The Importance of Body Language; Does the NYPD Face Language Barriers?

What Every Parent Should Teach Their Child About Body Language

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/spycatcher/201004/what-every-parent-should-teach-their-child-about-body-language

We often focus on language in its written and spoken form, but body language is another important way through which we relay information to one another.

The author of this article claims that it is “every parent’s responsibility to socialize their children,” including in body language. I agree with the author. Body language helps us “read” one another more carefully. For example, a child might say that she is not upset, but if her arms are crossed, a teacher can understand that something has disappointed the child. Children need to learn about such cues in interpersonal relationships so that they can better communicate with one another. Body language helps people to gauge the intention behind what is being said.

I would like to study non-verbal communication and its differences across cultures. For example, in France, if you brush your hand along your cheek, that’s code for “c’est barbe” – that’s boring. Another gesture is pulling on one’s eye to say “I don’t believe it.” The French are especially known for their use of gestures. In fact, many international businesses address the differences in non-verbal communication – be it greetings (bow, handshake) or conversational conduct (eye contact).

Some highlights to help develop social and interpersonal intelligence:

- “Brain controls all your physical movements as well as all the faces and gestures you make. You have control over your body and the kinds of messages that your body sends out. You need to be mindful of this in the same way that you have to watch what you say.”

- “What your body says to me is more accurate than what you say and it speaks to me before you do. So always be aware that often we can tell what you are thinking or feeling before you speak.”

- “You can get along better with friends if you read their body language because you'll be able to tell if they are happy or sad, mad or playful, quiet or excited.”

Additional information on body language is available at http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/body_language.htm.

NYPD To Be Audited For Language Barriers

Source: http://www.wpix.com/news/local/wpix-nypd-language-barriers,0,1038616.story

The Justice Department of NYC is auditing the NYPD to see how the police treat non-English speaking New Yorkers. The goal of the investigation is to see whether the NYPD violates individuals’ civil rights and what role language barriers play. For example, if an immigrant cannot communicate in English, NYPD officers might mark the victim as “uncooperative.”

This is a great investigation to carry out in New York City. As a resident of the city, I have witnessed the frustration of police officers that do not understand the complaints of the victim or accused person.

Although New York City does have multilingual officers and the NYPD sometimes matches the language skills of officers with the neighborhoods in which they work, there needs to be more information available for the immigrants who cannot defend themselves in English.

NYC is certainly diverse enough to make this goal a reality, so I hope that the investigation increases the focus on language barriers and the Justice System in NYC.

A New View on Immigrants' Bilingualism and the Business of Learning English

Debunking myths on immigrant education

Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/political-bookworm/2010/04/debunking_myths_on_immigrant_e.html

Today, more than 5 million immigrant children are not proficient in English, yet Washington’s No Child Left Behind Act promotes English-only instruction due to some misconceptions bilingualism. I was once that immigrant child that could not speak English, so this article appealed to me.

Rosemary Salomone, a law professor at St. John’s University, recently published her book “True American: Language, Identity, and the Education of Immigrant Children,” in which she debunks the myths that bilingual school programs impair a child’s academic success and that bilingualism is threatening the future of English in America.

Recent studies have provided evidence that bilingualism enhances “mental flexibility, creative thinking, and the capacity to read social cues.” In my Longevity class last term (psych/humbio) and in this article, another claim has surfaced – bilingualism may decrease the rate of cognitive decline in aging individuals. Professor Laura L. Carstensen said that continual intellectual engagement is critical to warding off cognitive decline.

Another benefit of bilingualism is that “children raised bilingually are better able to screen out irrelevant information.” Speakers of several languages are more adept at “reading” others’ mental states and behavior. This skill will be especially useful in the increasingly transnational and globalized world. According to the findings, dual language immersion program (when half of the instruction is in English, the other half in the native language) are the most effective means for developing proficiency in two languages.

I am glad that sociologists and psychologists are noting the emotional and academic gains that immigrant children have when they are able to communicate in both their native language and English. Not only are they able to communicate in their native language with their family and thus retain their heritage and relationships with family members, but these children understand the global community in which we live.

Although I see the concerns with bilingualism (immigrants might not learn English; resistance to assimilation), I do think that bilingualism should be encouraged in the United States.

Introducing the Accelerated English Language Program

Source: http://www.prlog.org/10613094-introducing-the-accelerated-english-language-program.html

This article was about a new six-week accelerated English language learning program at the New Hampton School. The program will provide the “quintessential American experience” to motivated international high school students through academics and extracurricular activities.

This program reminded me of Yihwan’s comment about Koreans’ obsession with learning English and receiving an American education. My boarding school had many Korean students and I learned that Korean families prioritize the advantages of getting an American education and knowing how to speak English.

I watched the program’s promotional video. The program’s highlights include being able to visit Harvard, Dartmouth, and New England boarding schools. This article exposed me to the business of language acquisition and emphasized the global power of an English education. With the rise of China as a global economic power, will international students choose to spend their summers in China as opposed to the US? I have seen the beginnings of this trend and wonder if it will continue.