I'm Outraged! Americans Now Required To Speak Spanish

i was required to learn French and I can remember a lick of what I've learned. Thats more my fault though. At 6 years old I didn't see the need for a second language. By the time I got to highschool I wasn't fluent enough to keep up (had to speak it and instructions were written in french) I've taken courses since then in college but again, I know it for the test and its gone within a month.

I think having a second language is a good idea though I feel its an oversimplification to say learning a second language is "easy". My own struggles are why I respect and admire those that have mutliple languages.

That said I feel your frustration. When times are tough and finding employment opportunities are scarce, having someone say "well you shopuld have foreseen this eventuality and spent money on learning a second language." It certainly doesn't help in the near term.

I wish you good luck in the job hunt

My daughter starts Kindergarten next year at a private school. Guess what is one of the main subjects is...you guessed it...Spanish. She is going to have 7 years of spanish (K-6) and 2 years of latin (7 & 8).

Even though I don't like the fact learning other languages is a must. It is the way things are and to deny or fight that fact is only doing yourself a disservice.

The only reason I don't learn a 2nd language is I own the companies. If it makes you feel better I only hire english speaking employees (bi-lingual is a plus )

English will prevail

Recent studies confirm that the children of Spanish-speaking immigrants are learning English. Among children of Hispanic immigrants to the United States, one recent study found that 92 percent speak English well or very well, even though 85 percent speak at least some Spanish at home. Among third-generation Hispanic immigrants (and their descendants), the predominant pattern is "English-only," with no Spanish spoken at home.14 And that trend has actually been accelerating. As the authors of a recent study concluded, "The very high immigration level of the 1990s does not appear to have weakened the forces of linguistic assimilation. Mexicans, by far the largest immigrants group, provide a compelling example. In 1990, 64 percent of third-generation Mexican-American children spoke only English at home; in 2000, the equivalent figure had risen to 71 percent."

www.cato.org..." target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow"> www.cato.org...

Short sighted to be angry about the requirements to learn other languages. It can only further one's education and opportunity and potential employment and civic value. I for one, completely support education requirements to learn a second language. As for employment, if it is a requirement of the job to perform, than it is legit and if someone wishes to apply to that position than they need to be able to perform the job duties. I see no issue.

...regardless of whatever points the english-only crowd thinks they're making, they're really saying that they're too lazy to educate themselves so that they can compete in today's globally connected marketplace... below is an informative lecture - a little old but still valid...


mitworld.mit.edu...

The World is Flat
Thomas L. Friedman
May 16, 2005
Running Time: 1:15:04

About the Lecture
Chances are good that Bhavya in Bangalore will read your next x-ray, or as Thomas Friedman learned first hand, “Grandma Betty in her bathrobe” will make your Jet Blue plane reservation from her Salt Lake City home. In “Globalization 3.0,” Friedman contends, people from far-flung places will become principal players in the marketplace.

Wow I thought "Your America" was based off Immigrants ?? Really who is a True Native American now a days???? Besides the obvious Native Indians
Just cause you chose a job that one of the requirements is to speak Spanish you get your feelings hurt???? Wow it must be hard to be proud to be an American in your "America". Look for an other job duh!!

Well, here is a funny twist on things.

Last week I was trying to get the company I work for set up as a registered bidder on an online vehicle and equipment auction. After several tries of calling the generic 800 number for the company, and not being able to understand a complete sentence from the person on the other end, I was at my wits end. Why don't they have people who can speak good English? They all had such heavy accents, and they almost sounded Russian. One sounded African. I'm not sure. Just very frustrating.

So I finally called the semi-regional office and begged for help. The gal said she couldn't help me, I had to call the 800#. I told her I had tried, and that I could not communicate with anyone that answered the phone. She told me, very matter of factly, that I should "Press 2 for Spanish", and I should be able to get someone that spoke good English.

What?? Did I misunderstand?? Press 2 for Spanish, to get someone that spoke good English? No, that is what she said. Well it was worth a try since I wasn't getting anywhere, any other way.

So I called the 800 number, pressed 2 for Spanish, got a gal who started speaking Spanish, but then I spoke my request in English and she spoke to me in very plain, un-accented English, was very helpful, and I got my issues resolved.

Weird.

I understand that most of you think learning a second language is helpful, useful, knowledgeable..etc..

Have you put yourself in HIS shoes, though?
Sure, I agree..learn another language..but at your LEISURE..take a class..it takes TIME to learn another language.

This man/woman needs a job to support his/her family! Like NOW! Im sure they are worried about their next meal and paying bills..not a great time to learn a new language!!

Im sure there are undesirable jobs out there, fast food,etc..hate to say it..but sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do.
Might have to flip burgers until something better comes up. At least you'll eat

[edit on 15-6-2010 by Yummy Freelunch]

Studies have been done on children who learn a second language starting at the beginning of school, and they have found that they do better in all their other studies as a result.

