MY grand parents immigrated from France in the early 1900's. No english. My dad's parents camr from Austria in the early 1900's. No english. When they died they all spoke english and all considered themselves Americans(proudly too). Although they all continued to speak their native languages if and when needed, when they came here it was to build a life here, and speaking english was a large part of that. I think you should do your business elsewhere. I think that it is a free country and you should support a business that can meet your needs, and certainly speak a language that you can understand!
Please don't get upset about my rant.
- Thread starter BAM
- Start date
Fitnessfreak366
Cathlete
My mom entered this country back in 1965 from Italy, (so did I, I was born there on American base because my dad was in the air force) and she not only learned the English language, she became an American Citizen. This took many hours of studying our history and the woman knows it better then I ever will.
Why can't everyone do this? It should be mandatory like it was back then.
JMO!
Last week I had to call Windstream because our email at work wasn't working. I could hardly understand the guy I spoke too and he kept asking me for my social security number! WTF???? I was calling for the BUSINESS, not for myself, which I told him over and over again. I ended up hanging up on him because I couldn't understand him and couldn't figure out why the heck he wanted MY SS#.
Very frustrating. Luckily I figured out the problem on my own.
Why can't everyone do this? It should be mandatory like it was back then.
JMO!
Last week I had to call Windstream because our email at work wasn't working. I could hardly understand the guy I spoke too and he kept asking me for my social security number! WTF???? I was calling for the BUSINESS, not for myself, which I told him over and over again. I ended up hanging up on him because I couldn't understand him and couldn't figure out why the heck he wanted MY SS#.
Very frustrating. Luckily I figured out the problem on my own.
Vee
Cathlete
Another perspective
Some people have a knack for languages and can pick it up just by listening to others and trying to have conversations or by using a "Learn ...." CD for whatever language they are trying to pick up.
A lot of people find it difficult to learn languages without being "taught" in an encouraging and non-threatening classroom environment. Some are shy about getting the accent wrong when they speak. Unless you speak and learn from your mistakes, it is difficult to learn a language. Another thing that is confusing is that certain phrases make no sense when translated to the local language. I remember a computer programmer who thought he knew English was asked by an American during an interview "What do you bring to the table?" Translated literally - which table? He was too intimidated by the fluency of the interviewer to say he did not understand the question. So he told him what he knew about database tables. In many languages everything has a gender - tables, chairs, books. Rules of grammar are different. "The pen, she writes fine" may be met by amusement which makes people hesitant to start conversing. An Indian told me of his mortification during his first week in the United States. He could read and write English. He was working at a pizza joint and pronounced "jalapenos" with a "j" when he was announcing an order. There was an uproar of laughter. All people who told me these stories tell them as a joke, looking back on their experience of adapting. They all have a lot of respect for America and Americans as do I. I am just trying to say that coming to new country can be a very intimidating experience. Espcially if the immigrant is from a poorer country and has to not just adapt, but also work fairly long hours to build a new life in the initial period.
I am wondering, are there places in the United States where people can learn English affordably by attending a class about 2 to 3 times per week? If there were, I would agree, no excuse not to learn after settling in.
As for Customer Service, there is an explanation for the current scenario. Customer Service has a high burnout rate. Answering queries (same questions repeated again and again) for an entire shift, day after day is very tiring as is handling irate customers (even if those customers have a very good reason to be irate, the poor CS person has no authority to change processes - he can merely follow standard operating procedure). People who are not fluent find Customer Service a better option than others avalible to them. People who are fluent tend to move on to other things once they burn out. There are exceptions where the product is complex enough, that people can be paid well and feel job satisfaction from truly making a diffrence to customers. Most products do not meet this criteria. For products that do, they mange to hire and retain "articulate and savvy" customer support people.
To attract and retain people, one option for a company is to pay more to hold good staff. A company cannot price its products at a premium because it pays more for customer service. When competition can provide customer service at a specific cost, it forces all companies in that industry to change. Otherwise either they are outpriced, or they take a stock price hit because their profitability is less than competition.
This creates a vicious cycle, because people who are not fluent dont understand nuances and are not able to correctly apply operating procedures to an even slightly non-standard query. So even usually calm customers end up getting irate......
Sorry. I rambled like I tend so often to do.
