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Language services planning in the banking industry: An example of unplanned language policy

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Language services planning in the banking industry: An example of unplanned language policy

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Content INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LANGUAGE SERVICES PLANNING IN THE BANKING INDUSTRY: AN EXAMPLE OF UNPLANNED LANGUAGE POLICY fey Ellen Elizabeth Touchstone A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Linguistics-Applied Linguistics) May 1996 Copyright 1996 Ellen Elizabeth Touchstone Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9636759 Copyright 1996 by Touchstone, Ellen Elizabeth All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9636759 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY PARK LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90007 This dissertation, written by ELLen E liz a b e th _ T ouchstone................... under the direction of hex. Dissertation Committee, and approved by all its members, has been presented to and accepted by The Graduate School, in partial fulfillment of re quirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dean of Graduate Studies Date . P r 1 5,1995 DISSERTATION COMMITTEE Chairperson Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments As will soon be evident to the reader, this dissertation was not only an accomplishment for me, but for so many of my friends who spent countless hours helping me with the research. To put it in current phraseology, I owe them...big time. First, I would like to thank three of my best friends, Charles J. Harder, Miguel Salas, and Madeleine N. Youmans. During my primary research, Charles provided me with a) the law school argumentation structure which helped me arrive at my comprehensive approach to the study, b) temporary loans to fund this dissertation, c) a 4-passenger car to drive my surveygivers around in, and most importantly, d) the knowledge that if I quit, my life would not be over. Miguel (Mike) also helped out in many ways: contacting his friends to help with the focus groups and the survey administration, translating questionnaires and most importantly, providing support. Madeleine, as my best friend and roommate of 4 years, always served as the main pillar in my support system in the Applied Linguistics program from the very beginning. By going through the Ph.D. process at the same time, she made the process almost bearable, which says a lot. Other friends who helped were G. G. Patthey-Chavez, Humberto Ayala, Oscar Galindo, Don Vinh, Lan Vinh, Judy Luna, Cesar Montoya and Myra Montoya. I could not have reached the minority language speaking communities without the help of these native speakers. Finally, I would like to thank Robert (Bob) B. Kaplan, Ph.D. and Scott Koslow, Ph.D., my two mentors, and now, amazingly, my colleagues. While Bob ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. never let me settle for less than my best work, Scott kept up my morale, played the role of my statistics guru and helped me see the bigger picture. Other professors who inspired me throughout my academic career were Daniel Bernstein and Stephen Behrendt, both at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dennis Guthrie at Thunderbird, and Stephen Krashen and James Paul Gee at USC. Professor Krashen always gave us free rein to study what interested us, while Professor Gee woke me up from my naive, complacent world view, inspiring me to question the status quo through my research. Of course, I would never have set such a lofty goal for myself had it not been for my parents, Frank and Dorothy, who instilled in me the importance of higher education. in Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ii List of Tables x Abstract xi I. Introduction and research questions 1 1.1. Introduction 1 1.2. Demographics of Los Angeles 2 1.3. The Study 2 1.3.a. Description 2 1.3.b. Motivating factors 3 l.S.c. Consequences of minority language services in banks 3 1.4. Brief background for research questions 5 1.5. Research questions 7 1.6. Organization of the dissertation 8 II. Literature review 11 2.1. Introduction 11 2.2. Language policy in the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) 12 2.3. Other laws related to minority language services 16 2.3.a. Introduction 16 2.3.b. California State Laws 17 2.4. Evolution of the field of language planning and policy making 18 2.5. Language planning by cultural diversity consultants 19 2.6. Lawsuits related to localized "unplanned" language policies in U.S. corporations 2.7. Conclusion HI. Data collection, methodology and qualitative results 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Ethnographic research in a bank branch 3.2.a. Setting 3.2.b. Participants 3.2.b.i. Jaime-Puerto Rican branch manager iv 23 24 31 31 32 32 33 33 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.2.b.ii. Debbie-Mexican-American operations manager (assistant manager) 33 3.2.b.iii. Barbara-African-American customer service manager (assistant manager) 34 3.2.b.iv. Raul-Mexican-American teller 34 3.2.b.v. Pablo-Mexican-American teller 34 3.2.b.vi. Maria-Colombian teller 34 3.2.b.vii. Linda-African-American teller 35 3.2.b.viii. Sun-Korean New Accounts representative 35 3.2.b.ix. Teri-Korean-American teller 35 3.2.c. Rationale for methodology 35 3.2.d. Methodology 36 3.2.e. Results 36 3.2.e.i. Confirmation of multilingual customer base 36 3.2.e.ii. Physical manifestations of language 37 3.2-e.iii. Reports on language practices 38 3.2.e.iv. Reports on language policies 43 3.2.e.v. Employee attitudes toward languages and language use 49 3.2.e.vi. Management attitudes toward languages and language use 51 3.3. Language policies in many branches of different banks 53 3.3.a. Rationale for follow-up study 53 3.3.b. Setting 53 3.3.c. Methodology 53 3.3.d. Results 54 3.4. Concluding remarks on studies one and two 57 3.5. Focus group investigations of minority-language-speaking customers 58 3.5.a. Rationale for follow-up study 58 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.5.b. Setting 59 3.5.c. Rationale for using focus groups 59 3.5.d. Participants 60 3.5.e. Methodology 62 3.5.e.i. Finding participants 62 3.5.e.ii. Finding moderators for the focus groups 64 3.5.e.iii. Creating the interview guide 66 3.5.e.iv. Conducting the focus group 67 3.5.f. Results 69 3.5.g. Concluding remarks on focus group research 76 3.6. Concluding remarks on Chapter Three 77 IV. Data collection, methodology, and quantitative results 83 4.1. Rationale for Study 83 4.2. Setting 83 4.3. Methodology 84 4.3.a. Rationale for methodology 84 4.3.b. Creation of the stimuli 84 4.3.C. Creation of the survey questions 87 4.3.d. First survey administration 88 4.3.e. Second survey administration 89 4.3.f. Third survey administration 90 4.3.g. Fourth survey administration 92 4.3.h. Fifth and final survey administration 93 4.4. Measures 94 4.4.a. Choice of statistical methodology 94 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4.4.b. Created constructs used in data analysis 97 4.5. Results 97 4.5.a. Effect of Treatment on Confusion and Discrimination 98 4.5.b. Effect of Treatment on Cultural Evaluation and Response 100 4.5.c. Effect of Language Dominance on Confusion 102 4.5.d. Effect of Convenience and Treatment on Response 105 4.5.e. Concluding remarks on stadsical results 106 4.6. Participant comments confirm statistical analysis 107 4.6.a. Comments on Treatment 1 (High Symbolic/High Functional, Convenient) 107 4.6.b.. Comments on Treatment 2 (High Symbolic/High Functional, Inconvenient) 108 4.6.c. Comments on Treatment S (High Symbolic/Low Functional, Convenient) 110 4.6.d. Comments on Treatment 4 (High Symbolic/Low Functional, Inconvenient) 112 4.6.e. Comments on Treatment 5 (Low Symbolic/High Functional, Convenient) 113 4.6.f. Comments on Treatment 6 (Low Symbolic/High Functional, Inconvenient) 115 4.6.g. Comments on Treatment 7 (Low Symbolic/Low Functional, Convenient) 116 4.6.h. Comments on Treatment 8 (Low Symbolic/Low Functional, Inconvenient) 118 4.7. Concluding remarks for Chapter Four 119 V. Discussion and conclusion 123 5.1. Discussion 123 5.1.a. Summary of results 123 5.1 .b. Consequences of these language practices and "policies" 128 5.1 .b.i. Consequences for Spanish-speaking customers 128 5.1.b.ii. Consequences for banking establishments 133 5.1 .c. Communication myths and their causes 135 5.1.c.i. Most Spanish speakers are illegal im m igrants 135 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5.1 .c.ii. Spanish speakers do not have much money 136 5.1.c.iii. Providing Spanish services inhibits the learning of English 137 5.1.c.iv. Providing Spanish services will lead to disunity in the United States 138 5.1.d. Conclusion 140 5.2. Contributions of this study to the field of language planning and policymaking 143 5.3. Future Studies 143 5.3.a. Extensions of this study 143 5.3.b. Language planning in business and industry 144 5.3.c. Prestige language planning 145 5.4. Final summary 147 Bibliography 150 Appendix A: Home Mortgage Data (HMDA) for nine of the largest California banks 162 Appendix B: The future of the U.S. banking industry 164 Appendix C: Map and census figures for Pico/Union area and Koreatown 167 Appendix D: Questions for first bank interviews 170 Appendix E: Questions for second bank interview 172 Appendix F: Transcripts for first bank interviews 174 Appendix G: Transcripts for second bank interviews 220 Appendix H: Maps and census figures for communities in Los Angeles County 273 Appendix I: Results of study two 282 Appendix J: Interview guide for focus groups 284 Appendix K: Focus group transcripts 287 Appendix L: Map of survey area 333 Appendix M: Text of treatments 335 Appendix N: First version of survey - English 339 Appendix O: First version of survey - Vietnamese 350 Appendix P: First version of survey - Spanish 359 Appendix Q: Second version of survey - English 367 Appendix R: Second version of survey - Spanish 384 Appendix S: Third version of survey - English 396 Appendix T: Third version of survey - Spanish 410 viii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Appendix U: Survey illustrations 423 Appendix V: Fourth version of survey - English 428 Appendix W: Fourth version of survey - Spanish 438 Appendix X: Fifth version of survey - English 445 Appendix Y : Fifth version of survey - Spanish 455 Appendix Z: Factor correlation coefficients 462 Appendix AA: Los Angeles banks by ethnicity 464 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Usage of banking services by ethnicity 5 2. Bank customers by language group 37 3. Reseda group 1 60 4. Reseda group 2 61 5. Santa Ana Spanish-speaking group 1 61 6. Santa Ana Spanish-speaking group 2 61 7. Santa Ana Vietnamese group 1 62 8. Santa Ana Vietnamese group 2 62 9. The Effect of Treatment on Confusion 99 10. The Effect of Treatment on Discrimination 100 11. The Effect of Treatment on Cultural Evaluation 101 12. The Effect of Treatment on Response 102 13. Effect of Spanish Language Dominance on Confusion 103 14. Effect of Spanish Language Dominance on Confusion 104 15. Effect of Convenience and Treatment on Response 106 16. Usage of banking services by ethnicity 128 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT This dissertation provides a comprehensive examination of the language policies of banks in the Los Angeles area and the effect of these policies on Spanish-speaking bank customers. Both observation and interview data were collected in seven communities within the Greater Los Angeles area which have high percentages of minority language speakers. By comparing minority language usage for automatic teller machines, on brochures and signage and by ascertaining the availability of minority-language-speaking tellers, it was determined that banking services differ significantly from bank to bank and even from branch to branch. These findings led to focus groups with Spanish-speaking immigrant bank customers to determine how this wide variety of minority language servicing strategies affected minority language speakers' access to banking services. Data collected during these focus groups suggest that, indeed, the lack of banking services in minority languages led to feelings of confusion, frustration, and anxiety on the part of the Spanish-speaking customers. Moreover, the lack of minority language services led to Spanish-speaking customers attributing this lack to discrimination and lack of respect for other cultures on the part of the bank. Based on these findings, I conducted a survey of 360 Spanish-speaking immigrant bank customers in Van Nuys-a community which is comprised of 34% Spanish speakers-to determine if the focus group data was representative of the Spanish-speaking population. In the survey, participants were presented with a hypothetical bank offering one of four different minority language servicing strategies and later, asked questions xi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. about the bank. The bank which did not offer any Spanish services was found to be confusing, disrespectful of other cultures, discriminatory, and, in general, not a bank which the participants would frequent. Conversely, the bank which offered the most Spanish language services was perceived as not confusing, respectful of other cultures, not discriminatory and a bank which the participants would use. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1.1. Introduction The 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest brought to light the economic inequities which, many claim, served as the foundation for this civic crisis. More specifically, Gilda Haas, Director of Communities for Accountable Reinvestment (CAR), placed the blame for the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest on lack of access to capital. In Los Angeles, the fact that civil rights and economics have failed to come together for a great number of people in our city has become brutally apparent...As a result, Los Angeles exploded in anger and violence. Our communities must now be rebuilt, politically, spiritually, and economically. However, they cannot be rebuilt on the same terms of absentee ownership, thwarted entrepreneurship,and denied access to capital....It is CAR's position that as long as community needs are a marginal aspect of the business of banking, the health of banks along with that of communities will be seriously jeopardized (1992: 277-279). Based on this assertion, a comprehensive study of the banking industry was planned to determine if language policies (or a lack thereof) led to unequal access to capital in Los Angeles. Specifically, this dissertation examines the provision of services in languages other than English in Los Angeles banks: 37 bank branches in Los Angeles are investigated to determine their language policies and practices concerning minority languages. The effect of these 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. policies and practices on minority-language-speaking bank customers is also studied: first, through focus group research, and finally, through a survey of 360 Spanish-speaking bank customers. 1.2. Demographics of Los Angeles Los Angeles (both the city and the county) is arguably one of the most multicultural and multilingual urban areas in the world. According to the 1990 Census of Population and Housing, 45% of Los Angeles County residents speak a language other than English in their homes. Of that 45%, Spanish is the most common home language with 32% of Los Angeles County residents speaking this language. Of those Spanish speakers, 20.3% self-report limited proficiency in English (United Way of Greater Los Angeles 1994).1 1.3. The Study 1.3.a. Description This dissertation is a comprehensive examination of the availability of banking services in Spanish. The effects of these services (or lack thereof) on Spanish speakers is also examined. Services in other languages are considered to a lesser degree. The availability and quality of these services was first investigated through two qualitative studies which are described in Chapter Three: (1) a long-term observation in a single branch bank, and (2) a broad survey of 37 others. The effects of these services on Spanish speakers was then gauged, first, by conducting focus groups, also described in Chapter Three, and 2 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. finally, by administering a survey to 360 participants in which their reactions to different Spanish and/or English language banking services were measured. Chapter Four is devoted to this survey. 1.3.b. Motivating factors This comprehensive approach was motivated by several factors. First, an earlier study confirmed that area banking establishments were very interested in cultivating the Spanish-speaking population (Touchstone 1991). Second, several community groups had complained about the lack of minority- language banking s e r v i c e s . 2 Third, recent research illustrates that "Hispanics" use banking services at approximately one-half the rate that "Non-Hispanic Whites" do, which at least one research group has attributed to an "information gap" (Market Segment Research & Consulting, Inc. 1994, in Lunt 1994a: 37). Furthermore, research shows that while "Latino" home buyers are the fastest- growing group of home buyers in Los Angeles County (Dataquick Information Systems, in O'Neill 1994: Kl), many of the major California banks have Home Mortgage Data figures which suggest that this group is being ignored. (See Appendix A).3 1.3.c. Consequences of minority language services in banks The underserving of this population has several significant consequences. First, studies of the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest identify lack of access to capital as one of its major catalysts. Arthur Fletcher, the head of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, claims that economics, not social policy, is 3 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. the key to inner city problems. Fletcher made recommendations to President Clinton and Congress that "financial institutions...provide capital and set up other policies to make it easier for people in the inner city to go into business" (Kang 1993: B3). Webster (1992), Estrada and Sensiper (1993), and Leavitt and Heskin (1993) concur. Language planners also agree, stating that Failure to provide such services blocks rather than hastens the adaptation of non-English or limited-English speakers....Isolating groups and individuals by denying them transitional services in a language they can understand slows their integration into the [economic] mainstream (Veltman 1988, in Crawford 1992: 320). Second, in recognition of the importance of access to capital on economic mainstreaming, Congress enacted the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) in 1977. While the vaguely worded language policy concerning minority language bank services in this act has not been regularly enforced, recent changes have toughened its compliance standards. The penalty for non- compliance is now significant, as bank mergers can be blocked due to poor CRA ratings. Finally, banking establishments have much to gain by providing minority language services and much to lose by ignoring these population segments. According to Spagnola and Spagnola (1993), banking in the 1990's will become "ultra competitive" (See Appendix B for a lengthier treatment of this subject.) In 1997, interstate banking barriers will drop, causing more and more banks to enter the lucrative California market, adding significantly to the competitive environment (Rosenblatt 1994). Figures in Table 1 illustrate that there is much room for growth in the "Hispanic" market for banking services as that market is not saturated like the mainstream market. 4 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE 1 Usage of Banking Services by Ethnicity ETHNICITY SAVINGS CHECKING ACCOUNT ACCOUNT »»■ Non-Hispanic Whites" 65% 75% "Asian" 62% 82% "Hispanic" 28% 37% (Source: Market Segment Research & Consulting Inc. 1994, in Lunt 1994a: 37) Also, as stated above, O’ Neill (1994) confirms that the "Latino" home buyer market is growing and profitable. 1.4. Brief Background for Research Questions Since most research on banking in the United States has been conducted on mainstream populations, the provision of services in other languages has rarely been considered a variable worthy of investigation as a possible criterion for consumers' choice of banking establishments. Recently, Ryan theorized a hierarchy of factors affecting bank selection. According to his hierarchy, consumers decide first whether to use a bank or a non-bank. Second, consumers consider convenience; both time and location are included. Finally, "non-location attributes according to personal needs and values" are considered (Ryan 1993: 15). Ryan did not, however, take language into consideration as a non-location attribute. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5 Rust and Zahorik's study of loyalty in the mainstream population toward banks (1993) determined that a more complex relationship among variables can account for satisfaction with a bank. While originally expecting interest rates and other "hard factors" to be most important to consumers (Rust, personal communication), Rust and Zahorik found instead that a factor which they call "Warmth," (subsuming "friendliness," "how well the manager knows me," "how well the bank personnel listen to my needs," and "convenience to home") is the best predictor of satisfaction .4 As opposed to Ryan's study, which would place language services below convenience as a criterion, Rust and Zahorik's findings suggest that successful communication is just as important as convenience in determining whether a banking establishment will be used or selected, and certainly more important than other factors such as cost. For minority-language speakers, the provision of services in languages other than English would be a necessary part of successful communication. This study will be the first to explore the existence and significance of the banking industry's provision of language services to minority-language speaking customers. Until this study, only anecdotal evidence regarding Asians' preference for banking services in their native languages existed. While Asians prefer to use large, established banks, Bill Imada, president of Los Angeles ad agency Imada Wong Communications Group, explains that, "If you have a big, vacuous bank where no one speaks Asian languages...you're not likely to get an Asian person into the branch" (Lunt 1994b: 62). Lunt continues to discuss the importance of language, "One successful Chinese bank in California...when you walk in everything is in Chinese, people speak Chinese...." (1994:6). 6 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. As these few studies illustrate, bank marketing has virtually ignored the possible influence that language use may have on bank selection. Unfortunately, language planners also have not conducted much research into language use as a determinant of consumer behavior. Hocevar hypothesized that individuals would prefer to purchase products in their own language, claiming that language is "one of the attributers through which goods and services are differentiated" (1975: 339). More recently, Vaillancourt (1980, in Grenier 1982) tested this hypothesis in three surveys of language choice among Quebecois consumers. Vaillancourt explained his finding that consumers prefer purchasing products in their own language, even if the products were more expensive, using Becker's theory of the allocation of time (1965). According to Vaillancourt's explanation, consumers must spend a variable amount of time to obtain a product depending on the language (s) in which the product is available. The difference between what an individual is willing to pay to get a product in his/her native tongue and what s/he is willing to pay to get the same product in another ianguage will be greater the greater the difference in fluency in the two languages, the greater the importance of information in the use of that good, and the greater the market value of the time of the individuals concerned (Grenier 1982: 23). 1.5. Research questions Based upon the few studies described above as well as those described in Chapter Two, the following questions will be addressed in this dissertation: 7 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1. Are banks in Los Angeles County providing services in languages other than English? 2. If so, what are they? 3. Are there differences in the way different banks, or even different branches of the same bank, approach the provision of such services? 4. Are these services strategically planned, or could they be categorized as "unplanned" language planning (Baldauf 1994)? 5. Are other language services important to minority-language-speaking bank customers? 6. If so, how important is this factor compared to convenience? 7. Which language services, or types of language services are most important for banks to provide? 1.6. Organization of the Dissertation This dissertation is divided into five chapters. This chapter, Chapter One, provides the introduction. In Chapter Two, I position my research in the fields of bank marketing, language planning and cross-cultural consulting. Chapters Three and Four discuss the four studies which comprise the comprehensive research. While Chapter Three contains the studies which used qualitative methodologies, Chapter Four is devoted to a single quantitative study, a survey of the attitudes of 360 Spanish-speaking immigrants toward Spanish language services in banks. Chapter Five contains the discussion of the research as a whole, the conclusion and areas for future research. 8 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NOTES FOR CHAPTER ONE aCensus figures on language use and proficiency are always suspect. Nelde claims that answers to language use questions are su b ject to such a com plexity of sociological requirements...consciously or unconsciously, he [a member of a language group] will maintain a certain loyalty to his group and strive to attain his goal of social identity....Census statistics on individual linguistic behavior indicate more about social consciousness than about the true language use of the informant The social pressure found in conflict areas, which brands a particular language variant as a prestige language, must therefore always be taken into consideration (1991: 68). 2In this paper, I use Skutnabb-Kangas' and Phillipson's definition of a linguistic minority: If you live in a country with speakers of many different languages, you have to share at least one language with the others in order for a democratic process to be possible. And if the language most widely spoken by your fellow citizens (either because it is the mother tongue of the majority, or because the power elite has decided that that will be the lingua franca) is not your mother tongue, you belong to a linguistic minority in your country (1989:470). Two community groups which actively lobby banking establishments for minority language services are Communities for Accountable Reinvestment (CAR) and Consumer Action. CAR's Summary of Community Needs states that: many low income people do not have checking accounts. In some cases, this is because there are no bank branches in their neighborhoods. But in many cases it is because the products available do not meet their needs. Obstacles to opening checking accounts include:... (f) Lack of foreign language marketing, such as Spanish (1993c: 2). 9 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Consumer Action went one step further, designing brochures which explain basic banking services in several minority languages. To date, only one bank, Sanwa, has purchased these for use in its branches. 3In the previous paragraph, the terms, "Latino" and "Anglo" were used in relation to several published reports. Terms such as these will be used only when they have been used by a cited author or a research participant and will be designated by the use of quotation marks (i.e. "Latino"). Whenever possible, however, I will define groups by lar ;• age usage, such as Spanish-speaking instead of "Latino." In so doing, I acknowledge the controversy surrounding these types of ethnic group labels. 4In their study, Rust and Zahorik included the following nine key attributes which were based on focus group data and the previous literature in this area: 1. The friendliness of the bank. 2. How well the managers know me. 3. How well the bank listens to my needs. 4. How many money machines the bank has around town. 5. How many tellers are available at busy times. 6. The cost of checking. 7. How close the bank is to my home. 8. How close the bank is to my place of employment. 9. How convenient the bank is to my route to work (Rust and Zahorik 1993:7). From their study, three factors emerged, "Convenience," "Warmth," and "Cost of checking." In their final analysis, only the "Warmth" factor turned out to be significant. 10 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Introduction As shown in Chapter One, neither language planners nor bank marketing researchers have investigated the provision of language services in banks and its effects on minority language speakers. In the field of language planning, Hocevar (1975) hypothesized that consumers would prefer to purchase goods using their native language as opposed to a second language. Vaillancourt (1980, in Grenier 1982) tested this hypothesis with Quebecois consumers in several settings, none of which included a bank, concluding that the importance of the good and the language fluency, or lack of fluency, determined the desire to use a native language over a second language in purchasing behavior. In the field of bank marketing, the only evidence presented on the subject has been anecdotal (Lunt 1994). This field's lack of interest in the subject of the provision of services in languages other than English is surprising considering the federal government's renewed interest in ensuring minorities' access to capital through a reworking of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). 1 While the Community Reinvestment Act has been criticized for being exceptionally vague in its requirements, marketing in other languages has been mentioned as a way to increase minorities' access to banking services. 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2.2. Language policy in the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) The provision of minority language services in banking institutions was not originally included in the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law passed in 1977 which stated that "banks have an affirmative obligation to make loans to all of the communities in their service area-including low income and communities of color-and may not redline"2 (Communities for Accountable Reinvestment 199Sc: 1). The CRA mandate was based on two commonly held assumptions: Government, through tax revenues and public debt, cannot and should not provide more than a limited part of the capital required for local housing and economic development needs. Financial institutions in our free economic system must play the leading role: Public charters provide banks and savings institutions numerous benefits and it is fair for the public to ask something in return (Kane 1991:15, citing Senator Proxmire, 1977:1). Language is mentioned for the first time in 1989 in the "Statement of the Federal Financial Supervisory Agencies Regarding the Community Reinvestment Act," which clarified earlier, vaguer CRA guidelines. This revision explains the importance of communicating bank services to minority- language-speaking populations: 12 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Based upon the experience of the Agencies, institutions with the most effective programs for meeting their CRA responsibilities and for assuring that their services reach low- and moderate- income segments of the community will have taken many of the following steps [including]: ...created and implemented advertising and marketing efforts through, for example, newspapers, radio, television and brochures designed to inform low-and moderate-income groups (in languages other than English, where appropriate) of available loan and deposit services...(1989, in Kane 1991: CIO) [emphasis added]. In subsequent publications, providing information in languages other than English is not mentioned as a suggested means for CRA compliance. This omission is not surprising, however, as the CRA and its published guidelines are often criticized as being "short on specifics, leaving banks and thrifts scrambling to devise ways of meeting its spirit if not its specific guidelines" (Kraul 1993: D3). Indeed, the vagueness of the CRA concerning services to minority language speakers has led to a wide variety of sometimes, contradictory "...smaller-scale decisions at lower levels of authority..."(Cooper 1989:185). The vagueness of the CRA, in general, and concerning minority language services, specifically, has led to individual interpretation on the part of the banks and on the part of the Agencies' regulators. Some banks have chosen to provide information and services in minority languages, even mentioning them in their CRA public disclosure documents as evidence of CRA compliance; some have not. For instance, in Bank of America's self-published public disclosure statement, the bank explains its "outstanding" CRA rating, 13 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. citing the multilingual advertisements and the hiring of "bilingual personnel who can explain credit services to customers in their native language (1990: 6)." The individual federal regulators also appear to engage in localized language planning by choosing to include, or not to include, the provision of language services in their assessment of an individual bank. For instance, in Bank of America’s CRA statement, the Federal Reserve of San Francisco gives the bank an outstanding rating, citing their minority language services: In 1989, a major Spanish-language marketing campaign was initiated using Spanish-language television, radio and outdoor advertising, and bilingual staff in nearly one-third of the Bank's branches. In April 1991, Bank of America became the first major California bank to introduce a Spanish-language option at all ATM's statewide. Community and ethnic newspaper advertising is used for special products reaching Hispanic, African American, and Asian communities (1991a: 8). Regulators from the Federal Reserve of San Francisco also mentioned language policies in their report on California Center Bank, a Korean- American owned bank with headquarters in Koreatown: The bank recognized that there are opportunities for the bank to assist aspiring Hispanic businesses. In that regard, the primary obstacle is the language barrier. However, the bank feels this barrier is surmountable and the bank is constantly working on methods of reaching out to that Hispanic business community (1991b: 2). 14 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Later, the regulators continue with their evaluation of the bank's language policies: Most of its advertising is in the Korean language which could discourage non-Koreans from seeking application for credit. However, the bank is aware of this possibility and have [sic] begun to address the matter through its Hispanic advertisements (1991b: 5). Another California bank, Wells Fargo, also received praise from the federal regulators: "A special Hispanic marketing program provides customized information. The program uses Spanish marketing brochures, and advertisements in bilingual newspapers and other minority publications in markets with large Hispanic populations" (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency 1990a, in Kane 1991: 48S). Security Pacific was also lauded iii itZ final performance evaluation before being acquired by Bank of America in 1992: The bank also has developed a marketing effort which targets minority and low-income populations within its delineated communities. Advertisements in local publications and on radio are the primary media used to target these neighborhoods. Many of these advertisement campaigns are multilingual to reach the growing Hispanic and Asian populations (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency 1991b, in Kane 1991:197). Recently, the Clinton administration held public hearings on the CRA in order to improve it. At the Los Angeles hearing, representatives from all 15 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. sides of the issue offered their suggestions. The importance of providing information and/ or services in minority languages was rarely mentioned. Anna Alvarez-Boyd, director of Consumer Action, explained this finding as related to her perception' that many of the panelists, particularly those representing the banking industry, were pushing for a less process-oriented CRA review and a more product-oriented one. Instead of compiling thick notebooks full of minority-targeted advertising campaigns, banks want to be judged solely on their end result-more loans to minorities. While well- thought-out and articulated language policies may fit in better to the process- oriented approach, language service policies would appear to be necessary to achieve the desired end product of more loans.3 In summary, the CRA appears to include a language policy calling for providing information to minorities in languages other than English. The lack of a plan behind the policy, however, has led to a wide variety of implementation strategies depending on individual interpretation. 2.3. Other laws related to minority language services 2.3.a. Introduction The lack of a well-articulated language policy at the federal level, like that in the Community Reinvestment Act, appears to be typical in the United States. In general, the U.S. tends to adhere closely to its British roots, refusing to implement national language or literacy policies. Thus, much of the language planning is left to lower-level state agencies or to the various forces at work in 16 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. "unplanned" language planning. While the CRA includes a vague reference to language services in minority languages, the State of California has several laws on its books concerning this matter. 2.3.b. California State Laws With the Dymaily-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act, the State of California has mandated provision of services in minority languages at its state agencies, including utilities and semi-utilities such as telephone service providers. Any state agency which has contact with "a substantial number of non-English- speaking people shall employ a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions..." (California Government Code #7292-7293). This language policy is itself vague in that a "bilingual" is loosely defined as "a person who is proficient in both the English language and the foreign language to be used" (California Government Code #7296). While each state agency is to conduct an annual survey of language needs and of its ability to serve these needs, reporting its findings to the State Personnel Board by March 31 each year (California Government Code #7299.4), the law will be enforced only "to the extent that local, state or federal funds are available" (California Government Code #7299). The provision of services in minority languages is also mandated for California hospitals. In 1990, the Health and Safety Code was revised to read as follows: 17 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Legislature finds and declares that California is becoming a land of people whose languages and cultures give the state a global quality. The Legislature further finds and declares that access to basic health care services is the right of every resident of the state, and that access to information regarding basic health care services is an essential element of that right (California Health and Safety Code #1259). The Health Code is also vague concerning minority language services, simply requiring that hospitals arrange for the speedy provision of interpreters or bilingual professional staff who can "translate the names of body parts and...describe competently symptoms and injuries in both languages" (California Health and Safety Code #1259) .4 Perhaps a discussion of the evolution of the field of language planning and policy making can provide a better understanding of why language policies implemented in the U.S. appear to be so poorly thought out and implemented. 2.4. Evolution of the field of language planning and policy malting As stated earlier, the U.S. does not have a history of legislating language policies at the federal level. As the field of language planning moved from corpus planning (planning the form of a language) to status planning (planning the use of a language or languages), status language planning tended to be concentrated on developing countries because "for the developed/older nations, the language-status questions seemed secure and 18 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. unquestionable..." (Rubin 1983:330).5 When, with the ethnic revival of the 1970s, this emphasis changed, "many seemingly monolingual, developed and older nations and regions [began] to reconsider the status of minority or nonofficial languages..." (Rubin 1983: 330). Even with this ethnic revival, language planning in the U.S. tended to concentrate on language planning for education. On the other hand, language planning for business and industry has only recently become an area of investigation. According to De V. Cluver, "the role of non-govemmental agencies such as the mass media and trade and industry and, most importantly, the role of the aspirations of the common citizen" in language planning has largely been ignored (1991: 48) [emphasis added] .6 2.5. Language planning by cultural diversity consultants While the field of language planning has not conducted much research into the practice of U.S. banks' or companies’ language policies and, thus, has not offered much assistance to them, the field of cultural diversity consulting, a sub-discipline of training and development, has filled this void. However, linguistic diversity is usually considered negatively, as a problem to be solved, rather than positively as a consumer right or as a resource to be managed to achieve that goal. This orientation toward language even extends to cultural diversity consultants' inability to perceive linguistic diversity in terms of access to new markets. One group of researchers who adopt the problem perspective is Hopkins, et al. (1991). In their brief section on linguistic diversity, they seem to focus 19 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. only on the negative aspects of immigrant employees’ use of non-English languages; i.e., the importance of English-as-a-Second-Language and accent- reduction classes. The inattention to the benefits of employee multilingualism which is evident in Hopkins, et al. (1991) is actually very common in the training literature. In a recent article, Sklarewitz (1992:18) begins by providing an example of how Pacific Bell is trying to communicate with its non-English- speaking audience by sending out bills printed in other languages. The article quickly turns negative, however, focusing on communication problems and English-only rules. In a similar article, entitled "Why Don’t They Speak English?" Hayflich and Lomperis complain that "the wave of immigrants that washed over the United States during the past decade has created a communication gap in many companies”-a gap which, they say, can be bridged through English as a Second Language Training (1992: 75). Another diversity consultant, Thiederman, addresses linguistic diversity in her latest book, devoting an entire chapter to "Language and Accent Differences: How to Bridge the Communication Gap." In this chapter, she describes the problems of language diversity: Managers are concerned that workers do not comprehend instructions; sales and customer service personnel are having difficulty communicating their products' benefits; and business negotiators are worried that the details of important contracts are being misunderstood (1991: 35). In her treatment of the subject, she is one of the few in her field who actually addresses the issue of the company utilizing other languages to reach new markets. However, her vision of a multilingual environment seems very 20 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. limited, anglocentric and superficial as she recommends learning a few words of the client's, customer's or worker's language as it "communicates respect for the other person" (1991: 77). Her anglocentric approach also manifests itself in a case study (1991) in which a customer-service representative for a large utility encounters many Southeast Asian customers who have difficulty understanding her English. Thiederman offers several alternative courses of action for the reader to choose from: To relieve the situation, Deborah should have: a. Spoken more loudly because the woman was probably hard of hearing. b. Spoken more slowly and distinctly. c. Spoken pidgin English and emphasized the key words so that it would be easier for the woman to understand. d. Allowed longer pauses in the conversation. e. Tried to keep the woman from reading her lips because to do so creates confusion (1991:43). Thiederman considers K the best response. It is very telling that "convincing management to hire bilingual customer service representatives" was not even an option. Thiederman ignores this possibility, a very real option which several companies are pursuing.? She also fails to mention the California 2 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Bilingual Services Act, discussed earlier in this chapter, which requires public utilities to provide bills written in a minority language if more than 5% of their customers are of a particular linguistic group. In another situation involving a very diverse workforce, she recommends using bilingual group leaders to communicate with language groups. However, she does not go beyond this suggestion to explain how to go about finding these leaders, testing their language skills, determining if this type of extra work merits a pay bonus or evaluating their effectiveness. In fact, in her section on "interviewing and assessing the culturally diverse worker," Thiederman (1991: 194) has a subsection on assessing English language ability, but nothing on assessing ability in other languages. In my extensive search of the diversity literature, I have found only one researcher who seriously examines the positive side of employee multilingualism. Fernandez considers linguistic diversity in depth, predicting that "...not only will ethnicity and gender issues continue to need resolution but also cultural and language issues will become increasingly complex" (1991: 6). First, he deals with the serious problems linguistic diversity in the workplace create. Fernandez (1991) has noted that, in the past three years at his managing-cultural-diversity seminars, the most frequent diversity problem brought up by employees has been language- and culture-related. Regarding this assertion, research conducted by Fernandez (1988) uncovered that only S3% of employees were not at all bothered when they heard other employees speak in a language they did not understand.^ In his seminars, he tries to explain to disgruntled monolingual employees that the problem is not the 22 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. existence of minority-language speakers; rather, it is "corporate America's not fully accepting and utilizing these foreign-language speakers, primarily those from Third World countries" (1991: 47). The lack of research into language planning for business and industry has led to some lawsuits recently. 2.6. Lawsuits related to localized "unplanned" language policies in U.S. corporations Recently, two lawsuits were adjudicated which dealt with corporate language policies concerning minority-language-speaking customers and employees. The first case was brought against Contel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GTE based in Northern California. Workers with Hispanic surnames sued on the basis of national origin discrimination, claiming that they were forced to speak Spanish in their jobs without any testing, training or extra compensation. A similar case was recently adjudicated in Arizona. As in the Contel case, police officers sued the Tucson Police Department over its policy of requiring officers with Hispanic surnames to translate at work-once again, without testing, training or extra pay (Gonzalez and Wong 1991). In the Contel case, the judge found in favor of the employees, a finding which the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) claims : 23 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ...protects and identifies bilingual skills as a viable workplace commodity....The decision is a major step in removing discrimination against Latino and other bilingual workers forced to use their marketable language skills. All non-English communities served by Contel will gain by having trained bilingual workers to serve their communities as well (1992: 8). Morton Bahr, President of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), agrees, stating that "Contel got away with a make-shift provision of service to Spanish-speaking customers; now they'll have to provide real training and compensation for this specialized job" (CWA News Advisory 1992: 3). In the Tucson Police Department case, the judge found that the employees had not been subjected to discrimination, but did order an in depth study of the department's language use practices.^ 2.7. Conclusion The current status of data on language planning in business and industry suggests that the studies presented in Chapters Three and Four will add significantly to the field of language planning, in particular, to an increased understanding of the way languages are used in banks as well as how languages interact in the course of conducting business, in general. The following chapter describes three qualitative methodologies used, along with their findings, in examining the situation as it concerns minority language services at various banks in Los Angeles County. 24 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NOTES FOR CHAPTER TWO 1 Perhaps the evolution of the fields of marketing and advertising could explain this gap in their research. For most of the 20th century, marketing and advertising in the United States operated from a broad-based approach: marketing and advertising campaigns were designed to appeal to the mainstream. Moreover, most U.S. companies did not seek out markets overseas as the U.S. market was large enough. Only recently have companies realized that the U.S. market is becoming saturated. In response to this, some companies are seeking markets overseas and most have adopted a targeted approach to marketing and advertising, dividing consumers by demographics and psychographics in an attempt to appeal more successfully to each group. The provision of services and advertising in other languages is a fairly new phenomenon which has come about in large part due to this targeted approach. 2Redlining is the process of excluding certain geographical areas from consideration. It is/was most prevalent in the banking and insurance industries. The name comes from the practice of drawing a red circle on a map around an excluded area. Concerning the banks themselves, Hector Brolo (1993), speaking on behalf of Hermandad Mexicana National, expressed resentment that community groups like his are saddled with the burden of educating minorities about banking services, asking "why should we put out resources to make a profit for the banks? They should send out representatives." Later, he explained that his organization had contacted and received a commitment from 20 major banks to provide bilingual people at community banking forums. Unfortunately, when the time came for the forums, none of the banks sent representatives. Concerning banks' language policies, Anna Alvarez Boyd, speaking for Consumer Action, goes even further, suggesting that banks provide not simply education in minority languages, but also services. Alvarez Boyd was the only panelist to push for the inclusion of the following language services as assessment factors for CRA examinations: 5. Multilingual customer service representatives are available. 25 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6. Multi-lingual tellers are available in bank branches as needed by the surrounding community. 7. Publications in bank branches are available in languages other than English as needed by the community (Alvarez Boyd 1993:4). Rita Marmelejo, the Economic Development Director for the Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN), complained about inconsistencies concerning language policies in the Federal Reserve's evaluation of a Korean- owned bank in Koreatown. In the evaluation, the examiner, and supposedly the bank, realize that they need to provide minority language services to reach Latinos: "The bank recognizes the opportunities in assisting aspiring Latino- owned businesses and the primary obstacle to reaching this population is the language barrier...more details follow in subsequent assessment factor sections." Marmelejo contends, however, that the scant details which appear in nearly every category concern two outreach efforts: 1) One SBA seminar that was announced in a Latino publication and attended by Latinos who received Spanish translation; and 2) an employment opportunity was advertised in a Spanish language publicaition and one Latino employee was hired at the downtown office (1993:3). Other than these few comments, along with American Savings President Mario Antoci's, statement about staff diversity: "It would be silly to have anyone other than Hispanics because everyone coming in speaks Spanish" and Comptroller of the Currency Ludwig's comment that "Latinos are afraid to go into banks because no one speaks Spanish,” no other mention of languages was uttered during the 6 1 /2 hours of testimony. 4At the same time that the state of California has mandated the provision of minority language services in state agencies which would necessarily place extra value on employee bilingual skills, bilingual employees around the state and around the country are battling English-only laws in their workplaces. The rights of bilingual employees to speak their native language in the workplace receive some protection from the Title VII National Origin 26 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. However, at that time, National Origin was not clearly defined. In 1980 and in 1987, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), which was created to enforce Tide VII, published guidelines including "linguistic characteristics" as a part of national origin. Early court cases established a process by which employees were forced to prove discrimination by disparate treatment or disparate impact. In some states, English only laws are allowed if an employer can prove a "business necessity." In some states, this can be very difficult to prove; in others, arguments such as "customer preference" or, as in the 1981 Flores v. Hartford Police Department case, "improving employees' English ability" are considered valid (25 Fair Empl. Prac. CAs BNA 180.186, D. Conn 1981, in Mealey 1989:410). Most recently, two cases were tested in the courts in California, but provided no real precedents for future cases. In the Dimaranan v. Pomona Valley Hospital case, the judge provided a split verdict. In his opinion, an English-only policy did not exist for the bilingual English-Tagalog speaking nurses. He did rule, however, that a No-Tagalog rule did exist. Gutierrez v. Municipal Court is arguably the most famous case concerning an English-only rule. This rule impacted Spanish-speaking court interpreters in a California municipal court. The judge ruled in favor of the court interpreters saying that discrimination was in evidence in the English- only rule that stated that the interpreters could not speak Spanish except during their interpreting duties. Later, the Supreme Court vacated the Gutierrez v. Municipal court, however, providing no rationale for the decision. Mealey (1989:411) has argued that this decision was critical and that "by providing no explanation, the Supreme Court thus gives lower courts no guidance concerning the proper disposition of challenges to English-only rules." Gerald Sato, a management expert and attorney, concurs, arguing that: There is no statute of Congress or of the California state legislature and no case opinion that can be cited for precedent for the notion that a private company can't have an English-only rule....The issue is still very much up for grabs....The problem with these EEOC administrative regulations is that the courts will go to them 27 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. for guidance, but they don’t have the force of law (Sklarewitz 1992:21). In its 1994 session, the United States Supreme Court voted not to hear a case appealing the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judgment that had allowed a company to impose English-only laws for bilingual workers. Although the Clinton Administration and the EEOC argued for a reversal, the Supreme Court decided otherwise, further clouding business's understanding of the EEOC guidelines on English only rules (Savage 1994: Al, A14). With no definitive rulings or precedents in the area of English-only, more and more lawsuits are being filed. According to Irma Rodriguez, staff attorney with MALDEF (Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund), the number of complaints about English-only practices is increasing. In fact, complaints have increased so much that MALDEF created a special Language Rights program in 1991. 5Haarmann (1986) has offered a third type of language planning: prestige planning. This type of planning seeks to consider the effects of policies on all languages and language groups in a language-planning situation instead of just the effects on the target group. Cooper (1989: 3S) added a fourth type of language planning: acquisition planning which delineates a special sub-field for policies relating to language acquisition planning. 6 Another reason that more research on language planning for business and industry is beginning to be conducted is the realization that every person in a language use situation is a potential language planner. As Baldauf explains, language is ...a skill all humans acquire with some reasonable degree of competence, it is a medium in which everyone has a stake and can claim to have some expertise. Most people therefore do not hesitate to get involved with small scale, "micro-level" language planning exercises although they themselves...may not classify the local activities as such (1994:83). 28 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Language planning can no longer be considered a purely top-down process: "...language planning is carried out at all levels of organizational hierarchies. The implementation of decisions taken at higher levels of authority requires smaller-scale decisions at lower levels of authority..."(Cooper 1989: 185). Ignoring "localized language planning" (Grabe 1994: viii), language planners risk implementing unworkable plans, "as the unplanned aspects can interact with and change or pervert the planned" (Baldauf 1994: 82). In light of the increase in more localized language planning efforts, several leaders in the field of language planning believe delving into this new area is critical as "'unplanned' language policy and planning are an important, but under-examined, aspect of the discipline" (Baldauf 1994: 83). In fact, Cooper believes that "...to exclude such small-scale instances from the study of language planning is to impoverish the field" (1989: 38). 7 Companies such as Pacific Bell, GTE, and Bank of America all provide other language customer service phone representatives to provide service to these customers. (The quality of the service is not at the moment at issue.) 8Not surprisingly, male Caucasians (47%) are most likely to be bothered by this (Fernandez 1991:42-43). 9Perhaps recent research on U.S. corporations involved in international business can elucidate the prevailing attitudes toward foreign language use in the U.S., which could have contributed to the "unplanned" language policies found to exist at Contel and in the Tucson Police Department. In his study of U.S. international business graduates (1990), Lambert claims that while many businesses engaged in international business may have knowledge of employees' language abilities, even entering this information into their personnel files, foreign language competence "is not sufficiently important to be formally certified by any kind of rating or testing procedure" (Lambert 1990: 54). It appears that foreign language ability is also not rewarded in companies: "Almost half the alumni [of U.S. international business programs] say that it is totally irrelevant to the reward system in general, more than half say it has no bearing on promotion, and only 8% say that a foreign language competence brings extra pay" (Lambert 1990: 54-55). While employees engaged in international business may not mind occasionally using their foreign 29 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. language skills without commensurate remuneration, the language situations with which the Contel and Tucson Police Departments were faced would have been very different: languages other than English would have been used on a daily basis. Fixman's (1990) study of the language needs of U.S. based corporations can explain the basis for these attitudes. In her study, she focused on the decision-makers: company executives. In interviews with these executives, she found that most attributed a "short-term, mechanical value" to foreign language. One executive with much international experience explained this finding by stating, "...business people with little or no exposure to foreign languages [feel] threatened by those with more" (Fixman 1990: 27). 30 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER THREE: DATA COLLECTION, METHODOLOGY AND QUALITATIVE RESULTS 3.1. Introduction As is evident from Chapter Two, there is very little research on language policies in business, in general. There is even less research on language policies in banking establishments, with said research consisting mainly of anecdotes in the marketing literature which describe the importance of minority-language banking services to Asian-language-speaking customers (Lunt 1994). The paucity of quality research on this subject justifies a comprehensive study of language policies in banking establishments, as well as the effect of these policies on customers. Specifically, the comprehensive study reported in this chapter addresses the following research questions: 1. Are banks in Los Angeles County providing services in languages other than English? 2. If so, what are they? S. Are there differences in the way different banks, of even different branches of the same bank, approach the provision of such services? 4. Are these services strategically planned, or could they be categorized as "unplanned" language planning (Baldauf 1994)? 5. Are other language services important to minority-language-speaking bank customers? 31 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6. If so, how important is this factor compared to convenience? 7. Which language services, or types of language services are most important for banks to provide? The complexity of these questions necessitated a research design consisting of four related studies. In this chapter, the first two studies presented describe the language policies found in banking establishments in Los Angeles County. 1 In the first study, the researcher served as an observer on a long-term basis in one bank branch. The second study consisted of a broader survey of the language policies of 37 banking establishments to determine if the language policies observed in the first study were representative of those in the industry. The final study in this chapter reports the results of focus group research which was conducted with groups of minority language speakers. The purpose of these focus groups was to determine how the bank language policies observed in the first two studies affect minority language speakers in their interactions with banking establishments. 3.2. Ethnographic Research in a Bank Branch 3.2.a. Setting The selected bank branch is located in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Los Angeles which, although widely considered the center of the Central American immigrant community, also borders on Koreatown (See Appendix C 32 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. for a map and census figures of the area). Through observation and questioning of employees, it was determined that a majority of the branch's customers used Spanish in their transactions; however, the bank also serviced some Korean-speaking clients. This multilingual, rather than bilingual, language situation made this an ideal bank to study.2 3.2.b. Participants 3 3.2.b.i. Jaime-Puerto Rican Branch Manager He has served for 1 year in this capacity. His career with the bank has spanned 15 years, allowing him to move up the ranks to assistant operations manager, then operations manager and, finally, branch manager. Jaime was bom in Puerto Rico, moved to Honolulu as a teenager, and then served around the world in the U.S. military for 20 years before setding in Los Angeles. 3.2.b.ii. Debbie-Mexican-American Operations Manager (Assistant Manager) She has been at this branch for 2 years. Although Debbie's father was from Mexico, she was raised monolingual English-speaking. She studied Spanish in high school and college, but feels English is her stronger language. 33 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.2.b.iii. Barbara-African-American Customer Service Manager (Assistant Manager) Barbara has been with the bank for 15 years. She started out in the Customer Service Statement department and then moved up to teller. She has served in her present position at this branch for 2 years. 3.2.b.iv. Raul-Mexican-American Teller He has worked at this branch for 1 year and 2 months. He admits that, although he was raised bilingual, he rarely speaks Spanish except at work or with his parents. 3.2.b.v. Pablo-Mexican-American Teller He has worked at this branch for 2 years, having served as both a teller and a merchant teller. Bom in the United States, he was raised monolingual Spanish-speaking and learned English once he started attending school. 3.2.b.vi. Maria-Colombian Teller Maria has worked at this branch for 3 years. She moved to the United States 10 years ago. 34 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.2.b.vii. Linda-African-American Teller She has served as a teller at this branch for 6 months. Having no Spanish speaking relations, she was raised monolingual English-speaking. 3.2.b.viii. Sun-Korean New Accounts Representative She has worked at this branch for 3 years, having started in her present position. Having lived most of her life in Korea, she was raised monolingual Korean-speaking. 3.2.b.ix. Teri-Korean-American Teller She was not interviewed, but is referred to in several of the transcripts. 3.2.c. Rationale for methodology This study employed a type of sociolinguistic survey, one of the most basic tools used in language planning (Eastman 1983). Based on Cooper's seminal paper on sociolinguistic surveys (1975), observation and interviews were used to determine employee and customer language behavior and behavior toward language. Questions relating to attitudes about language and language learning were also asked, as it is necessary to consider these in any effort toward language planning (Lewis 1981, in Baker 1992). 35 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.2.d. Methodology During this study, I observed in the bank for over 120 business hours spread out over 6 weeks. I also conducted primary and secondary interviews with bank employees, both managers and employees. Primary interviews were collected during the first few days of observation; secondary interviews, which included questions based on the observations and on the previous interviews, were conducted toward the end of the observation period. Interviews were conducted individually in the bank's private conference room. The interviewees were aware that they were being audio-recorded.