Can you get by in San Antonio not speaking Spanish? (contractor, military)

[wCat]

Originally Posted by Chaka

You will find Tex-Mex Spanish to be very different from PR and Cuban Spanish, but it shouldn't hinder you. You'll get used to the local "dialect."

There are also great variations just in "Mexican" Spanish.....not to complicate it with PR and Cuban or other Spanish Latino dialects. We were corrected politely by a very pleasant Hispanic waiter at a high end Mexican restaurant one evening.....mainly because we were asking about pronunciations of several words. He shared with us the "high" and "low" versions. Sort of the difference between "proper" English and everyday conversational English. And then you get into various "accents" .....

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Some people would say that that is BS.

But the truth is that companies hire people with qualifications that match what the company is looking for.
I've gone to many interviews and there were companies that thought I was completely unqualified and companies that told me during the interview: "We could really use a guy like you"

I speak english, spanish, some portuguese and a know a little bit of Chinese.
If that's what a company is looking for, then they would be more than happy to find a person like me.

Ah, but if there was a requirement to be bilingual in Chinese because this position was specifically responsible for communicating with clients in China who are not likely to be English speaking, I'd hope you wouldn't apply for the job and label yourself a Chinese speaker in your cv.

I could get by in Thai just well while living in the country, but no way could I work in a capacity that required me to use it.

When we post positions they may say "bilingual preferred", in which case your few words aren't relevant. But if the post says "Bilingual required" then you'd be asked to pass a language test as a condition of hire, even if all your other qualities were great.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by wCat

There are also great variations just in "Mexican" Spanish.....not to complicate it with PR and Cuban or other Spanish Latino dialects. We were corrected politely by a very pleasant Hispanic waiter at a high end Mexican restaurant one evening.....mainly because we were asking about pronunciations of several words. He shared with us the "high" and "low" versions. Sort of the difference between "proper" English and everyday conversational English. And then you get into various "accents" .....

Of course this is true for every language on the planet.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by Chaka

Of course this is true for every language on the planet.

Yes....obviously most people know that. But we were speaking about Spanish in San Antonio.....which really the greater challenge in SA would be which "Mexican" Spanish to focus on. It does make a difference depending on how or where it's going to be used. There is a PR and Cuban mix here....but not enough to really "learn" the dialect and language difference to use here. Generic Spanish is obviously "ok" for a world traveler to get by.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by wCat

Yes....obviously most people know that. But we were speaking about Spanish in San Antonio.....which really the greater challenge in SA would be which "Mexican" Spanish to focus on. It does make a difference depending on how or where it's going to be used. There is a PR and Cuban mix here....but not enough to really "learn" the dialect and language difference to use here. Generic Spanish is obviously "ok" for a world traveler to get by.

I'd like to know what you base that on,
because I grew up in Venezuela (South America) and I haven't have any problem at all speaking spanish to people in San Antonio.

Now, if you talk about slang, that's different (like in English it would be to say: "Dog, playboy, homey, etc")

[wCat]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I'd like to know what you base that on,
because I grew up in Venezuela (South America) and I haven't have any problem at all speaking spanish to people in San Antonio.

Now, if you talk about slang, that's different (like in English it would be to say: "Dog, playboy, homey, etc")

Dopo.....like Chaka said.....it's common in just about any language. I'll use English as an example.....different levels of education may dictate your English vocabulary, grammar and general use of the language. Some people who are very eloquent and articulate would do better in a professional setting than someone who didn't need strong communication skills in their job.

As far as everyday communication, I don't think speaking a variation of Spanish in San Antonio would be a problem at all.

[wCat]

Chaka.....as far as Arabic....before you take time to hit the books, you might want to contact one of the branches of the military. We have a good number of our men and women who have been educated extensively for their service in the ME. You may find some great volunteers to help out your organization. Just a thought, since you're not a polyglot. I'm not either....though I wish I was.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I'd like to know what you base that on,
because I grew up in Venezuela (South America) and I haven't have any problem at all speaking spanish to people in San Antonio.

Now, if you talk about slang, that's different (like in English it would be to say: "Dog, playboy, homey, etc")

Compare Cockney English to BBC English to the Queen's English to American English

High German to low German to Swiss German (tho Swiss German is indeed a different language with multiple dialects that can be unintelligible to other Swiss German speakers).

I agree with you, I can't imagine high Spanish vs. everyday Spanish being a problem. I can see different terms - just like in British English vs. American english vs. Aussie English. But not enough to make it a challenge once you pay attention to context. It's likely to matter more amongst upper circles of society in Mexico City than in San Antonio, where the equivalent crowd will speak English.

[itsawomanthing]

Originally Posted by HisLilSecret

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?

No the ad did not

[wCat]

Originally Posted by Chaka

It's likely to matter more amongst upper circles of society in Mexico City than in San Antonio, where the equivalent crowd will speak English.

It's more of a problem in professional settings. We had a convo with a close friend who manages a local business and is Hispanic...American born in the Valley and raised in SA and fluent in "Tex-Mex" Spanish. Some of his clientele are from large corporate contractors in Texas and Mexico and others are local independents. He honestly cannot understand some of the local contractors that come in and speak little English. This isn't really about "society" or upper crust anything....it's about education...not just education in English, but poor education where they were raised in Mexico. There is a huge gap in Mexico in their education system....so some of the difference is where Spanish is learned to begin with.....in a school or in the field. That's just a reflection of how different the culture is just across the border. It's not uncommon for many to miss a formal education that we take for granted.