L.A. Times in Spanish?
This photo spread, with captions in Spanish, was teased on the front page of the paper’s Web site a couple of hours ago, but I missed getting the screen shot. Here’s an example:
You can access the entire photo spread here.
What do you think of this — running Spanish-language content on the paper’s Web site? Some will say it’s a necessary appeal to a growing demographic. Others will bemoan this as a reflection of the Balkanization caused by a failure to insist on a common language and culture. I’m interested in your thoughts.
UPDATE 11-3-09: Here’s a screengrab from this morning, from the front page of the Times Web site:
As DRJ notes in comments, the irony is that Ana, the subject of the story, learned English to become a citizen of this country.
UPDATE x2: Commenter roy does a search and finds several examples of Spanish-language articles on the site.
Now they’ll be able to
AD - RtR/OS! (83414c) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:01 pmmisleadlie in two languages.I expect it in La Opinion…I don’t expect it in the L.A. Times. I guess they really are hurting for customers…
Mr. Matamoros (970ca5) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:18 pmOye como va.
Alta Bob (e8af2b) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:33 pmBusinesses do what they have to do to attract customers, but it’s ironic the Times would do this with Ana’s story. Reading that, it seems one of Ana’s goals was to become an American citizen — a goal she achieved — and in the process she apparently became fluent in English. It seems her parents do not speak English. I hope Spanish language readers learn from Ana rather than her parents, but a Spanish language LA Times doesn’t send that message.
DRJ (dff2ca) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:34 pmJust another desperate trolling for a paying customer or two.
Patricia (b05e7f) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:44 pmDRJ, you’re right that spanish speaking businesses do not send the message that English is necessary in America.
But I am shocked that the LA Times is only starting to offer spanish papers. That’s breach of fiduciary duty! They are catering to that very crowd!
That paper should want to inform the people. Millions of its potential audience read Spanish. I don’t know how many would subscribe (I don’t understand anyone who would pay for that paper), but they should ramp up their spanish version asap to preserve what’s left of their business.
It’s not their fault that the people don’t care about American culture, assimilation, etc. that’s the democrats. We are carved into lines. Hell, if I don’t put myself into the right category, the census says I must pay a fine. It’s a shame, and it’s a big reason we’re in trouble as a people(s). But it’s suicidal to run a paper in LA in English only.
Dustin (bb61e3) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:52 pmAs a native Spanish speaker and an unabashed capitalist, I say let the paper do whatever it needs to do to attract more customers and more ad revenue.
Randy Haddock (866a2b) — 11/2/2009 @ 10:29 pmThe Los Angeles Times: Tu ciudad. Tu equipo!
Official Internet Data Office (967528) — 11/2/2009 @ 10:53 pmI certainly don’t like the Balkanization. In many areas of my city all of the employees are native Spanish speakers because of the desire to have a bi-lingual staff. Our education system completely failed at helping my children learn Spanish, and I am of limited help because I grew up in a time when all of the billboards were in English, not Spanish. Who knows where this is going but I know all of my children’s teachers were very frustrated at how classrooms of mixed language students slowed the education process to a crawl. I don’t understand how what we have now is better than what my great grandparents were told when they came here from Sweden. “In America”, they said, “we teach class in English”. In one year the whole family learned English and in three years all of the children skipped a grade because they had caught up to everyone else.
tyree (bf0ee2) — 11/2/2009 @ 11:38 pmSurely, if this area is supposed to become part of Mexico, the LA Times should be publishing in nahuatl ?
Alasdair (205079) — 11/2/2009 @ 11:53 pmIt’s possibly bad marketing or a technical error to mix up languages on a given page, but that’s about it. Balkanization may be a bad thing, but I don’t see how newpapers pretending everyone reads English fluently would help.
For fun, I searched for a common Spanish phrase “con los” and they have at least a handful of Spanish articles. At least one is also there in English. Google indicates the photo gallery Patterico linked also has a English counterpart, but the link is dead.