~* Vrinda *~
Some people have a knack for languages and can pick it up just by listening to others and trying to have conversations or by using a "Learn ...." CD for whatever language they are trying to pick up.
A lot of people find it difficult to learn languages without being "taught" in an encouraging and non-threatening classroom environment. Some are shy about getting the accent wrong when they speak. Unless you speak and learn from your mistakes, it is difficult to learn a language. Another thing that is confusing is that certain phrases make no sense when translated to the local language. I remember a computer programmer who thought he knew English was asked by an American during an interview "What do you bring to the table?" Translated literally - which table? He was too intimidated by the fluency of the interviewer to say he did not understand the question. So he told him what he knew about database tables. In many languages everything has a gender - tables, chairs, books. Rules of grammar are different. "The pen, she writes fine" may be met by amusement which makes people hesitant to start conversing. An Indian told me of his mortification during his first week in the United States. He could read and write English. He was working at a pizza joint and pronounced "jalapenos" with a "j" when he was announcing an order. There was an uproar of laughter. All people who told me these stories tell them as a joke, looking back on their experience of adapting. They all have a lot of respect for America and Americans as do I. I am just trying to say that coming to new country can be a very intimidating experience. Espcially if the immigrant is from a poorer country and has to not just adapt, but also work fairly long hours to build a new life in the initial period.
I am wondering, are there places in the United States where people can learn English affordably by attending a class about 2 to 3 times per week? If there were, I would agree, no excuse not to learn after settling in.
As for Customer Service, there is an explanation for the current scenario. Customer Service has a high burnout rate. Answering queries (same questions repeated again and again) for an entire shift, day after day is very tiring as is handling irate customers (even if those customers have a very good reason to be irate, the poor CS person has no authority to change processes - he can merely follow standard operating procedure). People who are not fluent find Customer Service a better option than others avalible to them. People who are fluent tend to move on to other things once they burn out. There are exceptions where the product is complex enough, that people can be paid well and feel job satisfaction from truly making a diffrence to customers. Most products do not meet this criteria. For products that do, they mange to hire and retain "articulate and savvy" customer support people.
To attract and retain people, one option for a company is to pay more to hold good staff. A company cannot price its products at a premium because it pays more for customer service. When competition can provide customer service at a specific cost, it forces all companies in that industry to change. Otherwise either they are outpriced, or they take a stock price hit because their profitability is less than competition.
This creates a vicious cycle, because people who are not fluent dont understand nuances and are not able to correctly apply operating procedures to an even slightly non-standard query. So even usually calm customers end up getting irate......
Sorry. I rambled like I tend so often to do.
~* Vrinda *~
Miss Lee
Cathlete
RE: Another perspective
I see both sides of this issue, I really do, and Vrinda, you never ramble on. Your posts are always so helpful and thorough, thoughtful and thought provoking. And your English is superb -- better than mine!!
My mom was an Italian immigrant. She came to this country as a small child, unable to speak a single word of English. She was made fun of and ridiculed for her language, her pierced ears, her ethnic foods, etc. Her teachers didn't know how to pronounce her name so they gave her a new one. She literally learned English by being thrown into the fire -- she learned it by attending American schools. And no, they didn't have an English as a second language program -- she had to sit through classes with English only speaking teachers and it was a sink or swim situation.
My grandparents were in their 20's when they immigrated. My grandfather spoke English with a heavy, broken accent and was pretty hard to understand, but my poor grandmother never did learn it. She was wonderful and kind, and the hardest working person I know, and the thought of her being the subject of ridicule brings tears to my eyes. She came from an era where the education of women, especially in Italy, wasn't deemed necessary, so she couldn't read or write in any language, but she was the most intelligent woman I ever knew in so many ways.
I guess my point is that we need to extend a little kindness, grace and patience to each other. Yes, it's frustrating when you're trying to communicate with someone who doesn't know the language, especially when you're trying to get help and you just can't understand each other. Maybe it's because we all feel so much pressure these days -- we work too hard, we don't earn enough money, the war, etc and so on -- but maybe we need to step back and take a deep breath and just try a little harder to put ourselves in their shoes. I agree that it's important to learn the language of the country you want to live in, but it's not an easy thing, and trying to fit classes in when you're working full-time must be so hard.
