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Haha! What an idiot you sound like. "Learn Spanish or get left behind"? Yeah, I'll take my law degree (which I didn't need Spanish to get, by the way) and my current life over that of an immigrant kitchen hand who can barely (if at all) speak English. How's his knowledge of Spanish working out for him so far?
And you think nothing is going to change? I don't know, Trump is deporting any and all illegals (which the person who the OP is talking about probably is) his agents can get their hands on. Oh, and don't forget that the guy whose whole premise was deporting illegals actually won the last election. Most Americans aren't stupid. We know when enough is enough. And people like you are the ones who have been whining and stomping their feet since November.
Slowly but surely, Americans will do what needs to be done.
Now did that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
Truth is, this issue has been with use for over a century and guess what, it has never changed. The only thing that is changing is that some Americans took their heads out of their rears and realized, hey if I want to compete in a sector where foreign languages are common, I need to learn a foreign language.
The fact that you work in an industry where speaking another language isn't needed (remember, the courts address your language slacking by having taxpayers pay for your interpreters) doesn't mean that there isn't thousands of hard working Americans in industries where taxpayer provide interpreters are not available. So, they have to face the reality that they need to learn a second language or they will get left behind.
Despite you adolescent school yard rant, illegals and languages have nothing to do with each other. Foreign languages are spoken fluently and in today's businesses by a whole bunch of natural born Americans. Languages are just a communications tool, you use the one that best serves the end results. So long as the staff gets my order correct, prepares it properly, serves it when ready and takes care of the extras, I could care less if they spoke Klingon!
Truth is, this issue has been with use for over a century and guess what, it has never changed. The only thing that is changing is that some Americans took their heads out of their rears and realized, hey if I want to compete in a sector where foreign languages are common, I need to learn a foreign language.
And when did this realization occur exactly? Is that why there are fewer Americans enrolled in foreign language courses in colleges and universities these days?
"...the number of language enrollments in higher education in the U.S. declined by more than 111,000 spots between 2009 and 2013—the first drop since 1995. Translation? Only 7 percent of college students in America are enrolled in a language course."
Perhaps there are some Americans who are really, really, REALLY yearning to head into that restaurant kitchen and gab with the non-English speaking person who's making their pasta primavera, but my guess is that that's a number you can use one hand to count.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rabrrita
The fact that you work in an industry where speaking another language isn't needed (remember, the courts address your language slacking by having taxpayers pay for your interpreters) doesn't mean that there isn't thousands of hard working Americans in industries where taxpayer provide interpreters are not available. So, they have to face the reality that they need to learn a second language or they will get left behind.
As for this nonsensical notion of Americans being "left behind" in America because they can't speak Spanish or some other language, can you give us some examples of industries in this country in which Americans who don't speak a foreign language will be shut out or "left behind", please? Because I think people reading this thread would like to know (and certainly I would) which industries and careers we Americans shouldn't go out for unless we speak Spanish or whatever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rabrrita
Despite you adolescent school yard rant, illegals and languages have nothing to do with each other. Foreign languages are spoken fluently and in today's businesses by a whole bunch of natural born Americans. Languages are just a communications tool, you use the one that best serves the end results. So long as the staff gets my order correct, prepares it properly, serves it when ready and takes care of the extras, I could care less if they spoke Klingon!
Immigrants in general, but especially illegals, are a main source of the problem when it comes to not being able to communicate in English. Do you think the cook that the OP is talking about was born in this country? How many people born in this country do you know who can't have basic conversations in English? The fact that you're pretending that the people who have these language barrier issues aren't immigrants or illegals illustrates just how ignorant you are about this subject, and how willing you are to stick your head in the sand to avoid acknowledging a simple truth.
The fact that some Americans choose speak a foreign language has nothing to do with this. The issue is whether, as you believe, it is up to Americans to make the changes necessary to communicate with people who come here, legally or illegally, but completely VOLUNTARILY and then make no effort to assimilate in even the simplest way. The onus IS NOT on Americans to learn immigrants' languages. If you want to speak your native language exclusively, then either STAY HOME OR STAY IN YOUR COUNTRY. But don't come here expecting Americans to change for you.
P.S. - Please don't forget that list of American industries in which Americans are "left behind" if they don't speak a foreign language. I'm really dying to see it.
With my old call center job, we got calls from a very diverse number of backgrounds, many which could only speak very basic English. This frustrated the fact that are calls were supposed to be very strongly scripted. Many people screwed up completely by rushing the call to fit the needs of call compliance. This just led to them calling back and even angrier customers.
To overcome this, you had to take the call step by step, listen carefully, and become familiar with the callers' understanding of English. After each handful of words, say "yes" or "yeah" to show you understand them, or "no, no" if you didn't get something. Then, carefully repeat back what they say, get them to say "yeah" after each baby step, doing whatever it takes to be on the same wavelength.
One time I had this complaint call from this really angry guy. The guy's request was only very simple, but they couldn't get the help they wanted because all the other customer service people couldn't deal with their poor English. He ranted to me for a straight ten minutes in broken English until it was obvious they weren't leaving.
Instead of looking at English in MY point of view, I looked at it in THEIRS. I learned what words they understood, and relied on those. I learned what arrangement of grammar they were most comfortable with, and replied in the same way. We repeated things very carefully to each other. Although it was painstakingly slow, it was freeing to throw away all the scripts and to talk like adults.
