OK, according to Language Line Services, when people call for interpreting help in Houston, the No. 1 foreign language requested is Spanish. No surprise there. But Vietnamese has jumped to the No. 2 spot ( No. 5 in the country) and some of the others may surprise you as well. Arabic comes in 4th in Houston; nationally it’s at No. 8.

The list:

1. Spanish

2. Vietnamese

3. Mandarin

4. Arabic

5. Russian

6. Korean

7. Cantonese

8. French

9. Italian

10. Somali

— Margaret Downing

This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 5, 2008.

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