Now look who's rambling.http://bestsmileys.com/blushing/7.gif
I see both sides of this issue, I really do, and Vrinda, you never ramble on. Your posts are always so helpful and thorough, thoughtful and thought provoking. And your English is superb -- better than mine!!
My mom was an Italian immigrant. She came to this country as a small child, unable to speak a single word of English. She was made fun of and ridiculed for her language, her pierced ears, her ethnic foods, etc. Her teachers didn't know how to pronounce her name so they gave her a new one. She literally learned English by being thrown into the fire -- she learned it by attending American schools. And no, they didn't have an English as a second language program -- she had to sit through classes with English only speaking teachers and it was a sink or swim situation.
My grandparents were in their 20's when they immigrated. My grandfather spoke English with a heavy, broken accent and was pretty hard to understand, but my poor grandmother never did learn it. She was wonderful and kind, and the hardest working person I know, and the thought of her being the subject of ridicule brings tears to my eyes. She came from an era where the education of women, especially in Italy, wasn't deemed necessary, so she couldn't read or write in any language, but she was the most intelligent woman I ever knew in so many ways.
I guess my point is that we need to extend a little kindness, grace and patience to each other. Yes, it's frustrating when you're trying to communicate with someone who doesn't know the language, especially when you're trying to get help and you just can't understand each other. Maybe it's because we all feel so much pressure these days -- we work too hard, we don't earn enough money, the war, etc and so on -- but maybe we need to step back and take a deep breath and just try a little harder to put ourselves in their shoes. I agree that it's important to learn the language of the country you want to live in, but it's not an easy thing, and trying to fit classes in when you're working full-time must be so hard.
Now look who's rambling.http://bestsmileys.com/blushing/7.gif
jennifermaria
Cathlete
RE: Another perspective
Vee's post reminded me of a particularly hurtful incident that happened to my mom that is burned into my memory because I witnessed it first-hand.
We had just moved to the US and my mother, though having learned English in school in the Philippines and spoken it most of her life as we lived in other countries, was trying to order a chocolate milkshake at Dairy Queen. I guess she didn't pronounce "chocolate" in the "correct" way and instead of the waitress being understanding and, well, customer-friendly, she made fun of my mom's pronunciation and after several rounds of "What??? I don't understand what you're saying!!!" (mind you, it wasn't as if my mom's pronunciation was that far off), she finally said, "Oh, you mean CHOCOLATE" (and made sure to emphasize the "right" pronunciation just to rub it in).
It left my mom utterly humiliated, and I'll never forget the look on her face.
Totally agree that people who come to live and work in a country should learn the language, but for anyone who's ever taken a foreign language class, you'll know it's not always an easy task, and unfortunately, not everyone is tolerant enough to understand that or be reassuring when the person makes a mistake or isn't perfect. It's discouraging and makes people self-conscious; to this day, my mom is incredibly self-conscious about her English and her pronunciation, and worries that she's saying things wrong. It breaks my heart.
Not disagreeing with what's been said, but I just thought I'd offer up another point of view from an immigrant and an immigrant's daughter.
Vee's post reminded me of a particularly hurtful incident that happened to my mom that is burned into my memory because I witnessed it first-hand.
We had just moved to the US and my mother, though having learned English in school in the Philippines and spoken it most of her life as we lived in other countries, was trying to order a chocolate milkshake at Dairy Queen. I guess she didn't pronounce "chocolate" in the "correct" way and instead of the waitress being understanding and, well, customer-friendly, she made fun of my mom's pronunciation and after several rounds of "What??? I don't understand what you're saying!!!" (mind you, it wasn't as if my mom's pronunciation was that far off), she finally said, "Oh, you mean CHOCOLATE" (and made sure to emphasize the "right" pronunciation just to rub it in).
It left my mom utterly humiliated, and I'll never forget the look on her face.
Totally agree that people who come to live and work in a country should learn the language, but for anyone who's ever taken a foreign language class, you'll know it's not always an easy task, and unfortunately, not everyone is tolerant enough to understand that or be reassuring when the person makes a mistake or isn't perfect. It's discouraging and makes people self-conscious; to this day, my mom is incredibly self-conscious about her English and her pronunciation, and worries that she's saying things wrong. It breaks my heart.
