This is a headline story right here! It has to be one of the top issues in the country today. I am referring to the "Press two for Spanish" issue. Why is this even an option? If someone wants to become an American badly enough, they should take the initiative to learn the language that is spoken here: English. I mean, does the government not know that by allowing a language barrier to exist inside our country, they are potenially limiting the progression of the country. There should not be a need for any type of translator in our country. How can we be called the top country in the world if the citizens within it are not able to communicate freely? "Press two for Spanish" is also one of the most annoying statements that can be uttered over the phone. Spanish is not the only problem either. It is all the gibberish and nonsense that has to be endured before actually having the opportunity to speak to a customer service officer or telephone operator. I believe that Americans need to keep it simple. Diversity is grand, but when it pertains to the language, there is a problem. I have a simple solution that will unify our country and tear down the language barrier: Learn our language or go home!
JohnnyTheSilverAngelOh yeah one more thing,in the business the world,if you know how to speak other languages,then your morel likely to get hired.Just throwing that out there too.
Okay first of all,you could have said this in a nicer tone.I mean,your saying like people who don't know English are a problem...which they aren't.Also,the "Press 2 for Spanish",I mean,come on now,just press 1 and get over it!it's not like 2 is the only option you have here.Also,I'm bilingual.I know both Spanish and English.I learned English the hard way by reading and speaking.It is hard.Also,not talking English isn't going to stop America from rising.We the people who know English are the ones... (more »)
GamerGirlomg THANK YOU!
at my school we have used half our money to help kids who only know spanish get more help from spanish teachers, not to help them in engilish, but TEACH THEM IN SPANISH! and at my school there allowed to just speak spanish. and i researched that btw. but i am so with you learn our language or go home! i agree its a touchy subject but i am SO fed up with all the people who come to AMERICA and dont and wont learn ENGLISH! It really makes me so p.oed so yeah.
I went to germany but didn't want to learn german. Then again it was only for six months and I didn't really have a choice.
Freedom_CowThis is a touchy subject, I do have to say. There are many ways to go about living in a multi-lingual world. One of the ways is to stay seated in the English language, or branch out. I encourage the learning of different languages.
Yes, having a language barrier is a difficult thing to have to live though. Maintaining it weakens the structure of society. (Telling non-English speaking immigrants to learn our language in English might not work as well).
Instead... (more »)
penguin35
I feel like this is an article that lots of people will hate, and they have a right to. But I like it this!!! I agree that it is annoying when people think they can live here and never learn English. I understand you are not going to take five years of English class before immigrating here, but do not expect us to cater to your foreign language. I am going to Italy in a few months, and I am watching tons of Italian-learning videos on YouTube. I don't want people to be annoyed with me because I d... (more »)
Am I only person who agrees with this article? I have to say to the author of this article that, although I agree with you, this could have been written in a nicer tone. I am sympathetic to people who try to learn English. It is hard, but not impossible. You can still speak your own language. All languages are good. This article is not saying that English is a superior language; it is just the language we speak here in America! Telling immigrants to learn English is not taking away their rights;... (more »)
lol i so agree. so your not the only one who likes this lol
This issue is extremely controversial, but it is a matter of self reliance and analysis. Numerous other countries worldwide have troubled themselves to make signs in not only their home language, but also English. One may argue that English is universal in this day and age, but the countries like France who rarely display English, are indifferent to allowing people a way to understand their surroundings. English is extremely beneficial and sometimes a prerequisite, but it should not be forc... (more »)
I agree with this but also disagree. I believe there should be options for what language you speak, kids that are in the United States should know English because it helps in getting jobs and helps being able to communicate with others. I also agree with some of the points made in others posts where it is hard to learn a foreign language. In schools we are required to take a foreign language for at least two or three years. And I think that we shouldn’t have to because most people that tak... (more »)
PenguinFeetMaybe you're the one who needs to learn a new language: Respect.
This is very offensive. My first language isn't English, and my parents don't speak English well either. Yet we have the same right as anyone to be here. This country is first and foremost about freedom. It's important to take into account the cultural diversity in our country. It's a good thing, and seeing it as an annoyance just seems bigoted and prejudiced.
America is a country of immigrants. "Our language" is n... (more »)
NataliaBoulevardeI do believe this is a great comment, your parents and yourself as well as any other bilingual person who is a citizen of this country has the same rights. Constitutionally speaking, " all men are created equal" was written towards rich, white men, and so it has to be taken into consideration whether you have a loose or strict interpretation of our rights. For some people, they have a much more loose interpretation than they possibly should, yet at the same time this is the United States, and th... (more »)
whatshernameIm sorry but thats ridiculous. us americans can be so self-centered and think that every other country should do things to make our lives easie .So you should just press 1 and move on
Have you ever learned English? It's much more difficult to learn if your not raised in an English speaking home than any other language. Also, most hispanics I know speak better English than I, but their parents don't speak English well because (and it has been tested) learning a language is even harder as an adult. Does your parent speak a second language... do you? If not why should hispanics have to speak a second language. That's dicrimination.
I think that if you want to come to our country to live for a while, you should learn our language. If I were to go to A country for a long time I would need to learn they're language. I understand it is hard but so is everything else. DEAL WITH IT!! Jobs are hard life is hard. why is this so hard!!
Phantom_GirlI sort of agree with you. While I don't think people should be kicked out of the country if they can't speak English (learn our language or go home?)-I do understand that it makes things much simpler for us and for the immigrangs. Further more, I don't understand why a person would want to go to a country and not attempt to learn the most common language, but that's their choice. The only question I have is-why English? It is by no means the first language spoken in this land. Have you forgoten ... (more »)
SlightlySarcastic"... by allowing a language barrier to exist inside our country, they are potentially limiting the progression of the country."
While I agree that a language barrier can impede progress, there's one hitch in your position. Why should everyone learn English? Or rather, why just English? How many people do you know who were born in English-speaking households that can speak a second language? I've been to a school in France where they start learning a second lan... (more »)
earlybird_8While I do agree that it's important for everyone to be able to communicate with each other, I don't believe that people should "learn our language or go home". Technically, America took over a huge chunk of Mexico, where they speak Spanish, a century or two ago. Should people who spoke spanish have been forced to learn a new language just because the people who spoke it had a bigger army? I understand that this was a long time ago, but take Canada as an example. Both the English and French sett... (more »)
SocialCollisionYour bringing up a nice topic, BUT I have to disagree with you. It's their problem if they don't learn English. We are just as responsible to learn Spanish as they are to learn English!! When we know that more Hispanics are coming into the States, we should automatically realize that we should all have BASIC knowledge on each others language!
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