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Why doesn't the U.S. require English?
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I'm so sick of seeing signs translated to Spanish. Every utility bill I get now has a reverse side with Spanish, shop signs, and even some highway signs are now written in Spanish as well. I realize caucasians are becoming (or are?) the minority in L.A., but it's ridiculous that people living in THIS country don't learn the predominant language. How much tax payer money is used to provide translated government material/court translators, etc? If I went to another country I would learn their language, as would most Americans. Why should taxpayers bear the cost of translating everything because immigrants are too lazy to learn English??
About this poster:
Long time American citizen married to an immigrant who speaks English
Posted by:
noadvertising
(female, 50-ish)
(Posted 9/9/05)
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Resource Links:
Free (relevant links only)
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Responses (18)
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jerry_sizzzler
(9/11):
yes, all those immigrants are simply "too lazy" to learn English. It's hard to imagine why the majority of California lawmakers/civil servants don't share your erudite opinion on the matter. It must be because they're a bunch of bleeding-heart liberal Democrats.
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lurch1949
(9/16):
My ancestors were German-Russian immigrants. Not all of them learned English. Even those who did were ostracized because their accents made their foreign origin obvious. I married into a Mexican family. My Hispanic relatives are the same, except that their skin is brown. That in itself makes them more subject to discrimination than my ancestors; at least they had their white skin going for them. I know from teaching English and Spanish for 32 years that different people experience different levels of difficulty learning a foreign language, just as different people have different levels of ability in P.E., English, or math. The Spanish-speakers who come here are no different. I've seen it and lived it. My wife has spent most of her life in the U.S.. Her English sounds absolutely native, but it's still her second language; there are times she won't understand me because of the language barrier. Her mother wants her own English to sound right, but it just comes out barely intelligible no matter how she tries. The area I live in is mostly Hispanic--all the English signs should be removed since Spanish speakers are the majority here, right? That's what we'd have to do if we followed the logic of "noadvertising". I'd love to see how you'd fare in my community. When was the last time YOU got arrested on a trumped up charge by a white cop who was looking to make a name for himself? It's happened to my wife's male relatives countless times--remember the part about the brown skin? It's a good thing we have the First Amendment so ignoramuses like you have the freedom to expose yourselves for what you are instead of REAL Americans--like my naturalized relatives are who work harder than you ever dreamed of at jobs you wouldn't do, pay more than their share of taxes because they can't afford expensive accountants like privileged whites, and whom you dislike because they're brown and their English isn't so good. You disgust me.
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ingoodcompany
(9/30):
Hey noadvertising, you should really watch the movie CRASH. might shed some new light on some of those preconceived notions you're running around with. wait, did i say that out loud?
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ingoodcompany
(9/30):
p.s. i'm sure i need not remind you that the first people to colonize California (not live here, cause that would be the Native Americans) were the Spanish by way of their establishment in Mexico. Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Pasadena, San Fernando, etc...and well the great state of California. HMMM, English as a first language? I THINK NOT. So the real question is, why haven't you learned Spanish yet?
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hazieG
(9/30):
It's difficult to learn a new language; it takes a long time. Most immigrants who move to the USA do learn English, but in the meantime, we should help them. I mean, just because they're still learning doesn't mean we can't show some compassion for them and make the transition easier.
Oh and, most Americans wouldn't care a bit to learn a new language.
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LHU
(10/7):
Ben je bang als je het niet verstaat, dat zij over jou praten achter je rug?
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FlemFlanders
(10/11):
Lo Siento.
Habla Espanol?
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Rexfish
(11/14):
Hey, next time don't invade areas of the Americas where they don't speak English. California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona all have substantial Spanish speaking minorities - wanna know why? They were ALL Spanish speaking territories when the U.S. annexed them! Look, next time, think twice about annexing Mexico or Quebec - they already have their own language.
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focusteacher
(1/18):
I agree with a small part of your comment. I think that it's in everyone's best interest to have a common language, for financial, as well as social reasons. That being said, let me point out some major problems with your rant: 1) Hispanic people are Caucasians too, 2) The middle ground on this issue is requiring English AND providing free classes to learn it, and 3) I work in a predominantly Hispanic school, and the vast majority of these people are not lazy. In fact, they are some of the hardest working people I know. It's just that in many cases, their educational background intimidates them from learning and schools.
