English as the Official Language

[chanel]

My bad. $600 a day plus airfare, lodging and expenses.

"Sometimes, interpreters have to come from Palm Beach or Miami, but never New York or New Jersey, and not this type of language or dialect."

Money from the state court's revenue trust fund paid Bereket's $600 daily fee, airfare, lodging and meals.

Interpreting in U.S. courts for the past 10 years, Bereket worked five years as an interpreter for the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before moving to the United States in 1998.

This was Bereket's first murder trial.

Next week, his work will take him to courtrooms in Philadelphia, Trenton, N.J., and Boston.

African Language Gap Bridged In Murder Trial - Sun Sentinel

 

[rightwinger]

My bad. $600 a day plus airfare, lodging and expenses.

"Sometimes, interpreters have to come from Palm Beach or Miami, but never New York or New Jersey, and not this type of language or dialect."

Money from the state court's revenue trust fund paid Bereket's $600 daily fee, airfare, lodging and meals.

Interpreting in U.S. courts for the past 10 years, Bereket worked five years as an interpreter for the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before moving to the United States in 1998.

This was Bereket's first murder trial.

Next week, his work will take him to courtrooms in Philadelphia, Trenton, N.J., and Boston.

African Language Gap Bridged In Murder Trial - Sun Sentinel

Murder?

Do you really think we should cut corners on a murder trial to save a few bucks?

 

[Seawytch]

My bad. $600 a day plus airfare, lodging and expenses.

"Sometimes, interpreters have to come from Palm Beach or Miami, but never New York or New Jersey, and not this type of language or dialect."

Money from the state court's revenue trust fund paid Bereket's $600 daily fee, airfare, lodging and meals.

Interpreting in U.S. courts for the past 10 years, Bereket worked five years as an interpreter for the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before moving to the United States in 1998.

This was Bereket's first murder trial.

Next week, his work will take him to courtrooms in Philadelphia, Trenton, N.J., and Boston.

African Language Gap Bridged In Murder Trial - Sun Sentinel

How will making us an "English Only" country stop this from happening?

 

[chanel]

It will not STOP it, but forcing people to learn English will DECREASE the need for expensive interpreters/forms, etc. The child rapist in MD GRADUATED FROM A U.S. HIGH SCHOOL!

 

[ConservaDerrps]

Why in the fuck would a country that was built on immigration, and depends on immigration to sustain what's left of its agro-industry would FORCE people to learn a language? Honestly, that's the kind of shit that makes me laugh about Conservatives. They're all for keeping government out of their homes, unless it's telling them who to fuck and what language to speak.

 

[chanel]

Unbelievable.

Immigrants that speak English do better in school.
Immigrants that speak English earn more money.
Immigrants that speak English are likely to get a fairer trial.

Need a fucking link?

Sheez. It never ceases to amaze me how liberals like to keep people illiterate and in poverty. Racist.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Nothing makes me more angry than to hear "Push 1 for English" on the telephone. This is America. People here normally speak English. If you don't want to speak English than you should go to some other country and speak the language of your choice.

 

[ConservaDerrps]

Unbelievable.

Immigrants that speak English do better in school.
Immigrants that speak English earn more money.
Immigrants that speak English are likely to get a fairer trial.

Need a fucking link?

Sheez. It never ceases to amaze me how liberals like to keep people illiterate and in poverty. Racist.

Hi! I'm The Point. We obviously haven't met.

Here's the thing, let me break it down for you in super simple terms. Because you clearly need it done that way.

We're not a country that forces people to learn a new language. That's not our gig. It would of course behoove them to do so, but there's no need to force anyone to learn another language. What good does that do, exactly? Who's going to PAY for all the education? And if you aren't willing to spend more tax dollars on educating every other student, why are we shelling out more money to teach immigrants how to speak English?

You people bitch about the Police or Nanny state, but you're totally fine with telling two dudes that they can't get married or adopt babies, and you're great with telling people fresh off the boat to run and learn English or they...what...exactly?

I don't see very many signs in more than one language all across the country. Even in California, where we have a HUGE Latino population, all our highway signs are in English. Maybe YOU and all the other closeted Xexnophobes should have paid attention in High School Spanish class, or just taken the class in the first place.

Or better yet: leave them the fuck alone and let them speak whatever language they want. I'll await your proposal on:

1. How to force people to learn English
2. How you punish people for not speaking English
3. How you pay for all the English classes people are going to need to take (Hey, if you agree to cut defense by 15% and cut out corporate welfare, we may actually find some room for agreement)

Otherwise, this fight is seriously the DUMBEST fucking hill to die on politically.

 

[ConservaDerrps]

Nothing makes me more angry than to hear "Push 1 for English" on the telephone. This is America. People here normally speak English. If you don't want to speak English than you should go to some other country and speak the language of your choice.