^ The average length of the interviews was approximately 20 minutes. Interview questions are included in Appendix D (First Interview) and Appendix E (Second Interview). Interviews were transcribed (see Appendices F and G for the complete transcripts) and the discourse contained in the transcripts was analyzed for content.^ 3.2.e. Results 3.2.e.i. Confirmation of multilingual customer base During the first three days of the observation, I randomly selected five one-hour periods, during which a tally was made of the racial background of bank customers.^ As is shown in Table 2 below, during these periods, the percentage of Spanish-speaking customers was 78, 83, 85,88, and 89% of the total customers. Through these observations as well as the tellers' self-reports, it 36 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. appears that most employee-client interactions do indeed take place in Spanish. As the Pico-Union area borders on Koreatown, the bank also serves some Korean-speaking customers. Table 2 illustrates that, during five randomly selected one-hour periods, the percentage of Asian customers was 2, 1,2, 3, and 2%. TABLE 2 Bank Customers by Language Group PERIOD SPANISH ASIAN LANGUAGE SPEAKERS SPEAKERS 1 78% 2% 2 83% 1% 3 85% 2% 4 88% 3% 5 89% 2% 3.2.e.iL Physical manifestations of language All signs on the outside of the bank are printed in English only: on the other hand, the automatic teller machine (ATM) can be accessed through English and Spanish screens. The ATM transaction receipt, however, is printed only in English. Upon entering the bank, customers are greeted by large English signs advertising various bank products. The only sign in Spanish is a computer-generated one (created by the manager) requesting that customers "Wait here for New Accounts." Only two of the 6 available product pamphlets- 37 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. for savings and checking accounts-are translated into Spanish. Pamphlets concerning home and auto loans, as well as credit cards and other savings programs, are available only in English. 3.2.e.iiL Reports on language practices7 According to the interview data, this branch has become a mecca for Spanish speakers, even those who live outside the branch's geographic community. Pablo explains: If you go to the other areas and branches, they're all English. Nothing there's in Spanish and most of our clients, they come from other branches here and they tell us because we're the only people that know Spanish throughout the whole branches (PI: 23- 28). Linda also understands her branch's role as a Spanish-speaking clearinghouse: 85% of our clients are Hispanic 'cause we're in a Hispanic neighborhood and the clients have accounts at other branches, but due to the fact that at this branch a majority of people here speak Spanish, a lot of bur clients come here because they're like, "They speak Spanish." And they’ll tell you they come here because people here speak Spanish. Due to the fact that a lot of the merchants don’t have a lot of 'em who speak Spanish, so they come here (LI: 128-134). Many of the tellers do not, however, speak Spanish or Korean at a level which allows them to service the customers adequately. Even the Mexican- and 38 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Korean-American tellers complain about this communication gap. According to Pablo, his problems with providing adequate Spanish service arise from regional or dialectal differences: What I know is here, there's a lot of Central Americans. A lot. And for me, being a Mexican, some of the words I say are different, the meanings are different from what they say. They're pronounced the same but the definition is different....Clients take some words differently than what you expect....There's a lot of miscommunication. You can't get through to a person. You're telling him something and he's taking it another, sometimes it's hard (PI: 47-51, 56-58). Jaime, the manager, recounted another story of miscommunication. Jaime admitted that he had hired Teri, a Korean-American teller, with the assumption that she spoke Korean: He had even placed a "Korean Spoken Here" sign in Korean next to her window. However, Teri does not speak Korean. In one incident, a Korean man waited for Teri and tried, unsuccessfully, to speak to her in Korean. Unfortunately, Sun, the Korean New Accounts representative, was off that day, and Jaime had to inform the man that there was no one who could help him in Korean. The man became irate and accused the bank of false advertising. The man said he would return the next day, but never came back. After that incident, Jaime took down the "Korean Spoken Here" sign until he could hire a new Korean-speaking loan officer. For the tellers who are not of Spanish or Korean heritage and who do not speak these languages, providing adequate service is a daily problem. For example, Barbara explained that, while in Spanish she "can pick out the key 39 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. words and figure out what they [the customers] want," she cannot help Korean speaking customers at all (Bl: 36-37). Linda, an African-American who speaks minimal Spanish, explains: It's hard for me in my customer service because most of the clients do not know what I am talking about....They don’t understand you know, what I'm trying to say to them because it gets irritating for me to keep having to ask this person or that person to come in and interpret for me so that sometimes, I just let itgo...(L2:100-106). Her lack of competence in Spanish affects her ability to cross-sell, to sell an additional product during the transaction:^ But like I said, unless it's like a major thing for the transaction and I'm working 'em, if it's just asking them if they have a Visa or do they have savings overdraft protection, sometimes I don't even worry about it. It's like, I’ m not even going to worry about it. It's not a major thing to where, it would help my sales-yes. But as far as the overall transaction, if I can get through that, I'm cool. If they’ re making a deposit, withdrawal, now if there's something they want to know and I can't relate to it, I'll call somebody, but other than that, I'll be like, forget it. It's like, okay. Thank you, go on (L2:117-125). Linda believes that successful communication is the key to cross-selling: 40 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Not trying to be funny, but I think some of our clients would be [more] willing to open an account with one of our other tellers than they would with me because like I said, they can understand them a little bit more (L2:106-109). Both Pablo and Raul, Mexican-American tellers who do not speak Korean, have had problems providing adequate service to Korean-speaking clients. For example, Pablo explains that There was this Korean. He came in last week. And we didn't understand each other 'cause he gave me the check. And I said, "You want to cash it?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Do you want to deposit it?" He said, ’ Yes." So I brought out cash and said, "Do you want this?" and I brought out a deposit slip and said, "Or this?" Sometimes it's hard....We got it straightened out even though it took five or ten minutes (P2: 42-54). Raul has also had problems with Korean-speaking customers: "I don't understand what they're trying to get to and then I start using, not sign language, but pointing at things..." (R2: 60-61). During my observation of the bank, I noted many successful transactions handled in Spanish or Korean. However, I also observed many cases of miscommunication and problems providing adequate services in languages other than English, some of which even included me. During my six weeks of observation, whether I was sitting near the front of the bank or was hidden away at an empty desk in the New Accounts area, many customers approached 41 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. me to ask if I spoke Spanish. I believe this was due to the fact that the bank did not have signs designating the Spanish-speaking employees. Many times I observed tellers or managers being pulled away from their own duties to act as translator for non-Spanish-speaking tellers. The transaction usually ended with the original teller standing passively aside while the translator finished the transaction. Other times, I observed Spanish speakers waiting up to 30 minutes for a Spanish-speaking New Accounts representative. Although Sun tried to coax them into trying to communicate with her, they steadfastly refused. Once, when a Spanish-speaking customer service representative noticed that the New Accounts waiting area was full as Spanish speakers waited, yet Sun was unoccupied, she hurried out to act as a translator. Spanish speakers waiting in the teller line exhibited similar behavior in waiting for Spanish-speaking tellers, motioning others to go ahead of them. Being unable to communicate with certain customers takes a psychological toll on the employees. Linda expressed frustration at not being able to speak Spanish: Being able to speak Spanish makes the job a lot easier. 'Cause if you don't know how to speak it, you have to work, it's a struggle. I won't lie. I have to work for a lot of the clients. It's a struggle (LI: 304-307). Sun, who works in New Accounts, is also frustrated: 42 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. They, most people speak Spanish, and I'm not, so I'm always the last person....I learn just by the people, but I want to try to leam but it's very hard to leam....I’ m sometimes, you know, feeling very bad. If they don't speak English and then I cannot help the customer (SI: 3647). In fact, she feels so alienated that she wants to leave the bank: I'm working in that department but I don't understand Spanish, so sometimes I tell my husband I want him to make more money then I want to leave this bank. Sometimes I feel very bad... (SI: B B SS). Even the other employees empathize with the non-Spanish speaking ones. Raul explains: I think it would be frustrating for them to not be able to complete their job. It's kind of bothersome to have someone else help them out. It's more like a hassle-more like a burden (Rl: 25-27). 3.2.e.iv. Reports on Language Policies Perhaps some of these miscommunication problems arise because neither the bank nor the branch has a formal language policy. During the first interview, all managers and employees stated that there was no such thing as a formal language policy. In fact, Jaime, the manager and an employee of this bank for over 15 years, replied that, 43 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Language per se to my recollection has never been a set-down policy at the bank (Jl: 192-193). The two assistant managers concurred. One of them, Debbie, explained that the bank had no formal policy about language, but that it did have something somewhat policy-like in the form of a Spanish/English glossary of banking terms. In her second interview, Debbie mentioned that she had not been able to find the glossary and was not really even sure if it had been printed by the bank. Like the managers, the employees all agreed that no formal language policies existed. Teller Pablo explained that It doesn’t say anything [about language policies]; we get a handbook of all the rules and it doesn't say anything about that (PI: 76-77). This lack of a formal language policy is fairly typical of many language planning situations which, unlike early views of very top-down, govemmentally-driven language policies, do not include "systematic planning procedures" (Bamgbose 1989:39). Baldauf has even described this type of language planning as "unplanned language planning" (1994: 82). The lack of a formal language policy is reflected in the branch's hiring guidelines and procedure. According to Jaime, Language is really not a requirement [for being hired]. Yes, even if it's not a requirement, it's a necessity (Jl: 325-326). 44 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. In his second interview, Jaime states: A particular language skill, it's not a job requirement; however, if the skill, if the individual does have the language skill, it's helpful, but no, when we interview a candidate we do not say you need to speak Spanish. We let them know that most of the clientele we deal with on a day-to-day basis is Hispanic and the Spanish language is helpful (J2: 11-16). The Operations Manager's explanation mirrored the hiring policy as set forth by Jaime: We request from the employment office, at times, preferably, to send us candidates who are bilingual, but it's not an absolute with us (D2:6-8) .9 10 Several of the monolingual English-speaking employees also stated that other language skills were not emphasized in the interview. Linda explains: They didn't have any problems with the fact that I wasn't Hispanic and the fact that I spoke very little Spanish....There was no specific qualifications for it and as you can see, we have another new teller, Sherry, and Sherry knows less Spanish than I know (L2:12-19). The rationale for this hiring policy becomes the translating abilities of other-language-speaking tellers. Barbara states: 45 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. It helps our tellers if you can speak Spanish, but if you don't, it’ s no problem 'cause we have other people (Bl: 70-71). Jaime also expressed this philosophy: Language is really not a requirement when I look at someone-it’ s not a requirement. Performance is a requirement. I wouldn't hesitate and never have to put someone who does not speak Spanish in to service Spanish customers....If they can communicate in their own language, it will be easier for them. But in our servicing area, we always have someone who can translate (Jl: 258-261,263-265). Not only does the bank not have a formal requirement for language skills, other than English, for hiring, it does not determine employees' language skills through proficiency testing, either. Raul explains that the interviewers simply "asked me whether I spoke Spanish and I said 'yeah'" (R2: 166). When asked about his Spanish fluency, he admits, however, that he really has not used his Spanish much outside of his home environment: When I don’t talk to my parents, it's English [that I use] (R2: 39). In fact, one reason he likes this job is because "it helps me practice my Spanish more, ’cause I don't use it much" (R2: 23-24). Employees also receive no training in languages other than English, not even a glossary of other language banking terms. Maria, a Colombian immigrant, explains: 46 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I was training for just a teller. And they didn't train me for a Spanish teller. Just everybody (Ml: 124-125). Raul described the language training as very informal: I mean if I had a question about how to say something or other, I'd probably ask one of the other tellers whose Spanish is far superior to mine (R2:179-180). Linda received no formal training either: They told me to familiarize myself with some of the basic banking terms, some of the basic stuff like "They want cash" (L2: 283-284). Sun stated that she learned what little Spanish she knew from the other employees and even sometimes from the customers: E: They mentioned that they have a glossary, like a dictionary of English and Spanish banking terms. Did they make you leam that? S: No, they give the birthday, or how long you have been here in California, I just write down the Spanish. I just learned a little bit. It’s very important you can ask customer how long they've been here, or mother's maiden name or where we work. I just learned and write it down. E: How did they teach that to you? S: They can write down for me. E: Did they have a class? 47 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. S: No, maybe just a few words, maybe sometime they [the customers] speak at me and I don't understand and then they teach me how to do, so that's why I just a little bit leam the Spanish (SI: 125-136). Pablo, a Mexican-American teller, explained that, much like Sun, Teri, a Korean-American teller, has picked up her Spanish on the job, 'Cause when she started working here, we'd kind of mess around with her and tell her stuff in Spanish....She's picked it up (PI: 146- 148). As is evident from Sun's remarks, no training in, or even a glossary of, Spanish banking terms was provided for the employees. The glossary, whose existence Debbie had mentioned in her first interview, had not been found by Debbie by the time of her second interview. No employees had ever seen or heard of it before my mention of it. In fact, Linda was particularly intrigued by the possibility of a glossary. When asked whether she had seen it, she replied: We do [have a glossary]? I would really like to know where it is. We do? You're telling me something new (L2: 270-271). This bank's lack of language policies concerning testing, hiring and training of employees mirrors Lambert's (1990) and Fixman's (1990) studies which uncovered that American businesses involved in international trade have a very short-term view of the benefits of foreign language use. Very few businesses interviewed in their studies tested or trained employees in languages other than English. Foreign language ability was also only a minor 48 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. consideration in hiring. Fixman (1990) explained that the lack of language policies is due to the infrequent use of foreign languages in actual business practices. That argument cannot be made here as Spanish is used on a daily basis at this branch. A potential explanation for the lack of language policies regarding testing, hiring and training in this branch is the manager's assumption that second and third-generation Americans can speak their heritage language fluently-an assumption which has been proven false (Veltman 1991), yet remains prevalent (Gonzalez and Wong 1992). The anecdote recounted above of the Korean-American teller who did not speak Korean fluently illustrates this assumption. Concerning "Hispanics1 " use of, and proficiency in, Spanish, the manager, during one of my tours of the bank, asked me why I thought there were no Se Habla Espanol ["I speak Spanish"] signs. He explained that "Hispanics" do not need them, because they recognize other "Hispanics": "It's a type of communication-recognition" (Jaime, personal communication). 3.2.e.v. Employee attitudes toward languages and language use To uncover attitudes toward language, I asked employees which language was used most often by their company and why. All employees responded, "English." Their responses indicate the seemingly natural place of English as the sole language of business (Fishman 1972). Pablo explains: 49 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I guess that’s the language that was in this country for the longest time. Everybody uses it. It's universal. English. Everywhere it's known (PI: 173-174). Similarly, Sun from New Accounts sums up her explanation in one short statement: "This is America" (SI: 101). Maria, a Colombian immigrant, is the most adamant about the necessity to use English: We have to express ourselves in English, because we're in America and how do you say, the priority language is English. We have to express ourselves in English because a lot of people don’t know any single word in another language in this country....It doesn't matter where you come from. It's the only way we can talk to each other (M2:105-110). African-American Linda is concerned that the bank's use of other languages will inhibit immigrants from learning English, a common concern to many who favor making English the official language of the United States (Amastae 1990): ...we're using so much Spanish,...our clients will never really leam any English (L2: 356-357). She elaborates: We've had clients who've been here for years, I mean years, and you would think after all the years. "You've been here how many years and you still can’t speak English." 'Cause a lot of them, they come here and they don't take any classes and leam how to speak English (L2:144-148). 50 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.2.e.vi. Management attitudes toward languages and language use Management seems to share the attitudes of the workers. For instance, Debbie, the Operations Manager, when asked which language is used most often by the bank, and why, replies that English is the work [language], English is the-we're in America (Dl:93). According to Pablo, a teller, Debbie, a Mexican-American, clearly experiences conflict when employees use Spanish with her: I don't think she likes to use it. 'Cause when I started here, she would look at us weird ’cause we would talk Spanish you know....You could see it in her face, her expression when you talk to her, she doesn't like it. "Speak to me in English" is what she says (P2: 79-83). Jaime, the Puerto Rican manager, also believes that English should be the language used in business. One concern is that we're so diverse in the market that we service, that right now I see the bank, at one point we didn't have anything in Spanish. Nowadays, our ATMs are in Spanish....I would envision that if we continue to grow,...we'd have to also have the Chinese language....At this stage, my personal feeling is that English is basic in American and if we go to Japan and we don't communicate in Japanese, we have a tough time, you know. I think everyone should be able to speak the language (J2:145-156). 51 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. When customers complain about the lack of Spanish language services, he tactfully explains that: "English is the language spoken here" (J2: 159-160).! 1 He continues: If we allow those who are already weak with the English language to continue speaking Spanish, they're not going to get comfortable with using the English language. So I feel that it's...for their own education (J2:90-93). As is evident from these remarks, there is a feeling that immigrants could speak English: they just do not want to and do not put any effort into learning it. Barbara insists that the customers at this branch are mostly Spanish speaking customers and they tend not to want to speak English. They can speak English, maybe a little, but they don't want to speak English and they'll shy away (Bl: 26-28). Debbie agrees: A lot of them do speak English, but they’ re comfortable with the Spanish teller....It's just like any other environment, if you don't practice the language, you're not forced into speaking English (D2:134-137). 52 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.3. Language policies in many branches of different banks 3.3.a. Rationale for follow-up study Based on the ethnographic research in this one branch in which many language problems emerged due to the lack of formal language policies as well as to the anglocentric attitudes of the employees and management, I decided that it was necessary to investigate many branches of different banks in ethnic enclaves to see if the same language policies and problems existed on a wider scale. 3.3.b. Setting A total of 37 branches in seven different communities were visited (See Appendix H for census figures and maps of the communities). 3.3.c. Methodology Services compared include: language use on a) signage, b) automatic teller machines, c) brochures, and d) language use by tellers. The first three services were easy to determine: simple observation sufficed. To determine the availability of minority-language-speaking tellers was more difficult; however, to do this, I posed as a concerned friend of minority-language-speaking immigrants who were seeking a bank to use. In this guise, I inquired as to whether the bank had minority-language-speaking tellers, how many, during what hours, and so on. 53 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.3'd. Results The tables contained in Appendix I illustrate the apparent "haphazard" manner (Cooper 1989: 41) in which language policymaking and planning is conducted in these seven communities. Although all of the seven communities have minority-language-speaking populations over 15% (see Appendix H for these figures), almost all of the bank branches displayed the name of their bank in English only. Only 9 out of 37 displayed signs in Korean hangul, Chinese characters or Vietnamese script. Access to automatic teller machines (ATMs) was also limited for non-English-speaking customers as one-half of the ATMs were in English only. Some of the ATMs which had computer screens in Spanish (computer screens in Chinese, Korean or Vietnamese were never available) required a user to push a button marked "Espanol" to change the screen to Spanish. The button did not stand out from the others on the keypad, however, and could easily be missed. Out of the seventeen ATMs which had computer screens in English only, only four had prominently placed signage in other languages explaining the use of the machine or, in one case, advising the customer to get a minority language brochure inside the bank. When I sought out these brochures, the bank employees spent ten minutes locating them. Over half of the banks provided some sort of professionally-created signage in languages other than English inside. Rarely, however, are these signs equivalent in number or import of message to the English signs. In Westminster, none of the banks provided equivalent signage in Vietnamese. 54 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. In Santa Ana, only 2 out of 6 banks provided equivalent signage in Spanish, but not in Vietnamese. In Van Nuys, only one bank out of five provided equivalent signage in Spanish. In Koreatown, only two out of seven banks (both branches of the same Korean bank) provided equivalent signage in Korean, but not in S p a n i s h .12 in Little Tokyo, only one out of three banks provided equivalent signage in Japanese, but not in Spanish. Finally, in Chinatown, two out of four banks provided equivalent signage in Chinese, but not in Spanish-the two banks are owned by Chinese immigrants.! 3 Most of the time, bank branches had token, other-language signs in their offices. Often a branch would have a simple procedural sign in Spanish, asking customers Por favor, entrar aqui ["Please enter here."] or one which requested that the customers have their identification or their transaction ready before reaching the teller's window. At another branch, there was a "Welcome" sign in Spanish or at another, a sign notifying the customers of an upcoming holiday in Spanish, but not in Chinese, even though this branch is located in Chinatown. Some branches did provide entire displays in Spanish, such as a Centro Information en Espanol ["Spanish Information Center"] or one introducing a customer service hotline in Spanish and in one case, Vietnamese. At several branches of a major bank, Aqui se habla espanol ["Spanish spoken here."] signs were placed on top of desks in the New Accounts area; however, these signs did not exist at the tellers’ windows. As mentioned above, other language signage was usually not equivalent in number or import. Banks seemed to assume what services certain groups would need. At one branch of a major bank, all signs were bilingual 55 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. English/Spanish except the one delineating the Investment Services area. This sign was only in English as was another sign in the bank advertising a temporary promotion: A free personal investment plan for customers. The lack of language planning in the banks is also evident in the surprising number of computer-generated or handwritten signs in other languages. In one instance, a handwritten sign in Korean had been posted onto an obviously expensive, free-standing display in English. In another branch, a manager had a computer-generated sign designating the New Accounts area. In Chinatown, one branch posted a handwritten sign in Chinese, requesting that the customers have their transaction ready before approaching the teller, while another branch in Chinatown posted computer-generated signs about a temporary sales promotion. Like signage, brochures in other languages also were not equivalent in number or import of information, with banks appearing to have predicted the services that other language customers would need-mainly, savings and checking accounts. Most often, however, the brochures detailing business and investment services were provided only in English. In no case were all of the brochures provided in English available in another language. A recent study by Touchstone, Kaplan, and Hagstrom (1995) also questions the quality of the information in and translations of these brochures. The accessibility of other-language brochures was also limited. While most of the English brochures were arranged in displays or on desktops, many of the other-language brochures had to be requested from personnel. 14 56 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. All of the bank managers or customer service representatives with whom I spoke claimed that their branch had bilingual tellers. Due to the limited nature of this study and obvious problems with cooperation, I am unable to attest to the proficiency of these tellers. However, from my visits, I discovered that often the supposedly bilingual teller was not on the premises-I was simply given a card with a name on it and told to try back later or to call on a certain day. I was able to contact a personnel manager at one bank who stated that he takes his employees at their word: "If they say they’ re bilingual, they are. I don't need to test them or train them."15 Even more shocking was the situation at several of the Korean-owned banks in Koreatown. When I inquired as to the availability of Spanish-speaking personnel, I was led to the Spanish-speaking security guards. Apparently, none of the Korean or Korean-American personnel spoke Spanish. 3.4. Concluding remarks on Studies One and Two This survey of the language policies and practices in 37 different banks in Los Angeles County and the previous in-depth investigation into the language policies in one branch bank addressed the following questions: 1. Are banks in Los Angeles County providing services in languages other than English? If so, what are they? 2. Are there differences in the way different banks, or even different branches of the same bank, approach the provision of such services? 57 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3. Are these services strategically planned, or could they be categorized as "unplanned" language planning (Baldauf 1994)? From the evidence presented in this chapter, it appears that these questions can now be answered. I have presented evidence that, indeed, some banks are providing services in languages other than English to their minority- language-speaking clients. The second study presented in this chapter illustrates, however, that "unplanned language planning" (Baldauf 1994) appears to be the norm in the banking industry. As the variety of interbranch and even intrabank strategies show, language policies appear to be "language happenings" (Jemudd and Das Gupta 1971: 99) rather than actual conscious decisions. 3.5. Focus group investigations of minority-language-speaking customers 3.5.a. Rationale for follow-up study The discovery that different branches, even in the same geographic area, provide markedly different language services, led to Stages 3 and 4 of the comprehensive study. While the previous stages had looked at the language services largely from the employees' and management's perspectives, the follow-up studies would investigate minority-language-speaking customers' attitudes toward the different language services provided in bank branches. The following research questions were addressed in the focus group research: 1. Are other language services important to minority-language-speaking bank customers? 58 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2. If so, how important is this factor compared to convenience? 3. Which language services, or types of language services are most important for banks to provide? 3.5.b. Setting Two focus groups were conducted with Spanish-speaking immigrants at the Reseda Adult School. Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking immigrants participated in focus groups at the Rancho Santiago Adult School in Santa Ana. Census figures for both communities are provided in Appendix H. 3.5.C. Rationale for using focus groups Focus groups, although used rarely in linguistic research (Kaplan, personal communication), are used frequently in marketing research. Using focus groups in this study, since it is a hybrid of linguistic and marketing research, seemed a novel, yet appropriate approach. Stewart and Shamdasani explain the value of focus group research at the beginning of a research program: Focus groups may be useful at virtually any point in a research program, but they are particularly useful for exploratory research where rather little is known about the phenomenon of interest. As a result, focus groups tend to be used very early in a research project and are often followed by other types of research that provide more quantifiable data from larger groups of respondents (1990:15). 59 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Morgan and Krueger provide a second argument for using focus groups. They consider focus groups to be a particularly effective research tool when there is a gap between professionals and their target audiences...due to factors such as language, culture and region....Because the interactions in focus groups provide a clear view of how others think and talk, they are a powerful means of exposing professionals to the reality of the customer, student, or client (1993: 16). 3.5.d. Participants Tables 3-8 below provide sex, nationality (for the Spanish speakers), and approximate age for the focus group participants. TABLE 3 - RESEDA GROUP 1 SEX NATIONALITY AGE M l Mexican 40's M2 Guatemalan 40's M3 Salvadoran 20’ s M4 Guatemalan 30’ s FI Salvadoran 20's F2 Salvadoran 20’ s F3 Mexican 30's 60 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE 4 - RESEDA GROUP 2 SEX NATIONALITY AGE Ml Mexican 20's M2 Colombian 30's MS Mexican 20's M4 Mexican 30's FI Mexican 30's TABLE 5 - SANTA ANA SPANISH-SPEAKING GROUP 1 SEX NATIONALITY AGE Ml Mexican 20's M2 Colombian 40's M3 Colombian 40's M4 Mexican 20's FI Mexican 40's F2 Mexican 20's F3 Mexican 20’s F4 Salvadoran 20's TABLE 6 - SANTA ANA SPANISH-SPEAKING GROUP 2 SEX NATIONALITY AGE Ml Mexican 20's M2 Mexican 30's M3 Bolivian 40’s M4 Mexican 20’s FI Mexican 20's F2 Guatemalan 20’s Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE 7 - SANTA ANA VIETNAMESE GROUP 1 SEX AGE Ml 50's FI 20's F2 20’ s FS 20's F4 40's F5 30's TABLE 8 - SANTA ANA VIETNAMESE GROUP 2 SEX AGE M l 40's M2 20's FI 20's F2 30's F3 20's F4 40’ s 3.5.e. Methodology 3.5.e.i. Finding participants To find Spanish-speaking participants in Van Nuys, I contacted several Mexican and Central American immigrant organizations. They did not have the resources to assist, but they did recommend contacting the Van Nuys Adult School, where a sizable number of Spanish speakers study English as a Second Language. Based on this recommendation, I contacted the principal who, Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. believing that his students had already been subjected to too much research that semester, suggested contacting the Reseda Adult School principal. After exhausting all leads in Van Nuys and after receiving permission from the Reseda- Adult School principal to conduct focus groups there, I decided to conduct the focus groups with English as a Second Language students at the Reseda Adult School.! 6 J o accommodate for this in the research design, I expanded the geographical area of the study to include Reseda, a neighboring community of Van Nuys.! ^ In contacting Vietnamese community organizations in Westminster, I learned that the Westminster Adult School had just recently sponsored in-class programs on banking and financial needs with the mostly Vietnamese English-as-a-Second-Language students. Realizing that this program would render the focus groups invalid, as the students would already have received information on banks, I contacted the Rancho Santiago Adult School in Santa Ana, a neighboring community with a significant Vietnamese population. The decision to conduct focus groups at this location once again necessitated an expansion of the study's geographical area to include Santa Ana/Westminster. Since Santa Ana is also a city with many Mexican and Central American immigrants, I decided to conduct focus groups with Spanish-speaking students, too, in order to determine if they held the same views as the Spanish-speaking students in the Van Nuys/Reseda groups. 63 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.5.e.ii. Finding moderators for the focus groups My difficulties in trying to find willing participants for these focus groups presaged a general predicament in conducting focus groups with minorities: Focus groups are usually conducted exclusively with middle class English speakers (Morgan 1988, Jarrett 1993). During every step of the planning, I was forced to adapt techniques and methods from studies conducted with non-minority populations to these minority populations. My next task was to find moderators and assistant moderators for the focus groups. This task was complicated by the fact that experts are divided on the necessity of hiring a professional moderator. Stewart and Shamdasani assert that amount of experience is a factor to be considered when choosing a moderator as mastering the technique of moderating a focus group is an art in itself, requiring the moderator to wear many hats and assume different roles during the course of even a single focus group. He or she has the unenviable task of balancing the requirements of sensitivity and empathy on the one hand, and objectivity and detachment on the other (1990: 69). According to Morgan and Krueger (1993: 5), however, it is a myth that focus groups require a moderator with highly developed professional skills, especially "when the participants are part of a distinctive cultural group....Someone with the appropriate sensitivity may be a more effective moderator than someone who merely has professional credentials." 64 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. In weighing these arguments, I decided to try, at least initially, to contact professional moderators who had the language and cultural skills necessary to lead the focus groups successfully. I contacted several community organizations and market research firms who specialize in minority marketing in search of pro bono m oderators. 18 After this approach failed, I contacted several marketing professors at the University of Southern California to request their assistance in finding suitable moderators. An inter departmental memo was soon circulated requesting professors to announce the need for experienced minority-language-speaking moderators in their graduate classes. This appeal also received no replies, leading one of the professors to profess his astonishment that apparently (and as was confirmed above by Morgan (1988)), focus groups were not being conducted regularly on these populations as none of the international or minority students had had any experience in this area. Since this initial attempt at finding professional moderators had failed, I decided to seek out non-professional moderators who would have the personality traits as well as the cultural and language skills necessary to lead a focus group successfully.^® A Mexican-American, certified bilingual Spanish- English elementary school, male teacher was willing to serve as moderator for the Spanish focus groups. A Mexican-American, Spanish-English speaking male served as the assistant moderator. For the Vietnamese focus groups, a Vietnamese immigrant, certified Vietnamese-English bilingual social worker served as moderator. Her son, also a Vietnamese immigrant, who speaks Vietnamese and English served as the assistant moderator. 65 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.5.e.iiL Creating the interview guide The next step in the process of organizing the focus groups was to write the interview guide-the set of questions the moderator would use to conduct the focus group. In developing the questions and the format, I followed the advice of Stewart and Shamdasani, who suggest that there are two general principles that should be observed. The first suggests that questions be ordered from the more general to the more specific....Second, questions should be ordered by their relative importance to the research agenda... (1990: 61). Stewart and Shamdasani realize that these principles may conflict. They admit that the researcher "will need to exercise judgment in making trade-offs between the general-to-specific rule and the more-to-least rule" (1990: 61) . Based upon their recommendation, I chose the general-to-more-specific ordering as questions needed to be ordered so as to leave out any mention of language until the latter part of the focus group to allow it to emerge naturally, if at all. Stewart and Shamdasani further explain that the initial questions contained in the interview guide should serve as the starting point for the focus groups: It is important to recognize that groups often take on lives of their own and that agendas are dictated by the natural flow of discussions. Thus, the interview guide is just that-a guide, which the moderator and group should be allowed to modify if it proves desirable (1990: 61-62). 66 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. They describe this type of question format as a "rolling interview guide." While they admit that this type of format has the disadvantage that no group responds to exactly the same set of questions, they assert that this "makes the best use of multiple focus groups because it allows information to unfold over time as more is discovered about a topic" (1990: 63). The initial interview guide is provided in Appendix J. Initial questions were sent to Shamdasani, who made suggestions for, and, later, approved of, the interview guide. By perusing the transcripts of the focus groups found in Appendix K, one can follow the evolution of the interview guide. Several days before the focus groups, each moderator was sent a copy of the original interview guide as well as photocopies from the Stewart and Shamdasani book about effective moderating (1990: 83-85,92-98). These pages dealt specifically with guiding the discussion, following up on questions, guarding against moderator bias, beginning the focus group, managing time, assuring participation, probing, and finally, dealing with problem participants. 3.5.e.iv. Conducting the focus group Arrangements were made with the adult schools to hold two focus groups each evening for three evenings. The focus groups were held over a period of three weeks due to scheduling conflicts of the researcher, the moderators and the assistant moderators. At both the Reseda and the Rancho Santiago Adult Schools, the focus groups were held in conference rooms. Students were solicited from the 67 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. various classes by the school liaison. Gender equity was requested, but, as is evident from Tables 3-8 above, was not always possible. Three tape recorders were placed on the conference table.20 The moderator, the assistant moderator and the students sat around the table. I sat behind the assistant moderator, whose responsibility was to take notes. The moderator introduced him/herself, the assistant moderator and the researcher and then proceeded to explain the research, stating that I was conducting research for a doctorate at the University of Southern Califomia.21 S/he explained that the research was intended to determine how minorities felt about banking services and then sought the participants' permission for audio recording. The tape recorders were turned on and the moderator continued explaining that all information would be sanitized to protect anonymity and that the purpose of a focus group is to gather as many ideas as possible: Reaching a consensus was not the goal; diversity of ideas was. While the assistant moderator took copious notes, the moderator led the group through the first half of the questions, adding, modifying, and deledng questions as necessary; this phase lasted approximately thirty minutes. Then, the group broke for refreshments.22 During this ten minute break, the assistant moderator and I convened outside to discuss the notes in order to brainstorm follow-up questions. After the break, the discussion turned to the second half of the questions. After the final question had been asked, the moderator debriefed the participants and answered any questions about the research or about banking, in general. Following the focus groups, I met immediately with the 68 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. moderator and assistant moderator to debrief them on the discussions. Later, I met with the assistant moderators to transcribe the tape recordings. 3.5.f. Results 23 (Full transcripts are provided in Appendix K.)24 In the Spanish-speaking focus groups, the importance of Spanish language services in banking emerged naturally in three of four groups.25 in several cases, when queried as to why they had chosen the bank they currently use, language services were mentioned. The language services currently provided by banks do not, however, seem to be sufficient. When asked how banks could improve their services to "you, your family, to the community you live in," language came up time and time again as important: For myself or for Hispanics who don’t understand English too well, to have personnel who are bilingual. And services in Spanish so we can explain and learn a lot of things (R1,M2: 176- 179). For some, adequate language services is the critical factor: If I go to a bank that doesn't have a Spanish speaker and I don't understand them and they don't understand me, I'll find one that does. And with them, I do understand. Even if it's a worse service, I'm understanding them (R2,M1:145-149). 69 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Several mentioned allowing others to go in front of them in line as they wait for tellers who speak Spanish, because I know I'm going to be understood better with that person (R2,M3: 250-251). To determine exactly how crucial Spanish language services would be, participants were asked if they would change from their current bank to one from their country which does n o t offer services in their language. The participants voted unanimously to stay with their American banks for the following reasons: The problem is-not being understood. It doesn’t matter if it's from my country. The problem is being understood and getting service (R2,M1: 310-312). Another stated, If you’ re not being taken into account now, and another bank is opening the door a little wider, yes [I would change, but] if they couldn't speak in my language, I couldn't ask for information. If they couldn't attend to me, I wouldn't change (R2,F1: 341-343). Some feel that inadequate Spanish language services are the reason why check-cashing establishments are so popular among Spanish-speaking immigrants: Many times, one doesn't attempt to go to a bank for the same reason (R2,F1:150-151). 70 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. One man believes that poor Spanish language service has played a role in his not having a bank account: It is one of the things that happens to me and that is maybe why I don't have an account. Because I think, how am I going to go there, what am I going to say. What am I going to do, how am I going to make myself understood to them (R2,M4:154-158). Having discovered from my six-week observation in the branch of a major bank that the tellers receive no testing or training in Spanish and that language is usually not considered for scheduling purposes, I inquired about the number of Spanish-speaking tellers available. R1,M2 replied, I haven't found a Spanish-speaking teller. I’ ve asked in some places and they say there aren't any (197-198). R1,F3 described her experience of arriving at a bank as it opened and being told that the Spanish-speaking person did not come in until 1 p.m., a time which was inconvenient for her. They also questioned the fluency of the supposedly bilingual tellers (200-201). R2.M1 explained: Yeah, like there's some people there who speak Spanish, when they're giving you the explanation, they're using words in English. He tells you the word. What am I going to do? I don’t understand (159-162). Perhaps R2,MS has an explanation for this lack of Spanish fluency: 71 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. a majority of them [tellers] are pochos ["second generation Mexican-American"] (281-282). He feels that their Spanish is very limited and that they are not familiar with banking vocabulary. R2,F1 suggested hiring more Spanish-speaking immigrants who have had banking experience in their home countries, as she does. When asked about services other than check-cashing or savings and checking accounts that they used, the participants appeared ignorant of other services, and even asked the moderator if he could enumerate and explain some of them. Some attributed their ignorance to the inadequacy of the language services at the banks: Until you look for a person who more or less speaks Spanish, you're going to do this, this and that (R2,M1:164-165). R1,F2 agrees, If they don't speak your language, they can't answer your questions. You'll just go and use what services you know of (222- 225). R2,F1 concurs that language services are important for self-edification, stating, you don't realize all the services the bank offers for the same reason because you do not understand them. One knows the surface-you know the savings, the interest rates (166-168). 72 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Several participants were aware that providing Spanish language services is a classic win-win solution: The banks help the Spanish speakers and they, as customers, help the banks. SA2,F1 explained, Here the majority are Spanish speakers. If the bank doesn't speak the language, the person might not go there for services (88-90). R2,F1 is even more explicit, It’s to the banks' benefits to offer Spanish, to have people who are trained in Spanish and it’s also convenient for us. It's beneficial for them and it’s beneficial for the community (141-143). In the Vietnamese group in Santa Ana,26 improvement of Vietnamese language services came up almost immediately. The lack of a Vietnamese translation on the ATMs soon segued into complaints about the lack of Vietnamese-speaking tellers which, in turn, led to complaints about the absence of Vietnamese signs. V1,F5 started by complaining, I don't like it that there's no Vietnamese translation of the ATM (22-23). VI,Ml added, 73 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I'm very uncomfortable. I'm fearful of using the ATM and don't know if I do the right thing. I go to the bank, but banks don't tell customers how to use it. I must rely on my relatives. There's a problem with the lack of Vietnamese-speaking employees. When I go in a bank, I don’t know if I'll get a Vietnamese or English teller. I've been warned about ATM charges by English speaking tellers which made me afraid. In Santa Ana, there should be Vietnamese-speaking bank tellers. I wait in line but don't know if I'll get a Vietnamese or American teller, so I use the ATM more so I won't have the stress. I want more Vietnamese tellers. Banks should form lines like at the DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles]: Windows according to language (28-39). VI,FI believed this to be an excellent idea: I want lines for Vietnamese, Mexicans and Americans so that Vietnamese people can use Vietnamese-speaking tellers. It would speed things up. There are enough Vietnamese here. That would alleviate the fear of going to the bank. Vietnamese signs and instructions would be good, too (42-47). Many of the participants felt that having Vietnamese-speaking tellers would be the most important language service a bank could provide. After all, they reasoned, one can always learn to use an ATM by rote, and brochures can be translated by English-speaking relatives. Although some banks do provide Vietnamese-speaking tellers, it appears that more are needed as one participant mentioned that she goes to two different banks. She goes to one if she has a question because they speak Vietnamese, but because 74 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. you have to wait too long because too many Vietnamese are in line, I go to a different bank to cash checks. There's no line there, because no one speaks Vietnamese (VI,FI: 57-60). Echoing the Spanish-speaking groups, the participants also questioned the fluency of the supposedly Vietnamese-speaking tellers. VI,Ml stated that although most of the employees at his bank are Vietnamese, they still speak English to me. That doesn't help me. They must have a Vietnamese-speaking lane. I ask in Vietnamese, but they answer in English (97-99). This causes him much anxiety: Going to the bank is torture. I take my 15 year old nephew in case I don't understand. I don't know what bank has Vietnamese services (VI,Ml: 101-103). Like the Spanish-speaking groups, the Vietnamese group did not seem knowledgeable about bank services other than check-cashing and savings and checking accounts. In fact, compared to the Spanish-speaking groups where approximately 50% owned at least one credit card, only one participant had a department store credit card-not even a bank card. Also like the Spanish speaking groups, all had questions about how to apply and qualify for credit cards as well as other bank services. One man had a very specific question related to a mailing about accidental death life insurance. He wondered if we had heard about the offer, stating 75 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I don't know how much we have to pay. It was in English and I didn’ t understand it too well; my relatives didn't either (VI,Ml: 69-71). As most of the Vietnamese commented that they, as an ethnicity, tend to prefer using American-owned banks to using Asian-owned ones, it appears that American banks could attract quite a few Vietnamese customers by providing better language services. 3.5.g. Concluding remarks on focus group research The preceding study addressed the following questions: 1. Are other language services important to minority-language-speaking bank customers? 2. If so, how important is this factor compared to convenience? 3. Which language services, or types of language services are most important for banks to provide? The results of this small-scale study suggest that, indeed, the provision of banking services in other languages is important to minority-language- speaking bank customers. It also appears that these customers are very aware of the different strategies which banks employ regarding these services; the customers may even choose a bank based on its language services. Evidence from this study also suggests that minority-language-speaking customers are not satisfied with the current level of banking services which they are 76 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. receiving at the present time. The question of the importance of language services in comparison to convenience was not answered in this study. 3.6. Concluding Remarks on Chapter Three The studies presented in Chapter Three provided a comprehensive look at the strategies employed in banking establishments concerning the provision of services in languages other than English. These studies also provide an initial understanding of minority language speakers' attitudes toward these services. Evidence presented in this chapter illustrates the unstrategic way in which these services are provided. In the first two studies, evidence is presented that language services vary from bank to bank and from branch to branch. From these studies, it appears that language is not a planned resource. Other language signage and brochures appear to be distributed unevenly with assumptions made as to the servicing needs of certain ethnic groups. Employees are hired with little consideration of their language skills. Assumptions are made that second generation members of minority-language speaking ethnic groups speak their ethnic language fluendy and have a knowledge of advanced banking vocabulary. No language testing or training takes place and employees are not compensated for their minority language skills. Prompted by the results of focus group research suggesting that minority- language-speaking bank customers are very aware of their special servicing 77 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. needs and of their general inability to find banks who acknowledge these needs, the study reported in the next chapter will investigate the importance of language services to minority-language-speaking customers on a larger scale. NOTES FOR CHAPTER 3 1Two of the communities examined are in Orange County, which neighbors on Los Angeles County. 2 Another factor considered was management's willingness to participate in the study. In this case, the manager was very cooperative and agreed to requests for observation time as well as interviews with employees. 3As anonymity was a condition of participation, pseudonyms are used to protect the anonymity of the bank managers and employees. 4A Sony Cassette Recorder Model #CFM-140 was used to record the interviews. 5 It is believed that the interviewees were candid during the interviews. Before conducting the interviews, I had spent several days at the bank simply observing. After this initial period, the employees and managers appeared to be very comfortable in my presence. Moreover, interviews were conducted individually with each interviewee assured that any information received would be sanitized to ensure anonymity. 6As I was not allowed to listen in on the teller-client interaction, I was not able to discern language (s) used during the interaction. While I realize that a simple visual identification of race is flawed, this method was the only one available. interview data is contained in Appendices F and G, for the first and second interviews, respectively. With three employees: Barbara, Raul and Sun, only one interview was conducted. In these cases, Barbara's interview is found in Appendix F and Raul's and Sun's interviews are found in Appendix G. Within the appendices, interviews are ordered alphabetically by the first letter of the interviewee’s pseudonym. Interview data is cited using three symbols: the first letter of the pseudonym, then the number of the interview and finally, after the 78 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. colon, the line number within the interview where the quotation can be found. For example, Pl:14 means that the information can be found in Pablo's first interview (PI) on line 14. 8According to Keltner (1995), banks are requiring tellers to practice this sales technique more and more. 9 Kaplan (personal communication) points out that knowledge of and literacy in English is an implicit requirement for the job, negating the comments that skills in a particular language are not required. 10 Several comments made by the managers suggest that they are unsure of whether hiring people based on language skills could be considered discriminatory under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines. Jaime, the manager, when asked why they do not consider language skills a requirement, explains: "Mainly because we are an equal opportunity employer-it may have something to do with equal employment" (J2: 1). Barbara, the Customer Service manager, who actually does the hiring of tellers, echoes this confusion: "We cannot, because it's a Hispanic area, we cannot just hire people who speak Spanish. We do not discriminate as far as hiring, because I do do the hiring of the tellers and we can't discriminate because they do not speak Spanish" (Bl: 2). As the EEOC guidelines are rather minimal, their confusion is understandable. However, the recent judgement on the Contel lawsuit which is discussed in Chapter Two seems to suggest that language skills can be a job requirement as long as those skills were listed in the original job posting. 1 ^ th o u g h it is not perfectly clear what Jaime means by "here," from the context, it would appear that "here" is "in the United States." 12Koreatown is somewhat of a misnomer for this area. Although Koreans and other Asian groups represent a large percentage of the population, approximately 27%, "Hispanics" make up an even greater percentage, 66% (1990 Census Data). 79 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13Both Little Tokyo and Chinatown, though symbolic centers of their respective ethnic populations, contain sizable "Hispanic" populations (See Appendix H for these figures). 14Often bank personnel could not locate or had great difficulty locating the brochures in languages other than English. 15Lambert's research (1990) illustrates that language proficiency testing of employees in U.S. corporations doing international business is very rare. Many of these companies and their employees do not have a need for a foreign language on a daily basis, however, as many of the bank employees do. 16I was originally hesitant to use English as a Second Language (ESL) students for any of the research, fearing that their predisposition to learning English might affect the study. However, after exhausting all other leads, I decided to use ESL students for the focus groups. 17My combining of Reseda and Van Nuys follows the precedent of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission which has designated Reseda/West Vein Nuys as a planning district. Van Nuys, while historically a defined community within the City of Los Angeles, is divided into two planning districts: Reseda/West Van Nuys and Van Nuys/North Sherman Oaks. 18Professional moderators usually receive very generous compensation for their time. My budget precluded this type of expense. 19 Stewart and Shamdasani (1990) cite Langer's description of eight characteristics of good qualitative researchers: "Good qualitative researchers: are genuinely interested in hearing other people's thoughts and feelings,...are expressive of their own feelings,...are animated and spontaneous,...have a sense of humor,...are emphatic,...admit their own biases,...are insightful about people,...express thoughts clearly,... [and] are flexible..." (1978:79). 20 The tape recorders used were Realistic Model 221-L. 80 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 211 felt that it was important to explain that this was not research conducted by a particular bank or by the banking industry as I believed that they would be much more candid knowing that this was an academic study. No mention of my discipline was made as it was assumed that this knowledge would have heightened their awareness of the study's focus on language issues in banks. As stated earlier, focus group questions were ordered so as to allow language issues to come out naturally in the discussion, if at all. 22 While the researcher's offer of canned soda pop and bags of cookies and crackers was well-received by the Spanish-speaking focus groups, it was met with wide-eyed stares by the Vietnamese-speaking ones. Fortunately, the assistant moderator realized the cultural faux pas which had occurred and instructed me to find cups and plates, as Vietnamese do not drink out of cans or eat from a communal plate. It was also expected that I, as the researcher, should serve as host, pouring and serving the drinks and snacks. 23Citations contain four symbols: the first two refer to the location and/or ethnic group and group number (R for Reseda Spanish-speaking, S for Santa Ana Spanish-speaking, V for Vietnamese), the third and fourth indicate the participant's sex and number in the group. The final number refers to the line number in the transcript where the quotation can be found. For example, SI,M3: 25 means that this quotation can be found in the first Spanish-speaking Santa Ana group. Male #3 stated the quotation and it can be found on line 25. 24Due to time constraints on the part of the assistant moderators, tape recordings of the focus groups were transcribed into English immediately without the intermediate step of transcribing them in Spanish or Vietnamese. 25From these groups, it is evident that some people do not use banks because they are undocumented and therefore, do not have the social security number necessary to open an account at some banks. Others simply find check- cashing establishments more convenient. 26Although I have included the transcript, I am not quoting information obtained from the second Vietnamese focus group. As the group was composed of newly arrived immigrants who were still very dependent on their sponsors 81 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and as such did not control any money, they were very uncomfortable with the subject and the focus group was terminated after twenty minutes. 82 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER FOUR; DATA COLLECTION, METHODOLOGY, AND QUANTITATIVE RESULTS 4.1. Rationale for Study From the studies discussed in the previous chapter, it is very clear that different banks, and indeed, even different branches of the same bank, have developed very different language practices and "policies." While the data collected from the focus group research suggest that language services play a role in Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking immigrants’ choice of a banking establishment, a larger study is needed to investigate this relationship further. In the larger study reported in this chapter, S60 Spanish-speaking immigrant bank customers were asked to answer questions about their attitudes toward particular language services in a hypothetical bank. The design of the study also allowed investigation as to whether the provision of language services is as important a factor in bank choice as convenience, which has been cited as the most important factor in previous studies conducted with more mainstream populations (Howcroftand Bosch 1991, Paich 1992, Bosch 1993). 4.2. Setting The final survey was conducted in Van Nuys, a community which is located within the city of Los Angeles. According to the 1990 Population and 83 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Housing Census, 36% of Van Nuys' residents are "Hispanic." Of all Van Nuys residents, 19% are reported to be Spanish/English bilingual and 14% are reported to be Spanish monolingual.1 The areas in which the surveys were administered are highlighted and numbered in Appendix L.2 4.3. Methodology 4.3.a. Rationale for Methodology As was stated in Chapter Three, the sociolinguistic survey is a common tool used by language planners to determine language behavior and attitudes toward language use and policies. This sociolinguistic survey used a matched- guise stimulus (Lambert 1967) to simulate differential uses of languages in a hypothetical bank. Minority-language-speaking bank customers then reacted to the different guises (treatments) of language. 