Not disagreeing with what's been said, but I just thought I'd offer up another point of view from an immigrant and an immigrant's daughter.
sparrow13
Cathlete
RE: Another perspective
I don't think it's anti-immigrant to want the customer service reps I deal with to have a degree of fluency in the language of the country in which they reside. Customer service sort of implies interaction with the general public. Hard to do in this country when you don't speak English. I certainly wouldn't move to another country and assume I could work within the public sector without speaking the language.
That said, as Nancy said, if a person's job doesn't include working with the public on a regular basis, it's less pressing. People are working just to keep their heads above water and may feel overwhelmed in the day to day living. I did ESL tutoring back in the day and it was really tough for some of these folks just to make the tutoring sessions.
I think the best thing to do is keep a sense of humor, though it's hard. We may all one day find ourselves strangers in a strange land, and need a little understanding
Sparrow
"The winds of grace are always blowing but it's you who must raise your sail." - Sri Ramakrishna
I don't think it's anti-immigrant to want the customer service reps I deal with to have a degree of fluency in the language of the country in which they reside. Customer service sort of implies interaction with the general public. Hard to do in this country when you don't speak English. I certainly wouldn't move to another country and assume I could work within the public sector without speaking the language.
That said, as Nancy said, if a person's job doesn't include working with the public on a regular basis, it's less pressing. People are working just to keep their heads above water and may feel overwhelmed in the day to day living. I did ESL tutoring back in the day and it was really tough for some of these folks just to make the tutoring sessions.
I think the best thing to do is keep a sense of humor, though it's hard. We may all one day find ourselves strangers in a strange land, and need a little understanding
Sparrow
"The winds of grace are always blowing but it's you who must raise your sail." - Sri Ramakrishna
pebblesus
Cathlete
RE: Another perspective
I understand too..
I called a Middle Eastern restaurant to order delivery to my place of business right down the road..
The person I spoke with couldn'y understand ANYTHING I said! I even spelled it out right off the menu-- you'd think I called the wrong place!
They put someone else on the phone that couldn't understand any better..
THAT is bad for business-- there are no Lebanese people where the restaurant is located and they couldn't possibly do enough business to stay open with the few that may be in the area-- so it would certainly behoove them to be able to take an order if they are offering delivery?
I could understand if I were going into an area with a high ME population, but who are they doing business for? No one on the east side speaks Lebanese.
We ended up cancelling the order-- they thought we were crazy when we were trying to ask for the things they had on their menu hehe
I understand too..
I called a Middle Eastern restaurant to order delivery to my place of business right down the road..
The person I spoke with couldn'y understand ANYTHING I said! I even spelled it out right off the menu-- you'd think I called the wrong place!
They put someone else on the phone that couldn't understand any better..
THAT is bad for business-- there are no Lebanese people where the restaurant is located and they couldn't possibly do enough business to stay open with the few that may be in the area-- so it would certainly behoove them to be able to take an order if they are offering delivery?
I could understand if I were going into an area with a high ME population, but who are they doing business for? No one on the east side speaks Lebanese.
We ended up cancelling the order-- they thought we were crazy when we were trying to ask for the things they had on their menu hehe
I commend people who are trying to speak the language of the country they live in. People who make fun of others who aren't pronouncing the word properly is reflective of how they treat people in general. One will always encounter rude, ignorant people in all areas of life. For older immigrants, I can certainly understand where it would be harder to learn the language and they may choose not to since they have their own family to communicate with in their native language. However, as already stated, generally speaking for all others, it is important to learn the language of the country you are CHOOSING to live in. You don't have to become completely fluent in it but be able to communicate on a casual basis. You will have needs to be met i.e. car repair, home repair, dr.'s calls and the list, of course, goes on. There are many continuing education classes offering English as a second language. If people want to learn, they will. But I'm sure some feel why bother when it is not emphasized how essential it is to do so. I could not imagine living in a foreign country and not learning their language. If I chose not to, it's like saying I want the benefits that your country has to offer but you have to adapt to me and not vice versa. As people are learning and attempting to communicate, wouldn't it make sense to carry a pocket dictionary translating their language to English? Most people would be glad to assist those who are whipping out their dictionary to attempt to communicate with them.
