The Main Problem With Immigrants From South America

[Deleted]

Before you even start - It doesn't matter if "the official" language is not English. We all know its by far and away the main language. All leaders or anyone of importance in the country must have a strong grasp of English. Besides that, language links a people together, if we can't communicate its going to be very hard to get along and work together.

I'm neither American nor a native English speaker, but I think the US should make English its official -- its only official -- language.

If migrants are always given an opportunity to do everything the same way as they do in their own cultures -- whether it's about language or religious/cultural practices -- most people will stick to it and will never assimilate.

[Machismo]

well, the welfare part is relevant because the language barrier is one huge factor why immigrants might not enter the middle class in this country, just like not going to college. it's easy to say you don't give a shit if everybody just works at mcdonalds for the rest of their lives, but ultimately it will affect your personal life.

Then get rid of welfare. I have no desire to pay for anyone's welfare, their language of choice doesn't much matter to me. I don't want to pay for the old people to retire, because they were too lazy and selfish to plan for retirement. I don't want to pay for someone else's health care, their crop subsidies, their pension, their tax deductions, their food stamps, their disability, or anything else.

[Duravian]

Again, so what? You don't need to speak english. I'm not saying you don't need to learn their language. The OP, on the other hand, is saying they need to learn english.

And again, we write our laws in all languages requested. Not just english.

The OP doesn't have a point. Illegal immigrants don't lack the motivation to learn english. Many of them do. Maybe come here without making baseless ignorant assumptions.

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Great for those other countries if they like that. The US is not that way. Thanks for acknowledging that the US court will accommodate other languages, and so acknowledging that the argument has no point.

They're not "baseless ignorant assumptions" when the OP has literally provided evidence of the issue at hand. I live in California, I see it everywhere.

We formulate our laws in English, with original interpretations in English, the rest is all translations. That has to count for something. It's pointless regardless for us to sit here and act as if English is not the necessary language to learn in the United States. As others in this thread have already mentioned, you wouldn't go to, say, China, and expect them to speak your language over Chinese. Same with Mexico or any other South American country. We think that because we are a "melting pot" nation that we are somehow above the need for a primary language, so people like you throw out words like "unofficial" as if it proves something.

[Jonnusthegreat]

You cannot request the language. You can only request the translation from the official language.

No, it is assumed you speak English. If you don't, you get anything you want in your language by a request. The US government is also required to do so. Required = by law. By law = any language.

[Thage]

If the guy can do his job and do it well, he could fucking speak Klingon for all I care. So long as he understands when I tell him 'I need the soup ready for table 3' and 'I need four New York strips, medium-rare,' we're good. He does his job, I do mine, we both go home at the end of the day and get paid every other week, no problemo.

[Endus]

I'm neither American nor a native English speaker, but I think the US should make English its official -- its only official -- language.

The only thing an official language does is mandate that government forms and services be provided in at least those languages. It doesn't apply to anything outside those government services. It does not require store owners to provide service in that language, to customers, for instance. It doesn't mean the government cannot provide services in other languages, it just means that it's not a legal issue if they cannot.

Passing a law that made English the official language of the USA wouldn't change a thing.

For instance, in Canada, we've got French and English as official languages. If you go to ServiceOntario in a town with no French population, you'll be able to get forms and services in French, regardless. Meanwhile, if you down to Dundas Street in Toronto, the Chinatown area, it looks like this;

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ronto_2010.jpg

Signs are mostly in Chinese. Is this an issue? It really freaking isn't.

[Player Twelve]

Don't get pissed if people don't speak your language, if you haven't attempted to speak theirs.

What an asinine train of thought. You don't need to speak someones language to criticize them not speaking the majority language in your country.

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Signs are mostly in Chinese. Is this an issue? It really freaking isn't.

Yes, it's an issue.

[Very Tired]

It's hard for the population to gain the full cultural benefit of a diverse population if the two sides can't even communicate with each other. Learning English would be an amazing way to bring them together and introduce people to a whole experience along with a few million more people to communicate with. Not sure why the left would be against that. It's not like learning a second language makes you forget the first.

[PosPosPos]

Yes, it's an issue.

Indeed, Alt-righters whinging about how people refuse to pamper them and give them their way is an issue, and a very big one.

[Player Twelve]

Indeed, Alt-righters whinging about how people refuse to pamper them and give them their way is an issue, and a very big one.

Yeah man, The Moderate Party sure are alt-right. Alt-right is an US term, I don't know why you insist on applying it to people outside of the US.