4.3.b. Creation of the Stimuli Based on the analysis of the focus group data as well as the ethnographic research conducted in the first two studies reported in Chapter Three, I developed a classification of banks' language policies on two scales which have been commonly cited in the language planning literature: functional (or communicative (Edwards 1984)) and symbolic (Edwards 1984, Lopez 1991). A functional language policy in a bank would be a policy which allows customers to complete their transaction in the language of their choice. A symbolic language policy, on the other hand, may simply acknowledge the 84 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. minority language, but does not provide enough information to allow the customer to complete anything but the simplest of transactions. The stimulus for the survey questions was a hypothetical bank which exhibited different language policies, either high or low functional or high or low symbolic. Variations of these factors created four different scenarios: (1) HIGH SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL, (2) HIGH SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL, (3) LOW SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL, and (4) LOW SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL. These four scenarios were doubled to test the assertion by Howcroft and Bosch (1991), Paich (1992), and Bosch (1993) that customers choose banks according to convenience (geographic and time). Each of the four scenarios had both a convenient and an inconvenient treatment, making eight different scenarios in all. The eight different treatments are summarized below (see Appendix M for the actual text). Treatments 1 & 2: High Symbolic/High Functional Language Use Brochures: Equal numbers of brochures in both Spanish and English provided in display racks in the lobby. Signage: All signs appear in Spanish and English. Teller: The teller is able to conduct the transaction in Spanish. Treatments 3 & 4: High Symbolic/Low Functional Language Use 85 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Brochures: While six (6) English brochures are displayed in the lobby, only two (2) Spanish brochures on savings and checking accounts are offered. Signage: In the lobby, only two (2) signs are in Spanish: one which requests that the customer "enter here" and one which asks the customer to "have the deposit slip ready." Signs advertising the bank's promotions are in English only. Teller: In Spanish, the teller explains that she is unable to conduct the transaction in Spanish as her Spanish is very limited. Treatments 5 & 6: Low Symbolic/High Functional Language Use Brochures: Equal numbers of brochures in both Spanish and English are available in displays in the lobby. Signage: All signs are in English only. Teller: The teller is able to conduct the transaction in Spanish. Treatments 7 & 8: Low Symbolic/Low Functional Language Use Brochures: Brochures are available in English only. Signage: All signs are in English only. Teller: The teller is unable to conduct the transaction in Spanish, explaining that only English is spoken at the bank. 86 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4.3.C. Creation o f the S urvey Questions After creating the hypothetical bank story, it was necessary to determine which affective measures would be investigated. DeVellis (1991) provided much insight into creating the survey from data gleaned from the focus group and ethnographic research. DeVellis argues that researchers need to determine the construct[s] to be measured. Devellis (1991:12) defines a construct as "the underlying phenomenon...that a scale is intended to measure...often called the latent variable." According to DeVellis, "it is latent rather than manifest...[and] variable rather than constant-that is, some aspect of it, such as its strength or magnitude, changes. (1991:12). DeVellis explains that surveys need to include several questions which seek to measure the same construct, in other words, the scale needs to be internally consistent by having high inter-item correlations which signal that the items are all measuring the same thing (DeVellis 1991:25). From the qualitative studies discussed in Chapter Three, several constructs were identified which the survey sought to measure. While the constructs of TRUST, ANXIETY, CONFUSION, DISCRIMINATION, ALIENATION, CULTURAL EVALUATION and RESPONSIBILITY arose during the focus groups, other constructs based on marketing theory such as RESPONSE (to the product) and CONVENIENCE needed to be added, too.3 Besides the questions measuring the effect of different language services on the constructs, language use and general demographic questions were also included as they are routinely included in any sociolinguistic survey 87 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. (Eastman 1983). The first English version of the survey questions is provided in Appendix N. The focus group moderators translated the scenarios and the survey questions and the assistant moderators back-translated them, adjusting for discrepancies. The Vietnamese and Spanish versions of the complete survey, including scenarios and survey questions, are included in Appendices O and P, respectively. 4.3.d. First Survey Administration The assistant moderator and a Mexican-American, Spanish-English speaking friend agreed to perform the initial testing of the surveys. The initial testing of the surveys took place in Van Nuys at the Valley Plaza Park (see Appendix L for location). Before beginning the testing, survey administrators were instructed that, due to the potential for limited literacy in the Spanish-speaking community, surveys would need to be read aloud to the participants by the survey administrators. A second reason for this lies in the ordering of the questions. Due to the sensitive nature of some of the questions, keeping the participants from perusing the survey was necessary to ensure an unbiased response to earlier questions. Participants would, however, receive a copy of the scenario with the instruction to follow along as the survey administrator read it aloud. Survey administrators collected thirty-four surveys. 88 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Vietnamese survey administration necessitated a slight change in methodology. As the survey administrators were concerned that Vietnamese people would not be receptive to being approached on the street for a survey, it was decided that surveys would be administered in a beauty salon and a barber shop-two venues where people would be waiting and therefore, more receptive. After this approach proved futile, the survey administrators suggested changing venues to the Little Saigon Mall in Westminster (See Appendix H for map). They were still doubtful that this would work, considering this population's reticence to give out information. At the mall, the Vietnamese survey administrators, particularly the male, did indeed have difficulty gaining cooperation. In order to gather enough data, I began to ask people to participate, which worked fairly well.4 It should be noted, however, that as I do not speak any Vietnamese, I was not able to read the scenario or the questions to the participants. Instead, I was forced to give minimal instructions in foreigner-talk English and to let the participants fill out the questionnaires themselves. 28 surveys were collected. The data from the Spanish and Vietnamese surveys was pooled for analysis due to the small number of completed surveys in each community. 4.3.e. Second Survey Administration Based upon the analysis of the data from the first survey administration, the survey was modified and refined. Briefly, constructs needed to be more defined and one question needed to be added for each construct. Results from the convenience check, which would confirm the salience of the convenience 89 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. variable in the scenarios, indicated that convenience/inconvenience needed to be made more obvious in the scenarios. Also, during the debriefings of both sets of survey administrators, they mentioned that written directions needed to be provided which would explain more clearly that the bank was a hypothetical one. Especially with the Vietnamese subjects, many people appeared to answer the questionnaire based on their experiences with their own bank, as opposed to the bank in the scenario. The English and Spanish versions of the second complete survey are provided in Appendices Q and R, respectively.^ The second survey administration took place at two churches with large Spanish-speaking congregations: one in Santa Ana and one in Van Nuys (See Appendix H for maps and census figures). This survey administration failed, however, due to poor coordination on the part of the churches' administrators. Churchgoers in Santa Ana were also unwilling to participate as Santa Ana had recently experienced a crackdown by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and Spanish speakers were frightened by anything which seemed intrusive. 4.3.f. Third Survey Administration After this experience, I decided (a) to drop Santa Ana from the project, due to the recent immigration sweeps (b) to hire survey administrators and (c) to shorten the survey and improve the directions. The four questions for each construct were pared down to three and some constructs were defined more clearly. Also, some of the language use and demographic questions were deemed e x p e n d a b l e . ® Through this process, the total number of questions was 90 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. pared down from an impossible fifty-eight (58) to a more manageable thirty- eight (38). The consulting statistician for the project was originally wary of this move, but agreed that the seemingly short attention span of this population necessitated the change. The third versions of the survey in English and Spanish are included as Appendices S and T, respectively. The testing of the third version of the survey was begun, with the permission of the store manager, at a supermarket on the corner of Sepulveda and Victory Boulevards (See Appendix L for map). When it appeared that the customers were too hurried to take the time for the surveys, the operation was moved to a mini-mall at the comer of Vanowen and Woodman where there is a popular camiceria ["a Mexican meat market"] as well as a laundromat and an ice cream shop. One group of survey administrators went door-to-door in a predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhood on Delano Street. During the testing, I was on hand to observe much of the administration and to answer any questions the survey administrators had. In order to keep track of the effectiveness of the different survey administrators, I instructed them to initial each of their completed surveys. The supervisor and her crew of Spanish speakers completed the testing in two days. In compiling the data, however, I soon noticed that my suspicions about the seriousness and dedication of certain survey administrators were played out in the quality and quantity of the data. Out of the 96 surveys collected, 30 were rejected due to the poor quality of the data. I was very impressed, however, with the dedication of three of them. These three became the core of my survey administration team. 91 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. From a debriefing of the survey administrators, as well as from my observations and instinct, it became obvious that the format of the survey needed to be changed. The participants were not responding well to being read a long paragraph, and then having to answer questions about it. When I discussed this problem with an assistant, he suggested creating a storybook which would contain several pictures illustrating the different scenarios. Together, we created a storyboard of the basic scenario. The next day, we met with an artist to explain the project. In two days time, he had produced the illustrations contained in Appendix U. 4.3.g. Fourth Survey Administration Apart from the change from text only to pictures, the fourth version of the survey did not change significantly. The move of the convenience check question from the end of the survey to question #4 was the only difference. The English and Spanish versions of this survey are provided in Appendices V and W, respectively. For this testing, the survey administrators interviewed Spanish-speaking immigrant residents of apartments and houses on Vanowen Avenue between Woodman Avenue and Varna Avenue (see Appendix-L for map). Survey administrators were instructed that the change in format would necessitate some changes in the administration technique. The new format required the survey administrator to share the survey with the participant, drawing the participant’s attention to the illustrations as the survey administrator read the 92 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. text. This testing was also completed in two days time with eighty-eight surveys collected. 4.3.h. Fifth and Final Survey Administration From the debriefing of the survey administrators and from analyzing the data, it became apparent that the picture method of surveying was much more successful at drawing the participants into the imaginary situation, increasing memory of the situation and giving them a stake in taking the survey more seriously. The statistics suggested that one more refinement of the survey questions and a slight refinement of a picture were in order. First, Pictures #5 and #6 representing "high functional/low symbolic" needed to be changed slightly. In the fourth version of the complete survey, the second picture showed displays of English and Spanish brochures. The statistician for the project feared that the equal availability of Spanish brochures might be perceived as high symbolic. Therefore, these pictures were changed to portray a scene in which the Spanish brochures are not readily accessible: Spanish speakers are instructed to ask tellers for Spanish brochures. Also, the statistics suggested a need to add several questions: one more for the anxiety construct and one for discrimination. It was decided that the responsibility construct was not being successfully measured and therefore, all of those questions should be dropped. After consulting with a translator, I also decided to change the wording of one of the questions from "anxious" to "tense." From the statistics, it appeared that about 50% of the participants were interpreting "anxious" to mean, "excited, looking forward to" which is very 93 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. different from the "nervous" meaning the question sought to measure. The fifth and final versions of the surveys in English and Spanish are provided in Appendices X and Y , respectively. Due to time and monetary considerations and also considering that four testings had already occurred, testing of the fifth version of the survey was deemed unnecessary. The final surveys were administered over a three day period. The three core members of the survey administration team were joined by six Long Beach Community College ESL students, who had been enrolled in the researcher's ESL classes for two semesters and who were judged as very responsible. All new survey administrators were given a group orientation by both the researcher and an experienced survey administrator and received initial supervision by members of the survey administration team. Surveys were collected door-to-door (See Appendix L for actual site maps). 360 surveys were completed. The following section discusses the statistical procedures used to analyze the survey data. 4.4. Measures 4.4.a. Choice o f statistical methodology The research design called for a simple analysis of variance (ANOVA), in which the group means for the eight different treatments would be compared on the following variables: CONFUSION, DISCRIMINATION, 94 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CULTURAL EVALUATION, and RESPONSE, to determine if the means for the groups differed significantly. In order to conduct the ANOVA, the first step would be the creation of the four theoretical constructs (factors) mentioned above. These factors were created by determining if multiple measures of the same hypothesized construct were indeed highly correlated. The factor analysis was conducted by using a Procrustes oblique rotation. The oblique rotation factor analysis differs from the more commonly used orthogonal rotation in that the oblique rotation factor analysis does not make the assumption that all of the factors are independent (i.e. uncorrelated). This model is more complex, but also more accurate in that it considers interfactor correlations. The oblique rotation factor analysis determined that 5 factors should be kept (see Appendix Z for the correlations) .? Each factor is listed below with the questions of which it is composed. Factor 1 RESPONSE (Response or purchase intent) 2. Would you do business with this bank? 3. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being very bad and 10 being very good, how would you rate this bank? 5. Would you go to this bank? 7. Do you like this bank? 8. Would you use this bank? 95 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Factor 2 CULTURAL EVALUATION 6. Does this bank respect Latinos? 10. Do you believe that this bank values Latinos as customers? 13. Do you believe that this bank understands the needs of Latinos? 16. In your opinion, is this bank accepting of Latinos? Factor 3 DISCRIMINATION 19. Do you believe that this bank is prejudiced against Latinos? 22. In your opinion, is this bank discriminating against Latinos? 25. Is this bank racist? Factor 4 CONFUSION 14. Are you concerned that the teller won't understand you? 17. Is this bank only for English speakers? 21. Are you concerned that you won’ t understand the teller? Factor 5 LANGUAGE DOMINANCE 26. What language do you use most at home with your spouse or with your siblings? 27. What language do you use most at home with your children or nieces and nephews? 28. What language do you use most at work with your fellow workers? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 29. What language do you use most at work with your supervisors? 4.4.b. Created Constructs Used in Data Analysis At this point, the number of questions necessary to examine the hypotheses has been significantly reduced to the seven theoretical constructs: RESPONSE, CULTURAL EVALUATION, DISCRIMINATION, CONFUSION, LANGUAGE DOMINANCE, and CONVENIENCE (from Question 4). FUNCTIONAL, SYMBOLIC, and at times, TREATMENT were also used to encode the four different language treatments. 4.5. Results ANOVAs were conducted based on the hypothesized relationships which emerged from the focus groups. In these focus groups, participants not only were more anxious to use banks which provided language services, but often equated the provision of other language services with better understanding of banking information (CONFUSION), increased respect for Spanish speakers (CULTURAL EVALUATION), and decreased discriminatory practices (DISCRIMINATION). Conversely, lack of other language services was often equated with increased CONFUSION, attributions of less respect for Spanish speakers (CULTURAL EVALUATION) and increased DISCRIMINATION. Based upon Vaillancourt's hypothesis that fluency in a language will determine the need for language services, LANGUAGE DOMINANCE was also hypothesized to be a factor. 97 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4.5.a. Effect of TREATMENT on CONFUSION and DISCRIMINATION Tables 9 and 10 below confirm the hypothesized relationships discussed above. TREATMENTS 1 and 2 (HIGH SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL) had the lowest means on CONFUSION (4.96 and 4.89) and DISCRIMINATION (3.72 and 3.79). Conversely, TREATMENTS 7 and 8 (LOW SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL) received the highest scores on CONFUSION (12.18 and 12.82) and DISCRIMINATION (11.69 and 12.36). TREATMENTS 3 & 4 (HIGH SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL) were considered slightly less confusing with means of 10.46 and 10.96 and slightly less discriminatory with means of 8.72 and 10.02 than TREATMENTS 7 and 8 in which no Spanish is used. TREATMENTS 5 and 6 (LOW SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL) were also considered slightly more confusing with means of 6.62 and 7.76 and slightly more discriminatory with means of 5.95 and 7.79 than TREATMENTS 1 and 2 in which the bank offers completely bilingual services. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE 9 The Effect of TREATMENT on CONFUSION General Linear Models Procedure (ANOVA) Least Squares Means TREATMENT CONFUSION StdErr Pr > IT I LSMEAN LSMEAN LSMEAN H0:LSMEAN=0 Number 1 4.9600000 0.4143423 0.0001 1 2 4.8958333 0.4228864 0.0001 2 3 10.4667234 0.4273615 0.0001 3 4 10.9473684 0.4752833 0.0001 4 5 6.6222222 0.4367552 0.0001 5 6 7.7674419 0.4467968 0.0001 6 7 12.1860465 0.4467968 0.0001 7 8 12.8260870 0.4319817 0.0001 8 99 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE 10 The Effect of TREATMENT on DISCRIMINATION General linear Models Procedure (ANOVA) Least Squares Means TREATMENT DISCRIMINATION StdErr Pr > ITI LSMEAN LSMEAN LSMEAN H0:LSMEAN=0 Number 1 3.7200000 0.3955138 0.0001 1 2 3.7916667 0.4036696 0.0001 2 3 8.7234043 0.4079414 0.0001 3 4 10.0263158 0.4536855 0.0001 4 5 5.9555556 0.4169082 0.0001 5 6 7.7906977 0.4264935 0.0001 6 7 11.6976744 0.4264935 0.0001 7 8 12.3695652 0.4123517 0.0001 8 4.5.b. Effect of TREATMENT on CULTURAL EVALUATION and RESPONSE For CULTURAL EVALUATION and RESPONSE, the hypothesized relationships were also confirmed. Tables 11 and 12 show that TREATMENTS 1 and 2 (HIGH SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL) received the highest scores on CULTURAL EVALUATION (18.34 and 17.87) and RESPONSE (27.20 and 24.14) with TREATMENTS 7 and 8 (LOW SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL) receiving the lowest (6.30 and 5.86 and 8.90 and 9.00, respectively). TREATMENTS 5 and 6 (LOW SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL) received the second highest scores on CULTURAL EVALUATION (13.42 and 10.34) and RESPONSE (19.71 and 13.48), while TREATMENTS 3 and 4 (HIGH 100 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL) received the second lowest (10.S4 and 7.92 and 15.55 and 10.61, respectively). TABLE 11 The Effect of TREATMENT on CULTURAL EVALUATION General Linear Models Procedure (ANOVA) Least Squares Means TREATMENT CULTURAL EVAL. Std Err Pr > 1 T 1 LSMEAN LSMEAN LSMEAN H0:LSMEAN=0 Number 1 18.3400000 0.4878535 0.0001 1 2 17.8750000 0.4979134 0.0001 2 3 10.3404255 0.5031825 0.0001 3 4 7.9210526 0.5596064 0.0001 4 5 13.4222222 0.5142428 0.0001 5 6 10.3488372 0.5260660 0.0001 6 7 6.3023256 0.5260660 0.0001 7 8 5.8695652 0.5086225 0.0001 8 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE 12 The Effect of TREATMENT on RESPONSE General Linear Models Procedure (ANOVA) Least Squares Means TREATMENT RESPONSE StdErr Pr> IT I LSMEAN LSMEAN LSMEAN H0:LSMEAN=0 Number 1 27.2000000 0.7819380 0.0001 1 2 24.1458333 0.7980622 0.0001 2 3 15.5531915 0.8065075 0.0001 3 4 10.6163947 0.8969444 0.0001 4 5 19.7111111 0.8242351 0.0001 5 6 13.4883721 0.8431855 0.0001 6 7 8.9302326 0.8431855 0.0001 7 8 9.0000000 0.8152267 0.0001 8 4.5.C. Effect of LANGUAGE DOMINANCE on CONFUSION According to Vaillancourt's hypothesis, LANGUAGE DOMINANCE should affect one's CONFUSION level and therefore, one’s desire to use the other language service (RESPONSE). Indeed, with TREATMENTS 3, 4, 7 and 8, the LOW FUNCTIONAL treatments, LANGUAGE DOMINANCE is an important factor in determining amount of CONFUSION. Table 13 below shows the results of a regression analysis which determined the effect of FUNCTIONAL and SYMBOLIC language use in the treatm ents on CONFUSION. The significance of the standardized regression coefficients for TREATMENTS 7 and 8 (.0001) and TREATMENTS 3 and 4 (.076) illustrate that the absence of functional language in the hypothesized bank was very 102 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. confusing for the participants. In TREATMENTS 3 and 4, it appears that the Spanish used symbolically also conveyed some information as participants did not find these treatments as confusing as TREATMENTS 7 and 8. TABLE 13 Effect of Spanish Language Dominance on Confusion Functional use No Yes TREATMENTS 7 & 8 TREATMENTS 5 & 6 No I .577 -.068 I p value=.0001 p value=.5288 TREATMENTS 3 & 4 TREATMENTS 1 & 2 I .193 -.255 Yes I p value=.0761 p value=.008, I but R2=.06 Symbolic use Table 14 explains these relationships in plain English, illustrating that LANGUAGE DOMINANCE does not have a strong pure link to CONFUSION. It does, however, interact with FUNCTIONAL when FUNCTIONAL is low or high. For TREATMENTS 7 and 8, when FUNCTIONAL and SYMBOLIC are 103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. low, LANGUAGE DOMINANCE has a strong effect. With TREATMENTS 3 and 4, LANGUAGE DOMINANCE interacts with FUNCTIONAL but to a milder degree, due to the fact that even symbolic language usage conveys some information. When FUNCTIONAL is high, LANGUAGE DOMINANCE does not have an effect on CONFUSION. TABLE 14 Effect of Spanish Language Dominance on Confusion Functional use No Yes TREATMENTS 7 & 8 TREATMENTS 5 & 6 No Strong effect postive direction No effect Symbolic use TREATMENTS 3 & 4 TREATMENTS 1 & 2 Mild effect Yes positive direction No effect 104 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. These findings are intuitive: with low functional or symbolic Spanish usage, there is a large effect of language dominance on confusion, that is, the more Spanish dominant the participant is, the more confusion he/she will report. With high symbolic language use, but low functional use, the effect of language dominance is smaller. It does illustrate, however, that there is still an information gap in the banking situation with symbolic, but no functional usage of Spanish; Spanish dominant participants are still confused, but not as much as in the LOW SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL condition. 4.5.d. Effect of CONVENIENCE and TREATMENT on RESPONSE As stated earlier, research in bank marketing suggests that convenience is the most important factor in consumers' choice of a banking establishment. This study was designed to test the importance of other language services in comparison to convenience. Table 15 below shows ANOVA results, comparing the effects of different factors on RESPONSE. The wide discrepancy in the F values for CONVENIENCE (14.66) and CULTURAL EVALUATION (138.02) in Table 15 illustrates that the provision of other language services is a much more im portant factor in bank choice for these minority-language-speaking consumers than CONVENIENCE.^ It should be noted, however, that CONVENIENCE is the second-largest predictor in this model. Therefore, CONVENIENCE is a factor in minority-language-speakers' selection of a bank, just to a lesser degree than the provision of other language services. 105 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table 15 Effect of CONVENIENCE and TREATMENT on RESPONSE Source DF Type III SS Mean Square F Value Pr > F CULTURAL EVALUATION 1 2028.4575 2028.4575 138.02 0.0001 DISCRIMINATION 1 125.0272 125.0272 8.51 0.0038 CONVENIENCE 1 215.4956 215.4956 14.66 0.0002 FUNCTIONAL 1 25.5894 25.5894 1.74 0.1879 SYMBOLIC 1 59.2915 59.2915 4.03 0.0454 sy m b o lic*f u n c t io n a l9 1 59.6050 59.6050 4.06 0.0448 LANGUAGE 1 64.0979 64.0979 4.36 0.0375 DOMINANCE IDENTITY STRENGTH 1 106.5926 106.5926 7.25 0.0074 LANGUAGE DOMINANCE* 1 89.0948 89.0948 6.06 0.0143 IDENTITY STRENGTH 4.5.d. Concluding Remarks on Statisical Results The preceding discussion provides statistical evidence that Spanish speaking immigrant bank customers prefer to use banks which offer Spanish language services. Not only do they prefer these banks, they attribute more respect for Spanish speakers and less discrimination to these banks. The statistical data also illustrated that these consumers desire other language 106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. services for largely functional reasons: they need the information in Spanish in order to conduct their transactions. The following section discusses participants' answers to Question #1 on the survey: "What is your impression of this bank?" From their spontaneous responses, more evidence emerges of their rationale for Spanish language services and of their attitudes toward banking establishments which do (or do not) provide them. 4.6. Participant comments confirm statistical a n a l y s i s ^ 4.6.a. Comments on TREATMENT 1 (HIGH SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL, CONVENIENT) TREATMENT 1 prompted positive comments about the bank in general, such as the following: Un semicio deprimera close ["First-class service."] (312) Un servido peifecto ["Perfect service."] (344) Muy bien atendido y confiable ['They provide very good service and are trustworthy."] (443) Motivation ha habrir cuenta en el banco ["I'm motivated to open an account at this bank."] (441) 107 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The provision of Spanish language services was also mentioned by the participants as a reason for liking the bank: Es conjiable, accesible, tiene facilidades para con mi lengua ["It is trustworthy and accessible. They have services in my language.”] (308) Me gusta todos los servicios especialmente lo bilingue ["I like all of the services, especially the bilingual ones."] (531) One comment was particularly noteworthy: Tratan muy bien que solo se necesita mas personas que hablan espanol para que nos atienden mejor ["They treat customers very well; they just need more people who speak Spanish, so they can serve us better."] (442) Apparently, the participant has had previous experiences in which s/he encountered a shortage of Spanish-speaking tellers as such a shortage is neither stated nor implied in the treatment. 4.6.b.. Comments on TREATMENT 2 (HIGH SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL, INCONVENIENT) TREATMENT 2 also received positive comments about the bank, in general. Mejor servicio a la communidad latina ["It’s a better service for the Latino community."] (206) 108 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Esta bien organizado y responsable ["It's well-organized and responsible."] (458) Muy buena impresion ["It made a very good impression."] (316) One participant specifically mentioned the provision of Spanish services in his/her comment: Asi me gustaria que fueron todos los bancos con servicios en espanol ["That's how I wish all banks were with services in Spanish."] (463) The comments which discussed the inconvenience of the bank in relation to language use indicate that, for many Spanish speakers who do not own cars, convenience can be an important factor: Yo me transporto en el busy seme haria muy dijicil llegar a el ["I use the bus for transportation and it would be very difficult to go to this bank."] (354) As suggested by the statistics above, however, many are willing to make the trade off in favor of Spanish language services: Todo esta bien pero esta lejos yo quiero que puedo a ser el sacrificio y ir a este banco ["Everything is fine, but it's far. I want to make the sacrifice and go to this bank."] (313) Pues si esta lejos pero yo creo que yo puedo a ser el sacrificio, si me van a entiender yo creo que puedo ir tan lejos ["Well, it is far, but I think I can make the sacrifice. If they are going to understand me, I think that I could travel that far."] (533) 109 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Yo iria si no hay bancos mas cerca c o n . servidos en espanol pero es dificil para cuendo no hay transportation ["I would go if there were no banks closer with services in Spanish, but it's difficult when there's no transportation."] (317) Mi impresion de este banco e s que me gusta mucho y que, que esta lejos yo tiengo car y puedo ir, pero los que no tiene carros el mal ["My impression of this bank is that I like it very much and though it’s far, I have a car and can go to it, but for those who don't have cars, it's bad."] (361) Once again, a participant interpreted the hypothetical situation according to his/her own past experiences in banks where there have not been enough Spanish-speaking personnel: Hay muchos veces, que no atienden bien piensa que hace falta mas personal hispano ["There are manytimes, that they don't provide good service. I think they need more Hispanic personnel."] (460) 4.6.c. Comments on TREATMENT 3 (HIGH SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL, CONVENIENT) Most comments on TREATMENT 3 focused strictly on the language services in the bank, illustrating the participants' preference for language services which are functional over those which are just symbolic. No me gusta deven mas en espanol, hay muchos hispanos y necesitamos mas en nuestra idioma ["I don't like it. They should have more in Spanish. There are a lot of Hispanics and we need more in our language."] (374) 110 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Me gustaria que fuera totalmente bilingue ["I would like it if it were totally bilingual."] (479) The majority of language-related comments focused on the need to provide not only signage in Spanish, but also Spanish-speaking personnel: No me gusta por que los cajeros saben un poco espanol ["I don't like it because the tellers know only a little Spanish."] (379) Necesita mas personal que hable espanol ["They need more Spanish speaking personnel."] (470) Deberian de tener gente bilingue ["They should have bilingual people."] (472) While some participants were appreciative of TREATMENT 3's signage in Spanish, concern over Spanish-speaking personnel was primary: Pues que anunciar muy bonito todo en espanol pero no sine de nada si no se puede comunicar con el cajero ["They advertise everthing very beautifully in Spanish, but it doesn't serve any purpose if you can't communicate with the teller."] (325) Another commented that, by having Spanish signage, the bank had given the impression that Spanish services would be available: Pues me paracen que no complen lo que los anuncios te prometen que es servicios en espanol ["It seems to me that the signs promise us Spanish services."] (329) 111 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. One participant noted the lack of Spanish services, claiming that the bank was racist: No muy bien, poco racista ["Not very good. They're a litde racist."] (368) 4.6.d. Comments on TREATMENT 4 (HIGH SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL, INCONVENIENT) Comments relating to TREATMENT 4 are much more negative, perhaps due to the effect of INCONVENIENCE:11 Mala impresion ["It made a bad impression."] (336) Nada de atencion a los latinos ["They pay no attention to Latinos."] (382) Pesima, racista ["I'm pessimistic because they're racist."] (333) No respetan a los latinos ["They don't respect Latinos."] (384) More responses mentioned the importance of providing Spanish services, however: Necesita tener mas personal que sea bilingue ["They need to have more bilingual personnel."] (225) No mucho informacion en nuestro idioma ["Not much information in our language."] (231) 112 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. One participant doubted the bank's success at attracting "Latino" customers: Yo no creo que muchos latinos van a ir a este banco. Si no los van a entiende paque ir ["I don't think that many Latinos are going to go to this bank. If they aren't going to understand you, why go."] (B34) 4.6.e. Comments on TREATMENT 5 (LOW SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL, CONVENIENT) From these comments, it appears the Spanish language services provided in TREATMENT 5 are the status quo in the banking situation. Regular ["Regular service."] (245,397,494) Un servido mas o m em os bien ["An okay service."] (492) Normal, el latino tiene que adaptarse al pais ["Normal service, Latinos need to adapt to the country."] (234) While many participants praised the bank for its Spanish-speaking tellers, they also wanted Spanish signage and easier access to Spanish brochures: Me gusta pero no me gusta por que no tiene letreros y folletos en espanol ["I like it, but then I don't like the fact that they don't have signs and brochures in Spanish."] (239) Si me gusta esta muy amable pero la cosa que debe de teme letreros en espanol y ha ["Yes, I like it. They're very friendly, but the thing is that they should have signs in Spanish, period."] (393) 113 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Me gusta la gente me entiende y este cerca la unica problema es que no tiene sinas al espanol ["I like the employees. They understand me and it's close. The only problem is that they don't have any signs in Spanish."] (401) Si me gusta casi todo, menos que tenemos que pedir folletos en espanol coda que ocupanor. A poco nos vamos a formar en linea solo para pedir folletos yo no "[Yes, I like almost everything, except that we have to ask for brochures in Spanish everytime. I'm sure we're going to get in line just to ask for brochures; I’ m not."] (242) Pues si esta bien me gusta la unica cosa e s que necesitamos preguntar por los folletos ["Yes, it's good. I like it. The only thing is that we have to ask for brochures."] (391) The following comments suggest that symbolic use of language can also be important for a bank. One person suggested that he would not even think to enter a bank, unless it had Spanish signs: Yo no voy a entrar al banco si no tienen letreros en espanol ["I won't enter a bank unless it has signs in Spanish."] (398) Another commented that: Si entartas a este banco, piensaras que es para los que hablan en ingles ["If you entered this bank, you would think that it's for those who speak English."] (545) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4.6.f. Comments on TREATMENT 6 (LOW SYMBOLIC/HIGH FUNCTIONAL, INCONVENIENT) As with TREATMENT 5, many participants commented that the services offered by this bank were typical: Regular sermdo ["Regular service."] (253) Seruido algo bueno ["The service is somewhat good."] (503) Mas o menos ["Okay service."] (262, 496, 498) Several commented that they did not like the bank: Pues muy mal banco, mi banco es mejor ["Well, it's a very bad bank. My bank is better."] (252) No muy bueno ["It's not very good."] (500) Many mentioned the lack of Spanish signage or the inaccessibility of the Spanish brochures: Yo c reo que nunca le van a pisar atendro los hispanos por que no anuncian nada en espanol ["I think that they'll never begin to serve Hispanics, because they never advertise anything in Spanish."] (254) Y debo pedir por folletos por que no no mas los tienen afuera ["I have to ask for brochures because they just don't have them out."] (258) Necesita tener anuncios en espanol ["They need to have advertisements in Spanish."] (263) 115 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Que es dificil para la gente que habla solo espanol y que quieren information para comprar un caro. A poco la gente se va a formar en las collas sob para un folleto ["It is difficult for people who only speak Spanish and want information on buying a car. I'm sure people are going to get in line only to get a brochure."] (408) The inconvenience of the bank combined with the lack of Spanish signage was also commented on: No me gusta, esta muy lejos no letreros o follebs en espanol ["I don't like it. It's very far and there are no signs or brochures in Spanish."] (403) 4.6.g. Comments on TREATMENT 7 (LOW SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL, CONVENIENT) TREATMENT 7 received very strong negative comments: No tengo una buena impresion ["I don't have a good impression of the bank."] (550) Mala impresion ["Bad impression."] (511) No me gusta ["I don’ t like it."] (548) El banco no tiene nada de bueno-al tambien mal servitio, mal impresion ["The bank has nothing good. Moreover, it has bad services and makes a bad impression."] (558). 116 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. One participant went so far as to label the bank "undependable": No son muy dependibles ["They're not very dependable."] (421). As the statistics above show, many attributed the lack of Spanish services to discrimination: Pura discrimination ["Pure discrimination."] (271) Es muy racista ["It's very racist"] (423, 425) Que este banco tiene algo contra los latino ["This bank has something against Latinos."] (555) No esta bien como tratan a los biUngues ["It's not good the way they treat bilinguals."] (560) Este banco es solamente para los Americanos no me gusta-es muy malo ["This bank is only for Americans. I don't like it. It's very bad."] (554). Many suggested providing bilingual services: Necesita personal bilingue ["They need bilingual personnel."] (272, 280) Necesitan gente que hable espanol ["They need people who speak Spanish."] (282) Deben tener personal bilingue ["They should have bilingual personnel."] (506) 117 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Although the bank in this treatment is conveniently located, several participants would not use it because of the lack of Spanish services: No me gusta, que importa que esta cerca si no hablan y entiendad el espanol ["I don't like it. What does it matter how close it is if they don't speak and understand Spanish."] (549) Si esta cerca pero no voy a este banco, por que v e r y a ir si no me van a entender ["Yes, it is close, but I won't go to this bank. Why should I go if they are not going to understand me?"] (275) 4.6.h. Comments on TREATMENT 8 (LOW SYMBOLIC/LOW FUNCTIONAL, INCONVENIENT) Like TREATMENT 7, this treatment received very negative comments, attributing the bank's lack of Spanish services to discrimination: Que es un banco racista ["It's a racist bank."] (432) Es discriminatorio ["It's discriminatory."] (520) Este banco es para los americanos no mas ["This bank is only for Americans."] (439) No me agrada este banco para nada no me gusta como tratan a otros culturas ["This bank doesn’ t appeal to me at all because I don’t like how they treat other cultures."] (300) Many mentioned the lack of Spanish services in their replies: 118 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Necesita personal bilingue ["They need bilingual personnel."] (293, 522) No espara hispanos ["It's not for Spanish speakers."] (297) Me parece conto este banco es para los ingles no mas ["It seems to me that this bank is only for English speakers."] (301) 4.7. Concluding Remarks for Chapter Four The brief recounting of the comments made on survey question #1 confirm the conclusions drawn from the statistical analysis of the survey discussed earlier in this chapter. These, in turn, confirm, on a much larger scale, the conclusions drawn from the smaller focus group samples. Participants in this survey prefer using banks which provide services in Spanish. While there is a preference for functional language services over symbolic ones, a combination of the two, as seen in TREATMENTS 1 and 2, was preferred, receiving higher scores on RESPONSE and CULTURAL EVALUATION and lower scores on CONFUSION and DISCRIMINATION than the treatments in which only functional services were offered (TREATMENTS 5 and 6). On the other hand, the hypothetical banks which provided only symbolic Spanish language services or no Spanish language services (TREATMENTS 3 and 4, 7 and 8, respectively) were perceived as discriminatory and disrespectful toward Spanish speakers. 119 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The following chapter returns to a discussion of the comprehensive study. First, the results of the four smaller studies are summarized. Next, consequences of the lack of strategic language planning in banks, highlighted in Chapter Three, are discussed. Third, antecedents of this lack of strategic language planning are hypothesized and addressed. Finally, further studies related to this area of research are proposed. NOTES FOR CHAPTER FOUR 1 Van Nuys is considered a part of Los Angeles, and thus, its census data is included in the larger data on the city of Los Angeles. Because of this, I was forced to base my data on the United Way’s meta-analysis of the Los Angeles data, which it has broken down according to zip codes. Therefore, my figures for Van Nuys are based on four zip codes, 91406, 91405, 91401, and 91411 which the Van Nuys Chamber of Commerce considers "Van Nuys.” The figures reported may be a significant understatement of the minority population in Van Nuys. Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau admitted undercounting minorities in the 1990 census. According to the Census Bureau, "Hispanics" were undercounted by 5.2% and "Asian and Pacific Islanders" by 3.1%. Los Angeles was undercounted by approximately 5% or 200,000 people (Hubler 1994: A22-A23). 2The following areas were used for survey administration: 1. Vanowen Street between Tyrone Avenue and Coldwater Canyon, 2. Sherman Way between Tyrone Street and Woodman Avenue, 3. Fulton between Oxnard Street and Sherman Way, 4. Coldwater Canyon between Victory Boulevard and Sherman W ay, 120 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5. Erwin, Delano and Calvert Streets between Tyrone Street and Hazeltine Avenue. 6. Valley Plaza Park on Whitsett Avenue between Vanowen Street and Sherman Way, a popular soccer park, 7. Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park on Hazeltine Avenue between Huston Street and Magnolia Boulevard. This is a popular park on weekends for barbeques and picnics. 3 The first three were also used in Koslow, Shamdasani and Touchstone's (1994) study which investigated Spanish-speakers affect toward an advertisement based on different usages of Spanish and English in the advertisement. 4 The survey administrators felt that the female Vietnamese was more successful than the male because she was perceived as less threatening. Both survey administrators felt that my success was due to the fact that this type of study is perceived as extremely foreign in their culture. I was more successful than the Vietnamese survey administrators in gaining cooperation as my asking them to cooperate was in context. 5Due to the considerable problems with the first survey administration with the Vietnamese community, this group was dropped from the research. 6 Trust was a construct which needed to be defined more clearly. It became apparent that too many variables are involved in deciding if one should trust a bank as an institution. However, it would be valid to trust an individual teller based on language skills. It was also decided that the outsider construct was very similar to the discrimination one. Therefore, the outsider questions were dropped. The convenience check questions at the end were combined into a single question. 7The process of naming factors is a difficult one which takes much thought. The naming task in this study was made easier as the survey had been designed with hypothesized factors in mind. Each hypothesized 121 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. construct/factor had three questions on the survey which sought to measure the underlying construct. 8CULTURAL EVALUATION can substitute for other language services in this instance, as a more complicated model, which is not discussed here, explains the relationship between language services and CULTURAL EVALUATION. 9The asterisk denotes a combined variable. In this case, both symbolic and functional language use are combined into a single variable and then entered into the ANOVA equation. 10Appendix AA lists selected participant comments chronologically according to TREATMENT number. 11The preliminary results from more advanced statistical analyses of this data suggest that the inconvenient treatments were perceived as more discriminatory than the convenient ones even without considering the language services. I suggest that the recent trend of banks pulling out of inner city minority areas has left a deep impression on these participants. Perhaps they feel that if a bank is not willing to locate near minorities, that this action (or inaction) is discriminatory in and of itself. 122 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 5.1. Discussion 5.1.a. Summary of results Much evidence has been presented in Chapter Three that banking establishments in Los Angeles are planning and implementing their minority language services in a "haphazard, unplanned and uncoordinated" manner (Cooper 1989: 41). In a survey of thirty-seven branches of different banks, it is clearly shown that language policies directed at minority language use in banks are not strategically-planned. Few bank branches in areas with large minority-language-speaking populations provide bilingual or multilingual ATMs, signage, brochures and minority-language-speaking tellers. Some provide, at most, combinations of one or two of the language services mentioned. Human resources planning related to language services seems to be practically non-existent (Kaplan 1994). Rarely are supposedly bilingual employees tested for proficiency in a language other than English, trained in that language or compensated for their language skills. Instead, people of Spanish-speaking heritage are hired with the, often incorrect, assumption that they speak fluent Spanish and are familiar with Spanish banking vocabulary. This practice often leads to the use of other tellers or managers as translators or "language brokers." Grillo states that "when this happens in a regular and 123 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. systematic way it means that the bulk of relationships between communities is mediated by go-betweens" (1989: 131). These mediated encounters can be incredibly inefficient for the bank and frustrating for the customer. Evidence in Chapter Three illustrates that even geographically-proximate branches located within the same city block exhibit surprisingly different strategies toward the provision of minority language services. In particular, I would like to reiterate the widely-varied language strategies exhibited within a three block area of Van Nuys, a community in which Spanish speakers comprise 33% of all Van Nuys residents (19% are reported to be Spanish/English bilingual and 14% are reported as Spanish monolingual) .1 In Appendix I, it is clearly shown that only one of the five banks, Bank 4, in this three block area provides all four services mentioned in both English and Spanish.2 It must be mentioned, however, that only two out of the many signs in that branch were provided in Spanish. Bank 3 provides many brochures in English and Spanish and has many Spanish-speaking tellers (see Endnote 2 above). While most of the signage is in English and Spanish, signs designating an area for investment counseling, as well as one advertising a temporary promotion relating to that service are provided in English only. Brochures relating to business services are also available only in English. Surprisingly, considering the amount of Spanish signage inside the bank, the ATM outside the bank has instructions only in English. Banks 1, 2, and 5 provide most of their services, except for tellers, only in English. In Chapter Three, I also presented anecdotal evidence (from focus groups) that many Spanish-speaking immigrants are not satisfied with either 124 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. the quantity or quality of Spanish-language services in banks. Some complained of feeling anxious using banks, since the likelihood of receiving services in Spanish was always in doubt. Others complained of second- generation immigrants whose Spanish ability was not sufficient to conduct transactions. Many complained about their own ignorance of available services, which they attributed to the lack of information provided in Spanish. Finally, many felt that the banks showed an enormous amount of disrespect for, and discrimination against, Spanish speakers and those of Spanish speaking heritage, who, they pointed out, will soon be the majority in Southern California (Demographic Research Unit 1993). Based upon these initial findings, I created a survey which would gauge Spanish-speaking immigrants’ reactions to different language service strategies-combinations of functional language usage (trained Spanish speaking tellers and equivalent Spanish-language brochures) and symbolic language usage (limited signage in Spanish and non-Spanish-speaking tellers). Results of the survey indicate that participants preferred the combination of functional and symbolic language services in Treatments 1 and 2 as developed in the survey instrument, which many deemed perfecto ["perfect"] or muy, muy bueno ["very, very good"] in their comments. Conclusions originally drawn from the smaller focus group samples were confirmed in the larger survey: these two treatments (1 and 2) received the lowest scores on the Confusion factor-meaning that participants were less confused when provided with more Spanish language services. Treatments 1 and 2 also received the lowest scores on the Discrimination factor-meaning that they did not feel that the bank was discriminating against them. Finally, these treatments received the highest 125 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. scores on the Cultural Evaluation and Response factors-meaning, first, that participants felt that the hypothetical hank in these treatments respected "Latinos" and, second, that this bank was one which they felt they would use in the future. The next most preferred combination was high functional/low symbolic, Treatments 3 and 4, with scores on Confusion and Discrimination significantly higher than Treatments 1 and 2, and with significantly lower scores on Cultural Evaluation and Response. It appears that, while participants needed high functional language services for their informational value, the symbolism of Spanish signage is also important, thus the preference for Treatments 1 and 2 over 3 and 4. Several participants stated that they would not know that a bank offered Spanish-language brochures or Spanish-speaking tellers unless the bank also had Spanish signage. According to the survey, symbolic usage of Spanish, even without any functional usage of Spanish, is better than no Spanish usage at all. Treatments 5 and 6, the low functional/high symbolic scenario, received scores on Confusion and Discrimination significantly higher than Treatments 3 and 4, but significantly lower than the low functional/low symbolic treatments 7 and 8-the English-only bank. On Cultural Evaluation and Response, Treatments 5 and 6 once again scored between Treatments 3 and 4 and Treatments 7 and 8. From the participants' comments, it appears that symbolic usage of Spanish without functional usage is considered false advertising by many. Recent research by Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman (1993: 5) explains that "explicit service promises" such as advertising, of which signage is a form, lead to 126 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. certain levels of "desired" and "predicted service." When these expectations are measured against actual service and a gap is realized, consumers can be extremely disappointed. The primacy of functional language use over symbolic language use was also evident in comments such as Pues que anunciar muy bonito todo en espanol pero no sirve de nada si no se puede comunicar con el cajero ["Spanish signage without Spanish- speaking tellers is not worth anything."] (325). Treatments 7 and 8, the low functional/low symbolic ones, elicited the highest scores on Confusion and Discrimination and the lowest scores on Cultural Evaluation and Response. Comments on these treatments ranged from pura discriminacion ["pure discrimination"] and racista ["racist"] to muy muy mal ["very, very bad"]. The survey also confirmed Vaillancourt's hypothesis (1980) that second language fluency (or lack thereof) would be a predictor in determining the need for native language services. The survey results illustrated that more dominant Spanish speakers were more confused by TREATMENTS 3,4,7, and 8. This CONFUSION ultimately translated into lower scores on the RESPONSE factor. 127 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5.1.b. Consequences of these language practices and "policies" 5.1.b.i. Consequences for Spanish-speaking customers In Chapter Two, evidence was presented that "Hispanics" use banks at a much lower rate than "Non-Hispanic Whites" or "Asians."3 As Table 16 below illustrates, 65% of "Non-Hispanic Whites" and 62% of "Asians" have savings accounts and 75% of "Non-Hispanic Whites" and 82% of "Asians" have checking accounts. "Hispanics," however, use banking services at a much lower rate with only 28% of "Hispanics" having savings accounts and only 37% having checking accounts (Market Segment Research & Consulting, Inc. 1994, in Lunt 1994a: 37). Market Segment Research & Consulting, Inc. explains the gap, stating that "Ethnic consumers suffer from an information gap, particularly in the financial services area" (1994, in Lunt 1994a: 37) .4 TABLE 16 Usage of Banking Services by Ethnicity ETHNICITY SAVINGS CHECKING ACCOUNT ACCOUNT "Non-Hispanic Whites" 65% 75% "Asian" 62% 82% "Hispanic" 28% 37% (Source: Market Segment Research & Consulting, Inc. 1994, in Lunt 1994a: 37) 128 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The only other available data on use of banks by ethnic groups comes from the Home Mortgage Data Analysis (HMDA) for 1991 which is used by federal regulators to determine if banks are conforming to Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) standards. As is shown in Appendix A, nine of the largest California banks provide very few home loans to "Latinos": Bank of America made 1,694 or 10% of their loans to "Latinos", Wells Fargo made 95 or 3%, First Interstate made 168 or 8%, Union Bank made 61 or 7%, Bank of California made 15 or 5%, Sanwa made 16 or 12% and Sumitomo made 4 or 7%. The argument that fewer "Latinos" use the banking system, as shown above, does not hold in this case, as two smaller California banks, Great Western and American Savings made respectively, 4,447 and 2,606 home loans to "Latinos." These two small banks made 7,053 loans between them-more than three times as many as the 2,053 total loans made by the nine largest banks. While a direct link between lack of language services, paucity of "Latinos" using banking services and poverty cannot be proven, Tollefson explains that lack of services in other languages is not responsible for the existence of this unequal distribution of wealth, but it helps to institutionalize the gap between sectors and to establish a significant practical barrier to anyone seeking to move from one to the other (1991: 8485). Many community groups believe that lack of access to capital has played a large role in institutionalizing poverty in minority groups. However, minorities do not always sit idly by and accept this type of treatment. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has pinpointed the lack of economic opportunities 129 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and specifically the lack of capital for minority business owners as the major culprit of inner-city problems (Kang 1993). Gilda Haas, the director of Communities for Accountable Reinvestment (CAR), placed the blame for the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest on lack of access to capital. In Los Angeles, the fact that civil rights and economics have failed to come together for a great number of people in our city has become brutally apparent...As a result, Los Angeles exploded in anger and violence. Our communities must now be rebuilt, politically, spiritually, and economically. However, they cannot be rebuilt on the same terms of absentee ownership, thwarted entrepreneurship,and denied access to capital....It is CAR's position that as long as community needs are a marginal aspect of the business of banking, the health of banks along with that of communities will be seriously jeopardized (1992: 277-279). The Webster Report, one of the two main reports dealing with the 1992 Civil Unrest commissioned by the city of Los Angeles, concurs: ...the Rodney King incident did not occur in a vacuum but within the context of the entire social, economic, and political climate of the City....As the ethnic makeup of the City has changed fundamentally, so too has the economic stratification of its populations....Those areas of South and Central Los Angeles that are overwhelmingly populated by African-American and Hispanic citizens are the same areas that have experienced despairingly high unemployment and in which 20-40 percent of the residents are living below the poverty line (1992:13). Leavitt and Heskin place the blame directly on the paucity of available capital, suggesting that the lack be rectified: 130 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The lack of available financing has had a devastating impact on South Los Angeles....Particular attention should be paid to creating loan products and underwriting criteria that meet the needs of people who have historically been denied opportunities to access credit (199S: 40). While the previous discussion suggested more macro-consequences of the unplanned language policies which apparently exist in Los Angeles banks, comments made on Questions 39, "Which bank(s) don’t you use?" and 40, "Why?" of the survey illustrate the micro-consequences of the language policies which face Spanish speakers when they use a bank. In the survey, many participants stated that they no longer use a particular bank because they experienced many problems at the bank or lost money there. Perhaps these problems arose because they did not understand how to manage an account or did not understand fee scales because they did not receive adequate information in Spanish. Evidence from one of the interviews discussed in Chapter Two with Jaime, the branch manager, also seems to confirm this. Jaime explained that new checking-account holders who speak Spanish receive only a brochure explaining the use of the ATM and a card giving numbers written out in English for use in writing checks. Yet, he offers the following explanation for the frequent problems Spanish speakers encounter with their checking accounts: Hispanic customers do not for some reason keep track of checking accounts (J2:54-55). 131 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Many survey participants stated that they used their present bank because it was the only bank they knew. Bank advertising appears not to be reaching the Spanish-speaking population. The results of this study indicate that different standards are applied for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking clients of various banks which necessarily result in different consequences: English speakers are informed of available services and are able to use them in any bank. On the other hand, Spanish speakers are ignorant of banking services other than the most basic and must seek out the few banks which offer services in Spanish. Perhaps the inequity in language services in banks has led, at least in part, to the proliferation of check-cashing establishments in predominantly Spanish speaking areas. Evidence for this comes from two studies: a formal one by Communities for Accountable Reinvestment, and an informal one which I conducted comparing outside signage on banks to that on check-cashing establishments. In their study of banks in the Mid-Cities district, which includes Pico- Union and Koreatown (two areas discussed in Chapter Three having high percentages of Spanish-speaking residents), Communities for Accountable Reinvestment (CAR) discovered that, although the population has doubled since 1950, there is still the same number of bank branches-statistically, 2.6 branches per 10,000 population. This distribution adds up to a total of only 45 bank branches. At the same time, their study placed the number of check- cashing businesses in this region at 54. In my informal survey of banks and check-cashing establishments in this area, 4 out of 21 banks (19%) had non- 132 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. English signs on the outside of the bank. It should be noted that all of these signs were in Korean and were on Korean-owned banks. On the other hand, 17 out of 21 check-cashing establishments (81%) had non-English signs advertising their services on the outside of the building: all of these signs were in Spanish. By comparison, in the predominantly white, English-speaking Sherman Oaks area, there are 1S.1 bank branches per 10,000 residents, with only 5 check-cashing establishments (Communities for Accountable Reinvestment 1993a: 2). It needs to be emphasized that check-cashing establishments charge a fee for services and do not offer most of the services a full-service bank would, such as checking accounts or lines of credit. 5.1.b.ii. Consequences for banking establishments Not only do minority language speakers lose out because of the linguistic inaccessibility of banking services, so too do the banks. The first way that banks suffer is in limiting their communication with an unsaturated market. According to the 1994 Market Segment Research & Consulting, Inc. Ethnic Market Report, "Hispanics" hold checking and savings accounts at approximately one-half the rate of "Non-Hispanic Whites" and "Asians" (See Table 16 above). While some banks may argue that Spanish-speaking customers do not have enough money in their accounts to merit targeting, Biff Motley, an executive at Premier Bancorp disagrees, explaining that by going only after the customers it assumes are the most profitable, the bank could miss opportunities: 133 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. We've gotten some feedback from our product and customer profitability area that belie popular myths, that only high-balance people are profitable....We find that some of our low-balance checking account customers are very profitable because of the fees we obtain from them (Lunt 1993: 66). Spanish-speaking business owners are another growing, yet underserved, population which could be targeted with Spanish language advertising and services. According to McGroarty (1990), due to the inattention of banks, minority business owners are often forced to bypass the banking system altogether, seeking out loans from relatives and business cooperatives composed of ethnic compatriots. By providing Spanish language services for Spanish-speaking immigrants, banks would also be ensuring long-term profits: "Latinos" are very brand loyal (Thiederman 1991). By providing Spanish language services for the immigrant population who, like previous generations of immigrants in the United States, is more language dependent than their offspring, banks are more likely to win over new generations of English speakers who learn from their parents how respectful a specific bank is toward Spanish speakers by providing Spanish language services. This strategy follows those recently adopted by many food service companies which target children in order to build brand loyalty that lasts into adulthood (Raphel 1993, Miller 1994). The second way banks could suffer is if, due to their lack of minority language services, they receive poor CRA evaluations. Minority groups are becoming more and more active in challenging bank mergers if they believe 134 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. that minority customers will suffer from the merger. The final manner in which banks could suffer concerns the finding that rarely do banks test or train employees in minority languages, yet, employees, especially those who are of Spanish- or Asian-language-speaking heritage, are forced to use their heritage language without commensurate compensation whether they are proficient in it or not. This practice could lead to the type of discrimination lawsuits which Contel and the Tucson Police Force dealt with recently. (See Chapter Two for more details on these cases.) 5 .1 .e. Communication myths and their causes 5.1.C.L Most Spanish Speakers are illegal immigrants Evidence suggests that many banks may lack language services because of the widespread perception that most Spanish speakers are not legal residents of the U.S.. At least one bank has stated formally in its CRA statement to federal regulators that it does not provide Spanish language services for this reason: "the majority of Hispanics are illegal residents...and lack certain credentials that would be necessary to establish a banking relationship (social security number, W-2's, etc)"(Federal Reserve 1991b: 2).5 However, a recent study prompted by Proposition 187, a California ballot measure recently passed which outlaws education and health service to illegal immigrants, concludes otherwise. Hayes-Bautista (1994, in McDonnell 1994: B3) used 1990 census "microdata" samples which focused on "Latinos" in Los Angeles County as well as INS data to conclude that slightly less than 20% of Los Angeles County "Latinos" are not legal residents of the U.S.. This figure contradicts to some extent studies by the 135 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Immigration and Naturalization Services and the county which suggest that 20- 25% are illegal. 5.1.c.ii. Spanish speakers do not have much money Market Segment Research & Consulting, Inc. confirms that the misperception is very common in the banking industry: Banks and other financial services have been reluctant to reach out to ethnic consumers and educate them, pardy because of a misperception that they don't have disposable income and therefore don't have any money... (1994, in Lunt 1994a: 37). The stereotype that Spanish-speaking immigrants receive public assistance and therefore have very litde need for Spanish banking services is contradicted by Hayes-Bautista (1994, in McDonnell 1994: B3). According to his study, almost 90% of "Latino" immigrant men and 50% of "Latina" immigrant women participate in the workforce. Contrary to public opinion, "Latino" immigrants are less likely to receive public assistance than all other ethnic groups; for example, according to the study, only 16.9% of poor "Latino" adult immigrants receive public assistance, but 64.6% of poor "blacks," 50.4% of poor U.S. bom "Latinos," 48.8% of poor "Asians," and 41.7% of the "non-Latino white" populations did (Hayes-Bautista 1994, in McDonnell 1994: B3). This suggests that Spanish speakers do have a need for money management services. As Biff Motley, an executive with Premier Bancorp, stated, even low deposit accounts can bring in much revenue due to the fees assessed on them (Lunt 1993). 