As far as businesses are concerned, if you are dealing with the public, then you must speak "their" language. It's not too difficult to figure this out. I think it's a slap in the face to that country not to do so. It's like saying I want to make a home for me and my family in your country, make money from your country, get other benefits from your country, but not adapt to your form of communication. Yes, we can choose to do business elsewhere but there are some specified businesses that are generally owned and operated by foreign speaking people and one may not have a lot of options to seek that type of business elsewhere. All I know that if I wanted to open up a business in another country, how much success do I think I would have if I couldn't even speak their language - pretty limited I would presume.
I have an aunt who came from a foreign country, actually my grandparents did too, and they learned the language. After all these years, my aunt still mixes up her he's and she's and him's and her's but that's minor compared to being able to communicate with her in general. I'm not saying learning a new language is easy. But when we make choices, especially where one is going to live, there are LOTS of considerations to be made.
As far as businesses are concerned, if you are dealing with the public, then you must speak "their" language. It's not too difficult to figure this out. I think it's a slap in the face to that country not to do so. It's like saying I want to make a home for me and my family in your country, make money from your country, get other benefits from your country, but not adapt to your form of communication. Yes, we can choose to do business elsewhere but there are some specified businesses that are generally owned and operated by foreign speaking people and one may not have a lot of options to seek that type of business elsewhere. All I know that if I wanted to open up a business in another country, how much success do I think I would have if I couldn't even speak their language - pretty limited I would presume.
I have an aunt who came from a foreign country, actually my grandparents did too, and they learned the language. After all these years, my aunt still mixes up her he's and she's and him's and her's but that's minor compared to being able to communicate with her in general. I'm not saying learning a new language is easy. But when we make choices, especially where one is going to live, there are LOTS of considerations to be made.
macska
Cathlete
>The anti-immigration BS in the form of "Speak English!" never
>ceases to amaze me.
>
>It seems we've forgotten that we're a country of immigrants.
>The fact that people who come here and have limited ability to
>speak English is nothing new; it's just that immigrants are
>the new political whipping boy.
>
>My great-grandparents arrived here unable to speak English and
>could only speak a handful of words at the time of their
>deaths. It's wasn't that they stubbornly clung to their
>language, it was that they were at an age where learning an
>entirely new language was extremely difficult - not to mention
>there were few, if any, English-speaking people from whom they
>could learn the language anyway. For my family, having
>non-English speaking family was a source of pride, for my
>great-grandparents were an authentic, living link to the "old
>country."
>
>To the OP, you have the choice to do business elsewhere.
Nobody is taking about immigration here, but language.
What's so wrong (inhuman, insensitive, politically incorrect etc) about expecting somebody to learn the language of the country he/she chose to live in?
>ceases to amaze me.
>
>It seems we've forgotten that we're a country of immigrants.
>The fact that people who come here and have limited ability to
>speak English is nothing new; it's just that immigrants are
>the new political whipping boy.
>
>My great-grandparents arrived here unable to speak English and
>could only speak a handful of words at the time of their
>deaths. It's wasn't that they stubbornly clung to their
>language, it was that they were at an age where learning an
>entirely new language was extremely difficult - not to mention
>there were few, if any, English-speaking people from whom they
>could learn the language anyway. For my family, having
>non-English speaking family was a source of pride, for my
>great-grandparents were an authentic, living link to the "old
>country."
>
>To the OP, you have the choice to do business elsewhere.
Nobody is taking about immigration here, but language.
What's so wrong (inhuman, insensitive, politically incorrect etc) about expecting somebody to learn the language of the country he/she chose to live in?
delfin
Cathlete
the babysitter of my DD's very good friend speaks little to no english. My DD's friend has learned to speak spanish very, very well, which I think is great. However, when she has to translate for me, when I'm trying to make arrangements for dropping off/picking up etc., I do get irritated. And I also worry if something happens to my DD while she is at their house, something that requires a trip to the ER or a call to 911, how is this babysitter going to communicate to people who don't speak spanish?
