Ok before anyone flames me, please listen to what i have to say.

Yesterday i was sat in the hospital X-Ray department waiting for a scan, as i sat there bored and reading the noticeboards i noticed that all of the signs had been duplicated into multiple languages. I could identify about 6 languages on this one board. How much money does this cost our government to translate all of these things?

I'm sorry but the UK is an english speaking nation, we have small pockets of native gaelic and flemish speakers but they are a serious minority. Is it much to ask that anyone coming into our country as a citizen or to work should speak english or at least be willing to learn it?

I think we really need to instigate a new immigration policy, you must speak english to enter or be willing to learn english to a GCSE standard within 1 year. In certain parts of our country kids in schools don't speak enlgish and have to have translators, why the hell is that happening? It holds up a class, causes problems for teachers and costs a fortune.

Teaching them english would cost money i'm sure, but it would be far cheaper than providing a translator and translating many forms into other languages (note that benefit forms are also translated into other languages).

I'm not racist, i'm not intolerant, i just want people to fit in to our society, multiculturism requires we can all communicate afterall. I'm not against a wide variety of cultures, actually i think it does good for a society, however those things can't be forced on us and that includes a language.

People who don't speak english are limited in their job and education opportunities and so learning english could very easily be a positive thing for them. Is it much to ask they speak the predominant language in a country they want to move to?

If i moved to France i would learn French, simply because i'd want to be able to fit in to their society and be a productive element. It shoud be the same in the UK, we should legislate such a simple thing.

If you think that things are bad in the UK, you should try coming to visit the US sometime soon. Our government is so quick to cater to ILLEGAL immigrants, that it is almost considered unlawful to suggest that these people (who shouldnt be here anyway) should learn English! Now signs are being changed just like you described.

If the government didnt want them here, then why are we changing OUR culture for THEM?!

They have even tried to make a spanish version of our NATIONAL ANTHEM......

sheesh..

In early US history, the minority that were not english-speaking was much larger, and english still became the native language.

You're definitely right about limitations set upon those who come into foreign countries and refuse to acclimate. The problem is, that we have been pandering to it, and it makes the country more segregated.

Honestly, in the end, I don't think the trend will last. When a minority gets too big, I guarantee there will be convenient "restrictions" placed that will get rid of those who don't want to learn your language.

i concur w/ your train of thought for sure. i am being told to learn spanish in order to be considered a productive member of A SOCIETY I WAS BORN INTO WHERE WE ONCE WERE ONLY REQUIRED TO KNOW ENGLISH (although i always find way to defy such ridiculous ideas !! )

i am not against learning different languages and in fact would encourage it, but i think that there are certain jobs that shouldn't require one to cater to the illegal (or even) legal immigrants (if they are legal, then shouldn't they be required to learn the language we use for mingling purposes?).

for me, i am having a hard time picking up spanish, and why not? it wasn't until i was 29 that i have been required to learn it for the positions i would like to fulfill..

if i go to mexico, are they required to learn english for all their jobs in order to cater to me? nope!

and i understand jobs like hotel services, etc needing their employees to know more than one language, but the jobs that i had applied for cater only to those in the local area.

i am learning spanish now, but only for the purposes of being able to understand what is being said about me while i stand in line at the grocery store (and yes, they do talk about us and i find it hilarious to be able to "pop" that look to them when it is about me specifically ), but i refuse to work anywhere where i am REQUIRED to know spanish simply because the business is willing to cater to illegal immigrants for the price of a few bucks. just my stance on it that is not meant to offend; just feeling the need to draw the line


[edit on 17-7-2008 by justamomma]

Oh i just wanted to put a disclaimer on this thread before anyone posts anything offensive.

I am not a racist, and if you are one of the people who will come out and say "go home" to anyone of a different colour or belief system then i absoutely detest your point of view.

Sorry i had to clarify that before anyone accused me of being a racist or intolerant.

