English only at work? What do you think?

This was the poll stats, PM 12/11 on AOL:

Should workplaces restrict speech to just English?
Yes, the rule is a good way to prevent misunderstandings 58%
Maybe on the job, but not during breaks or personal conversations 32%
No, other languages should be embraced 10%
Have you experienced language-related problems in a job?
Yes 61%
No 39%
Total Votes: 196,095
Note on Poll Results

 

I'd love it. Hell, I think it should be taken even further regarding people living in this country, too many speak little or no English.

 

Que?

 

Was'ist das?

Pffffft, no surprise there. The language here is ENGLISH. Learn it!

 

Yes, but the two conversants were using English already!

 

I have my "favorites" I love to help over the phone. Being in IT, my customers are the internal ones, and I know plenty of reasons (people) where we're saving a buck.

I would get back 1-2 weeks worth of work, 8hrs a day, if the communication problems due to LANGUAGE ONLY were resolved.

It is the single biggest aspect of my job, or working in general, that I dislike the most.

Edit: Some may argue, why don't you learn a second or third language instead? I tried for 4 years, I'm just not very good at it. That doesn't help the 50% or more of the rest of the company that doesn't speak it.

 

English should not only be in the work place, it should be in school, shoot it should be the national language! I HAAAAAATE when I get mail sent to me in a different language! If you do business in this country it should be in ENGLISH ONLY. Here in Southern California spanish is freeking everywere. I have stuff coming to my house from me childerens school with spanish on one side and english on the other. Before you know it some stupid ass is gonna want bi-lingual road signs. It isn't only here, from what I understand in Hawaii it is like California but with japanese instead of spanish. We really need to make English the national language. Because if we don't before you know it ebonics will be a recognised languange. Can you imagine getting the Ferrari work shop manual in ebonics. As bad as it is already, it will go from hard to understand to impossible to understand. Hahahahaaaaaa! Seriously English really needs to be made the national language. How do we get something like this on the ballot?

 

Hate to break it to you, but they allready exist. I think they're stupid as well. I agree that there needs to be more of a stand made on this.

 

Are you freekin joking?! Were in the #*&%@~$ do they have those? Okay that does it! Seriously how do we get this on the ballot to make english the national language?

 

Fir$t thing you do i$ run for Pre$ident. $econd thing you do i$ get lot$ of campaign contribution$. Third thing you do i$ pay me blackmail money for thi$ pic.
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Wax, LMAO


Ernie, this pic(lifted from another site) was taken in San Antonio, Texas.
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Hahahaaaaaahaahaa WAX!!!! Oh that is funny.

Tyler, that is so wrong. You don't see signs like that in Mexico. Okay I better just stop before I go balistic.

 

English is the national language of USA, right?
Isn't that why they teach English in an elementary school?

My wife complained once some foreigners swear in their language when they were pissed off at other people. I shrugged off as a big deal, but agreed that other language shouldn't be used for communication between workers for business purpose. Not understanding what was said, one would feel uncomfortable, especially if he/she was laughed at & mad at. By prohibiting the use of other language in the office would raise a big human right issue. Isn't it the whole cause of ESL program at public school? So non-English-speaking kids will be given a chance to live here when they grow up.

It is a different story for some foreigners who is not putting any effort to speak English, and expect others to accomodate him/her.

When I was in Canada, I saw many things written in English & French (even the microwave switches!) I thought that was neat. You probably learn both language if you grow up there.

Yoshi Ace

 

Tigerace

English is not officially the language of the United States. It may be taught in schools, but there is no writen law that it is the nataional language.

I can speek, read and write spanish. I was told that it would be an advatage for me in the job force. I have seen NO finacial gain because I can speek spanish. Not one nickle. On job interviews I would be asked if I could speek another language, and would answer yes. One interviewer asked me to start talking in spanish. I imidiately did, and we had a brief conversation. Some non-english speeking person would come in and I would get called to translate. But when I looked on my paycheck there was nothing extra for speeking spanish. So I was a free translator. After this happened to me a few time I finally stopped saying that I spoke spanish. I never lost a job because they didn't know I could speek spanish. So for me it is useless, unless I'm on vacation in Mexico and want to know directions. But guess what, I speek SPANISH in there country, so they should speek ENGLISH IN MINE!

