Esperanto

[tulip]

I grew up speaking French and I've also lived in Germany and speak German, so I do speak three "real" languages, and yes they do "open up whole new worlds."

Engingeers Without Frontiers has been exploring the use of Esperanto in their projects. They can send Esperanto textbooks into a region a few months before their engineers go in and by the time work starts everyone is able to communicate somewhat effectively, much more effectively than trying to use English in areas where the people who do speak some English learned it from someone who didn't really know English.

Well then, you already know how great it is to be multilingual. Why don't Engineers Without Frontiers use the local language wherever possible, through engineers who speak the language (preferable) and/or interpreters? Alot of people in developing areas are not literate in their own languages, not to mention that many people around the world are just trying to survive and don't have the wherewithall to read Esperanto textbooks. Just seems like using the local language has all sorts of benefits, not least of which is local involvement and buy-in to projects. Esperanto is admirable, but I'm not convinced it's the best way to go.

It's just a big rant of mine that people in the US (and Canada--read below) don't learn other languages from childhood and use them into adulthood. I know Canadians are required to learn French in school (and Quebecois are supposed to learn English, I think?), but a few years ago I was at a conference in Montreal and I was the one who ended up translating between the folks from Alberta and the Quebecois on a professional project visit. I was born in New Jersey--and yet I was the bilingual one. I'm not a translator, I'm a landscape architect like the other people at the conference. The Albertans hadn't spoken French since school and the Quebecois didn't speak English well enough to communicate in English. It did result into some good, if sheepish, laughs on all sides, though.