English/Spanish Bilingual PREFERRED (law, Mexican, regime, interview)

[JaxMover]

I HATE seeing this on job postings!!!

How difficult would it be for a English speaking accounting/financial professional to get a job without speaking Spanish fluently in Miami?

[island mermaid]

I hate it. I deal with it everyday. "Bi-lingual a must" or "Bi-lingual a plus". That means that even though I'm very qualified for the position I'm applying for, because no habla espanol their going to hire somebody probably less qualified than I am? Give me a break!

[MiamiGringo]

The real message in "Bilingual" in Miami is Hispanics only.

I know this will release a torrent of protest, but I am a Spanish speaking Anglo, tall and light skinned. I learned my Spanish in college, along with French, and have used it professionally all my career, including lengthy assignments in Latin America.

In Miami, there is a huge issue with bilingual. Many of the people educated here do not have the appropriate Spanish abilities to conduct business. Ironically, I spend a fair amount of time editing and redoing correspondence to Latin America to rid it of Spanglish and "modismos"

Gente, in proper Spanish you never say "Te llamo p'atras" or "profitibilidad" and it is "Libro Mayor" not "General Ledger"

But what I have found is that when bilingual is an honest requirement, someone with Spanish as a second language is told "well, we need someone who understands the 'culture'" or "our clients are more comfortable with others of the same background" both of which would set of EEOC investigations if an Hispanic was told the same.

In some cases, as attested to by several Mexican-Americans, it means "cubans only" One friend, university educated in the US and with a sterling resume and excellent Spanish, knew he was out of the running for a major bank position when the Cuban VP he was interviewing with made the offhand comment, "Mexico is very friendly with the Castro Regime", like this guy who came here at 16 somehow is responsible for foreign policy.

But that's life in the Autonomous Cuban Province of South Florida.

[flburgos]

Originally Posted by Fort Lauderdale mermaid

I hate it. I deal with it everyday. "Bi-lingual a must" or "Bi-lingual a plus". That means that even though I'm very qualified for the position I'm applying for, because no habla espanol their going to hire somebody probably less qualified than I am? Give me a break!

go to school and learn spanish it would only be an advantage for you.why make something negative out of something that would benefit you?less qualified than you?now would that be because their hispanic?because that's what it sounds like.

[Grasonville]

Originally Posted by flburgos

go to school and learn spanish it would only be an advantage for you.why make something negative out of something that would benefit you?less qualified than you?now would that be because their hispanic?because that's what it sounds like.

I speak ENGLISH - I live in the United States - if I go to Mexico or El Salvador I will expect the people there to speak Spanish - while I am in the United States I expect people in public settings to speak ENGLISH.

Having lost a job opportunity because I don't speak Spanish, this subject is a sore one for me.

I don't want to press "1" for English - I EXPECT English.

[flburgos]

Originally Posted by Grasonville

I speak ENGLISH - I live in the United States - if I go to Mexico or El Salvador I will expect the people there to speak Spanish - while I am in the United States I expect people in public settings to speak ENGLISH.

Having lost a job opportunity because I don't speak Spanish, this subject is a sore one for me.

I don't want to press "1" for English - I EXPECT English.

hey guess what?the spanish guy learned english didn't he?you do the same if you have a problem with people that speak 2 languages.i don't believe you lost a job because you don't speak spanish they knew that when they hired you, it's against the law and if they did get a lawyer.it's okay to speak chinese,french,italian,russian but not spanish i get you.

[Grasonville]

Originally Posted by flburgos

i don't believe you lost a job because you don't speak spanish they knew that when they hired you, it's against the law and if they did get a lawyer.it's okay to speak chinese,french,italian,russian but not spanish i get you.

Read again:

Having lost a job opportunity because I don't speak Spanish, this subject is a sore one for me.

I applied for a job with the county in a field I had been going to college (and getting straight A grades) for - I took the test - scored 100% - had great references - was told I "would have been hired" except "you don't speak Spanish".

Had I been fired for not speaking Spanish I would be currently living in my villa in Tahiti on the money I made from THAT lawsuit.

[flburgos]

[quote=Grasonville;2540928]Read again:



I applied for a job with the county in a field I had been going to college (and getting straight A grades) for - I took the test - scored 100% - had great references - was told I "would have been hired" except "you don't speak Spanish".

Had I been fired for not speaking Spanish I would be currently living in my villa in Tahiti on the money I made from THAT lawsuit.[/quote}if you're that qualified then move where there are no hispanics and this problem will go away.unfortanetely all races deal with this problem.how many people don't get hired because they are black or hispanic or too old or ugly it happens learn to deal with it.

[Grasonville]

Originally Posted by flburgos

[if you're that qualified then move where there are no hispanics and this problem will go away.unfortanetely all races deal with this problem.how many people don't get hired because they are black or hispanic or too old or ugly it happens learn to deal with it.

I have no trouble with Hispanic people - what I have trouble with is the idea that in an English speaking country we are expected to learn a language of another culture.

What happens when the Chinese send 22 million people over here (leaving them PLENTY more to send later) - will we be expected to learn Chinese - and if so - which dialect?

My grandparents on both sides came to this country from elsewhere. Their FIRST goal after finding a place to live was to learn ENGLISH - they didn't expect the North American's already here to learn THEIR language.

Why has that changed?

[nohope]

well said grasonville