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English should be the only language we use period.
Cannot read or speak English too bad.
Do you realize how much that would cost?
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Originally Posted by Sunny-Days90
Funny that when you travel abroad they do not cave into you because you only know English, you need to carry a book with you to do things. So you have to adapt to their language, not like America where we pander to people who do not speak English.
With that comment, it becomes difficult to believe you have ever traveled abroad. In my experience, only the French resist an American who speaks English... and then only up to the point where you try to speak French. But they become so horrified at your bastardization of their language that they revert to English purely out of pride.
Certainly and it would be to their advantage but the suggestion was "Should", for example if you're going to be an EMT in Spanish area you "should" learn Spanish. That's backwards.
If you want to live in an area that is predominantly Spanish, willingness to join-in is YOUR problem. And if you don't want to learn the language to be considered, someone else will. No?
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It is when you're suggesting the people using a common language should learn the second language and we aren't going to put the same burdens on the people using the second language.
Why should government force people into learning languages when they can and have done without it? Why is it YOUR problem? When I visit other countries (I can't speak Spanish, for example), I would find it utterly ridiculous if a native came up to me and told me that he/she has a problem that I don't speak his/her language. Yes, it is THAT ridiculous.
Certainly and it would be to their advantage but the suggestion was "Should", for example if you're going to be an EMT in Spanish area you "should" learn Spanish. That's backwards.
Few EMTs I know would agree with you. (I'm in health care BTW, so I actually do know more than my fair share of EMTs).
Knowing Spanish makes them better at the job they chose... saving lives. Most would volunteer that they "should" learn Spanish without any pressure from anybody else on the issue.
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Originally Posted by thecoalman
It is when you're suggesting the people using a common language should learn the second language and we aren't going to put the same burdens on the people using the second language.
That's just nuts. Anybody who believes for a second that the people using the second language aren't already having a harder time than the folks who speak the dominant tongue have no idea what the word "burden" means.
I didn't suggest we only hire employees who are bilingual.
I suggested that if you are a public servant in an area where a non-English language is widespread, you should know that language.
Take Linda Vista for example. They would have to know 4-5 languages if they "had" to learn the language most spoken.
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Originally Posted by le roi
Who is "they" ?
I don't know what you are talking about but it doesn't sound like anything i've proposed here in this thread.
See above
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Originally Posted by EinsteinsGhost
Why do you think it is government's responsibility? You're quite an angry tax payer who is into spending on non-sense bills.
Are you trying to be funny, like ha ha funny?
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Originally Posted by HistorianDude
Actually, that was not circular at all. It was more a reductio ad absurdum.
Is that actually a problem anywhere?
Now, no. The topic shifted to the public servant should learn the language spoken by the Citizens. In larger Cities that would be insane as they overlap. (areas that speak certain languages besides English).
If you want to live in an area that is predominantly Spanish, willingness to join-in is YOUR problem. And if you don't want to learn the language to be considered, someone else will. No?
What language they speak is their own business, what we're discussing here is how the government operates. Whether local or national it needs to be one language.
While on the topic I come from an area that was made up of immigrants from many nationalities, in some households speaking anything but English was forbidden.
You can't have it both ways "why is it the governments problem". I agree 100% it's not the governments problem, people need to learn the common language instead of the government catering to their needs..
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