Do you get treated with hostility in Miami if you don't know Spanish? (Doral: find a job, law)

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by AnnRyan

Yes, but probably none that a tourist would come across. Heck, I bet there are probably a few with menus only in Portuguese as well. Wouldn't stop me.. but I'm definitely an adventurous eater.

One complaint I had for an Italian restaurant in Doral was that half the menu was in Italian (without translation).... lol. La Fontana if you are curious.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

The restaurants that don't cater to tourists are sometimes the best. So if you don't know the local language, you could miss out.

[AnnRyan]

Originally Posted by BNBR

One complaint I had for an Italian restaurant in Doral was that half the menu was in Italian (without translation).... lol. La Fontana if you are curious.

Could be worse, in NY's China town there are frequently menus in Chinese without translation. At least in Italian you can read the letters. And yeah, as usual it doesn't bother me.

[AnnRyan]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

The restaurants that don't cater to tourists are sometimes the best. So if you don't know the local language, you could miss out.

Restaurants that cater to tourists frequently have mediocre food and high prices. If you mention a neighborhood, I'm happy to provide my favorite place to eat.

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by AnnRyan

Could be worse, in NY's China town there are frequently menus in Chinese without translation. At least in Italian you can read the letters. And yeah, as usual it doesn't bother me.

It doesn't bother you if the restaurant has a menu that you can't read? I know some people are adventurous, but do you just randomly point at the menu and pick whatever you happened to point at?

As a client, would you want to work with a realtor who doesn't speak the same language as you?

[Lusiphur]

Originally Posted by AnnRyan

Could be worse, in NY's China town there are frequently menus in Chinese without translation. At least in Italian you can read the letters. And yeah, as usual it doesn't bother me.

I've been to quite a few restaurants in Chinatown, including having native Chinese friends take me to the really out of the way and hidden ones. I've never seen a restaurant menu that was all in Chinese with no translations. Actually, the only place I have ever felt unwelcome in Chinatown was a bar that was very obviously a front for a criminal organization. It was the most amazing bar ever, though - all black marble top to bottom with gold trim, super-dim lights, people smoking in the corner (this was LONG after NYC's smoking ban, and no one gave a ****), all sorts of scary Triad/Yakuza types sitting around leering at people. It was terrifying and awesome at the same time - like you had just been transported into an gritty 1980's crime thriller.

But as for the OPs question, I'm pretty adventurous and spend a lot of time exploring the far reaches of Miami, and I have never had anyone give me any problems about my lack of Spanish, or about the terribly butchered broken Spanish I remember from High School. Most of the people I've run into have been completely understanding, and many seem to be really appreciative when I try saying something in Spanish even if I know that I'm completely destroying the language.

[CXT2000]

For me the only time I've been treated in a hostel matter is when i was working and never spoke Spanish to non English speaking people, sometimes visiting a Walgreen's and the employees don't speak a word of English and with my ex girlfriend whose family was Cuban, the grandparents we're pissed at me for not speaking Spanish nor being Spanish.

[BNBR]

Not sure if you guys caught "Check Please!" this evening. One of the restaurants was a Spanish restaurant in Coral Gables. The white guy from the Keys, who doesn't speak Spanish, said he was treated very poorly at the restaurant. The 2 Spanish girls on the show both brought up that it's probably because he doesn't speak Spanish, and Michelle was in total agreement. "That's just kind of how it is." They were so non-chalant about "Oh yeah, that's kind of normal if you don't speak Spanish".

This is a very real issue, and let's not pretend it's not. Is it always bad? No. But it's there, even undertones. This is why I think it's important to let people who are relocating know that if they are not Spanish speaking, they may not be totally comfortable in Miami. But that's not to say everyone feels that way, as you can see from this thread. Some are just fine with it. But again, let's not pretend this isn't an actual concern or issue in Miami. It is. And people should be made aware of it when applicable.

[Emil Torres]

Most of Miami-Dade is pretty exclusivley Spanish speaking. That's not a bad thing. Some people are comfortable with it and some people aren't. You can live your life in English, but when you are shopping, at a restaurant, in line at the grocery store, at the beach, etc., etc., the language you will hear your frineds and neighboirs speaking is Spanish, not English. About 5-10% of the time, you will hear people speaking English, but mostly Spanish is the common language in most of Miami-Dade County. There are some exceptions like farm areas of rural Homestead, but for the most part the language in use is Spanish. If you are uncomfortable with neighbors who use Spanish instead of English, going to the gym and having your workout buddies speaking in Spanish instead of English, hearing young couples and families in line at grocery stores and malls speaking Spanish, then you may want to reconsider Miami-Dade. Spanish is a nuanced language so your high school Spanish class might not be sufficient to communicate, though it wil help. To realy assimilate though is a Latin cultural thing. True, there are some resients of Miami-Dade from other coutries who speak French, Russian, Chinese, etc., but overwhelmingly it is a Latin County.

[AnnRyan]

Originally Posted by BNBR

It doesn't bother you if the restaurant has a menu that you can't read? I know some people are adventurous, but do you just randomly point at the menu and pick whatever you happened to point at?

As a client, would you want to work with a realtor who doesn't speak the same language as you?

Nope, doesn't bother me. I've traveled widely, and as long as I can figure out what sort of critter I'm eating, I'm usually cool with trying almost anything. If nothing else... look around at what is on other people's plates and ask for that.

I usually choose to work with folks who I trust to do a good job, in whatever language they work in. As long as I can communicate in some way... it doesn't bother me. I've had Chinese clients who barely spoke English (and no Spanish) we managed fine. I'm still in contact with them as a matter of fact.