In one of the most linguistically diverse regions of the country, nearly 40 languages are spoken within a small corner of the Southland.

By Ann M. Simmons
Times Staff Writer

At the Bellflower office of the Department of Motor Vehicles, security guard Robert Alexander has a way with words — in English, Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog.

He has soaked up phrases in four languages, but that doesn't come close to matching the 39 tongues spoken in a 13-square-mile area of southern Los Angeles County from Bellflower to North Long Beach to Artesia — considered one of the most linguistically varied swaths in the nation.

"They're surprised," Alexander, 30, said of those he greets in the parking lot each day in their native language. "A lot of people think that people coming over should go out of their way to know our language. But we can also go out of our way to know a little of their language. It helps us get along."

In this urban stretch, where linguistic and cultural norms intertwine — and at times collide — the rewards and challenges of living in a multiethnic melange play out daily in classrooms, medical centers, restaurants and government offices.

Many residents relish the diversity, while others say the intricacies of their cultural differences are sometimes lost in translation.

At the Bellflower DMV, more than 20% of the public requires linguistic assistance, according to the agency's statistics. License applications and the driver handbook are printed in several languages; the written driver exam can be taken in 33 tongues, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

"We have to realize that the DMV is one of the first places people come to when they come to America," said Donna McGill Gordon, who manages the Bellflower office. "We set the tone. So we want to make sure people are comfortable."

The need for such assurance is common, and necessary, in multicultural areas, where food, clothing and personal care services are a magnet for bringing communities together.

The storefront sign of La Regina Beauty Salon, in a shopping plaza on Artesia's Pioneer Boulevard, is printed in Italian, English and Korean.

Inside, South Korean-born stylist Jeannie Frazier fluffs and clips the short brown locks of Sue Fang, a native of Taiwan. In a nearby chair sits Japanese American Lily Bryant while Hawaii native Lei Jensen flips through magazines in the waiting area, where a coffee table holds English and Korean language publications. Frazier's other clients hail from China, Mexico, Germany, Russia and various African countries.

"We are totally international," said the hair stylist who took over management of the salon from an Italian American 21 years ago. "We serve everyone here. And we learn about each other's culture."

This is a common passion in this half-mile stretch of Pioneer Boulevard just off the 91 Freeway, where sidewalks and plazas are peppered with ethnic enclaves and stores owned by Indians, Japanese, Chinese, South Korean and Filipinos, among other groups.

Here, Koreans are among the throng of customers having their eyebrows plucked by Indian beauticians. Japanese housewives have their nails clipped and polished by Vietnamese manicurists. Mexicans and Vietnamese dine on Vietnamese pho soup or Mexican pozole porridge at each other's eateries. And it is typical to find Indian spices being sold in Latino grocery stores.

Mexicans and other Spanish speakers comprise the majority of customers cramming Harry Feng's Bamboo Express Chinese restaurant at the Naz shopping plaza in neighboring Lakewood. Feng, who has owned the business for 11 years, keeps a computer record of the favorite dishes delivered to customers.

Orange chicken, beef broccoli and barbecued pork are favored by Latinos, Feng noted.

Latino "food is close to Chinese food. Most of the seafood and soups are the same," said Feng, who has learned such Spanish courtesies as gracias (thank you) and de nada (you're welcome).

"He's a nice guy and the food is great," said Ismael Gonzales, 42.

Nearby, Cerritos handles the increased language demands by enlisting the skills of the many employees on staff who speak a foreign tongue, according to Annie Hylton, the city's public information manager.

The local sheriff's station has several Spanish speakers available to staff the phones, Asian reserve deputies ready to provide interpretation in a pinch, and an international liaison unit that maintains a record of foreign-language speakers, community leaders and groups in the area.

Services at the numerous places of worship scattered among these culture-rich cities can be heard in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and a variety of other Asian tongues. Area libraries offer literature in a similar combination of languages.

"It's delightful," said longtime Cerritos resident and city librarian Waynn Pearson. "People come in all flavors in terms of their background. Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Japanese, Indian. They add wonderful color to the palate of wonderful diversity."

Bellflower's Kaiser Permanente Medical Center keeps a roster of on-duty staff members who have language skills and in some cases have had professional training in interpreting.

"It helps to ensure that we are providing the appropriate care," said Russell Lobue, clinical director for emergency services at Kaiser, who noted that about 10% of the 250 to 300 daily visits to the hospital's emergency department required foreign language assistance.

"One of the biggest challenges is making sure everybody has an understanding of the other person's culture," Lobue said. "A nod by one individual may mean, yes I feel OK, but for another, it could mean no, I'm not feeling any change."

At the ABC Unified School District, which covers linguistically diverse areas such as Artesia, Bloomfield and Cerritos, several teachers have certificates in cross-cultural language acquisition development, which enables them to better tutor students who do not speak English as their first language.

A cacophony of dialects echoes throughout the hallways of Gahr High School in Cerritos, where 82% of students have various ethnic backgrounds and 27 foreign languages are spoken. The school district also offers tutoring for parents of children who want to learn English.

Sarah Baik, from South Korea, likens her eclectic group of high school friends to a United Nations.

"One of the things students pride ourselves on most is the diversity," said Baik, 18, a valedictorian who graduated recently. "It was such a good learning environment because you get to interact with all kinds of people, and it's more like the real world."

But sometimes tensions can result from cultural misunderstandings.

Artesia resident Ignacio Reyes recalls being pulled over by a police officer. When his Chinese Filipino buddy refused to look the officer in the eye, the officer thought he was being rude and became more aggressive.

"I had to explain that [my friend] was actually being respectful," said Reyes, a state employee who is Mexican American.