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killerboots
(1/25):
What about when you visit a foriegn country? Most other countries have thier language translated to English. Shouldn't you learn thier language so they don't have to see the English translation? Not to mention that the English language itself is comprised of many foriegn languages that eventually formed our modern America. It may be an inconvenience but it's one that's known all over the world.
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Anonymous
(3/1):
You are such an ignorant person... Have YOU ever tried to learn another language because i don't think you have..It is hard to learn another language and many of these immigrants don't have the time or money to go to classes, but abviosly you don't see that.
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justagirl101
(4/5):
its called enritching your surroundings and learning a little more about the world, and not being so damn ignorant
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Anonymous
(4/14):
Damn Spics, GTFO.
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Octlingual
(12/1):
Of course, you can always look at the positive to this. This is an opportunity to learn a new language for free. Translations provided to you on a use-by-use basis can be expensive and you have the opportunity to collect that wealth of information instantly. Hell it's better than the internet!
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kayla46561
(12/8):
you people are too lazy to learn spanish! your too stuck up to learn spanish. are you alwasy going to stay in the us? ur not going to go visit other countries? if not then you are truly lazy and stubborn
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bigmatt2007
(12/3):
Yes I agree, I hate it when you get a phone call and they say if you want English press #1! Shouldn't it automatically be English since we are living in the United States!!
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Anonymous
(12/4):
These "hard workers" are too $&?!@ lazy to learn OUR LANGUAGE largely to the fact they are CATERED TO by those who DON"T ASK HOW WELL YOU CAN DO THE JOB, BUT How CHEAP!!
When I HAVE TO press a specific button for info in ENGLISH, I am being INSULTED IN MY NATIVE COUNTRY!
When have you heard: for FRENCH/CHINEESE/JAPANESE/ETC. press x??? ONLY SPANISH! (LAZY mexican(canncot)
WE are paying for the MEXICAN government's windfall proffitS comming from ACTIVELY exporting their UNEDUCATED POPULATION.
When Mexico's president states: Mexico doesn't end at the border: Where there is a mexican, there is mexico.... their intentions become clear.
The "Frito Bandito" was exiled YEARS ago because it was "unfair" and Generalized a "misconception" about mexicans in most people's minds.
WAKE UP AND QUIT TRYING TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT (stupid)
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Anonymous
(1/24):
kayla46561 - Why should we be the ones learning Spanish? This is the USA!!!! I went to school, to learn English. It's the common language of this Country and the only one I should ever need to know. Unless I decide to move to another Country, and then I wouldn't be such an A$$ to expect them to cater to me! I'd learn their language!! But why I should I ever wish to leave the U.S.? I could spend my whole life travelling this Country alone and never come close to seeing all it has to offer. It's not "lazyness" as you suggest. It's simply a great Country and there is no reason for me to go any where else.
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Responses (19)
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pearl15_1999
(9/10):
I agree this blows, I too see this all the time.
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ronc99
(9/14):
another case of the MINORITY controlling the MAJORITY using rights as an excuse. You preach freedom of speech and all that jass, this is exactly what you get. It says nowhere Freedom of ENGLISH.
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noadvertising
(9/16):
Lurch1949:
Did you happen to notice in my bio that I am married to an immigrant? Are you assuming that he is non-Hispanic? Should I have mentioned that learning English was extremely difficult for him, but that he persevered over two years and is now fluent? Anyone making fun of another person with an accent is the ignoramus, not me, as you blindly label me. I don't know what neighborhood you live in, but I've not heard any fun poked. Either way, it's a poor excuse not to learn English. I mentioned no skin color -- that's your phobia. For the record, my husband has "brown" skin. I'm referring to people who don't even TRY to learn the language. The U.S. makes it too easy for them, and my main point is that I resent having to pay (directly or indirectly) translation costs in all realms (public utilities, courts, transportation facilities, voting materials, etc.) Once upon a time my relatives learned English too. What if they, along with the 40 odd nationalities that immigrated in the 1800's had never learned English? Would you gladly be paying for translation costs and public signs in all of those different languages? That's what we'd all be doing if our ancestors refused to learn English.
And no, the English signs should not be removed in your area-- your neighbors should attempt to learn English. You've turned this into a race issue, like too many other issues in the U.S. become. Lighten up.
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lurch1949
(9/17):
Oh, by the way, Americans are actually notorious for their unwillingness to learn a foreign language. There's a joke I've heard circulated among foreign language teachers and travelers from other countries. If you speak three languages, you're trilingual. If you speak two, you're bilingual. What are you if you speak only one? American!!!!!