One time the babysitter dropped off DD, and did not stay to make sure DD got into the house. I wasn't home! DD ended up calling me on my cell from a neighbor's house. I wasn't pleased, let me tell you. The mother called to apologize for the babysitter, and I confessed that sometimes it's hard when you can't communicate with the babysitter because she doesn't speak english. Dead silence on the other end of the phone. The mother grew up in Mexico City and apparently did not realize that her babysitter's lackluster english skills are problematic. I am now trying to pick up some key spanish words and phrases... and am even thinking of getting rosetta stone, because I truly think we're heading towards becoming a two-language country, like it is in Quebec.
One time the babysitter dropped off DD, and did not stay to make sure DD got into the house. I wasn't home! DD ended up calling me on my cell from a neighbor's house. I wasn't pleased, let me tell you. The mother called to apologize for the babysitter, and I confessed that sometimes it's hard when you can't communicate with the babysitter because she doesn't speak english. Dead silence on the other end of the phone. The mother grew up in Mexico City and apparently did not realize that her babysitter's lackluster english skills are problematic. I am now trying to pick up some key spanish words and phrases... and am even thinking of getting rosetta stone, because I truly think we're heading towards becoming a two-language country, like it is in Quebec.
SirenSongWoman
Cathlete
Valid points on all sides but, remember this: When you can't understand someone from somewhere else and you think 'Da*n, These People should learn our language' for all you know, they may have only been in the U.S. for five days. How fast could YOU learn English? And like Vrinda said, understanding the intricacies of the language is tough. I know it because whenever I pick up wadded-up pieces of trash off my lawn when school's in session, I can't believe how the high school kids write. I don't understand what they're saying. I get being irritated when you call for repair to your computer and get someone who keeps asking for your social security number (?!) but I think when we're impatient with others because their accent makes them tough to understand we cheat ourselves out of an opportunity to learn or meet someone interesting. You know, a lot of people where I work come from somewhere else. Probably 8 out of 10 foreigners at work are HIGHLY educated people I've learned a lot from. They are more than faceless bodies. I remember one man, in particular, who went back to Congo to help his country fight for independence. I had loaned him a copy of The Poisonwood Bible and he got so excited. He was thrilled to know that the story of his nation's struggle for freedom and independence was a bestseller in the U.S. and that people were learning about something he never dreamed any of us cared about. When he first showed up in our unit he was "That African guy..." Man, he was soooo much more; really engaged in the world, smart, and hysterically funny. I often wonder if he's still in Congo, and if he's okay, fighting the government in that dangerous place. Americans don't know what people from other places went through to get here and what they still go through. My only concern is that people be here legally, work, make an effort to learn the language and not bring more crime (drugs, prostitution, violence) because we have enough without importing more. It's hard not to notice how rapidly the crime rate dropped in San Diego when that monster border wall went up.... Wasn't it something like a drop of 80%? I thought it was vaguely racist when they were building it but results speak volumes.
Whatever your beef with people from somewhere else you have to understand that if roles were reversed you, too, would fight for a better life for you and your children. You can't fault them for wanting to come here and learning a new language is so very hard. I do know that if some frilly-aproned b*tch at Dairy Queen got smart with MY mom, I'd be dragging Miss Minimum Wage over the counter for a smack-down. I'm just saying.
Whatever your beef with people from somewhere else you have to understand that if roles were reversed you, too, would fight for a better life for you and your children. You can't fault them for wanting to come here and learning a new language is so very hard. I do know that if some frilly-aproned b*tch at Dairy Queen got smart with MY mom, I'd be dragging Miss Minimum Wage over the counter for a smack-down. I'm just saying.
GreenEyedLefty
Cathlete
It IS about immigration... because who has to learn to speak English in the United States? Immigrants!
fit_fairy
Cathlete
Uh, I didn't say it wasn't about immigrants!! I said that just because someone thinks they should learn the language doesn't make them anti- or against immigration!!
[font color= purple size=+3]Catherine[/font]
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[font color= purple size=+3]Catherine[/font]
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MSJ
Cathlete
"and am even thinking of getting rosetta stone, because I truly think we're heading towards becoming a two-language country, like it is in Quebec."
I don't mean to hi-jack the thread about this, but my ds and I are learning Spanish via Rosetta Stone right now. It's a lot of fun and feels effortless. I'm still on the first level, so I can't testify as to how effective it will be, but we are both really enjoying it.