136 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5.1.c.iii. Providing Spanish services inhibits the learning of English Another communication myth which could be affecting the provision of banking services in Spanish is the myth perpetuated by the English Only movement that providing services in other languages actually serves as a disincentive to learn English. Crawford argues that "Given the overwhelming social and economic incentives that already exist to learn English, the deprivation of bilingual services seems at most a small added incentive" (1992: 320). He continues, explaining the obvious: "Because language shift is not accomplished overnight, it is appropriate that basic services and helping institutions speak to Hispanic immigrants and young children in a language they can understand" (Nicolau and Valdivieso, in Veltman 1988, in Crawford 1992:320). It must also be noted that many immigrants are battling an inadequate adult ESL teaching system. According to Kaplan (personal communication), in California, the facilities for teaching ESL are strained and literally thousands of recent arrivals are on waiting lists to enter such programs. Furthermore, many of these ESL programs are substandard and some are simply dishonest, taking substantial fees for very trivial services. More recent research by Veltman (1991) finds that the popular perception that Spanish-speaking immigrants take longer to assimilate and have a substantially lower rate of anglicisation than other immigrant populations is true. He argues, however, that this is due to their "socio-economic status and the [lack of] knowledge of English prior to arrival" (1991: 162), not 137 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. due to a rejection of English on their part, or, I argue, the provision of necessary services in Spanish. 5.1.c.iv. Providing Spanish services will lead to disunity in the United States The English-Only movement has succeeded in framing minority language use as a problem. According to Ruiz, the language-as-problem orientation toward language: (i) ...construes the targets of language policy to be a kind of social problem to be identified, eradicated, alleviated, or in some other way resolved....In the officially received view,...the local vernacular is an im portant determ inant of poverty and disadvantage; doing away with the problem involves doing away with the local language and replacing it with the dominant standard. This policy of subtractive bilingualism is often regarded as benign by the dominant society-a way of providing for equality of opportunity... (1990:17) .6 One statement in particular reflects Jaime's (the branch manager discussed in Chapter Three) understanding of bilingualism as subtractive or as a problem: If you speak a language other than English, you already have the flaw of faltering with the language a little bit, the English language, you should practice it more so that you can become more proficient (Jl: 218-221). 138 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. There are several reasons suggested as to why bilingualism has suddenly become such a controversy. Crawford argues that the answer is simple: ...linguistic diversity increased sharply in the 1980s, owing to sharply increased immigration. More immigrants and refugees entered the country during the last decade than any other except for 1901-1910....With more contact between more language groups and with more demands on government for more bilingual services, friction was inevitable between monolingual Americans and speakers of other tongues. Language barriers created, or at least exacerbated, social tensions and thus led to political conflicts (1992:159). Adams and Brink disagree that increased contact among languages is the root cause of the English Only movement: Given the rational attitude of Americans towards language, the worldwide status of English as a language of wider communication, the lack of any real threat of a linguistic separatist movement, and the economic unlikelihood that English acquisition will affect the socioeconomic status of non-English speakers, what is the cause of this sentiment among the American populace?....It arise [s] from a wounded self-concept felt by many middle-class and lower-class Anglos which has come from (1) a loss of U.S. power on the world scene, (2) a loss of economic power with respect to other countries, (3) a decrease in the anticipated material achievements of younger generations, and (4) an upsurge in ethnic revival (1991: 20). Fishman calls for multilingualism to be perceived of as a resource instead of as a problem. Other language use needs to be freed 139 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ...from the suspicion of divisiveness and incompatibility with progress, modernity, and efficiency. Language must be viewed as a precious natural resource, rather than as a sword of Damocles....Ethnicity and bilingualism need to be retooled so that their "image" will appear to be as much in line with the public good as is the image of other recognized self-interest groupings in American fife (1981: 522-523). Laponce discusses the benefits of national multilingualism, comparing Canada to the United States: Multilingualism facilitates communication with the outside world and gives it a particular direction. Bilingual Canada is better able than the United States to communicate with France and Great Britain, and with francophone as well as anglophone Africa. The Canadian government can find, more easily and more quickly than its neighbour, businessmen, salesmen, diplomats, artists, priests, and middlemen of all kinds who can establish the desired contacts..." (1987:191). Kjolseth concurs, stating- simply: "Humans live in spoken worlds. Monolinguals can only move in one; bi- and multi-linguals can move in several" (1991:220). 5.1.d. Conclusion Based upon evidence presented in Chapters Three and Four and discussed earlier in this chapter, it is obvious that language use in banks is not a strategically-planned resource. Consequences of their "haphazard, unplanned 140 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and uncoordinated" efforts (Cooper 1989: 41) are many and adversely affect not only the consumer, but also the banks themselves. To improve these inadequate Spanish language services, I would suggest conducting "language audits" which, according to Ingram, entail looking at the company's activities, looking at their target markets, and identifying very precisely what their language and culture needs are, what proficiency levels are required to carry out the tasks involved, and what domains of the language are relevant (1991:14). Ingram also recommends industry-based advisory organizations, such as the British "Language Lead" ones which advise their colleagues on language needs within the industry. I agree with Communities for Accountable Reinvestment (CAR) when they argue that "an important way to increase a bank's sensitivity to community needs is to employ staff at all levels of the organization that is reflective of Southern California's ethnically diverse communities" (1993c: 6). Having people in positions of power who are aware of the special needs of different communities, including language services, would ensure that these needs are met. Ingram has even suggested making use of the work talents of immigrants: 141 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. There is already a major resource of language skills in the community that business and industry could make much more use of, that is, the languages brought to this country [Australia] by the immigration programme. If these resources are to be more fully utilized, there is need, as indicated earlier, for means by which they can be measured and certified but there is also need for more opportunities for migrants to attain the levels of English proficiency needed for them to integrate into the workforce, there is need for bridging programmes designed, in some cases to upgrade their qualifications (1991:18). One focus group participant (R2:F1) as well as two survey administrators mentioned that they, or their friends, had worked in banks in Mexico and would like the chance to work in banks here. As stated earlier, banks tend to hire people of Spanish-speaking heritage who have grown up in the United States (whose Spanish language skills may be questionable) instead of immigrants. In conclusion, the provision of language services in languages other than English in Los Angeles banks should be improved or Los Angeles risks continued economic stratification of its population and the consequences of this division. After all, "It is not multilingualism itself that is disruptive, but denying a group that speaks a different language from participating in greater social mobility" (Marshall and Gonzalez 1990: 33). 142 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5.2. Contributions of this Study to the Field of Language Planning and Policymaking As stated in Chapter Two, the field of language planning and policymaking has confined itself almost exclusively to studying language planning at the governmental level. While many in the field have recently called for more investigation of micro-and/or "unplanned" language planning (most notably, Baldauf 1994), this study is one of the first, if not the first, to confirm the reality of the notion of unplanned policy and planning. This study adds significantly to the literature on language planning m that it illustrates the potential conflicts generated by such unplanned planning, and shows the need for large-scale planning which includes micro- as well as macrostructures in a society. 5.3. Future Studies 5.3.a. Extensions of this Study As described in Chapter Four, the original intent of this survey was to investigate consumer attitudes in four language groups-Spanish-, Vietnamese-, Chinese-, and Korean-speaking immigrants-toward different language policies in banks. Due to time constraints as well as to unfamiliarity with survey research among these populations, the survey design was scaled back to include the Spanish-speaking immigrant population only. 143 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. As the other populations also encounter different language policies in banks, as described in Chapter Three, it would be useful to investigate their attitudes toward these different language services. Interest in replicating this study in the Netherlands, which also has a sizable minority-language-speaking population, has also been expressed and should be encouraged. 5.S.b. Language Planning in Business and Industry As stated earlier in Chapter 2, very little research has been conducted on language planning in business and industry. Instead, most language planning has tended to focus on language planning by government agencies and/or for educational purposes. Language planning in corporations, however, should not be overlooked. Deetz (1992) argues that corporations have become the main institutions in modern society and, as such, their influence on culture should be investigated. In Chapter 2, I described language planning in business and industry as "micro-language planning" basically following previous language planners classification of governmental language planning as "macro" and everything else as "micro." At this point, however, I would like to argue that "micro language planning" can have "macro" consequences. Many U.S. companies and multinationals have assets, and therefore, influence, which rivals that of government bodies. Their decisions about language use can actually have 144 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. more of an impact than the decisions of government bodies-a point which needs to be acknowledged. 5.3.c. Prestige Language Planning In 1986, Haarman introduced another category of language planning. In addition to corpus and status planning, he described "prestige planning" as "complete" language planning in which all languages and language groups are considered in the decision-making process. According to Haarmann, ...prestige planning should function as a kind of control for corpus and status planning activities in order to keep up a balanced planning level (thus neither unilaterally promoting a minority language nor unilaterally fixing the status of a dominant language in terms of prestige). Ideally, prestige planning in a setting of contact between a minority language and a dominant language is balanced so that the potential circumstances of ethnic friction and conflict can be reduced to a minimum....As most planning activities tend to be partial (in unilaterally promoting the language the planning is focusing on), the planning process often carries the risk of creating new sources of friction in the future between the members of the promoted community and members of other communities (1986:89). Kaplan (personal communication) argues that the situation in the former Soviet Union provides evidence of the critical nature of considering the effects of language planning on all language groups. For over 40 years, Soviet language planners practiced "partial" language planning in the U.S.S.R. and the Eastern Bloc nations, advocating the use of Russian as a universal language. As soon as the central government loosened control, the populations, who had 145 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. resisted the learning of Russian, now forcefully rejected it. While a direct causal link from the nationalist sentiments running high in the former Soviet Union to the hegemonic language policies cannot be proven, the language policies were part of the repressive Russian regime. Coupland and Thomas (1989) and Giles, Leets and Coupland (1990) have also discussed the importance of analyzing the dominant language group's attitudes toward languages. Giles, Leets and Coupland explain: If language is an important aspect of dominant group identity, changes in the status of a minority language (be they growth or decline) are likely to have direct implications for dominant language identity in ways [which] will, transactively, then affect minority language-related activities (1990: 40). Haarman argues that With special respect to contact settings in modem industrialized societies, one has to stress the importance of multiple identities (i.e., ethnic, social, political identity) as components of potential prestige planning activities....The promotion of multiple identities could be considered a major target of prestige planning activities (1986:90-91.). Based upon these arguments for prestige planning which Haarman also calls "complete" language planning, I would recommend that studies seek to determine English speakers attitudes' toward the differential uses of minority languages in banks, business and industry and other areas of language planning. After all, if the attitudes of the dominant language speakers are not 146 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. considered, language planners have only conducted a "partial" study; the job is not complete until prestige planning has been undertaken. 5.4. Final summary This dissertation reported a comprehensive study of minority language services planning in Los Angeles banks and the effects of these language services on minority-language-speaking customers. This study is significant for several reasons. First, this research, as one of the first in the field of language planning and policymaking to investigate language planning in the private sector, extends the field's knowledge of language planning from the typical governmental/educational setting to the lesser-studied private/business setting. Secondly and most importantly, this research illustrates the critical role language planning can play in improving access for minority language speakers to necessary services. From this research, it is apparent that Los Angeles banks, in order to maximize profits and fulfill the spirit of the Community Reinvestment Act, must begin to plan their language resources strategically. According to the language needs of their respective geographical communities, banks need to provide marketing materials, brochures and signage in languages other than English. Based on this research, it is also apparent that banks must determine the real language proficiency of employees, to provide Special Purposes language instruction (in this case, in banking), and to recognize certified bilingualism as an added skill deserving of appropriate compensation. 147 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NOTES FOR CHAPTER FIVE ^Downtown Van Nuys, where these banks are located is also considered the "Downtown of the [San Fernando] Valley" by the Mexican and Central American immigrant communities (Salas, personal communication). The abundance of stores catering to Spanish speakers as well as the existence of federal services in the Federal Building have led to this unofficial designation. Because of this role in the immigrant community, the existence of Spanish language services in banks would be of import to Spanish-speakers across the San Fernando Valley, not just to those living in Van Nuys. 2 The proficiency of the tellers’ Spanish was not tested. Therefore, the quality of this service cannot be confirmed. 3 These are the ethnic classifications used in the report. I realize that these may not be the preferred within-groups classifications. 4 As many "Asian" immigrants, like Spanish-speaking immigrants, are also dependent on their native language, one might argue therefore that language services cannot be the reason for "Hispanics"1 lower usage of banking services. Evidence presented in Chapter Three, however, illustrates that many "Asian"- owned banks (see particularly the Chinatown and Koreatown areas) do provide Asian language services geared to their primary clientele. There is also evidence that "Asian" banks are more numerous. In a quick check of the Pacific Bell Yellow Pages for Greater Los Angeles, I discovered that there are approximately 131 banks or bank branches of "Asian"-owned banks (or at least banks with Asian language names). If all of these 131 banks provide the types of language services discussed in Chapter Three, it appears that the "Asian" community in Los Angeles would not have difficulty finding a bank to serve them in their native language. Conversely, there are only 5 banks with Spanish language connections. (See Appendix BB for a listing of the "Asian-" and "Hispanic"-owned banks in Los Angeles.) 5 Communities for Accountable Reinvestment is currently looking into a possible civil rights lawsuit against the federal government for allowing California Center Bank to continue operating when it has proclaimed such discrimination against Spanish speakers in a federal document. 148 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6 The other two orientations, according to Ruiz, are as follows: (ii) Language as right often is a reaction to these sorts of policies from within the local communities themselves. It confronts the assimilationist tendencies of dom inant communities with arguments about the legal, moral, and natural right to local identity and language; it refutes the notion that minority communities are somehow made "better" through the loss of their language and culture.... (iii) Language as resource is an orientation that has received very little emphasis, either in the literature or in actual language policy development....It presents the view of language as a social resource; policy statements formulated in this orientation should serve as guides by which language is preserved, managed and developed....To the extent that the language-as-resource orientation draws attention to the social importance of all communities and their languages, and to the extent that it promotes tolerance and even acceptance of minority languages, it holds promise for reducing social conflict in a way that the other two cannot match (1990:17). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. BIBLIOGRAPHY Adams, K. L. and Brink, D. T. 1991. Joshua A. Fishman on language planning: "Brotherhood" does not mean uniformity. In D. Marshall (ed). Language planning: Focusschrifi in honor o f Joshua A. Fishman III. 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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. 1991a. Public Disclosure Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation. First City, Texas, Houston, TX. March 4,1991. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. 1991b. Public Disclosure Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation. Security Pacific National Bank, Los Angeles, CA. April 30,1991. O'Neill, S. 1994. Casa, sweet casa. Latino home buyers are the fastest- growing group in the Los Angeles County real estate market. Los Angeles Times. Sunday, December 4, Kl, K5. Paich, M. 1992. Making service quality look easy .Training. (February). 20-22. Proxmire, W. 1977. Statement at "Community Credit Needs: Hearing on S 406 Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, 95th Congress, 1st Session (March 23). Washington, D.C. Raphel, M. 1993. Are you kidding? Direct marketing. 56. 3. 38-39. (July). Reynierse, J. H. 1993. 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High court lets English-only job rules stand. Los Angeles Times. Tuesday, June 21. Al, A14. Sklarewitz, N. 1992. English only on the job. Across the board. January- February. 18-22. Skutnabb-Kangas, T. and R. Phillipson. 1989. Mother tongue: The theoretical and sociopolitical construction of a concept. In U. Ammon (ed.) Status and function of languages and language varieties. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 450-477. Spagnola, R. G. and C. M. Spagnola. 1993. Total quality management in commercial lending. Journal of commercial lending. February. 6-11. Stanley, J., D. Ingram and G. Chittick. 1990. The relationship between international trade and linguistic competence. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. Stewart, D. W. and P. N. Shamdasani. 1990. Focus Groups: Theory and practice. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Thiederman, S. B. 1991. Profiting in America's multicultural marketplace: How to do business across cultural lines. New York: Lexington Books. Tollefson, J. W. 1991. Planning language, planning inequality. London: Longman. 160 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Touchstone, E. E. 1991. Critical discourse analysis of executive interviews: Language planning in six Los Angeles crwporafttms.Unpublished qualifying paper. Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Department of Linguistics. Touchstone, E. E., R. B. Kaplan and C. Hagstrom. In press. Image and reality: Banking in Los Angeles. Text. United Way of Greater Los Angeles. 1994. Los Angeles 1994: State of the County databook. Los Angeles, CA. Vaillancourt, F. 1980. Differences in earnings by language groups in Q uebec, 1970: An economic analysis. Quebec: International Center for Research on Bilingualism. Valverde, E. 1990. Languages for Export. Canberra: Prime Minsiter & Cabinet. Veltman, C. 1991. Theory and method in the study of language shift. In J. R. Dow (ed.) Language and ethnicity: Focusschrift in honor of Joshua A. Fishman III. Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. III. 145-168. Wardhaugh, R. 1987. Languages in competition. New York: Blackwell. Webster, W. H. 1992. A report by the special advisor to the Board of Police Commissioners on the civil disorder in Los Angeles. (The Webster Commission Report). Los Angeles, CA. Zeithaml, V. A., L. L. Berry, and A. Parasuraman. 1993. The nature and determinants of customer expectations of service. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 21. 1. (Winter) 1-12. 161 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX A HOME MORTGAGE DATA (HMDA) FOR NINE OF THE LARGEST CALIFORNIA BANKS 162 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1991 Number of Home Purchase Loans Made to Minorities by Nine of the Largest California Banks Bank African-American Latino Asian Total/All Loans Bank of America 344(2%) 1,694(10%) 5,741 (34%) 17311 Wells Fargo 32 (1%) 95(3%) 118(3%) 3,906 First Interstate 34 (2%) 168(8%) 48(3%) 2,135 Union 23 (3%) 61 (7%) 169 (21%) 814 Bank of CA 1 (1%) 15 (5%) 33 (10%) 329 Sanwa 4(3%) 16 (12%) 18 (13%) 143 Sumitomo 0(0%) 4(7%) 31 (49%) 64 TOTAL 438(2%) 2,053 ( 9%) 6,158 (25%) 24,702 All other California Banks Great Western 513 4,447 438 American Svgs 280 2,606 2,053 "Great Western Bank, with only 36 billion in assets, made more home loans to African- Americans and Latinos than the combined total o f all California Banks. And American Savings, with only 17 billion in assets, made more loans to Latinos than all California banks, excluding Bank of America." (Figures based on Greenlining Coalition 1993:2). 16S Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX B THE FUTURE OF THE U.S. BANKING INDUSTRY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX B THE FUTURE OF THE U.S. BANKING INDUSTRY Increasing customer loyalty is particularly important as federal interstate banking barriers will be eliminated by 1997, clearing the way for banks to expand. According to Julius Loeser, Senior Vice-President for Government Relations at First Interstate Bancorp, California's banking industry will become even more competitive come 1997 as there are "hundreds of small, inexpensive banks that could be bought fairly easily" (Rosenblatt 1994: D4). Keltner (1995) argues that American banks will have to work very hard in the 1990's to regain customer loyalty that they lost in the 1980's by deciding to compete on convenience and price rather than customer service. American banks invested in information technology and rationalizing employment as a means to reduce costs and support business strategies based on achieving high volumes of turnover. They shifted away from customer cultivation and towards an emphasis on customer acquisition. In the process, they undercut many of their sources of competitive advantage. Promises of higher levels of service quality and financial advising were lost, as was customer contact as a means of generating market information. American banks turned to price and convenience as their major sources of competitive appeal, and their customers in turn discovered that other financial providers and instruments could meet their financial service needs as cheaply and conveniently (Keltner 1995: S4). 165 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Lunt discusses how, in the past, the attrition rate for U.S. banks was no more than 15-20%. As banking services have become more like commodities, however, people are more willing to switch: "Such services as automated teller machines and telephone banking make banks more like interchangeable utilities than firms that develop customer loyalty" (Lunt 199S: 66?). By comparison, in the late 80's and early 90’s, German banks, invested heavily in the human capital and the organizational capabilities necessary to pursue more conservative product strategies based on relationship banking. By offering their customers high levels of financial advising, quality service provision, and the convenience that arises from consolidating financial service products with one provider, they managed to retain their competitive appeal....Strong connections to their customers were, moreover, used to fluidly adapt to changing market conditions....Skilled bank employees continue to act as the main contact to customers. They are seen as the best positioned to evaluate market developments and believed to be a major source of competitive advantage (Keltner 1995:4). Keltner argues that American banks need to learn from the German banks' success at retaining customers during this time of increasing competition in financial services. American banks need "to integrate the gains made through investment in information technology with product strategies that give more prominence to human resources as a competitive factor." (Keltner 1995: 4). 166 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX C MAP AND CENSUS FIGURES FOR PICO/UNION AND KOREATOWN Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. (Source: The Thomas Guide 1995 Zip Code) Zip codes 90006 and 90057 represent the Pico-Union area. 168 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX C CENSUS FIGURES FOR PICO/UNION AREA AND KOREA TOWN TABLE 2 COMMUNITY SPANISH SPANISH ASIAN ASIAN BILINGUAL MONOLINGUAL BILING. MONOUNG. Koreatown/ 31% 37% 9% 8% Pico-Union (Source: United Way of Greater Los Angeles 1994) 169 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX D QUESTIONS FOR FIRST BANK INTERVIEWS 170 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX D FIRST BANK INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Could you tell me how long and in what capacity you've been with this bank? 2. Could you explain about cultural diversity issues that the bank has dealt with recently? 3. Speaking of cultural diversity plans, why is it happening now? 4. Do you know of any stories or incidents that might have led to this? 5. How does your bank go about hiring people? 6. Does your bank have any formal policies about language that you've either seen written down or heard of? 7. I'm intrigued by how it works, having employees of different cultures. How does it work out? 8. Has the bank provided on-the-job training or workshops for you about dealing with different cultures either with staff or customers? 9. How much English and other languages do you use for your job? 10. Which language does the bank use most? Why? 11. Fill in the blank: Being able to speak English and another language at the bank means... 171 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX E QUESTIONS FOR SECOND BANK INTERVIEWS 172 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX E SECOND BANK INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1. When you advertise for a new position, is it advertised as a bilingual position? 2. Do tellers have a quota of customers they're supposed to see every hour? 3. Do you think this branch sees as many clients per hour as other branches or do you think the transactions are longer or shorter? 4. A lot of people have mentioned that the bank's number one concern in giving "quality customer service." What does that mean to you? 5. Is there an issue with illiteracy of customers? 6. What language do most employees use with each other? 7. What language do the managers use with the employees? 8. What is your biggest concern about language in this bank? 9. What do you think about bilingual education? 10. How do you think someone learns a second language? 11. Do the bilingual tellers get a bilingual bonus? 173 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX F TRANSCRIPTS FOR FIRST BANK INTERVIEWS 174 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. First Interview with Barbara, Assistant Manager 1 E: So, your name is Barbara. So, do you speak any other languages other 2 than English? 3 B: English. Habla English only. 4 E: And how long have you been with the bank? 5 B: I've been with the bank, it'll be 15 years on June 22nd... 6 E: And what have your positions been? 7 B: I started out in the customer service statement department in '77. I was 8 hired in as a teller and then there was an opening in a parent branch that I 9 was hired at....I was statement clerk for maybe a year and a half and then I 10 went on to be a utility authorized officer. I came back from maternity 1 1 leave in '79 and I’ ve been in this position, I think a year since 1990, two 12 years. 1 3 E: What's your actual title? 14 B: Section manager, branch operations. 15 E: Okay, so what I'm studying is, since Los Angeles has become very 16 multicultural, companies are having to deal with that, both with their 17 customers and with their employees, because they’re obviously very 18 multicultural. 19 B: Very. 20 E: So could you just tell me some of the issues that you’ ve noticed that the 21 bank has been dealing with recently or for 15 years or whatever? * 22 B: Issues. It means cultural issues? 23 E: Culture, language, whatever. 175 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 24 B: Oh, you want to know what I have to deal with personally, because with 25 me not being able to speak Spanish, it really didn't create a problem, but the 26 customers at this branch are mostly Spanish-speaking customers and they 27 tend not to want to speak English. They can speak English, maybe a little, 28 but they don't want to speak English and they'll shy away. It comes to 29 mind that if you tell them, "Just tell me what you want a little bit in 30 English," then they start to speak in English and they're not afraid to speak 31 to me in English 'cause I go up to 'em and I say, 'Just tell me what you 32 want" and they tell me in English. You have to pull the English out of 33 them and they communicate with you. And some things they say 34 enough of in Spanish and in English. Certain key words when it's 35 banking terminology, I can relate and I can help because I've been around 36 here for years, so I can pick out the key words and figure out what they 37 want. I haven't had a problem, not with the customers since I've been 38 here, even when I first came to this branch. 39 E: Do you ever have to pull someone over to translate? 40 B: Yeah, I have to get somebody to translate every now and then. 41 E: In both Spanish and Korean? 42 B: Well yeah, yeah, very seldom Korean. Very seldom, but mosdy with 43 Spanish, we have to get someone to translate. 44 E: Um, so how do you see the bank dealing with multiculturalism, not just 45 you, but maybe the branch or the corporation? 46 B: We try as you've seen, we cannot, because it's a Hispanic area, we 47 cannot just hire people who speak Spanish. We do not discriminate as far 48 as hiring, because I do do hiring of the tellers and we can’t discriminate 49 because they do not speak Spanish. And as a matter of fact, we have one, 50 two, three people, well had, cause Teri speaks fluently now almost. Every 51 now and then she has, that’s the Korean teller, every now and then she 52 has to get someone to translate, but she does a very good job, especially all 53 banking terminology at communicating. You hear her, you think she 54 speaks Spanish. She has the accent and everything when she speaks 55 Spanish with the customers. But there's Linda, she's black, she speaks no 176 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 56 Spanish. She tries and she gets very frustrated because she says, "I say this 57 to one customer in Spanish and they understand me and then I say it to 58 another customer." But then the what-do-you-call-it, the dialect or her 59 accent is not there and then they can't understand what she's saying, the 60 accent is not there. In this area, we have a lot of customers who are not as 61 educated as some areas and I guess it’s because we are in the inner city, 62 that makes the difference in some customers understanding her and some 63 not being able to understand her. And um, let's see who else may have a, 64 but anyway, like I said, when we're hiring, we, I can't discriminate, and I 65 just hired another black teller. She does, she told me she doesn't speak 66 Spanish but she does. She said she really didn't speak Spanish, but she 67 does speak a litde, 'cause she took it in school and it's coming back to her 68 and I can see her trying already. She talked to Ricardo today in Spanish 69 and answered him and they talked back a little bit. But I did not know that 70 she spoke Spanish. And it helps our tellers if you can speak Spanish, but if 71 you don't, it's no problem 'cause we have other people. And that's where 72 the bank steps in and they try to hire for this area. There are Spanish 73 speaking people, so we can translate for each other. 74 E: What about I know some of the employees like Ricardo and Maria and 75 Marta, that they’ re stronger in Spanish? 76 B: Well, that's their language, See Marta's from Cuba and Maria's from 77 Colombia. Ricardo's from Cuba. That's their native language, like English 78 is mine and then, you know, and there’s some like Debbie think her 79 Spanish is so, it's different, and they don't understand each other 80 sometimes. So I can see some of them not understanding each other. 81 Sometimes, poor Marta, she speaks so fast, nobody understands anything 82 she's saying including Ricardo and they're both from Cuba. It depends. 83 E: Do you, does the staff have any trouble communicating with the people 84 who Spanish is their native language? 85 J: No, un-un, cause they walk up to me all the time and speak Spanish and 86 we laugh. They walk up to me all the time and they do it unconsciously 87 and they start talking Spanish and sometimes when I answer them in 88 English they say, "You understood what I said." 177 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 89 E: So does the bank have any formal policies about language either written 90 or that you've heard about? 9 1 B: Not that I've heard about. 92 E: What language do most of the employees speak with each other? 93 B: Spanish, except for Debbie. Unless you talk to her in Spanish, then 94 she’ ll talk to you in Spanish. She speaks to the employees in English, even 95 Ricardo, even Marta, no, she does. And Jaime's the same way. He speaks 96 to the employees in English, but they speak to each other in Spanish a lot. 97 And I've worked in this branch. When I was an operations secretary, I 98 didn’t know the employees that well and in the staff room, they spoke 99 Spanish and it used to bother me, but now, it doesn't bother me at all. 100 When I came back to work at this branch, it didn't bother me if they speak 10 1 Spanish. 102 E: What happened in between? 103 B: I got older and that was six years ago. Now, it's six years later and now I 104 have a different attitude. People change. I've changed, I've grown in the 105 last six years and it doesn't bother me that they speak to each other in 106 Spanish. Because sometimes we go out to lunch and I know now that it's 107 not intentional. I thought it was rude, but it's not, they don't mean to be 108 rude. They're not talking about me, and so what if they are. You know, 109 that's the attitude I have. So what if they are and it's okay. They get pissed 110 off at me. I'm a manager and I'm sure they say things, and some of the 11 1 things I pick up on. Some of them don't really realize I understand a lot. 112 I'm just like the Spanish-speaking people. I'm sure right now I could be 11 3 able to speak Spanish fluently, but I'm afraid to speak Spanish just like 114 some of them are afraid to speak English. I'm learning little bits and 11 5 pieces. 178 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. first Interview with Debbie, Operations Manager 1 E: How long have you been here? 2 D: I've been here two years. 3 E: Are you of Hispanic heritage? 4 D: Yes, I'm Hispanic. 5 E: Were you born here? 6 D: Yes. 7 E: And your parents come from... 8 D: My mother's from El Paso and my father's from Mexico. 9 E: Were you raised bilingual? 10 D: No, English. II E: But you speak Spanish now? 12 D: I speak Spanish, yes. 1 3 E: Did you study it in high school? 14 D: I took a few courses in high school and in college, but basically, I picked 1 5 it up off the television and soap operas. 16 E: So basically, what I'm studying is cultural diversity. If you could just 1 7 tell me some of the cultural diversity issues the bank has dealt with 18 recently? 1 9 D: At this office? 179 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 20 E: Not necessarily. Anything top-down or... 21 D: When you say at this office, this is a melting pot of Central America 22 where each nationality has a different level of understanding of perhaps 23 banking, sophistication level. And their Spanish is a little different, some 24 words are different than Mexican. 25 E: What type of Spanish do you speak? 26 D: Uh, Spanish. It's not Central American Spanish. 27 E: So what types of plans or actions have you as a branch taken to deal with 28 the diversity or as the bank as a corporation? 29 D: Well, the bank and personally, I’ m not sure if it’s been in the last couple 30 of years, targeted the Hispanic community, realizing that the market 31 share, the market is Hispanic. And at this office, we tend to try to educate 32 them or introduce them more to automation. 33 E: Some of the employees mentioned that just recendy, deposit slips had 34 been in English. 35 D: That's been over a year. The deposit slips are in English and in 36 Spanish, in Korean and in Chinese, depending on the market share of the 37 community they serve. But even though they're in Spanish, does not 38 mean that they're able to complete a deposit slip. A lot of them or a large 39 percentage of our clients may not read. 40 E: Do you have any stories or incidents that might come to mind about 41 interactions with customers where there was miscommunication because 42 of language or culture? 43 D: Well, basically, if there's a Korean who does not speak English, 44 basically, they don't associate with someone who does not speak Korean. 45 They'll go up to someone here who is Korean and wait for them and the 46 same for the Spanish, they will wait for someone. 47 E: Does that cause a traffic jam? 180 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 48 D: It doesn't really cause a traffic jam. I think maybe it causes slightly a 49 little sensitivity on some of the employees who do not speak Korean or 50 Hispanic. 51 E: Do you think language is part of the reason you were hired? 52 D: No. 53 E: Do you think language is part of the reason you’ re at this branch? 54 D: I think it might have had a slight impact. However, a lot of our 55 employees do speak Spanish and you're able to get someone to translate for 56 you. 57 E: Does the bank have any formal policies about language either written 58 down or that you've heard of? 59 D: No, we do have just a glossary of banking terms in Spanish. 60 E: Is there any type of policy that you've heard of that's written from the 61 bank that would say you can speak this language with the customers? 62 D: No, we don’t have anything written down that forbids you from using 63 English or Spanish or asks you to speak a particular language. We do 64 have, at one time, we have, you could volunteer to wear a button that said 65 Yo Habh Espanol or the Korean sign that we have displayed for someone 66 who speaks Korean. 67 E: So obviously, the bank is doing a lot with the cultural diversity of the 68 customers, how does that work with employees of all different cultures? 69 D: They all speak Spanish. And when you say employees, are you 70 referring to interactions with clients? 71 E: Staffing concerns that you as a supervisor might have. 181 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 72 D: I have no concerns over having different cultures. Yes, it is sometimes a 73 little bit hard to understand some of the Spanish, when they speak really 74 fast, but there’s no concern. 75 E: Do the employees speak mosdy Spanish with each other or English? 76 D: Majority Spanish. If both speak the language, they prefer. 77 E: Has the bank provided any type of training on dealing with different 78 cultures? 79 D: No. 80 E: Do you want to move up in this company? 81 D: At this point, I have no long-term career goals. 82 E: Have you noticed, what nationality or background most executives at the 83 bank are? 84 D: I do not have the percentages. We do have what we call Affirmative 85 Action, where every year, they let us know how many women are in 86 what positions, but not by culture. 87 E: In your job, what percentage of the day do you speak Spanish and what 88 percentage English? 89 D: I can say it's about 50/50 or 60/40. 90 E: And which language do you see is used most by the company? 9! D: English. 92 E: Why? 93 D: English is the work, English is the, we're in America. 182 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 94 E: 'Cause I was just noticing, according to my percentages, 83% Spanish- 95 speaking here. It's intriguing that the first thing that all the tellers say is 96 "May I help the next client in line?" and I was just wondering why they 97 didn't say that in Spanish? 98 D: We have a script of what we call service standards, and that is one of the 99 standards. However, if the teller does feel comfortable in translating that 100 in Spanish. I think it might be a bit difficult to translate that. 1 0 1 E: I'm going to play psychologist real quick. I say the first half of the 102 sentence and you say the second. Being able to speak Spanish and 103 English at the bank means... 104 D: Serving the customer better. 105 E: I wanted to ask you about Ricardo, Maria and Marta. Jaime had said that 106 they feel comfortable speaking Spanish more? 107 D: They speak Spanish. That's their first language is Spanish. 1 08 E: So most of the other... 109 D: The majority of them, let me see, it’s about 5 or 6 that Spanish is not 110 their first language, but with those individuals, Spanish is their first 1 1 1 language. 112 E: So Pablo, Jaime... 11 3 D: Pablo, Jaime, they were brought up here. They speak Spanish among 114 themselves. Perhaps not necessarily among them two, but among the 115 group, they will speak Spanish. 116 E: From your opinion, which is their dominant language? 117 D: Jaime and Paul [Pablo], English. And the other three, Spanish. 183 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. First Interview with Jaime, Branch Manager 1 E: If you could just tell me how long you've been with this bank? 2 j: I've been with the bank 15 years. 3 E: In what position, capacity? 4 J: I started in a training program. I worked myself through as an Assistant 5 Operations Officer, then an Operations Officer. I have been a branch 6 manager since September 1991....My operations background is intense. 7 I've worked in all the different environments within the LA area. To give 8 you an example, the Bell office....At each one of these branches, I was 9 involved with staffs of different cultures. And at the same time, at each 10 one of these offices, I serviced different nationalities which takes different 1 1 skills. 12 E: Could you explain about cultural diversity issues that your company has 13 dealt with recently? 14 J: Cultural issues, I would say, definitely, we, as the LA area gets more 15 diverse in nationality, there is more and more demand for different 16 cultural and language skills needed. The various market areas that we 17 operate in, an example is the Koreatown branch does staffing of like 75% 18 Korean because the clientele is mostly Korean. The Broken Brea branch 19 and this branch, I'd say is 85% Hispanics with Spanish language skills 20 because it operates and services mostly Hispanics. Also here in this 21 branch, we have a level of service for Korean-speaking clients since we 22 border Koreatown. [We have] issues relating not only to servicing but to 23 staffing as a manager. The staff issue is very important. We try to, 24 although they say that language is not a requirement for a particular job in 25 servicing, let's say, we try to meet the clients' needs. If we have the people 26 who can communicate with the clients, then they will come to us and 27 they will bring others. In essence, it's a sale for those businesses who are 28 operating with staffs who meet those language needs. On both ends, not 29 only the staffing end but the customer service end, the language is very 30 important-the communication process. Sometimes I think people get 184 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 31 frustrated because they can't express themselves and at the same time, I've 32 also been able to appease people because I've been able to communicate 33 with them in their own language, that is, the Hispanics. Uh, I would say 34 in the LA area, of course, we do have in Koreatown, [we] need those 35 [Korean-speaking] people, the East Los Angeles needs Spanish-speaking 36 and then the Chinatown branch basically has a Chinese-speaking staff 37 and most of their clientele are Chinese, Chinese language. 38 E: So why do you, have you seen a change in cultural diversity at the bank 39 or an evolution since you've been with the company for so long. Were 40 they doing this 15 years ago? 41 J: Not really. I guess there have been changes. At one point, I remember 42 back when I was an assistant, that was 11 or 12 years ago, when we really 43 didn’t have staffing of Korean personnel, or, I mean, not as much as we 44 have in our present environment. The staffs that I've worked with, I’ ll give 45 you another example, I was at the textile branch in 1982 and a very 46 interesting staff, not only the staff, but also the servicing. We had Filipinos 47 and we had Filipino-speaking customers in there. A lot of them would 48 come to our Filipino-speaking employees. We had Hispanics. We had 49 Chinese. We had Koreans. We had Anglos. We had African-Americans 50 in our staff. We had a diversity of staff servicing Jewish, Italian, Arabs, 51 the whole entire garment industry which is very you know, has a whole 52 lot of all different cultures involved in it. You know you service Indians, 53 Arabs, Italians, in the im port/export business. Uh, talking about the 54 cultures, I've seen cases where the customers were from India who would 55 not deal with women-uh, supervisors. I had the case where an Indian 56 businessman was arguing with my supervisor and I happened to walk into 57 the branch, and he approached me and said, 'You're the man who has the 58 decision-making power here. I cannot deal with a woman." And I said, 59 "Well, she is my supervisor. You'll have to deal with her." So you have to 60 understand that's a real cultural education for someone to see this kind of 61 thing happening, where I understood that the men are the ones who make 62 the decisions. It's very hard to understand unless you work and see it on 63 your own. In that particular environment, I found, because I was there 64 three years, that especially in the import/export business, they had a lot of 65 salesmen, representatives from large corporations. They had a lot of 66 expositions or shows put forth for the different types of garment industries. 185 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 67 We had people coming from England, Australia, New Zealand. You name 68 it, from all sorts, Japan, Korea. And a lot of those people would walk into 69 our branch. I think if you try to understand the culture and also let your 70 staff know to try to communicate with them the best they can. Because if 7 1 you don't, they will feel frustrated. That's one of the things that I find to be 72 a key to be able to service those people. I just had a guy in, I think the 73 young man was Vietnam or Cambodia who could barely speak English 74 and he was looking for a disaster loan. He operated a coffee and donut 75 shop down here and during the civil disturbance it burned down and it 76 would be hard for a Korean or Chinese to try to understand him. 77 Fortunately, I have the background and exposure because of my personal 78 background, the different countries that I've lived in. I can at least feel that I 79 can communicate easier than other people. 80 E: How much do you think the desire to be more diverse either with the 81 staff or the clients, how much of that is coming top-down from 82 headquarters and how much is coming up from the branches like you 83 say, "I need a loan by phone number in Spanish."? 84 J: I think it mosdy comes from, more from the branch level, the servicing 85 level because 90% of the bank does not work day-to-day with the particular 86 market segment that we are involved in, the different areas that we work. 87 So if I as a manager work in a branch, to give you an example, since I’ ve 88 been here, I've been trying to, I've been here three months, I’ ve been 89 trying to get a Korean-speaking loan officer and a marketing individual 90 because I feel that we're pretty close to the middle of Koreatown and that I 91 am losing a good portion of the business because I am unable to 92 communicate with those people. If the individuals who are doing business 93 are able to find someone who speaks their language, they feel a lot better. 94 The Koreans are not shy about stepping into, they don't have a borderline 95 in any community, you see them all over the LA area. It doesn't matter 96 where it's at, Pasadena, middle of Los Angeles, in East Los Angeles, in 97 H ispanic areas, in African-American neighborhoods, in any 98 neighborhood. They don't shy away from it. But I feel that they do feel a 99 lot better if they're able to communicate. Of course, any Hispanic has the 100 same problem. They tend to shy away if they have to communicate in a 10! language other than their own. That to me, in not only the banking 102 business, but any business that services the public sector, needs to realize 186 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 103 that it's an important part of their day-to-day business activities to 104 understand the culture and also get involved in the activities of the 105 different areas. It's part of our, you know, public image as an institution 106 that services the community....I was at the East Compton branch and I got 107 involved in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and by doing that, I 108 wouldn't take any sides because I would have to service the Hispanics just 109 as I would service any other community. I've found in my experience 110 with the bank, originally actually I've been with the bank 15 years, but I 111 started back in 1971. And it's interesting that I started training at the Bell 112 branch, by my recollection, the Hispanic staff was about 3 out of a staff of 113 50 plus people. As the Hispanic community grew and was looking for a 114 need for more servicing and so on, we had like another bank two blocks 115 from there and also another bank nearby and they were staffing their 116 branches with Spanish-speaking people. And you can take a guess that a 117 lot of the Spanish-speaking customers would walk into the branch where it 118 was easier to open an account. As soon as we got a new accounts person.... 119 E: So you were talking about how at the Bell branch... 120 J: Right, and at the new accounts department, they didn't have any 12! Spanish-speaking individuals, and I was in training, but I was also called 122 upon to translate a lot of times, A lot of times I would even try to get 123 someone even from outside the office that speaks Spanish who can 124 communicate with these people. If the community realizes that you have 125 someone who can communicate with them, you will have more business 126 and eventually they did and eventually, nowadays, if you walk into the 127 branch, they have a Hispanic loan officer and the people who open new 128 accounts are Hispanic. Also the servicing staff are Hispanic. That's 129 because the market they serve demands that. Had we not taken that step, 130 somebody else in the competition, they'd get the benefit of getting the 1 3 1 market share, the bigger portion of it. I was assigned to this office over 11 1 32 years ago, this same branch as an assistant operations officer. Here again, 133 during those years, we did have a lot of Korean customers, mostly 134 merchants, a lot of Anglo customers, a lot of the businesses in the area 135 were owned by people other than Hispanics. We did have a sizeable 136 Hispanic clientele, but during that time, and in comparison to the time 137 since I returned to this branch a few months ago, I can see a turnaround in 1 38 the percentages is great. Uh, I think I will refresh my memory with the 187 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 139 fact that a month ago they had a Korean-speaking loan officer here. He 140 was assigned here for close to 2 years. Uh, going back to some of the totals 141 that they publish within the different districts in the area, this office was 142 able to gain a very sizeable amount of loans, loan activity from the Korean- 143 speaking clients. Prior to that, they did not have the luxury of having 144 someone trained to do that who was able to really get a good size of the 145 market. He left the bank in February. Uh, the totals as of the end of 1991 146 for this branch where it concerns loan activity totals are staggering. Once 147 that Korean-speaking person left, all of the contacts in the business 148 community were lost. Therefore, if you look at the totals right now, there's 149 quite a difference. A very big drop in the percentages. That gives you a 150 perfect example of where communication can take you. It drives the 151 market. You couldn't operate any business if you're not able to 152 communicate with people. Especially the businesses that service the 153 general public. You wanted to buy a car, you would buy it anywhere. It’s 154 just what you like as far as the car, that's my opinion. But the banking 155 activity and other servicing industry, the day-to-day and week-to-week 156 activity and the people do it more often than any other activity where they 157 go to an organization that services the public. And if they don't see that 158 ability to communicate, then they will shy away from it. I'll give you the 159 example where I have the customer service telephone. They're not, they 160 shy away from picking up the phone and getting the information they 161 would normally be able to get without having to stand in line and wait, 162 because let's say we don't have sufficient clerks to service their needs. Or 1 63 in their monthly statement, it will tell them, if you have a question in your 164 services, call this number on the statement. They will not. And when 1 65 they come into the branch and I tell the staff to let these people know they 1 66 can call this number and they don't have to come into the branch on a 1 67 Friday or on a Monday. They don't have to drive and have the expense. 168 They don't have to leave their homes. They can pick up the phone and get 169 the balance information, if the check was paid, if a deposit was made, 170 make a stop payment or the majority of services that they can obtain 171 simply by picking up the telephone, because they're afraid they won't be 172 able to communicate. And I guess this, I've heard this story for so many 1 73 years, "I call the number and nobody speaks Spanish." We instituted the 1 74 Hispanic teleservicing clerical help and now the activity in that area has 175 increased as far as the inquiries from the Spanish. We did the same with 176 Korean-speaking personnel. There again, and the supervisors in the 188 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 177 teleservicing department that do the telephone servicing will tell you that 178 they must have people who can communicate with the public that they 179 serve. 180 E: Does the bank have any formal policies about language that you've 1 8 1 either seen written down or heard of? 182 J: That's kind of a complicated issue....There's no policy. But as a manager, 183 I will tell you this, I should have said this earlier in the background when 184 I was talking about as a manager and the composure of the staff, 185 composition of the staff. Language can sometimes cause a problem when 186 people of different nationalities work together. It can create jealousies and 187 it’s really a very touchy subject for a manager. I'll give you another 188 example. If you went to our Hollywood office, you would find probably 189 that 60% or more of the staff speaks Armenian, Persian, and there's 190 another segment of our community. Right. If you went to our Glendale 19 1 office, you would find the same: a concentration of Armenian people in 192 Glendale. Well, the issue would be, language per se to my recollection 193 has never been a set down policy at the bank where the bank says that you 194 must not speak a different language other than English. There's no 195 restrictions on that. Going back to the textile branch where I had a group of 196 Filipinos and they would all hang together, all hang around together. You 197 have the different groups and they would hang together on down the line 198 because of the different cultures. It was very difficult as a manager when 199 there were staffing issues to get across to them and they must accept it. One 200 of the things that the bank has, it comes out with policies be it what it may 201 be, it doesn't matter where. The office, the manager who runs the 202 Chinatown branch runs on the same principles as the manager who runs 203 the Pico Rivera branch or the manager of the Occidental branch or the 204 Hollywood branch. The only recognition has to be that we all service 205 different market segments. 206 E: I guess I'm a little confused about when you say that language can 207 create jealousies? 208 J: Yes, because in the staffing, they will create groups and where you can't 209 understand what they’ re saying, the other people tend to think, they're 210 talking about us or whatever. And I had the displeasure sometimes of 189 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 211 seeing a supervisor say, "Speak English." In some branches, the supervisor 212 tries to make certain that whenever someone is speaking within the staff, it 213 is understood by all present. Yet, when it comes to servicing the public, it's 214 okay to talk to the customer, because if the supervisor has a question, the 215 employee can translate. They'll accept that. Because the supervisor is 216 getting the translation of what the customer is saying, but yet when it 217 comes to the staff, I have been a witness to that fact and I've felt in a way, I 218 felt this is true. If you speak a language other than English, you already 219 have the flaw of faltering with the language a little bit, the English 220 language, you should practice it more so that you can become more 221 proficient. Of course, I never tell, the bank does not say you must speak 222 English because of the many different branch conversations that I've seen. 223 E: W hat type of policy have you developed here for the 224 multicultural/multilingual staff? 225 J: When it comes to policy, that is one area that I'll never, unless an issue 226 surfaces that will concern everyone. Most of my staff, most of the staff in 227 this branch is Hispanic with the exception of maybe 5 or 6 people. So far 228 we haven't had any problems. I know that or I feel that sometimes the 229 ones who do not speak the Hispanic language tend to kind of feel left out 230 by it, especially when they’ re like in the staff room, they feel out of place. 231 Like I have one employee right now who has expressed the fact that she 232 does not feel that she belongs here. That's really an individual issue. I 233 haven’t felt out of place anywhere so for because I have to understand that 234 I'm in the servicing industry and I have to accept it. 235 E: Has the bank made any provisions here for maybe staff people who 236 don't speak Spanish to take classes? 237 J: The bank will pay for classes if you take it at a college, that will be 238 beneficial to you as an employee. As far as languages, to my knowledge, 239 no. But you know, there again, language is a thing, you don't have to 240 attend a class, you could probably get some books and tapes and try to learn 241 on your own and then practice with the people who speak the language. 242 When I worked up in the Koreatown office, I would say that 75% of my 243 staff, I was the operations officer, my manager was from Pakistan, my 244 statement clerk was from Iraq, my two new accounts people, one was 190 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 245 Korean, the other was Panamanian, my vault teller was Korean, I had 246 tellers from India, I had another Pakistani teller, I had three Hispanic 247 tellers and I had about three Koreans, two Filipino. You could see the 248 composition of the staff and the Koreans would get frustrated and ask the 249 other Koreans why the bank didn’t get some more Korean tellers to take 250 care of them. They demanded that because again, most of the people are 251 Korean. It's an issue. So whenever we looked at someone as a potential 252 candidate, we said that if they spoke Korean it was a benefit to us. My vault 253 teller had to be Korean because all of the merchants were Korean. 254 E: So how would that work, I would think that would create stress or 255 tension between maybe for promotions or I'm not really sure how the 256 promotions or the hierarchy of the company works? I thought maybe 257 someone couldn't be the merchant teller here unless they spoke... 258 J: Language is really not a requirement when I look at someone, It's not a 259 requirement Performance is a requirement. I wouldn't hesitate and never 260 have to put someone who does not speak Spanish in to service Spanish 261 customers, if they're Koreans or whatever. The issue here is as a manager, 262 I have a responsibility to recognize performance and the skills of the 263 individual. If they can communicate in their own language, it will be 264 easier for them. But in our servicing area, we always have someone who 265 can translate. Sometimes merchants complain that we don't have enough 266 Spanish-speaking tellers. 267 E: And do you point this out to the merchants if they complain to you? 268 J: I surely do. No, my personal philosophy has always been, if I go to 269 Japan and I don't speak Japanese, I cannot make any demand. I should be 270 able to make it on my own. On the same token, when the individual that 271 services me comes to America I have to serve him and he should be able to 272 do that. Unfortunately, that's not normal. The banking industry, our bank 273 is worldwide. We have offices in Hong Kong....There's an interesting 274 point that I want to make. If you went to the San Diego branch, you will 275 find that they have people who specialize in servicing large depositors 276 from across the border. This I know from a personal point of view, because 277 I used to supervise an individual who ended up supervising those people, at 278 least the unit that did that. And how the bank was able to attract and retain 191 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 279 those clients was by the fact that they were able to communicate with the 280 people serving them. For example, I have a customer who lives in Mexico 281 City who has a half million dollars here. For someone to have that kind of 282 money, we consider them a very top individual, at least with the servicing 283 aspect. She calls me from Mexico City and once in a while, she travels to 284 Houston where she has family. She speaks no English at all. 285 Interestingly enough, about three weeks ago, I was talking to her and she 286 was explaining to me that the money that we have on deposit here had 287 been at another branch about a year and a half ago, but that she transferred 288 the funds here because she was able to communicate easier, because most 289 of the people here spoke Spanish and she was frustrated when she went to 290 that other office. This is a very demanding individual. She must have 291 details of her account and she has to understand. Because when I tell her 292 something, she repeats it back. So it's a very important point. This is on an 293 individual basis. So it struck me as very important that communication 294 again was able to and again, she could have gone to a better bank, where 295 they had a staff that only spoke Spanish. And we have them in the LA 296 area, the PAN AM bank, serving mostly the East Los Angeles area, mostly 297 Hispanics, owned by Hispanics entirely, at least it was the last time I knew 298 them. And they service the Hispanic community, their entire staff speaks 299 Spanish. 300 E: You were saying that Ricardo, Marta and Maria are better Spanish 301 speakers than they are English? 302 J: Yes, in my experience when I run into staff or personnel who have that 303 particular problem, I get concerned because sometimes the customers who 304 do not speak either Korean or Spanish get frustrated when they get 305 serviced. Sometimes they don't understand what the customer says. 306 Sometimes I get complaints like "Why do you hire people who don't speak 307 the language?" 308 E: But they have been hired because... 