 

Whats the deal on foreign language voteing ballots? I thought to vote you had to be a citizen and to become a citizen you had to pass an english exam? Or is this "old think".

 

If it wasn't for you lot, the whole world would be speaking English by now !

 

That's cuz were speakin' 'Merican!

 

Look at all of the money spent at DMV alone on multi-lingual drivers handbooks. Are US road signs not in English only? Last year, I ran into a DMV to pick up a handbook. When I got home, I noticed the one I picked up (in a hurry) was in Mandarin! I was SO pissed! I returned to the DMV to pick one up in English to find that the books were in about six different languages......My tax dollars hard at work!

 

Whatever happened to "give me your tired, your hungry, your poor, etc, etc, etc..." - are we only welcoming English-speaking people into the country...? Is this something else to be prejudiced against...?

 

I agree, DES. After all, more people came to this country speaking German than English.

I just don't understand why people get so uptight about the English issue. I suspect it is based in some kind of complex. Fear that foreigners will take over or something. Well, if your ideas and culture are so great, they will remain on top. If they aren't worthy, they will fall by the way side. I personally don't think we have anything to be afraid of.

I think the English only movement is similar to the white power movement. The argument they make is that whites are responsible for the creation of a certain culture and have given the world democracy. And that they therefore need to guard this culture against attacks from non-whites. What they fail to realize is that the while the framers of this country did create something great and worthy of preserving, the fact that they were white was just a coincidence of history. Similarly it was a coincidence that they spoke English: there is nothing intrinsic in the English language that makes it more democratic than any other language. What is import are simply the IDEAS they had, not the color of their skin or the language they spoke.

These ideas, and ideals, this country is based on can be held and promoted by people of all ethnic backgrounds and in all languages. Therefore a chinese speaking immigrant, a second-generation spanish speaking latino, or a daughter of the american revolution, all can participate in and support the ideals of the united states. All can be worthy participants in our grand democracy and our capitalistic economic system. In fact, the next time you see a korean grocery with signs in korean, you should realize that's as American as it comes: the guy found a market in need and marketed to them in the best manner (korean) and is succeeding. That's a much more fundamental, a much deeper part of what it means to be American than the color of one's skin or language one speaks.

Viva le difference!

 

The U.S.A is still a melting pot! Sure it would be easier of everybody spoke the same language. Reality is your a struggling family who wants a better life for yours. You have the chance to come here, but wait not everyone in your family speaks english. Hmm better stay here in my homeland poor and starving so i don't upset some American!!
As far as roadsigns that are bi-lingual. If it saved your a$$ from someone t-boning you at an intersection,..... is that a bad thing!?

 

it will never happen in Miami Lots of major cities are international hubs like LA, DC, NY, Houston, Dallas, Chicago. Its good for Americans to get out of their little shells & learn new languages

 

Getting back to the original thread, English should be spoken in the workplace for work related things. Speak what you want on your non paid breaks, lunch hours, or in the breakroom.

I don't think America is a "melting pot" what do we melt into? We still have redlining of sections of city and aside from some "minorities" breaking into newer trackhome developments that are predominately white. Demographically, you still see ethnic enclaves dominant in one neighborhood, and then another in another neighborhood. I think "melting pot" is an idealized concept.

 

Slim, Dave, William - very well said...

Getting back to the original thread, if you work with someone who doesn't speak your language, don't get mad at that person, go to your employer and find out why they hired someone you can't communicate with... There's probably a very good reason...

 

As far as Hawaii be bilingual with Japanese, that's mostly to make money off the tourists. The Japanese people that move here typically have the respect to try to learn English. But they do have multi-lingual driving tests, which is sickening. It'll be great to have some POS hit me one day and then have to get a translator to resolve the accident.

For those of you that rant about the "melting pot" idea, it's more of a mixing pot. It is good for the country for everyone to have a common language. Public schools use the non-English speaking kids as an excuse to have classes slow down, so people learn less and expenses go up. I don't really think references to things said 100's of years ago are that apprpriate these days. Our forefathers didn't think much of rights when it came to women or people that weren't white, are you going to rant that we should go back to those ideas also? Times have changed and we need to change appropriately.