I didn't try to teach them, be better than them or be their Superior-English-Speaking-Person. And they were also just as liable to start chatting and wasting time when they suddenly felt like it (like any caller) and it took time and patience to gently steer them back on track. I worked out what they wanted, without scripts or instructions, and at the end of it, they said "Thank you, no one else would have done this." It was an amazing feeling to actually help a guy who kept being let down so bad.
Above all, I just believed they were equal to me. That the trick to it. Nothing special.
Your company seems very inefficient if they hire English speaking call center workers to help callers who are mostly non-English speaking.
I had a neighbor who was from Pakistan. Very nice educated couple who spoke good English. They had two kids that were BORN here and barely spoke English to them so when they started school they had a hard time and needed special classes to learn English.
Sure. No surprise there. English is one of the official languages of Pakistan, and is commonly spoken/understood, especially among their educated class.
Understand, it's actually not a bad thing that the kids learned how to speak (probably, Urdu, or another one) from the parents first, then proper English at school. The parents are more fluent in Urdu/Punjabi/Sindhi, so that's what links them to their culture/family. The kids end up being bi-lingual practically from the get-go this way. It's a win-win.
Now did that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
Truth is, this issue has been with use for over a century and guess what, it has never changed. The only thing that is changing is that some Americans took their heads out of their rears and realized, hey if I want to compete in a sector where foreign languages are common, I need to learn a foreign language.
The fact that you work in an industry where speaking another language isn't needed (remember, the courts address your language slacking by having taxpayers pay for your interpreters) doesn't mean that there isn't thousands of hard working Americans in industries where taxpayer provide interpreters are not available. So, they have to face the reality that they need to learn a second language or they will get left behind.
Despite you adolescent school yard rant, illegals and languages have nothing to do with each other. Foreign languages are spoken fluently and in today's businesses by a whole bunch of natural born Americans. Languages are just a communications tool, you use the one that best serves the end results. So long as the staff gets my order correct, prepares it properly, serves it when ready and takes care of the extras, I could care less if they spoke Klingon!
I agree 110%. The rant, from someone who supposedly has a law degree (and is presumably civilized), is unwarranted.
Location: In a city within a state where politicians come to get their PHDs in Corruption
2,907 posts, read 2,069,650 times
Reputation: 4478
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonimuso
Haha! What an idiot you sound like. "Learn Spanish or get left behind"? Yeah, I'll take my law degree (which I didn't need Spanish to get, by the way) and my current life over that of an immigrant kitchen hand who can barely (if at all) speak English. How's his knowledge of Spanish working out for him so far?
And you think nothing is going to change? I don't know, Trump is deporting any and all illegals (which the person who the OP is talking about probably is) his agents can get their hands on. Oh, and don't forget that the guy whose whole premise was deporting illegals actually won the last election. Most Americans aren't stupid. We know when enough is enough. And people like you are the ones who have been whining and stomping their feet since November.
Slowly but surely, Americans will do what needs to be done.
See, your own insecurity is just bleeding through. Successful people with law degrees don't need to compare themselves to immigrant kitchen cooks, or put them down. That immigrant looks at his/her job in a way that helps him provide for his/her family so that his/her kids one day can earn law degrees themselves. They're not worried about you. Classless post all around.
Haha! What an idiot you sound like. "Learn Spanish or get left behind"? Yeah, I'll take my law degree (which I didn't need Spanish to get, by the way) and my current life over that of an immigrant kitchen hand who can barely (if at all) speak English. How's his knowledge of Spanish working out for him so far?
And you think nothing is going to change? I don't know, Trump is deporting any and all illegals (which the person who the OP is talking about probably is) his agents can get their hands on. Oh, and don't forget that the guy whose whole premise was deporting illegals actually won the last election. Most Americans aren't stupid. We know when enough is enough. And people like you are the ones who have been whining and stomping their feet since November.
Slowly but surely, Americans will do what needs to be done.
i don't care if u got a degree on toilet paper in housekeeping. nobodys special. nothings has been done since the election and its common for illegals to speak ingles also. If the coworker don't speak english then don't talk to them! its easy! I don't care about there status. I hope we will get things done but with the political garbage nothing is.
yes. The brain is able to absorb language far better at a younger age. My point was, don't just stop or say "I can't do it" because you're 12-13 or assume your kids won't be able to learn another lanuage at that age. That would be ridiculous.
Exactly! No matter what age THEY can learn English. It is a two way street.
Exactly! No matter what age THEY can learn English. It is a two way street.
So?
Ultimately the only person you can control is you. OP has a problem, communicating at work. The solution is to learn a way to communicate at work, various ways to handle this. One thing that does not work is ranting on the internet about how everybody else ought to change. You can get all of city data to agree with you, but that doesn't solve the language barrier.
Basically you have to decide that solving the problem is more important than assigning blame to people you have no authority over. Once you do that, you're half way home.
So?
Ultimately the only person you can control is you. OP has a problem, communicating at work. The solution is to learn a way to communicate at work, various ways to handle this. One thing that does not work is ranting on the internet about how everybody else ought to change. You can get all of city data to agree with you, but that doesn't solve the language barrier.
Basically you have to decide that solving the problem is more important than assigning blame to people you have no authority over. Once you do that, you're half way home.
Yes, much easier to change oneself than to change everybody else.
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