309 J: Yes, I would say the supervisor who hired them felt that they had the 310 skills for customer servicing. You know well I have enough staff that 3 1 1 understands English that if the problem came where they'd have to 312 translate. They do have other skills that I know would make them 192 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 313 successful at the job....I'm hoping they would put some of their own efforts 314 into trying to learn the language. And I have, I have hired people who 315 could barely communicate with the customer, I've hired quite a few, but 316 when I did that, it's because a majority of the clients that were serviced by 317 that particular staff at that branch was Hispanic or whatever language. We 318 hired Koreans who could barely speak English and I knew that they 319 would make good customer service representatives and they turn out to be 320 good, even though some of my staff had a very difficult time trying to 321 communicate with them. You think of, as a supervisor, when you staff 322 you think of different things. First, will they be successful in the present 323 environment based on their servicing skills or prior background and then 324 the second issue, will they fit into the team that I have? I know it's a 325 judgment call there, because language is really not a requirem ent Yes, 326 even if it's not a requirement, it's a necessity. If you went to 327 the....branches, if I staffed the office with English-speaking people only, I 328 would have a problem. Customers would come up to a young man who 329 looked Hispanic but he didn’ t speak Spanish....And he would come to me 330 and say I need help and then the customer would look at him like he's 331 Hispanic and I'd say, "Well, he doesn't speak Spanish." They respond, 332 "You have a person here to service me and if he could communicate, you 333 wouldn't have to come in and translate." And so I've had the question 334 before, "Why don't you have people like us?" And, well actually, "If we 335 didn't have a Hispanic person here, you wouldn't get the service. You 336 would have to go somewhere else and all the other servicing units, we're 337 working the same way and you would have a problem getting service. So 338 it’s to your benefit to leam the language." Not being fanatic, but if you go to 339 India or Japan, don't get frustrated because they don't speak the language. 340 E: Obviously, you're very knowledgeable about the company and you've 341 talked to me about some other branches that are very culturally diverse, but 342 what about above you with your supervisors and executives, is it pretty 343 diverse in your opinion? 344 J: I’ ll give you a particular example of this district. The bank is broken into 345 districts by regions. Regions which report to headquarters within our 35 346 branches. Let me see if I can give you a general example. We have one 347 manager is Persian, one manager is Cuban, we have managers from all 348 segments, also German. It’ s a very diverse group. However, at that level, 193 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 349 the communication process, I would feel it is a lot more advanced than it is 350 at a branch level between the managers. It would be logical that the 351 managers should be able to communicate verbally and written. I wouldn't 352 think that they would have advanced to their level unless they had proven 353 that they had those skills. 354 E: You're saying English skills? 355 J: Yes, one very important thing is the communication process with 356 customers, because we do work with all segments of our society. For 357 example, I can work with a businessman who has a coffee shop down 358 here. The next customer may be a mechanic, the next a doctor, the next 359 customer an attorney. So you have to be able to go up or come down in 360 communication. We have to be able to get our point across because if the 36! customer doesn’t feel that you have what he needs to service him or her, 362 they will be polite but they will never come back. One bad encounter in 363 banking can create a bad name for you and your business. They will give 364 you a bad name; they will take their business elsewhere. They will not 365 recommend you to people they know....If you're dissatisfied with the 366 service somewhere, it's natural that you would say, "I wouldn't go to them, 367 and I wouldn't recommend them to you." 368 E: So you said, that at the managerial level you see a lot of diversity? 369 J: But at the communication level, they communicate well enough to .... 370 E: What about if you were trying to talk to your supervisor, do you feel, first 371 of all, that upper management is diverse and second, that they support the 372 programs you try to implement in your bank for diversity? 373 J: I would agree with that. The managers at my level have the experience 374 of working with a different market area, understanding that culture will 375 definitely drive the market and they will support them because we run the 376 day-to-day business. We are with the clients who need the servicing, who 377 demand the servicing. By us supplying those needs, we will attract and 378 retain those clients and maintain a profit....I went to Pasadena and they 379 have an office and they have a pretty good group as far as the income and 380 education level demands certain skills of a manager. Now that's another 194 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 381 aspect that culturally I have to say, if you place me in a branch in 382 Pasadena, you know, would the people who have the accounts there or 383 who have the sales with the prior manager, let's say graduates of Harvard - 384 or whatever, feel the same about me as they did the prior managers. 385 Culture has a lot to do with it also how we were raised.... 386 E: So you don't feel you would be placed in... 387 J: I don't feel I would be placed out of any promotional opportunity, but a lot 388 of people demand, if there are two branches equally, and one sector was 389 middle-, lower- income Hispanic and the other one is middle-income or 390 higher-income bracket, they'd definitely hire someone with a lot more 391 marketing skills. He'd be placed there and I'd be placed in a comparable 392 position. 393 E: Has your bank provided on-the-job training or workshops for you or the 394 staff about dealing with different cultures either staff or clients? 395 J: We do get videos on customer servicing. When it comes to that, they 396 don't distinguish language from culture. It's a customer, just a customer. It 397 doesn't matter what segment of society....We do have certain standards 398 and those standards apply to any and all which makes it real simple for 399 managers because you know that something that applies here applies 400 everywhere else. It's just the language that you're communicating in 401 makes it different. 402 He must go to a lot of community activities, he must be able to 403 communicate...also there's a business purpose for it, you have an image to 404 represent. I wouldn't feel comfortable in Chinatown. Let's face it I don't 405 speak the Chinese language; I would have to rely on someone all the rime 406 to be with me to translate for me. In the process of translation, maybe 407 something gets lost. That’s what I was trying to say.... 408 E: I know. 195 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. First Interview with Linda, Teller 1 E: So basically, you know I'm a graduate student at SC doing a special 2 project this summer. The only person who's going to read it is my 3 professor and I'm going to sanitize it so he doesn't even know what 4 company I'm working with. I'll change all the names. Anything you say 5 is confidential. 6 L: I understand. 7 E: So how long have you been working at this bank? 8 L: Since December. 9 E: And you haven't been anywhere else in the system? 10 L: No, actually they hired me in November, but I had to go to the training. 1 1 E: Do you live in the area? Is that why you applied here? 12 L: No, I live closer to the Crenshaw district. I applied in Crenshaw. The 1 3 bank accepts applications and they'll send it to the main corporate office, to 14 the personnel department. And personnel goes through the applications 15 and they'll give you a call for an initial interview. And then you take a 1 6 test, after this test, they tell you, "Oh, it'll be two weeks 'cause we have to 17 send it away." And then the same day they called me. But they called me 18 back that same day and asked me if would I like to interview here and so I 19 came in and interviewed and they liked me. ’Cause like the next day 20 they called me and said you're hired. 21 E: Did you guys close down for a day during the civil...? 22 L: No, we were closed Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 23 E: Were you here that afternoon when it all started? 196 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 24 L: I had, that afternoon that it happened, I had got off work and then I went 25 to the store and I heard about the decision and I couldn’t believe that 26 decision. It can't be happening. I went home and all hell broke. And I’ m 27 like, what happened? You couldn't get me out of my house. I was gonna 28 go out of my house and I looked behind it and there was all this black 29 smoke and a ball of red in the sky, a big old fire in the back of me and I 30 said, "On the other hand, I’ ll just stay here." But it was a crazy time in this 31 area. And I hate to say it, but I think there will be more unrest. They're 32 supposed to have the upcoming trial of those 4 guys who were accused of 33 beating Reginald Denny. I do believe that if they are not found innocent, 34 there's going to be some unrest. Also during the civil trial. If they’ re not 35 found guilty, it'll be like, there’ ll be....The only thing I can say about that is 36 everything they claim that, I mean, 'cause I m black, but everything that 37 was blamed on black people is not black people's fault. You know, how 38 they said black people was doing all the looting. Don't put this all on black 39 people. I saw just as many Mexicans and white people on the TV set. So 40 don’ t put this all on black people. But unfortunately, a lot of blacks did take 41 a lot of heat over this. But being black, I can understand to a certain point 42 where they're coming from, because with the Latasha Harlins killing, that 43 was all the leaders called for peace. Then what happened, they let the 44 system do the job and what happened, she got off. You'll never end 45 racism. Well, the biggest thing that separates all the classes is racism. You 46 know, there's not only racism between blacks and whites. There's 47 [racism] between blacks and Mexicans. You know I’ ve had clients come 48 in and tell me because you know, I can speak Spanish to a certain point 49 and sometimes I can understand it, but I cannot tell you what I want to say 50 back and I have one client, who says, "They need to have someone who 51 speaks Spanish here because of the fact that it’s predominantly Hispanic." 52 This is like, some people say that I was accused of being anti-social when, 53 like different events came up and I didn’ t go. But most of the time, they 54 speak in Spanish so I feel uncomfortable sitting there in the group and 55 they're speaking Spanish and I don't know what the hell they're saying. 56 And I hate to be rude and say, "Excuse me, we got a problem here." And I 57 don’t want to, so I just let it be. It’ s a trip working here. It really is. There's 58 like and sometimes, 'cause some of our clients, and I'm sure you've 59 noticed, are more on the illiterate side, it's not quite a melting pot. Have 60 you ever been to Berkeley? 197 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 61 E: No. 62 L: Oh, you should go. If you want to study people, go to Berkeley. 63 E: Why? 64 L: Berkeley is a mixture of everything who did it and thought it and what 65 it and everything in the universe. But Berkeley is, it truly is a melting pot. 66 E: Did you go to school in Berkeley? 67 L: I used to live in the Bay Area. Earrings in their nose and got their hair 68 sticking out like this one guy, had his hair dyed orange and red. Oh my 69 god, he's got spikes on top of his head and he had some kind of makeup on 70 that looks like he's dead. It’ s like... 71 E: I guess we're talking about cultural diversity, a lot of different cultures 72 here. What issues do you think the bank is dealing with? Do you know of 73 any policies the bank has to reach out to different customers or employees? 74 L: Not to my knowledge, I wondered about that myself 'cause I read, just 75 before I was hired by the bank awhile back about the bank's policy. 'Cause 76 I know I read in the paper that the rate of home loans, the rate for 77 minorities was about 1/2 as low. In other words, they granted loans to 78 minorities, blacks and Hispanics a lot less than they did white. And so I 79 found that very interesting. 'Cause if you think about it, a majority of their 80 clients is minorities. But all for all, the bank has a lot of different programs 81 for that, but I don't think they have any one specific thing for any one 82 culture. I've always, it will be interesting to see when you have different 83 communities. I know a lot of banks, you know when they have 84 fundraisers, like for the Negro College Fund. I know I haven't seen this. 85 It'd be interesting to see this bank give to different foundations and stuff 86 like th at Due to the riots, I think they set up loans, you know, a certain 87 fund like that for, you know, to help, you know, minorities own 88 businesses. But over all, personally, in my true opinion, this bank could do 89 more for the community. They're too strong of a bank, to not be doing 90 more than they’ re doing. They're just too strong, not to help the 91 community a little more. I think they could donate to a lot of great causes 198 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 92 like the NAACP and a lot of other, not just black funds, but they could 93 donate to Hispanic, too. I mean, a lot of, I'm not trying to diss no race or 94 like that, but a lot of cultures come in here, and it's not just Korean or 95 Chinese. But a lot of them can come into this country and get loans 96 quicker than a black person or a Hispanic. So I feel that they should try to 97 help the Hispanic community and the black community try to do 98 something to help them. But like I said, I think the bank could do a lot 99 more. 100 E: What do you see, as a teller here, that this branch is doing to reach out to 1 0 1 different cultures? 102 L: Well, really, I don't think, I don't know. The only thing I can think of 103 is trying to, and this is a hard bank to deal with 'cause, if you've been here 104 on a Saturday sometimes, we have people through the door and clear 105 around on a Saturday. But since we've had longer hours, we've cut some 106 slack. But overall, we just try to give good customer service. At times, I get 107 irritated because the clients, a lot of our clients are illiterate and like, I can 108 speak to them in Spanish. One client'll come up to me and I can speak to 109 him in Spanish, boom. The next client, I'll say the same thing and they 110 look at me like they've lost their mind. I don't believe this. This is crazy. 1 1 1 But I do have a lot of customers, one’s name is Grade and she gave me 112 these earrings I have on and she always comes to me. She speaks English 113 fairly well so we can communicate and she gave me these earrings. That 114 was real nice of her. But some of our clients, I could just kill them. 115 Honesdy, because I could write it down for them, they'll still get it wrong 116 and I'll be like how dumb can you get. Well, you know we try to, like I 117 said, we have our deposit slips in English and Spanish and the problem is 118 they also can't read. 'Cause they'll be making a withdrawal and for the 119 life of 'em, they'll bring me a savings deposit slip. And I'll sit there like, 120 but I think it's the case that some of them cannot read and write. And we 1 2 1 try to be compromising, we, I'll do it a lot of times for them, for those who 122 can't do it, and sometimes, I had one client, I wrote 1 through 100 and then 123 I just kind of showed him in Spanish how I did, so like that, so he would 124 have it down and I gave it to him. And now he comes, and he knows how 125 to do it, but it's like some of our clients, you can write it down and they still 126 don’t get it. And it’s like, "Okay...." But we have an interesting group of 127 clients, Hispanics, naturally, Koreans and some blacks come through 199 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 128 here. 85% of our clients are Hispanic 'cause we're in a Hispanic 129 neighborhood and the clients have accounts at other branches, but, due to 1 30 the fact that at this branch a majority of people here speak Spanish, a lot of 131 our clients come here because they're like, "They speak Spanish." And 1 32 they'll tell you they come here because people here speak Spanish. Due to 133 the fact that a lot of the merchants don't have a lot of 'em who speak 134 Spanish, so they come here. 135 E: So, do you know, does the bank have a policy about language that you've 1 36 seen either written down, like in your employee handbook or things that 1 37 people have told you? 1 38 L: No, you mean, you should be bilingual or something like that? 139 E: Or, I know some companies have written policies that state employees 140 must speak English with other employees unless... 1 41 L: No, we have no policies to my knowledge. 142 E: One of the people I interviewed said that in her perception, most of the 143 employees speak English and then another person, said most of the 144 employees speak Spanish with each other. 145 L: Most of the employees do speak Spanish among themselves. 146 E: What about with their supervisors? 147 L: Most of the time, they use English. Every once in a while, they'll speak 148 to each other in Spanish. It used to bother me at first, but now I've gotten to 149 the stage where it doesn't bother me. I can’t worry about what they're 150 saying because I can't speak it. 'Cause I'll be in the conversations and 151. another person comes in and it'll be related to the same conversation that 152 we've been having and the person'll say it in Spanish. I felt bad but I've 153 gotten over that. I can't blame 'em 'cause they're so used to it. It's just 154 natural to them when they open their mouth to speak Spanish. It's just 155 natural so I don't let it worry me anymore. And they use it so often. 200 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 156 E: I thought it was kind of interesting that the first thing they'll say to 157 clients is "May I help the next client in line?" and then they immediately 158 switch into Spanish. 159 L: They can't understand it. 1 60 E: You'd think it would be more efficient to say it in Spanish. 1 6 1 L: Well, a lot of times, one of the tellers like Raul will say, he'll have to call 162 the client in Spanish. I'll call the client and a lot of them won't come to me 163 because they'll look at me and think, she's black. I know a lot of clients see 164 me and, but you know, it used to bother me, but it doesn't bother me, 165 because I know a lot of them really can't uh speak good English. A lot of 166 them are illiterate and a lot of them have never really been around other 167 cultures. Sometimes kids stare at me and Debbie said to not take it 168 personally. They've never seen a black person before. The kids'll just look 169 at me and she said to not be offended. I'm not. Living in this community 170 and you haven't got out. You see a black person and you say, "Hey Mom, 1 71 something's wrong with. Her hair's different, her skin color's different." 1 72 But I don't let it bother me. 173 E: One of the things that's kind of new in business management is called 174 managing cultural diversity and some companies think that no matter 175 how hard they try or how many African-Americans or Hispanic- 176 Americans they hire, these people end up leaving or they don't make it up 177 to the manager's position, and the companies are looking at the system, to 178 see if the system, to see if it needs to be changed and if they're not being 179 sensitive to different cultures? Does this bank have any type of program 180 like that? 181 L: I think one good thing that would help a lot of us, because a lot of people, 182 stereotyping is one of the biggest things, a lot of people, it's the case of 183 stereotyping. Like some of the clients stereotype me, 'cause they think, 184 she can't help me cause she's not Spanish. When I can help them to a 185 certain point, after a certain point, I can't help them. But I think 186 stereotyping, and I think a lot of the problems with that, I think they 187 should have more things to where employees should take a class and 188 learn about other cultures. I think you could learn about another race's 189 culture and I think that would help a lot and maybe break some of those 201 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 90 stereotypes ’ cause a lot of people have that stereotype of black people being 1 9 1 you know, "They're lazy, they won't work" but there's a lot of black people 1 92 out there that will work. But the problem today is they can't get a job. You 193 know, I’ m sure you've heard about the recent things where workers are 194 stopping work [on riot-related rebuilding], which I think is only fair 195 because if they're doing it, it’s their community, they should, they're not 196 working. Instead, "They're lazy, they're bums, they're this or that and 197 relying on the system." But you won't give them the chance to work. 198 That's their community. They have a right to help out their community 199 and so I think that would help a lot. But I think what they should do is 200 have a mixture of both black and white and not just have a whole white 201 force or a whole Hispanic team. They should have everybody in there 202 working together. You know, I think the riots had its disadvantages and it 203 was destructive, but everybody has come together 'cause there was so 204 much gangs, you know, a lot of them have come together and then there 205 was this thing that the truce might be broken. I hope and pray that it 206 doesn't. Because Korean markets, I'm not trying to diss Korean merchants, 207 they follow people, black people around like they’re going to steal 208 something and that's irritating. Like "Look, I've got money. Ain't nothing 209 in this store worth stealing." So that is irritating and then a lot of things. 210 You see a liquor store on every other comer in South Central. They’ re like, 211 I'm not going to lie to you. I used to live in South Central and I'm a former 212 gangbanger. You know, if I had stayed in, I would have been what they 213 call an OG by now, but I got out of it. 214 E: What's OG? 215 L: OG is "original gangster." of course if I would have lived. What broke 216 me up from banging was my best friend when I was banging, we were 217 always together and one day, she went out without me, she didn't call me 218 to go with her. And the next thing I know, they’ re calling me telling me 219 that she got paralyzed from the neck down. And I was like, oh my god. 220 This was maybe 7 years ago, I was still in junior high. She got paralyzed 221 from the neck down and that made me do a lot of thinking. I continued to 222 bang for a long dme after that. I got scars from jumping fences and things 223 like that, but after that, I banged for awhile and I thought long and hard 224 about it. At one time, I thought, "That's cool, if I die, I die for my sect." 225 Then it was, "I don’t know if I want to die." So I got out of it, but I'll still go 202 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 226 down with my sect. If somebody comes up to me and gets in my face and 227 tries to diss me, I'd be like, I can’t do it. It's something that will always be 228 inside me. 229 E: So you were a Crip? 230 L: I couldn't be a Crip, no! I think this bank as a whole and a lot of 231 companies need to, have the employees take classes. I think they need to 232 try to have lectures on different things 'cause lot of times people don't 233 realize they have these stereotypic things. And in business, I’ m sorry, but 234 there will always be a ceiling for minorities. You can count how many 235 heads, I mean I’ m talking about women, too. I mean how many CEOs are 236 out there compared to men, we're talking realistic. There's a certain thing 237 that will not be attainable, but I think there's a lot of work going on to 238 change that. You know, to learn about another person's culture and stuff 239 like that. And I think with the help of, you know I think we could all, 240 'cause none of us is born with racism. As a kid, you could be purple, 241 green, yellow and if you want to play with a kid, he will play with you, 242 "Let's play." But I think as we get older, our parents have a tendency.... 243 E: Did you watch the PBS show about how television affects our images of 244 people and races? 245 L: No, I didn't. One thing that broke that stereotypic thing was the Cosby 246 show. 247 E: Well, this show actually said that that was a negative portrayal because... 248 L: It's true in spots. The only show I can say that I could identify with 249 growing up as a kid was "Good Times." That was a show I liked ’cause it 250 took place in the projects. It showed that just because people are poor 251 doesn't mean they're criminals. It's hard to get out of the ghetto. 252 Fortunately, my family did make it out. 253 E: Would you like to move up in this company? 254 L: If I was to move up in this company, I would like to set up something to 255 where the bank sets up different things to help out minorities. I was even 256 thinking of writing to the, you know, finding out what I could do. 'Cause I 203 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 257 would like to see the bank help different programs. I would like to see it 258 donate money to different communities, like Boys' and Girls' Clubs. They 259 might say, we're not into investment, but I say the more you do for the 260 community, the more the community's going to come to you. Because 261 that’ s like "Bank X. They do a lot for our community." You know a lot of 262 these black people, they don't have the basic skills, like maybe have a 263 workshop and say, well we'll help you with this. And maybe they don't 264 know how to set up a payroll system, maybe help them set up a payroll 265 system and maybe for the first year or whatever, cut them a break, cut 266 them some slack, give 'em a discount. And I think, "I can get it all done in 267 one. They have my payroll, they have my loans, they have everything." 268 And I think the black community would say, "Look at what they're doing 269 for us." I'd like to see this bank doing more for the community like I said, 270 like different things to help small businesses, whether it be black, Hispanic 271 or whatever. I'm not saying it's all black but you know the Hispanic 272 owners, they can’t speak English, maybe you know, help them go through 273 a class that, I think that would be really good. I think they need to donate a 274 lot of money to different charities. Maybe even set up a lot of different 275 things within the bank to where, you know, they have little things where 276 the employees all come together, but I think, having something to where 277 like, you know, a big event to where all the employees come together. 278 E: At this big event, what would the senior executives be like? Who are 279 they? If you wanted to move up in this bank, do you think you could. Or 280 do you think most of the executives are... 281 L: I think to a certain point, I could only go so far. I think there would be 282 also a point where they would say uh-un. You know, because I think 283 society's not ready to deal with it. Like I said about the Cosby Show was 284 good 'cause it showed that black people could do more. It also had its 285 disadvantages, because how many black families do you know where 286 there’s a doctor and a lawyer in the family. There's very few. 287 E: Could you tell me, just your guesstimate, what percentage of the time 288 you speak Spanish and what percentage English? 289 L: English 80%, Spanish 20%, but I speak in-between a lot because I can say 290 something to them in Spanish and they'll answer in English. So it can be 204 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 291 like 50/50. So mine’s like mixed, where most of them is just straight 292 Spanish. Mine’ s mixed 'cause I have to see how the clients respond. I feel 293 sorry for the new teller 'cause she don't know no Spanish. At least with 294 me, I took two years of Spanish so I'm able to get somewhere. She don't 295 know no Spanish and I'm like, "Honey." ’Cause 99% of my clientele 296 speaks Spanish. 'Cause I know everything, I can do deposits, balance, all 297 that I can do, no problem. Sure. Sure. You get to a complicated matter, 298 "Hold it." But most of the time, I can understand what they're saying. 299 E: One more thing. I'm going to state the first part of a sentence and if you 300 could just finish it-first thing that comes into your mind. Being able to 301 speak Spanish and English at this bank means... 302 L: The job is a lot easier. No, it is 'cause if you're able to speak, at least at 303 this branch, not at all of them, at this branch, this is a Hispanic 304 community. Crenshaw is a black community. Being able to speak 305 Spanish makes the job a lot easier. 'Cause if you don’t know how to speak 306 it, you have to work, it’s a struggle. I won't lie, I have to work for a lot of the 307 clients. It’s a struggle. It makes life a lot easier, at this branch at least. 205 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. First Interview with Maria, Teller 1 E: How long have you worked at the bank? 2 M: Three years. 3 E: When did you first learn English? 4 M: At the school, we learn. But here, it is very different. Everything you 5 forgot, every single word you learned at school. 6 E: Where are you from? 7 M: South America, Colombia. 8 E: When did you come to the US? 9 M: Ten years ago. 10 E: And that's when you first started learning English basically? 1 1 M: Mostly, because what I learned at the school is very different. I can read 12 and sometimes I can write, but it's better written than speak. 1 3 E: Could you tell me about some of the cultural diversity issues the bank 14 has dealt with? 15 M: Can you explain me this term? 16 E: Cultural diversity, the fact that there are a lot of different cultures in this 17 area with the customers and also with the staff and have you seen in your 18 three years here, have you seen how the bank is trying to deal with the 1 9 fact that Los Angeles has a lot of different cultures? 20 M: The thing is to try to help the customers all the time. The deal is the 21 customer is, with the bank and we try to do the best that we can. 206 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 22 Sometimes the customer doesn’t want one thing, we can try and choose 23 them another thing. 24 E: Um, have you seen any programs implemented or... 25 M: Yes, they just came in Spanish, it's a lot of things. Now we have 26 Braille. Now we make sure every single customer can reach the teller, 27 reach the ATM. It’s a lot of things. 28 E: What about the language? 29 M: Well, I think Spanish is the biggest here, but they try to print 30 everything in English and in Spanish, so you can explain to the customers 3 1 more easy. 32 E: Why do you think the bank is trying to reach these customers now? 33 M: Always. They just always try to help the customer. Try to do the best. 34 E: So you haven't seen any evolution, any changes? 35 M: Okay, the emphasis is always on customer service, all the time. It 36 doesn't matter the way we do it, it's just emphasis. Try to help the 37 customer, by the phone, by the papers, by the person. 38 E: Okay, I think your English is great by the way. I have no problems 39 understanding you. Do you have any stories about communication 40 problems that you had dealing with customers because of language or 41 things that you've seen, like if a Korean customer comes up to you and you 42 can't communicate? 43 M: We just go to the supervisor and the supervisor try to do. They can 44 handle it. If they can't speak with the customer, they just try to find 45 somebody else. I usually, if the customer is English or Spanish, I can deal 46 with it. 47 E: Do you think language is part of the reason you got hired? 207 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 48 M: Sometimes, yes. In Europe, you have to speak the language of the 49 country, not just English. 50 E: But I mean, were you hired because you spoke Spanish? 51 M: No, just because I made a little test. 52 E: Was the test in English or Spanish? 53 M: English. 54 E: Do you know if the bank has any formal policies about language either 55 written or that you've heard about? 56 M: For employees or the customers? 57 E: Either employees speaking with employees or employees speaking with 58 customers. 59 M: Always employee to employee, always English. 60 E: Why is that? 61 M: We're in America. 62 E: So you speak to Pablo in English? 63 M: Sometimes I speak to him in Spanish. I mean, there are some words I 64 don’ t know, exactly. It’s more easy to speak to him, I mean, when it's not 65 work. When it's not part of the work, I speak in Spanish. But when it's 66 work, always we have to express ourselves in English. I think it is better 67 for us. Everybody can understand what we're talking about. 68 E: Is that something that just exists or the bank said that? 69 M: No, there is nothing, you have to. This is the way we can express 70 ourselves. 208 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 71 E: But most everyone speaks Spanish. 72 M: Not everybody. Debbie speaks Spanish, but some words she doesn't 73 understand. In my country, we say slang. Sometimes they don’t 74 understand me and we have to speak in English. It depends what you are 75 talking about. 76 E: Has she tried to leam Spanish? 77 M: Yeah, sometimes she try. But she is laughing by herself at the way 78 that she speaks. But she's okay. When she doesn't know exactly what the 79 customer says, she just tries to explain to the co-worker and the co-worker 80 can help the customer. 81 E: The bank is dealing with all these different cultures and languages for 82 the customers... 83 M: But they don't decide, choose, if you speak Spanish or English, they are 84 just trying to help the customer. It's better service I think. 85 E: Uh, how does that work? You were talking about how you mostly speak 86 English among the employees. How does that work having employees 87 from so many different cultures together? 88 M: Well, the only way we can share the cultures with co-workers is we 89 can meet them some place, a park, it's like a team all the time. And we can 90 go over there and explain, and cook. 91 E: Is there any type of tension between the cultures? Any stress? Any 92 problems? 93 M: I don't think so. 94 E: You don't think that some of the people who don't speak Spanish here 95 feel left out. 209 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 96 M: I mean, I don't think so because, if you don't understand, you just ask, 97 "What did you say?" We try to speak English all the time because it's part 98 of the work. 99 E: I'm interested in watching the tellers, when they say, "Can I help the 100 next client in line?". They say that in English. 1 0 1 M: Uh-huh. 102 E: Why do you think they say it in English? 103 M: Why? 'Cause I told you already, we are in America. 104 E: But then you switch right away. 105 M: It depends. If the customer coming doesn't know what we say, we just 106 say it in Spanish. I know in a lot of ways who is in front of you, if the 107 client is American or another language by their accents or the way the 108 customer speaks. 109 E: 'Cause both Pablo and Raul said that they say that in English, and they 110 immediately switch into Spanish, and they don't even notice who's in 1 1 1 front of them. 112 M: You always speak the language that you think the customer will be 113 comfortable, and sometimes you are out of the moon because the customer 114 is from here. And you have to excuse to the customer because some 115 customers look like Spanish people, but they are not. We have some 116 customers who are Spanish, but they don't like to speak Spanish. 117 E: Why do you think they don't want to speak Spanish? 118 M: They say they don't have to. 119 E: They think it's bad to speak Spanish. 120 M: I think they're feeling bad when they speak Spanish. But I think that 1 2 1 it’ s a bad thing, because you lose your past. 210 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 122 E: Has the bank given you any training or have you seen any workshops 1 23 on how to deal with different cultures? 124 M: No, I was training for just a teller. And they didn't train me for a 1 25 Spanish teller. Just everybody. 1 26 E: Do you want to move up at the bank? 127 M: I would like, but I have to study hard. 128 E: Study what? 129 M: Especially ESL and continue some other things. 130 E: Have you noticed any minority executives-people above the manager 1 3 1 level? 1 32 M: It's a lot of stuff up there. 133 E: In your job, what percentage English and Spanish do you speak? 1 34 M: I speak Spanish better than English. I think 50/50. It depends on the 1 35 customers who come in front of you. 1 36 E: And what language is used most by the bank? 1 37 M: English and Spanish both. Usually, it's in English. 138 E: I'm going to play psychologist now, I’ m going to say the first half of a 1 39 sentence and I want you to say the second half. I want you to complete the 140 sentence. Being able to speak Spanish and English at the bank means... 141 M: I don’t know. Comprehension for all kinds. 211 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. First Interview with Pablo, Teller 1 E: So how long have you worked at this bank? 2 P: Two years. 3 E: As a teller? 4 P: Teller, merchant teller, worked in the back. But mostly dealing with 5 clients. 6 E: Have you been bilingual from birth? 7 P: Yes, well my parents just know Spanish. When I went to school here, 8 eventually I learned English. 9 E: And where are your parents from? 10 P: Mexico, Guadelajara. 1 1 E: Were you born here? 12 P: I was bom here. 13 E: Basically, I'm studying cultural diversity and um in the workplace and 14 I was wondering if you could explain about some cultural diversity issues 1 5 that the bank has dealt with in the recent past. 16 P: With our clients here? 17 E: Yeah with clients or with employees, just how the bank is dealing with 18 the fact that Los Angeles is very multicultural. 19 P: The one thing I've seen is a lot of Spanish paperwork through the bank. 20 'Cause when I started working here it was just basically English and now 21 we have some Korean and English deposit slips and Spanish and English 22 deposit slips. That's what I've seen. A lot of advertisement is done in 212 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 23 English and Spanish. It's changed a little bit here, but if you go to other 24 areas and branches, they're all English. Nothing there's in Spanish and 25 most of our clients, they come from other branches here and they tell us 26 because we're the only people that know Spanish throughout the whole 27 branches. 28 E: So they choose you over another branch... 29 P: 'Cause we know Spanish. 30 E: Interesting. 31 P: So we ask them, "Why don't you go to your branch, I bet it's a lot less 32 people?" 33 E: Why do you think you see all of this, all of a sudden when you're 34 producing ads in both languages and deposit slips. Why now instead of 35 years ago? 36 P: I don't know why now, but they should have done it before, because 37 they need the clientele. They knew the community is just basically 38 Hispanics and Koreans. I believe they should have done it a long time ago. 39 'Cause now there's a lot of Hispanics and Koreans in this area. And 40 everybody is just speaking Korean or Spanish. Very little English. 'Cause 41 you have to help them out with the deposit slips. Name. They don't know 42 how to read English. Some don't even know how to write. You have to 43 help them out. 44 E: Could you tell me any stories of incidents from what you've seen in the 45 bank, or what you've personally dealt with, about clients or employees 46 about language and miscommunication? 47 P: What I know is, here, there's a lot of Central Americans. A lot. And for 48 me, being a Mexican, some of the words I say are different, the meanings 49 are different from what they say. They're pronounced the same, but the 50 definition is different. Clients take some words differently than what you 51 expect 21S Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 52 E: Did you just learn this from experience or did the bank tell you guys? 53 P: Just from experience. The Mends who work here, some are Cuban. 54 E: So how does it work, being a bank teller and having to speak different 55 languages every day, how does it work? 56 P: There's a lot of miscommunication. You can't get through to a person. 57 You're telling him something and he's taking it another. Sometimes it's 58 hard. Especially, I don't know Korean language, very litde, just "Thank 59 you, goodbye." They always have to, constantly need help, because they 60 don't understand you at all. Even English. We don't understand each 61 other-miscommunication. So I'll have to go call someone to speak in that 62 language and we try to fix it up. The Spanish speaking, I can settle it. It 63 might take a couple of minutes or more. 64 E: What about, I know some of the tellers don't speak Spanish even. 65 P: Um, just recently, they hired two young ladies and they don't. They 66 ask us for help. 67 E: How do you feel about that? 68 P: It doesn't, I like helping people. 69 E: Do you think language is part of the reason you got hired? 70 P: I believe so. Because that's what they said, if I hadn't known any 71 Spanish at all, they probably wouldn't have hired me. So it was important 72 to this part of the branch. For other branches, it's not necessary. 73 E: So does the bank have any formal policies about language? Are they 74 written out or heard about either about the language that you speak with the 75 customers, or about the language the employees speak among themselves? 76 P: It doesn't say anything. We get a handbook of all the rules and it 77 doesn't say anything about that. 214 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 78 E: So I'm kind of interested in how it works, where you have employees 79 from a lot of different cultures here, and I know that the bank is making an 80 effort to deal with the cultural diversity with the customers, but how does 81 that work with having employees? 82 P: I get along with everybody. I don’t see anybody prejudging anybody. 83 Like for me right now, everything is fine. 84 E: Do you know, has the bank provided any type of training for either the 85 managers or the employees on dealing with different cultures? 86 P: No, not that I know of. 87 E: So you haven't noticed any conflicts within the company that different 88 cultures might get into? 89 P: No, just the clients fight if they cut in line, that's it. 90 E: Do you want to move up in the company? 91 P: Sure. 92 E: How far? 93 P: As far as I can get, but right now I'm studying, going to school. 94 E: Where do you go to school? 95 P: ELAC. East Los Angeles College. I'm trying to pursue a career in 96 pediatrician. 97 E: Oh, you've got a long road in front of you. 98 P: A very long road. 99 E: Do you know what percentage, do you see a lot of managers, vice- 100 presidents or executives who are minorities? 215 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 101 P: Not really, ’ cause if you go to other branches and they're not all 102 minorities. Most of them are not. 103 E: Most of them are white men. 104 P: White men, usually not that many women. This is the only branch 105 where I've seen Hispanics. 106 E: I think Jaime was saying that at another branch, there's a Korean 107 manager. 108 P: 'Cause when you go to parties, they're all white men and usually you're 109 like way in the back. Yeah, it's different. 110 E: Does that make you wonder how far you can go up in this company? IN P: Yeah, I mean you come in this branch and the people here are very low M2 class and everybody else has the nice branches, very nice. Different. You 113 go to another branch and they're more nicer, the desks are nicer. They 114 have more stuff for you. The one in Glendale, I went there for an ATM 115 class and they have everything there, a nice television, nice microwave. 116 We just recently got our microwave, and they have a radio and little snack 117 machines and we only have a soda machine here. And the branch is 118 nicer. 119 E: That’ s interesting how something that a lot of people wouldn't think 120 would be important to you is? 1 2 1 P:Itis. 122 E: It sends a message, I guess. 123 P: You go to other branches, this maybe the building is old, maybe that's 124 why, but you go inside and it's a lot nicer. The floor is brand new. 125 E: Why do you think this is? 216 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 126 P: Basically the area. The clientele. 'Cause you go to other branches and 127 you see them all nicely dressed up. They're at least middle-class or 128 higher-class. 1 29 E: You're talking about the clients. 130 P: The clients and I guess that's why. It fixes up to the clientele. 13 1 E: Interesting. You're very observant. So in your job, what percentage of i 32 English and what percentage of Spanish do you use? 133 P: 99% Spanish, 1% English. 134 E: Really. That's pretty incredible, huh? 135 P: It is. Mostly Spanish. And the Koreans just barely started coming into 1 36 this branch. ’Cause we had some loan officers who were Korean about six 1 37 months ago and that's when we started getting a lot of Korean clientele. 138 We had 'em here, but not as much. We mostly had 'em in the business, 1 39 in the merchant. Now we’ ve got one Korean teller. Now you see them a 140 lot more often. 1 4 1 E: Because... 142 P: We had Korean workers here. 143 E: Do you think the majority of the tellers use Spanish and English the 144 same amount as you? 145 P: The Korean who works next to me, she understands everything. She's 146 learned a lot, speaking Spanish. 'Cause when she started working here, 147 we'd kind of mess around with her and tell her stuff in Spanish. But she's 148 picked it up. I'm surprised. She's picked it up very quick, 'cause she even 149 speaks sometimes in Spanish now. Everybody's Spanish. 99% of the 150 clientele is Spanish, if not, they're Korean or white. 1 5 1 E: I was noticing when you greet the clients, you say, "Can I help the next 152 client in line?" Do you think it would be more effective to say that in 153 Spanish? 217 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 154 P: They want us, we have little negotiable things that we have to, "May I 155 help the next client in line," greet them, greet them by name, ask them for 156 their business needs. So we always have to say those five. 157 E: In English? 158 P: No, in Spanish or in English. But I don’t know, we just are. I don’t 159 know. They come up to me, "Hello, como estas?" Then in Spanish. 160 E: So once they're kind of not your client yet, you speak to them in 1 6 1 English, but once they're at your window, if they look Hispanic, you speak 1 62 to them in Spanish. 163 P: Well, I speak to everyone in Spanish, sometimes a black or a Korean'1 1 164 come up and it's "Como estas, whoops, sorry!" I'm so used to the Spanish. 165 Everybody here's Spanish. 166 E: And their English ability's... 1 67 P: It's not too good. They try. 168 E: So which language would you say is used most by the company? 169 P: By the company. I'd say English. Like I said, this is the only branch 170 that everybody's Spanish speaking. So I would say English. Everywhere 1 7 1 else it's English. 172 E: Why? 173 P: I guess that's the language that was in this country for the longest time. 174 Everybody uses it. It’s universal. English. Everywhere it’s known. 175 E: I'm going to say a sentence or part of a sentence, and it's kind of like I'm 176 being a psychologist and I just want you to finish it with the first thing that 177 pops into your mind. Don't think about it too much. Being able to speak 178 Spanish and English at this bank means... 218 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 179 P: I'm more knowledgeable than a lot of people who just work with one 180 language. ’ Cause there are some people who were bom here of parents 1 8 1 who only know Spanish, and they don't know Spanish at all. I'm glad I 182 know Spanish and a little of the culture from where my parents are from. 1 83 E: Like I guess Teri doesn’ t speak Korean. 1 84 P: She speaks a little bit. 219 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX G TRANSCRIPTS FOR SECOND BANK INTERVIEWS 220 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Second Interview with Debbie, Operations Manager 1 E: When you advertise positions for tellers or new accounts people, are 2 they advertised as bilingual posidons where languages are necessary? 3 D: No, we don’t really advertise. We go through our employment 4 department. Once and awhile, there are some advertisements, I believe in 5 the LA Times and things like that for certain positions, but they do not 6 specify bilingual. We do request from the employment office, at times, 7 preferably, to send us candidates who are bilingual, but it's not an absolute 8 with us. 9 E: I was just wondering about that because I see in the LA Times, other ads 10 where it said, bilingual secretary or whatever, must know Spanish or 1 1 Japanese or English, and I was just wondering why the bank doesn't have 12 that type of classification. 1 3 D: They might, I'm not sure if they do or they don’ t. I've never seen it. 14 E: But it's not anything about they're worried about being called on in 1 5 discrimination suits or anything? 1 6 D: Not to my knowledge. Jaime would be better to ask about that. 17 E: Do the tellers have a quota of customers they’ re supposed to see per hour? 18 D: The tellers do not have a quota. They are going to implement, 19 supposedly in the near future, very near, where each teller is going to have 20 to wait on x amount of customers. Right now, you can get a good picture, 21 using the computer system that we're on. We've had it for a year. It tells at 22 the end of the day when we check for how many customers they've 23 waited on. If you really wanted to determine who's your fastest, who's 24 your slowest or problems, you can pull that up and determine how many 25 customers they've waited on. 26 E: Would it be within the branch that there'd be a separate quota? 221 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 27 D: Supposedly. This is just something they think. They’ re going to 28 resurvey. Eventually, say you have a teller here versus a teller at another 29 branch. They should be able to have x amount of transactions, perhaps 30 based on their experience, length of time on the job. And we're rated. We 31 have a rating scale when we get a performance evaluation, and it doesn't 32 go by numbers, but it goes by "exceeded", "met some not all", "did not 33 meet", "exceeded", "far exceeded." And where the tellers are concerned, 34 in order to rate someone "far exceeded", eventually they have to have x 35 amount of clients to be in that category. 36 E: How do you think that'll work out in this branch? Will they wait on 37 fewer because they spend more time with the customers? 38 D: I think that's a good way, that doesn't give an accurate reflection 39 necessarily depending on the market share, because you do spend maybe 40 a minute or two longer on the client if the client is not literate or 41 unsophisticated. I don't know how it's going to work out, how it's going to, 42 it's a pilot. It's a pilot program. But a lot of our clients, even helping ATM 43 clients, they don't really understand. They can't read. You tell them push 44 the button, read it, but they don't understand it. 45 E: So, do you think this is something maybe you and Jaime will bring up 46 to... 47 D: It's education. We have to train our clients and it has to be a team effort. 48 We have to get our employees to do it 100% of the time, each time the 49 client comes in and that can be identified as something that can be done at 50 automation. We have to keep telling and telling them that. We have been 51 dragging them, dragging them to the machines. That's the only way.... 52 E: Do you think that upper management realizes that you have these... 53 D: I think, I haven’ t really addressed it with upper management It's going 54 to be interesting to see how it's viewed, because we are now in what we call 55 a new district. Because before, we were in this district that similar 56 branches had similar problems with their clientele. And we have 57 recently been reassigned a district. And it’s going to be interesting to see 58 what they feel. Now we have to drive our clients-automation and 222 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 59 checking accounts. We've got to get them to open checking accounts. 60 That will be very difficult, because the Hispanic is savings. I can't really 61 say how upper management is going to feel or realize that there is an 62 added time for these clients. 63 E: I think you should really bring that to their attention. 64 D: I'm sure on the surface. But when you get to the point, this office and 65 this office, how do you evaluate them. You have a person in the same 66 position and these goals. But it's going to be hard really, to say this person 67 didn't make their goals because of this. It's like a waiting time. We used to 68 have a waiting time. Some branches used to have a little longer waiting 69 time. Now our client base is supposed to be 10 minutes long regardless of 70 the location. 71 E: Okay, let's see, most of you have mentioned that the bank’s number one 72 concern is quality customer service, what does "quality customer service" 73 mean? 74 D: To myself, service, giving them quality, giving them prompt service, 75 being very accurate, being consistent, giving them the personal touch by 76 calling them by name, by making them feel we want them, that you want 77 them to come back. 78 E: We talked a little bit about the language most employees use with each 79 other. I wanted to ask you, was Socorro bom overseas or here? 80 D: She was bom here. 81 E: And she speaks... 82 D: Spanish. 83 E: And I believe you said that most of the managers use English. 84 D: Yes, there's only 4 managers. Barbara doesn't speak Spanish, so Jaime 85 speaks English the majority of the time. Once in a while he'll speak to 86 them in Spanish. I speak English the majority of the time unless they 223 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 87 don't understand something. I'll attempt to interpret something in 88 Spanish. The majority, we speak English. We communicate in English. 89 E: And is there any particular reason? 90 D: It's the place of business, I assume. We're in America. 91 E: Also, along with the "quality customer service" a word that kept coming 92 up was culture. It seems that from my first analysis, people are using the 93 word culture to mean a lot of things. I've been asking everyone for their 94 dictionary definition of culture. What does culture mean to you? 95 D: Should I get out my dictionary? Culture to me is the way the original 96 surroundings, the way we were brought up, different morals, different 97 views, different values. To me, that's culture. 98 E: And how are language and culture related? Or are they? 99 D: Language and culture. They play with each other, because the 100 language of the Central Americans is different, a little different from all 10 1 the Central Americans and myself, the Mexicans. And that has to do with 102 culture. Some of the words, phrases, expressions. 103 E: Do you think that people can be of the culture, but not speak the 104 language? If you had children, and they didn't speak Spanish, would they 105 still feel like Latinos? 106 D: That's a very difficult question. I don't think you could bring them up 107 without the language in the culture. 108 E: You were raised in Texas. 109 D: No, I was raised here. 110 E: Were you in a bilingual education program when you were growing 111 up? Did they have bilingual education programs then? 112 D: Not to my knowledge. I understand now they do, but not then. 224 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 113 E: How do you feel about bilingual education? 114 D: Personally, I think it's good, but I think it's an injustice. I believe the 115 child should learn in English. I think that if they're going to speak 116 Spanish, that should be at home. To me, I think you confuse the child 117 more. I think they should learn English, they should be taught in 118 English. It could be at home or it could be secondary. I don't think it's fair 119 to other classes perhaps, that money is devoted into bilingual studies. 120 E: People have really strong views about this. That's why I asked. What is 1 2 1 your biggest concern about language in the bank, in this branch? 122 D: Among the employees, my concern is that some of them who are very 123 fluent in Spanish, that at times, they don't have a command of English or 124 an understanding. Sometimes you can be speaking to them and they give 125 you every notion that they understand you, but they do not understand 126 you because they do the opposite. That is a concern with the employees. 1 27 Customers, that's to be expected. 128 E: So, is one of the reasons you speak English with your employees to 129 help... 130 D: No, that's not a reason. It's just that English is my primary language. 131 E: Several people have mentioned that they're concerned with the 132 customers about, if they keep speaking Spanish with the customers, the 133 customers will never learn English. 134 D: I think the customers, a lot of them do speak English, but they're 135 comfortable with the Spanish teller and they have a point there. It’s just 136 like any other environment. If you don't practice the language, you’ re not 137 forced into speaking English. I don't think you can really say to them, 138 "I'm not going to speak to you in Spanish" because they're not going to 139 leam English. You can't make that decision for them. If you want to speak 140 to them in Spanish, that's fine. They're going to leam because they want 141 to leam. 142 E: So you think that people leam a second language by practicing. 225 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 143 D: To me, by practicing. If you practice it, you get better at it. No matter 144 how bad your language is, you tend to get better and improve it. You 145 surround yourself with people who speak English, your English is going to 146 be good. Spanish, vice versa. But if you never surround yourself with 147 people who speak English. I can see their concern that they're never going 148 to leam English. But you can't, I can't see them making the decision to not 149 speak Spanish to them. 150 E: Also, in the last interview, you mentioned that there's a glossary or a 15 1 dictionary you have? 152 D: We have, and I was trying to locate it, it's just a pamphlet that came out a 153 while back of just banking terms. 154 E: It was printed by this bank? 155 D: It was printed by, I can’ t say. I'd have to look for it and see if I could 1 56 locate it for who printed it 157 E: Do you like hand these out to the different tellers? 1 58 D: This was just the one time. It's a booklet about this big, a pamphlet 8 1 /2 159 by 11 in size. 1 60 E: In the last interview, I told you that if you had any experiences with 1 6 1 language in the past week, you should put those in your memory and tell 162 me about them. 163 D: No, I just think this is a unique area because it's a melting pot of Central 164 America and their Spanish is all different, their sophistication level is not 165 the same. It has a different degree. It makes it very difficult for an 166 employee, I would hope, in assisting clients, in filling out the deposit slips 167 because their sophistication level is different. On the level of 168 understanding of Spanish, perhaps not for them, mine is slang, sometimes 169 they misunderstand the words I’ m saying. But it doesn't make the job any 170 more difficult, you get your point across to them and they understand you. 226 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 171 E: If the bank were to offer you the same position in a bank where there 172 would be no opportunity to speak Spanish, would you go for a position like 173 that? 174 D: Yes. 1 75 E: You don't particularly enjoy speaking Spanish or enjoy just working 176 with English speakers? 177 D: No. 227 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Second Interview with Jaime, Branch Manager 1 E: I'm just going to ask everybody the same questions basically. When you 2 advertise a job for new accounts or one of the teller positions, is it advertised 3 as a bilingual position? 4 J: That's a question, we do not advertise job openings at the branch level. 5 Openings are normally advertised by our personnel department. Um, as 6 far as bilingual, there are some branches that might need, like Chinatown 7 or branches that do have a heavy clientele of a particular language. And I 8 would suspect that we do sometimes, if we have a specialty job that needs to 9 be filled and they do not have, or they cannot fill a vacancy from within 10 the staff, they would advertise. But that's a question really personnel would 1 1 answer. At this level, a language, a particular language skill, it's not a job 12 requirement; however, if the skill, if the individual does have the language 13 skill, it's helpful. But no, when we interview a candidate, we do not say 14 you need to speak Spanish. We let them know that most of the clientele 15 we deal with on a day to day basis is Hispanic and the Spanish language is 16 helpful. 17 E: Would it be illegal for you to have that as a requirement? Or has it just 18 been decided that it really isn't necessary? 19 J: Well, mainly because we are an equal opportunity employer, it may 20 have something to do with equal employment Again, like I said, if you're 2 1 going to work in the Chinatown branch of the bank and you don't speak 22 Mandarin Chinese or other skills, you're going to have a tough time 23 communicating with the client, so it wouldn't pay to have someone like 24 me assigned to the branch, because I would have my hands tied. 25 E: Do tellers have a quota of customers they're supposed to see every hour? 26 J: No, there’s no basic productivity set that we have as far as individuals. 27 We are going to a productivity survey pretty soon and that may be 28 forthcoming, but at this time, no. 228 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 29 E: Do you think that this branch sees as many clients per hour as other 30 branches or do you think that transactions are longer, shorter? 31 J: From my experience with the Hispanic client, the transactions do take 32 longer, the explanations do take longer and you have to consider the 33 educational level of the clientele. The transaction at a branch in an 34 upscale community where customers are ready where they understand 35 everything: they tend to use the ATM or use up-to-date equipment rather 36 than waiting in line to see a teller. Our clients basically do take longer. 37 We need to help them a lot with completion of forms. 38 E: So in that sense, it's good that you don’ t have a quota. 39 J: It would be pretty hard for this branch. 40 E: A lot of people have mentioned that the bank's number one concern is 41 giving quality customer service. Could you tell me what "quality customer 42 service" is? 43 J: There are certain criteria, basically, um, making sure that we speed the 44 customer's transaction, that we don't have customers waiting in line, that 45 when we handle a transaction, we handle it accurately and we're 46 professional in our approach to the customer. By all means, we try to please 47 the customer so that we can retain him. We have certain bases for all the 48 tellers that pertain to quality customer service: how they call the client 49 from the line, thanking the customer, calling them by name, trying to 50 smile or be pleasant. It's really a professional approach to the servicing of 5 1 all clients no matter where they come from. 52 E: Okay, is there an issue with illiteracy of customers? 53 J: Yes, I’ d say so. Many a time, problems surface that they do not 54 understand an example given. Hispanic customers do not, for some 55 reason, keep track of checking accounts. They basically use savings 56 accounts. By not keeping track of the account, problems are created. 57 Checks will bounce and they will come back into the bank. Sometimes it's 58 pretty hard to get across to them how to maintain the account: the 59 explanation of the product from the onset when they open the account, 229 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 60 how interest is paid, about maintaining the records, the acceptance of 61 transactions. They think that if they bring a check payable to anybody, 62 we will be able to handle it. They don't think we should question the fact 63 that they’ re signing the check. It influences the wait time of the customer 64 service line. 65 E: When people in new accounts open a new account, do they give 66 customers something in Spanish which explains... 67 J: Nothing, we don't have anything we give in Spanish, except right now 68 we give 'em an ATM brochure in Spanish which'll tell....Also, for 69 checking accounts, we have a little brochure that tells them how to write 70 the numbers in English. But we try to basically explain to them in 71 Spanish the basics of the account so they understand it: when we issue the 72 statement, what checks we accept, how interest is paid, maintaining 73 accounting records and so forth. 74 E: Um, so we were talking about what language most employees use with 75 each other and I believe you said it was... 76 J: Within the office, they use both. Many times, it’ s because we don't have 77 a larger portion of Hispanic tellers who'll speak Spanish. 78 E: If I could just check with you the employees that were bom here? Pablo, 79 Julie, Barbara, Debbie and Raul were born here and Marta, Araceli, 80 Giselde, Maria, Angelica, Monica, Ricardo, Sun and you were bom 81 abroad. 82 J: Socorro, I think she was bom here. 83 E: And you were talking about the language the managers use with the 84 employees. 85 J: I'd list both languages, depending how comfortable the particular 86 employee feels. I try to use English. 87 E: And why do you try to use English? 230 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 88 J: So that they understand that communicating with them in English so 89 that everyone around should understand what we’ re saying, for one thing. 90 Courtesy, number two and number three, if we allow those who are 91 already weak with the English language to continue speaking Spanish, 92 they're not going to get comfortable with using the English language. So I 93 feel that it's also for their own education. 94 E: What about Debbie and Socorro, because they both speak Spanish and 95 English? 96 J: Both English. 97 E: Any reason for that? 98 J: I feel that they'd rather use English. Like Debbie has, from my 99 observations, problems sometimes saying Spanish words. Socorro'll speak 100 both languages, but basically English. 10 1 E: Um, I was just thinking of something. You were talking about kind of, 102 you were speaking English with the employees, it's kind of an educational 103 thing, for those who are weaker. How do you feel with the customers? 104 J: Not knowing the customers individually, when they approach me, I use 105 whatever language they feel comfortable with, and it tends to obsess me to 106 make the customers feel better. The very first thing when they approach 107 you and say "Do you speak Spanish?" and you say, "Yes" and start 108 speaking Spanish and they feel more comfortable. So it's a matter of which 109 communication is better to make them feel comfortable communicating. 110 E: So you don't have any ideas, one of the tellers mentioned that he or she 1 1 1 was a little concerned that if we keep speaking Spanish to the customers, 112 their English will never get better. 113 J: I agree with that, but I can't educate every customer that comes into the 114 line. 231 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 115 E: Everyone has used the word culture. What does the word culture mean 116 to you? 'Cause I'm getting a lot of different definitions of it, so I'd like to 117 know what everybody means by it. 118 J: The term culture is the basic philosophy of the individual's background 119 or national origin. Culture, it's that part that influences us, certain views, 120 aspects that we use on a day-to-day contact with people. 121 E: And how are language and culture related, or are they? 122 J: I would say so. How are they related? That's a pretty tough question. I 123 would say that it's more of a, what's the best word I can use for that, 124 tradition. An example I'll give you. Traditionally, Hispanics are Catholics. 