Esperanto-USA

Lack of English Proficiency Nearly Dooms Polish Airliner

This June 12, 2008 article of the TimesOnlline tells the harrowing story of how a LOT Boeing 737 very nearly perished due to the pilots’ lack of proficiency in English.

A common argument against using Esperanto as an international language is that “everybody already speaks English.” Not only is that not true, but even the pilots who jet you away to your exotic foreign port o' call may not be able to speak it.

The problem isn’t isolated to Polish flightcrews, either. I worked for many years at an international airport in southern California, and I often had to find a translator in order to speak with the flight crews of foreign registered aircraft.

While it’s true that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has declared that English is the official international language of aviation (and we could spend days debating the socio-political forces behind that decision), we are left to ponder if they could have possibly picked a more difficult language for an adult to learn as a second language.

I love English. It’s my native tongue, and I have spent years admiring its richness and depth and poetry. But it’s damn hard to learn as a second language.

There is an organization dedicated to making Esperanto the official international language of aviation. As both an esperantist and an aviation professional, I joined the email group. I wish them the best and I think it would be really kewl if they succeed -- if for no other reason than to inflate my value as an employee! -- but I don’t foresee any fruit of their labor any time soon. English is far too entrenched, and Esperanto shares many of the same problems with English that the group cites, like words that sound too much alike. Don't get me started on TURNU DEKSTREN / MALDEKSTREN. One problem it doesn’t share, however, is difficulty in learning.

I will personally guarantee that we will never see a headline declaring, "Lack of Esperanto Proficiency Nearly Dooms Airliner!"