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According to my immigrant relatives, a few people (usually those who were educated) memorized some simple English words or phrases before getting on the boat. They practiced when to answer Yes or No; they could also say the name of the city they were going to, give the names of relatives who were living in the US, and tell what their occupation was in the old country. As for everyone else, there were some inspectors at Ellis Island who were bilingual, and they were able to communicate with the immigrants in their native language. There were also a small number of translators who helped the inspectors, so the interview process could be carried out.

It was not a perfect system, of course; some immigrants spoke languages that were not common, and in those cases, misunderstandings occurred. But for the most part, the immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island generally found someone who spoke enough of their language to conduct the intake and ask the basic questions.

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13y ago

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