Fullerton Officials Weigh Translation of Store Signs

FULLERTON —  Yong Kim, manager of C.C. Korean clothing and cosmetics boutique, has a reason for advertising the name of her store on a sign outside in Korean only.

“Everything we sell in here is 100% Korean. The labels on the clothes are Korean, and even the cosmetics instructions are in Korean,” Kim said through an interpreter. “We don’t speak English, and everyone who comes in here understands Korean.”

But Kim may soon be required to add an English subtitle to her sign. Fullerton City Council members on Tuesday will discuss the possibility of passing a law mandating English translations for all foreign-language signs.

Fullerton is one of several Orange County cities grappling with a growing number of signs in foreign languages.

Spanish signs can be found all over downtown Santa Ana. Little Saigon in Westminster has scores of Vietnamese signs, and Korean placards line Garden Grove Boulevard in Garden Grove.

City Council members in Fullerton will hear a report from their staff on about how other cities deal with the issue. While a few do require English subtitles, some, like Garden Grove, simply encourage businesses to use them.

“We can’t require businesses to put English words on their signs, because they have the right to freedom of speech,” said Garden Grove Councilman Bob Dinsen. “But, I think, if people want to be members of this country, they should learn to speak the language of this country--English.”

Fullerton Councilman Don Bankhead said translations on signs “certainly would increase or improve business, and it would encourage business owners to learn to communicate in English. I think it’s very important for people immigrating to this country to learn English. . . . One of the reasons, I think, we have so much stress in getting along with one another is we can’t converse. We’re an English-speaking nation, and we should encourage everyone to learn English.”

Requiring people to do so is not the answer, said Roland Kim, of Roland Kim’s SAT Institute in Fullerton, which advertises in Korean and English.

“Forcing people to put English on their signs and to learn English is not a good idea,” he said, because immigrants starting businesses are “concerned about survival,” not about learning English right away.

“This country is a country of immigrants and, I think people need to be more tolerant.”

Fullerton Mayor Chris Norby and Councilwoman Julie Sa said they would oppose a law requiring sign subtitles. They said that whatever appears on a sign should be the decision of each business owner.

“If they want to put English, fine,” Sa said. “If they want to put Korean, fine. Leave it up to the business people because they know their business better than anybody else.”