MIAMI - In a dramatic sign of fast-changing US society's makeup, eight Democratic presidential hopefuls are set to take part in the first televised Spanish-language debate Sunday to court Hispanics, the largest US minority group.
The candidates -- two of whom are fluent Spanish speakers -- are not expected to answer questions in Spanish but their responses will be simultaneously translated for the live broadcast on the Univision network.
"The candidates will be speaking to the fastest-growing segment of American society. It's a sign of respect," said Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas who will co-moderate the debate along with colleague Jorge Ramos.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who is running to become the first Hispanic-American in the White House, and Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, both fluent Spanish speakers, have been told they can only answer in English during the debate to "level the playing field," a Univision spokeswoman said.
Salinas and Ramos will ask questions in Spanish, and the candidates, wearing UN-style earpieces, will hear a translation in English.
Minor time delays are expected as their responses are translated into Spanish by a single translator for television viewers, while the audience at the University of Miami can wear headsets to hear the debate in either language.
English-speaking television viewers at home can follow the debate by reading closed captions, typically used for the hearing impaired.
Observers admitted that the rule may be difficult to enforce as the candidates aim to show how well they can connect with the 16 million Hispanic voters eligible to cast ballots in next year's election.
"It's live television. Is somebody going to run over and tackle Richardson and Dodd if they start speaking Spanish?" asked Alan Schroeder, a journalism professor at Northeastern University.
Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley called the rule "kind of ridiculous ... Why the candidates who do speak Spanish should be penalized is fairly frustrating."
Sunday's debate, scheduled for 2300 GMT, will be the 10th televised debate this year ahead of the November 2008 vote.
It is an interesting twist in a US presidential campaign of landmark firsts including the first mainstream African-American presidential hopeful, Barack Obama; the first leading female presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton; and the first mainstream Hispanic hopeful.
Univision had planned to sponsor a Republican debate that was to have taken place next week, but canceled the event after only one contender, Republican Senator John McCain, agreed to take part.
The United States has no official language, though some English-only activists have tried to encourage "official" use of English. Some local jurisdictions sensitive to changing US cultural norms have reacted by passing local laws requiring the use of English for government business.
The estimated number of people of Hispanic cultural origins in the United States in 2006 was 44.3 million making them the largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 15 percent of the total population, which tops 300 million, US census data show.
Sixty-four percent of all US Hispanics are Mexican-born or of Mexican descent. Other large and growing US Hispanic subgroups include communities with origins in Puerto Rico, Cuba, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
For centuries the United States, settled by waves of immigrants mostly from Europe, had a European frame of reference that now has changed dramatically following more recent waves of immigration from Asia and Latin America.
In the economically vital western US state of California, there no longer is any ethnic majority; the main minority groups are of white European origin, African-American, Hispanic-American, and Asian-American.
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09/09/2007 20:50 GMT