Should everyone that comes to the USA speak English throughout their visit here?

Question

http://www.phillyfuture.org/node/3607

Answer 1

I know I certainly wouldn't visit a foreign country without basic knowledge of a language. My job has a "Hispanic Division." When phone calls are transferred to my department by mistake I can tell you that 8 out of 10 callers don't even try to speak English. I'm not asking for the Gettysburg Address. I would just like "Hello, can I speak to ______" and they can't do that. (And yes I can say that much in spanish.) I've had caller's ask me "Do you speak Spanish?" And when I have said no I swear on a stack of bibles I had one person say to me, "why not?" Why should I stop at learning Spanish? Shouldn't I also learn Russian, Chinese, French, Italian, Tagalog etc etc etc? It's the attitude that I can't stand. If you come here on a visit and you try your best to communicate I have no problems with you. Its the people living here that make no effort and who expect me to go out of my way to learn their language in my country that bother me.

Answer 2

I believe that there should be an attempt to speak the local language wherever you go, even visiting. Doesn't mean you have to learn the language flunetly if you are just visiting, but the attempt should be made to speak and understand as best one can even just visiting.
This is a common thing seen in other countries, take Japan for example. If visiting Japan, and you make no attempt to speak Japanese, and just English than you are often treated very rudely and ignored. However, if you make an attempt, even a bad one, to speak Japenese, most people immediatly are very nice and helpful. This is true for many countries.
Should the USA expect something different? I would say that an attempt should atleast be made by the people visiting.

Answer 3

If you decided to visit France, would you speak French the whole time? Or Spain, would you learn Spanish?

You aren't expected to learn a country's language before visiting although it's only polite to try and communicate using the native language. Knowing a few key phrases and having a dictionary helps a good deal and usually people understand that visitors may need some extra help because there is a language barrier. I certainly wouldn't expect someone to be fluent just to go on a one week trip but I wouldn't be impressed if they expected me to be able to speak their language.

It's a two way street. Visitors should understand that they need to learn some phrases and can't expect people to speak their language, and the locals should understand that language can be a problem and try to be more patient with a visitor who is struggling to make himself understood using an unfamiliar language.

Answer 4

No. If you and a friend visited Germany, for example, should you be expected to speak German the whole time? Of course not. Whenever you interacted with each other, English would be the appropriate language because it's a language that you feel comfortable in. Why shouldn't we allow visitors from other language backgrounds the same privilege?

Answer 5

I would say only when Americans learn to speak the languages of the countries they visit which isn't going to happen. I would believe if someone decides to live in the USA they should learn to speak English.

Answer 6

You mean if they are just visiting? Gee, that seems like a difficult requirement as English is a very difficult language to learn. If we visit Japan, Germany or France, would we then have to learn their languages before we could visit?
If you mean to live in the U.S. and become citizens, yes, I think that should be a part of the citizenship process to learn the language of the country you are becoming a citizen.

Answer 7

Not always, depending what language u speak u can find some1 2 talk 2... But it is good 2 learn and speak a little English throughout ur visit.

Answer 8

I don't realise why you look to be having a crisis with everybody finish the whole thing. Happy humans by and large aren't that irrational and confrontational. However, your kids are stunning, and there surely no racial meanings in the back of my declaration. I could certainly not expect to mention that kids of any racial, devout or cultural historical past are any greater, smarter or prettier than others. Because that could instruct my stunning 6yo daughter to develop up as a racist. And that as a in charge mum or dad I cannot permit. Now, Romania is predominantly white racially speakme European nation. To them Gypsies are humans with darkest colour of epidermis that they had ever visible. That is why your youngsters possibly in comparison to them. Romania traditionally has been one of the most much less built European nations, so with time and wanted attempt they simply would get to our degree of growth a few day. And as an American girl you will have to be competent to realise all of that for your self and to your kids, regardless of how they appear to different humans.

Answer 9

Especially when our are visiting, you don't always know the language. I'd be upset if I went to mexico and I wasn't allowed to speak engish. I still think I should be able to visit france, or denmark, or wherever even if I don't know their language very well. It seems bad for buisness to not take money from people just because they didn't learn english before they went on vacation.
What ever happened to the customer is always right?

Answer 10

Ah, the Geno's Steaks dilemma...

If someone is going to be speaking to a resident of the United States, they probably should use English. While it's not the "official" language, it is the lingua franca, When I've gone abroad, I've always worked to make myself understood in whatever language was necessary. How hard is it, anyway?