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noadvertising
(9/19):
Lurch1949:
OK--Maybe I should have used "English speakers" for "caucasians" in my original post. My intent was to compare English speakers with non-English speakers, not to be racist. Yes, I'm sure there are a number of people who find learning a language difficult, but you have to admit that there are many who just refuse to even try. Living in an enclave of Spanish-speakers and having so many services translate their signs/services/goods to Spanish unfortunately doesn't promote the learning of English. It's becoming easier and easier to function in this country without knowledge of English. My husband's parents learned English when they were in their 50s when they moved to the UK-- it was difficult for them, but they wanted to fit in. I personally know older people here who learned English, and younger ones who haven't (20-somethings who weren't raised in the U.S. school system). Within 10 miles of my home there are 4 (that I know of) different public education facilities that offer FREE English lessons, so I imagine the same is true for most communities. We pay for these services too, of course, but I don't mind my tax dollars going for something constructive like this. Spanish speakers who post signs in English are doing it for their own advantage as well. I'm sure they gladly accept dollars from non-Spanish speakers, right? In Canada French is one of the two official languages, so it's not surprising that they would have dual signage. I'm referring strictly to government-financed translation costs here. I'm sorry your in-laws were ridiculed by rude people. While growing up, I'll never forget hearing "Don't make fun of people who speak with an accent-- it means they know another language." Americans should try to learn other languages, not out of necessity (as in Europe where the next country might be a stone's throw away), but because it would expand our mindsets and be academically challenging. I respect your background in languages. Peace.
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Ballerina
(9/19):
I agree with you 1000%! I have gotten to the point where I will not buy a product where they have put instructions in Spanish or some other gibberish. If I were in another country, I would try to learn their language. I have been all over the world and NO OTHER COUNTRY accommodates a non-speaker of their language. I can make myself understood in several other languages (Spanish is one of them) but I REFUSE to so in America!!!!!!!!!
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BeadingLady
(9/20):
My father's parents were from Hungary and Austria. They probably had a lot of difficulty learning English, but they did it in order to be part of their newly adoped country. Though my grandmother's father never learned English very well and as he got older he only communicated in Hungarian. His wife died when I was about 3 yrs. so I don't remember how well she communicated in English. As a person who has always had a lot of difficulty learning a foreign language, and now that I am sixty-five, I honestly think that I would not be able to do it. But, in the best interest of the younger generation, I think the children and grandchildren to these immigrants should not be mollycoddled and should be expected to learn and communicate in English, which is the language of choice and our "official" language in the U.S. If they do not, they might always remain on fringes of American society and this would be an injustice to them.
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pearl15_1999
(9/28):
My dog tries to learn English but is having a hard time, she can only say "roof" so far, but she is trying. I give her an "A" for that.
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lurch1949
(9/30):
Ballerina, you may have traveled the world, but you are no world citizen--your language proficiency is laudable, but I don't know why you bothered, considering your mindset. You're still a chauvinistic bigot. We are rapidly becoming one world economy; if a product made in the U.S. is marketed in France, Spain, or Germany but nothing in the packaging is printed in those languages, the manufacturer will rapidly lose business in those places; businesses today are marginal enough that they can't rely solely on domestic sales any more. You're going to run out of things you can buy soon, Ballerina. Other countries DO accommodate people who don't speak their languages--why do you suppose so many people in other countries have learned English? It may simply be economically advantageous to do so, but so what else is new? I agree with Beadinglady that the next generation should certainly be expected to learn English. But I also think they should never lose their mother tongue, either. I once knew a Belgian Holocaust survivor who was twelve at the time of the Liberation; she still had a Belgian-French accent, but had completely forgotten her native language, which I thought was sad. My mother could understand her parents' German, but could not speak it herself--I would have loved to have learned it from her, and we didn't see Grandmother often enough for her to teach me. (I know I can take classes, but it's not the same.) And pearl 15 1999--your dog is making a better effort at learning a foreign language than some of my Spanish students ever did!
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noadvertising
(10/12):
FlemFlanders: That was actually funny. My point exactly.
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SDSUalumni
(1/2):
I'm not saying all immigrants are too lazy to learn English; some are, some aren't. It would be nice if everyone here spoke English.
I'm not saying that immigrants should disown their native tongue; it would be easier for them to learn our language to make their life better here.
And it depends upon how old the individual is. The older the person, the harder it is to learn a new language, which is why children of Mexican immigrants can easily pick up English.