YEAH! Fuck other people's lives! It's all about AMURKIA! LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT! THESE COLORS DON'T RUN! IT'S ADAM AND EVEN NOT ADAM AND STEVE! KENYA! BIRTH CERTIFICATE! COMMUNIST! CLASSICAL LIBERALISM!!!

 

[Unkotare]

The computer scores your test

Not some of the ones in other languages (just as a point of fact).

 

[Political Junky]

Steve King is pandering to the far right.

 

[Unkotare]

It will not STOP it, but forcing people to learn English will DECREASE the need for expensive interpreters/forms, etc. The child rapist in MD GRADUATED FROM A U.S. HIGH SCHOOL!

So, it would have made no difference in that case. The criminal is gaming the system.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Nothing makes me more angry than to hear "Push 1 for English" on the telephone. This is America. People here normally speak English. If you don't want to speak English than you should go to some other country and speak the language of your choice.

YEAH! Fuck other people's lives! It's all about AMURKIA! LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT! THESE COLORS DON'T RUN! IT'S ADAM AND EVEN NOT ADAM AND STEVE! KENYA! BIRTH CERTIFICATE! COMMUNIST! CLASSICAL LIBERALISM!!!

I'm wondering if you took your medications this morning...

 

[Unkotare]

Why in the fuck would a country that was built on immigration, and depends on immigration to sustain what's left of its agro-industry would FORCE people to learn a language? Honestly, that's the kind of shit that makes me laugh about Conservatives. They're all for keeping government out of their homes, unless it's telling them who to fuck and what language to speak.

Some of y'all are really missing the point. It is not about forcing people to learn something (other than for practical purposes and to the extent that we already do) or about bothering with what people choose to speak in their own homes (or outside them for that matter, for the most part).

 

[Againsheila]

Why in the fuck would a country that was built on immigration, and depends on immigration to sustain what's left of its agro-industry would FORCE people to learn a language? Honestly, that's the kind of shit that makes me laugh about Conservatives. They're all for keeping government out of their homes, unless it's telling them who to fuck and what language to speak.

It's not about forcing someone to learn a language, it's about not forcing us to provide them an interpreter. When my friend and I went to Japan, we sure as hell didn't expect them all to speak English. Heck even the people in our hotel didn't. We had a Japanese friend that made our reservations. We went on our own, without an interpreter and we did fine, but we sure as heck didn't expect them to cater to us in our language.

Why should my mom have had to lay in the Emergency room, not being admitted while people who didn't speak English were being admitted until they could find an interpreter? After several trips to the emergency room, they FINALLY admitted my mother, she died of LUNG CANCER 10 days later. Do you have any idea how long it takes lung cancer to spread? All those times, if they'd admitted her and done tests, they'd probably have found it BEFORE it spread to her bones. Funny how they had no room for an American WITH 3 different insurances, but they had no problem finding room for people who couldn't speak English, none that even had insurance or money. Even the nurses were upset at the way things were going.

Our laws are stupid. Americans have become second class citizens in their own country.

 

[ConservaDerrps]

Nothing makes me more angry than to hear "Push 1 for English" on the telephone. This is America. People here normally speak English. If you don't want to speak English than you should go to some other country and speak the language of your choice.

YEAH! Fuck other people's lives! It's all about AMURKIA! LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT! THESE COLORS DON'T RUN! IT'S ADAM AND EVEN NOT ADAM AND STEVE! KENYA! BIRTH CERTIFICATE! COMMUNIST! CLASSICAL LIBERALISM!!!

I'm wondering if you took your medications this morning...

That's funny. I'm wondering if you were born a Xenophobe or if your Uncle-Dad and Sister-Mom-Cousin taught you how to be that way.

 

[rightwinger]

Unbelievable.

Immigrants that speak English do better in school.
Immigrants that speak English earn more money.
Immigrants that speak English are likely to get a fairer trial.

Need a fucking link?

Sheez. It never ceases to amaze me how liberals like to keep people illiterate and in poverty. Racist.

Americans have always complained about immigrants who did not speak English. Most learn at least a rudimentary English, some never do. But all their children speak English

 

[Unkotare]

1. How to force people to learn English
2. How you punish people for not speaking English
3. How you pay for all the English classes people are going to need to take .

You are really missing the point.

 

[rightwinger]

The computer scores your test

Not some of the ones in other languages (just as a point of fact).

In NJ they do

 

[Againsheila]

It will not STOP it, but forcing people to learn English will DECREASE the need for expensive interpreters/forms, etc. The child rapist in MD GRADUATED FROM A U.S. HIGH SCHOOL!

So, it would have made no difference in that case. The criminal is gaming the system.

Actually it makes a bid difference, if English was our OFFICIAL language, he wouldn't be abelt to game the system. Getting an interpreter would be up to him and his lawyer, not us. Even if we are paying for his lawyer, we'd have no responsibility to pay for an interpreter.