English/Spanish Bilingual PREFERRED (visa, website, documents, laborers)

[camping!]

Originally Posted by sassyone

I guess to make them feel welcome.

If you go to other countries they do have english there also. A lot of people travel to other countries on business and if they did not speak the language they would have a problem.

So, we don't want other immigrant groups to feel welcome?

[Dave Rosarito]

English has been taught in Mexican schools for many, many years. I believe 2 years are required. And all children in Mexico go to school. To somehow think they are illiterate or have a lesser ability to learn is arrogant and sounds like the good old days of keeping the Negros down.

[camping!]

Originally Posted by Dave Rosarito

English has been taught in Mexican schools for many, many years. I believe 2 years are required. And all children in Mexico go to school. To somehow think they are illiterate or have a lesser ability to learn is arrogant and sounds like the good old days of keeping the Negros down.

Then why all the signs in English and Spanish? Why the need for Spanish interpretors in the court system and in hospitals? If these people can speak English and are well educated then why do we treat them as if they cannot speak English?

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by camping!

Why are other nationalities expected to learn English, but not the Spanish speaking ones? I asked this before, but there was no real response, except that English is hard (but again, others do manage to learn it).
In all seriousness, I would like to know.

Many Spanish speaking immigrants (especially the illegal Mexican ones) have very little education. Most of the current Mexican illegals have at best a second grade education and don't even read and write Spanish. So we are importing poverty and ignorance when we continue to allow so much illegal immigration. It's hard for them to learn English because they don't know proper Spanish.

Many Cubans speak "Spanglish" which is a mix of English and Spanish. When I took a Spanish course in So. FL, the teacher told me not to ask my Cuban neighbors for help with speaking Spanish, because they didn't know the language properly.

Also, when there is a huge community of Spanish speaking people, they don't NEED to speak English. They can obtain and buy anything they want without speaking a word of English. Many Cubanos in So. FL have been there 40 years and yet can speak only a few English words.

We need to make our Congress put all official documents in "English only" to stop some of this. In So. FL, even the voting ballots were also in Spanish.

If we don't insist on keeping our American culture and the English language, our country will change drastically in the future.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by staywarm2

Many Spanish speaking immigrants (especially the illegal Mexican ones) have very little education. Most of the current Mexican illegals have at best a second grade education and don't even read and write Spanish. So we are importing poverty and ignorance when we continue to allow so much illegal immigration. It's hard for them to learn English because they don't know proper Spanish.

Many Cubans speak "Spanglish" which is a mix of English and Spanish. When I took a Spanish course in So. FL, the teacher told me not to ask my Cuban neighbors for help with speaking Spanish, because they didn't know the language properly.

Also, when there is a huge community of Spanish speaking people, they don't NEED to speak English. They can obtain and buy anything they want without speaking a word of English. Many Cubanos in So. FL have been there 40 years and yet can speak only a few English words.

We need to make our Congress put all official documents in "English only" to stop some of this. In So. FL, even the voting ballots were also in Spanish.

If we don't insist on keeping our American culture and the English language, our country will change drastically in the future.

And to run with your ball further; I remember reading some years ago that the Spanish language TV stations in S Florida imported news anchors from Argentina due to the 'indigenous' speakers of the above language being 'illiterate'.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by sassyone

I guess to make them feel welcome.

If you go to other countries they do have english there also. A lot of people travel to other countries on business and if they did not speak the language they would have a problem.

Aside from countries that are either English dominant (Australia, New Zealand, etc) or where that language is official (Canada, Philippines, etc)---------do any countries supply driving tests in English?

[barinnas]

Originally Posted by camping!

Then why all the signs in English and Spanish? Why the need for Spanish interpretors in the court system and in hospitals? If these people can speak English and are well educated then why do we treat them as if they cannot speak English?

Because we are a bilingual country English-Spanish

[barinnas]

Originally Posted by camping!

No, we don't live in a bilingual society. The way this is going is we have two rival societies. On the one hand, we have Spanish speaking immigrants who refuse to learn English. There is no excuse for it, if the Sudanese, Vietnamese, and Russians can do it so can the Mexicans and South Americans. On the other hand we have native English speakers, government agencies, and businesses that have to put up signage in Spanish and provide Spanish interpreters (at tax payers expense).

This is not a bilingual society, it is a society that is catering to the demands of the few, effectively infantilising and marginalising them in their new country. Myself, if I were a Spanish speaking immigrant I would be insulted that activists and the US at large think I am too stupid to learn English, and that I need crutches that other immigrants don't need. But hey, thats just me.

You are wrong, Spanish has been spoken in this country for much longer than
english, is part of our american history, also is not like people come here and don't want to learn english, they do, but prefer communicating in Spanish as well, I know thousands of people personaly that are more proficient in English, but prefer to speak spanish with family and friends, way, way too many people speak Spanish in our country for that to change, Spanish is here to stay, in fact the majority of people I know(educated anglos) are ok cool with the idea, it's usualy the uneducated insecure people that are against it.

[HoustonCynic]

Originally Posted by ArizonaBear

Aside from countries that are either English dominant (Australia, New Zealand, etc) or where that language is official (Canada, Philippines, etc)---------do any countries supply driving tests in English?

I doubt it here in Germany. German is the official language and documents (even from local telephone company) are in German only. Even web sites for German utilities are only in German. Though many Germans speak English many also resist. But then again, why should they speak another language when they are in their own country!! Anyway it is quite frustrating never-the-less.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by HoustonCynic

I doubt it here in Germany. German is the official language and documents (even from local telephone company) are in German only. Even web sites for German utilities are only in German. Though many Germans speak English many also resist. But then again, why should they speak another language when they are in their own country!! Anyway it is quite frustrating never-the-less.

I agree 100% with you