[Thoughtful Trolli]

The main problem with immigrants is nothing.

The only problem is the drug cartels which are everywhere and cohabit that with big pharma shitbags.

[Deleted]

The US doesn't have an official language. Yes, it matters. People can be important in the US and not speak english. There's no reason we can't expand language teaching to also teach a language spoken by more than 10% of the US population. Except, you know, not taxing enough to fund our schools.

What language was dec of independence n constitution written in? Swahili?

[Bigbamboozal]

really? because trumps "development company whos worth a shit" hired of bunch of polish illegals, under paid them and didnt tax them. don't know what world you live in.

One where what I said isn't about trump.
Reread my post, look for the words "Here's the thing in Canada"
Easy on teh espresso champ

[khazlol]

woulnd't hurt if everyone learned a second language

[d00mGuArD]

I hope you aren't serious, because it's actually a well known fact that there is no official language and those things are done in multiple languages. Many times the state pays for interpreters too.

there is official language English in 30 of the 50 states. state level, not federal level
this is the list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...y_subdivisions

In states with many spanish-speakers like california, texas and florida, english is indeed the official language.
(that being said, I know prefect french, spanish, greek, so I really support multilingual-ism. Just stating the fact here)

[Machismo]

What an asinine train of thought. You don't need to speak someones language to criticize them not speaking the majority language in your country.

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Yes, it's an issue.

It's not asinine at all. People want to get uppity, because others don't learn the language they want them to learn, as if they are just in their demands for such. I have been in 50 different countries in this world, and have managed to do fine not speaking the language in most of them, even though I speak multiple languages (usually them fairly poorly).

It's not really any different than if a person with a college degree criticizes someone who doesn't. In the end, it just highlights that the person is a pretentious douchebag... or a hateful bigot.

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What language was dec of independence n constitution written in? Swahili?

So, should we be speaking in the same form of English they spoke when writing it? I guess we'll have to drop all the slang.

[kyoloco]

its easier to learn the language when you come in as a kid

i know it took me a few months of start speaking English and i never understood how adults function without the language

i think its a culture thing or w/e idk, im barely spanish

i do know i used to get cussed out by older spanish ladies at work when i didnt speak to them in spanish

people are weird

[Deleted]

It does not require store owners to provide service in that language, to customers, for instance.

It could. If they wanted to. That the officiality of a language in conservative Canada doesn't mean that, doesn't imply that it cannot be drafted differently.
It does in Spain, where all public establishments are required to offer service in Spanish; and regions with any of the other co-official languages can do the same with theirs.

Meanwhile, if you down to Dundas Street in Toronto, the Chinatown area, it looks like this;

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ronto_2010.jpg

Signs are mostly in Chinese. Is this an issue? It really freaking isn't.

It depends. Having signs is whatever. What matter is the availability of their service in whatever language is in question.

If I want to be serviced there, and I don't know the language, it is, as a point of fact, an issue. Which can be resolved by:
-me learning the language they operate in.
-them offering their service in any of the ones I speak.

Which comes down to, letting the companies operate freely, or assessing if they're engaging in ethnically discriminating practices. And who gets the burden of training people into a diversity of languages.
-Of course, North America, Canada included, being as rightwinged as they are, will go with the former: protect the freedoms of any corporation, business and company, at the expense of citizens and consumers. Citizens that will need to spend resources, likely without subsidization, to learn other languages to be able to keep consuming in an increasingly more linguistically diverse market.
-On the other end, nation states concerned for the well-being of their constituent nations will make sure the national ethnic languages are not discriminated by business. They will try and have the companies spend resources into training their workers (the ones facing the public at least) into the official, national, regional or whatever language. Or will spend state resources in integration and give free courses.


Technology could possibly make this civil liberties issue go away, with instant translation or something.

[Player Twelve]

It's not asinine at all.

Yes, it is. In Sweden we speak Swedish. If you intend to move here then you should learn Swedish. If you won't, then you shouldn't be moving here in the first place. Swedish is the language in Sweden. Not spanish, german, hebrew or chinese. I don't need to know spanish, german, hebrew or chinese in Sweden. All I need to know is Swedish and it should be the only language anyone living in Sweden needs to know.

[LMuhlen]

When Europeans, Japanese and others migrated here in waves, including my ancestors, they made zero effort to learn the language and an entire generation of immigrants just decided to live around their own. Curious how the roles change.