125 The majority of Spaniards influenced the Hispanic communities, Central 126 America, South America with the Catholic religion. They're heavily 127 Catholic, although other religions also influence us, the Catholic is the 128 main one, okay? Um, another part is education beginning at home. The 129 Hispanic community, although some people are illiterate or not well 130 educated, let’s say on the educational level as far as school is concerned, 1 31 they pass on, they try to pass on to their children certain basics such as be 132 courteous with everybody, treat people nice, things that relate to cultural 133 origin. And my observation, let's say, I've worked with the Korean 1 34 community, you can observe that they use a different approach with their, 135 which has to do with their culture, their manners, their background....I 1 36 don't want to go into a tendency to analyze, because these are personal 137 observations. When I approach a Korean customer, basically I try to 138 approach 'em in the manner that I understand they like. 1 39 E: How does this all relate to how language and culture? 140 J: Yes, as I understand the Hispanic culture, it's easier for me to relate to the 14 1 customer...and you know, here, this is the way things are done, when 142 they say that, I know that in their own country, there's a different 143 approach to doing things. 144 E: What is your biggest concern about language in this bank? 232 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 145 J: I really haven't given that personal thought, but one concern is that we’ re 146 so diverse in the market that we service, that right now I see the bank, at 147 one point we didn't have anything in Spanish. Nowadays, our ATMs are 148 in Spanish. Of course, we have to do it as a matter of business to attract the 149 Hispanic client, because we have a large proportion of them. I would 150 envision that if we continue to grow, let's say the Chinese community, 1 5 1 we’ d have to also have the Chinese language. So I guess looking toward 152 the future and how diverse the community has become, our investments, 153 management has to look at what’ s best for us to approach the market. At 154 this stage, my personal feeling is that English is basic in America and if 155 we go to Japan and we don't communicate in Japanese, we have a tough 156 time, you know. I think everyone should be able to speak the language. 157 E: Well, talking about that, what do you think about bilingual education? 1 58 Do you think it's good or bad, do you have any feelings about it? 159 J: Um, I'm not for it in a way because English is the language spoken 160 here....We're making it too easy. If I'm going to operate in Orange County 161 in Litde Vietnam, operate a grocery store, I wouldn't be selling Hispanic 162 products because I wouldn't have the business. I should be selling Asian 163 products to the community in the area where I operate. If I was operating 164 in Chinatown, I’ d probably be selling Chinese products. If I were selling 165 French products, I'd probably not have the clients I need to operate a 166 business. You know, the bank is a spread-out business that’ s run over the 167 entire state. I keep repeating, just because Chinatown-San Francisco, 168 Chinatown-Los Angeles, are two perfect examples of the communities that 169 we service. We have branches in Solvang. They are different from San 170 Francisco. We have branches in Palm Springs, Beverly Hills, as you can 171 see, these are all different client bases. I mean each one of it, we approach 172 it according to the business needs of that community. 173 E: How do you think someone learns a second language? 174 J: You mean, in my personal view of when I came to the United States and 175 I didn't know a word of English? I was forced to leam English in Hawaii. 176 I started high school in Honolulu, so I had to force myself. I think you 177 need to force yourself and educate yourself. It's a need. 233 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 78 E: So would you tell the customers that? 179 J: I do communicate with the customers, you know, when they say, I tell 180 them to call the customer service line, "But they don't have anyone who 1 81 speaks Spanish." I have to approach it in a tactful manner, 'cause they turn 182 back and say, "Well, you're Hispanic, you should be on my side." The 183 way I look at it, to really learn languages is a need, a desire to leam it. 184 Understanding the older people are going to have a tougher time learning 185 it than the younger people. 186 E: Do the bilingual tellers or bilingual employees like you get a bilingual 187 bonus? 188 J: No, there's no special pay for jobs like this. It’ s just a useful tool that 189 makes our life a little easier for day-to-day contact. Otherwise, there is 1 90 nothing. 1 9 1 E: 'Cause I know that state and county employees get bilingual bonuses if 192 they use a language. 193 J: I imagine they are placed in a position where the language skill is 194 required. 234 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Second Interview with T.inria, Teller 1 E: So, when you applied for this job, was there any type of written notice or 2 advertisement that said that they wanted a bilingual teller? 3 L: No, when I applied for the bank, what they make you do is you fill out 4 the application and you can designate the areas that you'd prefer. I 5 designated the Crenshaw district ’ cause that’s where I lived closest to, 6 Wilshire district and downtown. And so I dropped my initial application 7 off at the Crenshaw office and they sent it to the personnel department. 8 And then you go through the test and then they send your application out 9 to different branches and whoever needs you, then they'll tell them, 10 "We'd like to interview this person." So this branch needed someone at 1 1 this time and they could work with my hours, my schedule. So I came 12 here and I interviewed, but they didn't have any problems with the fact 1 3 that I wasn't Hispanic and the fact that I spoke very little Spanish. Now I 14 know enough Spanish to get me thorough the transaction, 'cause that 15 wasn't a really big problem. But it is at times, frustrating, ’ cause I can talk 16 to the clients in Spanish and they still look at me like I'm crazy. I'm like, 17 "You idiot, I just spoke to you in your own language, you know." But no, 18 there was no specific qualifications for it and as you can see, we have 19 another new teller, Samantha, and she knows less Spanish than I know. 20 E: You haven't seen at the bank, there’s no classification for bilingual 21 teller? 22 L: No, I know like in service things, like teleservicing. They wanted 23 someone who, that spoke Spanish, but they’ re not just, they won't hire you 24 because you don’t speak Spanish, but they prefer someone. 'Cause I think 25 teleservice is set up so that when a customer calls, they can either be placed 26 to English or Spanish because we have here in Los Angeles such a high 27 impact of Hispanic clientele. I think the Hispanic population is growing 28 faster than any other population and so that's the reason there's such a 29 need for someplace for them to call. A lot of them cannot speak English, 30 but pretty much, you know, if they have other divisions you can go into. 235 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 31 E: Do the tellers have a quota of customers they're supposed to serve every 32 hour? 33 L: No, none of us have one, if there is one. I ain't never known about it 34 ’cause like, if there was, we'd be in trouble, cause this past week, we've 35 been real, real slow. At times, it's like let's take a nap. I don't know, it's just 36 strange. I don't know if it's the weather. It's just gotten slow. 'Cause we're 37 used to having our clients all the way back to the door and sometimes all 38 the way around. That's the reason it's just like, "Where're the clients at." 39 I'm so used to that, you look up and see all of these people, but to a certain 40 point, I'm not going to knock this. 41 E: Do you think that your interactions take the same amount of time with 42 clients that interactions in other branches take? 43 L: I'd say about the same. It's just that with ours, ours may take just a tad bit 44 longer because most of the clients who come in here, we see them almost 45 every week or every other week to where we know them. To where we 46 may, it may take a little bit longer, 'cause they're saying something to us 47 and we might be answering questions and we might have a slight 48 discussion on that, 'cause we do know most of our clientele. The majority 49 of people who come to this branch come here because most of the people in 50 this branch speak Spanish. That's the one big thing about this branch. 51 People come here because they speak Spanish and so we see the same 52 customers over and over, week by week. You get to know 'em by face and 53 name and when you see somebody new, it's like I don't know that one. It's 54 just kind of a thing to where we know most of the people. Now in the 55 vault, the vault takes a long time cause Ricardo knows almost all of our 56 customers, and it's like, "Shut up, Ricardo." You'll be standing there with 57 him, and you’ re like, "Shut up, Ricardo, give me my money." But I think 58 pretty much on the average, we’re the same as, the only difference 59 between us and a lot of branches is, I don't think it's a case of racism. It's 60 just a....Have you ever been to certain areas where the banks are different? 61 Like I went to Glendale Main, I mean that is one nice bank. I mean that 62 bank is nice. There’ s a lot of other banks that is really nice. 63 E: What do you mean by nice? 236 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 64 L: Well, what I mean by that, is they have, the decor is nicer. This branch 65 to me is just kinda plain. It's just plain Jane. I'm like, "Can we get some 66 pictures here, can we?" The plants that they have are okay, but they need 67 to have....This back wall here’s kind of plain. It could use a little life to it 68 and I think they could add small little details to give it more pizzazz. 69 'Cause with them, with a lot of the branches, they have litde pens where 70 they're like stuck on the thing, for when customers come in, they're pens. 71 Pens disappear really quickly, even if you have it attached to the thing 72 when you....They have theirs stuck on real nice and the whole decor is a 73 lot nicer. I think they could change. They could start by putting some 74 pictures on the back wall or something 'cause that is depressing. I look at 75 this stupid wall all the time. 76 E: Why do you think this branch is not as nice? 77 L: I think it’ s due to, how to put this, due to the area. I mean, realistically, 78 we're talking Glendale compared to Pico/Vermont. We're talking two 79 different income brackets is what it. Glendale, most of the clientele is 80 more upper scale, upper scale you know salary range, where most of the 81 people here are at the lower range, so it's just like department stores. In a 82 nicer neighborhood, they have, like the Beverly Center. Compare the 83 Beverly Center to the Crenshaw Center. You know Crenshaw, it's just the 84 area that it's in. But I think they could start by putting something on that 85 back wall. They could have the section, you know, the nice pens there. I 86 think they could have, you know, where the big stuff is, you know a 87 whole 'nother section. These are just the little things they could do to 88 make it more presentable compared to other branches. That would be kind 89 of nice. 'Cause did you ever go to like the Beverly Center? Compare it to 90 the Fox Hills Mall. There's a big difference between the two. It's like a 91 whole lot of difference because of the neighborhood. 92 E: A lot of people have mentioned that the bank's number one concern is 93 quality customer service. What does "quality customer service" mean to 94 you? 95 L: For me, I try to, quality customer service is trying to give that customer 96 the best service that I can. For me, in my personal experience, I used to 97 work for the May Co. and they had what they call Mystery Shoppers. I got 237 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 98 that twice. The first time I got Mystery Shopper, I did fine. The second 99 time, well. I just try to do all I can for the customer, make sure I get all of 100 their needs. It's hard for me in my customer service because most of the 1 01 clients do not know what I am talking about, 'cause it's like you know, 102 they look at me like okay. I'll be like, "That's okay, that's okay." Because 103 they don't, they don't understand you know, what I'm trying to say to 104 them, because it gets irritating for me to keep having to ask this person or 105 that person to come in and interpret for me. So that sometimes, I just let it 106 go and that's just like, not trying to be funny, but I think some of our 107 clients would be willing to open an account with one of our other tellers 108 more than they would with me because, like I said, they can understand 109 them a little bit more. So customer service just means giving the customer 110 the best service I can. Trying to do all the transactions for them in a 111 timely fashion. 'Cause I know I don’t like to stand in line, 'cause I know I 112 get grouchy myself. 113 E: You mentioned about getting someone to translate for you. Is there like a 114 policy of that about who you're supposed to go to if you need someone? 115 L: No, I can go to anyone, well not anyone 'cause like Barbara, she can't 116 speak Spanish either. Anybody that is free and available to translate for 117 me, but like I said, unless it's like a major thing for the transaction and I'm 118 working 'em, if it's just asking them if they have a Visa or do they have 119 savings overdraft protection, sometimes I don't even worry about it. It's 1 20 like, I'm not even going to worry about it. It’s not a major thing to where, it 121 would help my :?les, yes. But as far as the overall transaction, if I can get 122 through that, I'm cool. If they're making a deposit, withdrawal, now, if 123 there's something they want to know and I can’t relate to it, I'll call 1 24 somebody. But other than that, I’ ll be like, forget it. It's like, okay. Thank 125 you, go on. 126 E: How does it work, you're standing here and you have Jaime on one side 127 and Maria on the other side and they're both busy and three people down, 128 you have Pablo and he’ s free. 129 L: I would either call Pablo or I would call like Debbie or Socorro. I would 1 30 call either if it wasn't a hassle to get to Pablo to come to interpret, or I would 131 probably get one of the managers to come, or sometimes I'll wait 'til those 238 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 132 two are done with their transactions, like, "Whichever one of you gets 133 done first, I need you." But you know, it's hard here. Like I said, I can't 1 34 talk to a lot of the clients, it’ s like, it'll give you a headache to talk to these 135 clients. 136 E: You mentioned that there are some problems with illiteracy. You 137 specifically mentioned that you had written down the numbers. 138 L: I can write it down and the customers still get it wrong. 1 39 E: Are you talking about writing down like one dollar, like you'd put on a 140 check? 141 L: Yeah, I will write it down and they still mess up on it. I'm like, "You 142 can write it in Spanish" and they still, it's like "Lordy, somebody help me." 143 'Cause a lot of the clients come from Central America and most of them 144 didn't go to school and they come here. We've had clients who've been 145 here for years, I mean years, and you would think after all the years. 146 "You've been here how many years and you still can't speak English." 147 'Cause a lot of them, they come here and they don’ t take any classes and 148 learn how to speak English. I met one lady, an old lady who had been 149 here like 18 years. She still couldn't speak English good. She could speak 150 English, but not very well, but I'll give her credit. She was taking a class at 151 City College to leam English. And I credit her 'cause I say, "Well at least 152 she's learning." A lot of them are not even learning how to. It's good that 153 if I hadn't taken some type of Spanish, I would probably be gone out of my 154 mind by now. But if you don't know any Spanish at all, it's hard. It's real 1 55 hard. Just like, I heard at the post office across the street. Most of the people 156 who work in the post office are black so they, most of them cannot speak 157 any Spanish, what they've learned through the years of working there. 158 It's like me, I can recognize certain words. When people say, stampia, 159 they know they want stamps. They recognize certain terms. I've gotten to 1 60 the point where if I hear, I know the key words to look for, but if you don't 161 know, it's hard. It's really hard. I think a lot of customers. I don't know 162 why our customer service rep, the new accounts, why they’ ll open up 163 accounts with people who cannot even write English. I'm like, "Why do 1 64 you get these people to open up a checking account?" I can understand that 165 they want to, that’ s one of our goals to open checking accounts. But if, it 2S9 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 166 does not make sense to me to open checking accounts for a person who 167 does not know how to write in the English language. 'Cause all businesses 168 are not going to take your check written in Spanish. We can do it, 'cause I 169 can understand Spanish. You can talk to me sometimes in Spanish and I 170 know what they're saying. I can’t tell you what I want to say back, but I 1 7 1 can understand it and I can read it quicker than I can say it. If you write it 172 out, then I'm like, "Oh yeah, I know that." But I'll be like, "Why the hell 173 do you open an account when they don't know how to write English?" 174 E: What do you think they should do? 175 L: I think, most of the time, they give them one of those little cards that 176 shows them all the different numbers. They have a lot of cards like that. 177 But some of the clients, they can get through with that Some of the clients 178 can’t even do that. It's like, "Do you have a brain?" and I think they just 179 need to be a little more careful on their judgment, because it causes a 180 problem because a lot of merchants aren't going to take a check that's 1 8 1 written in Spanish. They don't know what it means. I think they need to 182 be cautious of that. And then half the time, they can't balance their 183 checkbook because they don’t have a grasp of the arithmetic. A lot of 184 clients avoid me, I'll call the next client in line and they will not come to 185 me, because they, I've seen a couple where they've gotten over that fear 186 now. They'll usually come to me now 'cause they know I can help them 187 and I fully understand Spanish. I don't speak it, but I can help them to get 188 them through that transaction. It's a trip. I have a lot of clients like those, 189 her English is not perfect, you know, but she can speak English. They're 190 times when she's looking for a word and I know, I can tell from the 1 9 1 conversation what word she's looking for or what she's trying to tell me. 192 At least, I'll give her credit, she's trying. You know what I'm saying. And 193 I think that's the biggest thing about all the different customers who come 194 here. We had one teller. Every time she saw a black person, she got 195 paranoid, because almost all the blacks who come in here on a regular 196 basis we know, because they all work for USPS or we just know them 197 because they work in this area. So whenever she seen a person she didn't 198 recognize, she'd kind of get white. Trust me, all black people do not rob, 1 99 steal and cheat 200 E: Was she Hispanic? 240 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 201 L: Yeah, she was Hispanic. Like if that's the case, "What do you think I 202 am, a thief or something?" You know, I think it's a lot of misconceptions. 203 'Cause it's like, you don't have to be worried each time you see a black 204 person. You don't have to, not all black people are as the media depicts. 205 The media is a big thing. The media separates the races, they really do. 206 The media does not help the races. The media has helped separate our 207 races because like, when the riots broke out, the media only showed the 208 negative side, most of the negativity that went down. After the riots, they 209 did show quite a bit of people going down and trying to clean up, but they 210 could have shown a lot more. The cops is a big problem between, cops is 2 1 1 keeping the communities apart. The black community, you know the 212 gangs have called a truce. Every time the gangs come together, the cops 213 come, and if anything, it's going to cause the gangs to split. If anything, I 214 think it’ s going to cause more conflict between the gangs and the cops 215 'cause it's going to pull them closer together, because like, we can’t get 216 together peacefully as brothers or whatever without the cops harassing us. 217 It's like the community has enough problems without this. But every 218 community has their problems. The Hispanic community, I think, a lot of 219 Hispanics that know English should try, or knows somebody who doesn't, 220 to try to help that person. 'Cause all it's going to do is cause conflict 221 between the races. Like Koreans, I think Koreans... 222 E: What do you mean, help them with their English? 223 L: Help them with their English. Help them to maybe go to certain things, 224 'cause when they come here, you know, a lot of them do not know 225 anything about the country, so you should try to help that person. I'm not 226 a racist person, you know, I can’t say that. I think all of us to a certain 227 point, it's not prejudiced, it’s just, 'cause when we're children we'll play 228 with anybody. But I think we're all prejudiced just a tad bit. We may not 229 even know it, but we're all prejudiced in our own simple right. And I 230 think that, I see there's this one guy who's always out, how you get off the 231 off ramp and he's got this sign telling me he's hungry, he’s homeless. 232 Now, what makes you think I'm going to give you some money when I 233 won't give a black man some money, okay? And you're white. If I'm 234 going to help anyone, I'm going to help a black man sooner than I will 235 you. It’s not trying to be negativity. When Rodney King got beat up, 241 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 236 nobody sat down, ain't no special fund for Rodney King. Reginald Denny 237 got beat up, all of a sudden, there's a fund for Reginald Denny. People 238 sending cards and flowers— Reginald Denny, the poor, poor white boy gets 239 beat up, everybody has sympathy. In this neighborhood, I've had clients 240 tell me, they need to have a Hispanic person here, because I think this 241 branch has been predominantly Mexican/Hispanic for such a long time, 242 that when I came, they could spot me anywhere. Like, "There she go." 243 "How did you know that’s her?" "She's got the year-round suntan." So I 244 think a lot of them, they’ re not frightened, but a lot of them it's strange to 245 see a black person. 'Cause this is a predominantly Mexican neighborhood, 246 most of the people who live in this area is Mexican. 247 E: I wanted to ask you, what would be the best way for people coming here 248 from Central America or wherever to leam English? 249 L: I think what they should try to do, I mean, it’ s a problem, you know 250 what I'm saying. I think they need to have some type of thing in the 251 community, someone, some type of, 'cause most of them are working. 252 That's the reason a lot of them cannot attend school, but they need to have 253 it set up to where at least somebody in the family can leam English. They 254 should maybe have courses English maybe, not in school, but someone 255 who knows Spanish, bilingual should teach maybe a class or help the 256 neighborhood out. I think what all of LA needs is that community feeling 257 again. That's the biggest thing. A lot of people, they come here, is because 258 this is a community thing. They know when they come here that they're 259 going to see Jaime. They know they're going to see the different tellers 260 and if nothing else, they know that someone here is going to speak 261 Spanish to them. They know that "Go to this bank'cause they’ re going to 262 speak Spanish." A lot of them have accounts at different branches. You 263 live in this area. A lot of them live in different places and come here 264 because of the Spanish. So I think somebody from the community needs 265 to help their own community. All the communities need to try to help 266 themselves before we can all come together 'cause there's too much 267 conflict in the different communities and then we could all get along. 268 E: Debbie mentioned that there's a glossary or a dictionary of English and 269 Spanish banking terms. 242 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 270 L: We do. I would really like to know where it is. We do. You're telling 271 me something new. 272 E: 'Cause I was going to ask you if you had to study it and she made you 273 take a test on it. 274 L: No, I got back into some of my Spanish. I had bought this book and you 275 know it helped me get back into some of my Spanish. I just looked at the 276 section that dealt with banking and past that, I didn't care. 277 E: Is it like one of those litde teeny books you buy in a bookstore? 278 L: Yeah, I'm going through the banking transactions and it's like, "That's 279 that, that's that." But past that, I don't care. But to my knowledge, if there's 280 one, I haven't seen it. 281 E: So, did you ever ask Debbie, or did anyone ever come to you and say, 282 you need to know this and this term? 283 L: No, they told me I should familiarize myself with some of the basic 284 banking terms, some of the basic stuff, "They want cash." But as far as 285 saying, "These are the terms and there’s a book," no. If there is, I don't 286 know about it. 287 E: And no one wrote them down. We were talking about, before, what 288 language most of the employees use with each other. 289 L: Spanish. 290 E: Why? Why do they speak Spanish with each other? 291 L: I think it's just their first nature. I don't think they mean any harm, 292 even with me. But sometimes it's just so common to speak Spanish to 293 where I've gotten to the habit to where I, from client to client, every client 294 that comes up to me, I have a tendency to start speaking Spanish. I had to 295 catch myself and say, "No, English, English." Because you say it so 296 many times, you do it so much. So I don't think it's a case of, you just talk 297 and that's the first thing that comes to mind, into your head. 243 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 298 E: What about with the supervisors, like Jaime and Debbie? 299 L: English. The majority of the time, they speak English to the tellers and 300 between each other, they speak English because like, Barbara, Barbara 301 cannot speak Spanish. Socorro may speak to someone else in Spanish, you 302 know, but most of the time, they will speak in English even to the other 303 tellers. 304 E: Why? 305 L: I don't know why that is. Well, I know that even though Debbie can 306 speak Spanish, Debbie is not that domesticated I think in Spanish. It's not 307 like her first language. She, we had a girl Alana. Alana could speak 308 Spanish, but she could not read it. I can read but I can't speak it and it's 309 like, we're just opposites. So with Debbie, I think it's easier for Debbie to 310 speak in English than it is for her to speak in Spanish 'cause I know, by the 311 look on her face, sometimes she has to think for a second like, "What is 312 the term for this?" I think that's the reason Debbie speaks i t Plus, I think 313 they've been in the business world for so long, to where most of their 314 transactions require them to speak English, so that I think now it's second 315 nature to them. I think that after you do something for so long, it comes 31 6 second nature to us. 317 E: A lot of people, in the interviews, have used the word culture. What does 318 "culture" mean? 319 L: I think every, every race, there's something that's different about it. The 320 Hispanic, they have certain outfits they wear, different styles, certain 321 dances that's just part of their culture. You know, they have certain dances, 322 certain food, when you think of tacos, burritos, you think of Mexican food. 323 If you see the dresses, all the ruffles, the mariachi bands, the music. 324 Whatever they're playing, you think of that as a Mexican culture. When 325 you think of black, you think of hip-hop, you think of rap, certain fashions, 326 certain haircuts, you know. Now the white culture, that's a hard one 327 'cause they're so diverse. The black culture, like I said, you see the 328 African prints, certain prints, it’s like, that's an African print It's just the 244 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 329 different things that separate us like clothing, hair, how we wear our hair 330 and stuff like that. I think that’s one of the ways we describe culture. 331 E: How do you see language and culture related? Are they related? 332 L: They’ re related. You know, every culture has its own type of language. 333 Hispanics have their language, blacks have their language, 'cause they're 334 some things you can say that blacks will say, "What are you talking 335 about?" When I was in high school, me and some of the girls, we lived 336 down in the 'hood and some other black girls, they lived up in the hills. 337 They didn't associate with us. So they decided to start associating with us 338 and we would be talking and they didn't know what we were talking 339 about and we would be like, "This means this and that means that." For 340 them, it was totally different ’cause they had never lived down with us 341 black folks. So I think every culture has their own language. Blacks have 342 their own language. I think anybody can leam it. I know this one guy, 343 he was Hispanic and you would think he was black. He grew up in an all- 344 black neighborhood; he ate the same thing black people ate. At the time, 345 curls were in, he had a curl just like a black person. He talked like a black 346 person; he act, everything just like a black person. You would not know he 347 wasn't black. I know a lot of white guys, the same way, when I was going 348 to Kennedy High. They were just as black as I was, I said, "You all just 349 have a lighter suntan." No, but I think it can be learned by anyone. I 350 think it's not that hard with black, 'cause still it's within the English 351 language. With Hispanics, it's a whole different thing, so it's a little bit 352 harder. 353 E: Do you know, do the Spanish-speaking tellers get paid more? 354 L: I don't think so, I don't know. 355 E: What is your biggest concern about language at this bank? 356 L: I think due to the fact that we're using so much Spanish that our clients 357 will never really leam any English. 358 E: Can you think of anything else you want to tell me about language and 359 the bank? 245 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 360 L: No, just that everyday it’ s interesting. I mean, every day, I think it’s 361 something different. 'Cause every day I'm going to have some clients 362 who understand me and I'll pick up a new word. And some clients, I can 363 tell them what this means and they can tell me what that means. I'll be 364 counting money and I can't figure out what the number is and they'll help 365 me out with it, they'll help me out. It's interesting. 246 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Second Interview with Maria, Teller 1 E: Okay, when you applied for this job, did they tell you it was for a 2 bilingual teller? 3 M: No. 4 E: Did they ask you what languages you spoke? 5 M: Sometimes they know where you come from, what kind of language 6 you speak. 7 E: Do you think all the tellers should be bilingual? 8 M: Uh, I think everybody's bilingual. 9 E: But, Linda and Barbara aren't. 10 M: Samantha is. Linda is a little less than Samantha, I think. 1 1 E: Do you think the bank should only hire tellers who speak two 12 languages? 13 M: No, I don't think so, just if you're qualified. 14 E: If the bank offered you this same position in a bank where you wouldn't 15 speak Spanish, would you take that? 16 M: That's okay. 17 E: A lot of you have mentioned to me that the bank's number one concern 18 is providing "quality customer service"? What does "quality customer 19 service" mean to you? 20 M: The customer satisfies with our service. 21 E: Does that mean doing anything in particular? 247 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 22 M: Just that the customer is happy with our service. 23 E: Is there an issue with illiteracy of customers? 24 M: We don't have many customers who doesn't read or write, even in 25 Spanish. We don’ t have. But if the customer doesn't know anything in 26 Spanish or English, we just send to the customer service desk. 27 E: What language do most of the employees use with each other? 28 M: Well, when we are out to lunch or something, we speak Spanish. But in 29 our work, we have to speak in English,. 30 E: Why do you say have to? 3 1 M: Because we have to express some, like Barbara, she doesn't know any 32 single word in Spanish. And sometimes someone, she will come along 33 and they will have to know what we are talking about. 34 E: But what about if you were speaking to Jaime or Debbie, yeah, Debbie 35 speaks Spanish? 36 M: Yeah, but, it's just natural with us, speaking English, when they want to 37 know about the customer. 38 E: So, what language do the managers use with the employees? 39 M: All the time, in English, because we have a few persons who only 40 know a few words in Spanish. 41 E: A lot of people have used the word culture when they've spoken with 42 me. When you use the word culture, what does it mean to you? 43 M: Where we come from, the way we react to some things, like food, how 44 to express yourself maybe. 45 E: What about, how are language and culture related, or are they? 248 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 46 M: I think the way you use your language depends on your culture. You 47 express better or bad. 48 E: What do you mean better or bad? 49 M: Like in Spanish, we have slang. Sometimes, in some cultures, it's bad, 50 but not in other cultures; it's okay. You have to take care what you say. 51 E: Okay, do you have any children? 52 M: Two. 53 E: You brought them up in your household speaking Spanish or English? 54 M: Uh, we speak Spanish all the time. 55 E: Your husband is also Spanish-speaking. Are they in school yet? 56 M: My son is in the 6th grade already, and my daughter is going to the 57 second level now. 58 E: So they were in bilingual education classes? 59 M: Mm-hmm. I would like that they going all the time in English, but 60 they try to teach you first in your culture and after English. But I prefer 6 1 English first and then Spanish, because we are in America. 62 E: You didn't have a choice. 63 M: Yes, they just tested the children and how they doing and then put on 64 the level they are. 65 E: Is your children's English good? 66 M: Sometimes they kind of use Spanglish. My daughter, she likes more 67 English than Spanish. 68 E:Why? 249 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 69 M: I don't know, she just. But I say to her, if you want to express yourself to 70 me, either way, you have to do it in one language. 71 E: At one time. How do you think someone learns a second language? 72 M: How? 'Cause there's a lot of cultures around here. It's for the business. 73 It's good for the business. As long as you have the cultures, you have the 74 people who can translate. 75 E: How does one leam a second language? 76 M: How? Well, when you go to school, you just leam. Some people after 77 four years, they understand every word you say. Some others, it's just 78 like, home language, it's just natural for you. I think it depends on the 79 person, I think. 80 E: Do the bilingual tellers get paid extra? 8 1 M: No, it's the same rate I think. 82 E: Are you happy with that? 83 M: Yeah, because, it's my job. 84 E: If someone, like the president of the company came here and said, 85 "Miriam, there are a lot of different cultures and languages in this bank, 86 what could we do that would make it better with all the different 87 languages?" 88 M: I don't know. 89 E: Do you think it's good that they have so many Spanish-speaking tellers? 90 M: It's good for the customers. It’ s okay. It depends on the branches. If in 9 1 Koreatown, it would be better for the branch to have more Korean people 92 than Spanish people, so they can express themselves. 250 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 93 E: Someone mentioned that there's a glossary of banking terms in Spanish 94 and English. 95 M: No, I haven't seen that one. 96 E: Since you've been working here, what have you learned about the 97 Korean cultures or the African-American cultures? 98 M: They eat different kind of foods. They think different, like people from 99 not India, but like India, the woman doesn't have the right to express 100 herself. I mean it's different. Like the Musselman [Muslim], the man has 101 the right to decide everything. They cannot express themselves. 102 E: And your culture is not like that? 103 M: A little bit but we have to decide half and half. 104 E: Do you have anything else you’ d like to say? 105 M: No, we have to express ourselves in English, because we're in America 106 and how do you say, the priority language is English. And we have to 107 express ourselves in English because a lot of people don't know any single 108 word in another language in this country. The priority language is 109 English: we have to express ourselves in English. It doesn't matter where 110 you come from. It's the only way we can talk to each other. It just 111 depends. If you have someone who speaks Spanish and it's comfortable for 112 you to speak Spanish, you can do it. But if the person doesn't know any 113 single word, you have to express yourself in the priority language. This is 114 the way I think. 251 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Second Interview with Pablo, Teller 1 E: When you were hired for this job, was speaking Spanish part of the job 2 description? 3 P: No. Usually when I look in the classifieds, it'll say at the bottom, 4 Spanish and English preferred, but I haven't seen that for the bank. 5 E: Do you tellers have a quota of customers you're supposed to get through 6 in an hour or anything? 7 P: They're supposed to wait five minutes in line. No quota for us. I believe 8 the time they’ re supposed to be with you when you're helping them is also 9 five minutes. 10 E: Do you think it normally takes you five minutes or is it longer with 1 1 your customers? 1 2 P: Some transactions it does; some it doesn't. Cashiers checks take longer. 1 3 You give us $3000; we have to fill out a report, so these take longer. If they 14 don't come ready with their papers filled out, sometimes it does take a little 15 bit longer. 16 E: If the bank offered you this same position in a different branch where 17 there were no Spanish-speaking customers, would you take it? 1 8 P: Yes, I would. 19 E: Why? 20 P: I just want to get out of here. It's not the people who come here, it's 21 something else. I would go somewhere else. It doesn’t matter if they 22 speak English, Spanish, Korean, I don't care, but I'd like to go somewhere 23 else. 24 E: Is it like a personal conflict you have with somebody? 252 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25 P: No, it's, I just don't like management. You have to know them. If they 26 like you, they'll put you in a position that's better than others. 27 E: Are you talking about Jaime? 28 P: He's nice. He's recently been here, so I don't know the way he is. He 29 seems like a nice guy. Them over there, they're pretty crazy. 30 E: Would it bother you that you didn't get to speak Spanish anymore? 3 1 P: No. 32 E: A lot of you have mentioned that the bank's first concern is giving 33 quality customer service. What does "quality customer service" mean? 34 P: Helping the client any way we can as much as possible. Do everything 35 correctly in a good manner, not yelling at the customer. Not messing up 36 on the deposit slips, so that they don't have to come back, "I'm missing $100 37 here." 38 E: So speaking Spanish with them is pretty important? 39 P: Yes. 40 E: I remember you specifically mentioned that you had problems with 41 customers who were illiterate. Can you give me examples of that? 42 P: Well, there was this Korean. He came in last week. And we didn't 43 understand each other 'cause he gave me a check. And I said, 'You want 44 to cash it?" He said, ’ Yes." I said, "Do you want to deposit it?" He said, 45 ’ Yes." So I brought out cash and said, "Do you want this?" and I brought out 46 a deposit slip and said, "Or this?" He pointed at the cash, so I figured he 47 wanted to cash it, so I made him sign the back, told him to sign it and then 48 I asked him, "What do you want, twenties, hundreds, fifties?" and he goes, 49 "Yes" to each one. So I brought out everything, ones, fifties, twenties and 50 said, "What do you want?" He said, "I want those," so I gave him 51 hundreds. Yeah, sometimes, it's hard. 253 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 52 E: Ten or Sun wasn't there. 53 P: They weren’t there. She was off on Saturday and she was out to lunch. 54 Well, we got it straightened out even though it took five or ten minutes. 55 E: Well, how much literacy do you think customers need to be able to 56 function in the bank? 57 P: Not that much. I mean, little kids know name and address, cash. 58 E: Now, we talked a little bit about what language the employees use with 59 each other. Which language do you think most employees use with each 60 other, not with management? 61 P: Spanish. 62 E: Why? 63 P: Most of them here were bom in the countries. English is their second 64 language. 65 E: So who was born here and who was born in a Spanish-speaking 66 country? 67 P: Marta and Griselda, Angelica, Monica, Ricardo, Maria, Heli, Jaime. 68 E: And bom here? 69 P: Me, Julie, Barbara and Debbie and Raul. I'm not sure about Socorro, the 70 Hispanic supervisor. 71 E: And what about when the managers and the employees speak, what 72 language do they use? 73 P; Usually English. 74 E: And why’s that? 254 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 75 P: Well, Barbara, she doesn't know Spanish. And Debbie usually speaks to 76 us in English always. Only when she has to speak to a customer in 77 Spanish will she speak Spanish. 78 E: Why’s that? 79 P: I don't know. I don't think she likes to use it. Don't tell her that. I don't 80 think she likes to use it. ’ Cause when I started here, she would look at us 81 weird 'cause we would talk Spanish, you know. You could see it in her 82 face, her expression when you talk to her, she doesn't like it. "Speak to me 83 in English." 84 E: She said that? 85 P: Yeah, she said that a couple times to us and some other people. 86 E: Does Jaime use English all the time? 87 P: No, he speaks Spanish and English like 50/50. 88 E: A lot of the people that I've interviewed have used the word culture. 89 When you say the word, "culture," what's the definition you're thinking 90 of? 91 P: Different traits, like the way they dress. Different beliefs, that's what I 92 believe culture is. 93 E: How do you think language and culture are related? 94 P: I really don't know how they're related. That's a difficult question. 95 E: Do you think that language is an important part of culture or are they 96 separate? 97 P: I guess what if English was just everywhere. Everyone in the different 98 parts of the world would still have their own beliefs and stuff like that 255 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 99 E: Do you think you would feel like a Hispanic if you knew your culture 100 but spoke English? 101 P: I don't think it would matter. If you know your culture and background, 102 I don't think it would matter too much. Except in talking to your own 103 people, like if they spoke only Spanish. 104 E: How do you feel about bilingual education? Did you participate in 105 bilingual education when you were young? 106 P: I took Spanish in high school. 107 E: But not when you were litde? Did they have a bilingual education 108 program when you started school? 109 P: No, I went through school just English. 110 E: How did that work in kindergarten when all of a sudden everyone was III speaking just English to you? 112 P: I don't know, but it worked. I went to a private school so when I was 113 there, there was a litde bit of students, not as many as at the public schools. 114 E: How do you think somebody learns a second language? 115 P: How? You have to remember all these words. If you don't know any 116 Spanish and you go to Spanish 1, but if you don't use it outside, you'll 117 forget You have to use it. 118 E: So it's remembering and using. 119 E: Do you get a bilingual bonus for speaking Spanish? 120 P: No. 121 E: Have you ever heard of anyone getting one? 256 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 22 P: I know that a lot of state and federal people do. Like I have a friend who's 1 23 a cop and he gets like $300 extra for being bilingual. 1 24 E: $300 extra. 125 P: A month. 126 E: A month? 127 P: For speaking Spanish. But you have to pass a test, reading and writing. 128 E: But you think you could pass it? 129 P: I think so, 'cause I know how to read it. Now that I’ ve taken Spanish 130 classes, I know how to read. Before, I just spoke. 1 3 1 E: What's your biggest concern about language use in the bank? 132 P: My biggest concern? 133 E: How do you think the bank could improve in using languages? 134 P: Depending on the area, they could put marketing stuff up there, 135 advertising in Spanish and English or Korean or whatever. Whatever 1 36 language they speak, put advertisements up. 'Cause we never used to have 137 a sign up there, the sign that says "New accounts, sign in." Everybody was 138 like, "Go over there, sign in." They'd be looking around. We had an 139 English one before. And nobody knew what the sign meant. Now that it's 140 in Spanish they know. 1 4 1 E: I guess there's a glossary, Debbie mentioned like a dictionary of English 142 and Spanish banking terms? 143 P: I've never seen it. 144 E: You don't have a list of like, checking account, and what it is in Spanish. 145 P: I don't. They never showed us that 257 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 146 E: Since you've been working here, what have you learned about the 147 Korean culture or the African-American culture? 1 48 P: Food, there's a lot of Korean places around here. Teri’ ll grab me to go out 1 49 to eat. I know a little bit of Korean and what it is, a litde bit. 150 E: You mean the Korean language? 151 P: Yeah, the Korean language. Culture, she really doesn't know that 152 much, so I really don't know. The African-American girls here, I don't 153 know. We talk, but we don't talk about culture. They're just the same. 1 54 They were bom here, so they probably wouldn't know. 155 E: How did the bank handle after the riots? Did you guys get any kind of 156 debriefing about it? Did the bank talk to you, set up a workshop or 157 anything? 158 P: No, they just talked to everybody saying, if anything like this were to 159 happen, just close up. That’ s all, they never told us. 160 E: They didn't have a workshop on "look at all these different people, 161 they're not getting along?" 162 P: No. 163 E: What do you feel about the hirings and promotions in the bank? 164 Would they have to have a Spanish-speaking manager or supervisor in the 165 bank? 166 P: I think so, 'cause if there's a problem, you know, to be resolved, they're 1 67 the only people who can do it, to deal with a Hispanic client, which almost 168 99% of them are. If they can't, they’ re going to be stuck. If the customer 169 can't get through to the teller, they're going to want to talk to the manager. 1 70 So they do need Spanish-speaking people. 171 E: How do you feel when someone asks you to translate? 1 72 P: It doesn't bother me. 258 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 73 E: You don't have to stop what you’ re doing and go over... 174 P: We're supposed to finish what we're doing with the client. 1 75 E: Did Debbie set up that policy? 259 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Second Interview with Raul, Teller 1 E: Do the tellers have a quota of customers you’ re supposed to see every 2 hour or something like that? 3 R: Yeah, the only thing it comes down to is a customer every 5 minutes. 4 You have to be done with a customer every 5 minutes. They appear at your 5 window and the transaction has to be done in 5 minutes. 6 E: Do they have anyone like at McDonald's time you? 7 R: No, but it’s all computerized, so at the end of the day you know how 8 many people you did, how many double transactions you did. Like let's 9 say you did 98 people, 98 people came to the window. But how many 10 transactions were there, that could rise to like 107, ’ cause some of them 11 might have had like two things to do. 12 E: Do you think you normally take 5 minutes here or is it longer or 13 shorter? 14 R: Personally, I think I beat it. I know I do that. If you like, break that 15 down into an hour, that would be 12 people, so I'm pretty sure I do more 16 than that. 17 E: I wanted to ask you if the bank offered you this same position in a bank 18 where you wouldn't have the opportunity to speak Spanish, would you take 19 it? 20 R: Oh, definitely, I wouldn't have any gripes about whether I’ d have to be 21 bilingual all the time or speak in one single language all the time. That 22 wouldn’t make a difference for me personally. 23 The only thing that I can add on to that, is that, uh, I think it helps me 24 practice my Spanish more, 'cause I don't use it much. 25 E: Okay, so you were bom here, which do you consider your stronger 26 language? 260 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 27 R: Well, that's hard to say, 'cause when I was coming up, I'd say Spanish 28 was prelevant, what's the word? 29 E: Prevalent. 30 R: So, yeah, but, after about 1st grade in the public system, 'cause back then, 31 they were teaching you in your native language like 72-74, kindergarten 32 had both Spanish classes and English classes. So then, once I was out of 33 that system, I went to like a Catholic school in 4th grade and then I started 34 learning English more. But before that, the first two years, kindergarten 35 and 1st grade, I was speaking Spanish most of the time in school. And 36 then after that, I was able to pick up the English. 37 E: Do you speak English mostly? When you're not at work, what 38 language do you speak most? 39 R: When I don't talk to my parents, it's English. 40 E: Some people have mentioned that the bank's number one concern is 41 giving "quality customer service." What does "quality customer service" 42 mean to you? 43 R: You don't get the customers pissed off. I'm just joking. Try to do their 44 transactions as fast as possible, as conveniendy as possible. And the reason 45 I say pissed off is, sometimes, they'll have a problem with their checks or 46 they'll have a problem doing their paperwork, especially here. You try to 47 teach them, "This is how you do it." They're accustomed to doing things a 48 certain way and they don't want to change. So you've got to be careful, 49 "You need to do this because you can save so much time for you, 50 personally, and for us, and you have to meet us half way." That's basically 51 what I try to tell them. You have to meet us half way. If you have trouble 52 writing it, then take some pieces of paper, some slips, so you can write ’ em 53 at home, so when you come here, you're somewhat prepared, instead of 54 having to do the whole stuff here. 55 E: Is literacy of customers an issue that you have to deal with? 261 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 56 R: I would say so 'cause some of them can't write. Even in their native 57 language, I have to write out the word for them on a separate sheet of paper. 58 This is how you have to write it out Yeah, I see it, but I don't see it too 59 much. Twice, maybe once a week maybe, I have to write, maybe one 60 person out of maybe 600 I have to deal with in a week. Maybe just one 61 person, I need to spell it out because maybe they don't know that this goes 62 in front of this, but uh, not much, I wouldn't say so, 1 out of 600, that's not 63 even 10%, maybe 2%. 64 E: We were talking about what language most of the employees use here? 65 What do you think? 66 R: It has to be English. 67 E: Why is that? It sounds like a stupid question, but...according to what 68 Pablo told me, a lot of people were bom in Spanish-speaking countries, but... 69 R: Who's Pablo? Oh, Paul, Paul. What was he saying? 70 E: He was telling me that most of the people were bom in Spanish-speaking 71 countries and so he's wondering why they don’t just use Spanish with 72 each other. 73 R: Well, that's a hard one. There's really only one person that I talk 74 Spanish to consistently when we're not on the line working, and even 75 when we're on the line, well maybe that's two. One of them's kind of on 76 sick leave or whatever now. Two persons 'cause I think they understand 77 me better in Spanish and I would understand them better in Spanish, so 2 78 out of what 12,14 people. I don't know, it's kind of hard to say. It depends 79 on the person. It depends, so about 2 people. Most of the time, I speak 80 English with everybody else, there's Monica over there who knows both of 81 them, and Griselda. It depends. There's no scientific way of determining 82 it, like if a thought comes to my head and I blurt it out in Spanish, it's like I 83 didn't think about it. 84 E: So what about like, you'll be talking to a customer in Spanish, and then 85 you immediately turn to a co-worker and talk to them in English. That to 86 me, seems a litde strange. 262 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 87 R: If the person only understands English, that would make sense. 88 E: But if you had the choice of speaking Spanish or English... 89 R: I think if I had the choice, if I was caught up in Spanish at the time, I 90 would probably go into Spanish unless the person, yeah, unless the person 91 wasn't knowledgeable in Spanish or I think their Spanish sucks and they 92 wouldn't understand, so then I'd go into English. 93 E: Who's Spanish sucks? 94 R: I won't say. 95 E: So what language do the managers use with the employees? 96 R: English. 97 98 E: Why is that? 99 R: Because there's some people who don't understand Spanish and they're 100 going to have to go into English and that's still hard to determine. I mean, 101 I would think, like because we're like in a American society and we're 102 brought up in LA, most of us, they would address us in English. I think 103 that's more of like a social kind of thing, a social phenomenon. 104 E: Okay, um, a lot of people have used the word culture when they've been 105 talking to me, different cultures, and it just seems to me that people are 106 using it in a lot of different ways. I was just wondering what you think the 107 definition of culture is? 108 R: Culture, well, culture, I think it has a lot to do, well... 109 E: If you had to write a dictionary, what would be your dictionary 110 definition? Think about that a while, I’ ll come back to it...So you told me 111 that, when you were in kindergarten, you were in a bilingual program, 112 how do you feel about bilingual education, in general? 263 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 113 R: In general? I think it's positive. I don't see anything wrong with it. If 114 you were like of German descent and your parents said, "I want you to 115 learn it" or whatever, I don't see anything wrong with it. I don’t 116 necessarily think the whole school system has to pay the costs of to do so 117 or it could, I don’t see a problem with it. As long as it's, it leads to a 118 mainstream, it leads into integrating other people into the culture you live 119 in. If I have to define culture then, I think it’s the society that you live in, 120 the society that you have learned of and the society that you learn to adapt 121 to while holding on to some kind of an ancestry, some kind of roots and 122 appreciating both. In my case, I'd appreciate both cultures, because I have 123 one that's inherited, I suppose from my parents, and then one that I exist 124 in. If I was an Anglo, I'd be honoring the red, white and blue, Fourth of 125 July, Memorial Day, all that stuff and I do, concerning that, but then I have 126 a whole other set of beliefs, creeds, festivities, I suppose. 127 E: How do you think language and culture are related? O r are they 128 related? 129 R: Well, obviously, they're related. If you can’t communicate, how can 130 you exist. Even uh, if young people can't speak, they have to communicate 131 in one way or another, right? They have to use sign language. 132 E: Could you, would you consider yourself Hispanic if you didn't speak 133 Spanish? 134 R: That's an interesting point. I'd have to look at my surname and yeah, 135 definitely, there's no way. Unless I took myself out of existence, Joe 136 Smith, or something like that. Changed my name, changed my value 137 system. Got something else that’ s part of me, but take it as a whole. 138 E: How do you think someone learns a second language? 139 R: That's a pretty dumb question. Exposure. Exposure to, I'm exposed to my 140 parent's language as a kid, so then you obviously have to integrate it, have 141 to learn it, have to use it and then, since I was born here, when I turn on 142 the TV set, the radio, this and that, I obviously have to listen, start to 143 formulate. I don't know how kids do it, exposure to it and then having to 144 use it or leam it and putting two and two together. 264 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 145 E: So then, how do you feel then, since you said you learn language 146 through exposure, how do you feel about speaking Spanish to the customers 147 here? Do you feel like you're helping them or you're hurting them 148 because you're not making them speak English? 149 R: I don't think it's harmful. I mean, obviously I'm not going to be 150 teaching an English class in five minutes as they walk up on the teller 151 thing. I could tell them that this relates to that, on the form. You'll see that 152 they’ ll have name and then they'll have what it means in Spanish. Or 153 they’ re a few forms where they'll have name and then, I don't know what 154 kind of oriental writing, probably Chinese or Korean. But if you look at 155 this, you have to put two and two together and like where this is currency, 156 billete, this is where you're putting down how much you have in cash...so 157 that's about the only lesson I could teach them. 158 E: Do the bilingual tellers get paid any extra? 159 R: No, not that I know of. I think it's just an advantage, a plus on your side 160 if you get hired. If they like need someone, like if they had six people 161 who worked all the time and none of them spoke Spanish, if someone 162 would be able to communicate, I’d think it could only be a plus. They’ d be 163 looking at applicants, someone who does speak it. Someone who does, it 164 could only be a plus. 165 E: Did they advertise the job you got hired for as a bilingual job? 166 R: No, well they asked me whether I spoke Spanish and I said, ’ Yeah." 167 E: Well, what is your biggest concern about language at this branch? 168 R: Advertising in the languages. That would probably help. They could 169 show some videos, out in the hall, maybe but then. 170 E: What would the topic of the videos be? 171 R: Show them how the paperwork, the function, how they correlate it, 172 instead of having to come up to us. 'Cause then it would show them how to 173 fill out the paperwork instead of having to come up. 265 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 174 E: Someone mentioned that there's a dictionary, like a glossary of Spanish 175 and English banking terms? 176 R: If it does exist, I have never seen it. 177 E: Did you know the banking terms when you arrived, or did someone 178 take you aside and say here's what they are? 179 R: I mean if I had a question about how to say something or other, I'd 180 probably ask one of the other tellers whose Spanish is far superior to mine, 181 but uh, no. 182 E: Was it organized like a class or a sheet of paper or something? 18S R: No. 266 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Interview with Sun, New Accounts Representative 1 E: Sun, how long have you worked here? 2 S: Almost three years. 3 E: Have you worked at this branch all three years? 4 S: Yeah. 5 E: Did you start out as a teller? 6 S: No, I just started working the New Accounts. 7 E: Was the job, when it was advertised, was it advertised as a bilingual 8 position? 9 S: No, the last time we have another loan officer, she was Chinese, but she 1 0 speaks English and Korean and Chinese and they're looking for 1 1 somebody who speak bilingual. And then they needed a Korean, so that's 1 2 why they introduce somebody else and that's why I'm here. 1 3 E: But it didn't actually say in the job description that they needed to be 1 4 bilingual? 1 5 S:No. 1 6 E: They just told you that in the interview. 17 S: Yes, in interview, and then they hired me. 18 E: Do you have a particular quota of customers, number of customers you’ re 19 supposed to see every hour, or do the tellers have a certain number of 20 customers they're supposed to help every hour? 2 1 S: Sometimes we are busy, and then I can't help the customer. 267 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 22 E: The bank doesn't say, "You, as a new accounts person, needs to see so 23 many people per hour." 24 S: No, they have a...we have goals for the new account people. They need 25 to open, they give us for the goals every week: we open 20 accounts and 10 26 savings and 10 checking. Sometimes we do, but sometimes we’ re very 27 busy and sometimes not. The most times we are busy, but now we are 28 kind of slow. 29 E: What about, does the main headquarters set that goal of 10 savings and 30 10 checking accounts for every branch? 31 S: No, it depends on the manager. I think it depends on the branch 32 manager. The branch manager gives us, last year, the people managing 33 give us 20 savings and 10 checking, so... 34 E: If the main bank offered you this same position, but in a different 35 branch where you wouldn't speak Korean? 36 S: You know why I am very disappointed in this branch. They, most 37 people speak Spanish, and I'm not, so I’ m always the last person, you know 38 what I'm saying. Everybody they speak, no, not everybody. We have the 39 Korean teller over there. She speaks very well the Spanish, too, she learned 40 in the school, but I'm not, I learn just by the people, but I want to try to 41 learn, but it's very hard to learn. I don't know, but I'm the last person. We 42 have three New Accounts person here: the one she's working for almost 43 20 years and the other person, she's with the bank 3 or 4 years and I'm the 44 last person. I don't know, but I always make the goal. I don't know, maybe 45 if they want to transfer to Korean branch, I go. I'm sometimes, you know, 46 feeling very bad. If they don't speak English, and then I cannot help the 47 customer. 48 E: That makes you feel bad? 49 S: Yeah, sometimes. They have a lot of new accounts and sometimes I 50 don't have a new account. I work very hard, but I don't know, sometimes 5 1 feel very bad. 268 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 52 E: What about if they said, we're going to send you to a branch where you 53 would never speak Korean, would you go there? 54 S: But I'm not speak perfect English, so I don't know, maybe. I live in 55 Glendale. Maybe if they want to transfer to Glendale branch, that be fine. 56 E: Do you like being able to speak Korean [on the job]? 57 S: Yeah, I love to. You know it's very easy, but it’ s very hard to explain 58 customer. You know, sometimes the Spanish people, they speak a little 59 English and then I want to explain the service charge or something like 60 that and they don't understand. They understand and later on, they told 61 somebody that I didn't explain it to them. Sometimes, very, I don't know. 62 E: A lot of people have mentioned that the bank's first concern is giving 63 quality customer service. What does that mean to you? 64 S: It’ s very...I try to help the customer. 65 E: What does quality customer service mean to you? 66 S: Everything has to be explained to customer. We explain bank policy 67 uh, we want to try to customer know what our bank services, so I don’t 68 know, we try to help the customer. 69 E: Have you noticed in your work with customers, is literacy an issue? 70 Being able to read or write. 71 S: Yeah, you know, sometimes they don't write, so I just help the 72 customer. 73 E: So, can you give me any examples of when that might... 74 S: They can't write the amount, we have Spanish example so that we can 75 give the customer, and you can learn how to write in English and we can 76 teach them how to do. 77 E: Are there people who don't write or read Spanish? 269 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 78 S: So, but they don't read or speak English or Spanish. I don't have no 79 choice, I cannot help the customer. They don't speak English, they don't 80 write Spanish and then I cannot help the customer. 81 E: When you're with the other employees, what language do most of the 82 employees use with each other? 83 S: They speak Spanish. So sometimes I can't understand. They speak 84 both. I don't know. I'm working in that department, but I don't understand 85 Spanish, so sometimes I tell my husband I want him to make more 86 money, then I want to leave this bank. Sometimes I feel very bad and then 87 I just tell my husband. 88 E: What language do the managers use with the employees? 89 S. They, the most time they speak English. But sometimes, they not, they 90 speak Spanish, too. So that I don't understand, but when we have meetings, 91 then they speak always in English. Sometimes they want to help the 92 customer, then they speak Spanish. 93 E: You're saying that most of the time here on the floor the managers'll 94 speak English? 95 S: Yes. 96 E: Why is that? 97 S: I think most of the time they speak English, but maybe they don’t 98 understand, and then they speak Spanish. They most of time speak 99 English. 100 E: Why do you think that is? 101 S: So this is America. That's why they want to speak English. Our 102 customer in this area are Spanish, that’s why they want to hire the Spanish 103 people. 270 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 104 E: But you think that it's bank policy that the managers should speak to the 105 employees in English? 106 S: I think so. I think that it is bank policy that we speak English so this is 107 America. So they don't understand English, and then they speak Spanish. 108 E: You speak English very well, I think. 109 S: No, I not. You know, sometimes I'm afraid of American customers. I NO try to help the customers, but sometimes they're mean customers. You 1 1 1 know, sometimes I worked in American bank, I've never worked in 112 Korean bank...but here I don't speak Spanish. But I most of time, I want to i 1 3 learn more English, but it's too hard to leam English. 114 E: Has the bank offered to give you English as a Second Language classes 115 or Spanish classes? 116 S: Yes, I think we do, but you know I have two kids. 117 E: So they’ re like after work or evenings. 118 S: There'd be nobody take care of my babies. Now it's very hard to work 119 in this branch, they’ ve changed the hours. It's very hard. So I wait for my 120 husband, maybe 'cause I'm the last person here, 'cause most of the people 1 2 1 are not the full-time people. I'm the last one for the full-time, so they think, 122 they need a Spanish speaker. Sometimes we are very busy, and people 123 speak Spanish and they must wait for somebody who speaks Spanish. So, I 124 don't know. 125 E: They mentioned that they have a glossary, like a dictionary of English 126 and Spanish banking terms. Did they make you leam that? 127 S: No, they give, the birthday, or how long you have been here in 128 California. I just write down the Spanish. I just learned a little bit. It's very 129 important you can ask customer how long they've been here and mother's 1 30 maiden name or where we work. I just learned and write down. 1 3 1 E: How did they teach that to you? 271 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 132 S: They can write down for me. 133 E: Did they have a class? 1 34 S: No, maybe just a few words, maybe sometimes they speak at me and I 135 don't understand, and then they teach me how to do, so that’ s why I just 136 leam a litde bit leam the Spanish. 137 E: But Jaime didn’t sit you down and say you need to leam these words? 1 38 S: No, so I just leam from the other New Accounts women. They teach 139 me. 140 E: How do you think someone learns a second language? 