Bilingual Advantage Chapter Summary

Rebecca M. Callahan and Patricia C. Gándara’s 2014 edited volume The Bilingual Advantage: Language, Literacy and the US Labor Market, aims to examine the economic and employment benefits of bilingualism in the era of globalization. By presenting 12 recent studies that initiate a discourse of interdisciplinary perspectives, this four-section volume demonstrates the overall positive but evidently complex economic effects of bilingualism. The contributors’ exploration of the role of bilingualism in the US economy provides readers with a critical examination of historical patterns as well as a blueprint of bilinguals’ socioeconomic participation in the future. Section 1, ‘Bilingualism in the US Labor Market’ presents a broad overview of the historical
In Chapter 9, Santibañez and Záratea find a positive correlation between being bilingual and the odds of going to college, which strengthens the previous discussion about bilingual advantages in the job market (Chapter 7) and educational institutions (Chapter 8). Specifically, this study suggests Spanish-English bilinguals who frequently use their native language at home are likely to have more linguistic and human capital advantage than those who do not, thereby accusing linguistic assimilation of reducing such benefits in the long run. In Chapter 10, Porras and colleagues’ analyses support the prior findings that bilingualism aid in job seeking and advancement by obtaining both quantitative and qualitative data from stakeholders. Although their results do not show that bilingual employees receive more income, bilinguals’ economic benefits often appear in the hiring process. Clearly, these facts would motivate educators to assist learners to benefit from bilingualism and seize the opportunities provided by the growing trend of international