English is not my first or second language. I came to the US not knowing english and was totally lost and dependent upon those who could translate for me. I took private ESL classes and the ones given in my elementry school. I put a lot of effort into it. I worked solid for two summers, and afterschool/weekends for a few years. It was well worth the efforts. I cannot imagine immigrating to the US and NOT learning english. It limits the ability to experience life beyond localized ethnic communities. I value my independence, and my independence is directly linked to my ability to communicate with those around me. Learning english in the US gave me great opportunities. I would not want to forget my native language for family and cultural reasons, but english is needed to interact with those beyond my family.

I also know that learning english will help in the US job market. In my family's business in the US, the hispanic warehouse workers who could read/write/speak english were better paid and were always promoted. The ones who only spoke spanish never got more than minimum wage and never advanced.

As for tourists, multi-lingual signs are important, but are not the solution for immigrants who do not make an attempt at learning english.