Here's a story for ya: my dad's co-worker is Mexican-American (we all live in San Diego, about 30 min. from Tijuana, MEX) and his wife simply refuses to learn English. It's gotten to the point where their young daughters are now speaking English and even jokingly teasing her in English. If this woman expects to get around San Diego, she needs to speak the standard language.
Most of the immigrants that came here in the last couple of centuries spoke little English but managed to learn it and make a better life for themselves. I spoke to a Hungarian-American woman at a party several months ago who left Hungary after the 1956 Soviet fiasco and she barely knew a word of English and now (obviously), she's fluent and her daughter is bilingual in both English and Hungarian.
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Anonymous
(2/23):
Amen to that! You want to live here speak the language!
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Anonymous
(10/22):
I agree!! I came to this country in 1963 from Germany. There was no press #1 for german. I had to learn the language or be left out. There are no german signs around. I do not read spanish so I do not know what all the signs are saying. Even in Home Depot the spanish signs for product location are larger than the english signs. I think I am in mexico! Where does it stop??
America is giving away its country. Wait 50 more years and it will be mandatory to take spanish in school.
If we have to listen to spanish when we use the phone why dont we demand that all languages should be added. We could press numbers endlessly until we find our language.
Enough is enough!! When will this country wake up and show some pride in who we are.
I am all for legal immigration. But some people just don't want to get the meaning of what the word ILLegal means.
Many crimes or things that are illegal get prosecuted so why no prosecute people who are here ILLEGAL!!
It makes me sick to think what my grandchildren will inherit.
Look in the dictionary for illegal!!
Adjective: illegal i'leegul
Prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules.
See also: amerciable, banned, black, black-market, bootleg, contraband, criminal, dirty, embezzled, extrajudicial, extralegal, felonious, hot, illegally, illegitimate, ill-gotten, illicit, ineligible, irregular, legality, misappropriated, misbranded, mislabeled [US], mislabelled [Brit, Cdn], nonlegal, outlaw, outlawed, penal, prohibited, punishable, smuggled, under-the-counter, unlawful, unratified.
I think nothing more needs to be added.
Liv
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Francophile
(1/3):
Has anyone even addressed the issue of reverse discrimination when looking for a job? I have found so many jobs recently that require you to speak Spanish. I am an American citizen - why should I pay taxes to support agencies that discriminate against me? I can understand private enterprise asking for billingual, but not State and Local governments! Half of my job opportunities have been taken away by this requirement. Isn't the official language of the U.S. English? Does anyone know of any lawsuits going on over this issue? I feel invaded -I don't want to learn Spanish, I'm already trying to learn French - because I want to learn that language, not because it's required! This totally blows!!!
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pablo239845
(6/14):
that would require effort and everyone knows the little beaners are lazy.
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Francophile
(6/24):
Just try to find a job in this country - especially in areas that have large Hispanic populations... public positions with cities and other high paying jobs REQUIRE you to be bilinguil! No one told me I had to be bilinguil to get a good job in my own country. OUTRAGEOUS!
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Calagram
(11/26):
It's a load of crap. People who go to Germany need to know at least some German, and people whom go to Hungary have to know Hungarian, so why don't people who come here have to learn English? Why should we compromise for them? If they don't know it, then they should leave.
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Anonymous
(1/24):
Agreed!!!! I recently went into a grocery store in my neighborhood and couldn't find a simple jar pickle relish. I went from clerk to clerk, and not one spoke english. Every single one spoke spanish. Needless to say I could not get help and I walked out empty handed, shalking my head in disbelief. Granted, it was a private store, but this was in my own Country and is simply ridiculous. I didn't spend my entire childhood, teen, and early adult years going to school and learning English so that I wouldn't be understood in my own neighborhood grocery store. And I would not expect any other Country to cater to my not speaking their language, neither should the U.S.! A Nation is made up of people united by common history, culture, and language. The U.S. is loosing it's identy and common culture, and some people here seem to think that's a GOOD thing. As though multiculturalism is a good thing. As if people living together who can not communicate is a good thing. And if you do not support multiculturalism, or learn spanish (instead of insisting they learn English), you are called a bigot or small minded. Sorry if I love this Country and want it to retain it's identity and not disolve into chaos - and expect those that wish to migrate here to want to assimilate and become American first. And to Learn English. The common language of this Country. It's for the benefit of the Country as a whole, and also for their own good!
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Anonymous
(5/12):
fsdklafjklasd f
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