I live i the usa and u r not at all stepping out of bounds in what you are saying. for those of you in america this most certainly is the land of the free(which they are trying to change by gradually taking away our rights) but our gov't should not have to cater to them in any way. if they want to interact with society as responsible "americans" do they should learn english.

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984
Oh i just wanted to put a disclaimer on this thread before anyone posts anything offensive.

I am not a racist, and if you are one of the people who will come out and say "go home" to anyone of a different colour or belief system then i absoutely detest your point of view.

Sorry i had to clarify that before anyone accused me of being a racist or intolerant.

i am a bit different. i am definately not racist, but think what you will when i say either conform to the society in which you want to live or leave.

in my case, at the suggestion of my (then) husband, i quit my job in society to stay home and take on the bigger task of raising my children. about 5 yrs later when he decided to that the family wasn't worth his efforts anymore, i was left up *snip* creek w/out a paddle when i learned that the jobs i knew how to do were no longer available bc i can't speak spanish, but some were even available to illegal immigrants who COULD speak spanish but very little english even though the business was catering to the local population.

i have great respect for those who come into this country and live by the rules of this country and think some of them deserve amnesty while others who were born here and look at certain things as "their rights" just bc of birth should be kicked out. but i am finding some of the changing of the rules here closer to the border to be highly unfair to this country's citizens and should something not be done, they will be coming to your town next.

The way things are going, being patriotic is quickly going to be considered a hate crime. anyone else feel this way?

My Doctor won't even abide by NHS rules. She did not get her training properly ticked off here and has a point to prove. Result, she takes my patient rights from me, and no this is not wacko, 'adjusts' (this is one year on) my medical record. It's getting to a point in Britain that you need to see a British degree certificate to trust it, whatever the profession. Foreign professions get too little credence, but their holders think they know more than their contemporaries in the country they seek to join.

By the way, if you think this is racist, you are wrong, this is intellectualist (innit).

"'Im sorry but the UK is an english speaking nation, we have small pockets of native gaelic and flemish speakers but they are a serious minority."

Flemish????? What are you toking??

The UK is a Germanic and Celtic speaking country. I live in Wales...why shouldn't signs be in Welsh??? That is Saxon arrogance to the extreme. Back to Germany with you if that is your attitude

Apart from that you are correct. The default language should be English for newcomers as it is cost effective.

I blame global warming

I think it depicts how bad humanity has become...when everybody is so stubborn that they refuse to go out of THEIR way to learn the language of someone else. I can't imagine ever going to Mexico or Spain and expecting everything to be in English or everyon to speaka English.

Inconvenience and laziness has gone too far and people need to be more accepting and humble.

On the few occasions I've had to visit a hospital in a non-English speaking country (Japan, China, and Viet Nam), I have been INFINITELY grateful for multi-lingual signs.

I suppose the OP would have preferred I was flipping through my phrasebook in addition to what I was dealing with at the time.

Not everyone that winds up in Hospital (or airports, or parks, or public buildings) in your country has intentions of staying....

My company was trying to figure out how to save money on the owners manual for our product. 86 pages 6 languages for something thats only sold in the US. The result was the 3rd page is in all 6 languages and it tells you where to find the non english manual online. The rest is in English and were down to 12 pages with more information. Some complaints but several million in savings and a good bonus for me.

mikell

My company was trying to figure out how to save money on the owners manual for our product. 86 pages 6 languages for something thats only sold in the US. The result was the 3rd page is in all 6 languages and it tells you where to find the non english manual online. The rest is in English and were down to 12 pages with more information. Some complaints but several million in savings and a good bonus for me.

mikell

I could not agree with you more ImaginaryReality1984. And the pressure on our taxes to provide even more services under the NHS so they spend money on signs rather than front line services.

Who understands the UK FOI act? Maybe a member should ask a question of the NHS how much money is spent on multi language signs. I guess is will run into millions of Pounds.

I will hassle my MP about this. if we all hassled our MP inagine what could happen