Maggie
I don't mean to hi-jack the thread about this, but my ds and I are learning Spanish via Rosetta Stone right now. It's a lot of fun and feels effortless. I'm still on the first level, so I can't testify as to how effective it will be, but we are both really enjoying it.
Maggie
cindi1
Cathlete
I was going to say the same thing. I've found that LOTS of businesses have employees who can't give directions no matter what language they speak. I say go to mapquest or get GPS.
Also - for folks calling for customer service most customer service centers are located in INDIA or the Phillipines. That's not an immigration issue.
Also - for folks calling for customer service most customer service centers are located in INDIA or the Phillipines. That's not an immigration issue.
Matiana
Cathlete
If someone works in a service industry one would hope they speak the language of the country they reside in. Especially if you are in constant communication, giving direction, trying to rectify problems, taking requests etc.
I went to our local coffee shop and asked for a half coffee, half hot chocolate. Woman looked at me blankly and asked for help from another employee in her language. I gave her my money and she just stared at it. Again the same employee came over and spread the money across the counter and explained the currency. Are you kidding me? What is North America coming to?
Being an immigrant myself please don’t jump down my throat and say I’m anti-immigration. My entire family moved to Canada about 25 years ago. Everyone learned the language and everyone got a job. And when their English was poor I doubt any of them would have gotten a job in the service industry.
If we moved to Spain, France, Germany etc. do you think anyone would hire us without first knowing the language? Not bloody likely.
I went to our local coffee shop and asked for a half coffee, half hot chocolate. Woman looked at me blankly and asked for help from another employee in her language. I gave her my money and she just stared at it. Again the same employee came over and spread the money across the counter and explained the currency. Are you kidding me? What is North America coming to?
Being an immigrant myself please don’t jump down my throat and say I’m anti-immigration. My entire family moved to Canada about 25 years ago. Everyone learned the language and everyone got a job. And when their English was poor I doubt any of them would have gotten a job in the service industry.
If we moved to Spain, France, Germany etc. do you think anyone would hire us without first knowing the language? Not bloody likely.
BAM!
I don't consider you anti-immigrant or racist. I totally agree that people should speak the language of the country in which they reside regardless if they work outside the home.
Before anyone thinks I'm racist or anti-immigration... My mother came to the states when I was a toddler. My father was a US citizen. I have dual citizenship with the USA and Thailand. My mom took English classes and passed the citizenship test. She did this with only a rural Thai elementary education. My parents thought it was so important to speak English, they never taught my sister and me how to speak Thai. Now, they regret it. And, now I'm learning to speak it. But, that's how important speaking English was for both of them.
I didn't read all of the replies. Just a few...
Personally, I refuse to learn another language simply because a large group refuses to "melt"... learn English in America. I refuse to teach my dc another language based on that idea.
I also agree that our country is too lax in this area. When my eldest ds needed to replace his lost social security card, I was shocked to see a HUGE sign listing numbers a CITIZEN could call based on the language they spoke! Unbelievable!!!
Someone asked about ESL classes. Where I live, anyone can learn how to read, write and speak English for free at the local YWCA. I don't know about other countries. But, in Thailand, you'd have to PAY to take classes on how to read, speak and write Thai.
Wendy
I don't consider you anti-immigrant or racist. I totally agree that people should speak the language of the country in which they reside regardless if they work outside the home.
Before anyone thinks I'm racist or anti-immigration... My mother came to the states when I was a toddler. My father was a US citizen. I have dual citizenship with the USA and Thailand. My mom took English classes and passed the citizenship test. She did this with only a rural Thai elementary education. My parents thought it was so important to speak English, they never taught my sister and me how to speak Thai. Now, they regret it. And, now I'm learning to speak it. But, that's how important speaking English was for both of them.
I didn't read all of the replies. Just a few...
Personally, I refuse to learn another language simply because a large group refuses to "melt"... learn English in America. I refuse to teach my dc another language based on that idea.
I also agree that our country is too lax in this area. When my eldest ds needed to replace his lost social security card, I was shocked to see a HUGE sign listing numbers a CITIZEN could call based on the language they spoke! Unbelievable!!!
Someone asked about ESL classes. Where I live, anyone can learn how to read, write and speak English for free at the local YWCA. I don't know about other countries. But, in Thailand, you'd have to PAY to take classes on how to read, speak and write Thai.
Wendy