I don’t know what all that indicates; my guess would be nothing important.
roy (d6fc79) — 11/3/2009 @ 12:42 amThe LA Times has had a Spanish Language edition for at least ten years and has been available on News Stands and machines as well as delivery. CA problems have zero to do with anything that washed up rag prints or cybers…….
Howard Veit (0d2b4f) — 11/3/2009 @ 1:47 amWell, Howard, I am just ignorant then. Not a surprise.
Dustin (bb61e3) — 11/3/2009 @ 2:23 amIt’s most likely just a mistake. LATs readers are few enough as it is, and too many of the recently arrived Spanish speakers are illiterate.
ropelight (d46b44) — 11/3/2009 @ 4:54 amIt will be interesting if the LASlimes will be willing to push their Democrat, Gay Agenda on to Conservative Hispanics in their spanish editions.
PCD (1d8b6d) — 11/3/2009 @ 5:48 amI don’t see how the Times can ignore a huge demographic while their business craters.
They were an accessory to the crime of massive illegal immigration. Their business model failed to take the exodus of english readers from CA into account. They are merely reflecting the nature of the Los Angeles they helped destroy.
Havent seen a Joel Stein column in a while. Guess he’s gone from cheering mass illegal invasion to massive government takeover.
harkin (59ca42) — 11/3/2009 @ 5:56 am“Press one for English.” My opposition to this sort of thing is not based on xenophobia, but the notion that, by perpetuating such linguistic accommodation, we coddle recent immigrants and others and basically provide a disincentive against taking steps to learn the English language and acclimate themselves to American culture. After all, why bother to learn the native tongue when every website and tech support phone number provides service in Spanish?
Guy Jones (2d76e5) — 11/3/2009 @ 6:34 amMany of our ancestors learned English through the use of the daily newspapers in their localities. We’ve come a long way, and not always in a better direction.
Dmac (a964d5) — 11/3/2009 @ 7:33 amCount me in the camp that thinks this is no big deal. The LAT can, and should do, whatever it takes to keep its business and its employees employed.
But the fact that this is a way to do it is a problem that has been bred by, among others, the education system. “Bilingual education” is nothing of the sort, neither bilingual nor education. I am all in favor of bilingual education if that were actually what it is. I grew up in Mexico with actual bilingual education. All subjects were taught in both languages, Spanish in the mornings English in the afternoons.
I just spent time in a very touristy area of Mexico, where people make a living selling trinkets to tourists, mostly Americans. There, people who do not even have an elementary school education are able to communicate and conduct business in English, because they have to. If they don’t communicate, they don’t sell, and they don’t eat. So don’t tell me people going to school can’t learn enough English to catch up. And children at that! Their brains are like sponges, if they would but let them.
Sorry, I will now climb off my high horse, the issue of bilingualism sets me off.
Not My Problem (fab1f4) — 11/3/2009 @ 8:39 amIf you read the story, you will find, no surprise, that in Mexico doctors ignored her condition, and it appears the parents did too.
So they came to the US to get treatment. I’m happy she has a chance, but…we’re broke.
Patricia (94c68d) — 11/3/2009 @ 1:43 pmTwo of Israel’s three leading Hebrew-language dailies have English-language web sites.
Andrew J. Lazarus (7d46f9) — 11/3/2009 @ 2:18 pmThe LAT has had that Spanish-language edition, and is being clobbered in the market-place by the McClatchey-owned LaOpinion.
AD - RtR/OS! (e6a9d0) — 11/3/2009 @ 2:34 pmAn interesting aside, the Arbitron ratings for years have given the “most listened to” spot to one of the S-L stations, but in the latest ranking IIRC it is back at KFI-AM640, the local home of Rush (and HH’s fave John & Ken).
And, the biggest resistence to bi-lingual ed in SoCal has been from Hispanic parents – they want their kids to learn (and be taught in) English!
Racists
JD (dfc4ed) — 11/3/2009 @ 2:35 pm