The first step in requiring immigrants to assimilate is….

[Mac-7]

No. Make them learn English.

I worked in a clinic and had a lot of contact with a lot of SE Asian refugees. I was having a conversation with a VietNamese kid who looked about nine years old, who spoke perfect unaccented English. I mentioned that he must have studied hard for a lot of years in VietNam to get his English so perfect, and he informed me that he never spoke English until he got here, six months previously.

Children soak up knowledge so quickly. Why can't every "immigrant" (cough) just have a kid with them to interpret English signs?

After all, those kids aren't getting all the free education for no reason.

I think we agree that government should be in English only

 

[Lisa558]

I guess he expects everyone to learn spanish

But wait, what about the over 400 other major languages spoken in the US?

That begs the question: why is it we are only translating for the people from Central America into Spanish? Why aren’t we translating for the people from Italy, from Germany, from France, from Israel, from Norway, etc., etc.

Is it only Central Americans who have trouble learning the language? Or is this to help make things easier for the millions of semi-literates breaking into our country?

 

[Lisa558]

I had to study Northern English for two years before I visited there! Especially in Yorkshire, they speak a radically different dialect.

I totally had to give up with one woman in Liverpool. I didn't understand a word and my interpreter wasn't handy.

I know the feeling! I once asked a bus driver in London for directions, and his Cockney was so thick i couldn’t make out a word.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

I know the feeling! I once asked a bus driver in London for directions, and his Cockney was so thick i couldn’t make out a word.

It was an experience. At a hairdresser's, an older patron and I were chatting and she asked me about my plans for the evening -- asked if I was "copping off"! I almost wanted to be offended! Then my host explained that copping off is going out on a date.

 

[Lisa558]

It was an experience. At a hairdresser's, an older patron and I were chatting and she asked me about my plans for the evening -- asked if I was "copping off"! I almost wanted to be offended! Then my host explained that copping off is going out on a date.

I can beat that! Once, when I was a purty young lady and staying overnight in a London hotel, the bellhop asked me if I wanted “to be knocked up in the morning.”

 

[Disir]

Yes. That’s how it was for my grandparents when they first arrived. Their children learned the language within months, and they translated for the parents for the couple of years it took the parents to catch up.

They sure didn’t expect American taxpayers to translate everything for them into Yiddish, though.

And your post had exceptions - like can’t learn the language because of head injuries. In those rare instances, where there is a legitimate reason for not being able to learn the language, they get translators under American with Disabilities Act. But we have adults here for more than a decade (!) who never learn English, and we make it so they don’t have to: press 2 for Spanish on the phone, press 2 for Spanish at the ATM, etc.

You come to a country whose culture and opportunities you admire….well, then learn the language. If my grandparents and great grandparents could do it, so can Spanish-speaking people.

Learned English "in a matter of months". Probably not. Learned enough to to get by? I believe that. Comprehension? A whole different ballgame. My post had exceptions because people can't be placed in a box. They will not learn the language in your time. They will learn it in their own time because everything needs attention. It is all new. There are all kinds of reasons beyond a head injury that Spanish speaking people (like every other language) don't learn it as quickly.

Don't get it twisted. I am not in favor of illegal aliens or an open border. I strongly believe that you don't need to treat people like shit.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

I can beat that! Once, when I was a purty young lady and staying overnight in a London hotel, the bellhop asked me if I wanted “to be knocked up in the morning.”

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Learned English "in a matter of months". Probably not. Learned enough to to get by? I believe that. Comprehension? A whole different ballgame. My post had exceptions because people can't be placed in a box. They will not learn the language in your time. They will learn it in their own time because everything needs attention. It is all new. There are all kinds of reasons beyond a head injury that Spanish speaking people (like every other language) don't learn it as quickly.

Don't get it twisted. I am not in favor of illegal aliens or an open border. I strongly believe that you don't need to treat people like shit.

So expecting a person to speak the language of the country to which they will one day hopefully feel some kind of allegiance, while in the meantime said country is providing their housing, food, education, healthcare and much, much more, is "treating them like shit"?

Wow. Spotlight on you.

 

[Mac-7]

That begs the question: why is it we are only translating for the people from Central America into Spanish? Why aren’t we translating for the people from Italy, from Germany, from France, from Israel, from Norway, etc., etc.

Is it only Central Americans who have trouble learning the language? Or is this to help make things easier for the millions of semi-literates breaking into our country?

Libs have identified shoeless Hispanics as a future democrat party base

 

[konradv]

So translate for that population only.

You are weakening America by encouraging millions of people not to be able to understand the majority population. But then again, leftists are all for weakening America.

It also hurts native-born Americans.

How is possible to only translate for one population? The real world has no borders of the kind you envision. People can be using Spanish anywhere in the US and there’s no telling where the speaker’s from.

 

[Disir]

Libs have identified shoeless Hispanics as a future democrat party base

We actually do translate for other nationalities but that will be more localized. The Federal government translates some documents into Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Spanish currently.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

How is possible to only translate for one population? The real world has no borders of the kind you envision. People can be using Spanish anywhere in the US and there’s no telling where the speaker’s from.

Which population are you referring to when you ask about translating for one population.

BTW, stay in that spotlight.

 

[Mac-7]

We actually do translate for other nationalities but that will be more localized. The Federal government translates some documents into Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Spanish currently.

Yes, bit we should limit printing to English only

 

[konradv]

Which population are you referring to when you ask about translating for one population.

BTW, stay in that spotlight.

Ask the person to whom I responded. It was their characterization.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Ask the person to whom I responded. It was their characterization.

Okay. Thanks for clearing that up.

Stay in the spotlight.

 

[konradv]

Yes, bit we should limit printing to English only

But Spanish is an American language, so it would have to be included.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

But Spanish is an American language, so it would have to be included.

Wrong, but it's good to see you staying visible.

 

[Disir]

Yes, bit we should limit printing to English only

I disagree. It does more harm than good.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

I disagree. It does more harm than good.

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

 

[Mac-7]

But Spanish is an American language, so it would have to be included.

What nonsense is this?

By lib logic Navaho must be co-equal to English along with about 400 other languages

Thats a recipe for chaos