141 S: A second language is very important, so I want to leam more English 142 and Spanish. In California, the most people they speak Spanish, so I think 143 it is very important for the second language. 144 E: But how does one leam a second language? Do you need to go to class? 145 S: I could take a class. But my baby's only three years old. I don't have 146 time to take a class, so when my baby's grown up, then I want to take a 147 class. English is very important, but Spanish I would just work here. 272 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX H MAPS AND CENSUS FIGURES FOR COMMUNITIES IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY 273 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. (Source: The Thomas Guide 1995 Zip Code) Chinatown is in the upper-righthand corner of the map. 274 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. raiLU ti™ (Source: The Thomas Guide 1995 Zip Code) Zip code 90249 represents the Gardena area. 275 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. i wcteiaii:w i= « p fJ /a rgf££^;»<K;;£Li;^r ;iS.IlE£,;t ; i y / f > J § , W i r o w , r ^ u i * L.-'i»S'’. ; i ' , i I :r/>«^'f**/JZCErLHSttfiF-"KWB in IJ,**i . ? / y ,^ ^ i f ^ r r_ T w » r « B i i l i ~ * ; ; r s r ': ■ “ “ ! i (Source: The Thomas Guide 1995 Zip Code) Zip codes 91401, 91402, 91405, 91406, and 91411 represent the Reseda and Van Nuys area. 276 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. iK E E lftilltfP a (Source: The Thomas Guide 1995 Zip Code) Zip codes 92703, 92704, and 92707 represent the Santa Ana area. 277 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. (Source: The Thomas Guide 1995 Zip Code) Zip codes 90005> 90006* and 90057 represent Koreatown and the Pico-Union area. 278 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. (Source: The Thomas Guide 1995 Zip Code) 92683 represents the Vestminster area. 279 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX H CENSUS FIGURES FOR COMMUNITIES IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY TABLE 1 COMMUNITY % LATINO SPANISH SPANISH BILINGUAL MONOLINGUAL Reseda 26% 15% 7% Van Nuys 36% 19% 14% (Source: United Way of Greater Los Angeles 1994) TABLE 2 COMMUNITY SPANISH SPANISH ASIAN ASIAN BILINGUAL MONOLINGUAL BILING. MONOLING. Chinatown 15% 9% 17% 21% Koreatown/ 31% 37% 9% 8% Pico-Union (Source: United Way of Greater Los Angeles 1994) 280 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLES COMMUNITY SPANISH AT HOME T.F.P ASIAN AT HOME LEP Gardena 20% 10% 20% 13% Santa Ana 59% 42% NA NA Westminster 15% 8% 20% 14% (Source: 1990 Census of Population and Housing) 281 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX I RESULTS OF STUDY TWO 282 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Language Services in Los Angeles Banks Language Services Provided . ATM (Computer Screen) ATM (Signs) ' Signage Outside Sign Tellers Brochures Bankl E JSJ BankS* E.S.JJC <2 , 1 E.S(2) E.S(1) E.S Bank 4* E.S E.S E.S(1) E.S(2) E.S Bank 5 E.K E.K E.K Bank 1 E.C E.C E.C E.C E,C/M.S(1) Chinatown Bank 2* E. C/M E.C BankS E, C E.C/M Bank 4* E.C E.S E.S.C E.S E.C E.C/M Bank 1 Liule Tokyo E.S.J E.J E,S(1).J Bank 1 E, S Bank 2* E.S E.S(S) E.S BankS* E.S E.S E.S.V Santa Ana Bank 4* E.S E. S(l) E.S E.S E.S E,S(1) E.S E.S Bank 6* E.S E.S E.S Bank 1* E.S E.V Bank 2 E, V(l) E.V E.C BankS E.C.V Bank 4 E.C.V Westminster E.C .V Bank 5 E.C E.C.V E.C, V Bank 6 E.C.V Bank 7 E.S E.S.V Bank 8 E.C Bank 1* E.S Bank 2* E.S E.S Van Nuys Bank 3* E.S E.S E.S E.S E.S E.S E.S E,S(1) Bank 1 E.S E.S E.S Pico Union/ Bank 2* Westlake _______ (Koreatown) BankS* E.S E.S E,S(1) E.S E.S E.S Bank 4 E.K(1) E.S *= Seven largest California Banks / Is Data is taken from the 1990 census and is approximate E-English C - Chinese C/M - Cantonese/Mandarin J -Japanese K-Korean S - Spanish V - Vietnamese Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX J INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR FOCUS GROUPS 284 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX J Focus Group Interview Guide 1. What is your opinion of the banks here in Los Angeles? 2. What do you do if you have to cash a check? 3. Where do you go? 4. If "check cashing", why? 5. If "check cashing", why there and not a bank? 6. Is there a particular check cashing establishment you go to? Why? 7. If "bank", what are the reasons you use a bank? 8. Is there a particular bank you use? Why did you choose the bank that you're now using? 9. What other banking services (besides check cashing) have you used? Why? 10. Where do you go to get a loan? Why? 11. Do you own a credit card? 12. Where is it from? 13. What does the term "credit record/history" mean? 14. Do you know what the Community Reinvestment Act is? 15. In your opinion, what should banks take into account to better their services to you, your family, to the community you live in? What suggestions do you have? 285 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16. What experiences have you had with people who work in a bank? 17. Is it important that the bank speaks to you in your language? How important is it? 18. Which language services are most important? Why? 19. Which banks that you know of have good langauge services? 20. What if a bank in Los Angeles was owned by people from your country, but they didn't have any services in your language? Would you go there or to a bank that provided services in your language, but was not owned by people from your country? 286 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX K FOCUS GROUP TRANSCRIPTS 287 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Group 1 - Reseda - Spanish PARTICIPANTS: SEX NATIONALITY AGE Ml Mexican 40's M2 Guatemalan 40's M3 Salvadoran 20's M4 Guatemalan 30's FI Salvadoran 20's F2 Salvadoran 20's F3 Mexican 30's 1 Moderator: What is your opinion of the banks? 2 M2: I have Uttle experience. I've been here a year, but only 3 had a savings account for a couple months. I see a bank as a 4 guarantee for the money I earn. 5 M4: I've had an account for a year and it has served me well. 6 It's a good way of having your money taken care of. A good 7 form of saving money. I haven't had any problems with 8 banks. 9 M3: A good service they have is a Versateller. Versateller's a 10 good idea. Last night, if I wanted money, I could have gone 1 1 there. 12 Ml: I've had an account with Bank of America for three 1 3 years. The service is good. I've even had service in Spanish. 14 F2: I've wanted to open an account but haven't because I don't 15 have a social security number. 288 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16 FI: Because all of us are undocumented, they won't accept us 17 because we don’ t have documents. 18 FS: No problems with banks. 19 Moderator: What is it that you do when you have to cash your check? 20 M l: I go to the bank and sign my check over. 21 FI: I go to a bank even though I don't have a bank account. I 22 go to the bank and get in line, present my ID and check. 23 F2:1 go to a check cashing place. 24 FI: I don't have a bank account, but I go to a bank anyway to 25 cash my check. 26 FS: I go to a local market because they know me there. 27 M3:1 go to a bank. Because I have a bank account, I go to my 28 bank, fill out the account number on the form without a 29 problem. 30 M4: I go to a bank. I have direct deposit. I don't have a 3 1 problem, because I work for a large company and they have 32 direct deposit. 33 Moderator: Why is it that you, the ones who don't have an account, why 34 is it that you go to a check cashing place, a liquor store, a market, besides 35 not having an account? Are there other reasons besides not having an 36 account? 37 MS: For the most part, it's fast. The check cashing place is 38 right around the corner. 39 FI: Quick and easy. It's right around the corner. Some banks, 40 there's a line of people. Other times, you need to buy things 41 at the store. 289 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 42 Moderator: But what if there were a bank close by? 43 MS: I'd go to a bank if it was close. With the bank, you save 44 the service charge. 45 F3: Yeah. 46 Moderator: Are there check cashing places close to where you live? 47 All: Yes, very close, a lot, everywhere; 48 Moderator: Even near where you work? 49 All: Yes. 50 M4: Some places outside of your work, there's a car parked 51 outside: autobanco. You go up to the car, those people who 52 don't have an account anywhere go up to the car. 53 Moderator: Is it a car, like a station wagon? 54 M4: Yes. 55 Moderator: Are they affiliated with a bank or a check cashing 56 place? 57 M4: No, it’s personal. 58 Moderator: It's just a guy on his own with his money? 59 M4: Yeah, if you had money, you could go do this for people. 60 If you wanted to, you could go in your car. And then you 6 E charge your 2%. And there’ s your profits. 62 Moderator: Where do they park their car? 63 M4: Right in front of the factory. A man in a car will park in 64 front of factories on payday and cash workers checks at 2% 290 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 65 surcharge. There's a factory on the corner of Variel and 66 Victory. 67 Moderator: Are there a lot of those? 68 M4: I've seen S. 69 Ml: I've seen 1. 70 Moderator: Those who cash your checks at a bank, what are the 71 reasons you use a bank? 72 M3: Lots of services are available at banks. There are a lot of 73 benefits. As you're depositing, it helps you get a credit card. 74 That's one of the good reasons. 75 F3: Lots of services and security. It's more secure than going 76 to whichever person or place, than those who charge you a 77 percentage. 78 M4: It's a better way of controlling your money. 79 Moderator: What other services does your bank offer? 80 M3: For buying a cashier's check, it's better at a bank than a 8 1 liquor store. More of a guarantee. With a money order, I also 82 prefer buying them at a bank over a liquor store. 83 M4: Once, I bought a money order at a liquor store to send to 84 Guatemala, and they wouldn't cash it over there. I had to 85 send one from a bank. 86 M3: If you have an account at the bank, they don't charge 87 you. 88 M4: If you don't have an account, you get charged $5, but if 89 you have an account, you get charged $2. 291 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 90 Moderator: Why did you choose the bank that you're using now? 91 M2: I've gone to Wells Fargo and Bank of America. I thought 92 of Bank of America as a national bank with lots of 93 prominence and guarantee. A national bank has a lot of 94 influence worldwide. In Guatemala, for example, the Bank 95 of America has disappeared. I don't know the reason why. 96 There’ s another bank called Banco Uno who took over Bank of 97 America's account. They transferred the accounts. A 98 national bank for more of a guarantee. 99 M4:1 want a bank near where I live. Location. 100 FI: It's the same bank as my company's pay check, Bank of 10 1 America. 102 M3: I like Bank of America 'cause there’ s a lot of them. I 103 don't have to go out and look for one. They're everywhere, on 104 every comer. ATM's are everywhere. 105 Moderator: What services other than cashing checks, 'cause banks have a 106 lot more services than just cashing checks? What services do you use? 107 Ml: For example, at night, if you go to deposit, you can do it 108 outside the bank. You can withdraw or deposit. 109 Moderator: So you use the machine? What other service? 110 M3: The machines are not only in English, but also in 1 1 1 Spanish. 112 M2: I have little experience. I don't know that much about 11 3 services. I have the impression that you're talking about other 114 services, like loans, credit cards, etc. But I would like to know 115 about those. I'm interested in learning about those. 116 F3: I don't know anything about the services since I don’t 117 really need them. 292 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 118 M2: Can you guys inform us of what services we can get? 119 Moderator: If you want to wait until the end of the questioning, we can 120 answer that question. 12 1 Moderator: Let's say that you need to borrow a car or you need to borrow a 122 large sum of money? Where do you go to borrow the money? Why? 1 23 M l: I'd go to a bank to see if I'd qualify. 124 FI: If a person would need a lot of money, you'd go to a bank. 125 The only place you'd be able to get a loan like that is a bank. 126 Ml: It may be another company like a mortgage company, i 27 but it all goes through a bank. 128 M2: The difficulty for me is qualifying because the banks are 129 the powerful ones, economically speaking. 1 30 Moderator: I want to know why you think it's difficult to qualify. 1 3 1 132 M2: First, because we're not nationals. We don't get a 1 33 guarantee. We're not guaranteed a loan. 1 34 M4: If you have a bad credit history like a bounced check or a 1 35 late utility payment, they would find out. You have to have a 136 clean record. If your record is clean, you don't have any 1 37 problems. ! 38 FS: You can't get a credit card, because they don't have any i 39 credit record. 140 Moderator: What experiences have people you know had in dealing with 141 a bank? Think about people you know, family, friends. Whether they use 142 a bank or not. What are their experiences? I want you to start thinking 143 about that. 144 Moderator: Do you own a credit card? 293 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 145 All: No. 146 Moderator: Why not? 147 M2: One month after opening my account, I applied for a 148 credit card and was denied. To open my savings account, I 149 needed $300, but I put in more. So I thought I had a right to 150 get a credit card. So I applied for a credit card and was 151 denied. They said, "lack of credit" or "unsatisfactory credit." 152 It was too early to establish credit with them. 1 53 F3:1 don't even want to try because a friend had a bad 1 54 experience and lost his cards. He even had to go to court and 155 pay. 156 M2: He didn’t take care of his credit spending. Like 157 American Express. 158 M4: I don't want one because I'm careless and might 1 59 misplace it or lose it. I even lost my phone card. 160 1 61 M3:1 also applied but was denied. 1 62 *Break* 163 Moderator: What does "credit record" signify to you? A few of you have 164 mentioned credit record. 165 Ml: When a bank extends a credit card to you, you can use it 166 for various things. At first, when you use it, the bank is 167 paying for it and‘then you pay the bank. You use the credit 1 68 card, once accepted, to start credit history. 169 Moderator: I don't know if you know about laws here, sometimes they call 170 them Acts. There’s an act called the Community Reinvestment Act. Does 1 7 1 anyone know what that act is? 294 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 173 Moderator: You have all had experiences with banks. In your opinion, 174 what should banks take into account to better their services to you, your 175 family, to the community you live in? What suggestions do you have? 176 M2: For myself or for Hispanics who don't understand 177 English too well, to have personnel who are bilingual. And 178 services in Spanish so we can explain and learn a lot of 179 things. 180 FI: There are some places. 1 8 1 M2: Very few. 1 82 M4: If all the banks had services, it would be better. 183 Moderator: So what you're saying is that it's important? 184 M2: Yes, because the Hispanic population is sizeable. The 1 85 majority of us speak Spanish. It would be good if there was 186 service in Spanish. 187 Moderator: If you were given an opportunity to open a bank account in 188 whichever bank you choose, would you take that into account? 189 All: Yes. 190 Moderator: Does that influence your decision? 191 All: Yes. 192 Moderator: What experiences have you had with people who work in a 193 bank? With, for example, they say they're bilingual? According to them, 194 they're bilingual? With the banks that have tried to offer bilingual, do 1 95 they have a lot of people or a little? 295 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 196 M2: With my little experience, I haven't found a Spanish- 197 speaking teller. I've asked in some places and they say there 198 aren't any. 199 M3: Maybe there are, but they’ re not telling you. 200 F3: I've been told that the Spanish-speaking person arrives at 1 201 p.m., but I was there when the bank opened. 202 Moderator: What do you do when that person isn't there? 203 F3: What can I do with the little English we’ ve learned? 204 M 2:1 use only litde words. I try to use them if I need this or 205 that 206 M4: Like a mute. 207 Moderator: How important is it, in the bank where you have your account, 208 speaks your language? 209 All: Very important. 210 F3: Very important, because you can clearly explain what 211 you want. 212 F2: To ask for more information about their services. If they 213 don't speak your language, they can’ t answer your questions. 214 You'll just go and use what services you know of. 215 Moderator: Of the services they have in Spanish, which are the most 216 important? Like the bilingual tellers, the ATM-special people who do the 217 loans? You've mentioned information on other services. 218 M 2:1 have little experience, but I would like to have better 219 information presented in Spanish. I would like to apply for 220 this or that but can't because of the language. 296 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 221 Moderator: Of the banks that you know about, what banks have the best 222 services? 223 All: Bank of America. 224 Ml: It's the one that's the biggest. On every comer you find 225 one. 226 F2: In my opinion, the majority of Latin American people go 227 to Bank of America, because they have services in Spanish. 228 M2: There are Bank of Americas in El Salvador. 229 FI ,F2,M3: No, there aren't. InElSalvador.no. 230 M2: In Mexico, there are. If you get a check from Bank of 231 America here and send it over there, Bank of America will 232 cash it. That’ s a good service. 233 Moderator: Do you know of people who have accounts in other banks? 234 Ml: My bosses have accounts in other banks, but they also 235 complain a lot. 236 Moderator: Are they Latinos? 237 Ml: Yes, they are. They're Mexican from Yucatan. 238 Moderator: Do they speak English? 239 Ml: Yes, but they complain about the bank. That the bank 240 doesn't give them good service. They don’ t want to open an 241 account at Bank of America just because our checks are 242 financed through them. 243 Moderator: The people who work at Bank of America, how good is their 244 Spanish? Have you ever had a bad experience? 297 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 245 Ml: Even with the bad language that they speak, one can 246 understand them. The questions that one asks, they answer 247 the best they can. If one doesn't understand, they try more so 248 that you understand-every time I’ ve gone in. One time, I 249 went to withdraw money from an ATM, I took out $20 and 250 they took out $40. I went to complain about it and they were 251 understanding and helped me. They were very friendly 252 and that's why I like their services. 253 MS: My cousin has had trouble with his account and was 254 always getting phone calls, partly due to his own poor 255 account management. 256 Moderator: Let's say a bank from your home country opens a bank here 257 but the services are only in English. Would you open a bank account 258 there, even if they didn’t have services in your language? 259 M2: To a point, you would feel some security because it's a 260 bank from your home country. If they're going to come over 261 here and not speak our language, you'd better stay with the 262 present bank. 263 F2: If they couldn't speak in my language, I couldn't ask for 264 information. If they couldn't serve me, I wouldn't change. 265 There is an El Salvadoran bank here in LA with Spanish 266 services and exchange rate accounts to El Salvadoran 267 currency. It's connected to home country branches. 268 M3: Everything is in Spanish. with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Group 2 - Reseda - Spanish PARTICIPANTS: SEX NATIONALITY AGE Ml Mexican 20's M2 Colombian 30's M3 Mexican 20's M4 Mexican 30's FI Mexican 30's 1 Moderator: What is your opinion, what do you think about the banks? 2 Ml: It's a better way to help your finances to...it’s a way, 3 manner, better way, to help yourself with your money 4 account. You can keep an account at a bank. That way it’ s 5 more difficult for you to spend your money. 6 M2: I don't know how banks work here. I had an account 7 with Citibank in Colombia. I thought it was a good 8 corporation; the services they had were excellent. It had good 9 interest, good benefits. The interest is according to how you 10 handle your account according to the limit you give yourself. 1 1 You can handle your account, keeping in mind the interest 12 and how you handle your money. 1 3 FI: It's a service offered to the community. It's a service for 14 them and for oneself. They give you help to look for 15 different options on how you handle your money, besides 16 saving. 17 M4: It's a better way to save. I believe they're good, a better 1 8 way to save, to administer your money. 1 9 Moderator: What do you do if you have to cash a check? 299 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 20 Ml: I go to deposit my check in a bank. I used to go to a liquor 21 store to cash my check. The only thing I do when I get a 22 check, I take it and deposit it in my account. Before, I used to 23 go to a liquor store. They charged $S or $6. Some people may 24 think that's too much. I don't think so. I don't know if they 25 get charged for cashing my check. 26 M2: I deposit my check in a bank account and then he 27 withdraws. I deposit the check and then wait two days to 28 withdraw. 29 FI: I'm paid in cash. 30 MS: In a bank. But I don’t have an account. I go and cash the check 31 in a bank, and then I have somewhere in the house to stash it. 32 M4: In a bank. But I don't have an account. I also cash my 33 check in a bank, but don't have a bank account. 34 FI: Having a bank account is definitely a more sure thing. 35 Moderator: Has anyone used a check cashing establishment? 36 Ml: In Mexico, yes. Here, no. 37 M2: No. In Colombia, they charge you. 38 M4: Here it's a little bit different. 39 M4: A person who doesn't have ID, we use them. Because if 40 you go to try to cash a check in a bank, they'll only cash it if 41 you have ID. Sometimes in the check cashing 42 establishment, there's the possibility of cashing it without ID. 43 It's easier to cash than if one goes without ID. They know 44 where you work or live. 45 Moderator: You more or less mentioned why you liked the banks? 46 M4: Security. 300 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 47 M2: Security. The money when you have an account, you 48 can move it back and forth according to the interest rate. 49 Ml: If you don't have an account, it’ s more difficult to cash a 50 check. 51 Moderator: Is there a particular bank you use? Which bank? 52 Ml: Bank of America isn't so good. I don't like having to call 53 for balances, etc. 54 Ml,M2: Citibank is better. 55 Ml: At Citibank, they return cancelled checks with monthly 56 statements and Bank of America doesn’t. If you have an 57 account, and you go to get cash, your account appears on a 58 screen. You look at the screen, you need so much and you 59 deposited so much. That's the problem I have with Bank of 60 America, you argue back and forth. The check that you 61 deposited has not appeared in the account. 62 FI: It depends on the services they offer you-the ones that are 63 beneficial to you. 64 Moderator: What other services have you used besides check cashing? 65 M2: Making payments, overdraft protection with Citibank, 66 credit card, cashier’s checks, international money orders. 67 Ml: Savings account. 68 Moderator: Are there other services you use besides credit cards? 69 M2: Cashier's check, sending money from one bank to 70 another through a bank intermediary. 71 FI: In your country? 301 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 72 M2: Exactly. 73 Moderator: "Where do you go to get a loan? Why? 74 FI: You can go to the bank, also there... 75 M 3:1 would first look at the amount they would give me, a 76 bank and a corporation. I would also look at the interest rate. 77 And also according to the length of time. 78 Ml: It also depends on the type of loan. 79 M2: Bank. 80 Ml: Bank, my uncle for smaller amounts. But I believe he might 8 1 have to go to the bank to lend me money. 82 M4:1 don't know about borrowing, I don't relate to banks. I 83 use them, but only to cash checks. If a large sum, I would 84 resort to asking a bank. 85 FI: It depends on the amount. 86 Ml: If it’ s a litde bit of money, there's no need to go. If it’ s a 87 lot, then a bank. 88 Moderator: Do you own a credit card? Where is it from? 89 F1,M3,M4: No credit card. 90 Ml,M2: Yes. 9 1 Moderator: Is there a reason why you don't have an account? 92 M3: I don't have an account. I only cash my checks there 93 and then I take it to the house. The money, I move it in one 94 direction only. 302 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 95 M4: I don't have too much money left. I don't earn a lot of 96 money. After bills, any money left I send to family back 97 home. 98 FI: It's easier for me to have it on me. 99 Ml: You deal with it yourself. 100 FI: Yeah. 10 1 Ml: You have $100 in cash, and then you spend $200. If you 102 deposit it in a bank, it's more difficult. You think about it. 103 M2: And then you'll spend it. 104 MS: It depends on the person. A person can have cash in his 105 pocket and that person is a person who saves, he will not 106 spend it. But if it's another person, who doesn't care, he'll say 1 07 "I need this, I need that." 108 Ml: But for me, in reality, it's just easier for me to leave it in 109 the bank. 110 Moderator: Where are your credit cards from? 111 M2: From Colombia. There's Visa international. 112 I have two cards. The Citibank and then the credential when 113 I left the country (an international credit card). 114 Moderator: What does the term "credit record" mean? 115 M2: It means that you can take loans; you have a lot of open 116 doors to ask for credit. 117 Ml: When they open your credit record, it shows how much 118 you owe, how much you spend. If you have a good record, 119 and you ask for credit on that record, and for example you go 303 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 120 121 to a dealership, they look at your credit history. Whether it's good or bad, they look at it when you apply for a loan. 1 22 F I: Well if you have a good track record... 123 Ml: If you have a bad record, they're going to investigate you 124 and ask you, "Why did you write this check?" "Why did 125 you write a check that didn’t have funds?" It's more difficult 1 26 to obtain credit, with a bad credit record. 127 M2: In my country, the bank has your credit record from your 128 credit card. It's the type of credit that all those with a credit card 129 draw on. With an account number, your credit record will come 130 out. They'll approve it faster, compared to those without a credit 1 31 record. That person relies on the recommendation of another and it 1 32 takes more time. 133 M3: We don't have credit. 1 34 Moderator: Do you know what the Community Reinvestment Act is? 135 All: No. 136 Moderator: What suggestions do you as Latinos have to better 137 their services? 138 M4: The suggestion that I have is that the bank should have 139 Spanish-speaking employees or oneself should study the 140 language (English) to improve the services. 1 4 1 FI: It's to the banks' benefits to offer Spanish, to have people 142 who are prepared in Spanish and it's also convenient for us. 143 It's beneficial for them and it's beneficial for the community. 144 M l: Banks should put people, not all of them, but some people 145 who can speak both languages. If I go to a bank that doesn't 146 have a Spanish speaker and I don't understand them and 147 they don't understand me, I'll find one that does and with 304 i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 148 them, I do understand. Even if it’ s worse service, I'll stay 149 there because I'm understanding them. 150 FI: Many times, one doesn't attempt to go to a bank for the 1 5 1 same reason. If one has persons in his country that can 152 establish savings over there, they'll establish it there instead 153 of going here. 154 M4: It is one of the things that happens to me and that is 155 maybe why I don't have an account. Because I think, "How 156 am I going to go there? What am I going to say? "What am I 157 going to do? How am I going to make myself understood to 158 them?" 159 Ml: Yeah, like there's some people there who speak Spanish, 160 when they're giving you the explanation, they're using 1 6 1 words in English. He tells you the word in English, "What 1 62 am I going to do? I don't understand, I don't understand." 163 FI: And he doesn't understand you. 164 Ml: Until you look for a person who more or less speaks 165 Spanish, you’ re going to do this, this and that. 166 FI: But then you don't realize all the services the bank offers 167 for the same reason because you do not understand them. 168 One knows the surface, you know the savings, interest rates. 169 Ml: Like the law you mentioned. 170 M4: I believe they should put better trained persons, people 171 who speak both languages. If it can be done, put young ones. 172 Because in certain areas there are people who are very old. 173 One cannot say anything to them. They're stubborn, set in 174 their ways. At the DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles], 175 there's a lot of discrimination. If they see an Anglo-Saxon 176 person, they do the maximum to serve the person well. And 305 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 177 178 if they see a Hispanic, they just stare and act like they didn't see anything. 179 FI: The image that they have... 1 80 M4: But if at the DMV, they had Spanish-speaking persons, I 1 8 1 believe they would treat you better. Or one would be more 182 comfortable talking to them because they can understand 183 better. They should have people who are better trained, 1 84 because they have people who scream at you, and no one has 1 85 the right to scream at no one for no reason. Even if you make 186 an error on one thing or another, that is normal. No one 187 should be screamed at. 188 Ml: Maybe in a bank, they should act realistically. Just 189 because one is Hispanic, one doesn't have to be given special 190 treatment. The Hispanic community is putting into 1 9 1 circulation a lot of money. Whether you have or don't have a 192 bank account, you’re still circulating a lot of money. For 193 example, if there are 100 persons, but only 60 have accounts 194 there, they're all circulating money. It would be beneficial to 1 95 the bank to put emphasis on those persons and help, and then 196 the bank would help themselves. They'd get the money and 197 confidence of those 100 persons. 198 M3: Train personnel more than anything. I would suggest 199 something else. When you send money to another country, 200 that they send it exactly as you send it, you send dollars, they 201 should hand over dollars. And there needs to be more 202 branches like on the next block. They're too far away. 203 Ml: Sometimes they speak in broken Spanish. 204 M3: They should have better trained tellers and also younger 205 ones who are willing to learn. There is discrimination. 206 Sometimes you are ignored if you can't speak English. 306 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 207 Moderator: How important is it that they speak your language in relation 208 to the other services that they provide? 209 M 2:1 believe it's the responsibility of both parties. We should 210 have an interest in learning English. And they should have 211 the interest to have bilingual personnel. 212 Ml: For example, one is speaking his language. They should 213 have bilingual personnel, because one tries to speak English 214 but one doesn't speak English right. One doesn’t understand 215 it well. For a conversation at this level, you make errors and 216 get into problems. But in Spanish, one can understand well. 217 One understands everything. It would be easier for one. For 218 example, a person who speaks English, like her, if she speaks 219 Spanish, she would go to a bank in Mexico and they start 220 telling her in Spanish, she wouldn't understand the situation. 221 But if they started speaking to her in English, it would be 222 understood. 223 FI: I believe that it’s the services they could offer you. There's 224 a lot of people here who have money and are Latino. There's 225 a lot of people in their work who want to do something and 226 can’t. Why? Because the bank can't lend to them or they 227 don't make themselves understood by the bank. They don’t 228 know what they want. The bank can advertise, but the 229 Latinos aren’t going to understand. The bank and the Latinos 230 are not understanding each other. 231 Ml: You're not going to have security. They will not 232 understand. Is it this or is it that? 233 Moderator: Which banks have the best services in your language? 234 M3: I think Bank of America. I'm not sure, but all my 235 family has accounts there. 236 FI: Me, too. It's the one that is most used at my house. 307 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 237 Ml: Bank of America. They have sufficient Spanish-speaking 238 personnel. They have good service. In comparison to, and even if 239 they give bad service in Spanish, in comparison to other banks, you 240 are better understood at Bank of America. 241 M2: My brother and sister-in-law also bank at Citibank. My 242 experiences, they have two or three persons who speak more 243 or less Spanish. With them, we can make ourselves 244 understood; they understand what we want and they know 245 what we need. There could be another teller available and 246 even though my brother and sister-in-law speak English 247 well, they go directly to the Spanish-speaking teller. 248 MS: Sometimes one is in line, approaching the windows, this 249 has happened to me. I let another person go by because I 250 want to go to the one that speaks Spanish. Because I know I'm 251 going to be understood better with that person. 252 Moderator: With those people that you've dealt with in the bank, have you 253 ever had a problem? 254 All: No. 255 Moderator: Is there some person like you were mentioning, they try to 256 translate everything except certain vocabulary? 257 Ml: The words used regularly in the bank. 258 Moderator: Some of you have had the problem, the Spanish is not at the 259 level, has their been a misunderstanding because of the level of Spanish of 260 that person? 261 MS: You can notice in the body language, in the facial 262 expression. You can see that that person doesn't feel 263 comfortable with English. 264 Moderator: Are you the one who doesn't feel comfortable? S08 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 265 M3: No, I come to you, the bank teller. If I speak Spanish and 266 I’ m not understood, the teller feels uncomfortable. You tell 267 them 2-3 words, they say, "I don't speak Spanish" and that 268 shuts itself off. 269 Ml: They get frustrated-the cashier. 270 M2: They become frustrated because one cannot be 271 understood by them. 272 Ml: There are some persons who don't speak Spanish, so you 273 start speaking English but it’s all broken. They don't speak 274 Spanish, so you begin to speak in your broken English. Then 275 they begin to speak to you slower, and then they understand 276 you and you understand them better. And there are persons 277 who you know, they speak Spanish, and they speak to you in 278 English really fast. For example, Hispanic people who you 279 know, they're from El Salvador, from Mexico, but they won't 280 speak to you in Spanish. 281 M3: The majority of them, I notice, not to insult those 282 here-the pochos-maybe because they don't understand that 283 well because they were bom here. They don’t know a lot of 284 words. 285 Ml: For example, those people, they want to tell me 286 something about the bank. But those words, they don't know 287 them in Spanish. But there are some who don't even try in 288 Spanish, they make no attempt to understand the customer. 289 290 Moderator: To resolve this problem, what suggestions would you make? 291 FI: I would like to mention something about bank services 292 that I have noticed. Like at Bank of America, my father 293 opened an account in a branch in LA and he tried to take out 294 money here and they didn’ t allow it. He had to go to the 295 office over there, but it's the same bank. I don’t believe that's 296 right. 309 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 297 Ml: I had a friend who used Bank of America. The banks 298 were closed. He had the card to withdraw the money, but all 299 the machines were also closed. 300 Moderator: When your sister had problems, did the bank have someone to 301 speak Spanish to her? 302 FI: Yes. 303 M3: They can provide experience but don't have the 304 authority. 305 Ml: Even the ATMs speak Spanish. 306 Moderator: If a bank from your country came here, but didn’t offer 307 services in Spanish, wuld you open an account with them or keep it in 308 your current bank? Why? 309 M4: No, I'm not interested. 310 Ml: The problem is not being understood. It doesn't matter if 31 1 it's from my country. The problem is being understood and 312 getting service. 313 M 2:1 know what interest his current bank pays. 314 FI: Just because you go someplace you're sure of... 315 M2: I would stay because I'd know what the interest rates are. 316 Ml: But how would you know if the same thing that's offered 317 in Colombia is offered here, if you can't understand them. 318 Moderator: If a bank offered better services in Spanish, would you change? 319 Ml: If the bank has better Spanish services and other better 320 financial services, I'd change. 310 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 321 M2: Yes, I'd change. 322 Moderator: I'd like to return to something that some of you mentioned. 323 Regarding the attitude, when they see people like you, what can be done to 324 improve the cashiers? 325 M3: I think that people, especially adults, when they make a 326 mistake they're more nervous. They should get people who 327 are better trained. They don't understand a word and they 328 get more nervous. 329 M2: It's a human quality. 330 Ml: There are several cashiers and they should have an 331 English-only line, Spanish-only and English/Spanish lines. 332 FI: They should give us more opportunity to get in with 333 them-opportunities to work. There are a lot of us here who 334 have experience in banks. 311 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Group 1 - Santa Ana - Spanish PARTICIPANTS: SEX NATIONALITY AGE M l Mexican 20's M2 Colombian 40's M3 Colombian 40's M4 Mexican 20's FI Mexican 40’ s F2 Mexican 20's F3 Mexican 20's F4 Salvadoran 20’s 1 Moderator: How do you feel about banks? 2 F4: You use banks to save money. 3 M3: We use banks to save our money. 4 Ml: They offer more security for your money. 5 M4: Yeah, more security. Over time you can establish a 6 record and maybe get a loan. 7 FI: It helps to manage money. 8 Moderator: Where do you go to cash a check? 9 FI,Ml,M2:1 go to a bank. 10 FI: Yeah, so you don’ t have to pay a surcharge like at markets 1 1 or check cashing. 12 M2: You can cash a check at a bank without an account. 312 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 3 Moderator: What bank do you go to? 14 FI: Bank of America. 15 Ml: Bank of America. 16 F2: Wells Fargo. 17 M4,F4: My credit union or bank. 18 M4: Bank of America has a limit of 8 checks, but the credit 19 union has no maximum. Banks charge for a credit card and 20 my credit union has one free. 21 Moderator: What other reasons do you go to a bank? 22 FS: To deposit my check. 23 M2: First, I pay my rent with my check, so I deposit my pay 24 into a bank to write checks for rent, bills, etc. 25 M4: Sometimes, people wait at a check cashing place to rob 26 you. Banks are safer overall. 27 Moderator: Which services do you use? 28 M2: ATM, overdraft insurance, the tellers. 29 Moderator: Which services do you know about? 30 MS: Loans. 31 M4: Loans, travelers' checks, cashier's checks. 32 FI: I didn't know about travelers' checks. 33 Ml: What advantages do travelers' checks have? 313 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34 M4: It's more secure, guaranteed, known. If they are lost, you 35 know where to go. There's always trouble with check 36 cashing places. 37 Moderator: Do you have a credit card? 38 FI: To get one, they must know you. 11 years ago, I went to a 39 credit union to apply for a loan. After 3 days, I was accepted. 40 M3:1 applied at Great Western. 41 Moderator: Which card do you have? 42 FI: Visa from Bank of America. 43 M2: Visa from California Federal. 44 M3: Mastercard from Bank of America. 45 M4: Mastercard and Visa from Citibank and California 46 Federal. 47 F4: Discover. 48 Ml: There's a radio ad: "For $500, you can have a credit 49 card." The problem is paying all of the credit cards. 50 M4: I like to collect credit cards. Store cards don't charge. 51 M2: The problem's that they charge to have them. 52 M4:1 get applications in the mail and I fill them out and mail 53 them back. 54 *Break* 55 Moderator: What does the term, "credit record" mean? 314 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 56 M4: Once I applied to Bank of America for a Visa, and was 57 denied. I have a credit history. Later, they pre-approved me 58 for a card and I was mad, so I didn't accept i t 59 MB: If you have a bad credit record like with collections, you 60 can't get a credit card. 61 Moderator: Are you familiar with the Community Reinvestment Act? 62 All: No. 63 Ml: Since we don't know the language, it's hard to know the 64 laws because of the language. 65 M4: Some people are afraid to have an account. 66 F2: They think that the government can get money you owe 67 them from your account 68 Moderator: What improvements would you suggest for banks to better 69 serve you, your family and your community? 70 M2: They need to have a bilingual person to help explain and 71 certain hours only. 72 FI: At my Bank of America, they have a bilingual desk. 73 Ml: It depends on the location. In Santa Ana, there are more 74 Mexicans, but in Anaheim, more white. My uncle went to 75 Anaheim and they wouldn't cash his check. 76 They gave him a hard time and asked for his fingerprints. 77 Moderator: How important are bank services in your language? 78 FI: It's very important. Sometimes, if you have a question, 79 you can better ask and understand in your language. 315 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 80 Moderator: Which banks have the best services in your language? 81 F1,F3: Bank of America. 82 Ml: Union Bank. 83 M2: Cal Fed. 84 M3: Great Western. 85 F2: At Wells Fargo, there are no bilinguals that I've seen. 86 F3: My sister calls Bank of America and gets phone help in 87 Spanish. 88 M4: Credit union. 89 F4: Bank of America. 90 Moderator: Which service in your language is most important-tellers, 9 1 ATM, brochures, telephone services or signs in the bank? 92 FI: At first, brochures. 93 M l: Yeah, brochures. 94 M2: Brochures. 95 M3: Tellers. 96 F2: Tellers. 97 F3: Brochures. 98 M4: Brochures. 99 F4: Brochures. 316 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 100 Moderator: Have any of you seen brochures in Spanish? 1 0 1 All: No. 102 Moderator: Would you change banks if a bank from your home country 103 opened an office here, but they only offered services in English? 1 04 FI: Not if they don't speak Spanish. 105 M1,M2,M4: No. 106 F4: Yes, there is one here from El Salvador. You can deposit 107 here and get it over there in El Salvadoran currency. It helps 108 the home country. You can send money directly to your 109 home country. 317 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Group 2 - Santa Ana - Spanish PARTICIPANTS: SEX NATIONALITY AGE Ml Mexican 20's M2 Mexican 30's M3 Bolivian 40's M4 Mexican 20's FI Mexican 20's F2 Guatemalan 20’s 1 Moderator: How do you feel about banks? 2 M4: They provide good service to the Latino community. 3 F2: It’ s the best way to economize your finances. 4 M2: It offers the most security. 5 Ml: When shopping, you can be robbed of cash. A checking 6 account is better. 7 FI: ATM helps make cash available. 8 M3: You can invest. 9 Moderator: Where do you cash a check? 10 M4: Bank of America. People without a bank account go to 1 1 check cashing. I go to a check cashing place to get a money 12 O r d e r - W e s t e r n Union. 13 FI: Bank of America, Pan American. 318 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 14 M2: Bank of America. 15 Ml: World Savings. If I'm lazy, I go to a check cashing place. 16 F2: Nordstrom's credit union. I have direct deposit. 17 M3: Bank of America. 18 M4: To save time, I go to a check cashing place. 19 Moderator: Why do you prefer banks? 20 M4: For security. 21 M2: There's no charge to cash a check. 22 M3: But you can't go to a bank without a green card, I. D., 23 work I.D., etc. 24 F1,F2,M2: Yeah. 25 F2: Most banks ask for lots of ID. 26 Moderator: Why did you choose your particular bank? 27 FI: When I opened my account at Security Pacific, I didn’t 28 have my documents. Only Security Pacific gave me the 29 opportunity to have an account. 30 Ml: It's close to my house. 3 1 M2: Bank of America, because my paycheck is from Bank of 32 America. 33 F2:1 use the credit union of my work. 319 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34 MS: I went to Wells Fargo and they asked for my documents. 35 At Bank of America, they only asked for a social security 36 number and an ID. 37 M4: Friends have recommended Bank of America to me. 38 Moderator: What services do you use? 39 FI: Tellers, savings account, ATMs. 40 Ml: Savings account only. 41 M2: Checking account, ATM. 42 F2: Tellers, direct deposit, savings, credit cards. 43 MS: Savings, ATM. 44 M4: ATM, Money Quick, checking account, ATM. 45 Moderator: Where would you go to get a loan? 46 FI: I never thought of going to a bank. 47 M4: Those of us with bank accounts can go to our bank. 48 M l: I would go to a bank, friends. 49 M2: I asked about a truck loan. I got an auto loan through 50 Security Pacific. 51 F2: My credit union gives loans and takes payment from my 52 paycheck. 53 Moderator: Do you have a credit card? 54 FI: No. 320 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 55 Ml: I have 2 credit cards from jewelers. 56 M 2:1 have a Silo and a Circuit City card. 57 F2: I have Nordstrom, American Express, some department 58 stores, and an auto card, like Firestone or something like that. 59 M3: No. 60 M4: No. 6 1 Moderator: Do you know what the Community Reinvestment Act is? 62 All: No. 63 *Break* 64 Moderator: What does the term "credit record" mean? 65 M l: To have good credit. 66 FI: Late payments mean bad credit. Good credit is paying on 67 time. 68 F2: Good credit is paying your monthly bills on time. That's 69 how you establish a credit record. 70 Moderator: How can banks improve their services to you, your family and 71 your community? 72 M4: They shouldn't ask for so many documents. 73 FI: For over a year, I didn't get an account because they asked 74 for too many documents. It was very difficult if you're new 75 to have this information. 76 F2: They shouldn't be so difficult in approving loans so that 77 people can get out of high rent and into a home. 321 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 78 Ml: They should give loans for emergency purposes. 79 F2: Money orders are cheaper at check cashing places than 80 banks. 8 1 M4: They need international money transfer. 82 Ml: My bank has no tellers. 83 M2: They need more personnel, more tellers. 84 F2: They need bilingual personnel. 85 Moderator: How important are language services? 86 FI: Very important. Here the majority are Spanish speakers. 87 If the bank doesn't speak the language, the person might not 88 go there for services. 89 Moderator: Which service in your language is most important? 90 FI: Telephone, new account information, a helpful in-person 91 employee to give you information. 92 F2: A new accounts information person. 93 M3: An information person about the bank. 94 M1,M2,M4: A new accounts information person. 95 Moderator: Which bank has the best language services? 96 FI,Ml,M2: Bank of America. 97 F2: Not all Bank of Americas. I went to Bank of America 98 once, and I didn't know about how my account worked and 99 they couldn't help me. 322 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 100 Moderator: How's the fluency of the Spanish-speaking tellers? 10! FI: At a Bank of America, I answer them in Spanish and 102 they know to speak to me in Spanish. 103 Ml: I suffer with my bank because they don't have Spanish 104 personnel. 105 M4: At Wells fargo, they don't have Spanish speakers. 106 M2: There are lots of Spanish speakers at Bank of America. 107 F2: All services I use at my credit union are 108 bilingual-multilingual. 109 Moderator: Have you ever seen any brochures in Spanish? 110 FI ,M1 ,M2,F2,M3: No. 111 M4: I've seen some in Spanish and some by mail. 112 Moderator: How important are language services? 113 FI: Very important. 114 F2: It would feel like a bank in your home country, like 115 Americans feel. 116 M1,M2,M3,M4: Very important. 117 Moderator: If a bank from your country came here, but only offered 118 services in English, would you change? 119 F1,M2,M3,F2,M4: No. 120 Ml: No, I wouldn't understand. They wouldn't pay attention 12! tome. 323 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Groupl - Santa Ana - Vietnamese PARTICIPANTS: SEX AGE Ml 50’s FI 20's F2 20's F3 20's F4 40’ s F5 30's 1 Moderator: How do you feel about banks? 2 M l: I opened my accounts based on my relatives’ 3 recommendations. 4 F2, F3: We don't have bank accounts yet 5 M l: My sister brought me to the bank. A Vietnamese teller 6 gave me instructions on how to open account. I use it 7 frequently. There are advantages to having savings and 8 checking accounts. 9 Moderator: Are you planning to open accounts? 10 FI: If I work, I'll open an account The bank keeps money for 1 1 us and also gives us interest. If I have no bank account, I give 12 it to relatives. They only cash paychecks at one place, a 1 3 bank. I had a bank account when I worked. No work, no 14 account. I would only go to the same bank as a relative. 1 5 Moderator: Where do you cash checks? 324 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16 F5: Wells Fargo banks because they cash paychecks without 17 an account. 18 F4: I give my checks to relatives to cash them-always. 19 F5: You can cash paychecks at Lucky's for no fee and you 20 don't have to buy anything. At Vietnamese markets, you 21 have to buy something. I use the same checking 22 account/ATM as my sister. I don't like it that there's no 23 Vietnamese translation of the ATM. 24 F3: What is better-to use the teller or ATM? 25 Moderator: Banking services— which ones area the most useful? Which 26 ones would you want? 27 F5: Checking and savings are enough. 28 Ml: I don't know how to use the ATM. I'm very uncomfortable. 29 I'm fearful of using the ATM and don't know if I do the right thing. 30 I go to the bank but banks don't tell customers how to use it. I must 31 rely on my relatives. There's a problem with the lack of 32 Vietnamese speaking employees. When I go in a bank, I don’t 33 know if I'll get a Vietnamese or English teller. I’ ve been warned 34 about ATM charges by English-speaking tellers which made me 35 afraid. In Santa Ana, there should be Vietnamese-speaking bank 36 tellers. I wait in line but don't know if I'll get a Vietnamese or 37 American teller, so I use the ATM more so I won’t have the stress. I 38 want more Vietnamese tellers. Banks should form lines like at the 39 DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles], windows according to 40 language. I'm new and really fearful. I've been told there will be a 41 penalty if I withdraw more money. I don’t understand why. 42 F5: I want lanes for Vietnamese, Mexicans and Americans 43 so that Vietnamese people can use Vietnamese-speaking 44 tellers. It would speed things up. There are enough 45 Vietnamese here. That would alleviate the fear of going to 325 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 46 the bank. Vietnamese signs and instructions would be good, 47 too. 48 Moderator: What about instructions in Vietnamese-brochures? 49 Ml: That would be good. I want Vietnamese-speaking people on 50 the phones. Now I have to ask relatives to translate English 5 1 brochures. 52 F4:1 want Vietnamese brochures, like the Spanish brochures. 53 Moderator: What bank do you use? 54 F5: Bank of America, Wells Fargo. 55 FI: Delta Savings Union Bank [a Vietnamese-owned bank]. 56 Moderator: Why do you go to Bank of America and Wells Fargo? 57 F5: At Bank of America, they all speak Vietnamese, but you 58 have to wait too long because too many Vietnamese are in 59 line. So I go to Wells Fargo to cash my checks because it's 60 fast-there are no Vietnamese there. 61 Moderator: Where would you go to get a loan? 62 Ml: To buy a car, I'd go through the credit department of a 63 dealer. Otherwise, I’d borrow from relatives. 64 Moderator: Does anyone have a credit card? 65 Ml: I pay cash only. It's a Vietnamese tradition. I don't know 66 how to get one. What’s needed? 67 FI: I go to Target where I use a Target credit card. 68 Ml: Last month, my bank sent a letter about accidental death 69 life insurance. I don't know how much we have to pay. It 326 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 70 was in English and I didn't understand it too well; my 7 1 relatives didn't either. 72 F5: If I want to buy an appliance on credit, does it mean I can 73 get a bank card afterwards? How do I build a credit history? 74 M l: What do I do about a safe deposit box? If I die, who opens 75 it? How do I make sure my relative can open it? 76 Moderator: We can answer your questions afterwards, but first, we need to 77 finish with this discussion. 78 Moderator: What kind of improvements do you want from banks? 79 All: Language in Vietnamese. 80 F5: How can the bank give Mastercard without co-signers? 81 Can't they have a credit card with just a small amount? I 82 want to establish credit with a credit card, but it's difficult for 83 me to do without credit This is really a big problem for me. 84 Moderator: What does the term, "credit record" mean? 85 Ml: I don't understand credit record. 86 FS: Where do they store credit history? 87 F5:1 pay on time. I've been late a couple of times. How does 88 that affect my credit history? I really don't understand. But I 89 want a credit card because it's very convenient. 90 FI: Mastercard is very convenient. 9 1 Moderator: What is the Community Reinvestment Act? 92 All: We've never heard of it. 93 Moderator: What are the most important Vietnamese-speaking services? 327 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 94 All: ATM, direction signs to where the Vietnamese tellers 95 are. 96 Ml: I only use Bank of America. Most employees are 97 Vietnamese, but speak English to me. That doesn't help me. 98 They must have a Vietnamese-speaking lane. I ask in 99 Vietnamese, but they answer in English. 100 F5: A Vietnamese-speaking window would be best. 1 0 1 Ml: Going to the bank is torture. I take my 15 year old 102 nephew in case I don't understand. I don’ t know what bank 103 has Vietnamese services. 104 F5: There are lots of Vietnamese at Bank of America. 105 FI: For timid Vietnamese, they need translators and bank 106 workers. 107 Moderator: How do you open an account? 108 F5: Vietnamese signs pointing to Vietnamese tellers or account 109 officers. 110 FS: Paperwork in Vietnamese would help to open an account. 1 1 1 F3: Bank of America has lots of Vietnamese-speaking tellers. 112 F5: More Vietnamese put their money in Bank of America 113 than anywhere else. 114 Moderator: If there were a Vietnamese bank that offered services only in 115 English, would you change to that bank? 116 M l: Vietnamese prefer American banks. They're more 117 progressive than Asian banks and more reputable. 328 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 118 Moderator: How would you rate the fluency of the Vietnamese speaking 119 tellers? 120 Ml: Vietnamese-speaking tellers speak it well. 1 2 1 Moderator: What are the most important language services? 122 F5: Vietnamese-speaking tellers are most important. If I don't 123 understand a brochure or document, I can ask someone at 124 home. 125 F3: Vietnamese-speaking tellers are more important than 126 ATMs. You can have someone show you how to use it and 127 you can leam it quickly. 128 Moderator: Any final comments? 129 Ml: Banks are closed on Sundays. Banks should be open 130 Sunday since Vietnamese go shopping on Sunday. They 1 3 1 also need longer hours on Saturday. 329 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. GROUP 2 - VIETNAMESE - SANTA ANA PARTICIPANTS: SEX AGE Ml 40's M2 20's FI 20’s F2 30's F3 20's F4 40's 1 Moderator: How do you feel about banks? 2 Ml: I don't use a bank. My sponsor takes care of everything. 3 All: No one has a bank account yet. 4 Moderator: Where do you go to cash a check? 5 M2: For welfare checks, I cash them at a bank. I don't know 6 the name. 7 FI: My relative has a Bank of America account. I give my 8 relative my check for him to cash. 9 F2:1 don't use banks. 10 F3:1 don't use banks. My sponsor has an account. 1 1 M2:1 don't use banks. My sponsor has an account. 12 Moderator: Where do your Mends or relatives have accounts? 13 F2: A relative has an account at First Interstate. 330 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 14 M2: A relative works at Wells Fargo. 15 Moderator: What bank services are available? 16 Ml: I don't really understand what services are available. 17 F2: I saw a TV ad about free service from now until the year 18 2000. 19 Moderator: Does anyone have a credit card? 20 All: No. 21 Moderator: Has anyone heard of the Community Reinvestment Act? 22 F3: I'll open an account when I can work. We just recently 23 came here. We don't work. We only go to school. We don't 24 know much about banks or bank laws. 25 Moderator: How can banks improve their services? 26 M 2:1 don't know what kind of services I need until I go to 27 work and need a bank there. 28 F2:1 would pick a bank from relatives. I’ d use whatever bank 29 relatives use. I want Vietnamese-speaking people. They 30 need a separate table for Vietnamese in banks. Bank tellers 31 need to be Vietnamese. 32 Ml: American tellers refer me to Vietnamese-speaking 33 employees. 34 Moderator: What services do your relatives use? 35 M3: I live by myself. I don't have relatives. All my friends 36 are newcomers. 331 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 37 Ml: I notice that most people use ATMs. They're pretty 38 convenient. But checking is also convenient. 39 Moderator: Should banks have special services for Vietnamese? 40 F2: I’d choose a bank with prestige. A big bank with 41 Vietnamese speakers. But I'd rather go for prestige. 42 M l: All banks have Vietnamese tellers. I think that's 43 enough. I don't know what else can be done to improve. 332 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX L MAP OF SURVEY AREA 333 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. aBEE«Ba 8 1fiS!Saffi ssa^ ssffiiaiiifiS S K K ' (Source: The Thomas Guide 1995 Zip Code) Surveys were conducted in zip codes 91401 and 91405. 334 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX M TEXT OF TREATMENTS 335 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX M Treatment Texts (English version) 1. High Functional High Symbolic Convenient: This bank is very near your home. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled o u t The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts as well as home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirement accounts, etc. 2. High Functional High Symbolic Inconvenient: This bank is not very near your home. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts as well as home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirement accounts, etc. 3. High Symbolic Low Functional Convenient: This bank is very near your home. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit 336 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives can only speak and understand Spanish for very simple transactions. They are not able to explain anything more complex in Spanish. Besides the employees, this bank provides abbreviated brochures in Spanish which explain 2 of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts. All other brochures, explaining home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirem ent accounts, etc. are in English. 4. High Symbolic Low Functional Inconvenient: This bank is not very near your home. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives can only speak and understand Spanish for very simple transactions. They are not able to explain anything more complex in Spanish. Besides the employees, this bank provides abbreviated brochures in Spanish which explain 2 of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts. All other brochures, explaining home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirem ent accounts, etc. are in English. 5. High Functional Low Symbolic Convenient: This bank is very near your home. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, the only signs in Spanish are those that say "Se Habla Espanol" by the Spanish speaking employees. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts as well as home, car and business loans, investments, retirement accounts, etc. 337 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6. High Functional Low Symbolic Inconvenient: This bank is not very near your home. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, the only signs in Spanish are those that say "Se Habla Espanol" by the Spanish speaking employees. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all products-checking and savings accounts as well as home, car and business loans, investments, retirement accounts, etc. 7. Low Functional Low Symbolic Convenient: This bank is very near your home. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, all signs are in English only. This bank also has tellers and new account representatives who speak English only. All brochures which explain the banks' services are in English only. 8. Low Functional Low Symbolic Inconvenient: This bank is not very near your home.This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, all signs are in English only. This bank also has tellers and new account representatives who speak English only. All brochures which explain the banks' services are in English only. 3S8 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX N FIRST VERSION OF SURVEY - ENGLISH 339 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX N First Version of the Survey (in English) 1. How many times per month do you use a bank or its services-on average? 0-if this answer, don't continue the interview less than 5 6-10 more than 10 2. What did you think and feel about the bank? a .__________________________________________________ b. c .__________________________________________________ S. If you didn't have a bank already, how likely would you be to use this bank? very likely likely somewhat likely not very likely not at all likely 340 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4. Would you open an account with this bank? yes, most definitely yes, I think so yes, maybe no, probably not no, definitely not 5. Would you trust that your money is secure in this bank? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 6. Does this bank respect Vietnamese/Spanish people? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 7. Do you like this bank? yes, very much yes, I do yes, but just a little no, not very much no, not at all 341 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8. How do you feel about using Vietnamese/Spanish at this bank? very anxious anxious somewhat anxious not very anxious not at all anxious 9. Would you trust the bank personnel to deal with your money correctly? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 10. Is this bank meeting its responsibility to the public? yes, very much yes, it is yes, marginally no, not very much no, not at all 11. As a Vietnamese/Latino, describe your feelings about using this bank. I would feel like I fit in very well at this bank. I would feel like I fit in at this bank. I would feel like I somewhat fit in at this bank. I would feel like I don't really fit in at this bank. I would feel like I don't fit in at all at this bank. 342 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 12. How do you feel about this bank? I strongly like it. I like it. I like it a little. I don’t like it. I strongly dislike it. 13. Would you trust this bank not to make an error on your account? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 14. Do you think that this bank understands the needs of the Vie tname se/Latinos? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a litde no, not very much no, not at all 15. Would you feel afraid of being misunderstood at this bank? yes, very afraid yes, I would be afraid yes, a litde afraid no, not very afraid no, not at all afraid 343 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16. Do you feel like an outsider at this bank? yes, very much yes, I do yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 17. In your opinion, does this bank care about Vietnamese people? Yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 18. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being very bad and 10 being very good, how would you rate this bank?_______ 19. Do you feel alienated by this bank? yes, very much yes, I do yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 20. In your opinion, is this bank accepting of Vietnamese/Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 344 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 21. In your opinion, is this bank discriminating against Vietnamese/Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 22. Would you feel nervous about speaking Vietnamese/Spanish at this bank? yes, very nervous yes, I would be nervous yes, a little nervous no, not very nervous no, not at all nervous 23. Does the bank have a special responsibility to Vietnamese/Latino patrons? yes, very much yes, it does yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 24. Is this bank shirking its responsibility to Vietnamese/Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 345 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25. Is this bank racist? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 26. How likely are you to do business with a bank that is not very near your home-if it offers services in your language? very likely likely a little likely not very likely not at all likely 27. How likely are you to do business with a bank in which you must wait in line longer, but they have services in your language? very likely likely a little likely not very likely not at all likely 28. What language do you use most often at home with your spouse or siblings or brothers or sisters? English Spanish/Vietnamese 346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 29. What language do you use most often at home with your children or your nieces and nephews? not applicable English Spanish/Vietnamese 30. What language do you use most often at work with your fellow workers? not applicable English Spanish/Vietnamese 31. What language do you use most often at work with your supervisors? not applicable English other 32. What language do you use most often when shopping for necessities? English Spanish/Vietnamese 33. What language do you use most often when shopping for luxury goods? English Spanish/Vietnamese 34. What language do you use most often when using banking services? English Spanish/Vietnamese 347 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 35. What radio station do you listen to most often? 36. What TV station do you listen to most often? 37. When people ask you what ethnic group you're in, what do you say? 38. How would you describe your feelings about this classification? identify strongly identify identify somewhat identify weakly identify not at all 39. Sex: Male Female 40. How many years have you been in the U.S.? under 1 1-5 more than 5 41. What is your approximate income per year? under $10,000 $11,000-20,000 $21,000-30,000 $31,000 and over 348 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 42. Are you single married divorced widowed 43. How many years did you attend school? less than 5 6-10 11-12 junior college-trade school university graduate 44. What is your age category? under 20 21-25 26-30 31-35 3640 41-50 51-60 over 60 45. What bank do you use? 46. Why? 47. What bank don't you use? 48. Why? 349 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX O FIRST VERSION OF SURVEY - VIETNAMESE 350 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1. Moi thang ban dung dich vu ngan hang may Ian? 9 • • o-tri Idi nhi? vay thi ngiing hoi tiep' dildi,5 Ian 6 tdi 10 tren 10 Ian 2. Ban nghi gi ve ngan hang nay! 1 2 3. 