We only got a couple of years of French in high school, which I regret. My son only got a couple of years of French, in Kindergarden and grade 1, he doesn't remember any of it. I wish it was part of the school curriculum for the whole time, grades 1 to 12, it would make it easier to learn a second and third language.

reply to post by Yummy Freelunch


That makes sense, take your time and if you want to , learn another language. In the meantime since they are desperate to find a job they may want to look for jobs that have the type of requirements they can actually meet, instead of ones where they can't. The requirements for the job are usually listed where the person found the information about the opening.

reply to post by snowspirit


I lived in Quebec and don't speak, read or write french at all. French, although it is nice to know is not as useful as other languages, from a business perspective, IMHO, however if you want to work in govt. it make sense to learn it.

And ? In most countries around the world people learn 2 languages (at minimum) in school - their native language and english. There is nothing wrong in knowing multiple languages its useful. To be successful at business the 2 important languages to know are english and mandarin. With those 2 languages can do well anywhere in the world.

I agree that with most other countries they are REQUIRED to learn their native language and English . Lets take nationality aside, race, and requirements other than another language and look at it with the perspective of a company, whether large or small. If you want to excel its always better to have more than one skill.

If you want a job as a driver, an employer with prefer someone with more than one license, if you want to be a cook its better to have experience in more than one type of dish, and if you are required to speak to more than one type of person, in a nation with more than English speaking people, than I think that at an employers perspective someone with a broader language skill would always be my first choice.

Whether its liked or not, English speaking people are not the only consumers, why wouldn't an employer want something more?

reply to post by rufusdrak


Ummm....

The fact that America is outsourcing it's job is definitely bad....

But just to let you know in all other countries in the world it's a requirement to speak 70% English for the job of scraping gum off the bottom of someones shoe. In Mexico that job comes with an 80% requirement.

Your mad now...just wait until your national language becomes Mandarin Chinese.

Here are some questions that need to be asked, before getting upset about another language.

Why do you think that jobs are outsourced all over the world and not here?

We live in a GLOBAL society, where trade and business is worldwide, why would we think that our limited skills, such as some thinking that learning another language is useless. Do you think that if India only spoke their native language we would be there? NO, they didn't need training, they didn't need ESL courses, and they were willing to do the work, with lower pay.

Now think if we spoke different languages fluently, the other companies would outsource to America. If people were more tolerant to learning another language then maybe we can hold our own in the global financial market, but until then, business' will rely on those that need no further training, and believe me, while were arguing about this India is probrably learning mandarin right now, so when we finally get to the next level, we will still be far behind.

No one was backing made in America products, until, jobs where no longer here, now everything is made elsewhere, and now we no longer have anything to contribute. We cannot get that time back, but we can at least stop fighting about things that have obvious solutions.

The title of the thread is completely misleading. No one is forcing you to learn Spanish, or any other language.

Being fluent in Spanish is a requirement for that particular job, not for use in your home, on the streets, or anywhere other than that job.

Learning a language has nothing to do with your rights as an American, and no one is forcing you do something you don't believe in.

If you were fluent in Japanese, you wouldn't be eligible for the job if you weren't also fluent Spanish. It has nothing to do with the English language, which is absolutely not anywhere close to the native languages of America.

We talk about immigrants invading, but forget that nearly all "Americans" are foreign lineage.

[edit on 15-6-2010 by draevin]

You lost your job to outsourcing to India. Well in the UK we know all about that. So I am guessing that you were in some form of tech Support. or at least in a call center environment. As that is all that they seem to do over there in India.

So if you are looking at a similar job with an American company then great. But as it is mentioned here. I highly suspect that they are not only dealing with US Latino, but please remember that the Entire Southern part of North American, All of Central America, and Most of South America Speak, By Birth SPANISH!.

So if you want to deal with them. Like the Indians who are required to pretend to be "local" you may be required to pretend to be "local" when your customers call.

There are many example I know of personally where people in Mexico work in jobs that require them to speak English because they are dealing with Americans!.

it's a global trade world, always has been, its just seems that you guys just realized it!!

reply to post by rufusdrak


Welcome to what more than 2/4 of third world country citizens face on a daily basis. Unemployement? Get used to it. Get used to find a job you wouldn't enjoy and the need of learning something you don't know. If your country seems to be changing and things are getting worse day by day, then you need to get up and fight. Fight to get a job, fight to change your government, fight for whatever you need to. Just don't complain about something expecting someone else to take a step for you.

Originally posted by jam321
reply to post by rufusdrak

 

What is the name of the company so we can see how true this is?

I just find this hard to believe.

To Carseller4

You have just about the whole world learning English, and you are still worried about English being overtaken by Spanish.

Come on over and I'll introduce you to many Hispanics who can't/refuse to speak Spanish.

US doesn't need to make English the national language. English will prevail anyway.

I can vouch for this being true for some companies in Miami and exactly for the reason that you mentioned.

If your client base is Spanish speaking then they are going to require that you speak Spanish even if the company is located in the United States.

I support knowing multiple languages, especially those spoken by your neighbors. I think English, Chinese, and Spanish should be mandatory in K-12 schooling.

I'm less angry about the whole 'speaking Spanish' requirement for a job than the whole 'online application personality profile' thing we see today when it comes to applying for 80% of the jobs out there.