Can you get by in San Antonio not speaking Spanish? (find a job, neighborhood)

[TexasNick]

What's everyone so uptight about? Spanish is actually declining in SA. Even on the border towns where I'm from, there are less people speaking it.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

If I may be so bold, are you not planning on teaching your kids Spanish? If not, could I recommend otherwise?

That’s one of the reasons why I moved to San Antonio,
In Missouri I was constantly discouraged from speaking Spanish in public.
I remember I was at a baseball game with a few friends in St. Louis and I remember at least one lady turning and looking at us as if we were cursing in front of little kids.

In San Antonio, for the 1st time in 15 years I feel like I can speak Spanish in public without people looking at as if I was smoking drugs in front of them.

[TexasNick]

I went to school in Brownsville (border town). Even in school, we were told not to speak Spanish in class. I wish we were allowed to because my Spanish suffered. I get embarrassed when getting together with Hispanic family members..I'm expected to speak it fluently with the old senoritas but now I just avoid them! Oh well on my mom's side we're not expected to speak German, but once in a while we'll mix it and call it Spamming...that's what it sounds like too.

I think after the 2nd generation, most hispanic children lose their Spanish proficiency. Happened to me and happening to many of my friends, as well. I find it funny, though, how people always look at the Europeans as a model for a bilingual people--well yea, if your country is half the size of Texas you'd be speaking your neighbors language!

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by TexasNick

I find it funny, though, how people always look at the Europeans as a model for a bilingual people--well yea, if your country is half the size of Texas you'd be speaking your neighbors language!

Most European countries are smaller than Oklahoma and each one of them have several dialects.
Just in Spain, about the size of Oklahoma, you have Castilian (Spanish) and 3-4 official dialects. Plus having Portugal, France and Morocco as their neighbors.

[LindaGrace]

I don't speak Spanish and I'm married to a Hispanic man whose first language was Spanish (Texas-style - he was born and raised in the Valley). My best friend teaches in a primarily Hispanic school and she doesn't speak a lick of Spanish.

Knowing Spanish isn't necessary AT ALL to live in San Antonio. And to be honest it's a little ridiculous to think you would need Spanish. I mean...really? You think you need to know a foreign language to get by in an American city?

[HisLilSecret]

Originally Posted by LindaGrace

And to be honest it's a little ridiculous to think you would need Spanish. I mean...really? You think you need to know a foreign language to get by in an American city?

I thought the same thing.

[majormadmax]

No one says you have to speak Spanish to live here; but considering that there is a large community that does speak it, it is nice to be able to converse with and/or understand those folks. But I have yet to encounter anyplace in San Antonio where English was not understood or spoken. And don't forget that less than 200 years ago that Spanish was the primary language in this land!

By the way, when I was stationed in several foreign countries where I did not speak the language outside of a few polite phrases. I made the most of what little I knew, and tried to learn as much as I could. I think it was appreciated by the folks that lived there. I am hoping that once I get done with this grad degree, I will try to learn some more Spanish!

Cheers! M2

[mikey1984]

San Antonio is America you don't need spanish, but it doesn't hurt to be bi-lingual.

[itsawomanthing]

Actually when I first got here last year, I was not hired by a large company, because I was not bi lingual. Their comment was most of my employees that I would be supervising are immigrants and barely spoke English, so they wanted to know how I would be able to communicate effectively with them. I chose to answer that I would show them what I meant, and I was willing to learn Spanish and would be willing to help them with English. I still was not hired, they really wanted a bi lingual person.

[HisLilSecret]

Originally Posted by itsawomanthing

Actually when I first got here last year, I was not hired by a large company, because I was not bi lingual. Their comment was most of my employees that I would be supervising are immigrants and barely spoke English, so they wanted to know how I would be able to communicate effectively with them. I chose to answer that I would show them what I meant, and I was willing to learn Spanish and would be willing to help them with English. I still was not hired, they really wanted a bi lingual person.

Did the ad for the position indicate that you would need to be bilingual (spanish/english) or did you ignore that part of it and apply anyway?