A proposed resolution filed last week by council member Bill Tirrell reaffirming English as Herndon's official language and transfering some of the responsibility for document translation to private parties will be debated by officials this month.
The proposal, which has been informally discussed by council members since it was mentioned by Tirrell late last year, is scheduled to be addressed in a Feb. 27 public hearing.
If passed, the resolution would reaffirm an existing Virginia state declaration making English the official language and limit translation of documents published by the town to those that directly "impact the health, safety, and/or welfare of residents" of Herndon, according to the resolution. Any material not relating directly to health and safety would be the responsibility of individuals or private organizations to translate as they see fit, the resolution continued.
A little less than half of Herndon households acknowledged speaking a language other than English at home, a rate about two and a half times greater than the national average, according to 2000 U.S. Census figures.
THE STATE of Virginia already made English the official state language in 1996 under then Gov. George Allen (R). English is the officially declared language of 25 U.S. states, and four states have passed "English Plus" resolutions, declaring English as the primary language with an added note addressing the importance of diversity of other languages.
Herndon presently prints certain town documents, like trash schedules and explanations of zoning ordinances, in English and Spanish.
The primary motivation behind the resolution is to give the Town of Herndon an official stance when it comes to language, Tirrell said.
"The first thing we would be doing is stating our policy and putting it in writing," he said. "The second thing, I think, is that we're actively encouraging people to learn the language."
Tirrell expressed a desire to introduce the resolution during an appearance last December on local WMAL radio program "The Chris Core Show" when the host challenged him to propose it. All of the callers to the show — including three saying they were from Herndon — supported the measure.
REDUNDANCY and cultural isolation are the largest concerns for council member Harlon Reece, who said that he opposes the resolution.
"We already operate as an officially English state, so I don't see how this will accomplish anything," Reece said. "I think it might even send a negative message to people in town who cannot speak English yet."
Reece said that he was worried that people who did not speak English — regardless of their immigration status — would not feel welcome in town.
"We have thousands of legal immigrants in town ... and many of them don't speak English," he said. "It's a normal part of the immigration process, learning English is not always something that the first generation immigrants will accomplish."
Reece added that the resolution would not affect the vast majority of the documents that the town already translates, as those would be categorized as impacting the health and safety of residents.
Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis and council member Dave Kirby have also expressed hesitance during early discussions of the proposal in a Feb. 6 council work session.
IF THE TOWN wants to encourage people to learn English, there are better methods than restricting translation and declaring English as the official language, said Andres Tobar, head of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations.
The importance of speaking English in the United States as a way of succeeding and achieving a better life is already something that is understood by nearly every immigrant in the country, Tobar said.
"What I would love to see instead from a member of the council is a focus to things like English-speaking programs," Tobar said. "To me, taking positive steps to actively help people learn English is much more important than a broad declaration."
Providing social services such as English classes is the responsibility of the Fairfax County government, Tirrell said, pointing out that his resolution encourages non-English speaking people to seek out existing opportunities to learn the language through public school and private non-profit programs.
"I feel that by stating English as the official language is just negative posturing ... and puts undue pressure on people attempting to learn English," said Mukit Hossain, president of the Herndon-based Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee. "The idea is to teach people the language, not put undue pressure on them."
Since English is already understood as the principal language of the United States and Virginia, Tirrell said he can't understand why there is opposition to his proposal.
"If it's this obvious, then I don't understand why [people] are so upset about it," Tirrell said. "Let's put it on paper, here it is, so we know where we stand."