English as a Second Language?

Economic realities being what they are today, FBOs are hiring more and more non-native speakers of English — Some legal, some not so legal. But this isn’t going to be a diatribe against immigrants — far from it.  I’m a big believer in the American dream, and the immigrant’s place in that dream. But I’m also a big safety advocate and I’ve been concerned for a while that FBOs are not providing non-native speakers with the tools they need to perform their jobs. Those tools include either adequate training in reading and writing English — too expensive for most FBOs — or translations of enough technical data to ensure workers have the safety info they need. Who’s making sure that these workers read enough English to ensure the safety of the work they perform? Too few workplaces translate key technical and safety information for their workers. And even those who may have some Spanish translations, what about all those non-Spanish speaking foreign workers? How are they getting their information? Some data is available for free from manufacturers and oil companies. Sometimes you may need to pay. I’ve been using Continental Translation Service in Manhattan that specializes in technical translations — a family-run company in business more than 50 years. And they’ve been doing aviation translations at least that long. I recently cadged a 1949 aviation maintenance book from their library (interesting read, more to follow). But no matter what company you use, you need to make sure the company has the technical expertise to provide the quality work you need. Everyone has an interest in making sure that their workforce reads and writes enough English to perform their jobs safely.  Sure, it’s a management issue, but everyone has a role to play. If you have a co-worker who can’t read enough English to know what to do, you have an obligation to speak up. The individual either needs better training — or more multilingual aids.