Madison, Wis.—Today, RepresentativePriscilla A. Prado (D-Milwaukee) released the following remarks as prepared in regards to Assembly Bill 377, relating to establishing English as the official state language, use of artificial intelligence in lieu of appointing English language interpreters, and use of English for both governmental and nongovernmental oral and written communication purposes:
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
“Even as a U.S.-born, American citizen, Spanish was my first language. Alongside my mother, father, grandmother, great grandmother, and now, my grandson being a fifth-generation American born in the United States, Spanish has been and will always be our first language.
“If we really want to dive into our history, Wisconsin’s first residents were our Native American neighbors who spoke a multitude of indigenous languages. They spoke Algonquian, Siouan, Iroquoian, and more. Even Wisconsin’s first European immigrants were not native English speakers; they were French, German, and Polish. So, respectfully, if we really want to name an official language, we should honor the true original owners of the land of Wisconsin.
“I’m not here to argue, but rather prove a point that our beautiful country is filled with so many diverse cultures and languages that make us who we are. Why do we want to take that away?
There are approximately 281,000 Spanish speakers in Wisconsin, over 108,000 of them understand you when you’re ordering your tacos. We’re talking about our working class!
“In Milwaukee, 21.8% of residents 5-years-old and older speak an additional language. Madison, 14.4%. Green Bay, 16.1%. Kenosha, 16.4%. Racine, 11.7%. Waukesha, 11.0%. Appleton, 11.2%. And even in La Crosse, 6.0%.
“And now you want to make it legal to use AI as a translator, which might be useful for ordering lunch. But, certainly not sufficient for legal hearings, official forms and civil rights! Not to mention that this implementation of AI would, quite literally, take jobs away from Wisconsinites who work as translators.
“If efficiency were the goal, we would be talking about improving language access, not political symbolism! Wisconsin does not lose its identity because Spanish or another language is spoken. What it does lose is credibility when it ignores a substantial part of its population.
“Thank you.”
