knowledge of English is imperative. This magazine encourages all our readers, child and adult alike, to make the effort to learn.

Is it really important? You bet!

One has only to look at the large number of people attending night classes -- and the vast number of audio and video tape choices on the market -- promising to teach English the easy way.