Those of us who follow languages in the news can't help but notice some of the bilingual debates (and counterpoint, here) going on within our borders as well as other places in the world. Being a provider of translation services for companies in the US and other parts of the world, we are, according to the cynic, going to take the position that more languages are better. However, beyond this rather simplistic view of the matter, there are plenty of reasons more languages are better for the economic health of the U.S. economy. Let's say the owner of a business, large or small, discovers that his or her native English-speaking customer could potentially comprise only half of the revenue. And, that the other as-yet unattained half would do business with him or her upon getting to know the business first in their native language(s). What business owner wouldn't want to increase profits by 100%, simply by performing some basic cultural hygiene?

As anyone without his or her head buried completely in the sand can see, the U.S. economy for many years has been dependent upon the health of the global economy, and this is dependence is only going to increase at a staggering rate. Such petty arguments over something like the translation of the National Anthem (which has been getting translated into 100s of other languages for over 100 years) seem to be symptoms of a greater xenophobia. English may be the language of business, but why are your potential buyers using search engines in their own languages? A recent statistic showed that 74% of Americans do local searches online for services and products. What do you think your global audience is doing? What do you think native Spanish speakers in the U.S. are doing?

What do we have to fear from bilingualism? Extra business? An expanded, healthier economy?