ABSTRACT

Despite a strong commitment to strengths-based language and cultural diversity, social work education and practice in the United States (U.S.) continues to embody a monolingual, assimilationist assumption. This article examines the embodiment of “English-only” in U.S. social work education and practice through a review of professional journal articles and professional standards. While the context is primarily the U.S., this article is likely to be of relevance to other international contexts where English is the dominant language of social work practice. It recommends that social work programs develop language practices at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of their curriculum that embody a multilingual ideology consistent with a profession that espouses cultural humility.

• IMPLICATIONS

• Social work education and practice in the U.S. continues to embody English-only ideology. This assumption of monolingualism undermines the profession’s commitment to cultural humility and to challenging historically rooted systems of oppression.

• Both undergraduate and graduate social work programs can develop ways to study and transform language practices at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of their curriculum.

摘要

尽管对基于优势的语言和文化多样性做出了坚定承诺，但是美国（美国）的社会工作教育和实践仍然体现着一种单语的，同化的假设。本文通过回顾专业期刊文章和专业标准，考察了“仅英语”在美国社会工作教育和实践中的体现。尽管上下文主要是美国，但本文可能与其他国际上下文相关，在这些其他上下文中，英语是社会工作实践的主要语言。它建议社会工作计划在课程的微观，中间和宏观层面上发展语言实践，这些实践应体现多语言的意识形态，并与拥护文化谦卑的职业相一致。

• 含意

• 美国的社会工作教育和实践继续体现仅英语的意识形态。这种使用单一语言的假设破坏了该行业对文化谦卑和挑战历史根深蒂固的压迫制度的承诺。

• 本科和研究生社会工作计划都可以开发在课程的微观，中间和宏观层面研究和转化语言实践的方法。