As part of his pitch for English-Only, Councilman Eric Crafton has been passing anecdotes of Spanish speakers run amok. Among his faves: He's been telling people that some California legislators need interpretors to conduct state business.
The only problem is that it isn't actually true. Crafton relayed this factoid to the New York Times in a recent story about Nashville's little culture war. Today, the paper was forced to retract the assertion:
An article last Sunday about an effort in Nashville to prohibit the government from using languages other than English included an incorrect statement from Councilman Eric Crafton of Nashville, the chief supporter of the city's plan, about the California State Legislature. The Legislature has never had members who needed the proceedings translated into English for them. (Mr. Crafton, contacted after a reader alerted The Times, said he recalled seeing a story about such translators on television, but could not provide specifics or documentation for his claim.)
