Maggie Jackson | Balancing Acts

Multilingual workplace can translate into opportunities

Before Tufts housekeeper Maria Teixeira began taking English classes, she felt uncomfortable talking with supervisors or visitors. Now, ‘‘when they talk, I understand them better. I feel more confident asking questions,’’ she says.

(Suzanne Kreiter / Globe Staff) Before Tufts housekeeper Maria Teixeira began taking English classes, she felt uncomfortable talking with supervisors or visitors. Now, ‘‘when they talk, I understand them better. I feel more confident asking questions,’’ she says.

By Maggie Jackson

April 20, 2008

E-mail|
Reprints|

Text size – +

Hola, America, we're going global, pronto. By the watercooler, in the boardroom, around the cafeteria, a new multilingualism is burgeoning, sparked by a swelling immigrant population and our deepening ties to the world economy. Nearly 20 percent of Americans over age 5 speak a language other than English at home, up from 14 percent in 1990. That means say "hola" ... (Full article: 937 words)