Employers requiring people to speak Spanish: A-OK....Employers requiring people to speak English: Not so much. (illegal, illegals)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This was always a sore point with me when I lived in South Florida.
I moved there in 1971 and many of the first people I met were the original Cuban exiles that left Cuba when Castro took over. They held on tightly to their culture, after all they had to leave their homes and emigrate. But many of them learned English.
Many of those that followed though from Cuba and those that came from Central and South America did not bother to learn English. Yeah they could get by if necessary. But no effort to learn.
There was a famous bumper sticker in Dade County, now Miami-Dade County, that read "Will the last American leaving Dade County bring the American Flag". It was that bad.
After Hurricane Andrew, many Hispanics moved to Broward County (the Ft. Lauderdale area). You have no idea how frustrating it is to go to a store and ask for help and get none because most of the employees did not speak English.
You couldn't get a job in S. Florida unless you were bilingual. Spanish was all you heard.
The private school where I worked had many Hispanics. I had co-workers from Columbia, Peru and Cuba. They all knew English and were quite upset with those that didn't bother to learn English. All of them became citizens and felt you could still honor your homeland but you also had to honor your new home and assimilate.
FWIW for 8 years I worked in our school cafeteria. We had a Cuban custodian. The nicest man alive. But he didn't speak English. He had been in this country for 25 years. We know he understood because if we asked him for something, he would do it. He could communicate with some English. After he turned 65 he took the citizenship test. In Spanish. Apparently if you were over 65 you could do this.
I had many Hispanic friends. It just became a problem living there when most of the people didn't speak English.
I understand hanging on to your heritage. Growing up in Chicago I had friends that were Italian and Polish. If you went to their homes, the older people spoke in their native language. They did speak English but were more comfortable talking amongst each other in their native tongues. Actually one Italian family was funny. As long ago as it was I can remember the father of my friend yelling at his mother all the time- English Ma. English. Then she would curse him out in Italian.
I just think people should assimilate to their new homes. I would expect to do the same if I moved someplace where English was not the primary language.
As to the OP, I guess nothing surprises me anymore. Bilingual yes. But just no English at all???? They were given a year to learn. But they knew enough English to complain and have the Salvation Army sued.
This was always a sore point with me when I lived in South Florida.
I moved there in 1971 and many of the first people I met were the original Cuban exiles that left Cuba when Castro took over. They held on tightly to their culture, after all they had to leave their homes and emigrate. But many of them learned English.
Many of those that followed though from Cuba and those that came from Central and South America did not bother to learn English. Yeah they could get by if necessary. But no effort to learn.
There was a famous bumper sticker in Dade County, now Miami-Dade County, that read "Will the last American leaving Dade County bring the American Flag". It was that bad.
After Hurricane Andrew, many Hispanics moved to Broward County (the Ft. Lauderdale area). You have no idea how frustrating it is to go to a store and ask for help and get none because most of the employees did not speak English.
You couldn't get a job in S. Florida unless you were bilingual. Spanish was all you heard.
The private school where I worked had many Hispanics. I had co-workers from Columbia, Peru and Cuba. They all knew English and were quite upset with those that didn't bother to learn English. All of them became citizens and felt you could still honor your homeland but you also had to honor your new home and assimilate.
FWIW for 8 years I worked in our school cafeteria. We had a Cuban custodian. The nicest man alive. But he didn't speak English. He had been in this country for 25 years. We know he understood because if we asked him for something, he would do it. He could communicate with some English. After he turned 65 he took the citizenship test. In Spanish. Apparently if you were over 65 you could do this.
I had many Hispanic friends. It just became a problem living there when most of the people didn't speak English.
I understand hanging on to your heritage. Growing up in Chicago I had friends that were Italian and Polish. If you went to their homes, the older people spoke in their native language. They did speak English but were more comfortable talking amongst each other in their native tongues. Actually one Italian family was funny. As long ago as it was I can remember the father of my friend yelling at his mother all the time- English Ma. English. Then she would curse him out in Italian.
I just think people should assimilate to their new homes. I would expect to do the same if I moved someplace where English was not the primary language.
As to the OP, I guess nothing surprises me anymore. Bilingual yes. But just no English at all???? They were given a year to learn. But they knew enough English to complain and have the Salvation Army sued.
It is getting more and more like that in So. Calif. also. Even those who know how to speak English are refusing to out in public unless they have to.
If you go to Santa Ana in California, you will rarely find any one speaking English there. I bet you if you trying to order something not on the menu of McDonalds. The cashier wont be able to get exactly what you've asked for. All the hispanic people there just know how to count and the item on the menu. This is frustrating. I went to German, China, Japanese, Korea town, at least i can use my English to communicate with them. I have to use my mouth /hands in Santa Ana
If you go to Santa Ana in California, you will rarely find any one speaking English there. I bet you if you trying to order something not on the menu of McDonalds. The cashier wont be able to get exactly what you've asked for. All the hispanic people there just know how to count and the item on the menu. This is frustrating. I went to German, China, Japanese, Korea town, at least i can use my English to communicate with them. I have to use my mouth /hands in Santa Ana
This is America. Not Mexico
They know how to count? Wow...that's advanced for a good number of them
unless a person is working for a company that is based in another country and here on a temp basis he/she should be required to speak English. When our daughter got transferred (on a temp assignment) to Poland, neither she nor her husband spoke a word of Polish. Everyone who worked for her in Poland spoke English, but by the time she and hubby returned to the states thy both spoke Polish as well as English, maybe not fluently but they did speak it.
These were legal immigrants that did not break any US laws.
so what is the problem?...No laws broken-not illegals
English-Only forum that way >>>>>>>>>
No one said "English only" they were told they needed to speak English..When in Rome, do as the Romans do. No one said they broke a law but any company has a right to enforce guidelines or require what they want.
Nita
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They were given a year to learn. But they knew enough English to complain and have the Salvation Army sued.
