On my first day in Madrid, I looked around, eager to be overwhelmed by Spanish, but instead found myself running into a sign, part of a campaign against homophobia, that read “Stop Odio” (Stop Hate) in various places throughout the city. I quickly realized that this wasn’t the only sign in English; they are scattered throughout metro stops and along the streets. But “Stop Odio” really stuck with me, and I repeatedly talk about that sign with Spaniards, explaining how surprised I am to see so much English in Madrid. Someone’s response surprised me even more, as she said to me, “Oh, but stop is an international word.” She was right. The meaning of “stop” is recognized internationally. But it’s an English word.
In the Plaza de Cibeles, on the beautiful and iconic town hall building, you can easily see a giant sign reading “Refugees Welcome.” This sign, which welcomes people to Spain’s capital city, is written in English. And while the most popular explanation I received was that the refugees would be more likely to speak English, I was still surprised. In a nation where tensions related to language visibility and equality often run high (due to Spain’s incredible linguistic diversity and corresponding pride), a foreign language is almost quite literally taking center stage. Speakers of languages like Basque and Gallego are fighting for national respect, and those of Catalan for complete independence, while the English language is becoming widespread, due to increasing globalization, and is warmly embraced throughout the county.
I find myself frequently embarrassed when a Spaniard, whose English is leagues ahead of my Spanish, gushes about how well I speak, purely because of the low expectations often attributed to native English speakers. Learning another language is hard, but, for native English speakers, foreign language proficiency is not always viewed as necessary. However, for others, learning English gives them economic opportunities, access to pop culture, and the ability to travel and communicate with the rest of the world with ease.
When I looked towards my time in Spain, my biggest fear was being overwhelmed by always having to use a foreign language. But I cannot count the number of times I have spoken to someone in Spanish and received a response in English. Even though I know they were just trying to be helpful, as a student attempting to engage in an immersive language experience, this is incredibly frustrating. Yet, as a citizen of the world, I am constantly reminded just how much being a native English speaker is a linguistic privilege.
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