Does your child speak Spanish?

http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2008/07/08/bilingual_obama/print.html

Barack Obama wonders what's up with all those "English-only" whiners. Learn Spanish, already

Yeah! Leave it to our *real* AMERICAN kids to be able to barely speak correct English-n-stuff.

I've noticed our oldest (almost 4) will say some things in Es Spanol, but she's picked it up from Dora and Diego...

I don't think we need a law mandating that the official language in the USA is english, or spanish, or Latin, or German, or hattentat... Having and using a second language is a skill, and can be a very marketable one at that. Use what is best for the situation you're in. Just like typing on a keyboard and knowing your way around a MAC or PC. Imagine a law saying that businesses can only use PCs?

LTRT wrote:http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2008/07/08/bilingual_obama/print.html

Barack Obama wonders what's up with all those "English-only" whiners. Learn Spanish, already

Which part of this has you confused that it's a fact of globalization that bilingual students will have more job opportunities than non-bilingual?

His argument about a law mandating "English only" is similar to the argument that we should have a federally mandated max speed limit of 55 mph instead of leaving it up to the states.

My 3 y.o. can speak more spanish than I can...

Hola senors and senoritas.

Canuck wrote:Hola senors and senoritas.

Ahem, don't you mean "Hola senors, senoras y senoritas?"

meta4 wrote:

Canuck wrote:Hola senors and senoritas.

Ahem, don't you mean "Hola senors, senoras y senoritas?"

You are absolutely right Sir.

I was so intent on the hola part and wondering.

No courthouse stuff for me...I promise to behave and pay attention...

I agree with him on this - we don't need a law mandating English only. Not sure though why it's "embarrassing" that Americans go to Europe and can only speak English. It's simply a bigger advantage for a European to learn English than for an American to learn their language. I can't say I have ever applied for a job where knowing another language was important. If he is embarrassed by Americans I don't know how well he will represent us.

I really have no problem with the English only law. Which actually means all government business will be conducted in English, meaning all forms are in English. That just means the government doesn't have to have a form in Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, German, French etc. when doing business with the government.

Scooby01_98 wrote:I really have no problem with the English only law. Which actually means all government business will be conducted in English, meaning all forms are in English. That just means the government doesn't have to have a form in Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, German, French etc. when doing business with the government.

That sounds good until we have people who dont pay taxes because they cant speak english... or cant testify against a criminal because they are constitutionally bound to do so in English. It's a slippery slope...

pez wrote:

Scooby01_98 wrote:I really have no problem with the English only law. Which actually means all government business will be conducted in English, meaning all forms are in English. That just means the government doesn't have to have a form in Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, German, French etc. when doing business with the government.

That sounds good until we have people who dont pay taxes because they cant speak english... or cant testify against a criminal because they are constitutionally bound to do so in English. It's a slippery slope...

They use translators in court and other government offices. Nowhere in the bill did I see where the testimony from the individual had to be in English.

If there is an English only law, wouldn't that mean that all testimony has to be in English?
The job of the translator becomes a irrelevant, does it not?
Maybe I am missing something in this story.

Canuck wrote:If there is an English only law, wouldn't that mean that all testimony has to be in English?
The job of the translator becomes a irrelevant, does it not?
Maybe I am missing something in this story.

That would seem to be the obvious "future tense" sort of thing that you Canadians pick up on eh?

... thereby diminishing further the need for our youth to compete on a polyglot stage with youth of other nations...

WTH, we're AMERICAN!

30 U.S. states currently have english only laws, including Indiana. I see nothing that has hampered people here in this state that have limited english language skills.

http://www.us-english.org/view/13

Scooby01_98 wrote:30 U.S. states currently have english only laws, including Indiana. I see nothing that has hampered people here in this state that have limited english language skills.

http://www.us-english.org/view/13

Good point, why is this an issue? Is it merely because Obama made a comment on it? Apparently there is no precedent for change on this issue. Is there's a problem here in Indiana?

Personally I really wish we did have English as our national language. It would make business and more importantly emergency services much more efficient. I have friends on the police, fire and EMS services, they all have to deal with (for the most part) mexicans who pretend not to speak english. The EMS guys have it worse because all they are trying to do is help someone.

Obama had a clever way to basically telling people that English only is stupid and he believes we should have more languages and learn to deal with it. As the "I'm a bad American" letter said.. I believe that if you're going to order a shake, fries, or burger you do it in English... You came here, not the other way around.

I believe the Obama comment was more around the concept why don't we do a better job of educating our people and being fluent in other languages is a good thing. I would want my kids to be fluent in spanish if I had a child.

cardinal5150 wrote:Personally I really wish we did have English as our national language. It would make business and more importantly emergency services much more efficient. I have friends on the police, fire and EMS services, they all have to deal with (for the most part) mexicans who pretend not to speak english. The EMS guys have it worse because all they are trying to do is help someone.

Obama had a clever way to basically telling people that English only is stupid and he believes we should have more languages and learn to deal with it. As the "I'm a bad American" letter said.. I believe that if you're going to order a shake, fries, or burger you do it in English... You came here, not the other way around.

How would a law requiring English to be spoken help the emergency responder speak to someone who does not speak English? Will they quote the law and then *BAM* English starts pouring out of the injured? Card, you basically just said that you feel a law would benefit McDonalds employees the most...

I guess he'd prefer to see them refused medical services if they don't speak English.

meta4 wrote:

cardinal5150 wrote:Personally I really wish we did have English as our national language. It would make business and more importantly emergency services much more efficient. I have friends on the police, fire and EMS services, they all have to deal with (for the most part) mexicans who pretend not to speak english. The EMS guys have it worse because all they are trying to do is help someone.

Obama had a clever way to basically telling people that English only is stupid and he believes we should have more languages and learn to deal with it. As the "I'm a bad American" letter said.. I believe that if you're going to order a shake, fries, or burger you do it in English... You came here, not the other way around.

How would a law requiring English to be spoken help the emergency responder speak to someone who does not speak English? Will they quote the law and then *BAM* English starts pouring out of the injured? Card, you basically just said that you feel a law would benefit McDonalds employees the most...

Tell you what.. go ride with a cop.. see how many people they pull over that don't speak english and if it causes frustration/problems. Go ride with an EMS and observe the same thing. Sit in a call center and listen to the people taking calls who are trying to figure out what the other person is saying.

Make English a national language, if you can't speak it, get out. If you're here without speaking it, get out. If you get hurt and don't speak english, your fault.

Jugomugo wrote:I guess he'd prefer to see them refused medical services if they don't speak English.

Yes... if they can't speak it, it means they are here illegally and forcing the rest of us to pay for them.

cardinal5150 wrote:

Jugomugo wrote:I guess he'd prefer to see them refused medical services if they don't speak English.

Yes... if they can't speak it, it means they are here illegally and forcing the rest of us to pay for them.

So let them lay there an die ... classy, typical right wing rant.

Bman wrote:I believe the Obama comment was more around the concept why don't we do a better job of educating our people and being fluent in other languages is a good thing. I would want my kids to be fluent in spanish if I had a child.

If you were Mexican, would you want your child to speak English?

With globalization most of the younger generation around the world is speaking english also.
In India Dell s supposedly training their call centre reps to be able to speak like Americans.
I am trying to find the article on that.