The Embodiment of “English-only” in Social Work Education and Practice in the United States

Abstract

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.