Non-English in the workplace

three words: suck it up

not everyone's gonna be able to cater to your wants and needs

even in your own country

this is something you should you know if you live in the us

reply to post by TKainZero


I can hear your frustration. A good way to aproach this is to let the business know that you want to be able to speak with someone you understand. If the business can not train their employees then do not use them.
I have the utmost respect for someone who wants to work and some patience is needed.

America has always been the place peopel wanted to come too.

And in the past and Present, they did.

in the Past, it was orginized, Ellies Island was the Port of entry for MANY years, and the counrty was able to control WHO made it into the counrty, only the healthy...

And throughout the history of America, the people that moved here LEARNED EGNELISH, ADOPTED AMERICAN CUlTURE, and REspected our LAWS.

Now, there are certain groups that ignore all of these prinicpals that made our country a melting pot.


I am going to single out Mexicans... because i live in southern California...


The Majority of Southern California is not Mexican... there are Major parts of towns that ONLY have signs in Spanish, Billboards in Spainish... There is even a bank of America on the other side of town, that HAS MORE, and BIGGER signs in Spanish, then in English.

20 Years ago, there were two radios stations on AM and FM that were only Spansih Staions... Now, there are over 30 in California... and MANY of them are not in regulation with Broadcasting Laws... so many Radios stations that SHOULD be avalibly, are not, and are being broadcasted over the English stations..

IN many comunities along the South-Western United States, our cities are a mess... having lived in Dozens of places, and having lived in a 1st world, 2nd world, and 3rd world countires, i can DEFINATLY say that this region of California, in the SOuthern vally, is begining to make the Transition to a 2nd world society...

The Mexicans have brought their culture to our Nation, not to meld it with our culture, but to replace it. Many do not feel the need to even learn English... why should they, in the cities they live, everything is just like Mexico, everything is in spanish, TV, Radio, Ads, even the Street signs... so why should they learn English...


Our country has gone in 100 years, from letting in the best and the Brightest from the entire world... to having to worlds worst Criminals Breaking into this country and bringing the Crappy life of a 3rd world nation with them, along with 3rd world deasies that had been before compltly taken out in the 50's in the country...


These people need to assimilate into American Culture... this is the United States of America, until other wise....

I would love to see America the Melting pot, not America the Trash receptical...

if you don't want to learn spanish, that's on you. the truth is, you ought to learn it, because it's not going anywhere.

Originally posted by scientist
if you don't want to learn spanish, that's on you. the truth is, you ought to learn it, because it's not going anywhere.

Originally posted by Roland Deschain
three words: suck it up

That’s the kind of pathetic attitude that causes these problems, with statements like “just accept it” or “get used to it”, what ever happened to standing up for yourself?

That’s the problem here in Australia, Australians just let everyone walk all over them, so hence they now have the problem here of people not being able to speak English. I think that’s one reason I’m looking forward to moving to France, because I know I’ll have to speak French, because I know the French have balls, and I know the French stick up for themselves, their language and their culture.

Over here in Australia, almost every place you go people cannot speak English, the other day I was in the Hospital with my Nan, we couldn’t understand the Doctors or nurses as their level of English was terrible, then on the discharge papers that the doctor typed where all incorrect and written in very bad English, I was in Hungry Jacks (Burger King) yesterday and had to repeat my order 4 times as the girl could not understand English, I called Telstra about my internet only to have to talk to a guy who could not understand simple English and who I could not understand a word he was saying. It’s because people like you let this happen and don’t stand up for it.

If people want to live in any country, they should learn the local language, if not then they shouldn’t be given Permanent Resident status, or citizenship. It’s just rude and ignorant to go to another country and not learn their local language!

Mikey




[edit on 20/3/2008 by Mikey84]

reply to post by TKainZero


You are a racist hillbilly.

I can understand the frustration. In the construction industry this is widespread. This is because non english speaking people are cheap labor. What the problem is, and it is a valid issue, is safety. If someone cannot communicate that there is a dangerous situation to annother person, People can get hurt or killed on a job site.

In Florida especially there is several languages one has to face routinely. The main one of course is Spannish, then you have French, sometimes you get people from Brazil that speak Portugise just to throw you, and then you get Creole which may be French English Spanish and GOD KNOWS what else.

The predominate languages of the world are English, Spannish, Arabic and French. What we as Americans must understand is that we have to adapt to the world climate and in order to do that we have to understand more than one language. It is a world economy now and in order to be able to do buisness in this world one must be able to speak more than one language.

The language fabric of the United States in itself is changing, Our native language of English is constantly being molded by outside influence. I have heard often enough to say that Spanglish, (the conglomeration of English and Spannish) is spoken in some parts of the United States. Spanglish takes English and Spannish phrases and words and melds them together and is very interesting to listen to.

What would stop this issue in it's tracks and I am surprised that no one has come up with one is a universal translator, that holds several different complete languages in it and can in real time take a spoken word and translate it into another language.

Here is a great quote from former President Theodore Roosevelt on immigration. All Americans should keep this in mind, and see what has happened to our country.

"In the first place we should insist that the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equity with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming an American and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any flag of a nation to which we are hostile. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." Theodore Roosevelt in a letter to the American Defense Society in 1919.

"Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or to leave the country," he said in a statement to the Kansas City Star in 1918. "English should be the only language taught or used in the public schools." urbanlegends.about.com...

reply to post by Skyfloating


boku wa amerika-jin desu.

mais je parle japponais et francais.

at least enough to get by... =)

Originally posted by minnie

Originally posted by ceman43
Fortunately, my attitude towards learning foreign languages has been and still is completely different from yours, minnie.

I try to learn, and people try to teach me, but I cant get it. I have a very hard time with it especially since I already have trouble pronouncing R's right cause i have a lil speech problem..

So it makes it harder.. And I find French to be easier.. but thats just my opinion.

if you have a problem with r's then it's quite possible french may be easier - they pronounce them differently and i guess the best way to explain it is they use more of their throat. it comes from the back of your mouth rather than the front with english r's.

no offense to any hispanic/spanish members, i think french is overall more elegant than spanish even though they share a lot of similarities. my opinion though. =)

i generally find other languages fascinating.

reply to post by Mikey84


Are you my real dad?

I swear, we cater to so many people it's not even funny, we have black history month, spanish history month, asian month, the gay pride parades...why isn't there an american history month?

I'm getting sick of "Asian American", or "German American", "Latino American", look buddy, you're either Asian, or you're American, you're not both. You came to this country, where the native language is ENGLISH, if I go to Iraq, I would expect to be required to know Arabic, if I went to Japan, I'm going to need to know Japanese, I don't ask them to cater to my language. That's the most unfair thing I've ever heard in my life.

Being required to speak a language that others came to this country with, just because they're too lazy to get off their duff and learn english? It's those same students that also cause those standards to be lowered in the schools. I hate to agree with Carlos Mencia...but, guess what...he's absolutely right about the spanish speaking students in schools, we lowered the standards to accompany them, and all of our children have to suffer for it.

I was born and raised in the United States of America and my forefathers faught for yours and my freedom. All of these rafters that just floated in get more assistance from the government than a Real American that has paid in taxs all their lives. It makes me sick.
I am having a hard time getting a job because I am not bilingual. It's not fair that we have to bend over backwards for these ignorant people. If they can't learn English GO BACK TO YOUR COMMUNIST ISLAND

Originally posted by Skyfloating
What do you call someone who speaks only one language?
An American.

As long as I live in America, that's all I need to speak. In attempted conversation with someone in the States (usually Mexican), once I get to the point of finding out how long the non-English person has been in America, if it's anything over a year and they still can't speak one damn word of English, I walk away from them, period. If the person exhibits any facets of learning English, I'll stand there and try with them as long as it takes.

I've lived overseas, and spoke enough of the native language to get by efficiently. So should anyone living in America, so should anyone going to another country.

Originally posted by Mikey84
I was in Hungry Jacks (Burger King) yesterday and had to repeat my order 4 times as the girl could not understand English, I called Telstra about my internet only to have to talk to a guy who could not understand simple English and who I could not understand a word he was saying.
[edit on 20/3/2008 by Mikey84]

I had this exact same problem yesterday.

Trying to call the AUSTRALIAN Belkin support line to get help with my modem, they connect me (after far too many frustrating recorded messages) to someone over in India who could barely speak english, and had such a strong accent that I couldn't understand a single word she was saying. She eventually transferred me, after about an hour of frustrated "i'm sorry, could you repeat that?" to another Indian man who could be understood a little better, but the problem was still there.

And as for fast food outlets like Hungry Jacks it is the exact same thing. It's seriously spot the Aussie when you go into the foodcourt. Sometimes it is extremely difficult to make any orders because every. single. person behind the counter has problems with English and the manager is no help either because, suprise surprise, they are the same nationality as the people serving.

I of course have zero problem with people from other countries moving to Australia and getting jobs in fast food outlets (or anywhere else for that matter). EVERYONE needs to and has the right to get a job and support themselves, no matter what country they're from, but when a manager at a store starts hiring people only of their nationality, even when they have a complete inability to speak English, then it gets me very angry.

OMG! Can all of you be so ignorant? Being able to speak multiple languages is a gift. I am teaching my son of 4 years old, 3 languages! I am sorry for those of you that feel others speaking other languages infront of you is rude, but have you ever thought about when you travel to foreign countries and do not speak "there" language? Do you consider yourself being rude then? Of course not, you are an American and it is OKAY...Most americans do not want to make the effort to learn other languages because they feel a sense of entitlement that the rest of the world should speak english... Americans- wake up! BY 2015 in the USA 50% of the population will be minorities with a majority of the minorities being hispanics. This is something you created not the other minorities. If Americans were not too proud to be janitors, landscapers, street cleaners, maids etc., then the hispanics would have no place here. Americans want the service but they do not want to pay the american worker price. So they go and find some illegal immigrant to do those jobs for them or their company creating chaos in the USA. I am 1/2 American, 1/2 Hispanic. I also learned to speak English, Spanish at home growing up and Italian at age 34 to speak to my mother in law- she speaks no english... USA is a melting pot, if americans do not get off their butts and start realizing that languages are power- the USA is in big trouble. And to those of you putting the effort forth to learn other languages- good for you and good luck!