4. 5. 3. Neu ban chiia co ngan hang, ban co dtI dinh dung ngan hang nay khong? ' ' ' Chac chan Co'th&’lam Co the co' co', the'khong Chac chan khong 4. Ban co' muon md tnidng muc vdi ngan hang nay khong? Co', chac chan Co', the* lam Co', the’ , Khong, co the khong Chac chan khong 5. Ban co* tin nhiem. Tien cua ban dddc an toan tai ngan haiTg nay khong? / A t . Co, rat tin Co'. / f Co', tin chut dinh. Khong. Hoan toan khfing. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6. Ngan hang nay co kinh trong than chti viet nam khong? Co, rat kinh trong. Co. , , * Co', chut dinh. Khong. ^ Hon toan khong. 7. Ban co' thick ngan hang nay khong? Co. rat thich Co', , Co', chut dinh thoi Khong A hoan toan khong 8. Khi ban dung tieng viet tai ngan hang nay, cam tifting cda ban ra sao? aA l - s Rat ngf i. ngung Ngai ngung / ? Ngai ngung chut dinh. Kh&ig ngai chut nao. 9. Bgn co tin nhiem nhan vien ngan hang tink tien cho ban dung khong? / * ^ Co, rat tin. Coi / 7 Cd, chut dinh. Khong Hoan toan khong. 10. Ngan hang nay co da'pa i)ng nhu cau ciia dan chung khong? Co', rat day d J Co', vda dti C o', mot phan thoi. Khong Khong, hoan toan khong. 352 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 11. Vdi y'thdc la ngiidi viet, ban co cam trfdng gi khi dung ngan hang nay. Toi cam thay rat thodi mai tai ngan hang nay. Toi cam thay thoai mdi tai ngan hang nay. Toi carfa thay thoai mai v'da thoi. Toi khong thay thoai mai. t N Toi khong thay thoa’i mai chut nao. 12. Ban nghi sao ve ngan hang nay? _a. a / _ y , Toi rat thich. Tgi thich vda thoi. Toi thich chi/t dinh. Toi khong thich. Toi hoan toan khong thich. 13. Ban eo'tin ngan hang khong tin'll lam tien cua ban khong? • • Co, r2t tin. Co Co', chut dinh. Khdng. ^ Hoan toan khdng 14. Ban nghi ngan hang nay co hieu nhifng nhu eau cua ngildi viet khdng? I A 9 A x Co, rat nhieu. Co- Co’ , phan nho thoi. KhoVig. Hoan toan khdng 15. Ban cd sd hi hieu lain tai ngan hang nay khdng? Co', rat sd. Co', cd thd. Co', chut dinh. Khdng. ^ Hoan toan khdng. 353 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16. Ban co cam thay nhd la ngddi ngoai cuoc tai ngan hang nay khong? * * ' M I A * N Co, rat ro rang. Co. Co chut dinh thoi. Khdng. Hoan toan khdng. 17. Theo y ban, ngan hang nay co' quy trong ngiidi viet khdng? M I 4/ , , A ^ Co, rat nhieti. Co'. Cd, phan nho thoi. Khdng. Hoa'n toan khdng 18.^ Sap hang td 1 den 10; 1 a rat xau va 10 = > rat tot, ban cho diem ngan hang nay bao nhieu? * 19. Ban co* ac cam vdi ngan hang nay khdng? Co! rat nhieu. Co'. k Cd, dlit dinh thoi. Khong. Hoan toan khdng. 20. Theo y ban ngan hang nay co chap nhan than chu ngddi viet khong? * ' Co! Co'. ( Co', chut dinh. Khong. Hoan toan khdng. 21. Theo y ban, ngan hang nay co ky thi ngddi viet khdng? # m # Co' rat nhieu Co. Co! rat nhieu. Co', chut dinh. Khdng. Hoan toan khdng. 354 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 22. Ban co ngddng ngung khi dung tieng viet tai ngan hang nay khong? Co, rat nhieu. Co Cd. chut dinh Khong. ^ Hoa'h toan khdng. 23. Ngan hang nay cd da'p ling nhu cau daic biet cua than chu ngddi viet-nam khdng? Co,' rat nhieu Co', vi/a du Cd, chdt it 4 „ Khdng, khong co may Khdng, hoan toan khong. 24. Tranh dap ling nhu cau. Ngan hang nay co tranh sii dap dng nhu cau cua than chd viet-nam khdng? Cd. rat nhidu Co. ^ f Co, chut it. Khdng. Hoan toan khdng. 25. Ngan hang nay co/ ky thi ehung toe khdng? * • Co', rat nhieu co; Co chut dinh. Khdng. Hoan toan khdng. / s . *. s f N 26. Ban co dung mdt ngan hang tuy d xa nha ban nhiing co ngddi phuc vu noi tieng viet? • * Chac' chan co'. Co' thft’ed. / ^ A Co the chut dinh thoi. Co' the khong.^ Chac chan khdng. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. •« 1 a / . a a ^ i „ ^ r L 1 . a 27. Ban co muon dung vngt ngan hang co ngtloi noi tieng viet nhilng ban ph& sap hang I ail hdn khdng? V / */ / / Chac chan co. Co th&’co'. Co'the chut dinh thoi Khong f chac chan khong. 28} d nha, ban thildng dung tieng nao noi vdi ngddi hdn phoi hay vdi anh/chi em? • • - A / Tieng anh Tieng Khad 29. d nha, ban thtfdng dung tieng nao noi vdi cac con hay chau? Khong ap dung. Tieng anh. Tieng khdc. so lam, ban thuong dung tieng nao noi vdi dong ngiep? Khopg ap dung. Tieng anh. Tidrfg khac. t 6 } X > X A / \ ✓ y f £ I 2 so lam, ban thuong dung tieng nao noi voi cap chi huy? Khong ap dung. Tieng anh. Tieng Khdc. 4 f t \ ^ ^ f ^ f\. f t 32. Ban thuong dung tieng nao khi di mua sam nhung vat dung can thiet? Tieng anh. Tieng khdc. 33. Ban thddng dung tieng nao khi di mua sani vat dung xa xi? # * • Tieng anh. Tieng khac. 356 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34. Ban hay nghe dai phat thanh nao? 35. Ban hay coi truyen hinh dai nao? 36. Khi co ngddi hoi ban la ngddi thuoc sac toe nao thi ban tea Idi ra sao? ' * a * * y ' / 37. Ban cam nghi ra sao ve lien he cua ban vdi sac toe ciia ban? • • « • Lien h£ chat che Lien h£. ^ f Lidn he phan,nao. Li^nh; mot it^thci. Hoan toan khong lien he. 38. Pha'i. Nam. Nci. 39. Ban qua my da bao nhieu nam roi? Diidi 1^nam Til 1 den 5 nam. Trdn 5 nam. 40. Mile Idi tile hang nam ctla ban? e Difdi 10,000 do la Ti^ 11,000 ddn 20,000 Td 21,000 deli 30,000 Trdn 31,000. ^ 4 41. Ban con doc than? » • Da co hdn phoi. Da ly di. Goa vd hay chong 357 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 42. Ban di hoc bao nhieu nam? • • / Di|di 5 nam. T O 6 den 10 nam. Td 11 ddn 12 nam. ^ , Bat h9C dia phildng-huan nghe. Dai hoc tieu bang. C & p bang tieri sif* ) ^ / /•? N 41. Ban 8 vao mdc tuoi nao? Dilo'i 20. 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-50 51-60 trSn 60 42. Ban dung ngan hang nao? 43. Vi sao? 44. Ban khong dung ngan hang nao? 45. Vi' sao? 358 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX P FIRST VERSION OF SURVEY - SPANISH 359 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DISQUALIFYING QUESTION 1. Cuantos veces al mes usa usted el banco o sus servicios? 0 mcnos de S de 6-10 masque 1 0 I/O, thank them and move onto the next person. 2. Que impresion dene usted de este banco? 1 . 2 _ 3 . 4. 5. 3. Si aun no fuera cliente de un banco, que probabilidad haria que usted se hiciera cliente de este banco? casi seguramente probablemente possiblemente no rnuy probable probablemente no 4. Abriria usted una cuenta con este banco? dennidvamente si creo que si quizas probablemente no definitivamente no 360 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5. Respeta este banco la gente latina? si. bastante si. algo si, un poco no, no mucho no. nada 6. Te gusta este banco? si. demasiado si. me gusta si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 7. Como se siente usted hablando espaBbl en este banco? muy incomodo incomodo algo incomodo poco incomodo nada de incomodo 8. Cumple este banco su responsabilidad hacia el publico? si, demasiado si, si cumple si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 9. Como un latino, comparte tus sentimientos hacia este banco. Me siento demasiado comodo usando este banco. Me siento comodo usando este banco. Me siento un poco comodo usando este banco. No me siento muy comodo usando este banco. No me siento nada comodo usando este banco. 361 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 10. Que impresion tiene listed de este banco? me gusta demasiado me gusta me gusta un poco no me gusta me disgusta 11. Cree usted que este banco comprende las necesidades de la gente latina? si. mucho si. algo si. un poco no. no mucho no, nada 12. Teme usted no ser entendido en este banco? si. demasiado temeroso si, temeroso si, un poco temeroso no, no muy temeroso no, nada de temeroso 13. Se siente listed como una persona ajener en este banco? si, demasiado si, si me siento si, un poco no. no mucho no, nada 14. En su opinion, este banco sc preocupo por la gente latina? si,bastante si, algo si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 15. En una escala de! 1-10, el 1 siendo muy malo y el 10 sieado muy bueno, como calificaria usted a este banco? 362 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 6. Se siente usted distanciado por este banco? si, demasiado si, si me siento si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 17. En su opinion, esta aceptando a latinos este banco? si, demasiado si, mucho si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 18. En su opinion, est£ este banco discriminando contra los latinos? si. demasiado si, si estan si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 19. Se sentiria nervioso hablando espanol dentro de este banco? si, demasiado nervioso si, estaria nervioso si, un poco nervioso no, no muy nervioso no, nada de nervioso 20. Tiene este banco un responsabilidad especial hacia su clientela latina? si, demasiada si, si tiene si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 363 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 21. Esta este banco eludicado su responsabilidad hacia Ios latinos? si. demasiado si. si lo hace si. un poco no. no tnucho no. nada 22. Es racism este banco? si, demasiado si. si la es si, un poco no, no mucho no. nada 23. Que probabie es que seas cliente de un banco que no csta cerca de tu casa pens que oirece servicios ea ni idioma? muy probable probable auizas no muy probabie no. nada 24. Que' probabie es que seas cliente de un banco ea donee denes que que espetar un poco mas ea aia, pero que habie tu iaioma? muy probabie probabie quins no muy probabie no. aada 25. Que idioma usa usted mas ea su hoear con su esposa o esposo. hermanos o hermanas? ingies ocro 26. Que idioma usa usted mas ea su hoear eon sus hijos. hijas, sobrinos o sobrinas? no es aoiicabie ingles otro 364 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 37. Cuantos afios tiene usted aquf en Ios Estados Unidos? menos que 1 de 1-5 mas que 5 38. Aproximadamente cuaies son sus ingesos al anol menos de 510,000 de SI 1.000-20,000 deS21,000-30,000 531,000 o mas 39. Es usted? soltero/soitera divorciado/divorciada viudo/viuda 40. Cuantos anos tiene usted de estudio? menos que 5 6-10 11-12 colegio bachiller o escuela de artes y oficios univeisidad mas 41. En que categoria cat su edad? menos de 20 de 36-40 de 21-25 de 41-50 de 26-30 de 51-60 de 31-35 mas de 60 42. Que banco(s) usa usted? 43. Porque? 44. Que banco(s) no usa usted? 45. Porque? 365 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX Q SECOND VERSION OF SURVEY - ENGLISH 366 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX Q Second Version of the Survey (in English) ***Note: Each participant only answered questions about one (1) of the following eight (8) scenarios. Directions: Thank you for participating in this research study. Please read this brief description of a hypothetical bank. Please answer the questions about this bank, not about the bank that you use. Once again, answer the questions about the banking services that are described here. 1. High Functional High Symbolic Convenient: This bank is closer to your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business more hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts as well as home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirement accounts, etc. 2. High Functional High Symbolic Inconvenient: This bank is further from your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business fewer hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex 367 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all of the banks' products- checking and savings accounts as well as home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirement accounts, etc. 3. High Symbolic Low functional Convenient: This bank is closer to your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business more hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives can only speak and understand Spanish for very simple transactions. They are not able to explain anything more complex in Spanish. Besides the employees, this bank provides abbreviated brochures in Spanish which explain 2 of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts. All other brochures, explaining home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirem ent accounts, etc. are in English. 4. High Symbolic Low Functional Inconvenient: This bank is further from your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business fewer hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives can only speak and understand Spanish for very simple transactions. They are not able to explain anything more complex in Spanish. Besides the employees, this bank provides abbreviated brochures in Spanish which explain 2 of the banks' products- checking and savings accounts. All other brochures, explaining home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirement accounts, etc. are in English. 368 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5. High Functional Low Symbolic Convenient: This bank is closer to your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business more hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, the only signs in Spanish are those that say "Se Habla Espanol" by the Spanish speaking employees. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts as well as home, car and business loans, investments, retirement accounts, etc. 6. High Functional Low Symbolic Inconvenient: This bank is further from your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business fewer hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, the only signs in Spanish are those that say "Se Habla Espanol" by the Spanish speaking employees. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all products-checking and savings accounts as well as home, car and business loans, investments, retirement accounts, etc. 7. Low Functional Low Symbolic Convenient: This bank is closer to your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business more hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, all signs are in English only. This bank also has tellers and new account representatives who speak English only. All brochures which explain the banks' services are in English only. 369 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8. Low Functional Low Symbolic Inconvenient: This bank is further from your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business fewer hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, all signs are in English only. This bank also has tellers and new account representatives who speak English only. All brochures which explain the banks' services are in English only. 1. How many times per month do you use a bank or its services-on average? 0-if this answer, don't continue the interview less than 5 6-10 more than 10 2. What did you think and feel about the bank? a .______________________________________ b. c. 3. If you didn't have a bank already, how likely would you be to use this bank? very likely likely somewhat likely not very likely not at all likely 370 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4. Would you open an account with this bank? yes, most definitely yes, I think so yes, maybe no, probably not no, definitely not 5. On a scale of 1-10,1 being very bad and 10 being very good, how would you rate this bank?_______ 6. Does this bank respect Latinos? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 7. Do you like this bank? yes, very much yes, I do yes, but just a little no, not very much no, not at all 8. Would you go to this bank to conduct your banking transactions? yes, most definitely yes, I think so yes, maybe no, probably not no, definitely not 371 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 9. Do you trust this bank? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 10. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being "not very" and 10 being "very much," how anxious would you be about using this bank? 11. Do you like the way this bank does business? yes, very much yes, I do yes, but just a little no, not very much no, not at all 12. Does this bank value Latinos as customers? Yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 13. How do you feel about using Spanish at this bank? very anxious anxious somewhat anxious not very anxious not at all anxious 372 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 14. Is this bank meeting its responsibility to the public? yes, very much yes, it is yes, marginally no, not very much no, not at all 15. Would you trust that your money is secure in this bank? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 16. As a Latino, describe your feelings about using this bank. I would feel like I fit in very well at this bank. I would feel like I fit in at this bank. I would feel like I somewhat fit in at this bank. I would feel like I don't really fit in at this bank. I would feel like I don't fit in at all at this bank. 17. How do you feel about this bank? I strongly like it. I like it. I like it a little. I don't like it. I strongly dislike it. 373 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 18. Do you think that this bank understands the needs of Latinos? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 19. Would you feel afraid of being misunderstood at this bank? yes, very afraid yes, I would be afraid yes, a little afraid no, not very afraid no, not at all afraid 20. Does this bank want Latinos as customers? yes, very much yes, I do yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 21. Does this bank have a special responsibility to minorities and low income people? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 374 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 22. Do you feel like an outsider at this bank? yes, very much yes, I do yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 23. In your opinion, does this bank care about Latinos? Yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 24. Would you trust the bank personnel to deal with your money correctly? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 25. Do you feel alienated by this bank? yes, very much yes, I do yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 375 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 26. In your opinion, is this bank accepting of Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 27. Is this bank for English speakers only? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 28. Would you trust this bank not to make an error on your account? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 29. In your opinion, is this bank discriminating against Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 30. Would you feel nervous about speaking Spanish at this bank? yes, very nervous yes, I would be nervous yes, a little nervous no, not very nervous no, not at all nervous 31. Does the bank have a special responsibility to Latino patrons? yes, very much yes, it does yes, a litde no, not very much no, not at all 32. Is this bank shirking its responsibility to Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 33. Is this bank racist? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 377 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34. Do you consider this bank conveniently located? yes, very much yes, I do yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 35. Do you consider this bank to have convenient banking hours? yes, very much yes, I do yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 36. How likely are you to do business with a bank that is not very near your hom e-if it offers services in your language? very likely likely a little likely not very likely not at all likely 37. How likely are you to do business with a bank in which you must wait in line longer, but they have services in your language? very likely likely a little likely not very likely not at all likely 378 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 38. What language do you use most often at home with your spouse or siblings or brothers or sisters? English Spanish 39. What language do you use most often at home with your children or your nieces and nephews? not applicable English Spanish 40. What language do you use most often at work with your fellow workers? not applicable English Spanish 41. What language do you use most often at work with your supervisors? not applicable English Spanish 42. What language do you use most often when shopping for necessities? English Spanish 379 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 43. What language do you use most often when shopping for luxury goods? English Spanish 44. What language do you use most often when using banking services? English Spanish 45. What radio station do you listen to most often? 46. What TV stadon do you listen to most often? 47. When people ask you what ethnic group you're in, what do you say? 48. How would you describe your feelings about this classification? identify strongly identify identify somewhat identify weakly identify not at all 49. Sex: Male Female 380 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 50. How many years have you been in the U.S.? under 1 1-5 more than 5 51. What is your approximate income per year? under $10,000 $11,000-20,000 $21,000-30,000 $31,000 and over 52. Are you single m arried divorced widowed 53. How many years did you attend school? less than 5 6-10 11-12 junior college-trade school university graduate 381 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 54. What is your age category? under 20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-50 51-60 over 60 55. What bank do you use? 56. Why? 57. What bank don't you use? 58. Why? 382 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX R SECOND VERSION OF SURVEY - SPANISH 383 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Direcciones: G raaas p o rsu cooperaciSn en este estudio y encuesta. Leeras este breve description de un banco hipotitico. Par fervor, conteste las preguntas sobre este banco, no sobre e l banco que usted usa en la actualidad. Una ver mas. conteste las preguntas sobre lo s servicios bancarios que la pregunta describe. 1. Este banco esta mas cercano a su casa que otros bancos en su vecindad. Tambien tiene un horario mas amplio que otros bancos en su vecindad. Este banco tiene muchos letreros en espanol por toda la ciudad promoviendo sus productos y servicios. Dentro de este banco hay letreros en espanol senalando donde se debe formar en fila con su forma de deposito en mano. Los cajeros y agentes de cuentas nuevas estan entrenadas para esplicar los servicios y transacciones, simples y complejas, del banco. Aparte de empleados bilingues, este banco ofrece muchos folietos en espanol que esplican sus servicios y productos tal como cuentas de ahorros y cheques, prestamos hfpotecarios, prestamos comerciales, prestamos para autos, cuentas de pension y servicios de inversiones. 384 of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DISQUALIFYING QUESTION 1 . Cuantos veces al mss usa listed el banco o sus servicios? 0 meaos de 5 de6-10 mas que 10 I/O, thank them and move onto the next person, 2. Que impresion tiene usted de este banco? 1 . 2. 3. 4. 5. 3. Si aun no fuera cliente de un banco, que probabilidad baiia que usted se hiciera cliente de este banco? casi seguramente probablemente possibletnente no muy probable probablemente no 4. Abriria usted una cuenta con este banco? deftnitivamente si creo que si quizas probablemente no definitivamente no 5. En una escala del 1*10, el 1 siendo muy malo y el 10 siendo muy bueno, como calificaria usted a este banco?________ 385 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission 6. Respeta este banco la gente latina? si, bastante si, algo si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada 7. Te gusta este banco? si, demasiado si, me gusta si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada 8. Irias tu a este banco a conducir ms transacciones bancarios? definitivamente si creoquesi quizas probablemente no definitivamente no 9. Confias en este banco? si, demasiado si,confio si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada 10. En una escala de 1 a 10.1 equivaliendo "no mucho1 1 y 10 equivaliendo "demasiado", a que nivel estuviera tu ansiedad hacia el uso de este banco?_______ 11. Te agrado como este banco conduce sus transacciones? si, demasiado si, me gusta si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada 386 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 12. Crees que este banco valora a los latinos como clientes? ' si, bastante si, algo si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada 13. Como se siente usted hablando espaSol en este banco? muy incomodo incomodo algo incomodo poco incomodo nada de incomodo 14. Cumple este banco su responsabilidad bacia el publico? si, demasiado si. si cumple si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada 15. Confiarias que tu dinero estuviera seguro en este banco? si, demasiada si, confiaria si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 16. Como un latino, compane tus sentimientos hacia este banco. Me siento demasiado comodo usando este banco. Me siento comodo usando este banco. Me siento un poco comodo usando este banco. No me siento muy comodo usando este banco. No me siento nada c6modo usando este banco. 387 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 17. Que impresion tieue usted de este banco? me gusta demasiado me gusta me gusta un poco no me gusta medisgusta 18. Cree usted que este banco comprende las necesidades de la gente latina? si, mucho si,algo si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 19. Teme usted no ser entendido en este banco? si, demasiado temeroso si, temeroso si, un poco temeroso no, no muy temeroso no, nada de temeroso 20. Quiere este banco clientes latinos? si, demasiada si, si tiene si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 21. Tiene este banco una responsabilidad hacialas minorias y gente de bajos ingresos? si, demasiada si, si tiene si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 388 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 22. Se siente usted como una persona ajener en este banco? si, demasiado si, si me siento si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada 23. En su opinion, este banco se preocupo por la gente latina? si, bastants si, algo si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 24. Confiarias en el personal a manejar bien tu dinero? si, demasiada si, confiaria si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 25. Se siente usted distanciado por este banco? si, demasiado si, si me siento si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada 26. En su opinion, esta aceptando a latinos este banco? si, demasiado si, mucho si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 27. Es este banco solamente para los que hablan Ingles? si. demasiado si, si la es si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 28. Coniiahas que este banco no cometiera un error en tu cuenta? si, demasiada si, confiaria si, poco - no, no mucho no, ninguna 29. En su opinion, esta este banco discriminando contra los latinos? si, demasiado si, si estan si. un poco no, no mucho no.nada 30. Se sentiria nervioso hablando espanol dentro de este banco? si, demasiado nervioso si, estaria nervioso si, un poco nervioso no, no muy nervioso no, nada de nervioso 31. Tiene este banco un responsabilidad especial bacia su clientela ladna? si, demasiada si, si tiene si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 390 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 32. Esta este banco eludiendo su responsabilidad hacia los latinos? si, demasiado si, si lo bace si. un poco no, no mucho no, nada 33. Es racista este banco? si, demasiado si, si la es si, un poco no, no mucho no.nada 34. Esta este banco ubicado en un lugar que es conveniente? si, demasiada si, esta si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 35. Crees tu que este banco tiene un borario que es conveniente? si, demasiada si. creo que si si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 36. Que probable es que seas cliente de un banco que no esta cerca de tu casa pero que ofrece servicios en tu idioma? muy probable probable quizas no muy probable no.nada 391 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 37. Que probable es que seas cliente de un banco en donde tienes que que esperar un poco mas en fila, pero que hable tu idioms? muy probable probable quizas no muy probable no, nada 38. Que idioma usa usted mas en su hogar con su esposa o esposo, bermanos o hermanas? ingles otro 39. Que idioma usa usted mas en su hogar con sus hijos, hijas, sobrinos o sobrinas? no es aplicable ingles otro 40. Que idioma uas luted mas en el tiabajo con sus companeros? no es aplicable ingles otro 41. Que idioma usa uked mas en el tiabajo con sus supervisores? no es aplicable ingles otro 42. Que idioma usa usted mas cuando va de compras por sus necesidades? ingles otro 43. Que idioma usa uked mas cuando va de compras para cosas de luja? ingles otro 392 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 44. Que idioma usa usted mas cuando usa los servicios de un banco? ingles otro 45. Que radio difusora sintoniya usted mas seguido? 46. Ques estacion de television sintoniya usted mas seguido? 47. Que contesta usted cuando alguien le pregunta sobre que grupo etnico penenece usted? 48. Como describiena uked sus sentimientos sobre esta clasificacion? identifico demasiado identifico identificio un poco identifico muy poco no identifico 49. Sexo: M oF 50. Cuantos anos tiene usted aqufen los Estados Unidos? menosquel del-5 mas que 5 51. Aproximadamente cuales son sus ingesos al ano? menos de 510,000 de 511,000-20,000 de 521,000-30,000 S31,000omas 52. Es usted? soltero/soltera divorciado/divorciada viudo/viuda 393 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 53. Cuantos anos tiene usted de estudio? menos que 5 6-10 11-12 colegio bachiller o escuela de artes y oficios universidad mas 54. Enquecategoriacafsuedad? menos de 20 de 36-40 de 21-25 de 41-50 de 26-30 de 51-60 de 31-35 masde60 55. Que banco(s) usa usted? 56. Por que? 57. Que banco(s) no usa usted? 58. Por que? 394 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX S THIRD VERSION OF SURVEY - ENGLISH 395 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX S Third Version of the Survey (in English) DIRECTIONS FOR INTERVIEWER (1) Before starting the survey, make sure that the participant uses a bank at least once a month by asking the following question: "Quantos veces al mes usa usted un banco-no necessito tener una cuenta solamente cambiar cheques en un banco?" (How many times per month do you use a bank-it's not necessary to have an account, only to cash checks at a bank?) If 0, thank them and move on to the next person. If at least once per month, circle the apapropriate category: 1-2 S-5 more than 5 (2) Inform them that the following description is of an imaginary bank, not an actual bank, nor the bank that they use. Tell them to imagine themselves in this imaginary bank and to answer the questions based on the imaginary bank, not about the bank they currently use. Tell them: "Leeras este breve descripcio de UN BANCO IMAGINARIO. Por favor, conteste las preguntas sobre este banco imaginario. no sobre el banco que usted usa en la actualidad." (Please read this brief description of AN IMAGINARY BANK. Please answer the questions about this imaginary bank, not about the bank that you use.) 396 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ***Note: Each participant only answered questions about one (1) of the following eight (8) scenarios. Directions: Please read this brief description of AN IMAGINARY BANK. Please answer the questions about this imaginary bank, not about the bank that you use. 1. High Functional High Symbolic Convenient: This bank is closer to your home than most of the banks in your* neighborhood. It is also open for business more hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts as well as home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirement accounts, etc. 2. High Functional High Symbolic Inconvenient: This bank is further from your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business fewer hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all of the banks' products- checking and savings accounts as well as home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirement accounts, etc. 397 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3. High Symbolic Low Functional Convenient: This bank is closer to your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business more hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives can only speak and understand Spanish for very simple transactions. They are not able to explain anything more complex in Spanish. Besides the employees, this bank provides abbreviated brochures in Spanish which explain 2 of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts. All other brochures, explaining hom e loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirem ent accounts, etc. are in English. 4. High Symbolic Low Functional Inconvenient: This bank is further from your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business fewer hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank has a lot of billboards in Spanish around the city advertising its products and services. At this bank, there are signs in Spanish telling you where to enter the line and to have your deposit slip already filled out. The tellers and new account representatives can only speak and understand Spanish for very simple transactions. They are not able to explain anything more complex in Spanish. Besides the employees, this bank provides abbreviated brochures in Spanish which explain 2 of the banks' products- checking and savings accounts. All other brochures, explaining home loans, business loans, car loans, investment services, retirement accounts, etc. are in English. 398 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5. High Functional Low Symbolic Convenient: This bank is closer to your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business more hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, the only signs in Spanish are those that say "Se Habla Espanol" by the Spanish speaking employees. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all of the banks' products-checking and savings accounts as well as home, car and business loans, investments, retirement accounts, etc. 6. High Functional Low Symbolic Inconvenient: This bank is further from your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business fewer hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, the only signs in Spanish are those that say "Se Habla Espanol" by the Spanish speaking employees. The tellers and new account representatives are trained to be able to explain all of the banks' services in Spanish, both simple and complex transactions. Besides the bilingual employees, another service offered by this bank are many Spanish brochures which explain all products-checking and savings accounts as well as home, car and business loans, investments, retirement accounts, etc. 7. Low Functional Low Symbolic Convenient: This bank is closer to your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business more hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, all signs are in English only. This bank also has tellers and new account representatives who speak English only. All brochures which explain the banks' services are in English only. 399 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8. Low Functional Low Symbolic Inconvenient: This bank is further from your home than most of the banks in your neighborhood. It is also open for business fewer hours than the other banks in your neighborhood. This bank advertises its products and services in English only. In this bank, all signs are in English only. This bank also has tellers and new account representatives who speak English only. All brochures which explain the banks' services are in English only. 1. What did you think and feel about the bank? a.__________________________________________________ b. c.__________________________________________________ 2. If you didn't have a bank already, how likely would you be to use this bank? very likely likely somewhat likely not very likely not at all likely 3. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being very bad and 10 being very good, how would you rate this bank?_______ 400 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4. Does this bank respect Latinos? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 5. Do you like this bank? yes, very much yes, I do yes, but just a little no, not very much no, not at all 6. Would you go to this bank to conduct your banking transactions? yes, most definitely yes, I think so yes, maybe no, probably not no, definitely not 7. Do you like the way this bank does business? yes, very much yes, I do yes, but just a little no, not very much no, not at all 401 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8. Does this bank value Latinos as customers? Yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 9. How do you feel about using Spanish at this bank? very anxious anxious somewhat anxious not very anxious not at all anxious 10. Is this bank meeting its responsibility to the public? yes, very much yes, it is yes, marginally no, not very much no, not at all 11. How anxious do you feel using this bank? very anxioius anxious a litde anxious not very anxioius not at all anxious Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 12. Do you think that this bank understands the needs of Latinos? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 13. Would you feel afraid of being misunderstood at this bank? yes, very afraid yes, I would be afraid yes, a little afraid no, not very afraid no, not at all afraid 14. Would you trust the bank personnel to deal with your money correctly? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 15. In your opinion, is this bank accepting of Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 403 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16. Is this bank for English speakers only? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 17. Would you trust a teller of this hank not to make an error on your account? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 18. In your opinion, is this bank discriminating against Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 19. Would you feel nervous about speaking Spanish at this bank? yes, very nervous yes, I would be nervous yes, a little nervous no, not very nervous no, not at all nervous 404 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 20. Does the bank have a special responsibility to Latino patrons? yes, very much yes, it does yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 21. Is this bank shirking its responsibility to Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 22. Is this bank racist? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 23. Is this bank conveniently located and does it have a convenient schedule? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 405 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 24. What language do you use most often at home with your spouse or siblings or brothers or sisters? English Spanish 25. What language do you use most often at home with your children or your nieces and nephews? not applicable English Spanish 26. What language do you use most often at work with your fellow workers? not applicable English Spanish 27. What language do you use most often at work with your supervisors? not applicable English Spanish 28. When people ask you what ethnic group you're in, what do you say? 406 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 29. How would you describe your feelings about this classification? identify strongly identify identify somewhat identify weakly identify not at all 30. Sex: Male Female 31. How many years have you been in the U.S.? 32. What is your approximate income per year? under $10,000 $11,000- 20,000 $21,000-30,000 $31,000 and over 33. How many years did you attend school? less than 5 6-10 11-12 junior college-trade school university graduate 407 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34. What is your age category? under 20 21-25 26-30 31-35 3640 41-50 51-60 over 60 35. What bank do you use? 36. Why? 37. What bank don't you use? 38. Why? 408 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX T THIRD VERSION OF SURVEY - SPANISH 409 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 . Que impresion tiene listed de este banco? I. 2. Haria usted negocio con este banco? casi seguramente probablemente possiblememe no muy probable probablemente no 3. Ed una escaia del 1*10, el 1 siendo may malo y el JOsieodo may bueoo, como calilicaria usted a este banco?________ 4. Esta este banco ubicado en un lugar que es conveniente y tiene este banco un horario que es convenieme? si, demasiada si. esta si. poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 5. Respeta este banco la gente latina? si, bastante si, algo si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 6. Te gusta este banco? si, demasiado si, me gusta si, un poco no, no mucho no,nada 410 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7. Utilizaria usted este banco? definitivamente si creo que si quizas probablemente no definitivamente no 8. Te agrado como este banco conduce sus transaccioncs? si. demasiado si. me gusta si. un poco no. no mucho no. nada 9. Crees que este banco valora a los latinos como ciientes? si. bastante si. algo si. un poco no. no mucho no, nada 10. Como se siente usted hablandc espanc! en este banco? muy incomodo incomodo algo incomodo poco incomodo nada de incomodo 11 . Cumple este banco su responsabilidad hacia el publico? si, demasiado si, si cumple si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 12. Que anxioso se siente ustecl usando este banco? muy anxioso anxioso algo anxioso poco anxioso nada de anxioso 411 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13. Cree usted que este banco comprende las necesidades de la genie latina? si. mucho si. algo si, un poco no. no mucho no, nada 14. Esta preocupado de que el cajero de este banco no le entienda a usted? si, demasiado si, muchc- • si, un poco no, no mucho no. nada 15. Confiarias en el personal a manejar bien tu transaccion? si, demasiada si, confiaria si, poco no, no mucho no. ninguna 16. En su opinion, esta aceptando a latinos este banco? si, demasiado si, mucho si, un poco no, no mucho no. nada 17. Es este banco solamente para los que hablan ingles? si, demasiado si, si la es si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 18. Confiarias que un cajero de este banco no cometiera un error en tu cuenta? si, demasiada si, confiaria si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 412 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 19. En su opinion, esta este banco discriminando contra los latinos? si, demasiado si, si estan si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 20. Se sentiria nervioso hablando espanol dentro de este banco? si, demasiado nervioso si, estaria nervioso si, un poco nervioso no, no muy nervioso no, nada de nervioso 21. Tiene este banco un responsabilidad especial hacia su dientela latina? si, demasiada si, si tiene si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 22. Esta este banco eludiendo (evitando) su responsabilidad hacia los latinos? si, demasiado si, si lo hace si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 23. Es racista este banco? si, demasiado si, si la es si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 24. Que idioma usa usted mas en su hogar con su esposa o esposo, hetmanos o hermanas? ingles espanol 413 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25. Que idioma usa usted mas en su hogar con sus hijos. hijas. sobnnos o sobrinas? no es aplicable ingles espanol 26. Que idioma uas usted mas en el nabajo con sus companeros? no es aplicable ingles espanol 27. Que idioma usa usted mas en el trabajo con sus supervisores? no es aplicable ingles espanol 28. Que contesta usted cuando alguien le pregunta sobre que gnipo emico pertenece usted? 29. Como describieria usted sus sentimientos sobre esta clasificacion? idenrifico demasiado identifico idenuficio un poco identifico muy poco no identifico 30. Sexo: Mascuiino o Feminino 31. Cuantos anos tiene usted aqui en los Estados Unidos?_______ 32. Aproximadamente cuales son sus ingesos at ano? menos de SI0,000 de SI 1,000-20,000 de 521,000-30,000 S31,000omas 33. Cuantos anos tiene usted de estudio? menos que 5 6-10 11-12 colegio bachiller o escuela de anes y oficios universidad mas 414 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34. En que categoria cai su edad? menos de 20 de 36-40 de 21-25 de 41-50 de 26-30 de 51-60 de 31-35 masde60 35. Que banco(s) usa usted?__ 36. Porque?___________ 37. Que banco{s) no usa usted? 38. Porque? '_________ 415 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX U SURVEY ILLUSTRATIONS 416 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 417 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ReP roauced .............. □ H 'Z f/7 418 M i s s i o n of the °°Pyright ow n er. Furth e r reProcj, oction prol'i^ am hout Permis. sion 419 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 420 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX V FOURTH VERSION OF SURVEY - ENGLISH 421 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX V Fourth Version of the Survey (in English) 1. What did you think and feel about the bank? a .______________________________________ b. c. 2. If you didn't have a bank already, how likely would you be to use this bank? very likely likely somewhat likely not very likely not at all likely 3. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being very bad and 10 being very good, how would you rate this bank?_______ 4. Is this bank conveniently located and does it have a convenient schedule? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 422 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5. Does this bank respect Latinos? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 6. Do you like this bank? yes, very much yes, I do yes, but just a litde no, not very much no, not at all 7. Would you go to this bank to conduct your banking transactions? yes, most definitely yes, I think so yes, maybe no, probably not no, definitely not 8. Do you like the way this bank does business? yes, very much yes, I do yes, but just a little no, not very much no, not at all 423 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 9. Does this bank value Latinos as customers? Yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 10. How do you feel about using Spanish at this bank? very anxious anxious somewhat anxious not very anxious not at all anxious 11. Is this bank meeting its responsibility to the public? yes, very much yes, it is yes, marginally no, not very much no, not at all 12. How anxious do you feel using this bank? very anxioius anxious a little anxious not very anxioius not at all anxious 424 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13. Do you think that this hank understands the needs of Latinos? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a litde no, not very much no, not at all 14. Would you feel afraid of being misunderstood at this bank? yes, very afraid yes, I would be afraid yes, a litde afraid no, not very afraid no, not at all afraid 15. Would you trust the bank personnel to deal with your money correcdy? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 16. In your opinion, is this bank accepting of Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 425 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 17. Is this bank for English speakers only? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 18. Would you trust a teller of this bank not to make an error on your account? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 19. In your opinion, is this bank discriminating against Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 20. Would you feel nervous about speaking Spanish at this bank? yes, very nervous yes, I would be nervous yes, a little nervous no, not very nervous no, not at all nervous 426 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 21. Does the bank have a special responsibility to Latino patrons? yes, very much yes, it does yes, a litde no, not very much no, not at all 22. Is this bank shirking its responsibility to Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 23. Is this bank racist? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 24. What language do you use most often at home with your spouse or siblings or brothers or sisters? English Spanish 427 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25. What language do you use most often at home with your children or your nieces and nephews? not applicable English Spanish 26. What language do you use most often at work with your fellow workers? not applicable English Spanish 27. What language do you use most often at work with your supervisors? not applicable English Spanish 28. When people ask you what ethnic group you’ re in, what do you say? 29. How would you describe your feelings about this classification? identify strongly identify identify somewhat identify weakly identify not at all 30. Sex: Male Female 428 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 81. How many years have you been in the U.S.? 32. What is your approximate income per year? under $10,000 $11,000-20,000 $21,000-30,000 $31,000 and over 33. How many years did you attend school? less than 5 6-10 11-12 junior college-trade school university graduate 34. What is your age category? under 20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-50 51-60 over 60 35. What bank do you use? 36. Why? 429 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 37. What bank don't you use? 38. Why? 430 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX W FOURTH VERSION OF SURVEY - SPANISH 431 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1. Que impresion tiene usted de este banco? 1 . 2. 3. 2. Haria usted negocio con este banco? casi seguramente probablemente possiblemente no muy probable probablemente no 3. En una escaia del 1-10, el 1 siendo muy malo y el 10 siendo muy bueno, como calificaria usted 2 este banco?________ 4. Esta este banco ubicado en un lugar que es conveniente y tiene este banco un horario que es conveniente? si, demasiada si, esta si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 5. Respeta este banco la gente latina? si, bastante si, algo si, un poco no, no muchc no, nada 6. Te gusta este banco? si, demasiado si, me gusta si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 432 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7. Utilizaria usted este banco? definitivamente si creo que si quizas probablemente no definitivamente no 8. Te agrado como este banco conduce sus uansacciones? si, demasiado si. me gusta si. un poco no, no mucho no, nada 9. Cree usted que este banco valora a los latinos como clientes? si, bastante si. algo si, un poco no. no mucho no,nada 10. Como se siente usted hablando espanol en este banco? muy incomodo incomodo algo incomodo poco incomodo nada de incomodo 11. Cumple este banco su responsabilidad hacia el publico? si, demasiado si. si cumple si, un poco no, no mucho no, no nada 12. Que anxioso se siente usted usando este banco? muy anxioso anxioso algo anxioso poco anxioso nada de anxioso 433 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13. Cree usted que este banco comprende las necesidades de la gente latina? si, mucho si. algo si. un poco no, no mucho no, nada 14. Esta preocupado de que el cajero de este banco no le entienda a usted? si, demasiado si, mucho si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 15. Confiarias en el personal a manejar bien tu transaccion? si, demasiada si, confiaria si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 16. En su opinion, esta aceptando a latinos este banco? si, demasiado si, mucho si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 17. Es este banco solamente para los que hablan ingles? si, demasiado si, si la es si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 18. Confiarias que un cajero de este banco no cometiera un error en tu cuenta? si, demasiada si, confiaria si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 434 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 19. En su opinion, esta este banco discriminando contra los latinos? si. demasiado si, si estan si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 20. Se sentiria nervioso hablando cspanol dentro de este banco? si, demasiado nervioso si, estaria nervioso si, un poco nervioso no, no muy nervioso no, nada de nervioso 21. Tiene este banco un responsabilidad especial hacia su clientela latina? si, demasiada si, si tiene si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 22. Esta este banco eludiendo (evitando) su responsibilidad hacia los latinos? si, demasiado si, si lo hace si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 23. Es racista este banco? si, demasiado si, si la es si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 24. Que idioma usa usted tnas en su hogar con su esposa o esposo, heimanos o hetmanas? ingles espanol 435 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25. Que idioma usa usted mas en su hogar con sus hijos, hijas, sobrinos o sobrinas? no es aplicable ingles espanol 26. Que idioma uas usted mas en el trabajo con sus companeros? no es aplicable ingles espanol 27. Que idioma usa usted mas en el trabajo con sus supervisores? no es aplicable ingles espanol 28. Que contests usted cuando alguien le preguma sobre que gmpo etnico pertenece usted? 29. Como describieria usted sus sentimientos sobre esta clasificacion? identifico demasiado identifico identificio un poco identifico muy poco no identifico 30. Sexo: Masculino o Feminino 31. Cuantos anos tiene usted aqui en los Estados Unidos?_______ 32. Aproximadamente cuales son sus ingesos al ano? menosde $10,000 de $11,000-20,000 de $21,000-30,000 S31,000 o mas 33. Cuantos anos tiene usted de estudio? menos que 5 6-10 11-12 colegio bachiller o escuela de artes y oficios universidad mas 436 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34. En que categoria cai su edad? menos de 20 de 36-40 de 21-25 de 41-50 de 26-30 de 51-60 de 31-35 masde60 35. Que banco(s) usa usted?__ 36. Porque?______________ 37. Que banco(s) no usa usted? 38. Porque?______________ 437 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX X FIFTH VERSION OF SURVEY - ENGLISH 438 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX X Fifth Version of the Survey (in English) 1. What did you think and feel about the bank? a .______________________________________ b. c. 2. Would you do business with this bank? very likely likely somewhat likely not very likely not at all likely 3. On a scale of 1-10,1 being very bad and 10 being very good, how would you rate this bank?_______ 4. Is this bank conveniendy located and does it have a convenient schedule? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 439 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5. Would you go to this bank? very likely likely somewhat likely not very likely not at all likely 6. Does this bank respect Latinos? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 7. Do you like this bank? yes, very much yes, I do yes, but just a litde no, not very much no, not at all 8. Would you use this bank? yes, most definitely yes, I think so yes, maybe no, probably not no, definitely not 440 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 9. Do you like the way this bank does business? yes, very much yes, I do yes, but just a litde no, not very much no, not at all 10. Does this bank value Latinos as customers? Yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 11. How do you feel about using Spanish at this bank? very anxious anxious somewhat anxious not very anxious not at all anxious 12. How frustrated do you feel using this bank? very frustrated frustrated a little frustrated not very frustrated not at all frustrated 441 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13. Do you think that this bank understands the needs of Latinos? yes, very much yes, somewhat yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 14. Would you feel afraid of being misunderstood by a teller at this bank? yes, very afraid yes, I would be afraid yes, a litde afraid no, not very afraid no, not at all afraid 15. Would you trust the bank personnel to manage your transaction well? yes, very much . yes, I would yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 16. In your opinion, is this bank accepting of Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 442 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 17. Is this bank for English speakers only? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 18. How tense are you using this bank? very tense tense a little tense not very tense not at all tense 19. Do you think that this bank is prejudiced against Spanish speakers? definitely I think so perhaps probably no definitely no 20. Would you trust a teller of this bank not to make an error on your account? yes, very much yes, I would yes, a litde no, not really no, not at all 443 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 21. Are you concerned that you won't be able to understand the teller? yes, very much yes, I am yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 22. In your opinion, is this bank discriminating against Latinos? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 23. Would you feel nervous about speaking Spanish at this bank? yes, very nervous yes, I would be nervous yes, a little nervous no, not very nervous no, not at all nervous 24. Does the bank have a special responsibility to Latino patrons? yes, very much yes, it does yes, a little no, not very much no, not at all 444 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25. Is this bank racist? yes, very much yes, it is yes, a little no, not really no, not at all 26. What language do you use most often at home with your spouse or siblings or brothers or sisters? English Spanish 27. What language do you use most often at home with your children or your nieces and nephews? not applicable English Spanish 28. What language do you use most often at work with your fellow workers? not applicable English Spanish 29. What language do you use most often at work with your supervisors? not applicable English Spanish 445 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 30. When people ask you what ethnic group you're in, what do you say? 31. How would you describe your feelings about this classification? identify strongly identify identify somewhat identify weakly identify not at all 32. Sex: Male Female 33. How many years have you been in the U.S.? 34. What is your approximate income per year? under $10,000 $11,000-20,000 $21,000-30,000 $31,000 and over 35. How many years did you attend school? less than 5 6-10 11-12 junior college-trade school university graduate 446 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 36. What is your age category? under 20 21-25 26-30 31-35 3640 41-50 51-60 over 60 37. What bank do you use? 38. Why? 39. What bank don't you use? 40. Why? 447 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX Y FIFTH VERSION OF SURVEY - SPANISH 448 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 . Que impresion tiene usted de este banco? 1 . 2 3. 2. Haria usted negocio con este banco? casi seguramente probablemente possiblemente no muy probable probablemente no 3. En una escala del 1-10, el 1 siendo muy malo y el 10 siendo muy bueno, como califlcaria usted a este banco?________ 4. Esta este banco ubicado en un lugar que es conveniente y tiene este banco un horario que es conveniente? si, demasiada si, esta si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 3. Iria a este banco? casi seguramente probablemente possiblemente no muy probable probablemente no 6. Respeta este banco la gente latina? si, bastante si. algo si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 449 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7. Te gusta este banco? si, demasiado si, me gusta si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 3. Utilizaria usted este banco? defmitivamente si creo que si quizas probablemente no defmitivamente no 9. Te agrado como este banco conduce sus transacciones? si, demasiado si, me gusta si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 10. Cree usted que este banco valora a los latinos como clientes? si,bastante si, algo si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 11. Como se siente usted hablando espanol en este banco? muy incomodo incomodo algo incomodo poco incomodo nada de incomodo 12. Que frusnado se siente usted usando este banco? muy fhistrado frustrado algo frustrado poco fiustrado nada de fiustrado 450 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13. Cree usted que este banco comprende las necesidades de la genie latina? si. mucho si. algo si. un poco no. no mucho no, nada 14. Esta preocupado de que el cajero de este banco no le entienda a usted? si, demasiado si, mucho si, un poco no. no mucho no, nada 15. Confiarias en el personal a manejar bien tu transaccion? si, demasiada si, confiaria si. poco no, no mucho no, ningtina 16. En su opinion, esta aceptando a latinos este banco? si, demasiado si, mucho si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 17. Es este banco solamente para los que hablan ingles? si, demasiado si, si la es si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 18. Que tenso se siente usted usando este banco? muy tenso tenso algo tenso poco tenso nada de tenso ,451 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 19. Cree usted que este banco tiene prejuicios contra hispanos? defmitivamente si creo que si quizas probablemente no definitivamente no 20. Confiarias que un cajero de este banco no cometiera un error en tu cuenta? si, demasiada si, confiaria si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 21. Esta preocupado usted no entenderle al cajero a usted? si, demasiado si, mucho si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 22. En su opinion, esta este banco discriminando contra los latinos? si, demasiado si, si estan si, un poco no, no mucho no, nada 23. Se sentuia nervioso hablando espanol dentro de este banco? si, demasiado nervioso si, estaria nervioso si, un poco nervioso no, no muy nervioso no, nada de nervioso 24. Tiene este banco un responsabilidad especial hacia su clientela lanna? si, demasiada si, si tiene si, poco no, no mucho no, ninguna 452 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission 25. Es racists este banco? si. demasiado si. si la es si. un poco no. no mucho no, nada 26. Que idioma usa usted mas en su hogar con su esposa o esposo, hermanos o hermanas? ingles espanol 27. Que idioma usa usted mas en su hogar con sus hijos, hijas, sobrinos o sobtinas? no es aplicable ingles espanol 28. Que idioma uas usted mas en el trabajo con sus companeros? no es aplicable ingles espanol 29. Que idioma usa usted mas en el trabajo con sus supervisores? no es aplicable ingles espanol 30. Que contesta usted cuando alguien le pregunta sobre que grupo etnico pertenece usted? 31. Como describieria usted sus sentimientos sobre esta clasificacion? identifico demasiado identifico identificio un poco identifico muy poco no identifico 32. Sexo: Masculino o Feminino 33. Cuantos anos tiene usted aqui en los Estados Unidos?_______ Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34. Aproximadamente cuales son sus ingesos al ano? menos de S10.000 de SI 1,000-20,000 de 521.000-30,000 S31,000 o mas 35. Cuantos anos tiene usted de estudio? menos que 5 6-10 11-12 colegio bachiller o escuela de anes y oficios universidad ■ mas 36. En que categoria cai su edad? menos de 20 de 36-40 de 21-25 de 41-50 de 26-30 de 51-60 de 31-35 masde 60 37. Que banco(s) usa usted?_________________ 38. Porque?_____________________________ > 39. Que banco(s) no usa usted?______________ 40. Porque?_____________________________ 454 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX Z FACTOR CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS 455 I Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX Z Rotated Factor Pattern (Std Reg Coefs) QUESTIONS DOBUS LIK EBK 10 GOTOBANK LIKEBANK USEBANK RESPLAT UNDERLAT VALUELAT ACCEPTLA PR E JU D R A C IST DISCRIM UNDERTEL WONTUNDE ENGONLY LANGSPOU LANGCHIL LANGWORK LANGSUPE FACTOR1 response 0 .9 5 9 9 0 0 .7 2 6 1 0 0 .9 8 6 0 3 0 .8 1 6 0 4 0 .8 1 1 1 3 0 . 3 7 5 3 1 0 .3 8 4 6 6 0 .2 2 5 1 9 0 .1 7 9 7 0 0 . 1 7 3 6 5 0 .1 8 8 5 4 0 .0 5 6 5 7 0 .1 9 7 6 8 - 0 . 0 2 8 6 5 - 0 . 0 2 9 2 6 0 . 0 8 0 0 6 0 . 2 8 2 3 1 - 0 . 1 0 0 1 7 - 0 . 1 8 0 1 8 FACTOR2 culteval 0 .1 8 1 7 5 0 .2 5 9 4 0 0 .2 0 9 0 0 0 .3 9 3 9 7 0 .3 6 9 4 1 0 .5 0 1 0 5 0 .5 8 7 5 2 0 .6 0 4 5 5 0 .5 7 8 7 4 - 0 .4 1 9 3 6 - 0 .3 9 3 1 2 - 0 .4 9 2 7 5 - 0 .1 6 1 6 4 0 .0 0 5 1 9 - 0 .1 3 5 4 1 - 0 . 4 0 4 2 6 - 0 .3 2 0 9 0 0 .1 9 3 4 6 0 .3 7 2 3 8 FACTOR3 discrim 0 .3 1 2 6 9 - 0 . 1 1 7 6 5 0 .1 8 0 1 9 0 .1 0 9 4 1 0 .0 1 3 2 4 - 0 . 3 0 6 5 4 - 0 . 0 8 2 5 1 - 0 . 3 8 4 1 7 - 0 . 5 0 5 5 6 0 .7 9 4 6 7 0 .9 4 5 2 6 0 .8 2 4 6 8 0 .2 2 3 5 0 - 0 . 2 4 3 3 0 0 .0 6 2 0 2 - 0 . 2 5 1 2 0 - 0 . 0 5 7 4 4 0 .1 6 4 0 9 0 .1 2 9 8 7 FACTOR4 confus - 0 . 0 9 1 4 2 0 .0 8 6 4 0 0 .0 4 9 6 5 - 0 . 0 0 2 1 6 0 .0 7 7 8 0 - 0 . 0 6 9 9 1 - 0 . 0 9 3 7 3 - 0 . 0 8 5 9 5 0 .0 4 2 6 3 0 .0 7 1 8 4 - 0 . 0 4 2 3 9 0.00111 0 .7 6 3 1 6 0 .9 9 5 9 3 0 .6 9 5 2 1 - 0 . 1 5 0 6 5 0 .0 6 6 7 5 - 0 . 0 0 1 6 1 0 .0 1 6 3 7 FACTORS langdom - 0 . 0 3 6 1 8 0 .1 0 0 7 6 0 .0 2 2 6 0 - 0 . 0 7 9 7 2 0 .0 5 1 5 4 0 .0 1 8 7 2 - 0 . 1 2 2 5 0 - 0 . 0 2 2 8 3 0 .0 3 2 1 7 - 0 . 0 5 2 6 1 0 .0 0 9 8 9 0 .0 3 3 8 4 0 .0 9 6 0 3 - 0 . 0 0 2 7 3 - 0 . 1 5 1 0 9 0 .6 5 5 2 5 0 .6 8 6 4 1 0 .7 5 4 6 3 0 .7 0 4 9 9 456 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX AA LOS ANGELES BANKS BY ETHNICITY 457 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX AA ( ) indicates number of branches in Greater Los Angeles. Banks with Asian Names 1. Asahi Bank Ltd. 2. Bangkok Bank 3. Bank Bali 4. Bank Dagang Negara 5. Bank of Canton 6. Bank of China 7. Bank of East Asia 8. Bank of Yokohama 9. Bank of Seoul 10. California Center Bank (5)* 11. California Korea Bank (6) 12. Cathay (9) 13. Chang Hwa 14. Commercial Bank of Korea 15. Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank 16. Daiwa Bank Ltd. 17. East-West Federal Bank (3)* 18. Far East National Bank 19. Fuji Bank Ltd. 20. Hanmi Bank (3) 21. Hokkaido Takushoku Bank 22. Hongkong Bank 23. Hua Nan Bank 24. Industrial Bank of Japan 25. Industrial Bank of Korea 26. International Commercial Bank of China 27. Japan Development Bank 28. Ka Wah Bank 29. Korea First Bank 30. Rung Thai Bank Banks •w ith Spanish Names 1. Banco Agricolo Comercial de El Salvador (2) 2. Banco Exterior de Espana 3. Banco Nacional de Mexico-Banamex 4. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico 458 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. SI. Lippobank 32. Long Term Credit Bank of Japan 33. Medium Business Bank of Taiwan 34. Mitsubishi Trust and Bank Corp. 35. Mitsui Taiyo Kobe Bank 36. Nippon Credit Bank Ltd. 37. Nippon Rogyo Ginko Bank 38. Overseas-Chinese Banking Corp. 39. Pacific Heritage * 40. Philippine Commercial & Industrial Bank 41. Philippine National Bank 42. Saehan Bank 43. Sanwa Bank (27) 44. Seoul Bank of California (2) 45. Shanghai Commercial Bank 46. Shizuoka Bank 47. Siam Commercial Bank 48. Sumitomo (15) 49. Taipei Bank 50. Thai Farmers Bank 51. The Aichi Bank 52. The Sakuma Bank 53. Tokai Bank (12) 54. Tokyo Sogo Bank 55. United World Chinese Commercial Bank 56. Wing Lung Bank 57. Yasuda Trust & Banking Corp. ♦Although these banks do not have Asian names, I have encountered them in my research and know that they are Asian-owned. (Source: Pacific Bell Yellow Pages Greater Los Angeles 1994) 459 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Touchstone, Ellen Elizabeth (author)

Core Title Language services planning in the banking industry: An example of unplanned language policy

Degree Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Program Applied Linguistics

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag business administration, banking,business administration, marketing,language, linguistics,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Digitized by ProQuest (provenance)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c17-507432

Unique identifier UC11352963

Identifier 9636759.pdf (filename),usctheses-c17-507432 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier 9636759.pdf

Dmrecord 507432

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Touchstone, Ellen Elizabeth

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA