My friend was refused a job (in America) because she couldn't speak Spanish fluently. This is an English speaking country and I really don't think that speaking Spanish should be a requirement for any job here.
2006-10-02 10:08:42 · 14 answers · asked by cazzi_g 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
She applied for a job as a bank teller in a town that is not predominantly hispanic so she can't see why she needs to be bi-lingual to get this job.
2006-10-02 10:31:26 · update #1
Man it's crazy in some parts of the states. Well since its a country based on immigrants and most of them speak spanish, don't be surprised if your country's national language changes in the next decade!
2006-10-02 10:12:41 · answer #1 · answered by Fadi 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Maybe this job required speaking to customers and/or other employees that do not speak English. Just because a company is based in the US doesn't mean that all the contacts and customers speak English.
I worked for a US company that had locations all over the world. One girl in my office spoke 5 different languages fluently. She had to in order to be able to do business with the other plants.
It wasn't discrimination - she just couldn't fulfill their job requirements.
2006-10-02 17:18:52 · answer #2 · answered by Chanda 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, ya know, when youre applying for a job as a Spanish interpreter, it helps if you actually speak the language....
It is not discrimination if that is the requirement for the position. You cant work in a Chinese take out restaurant if you dont speak Chinese....is that discrimination?
2006-10-02 17:10:35 · answer #3 · answered by YDoncha_Blowme 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Was the job in a Spanish restaurant? A mostly-Spanish speaking neighborhood. Working for a spanish speaking family?
2006-10-02 17:10:58 · answer #4 · answered by the handyman 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Maybe the person doing the job had to speak Spanish to be able to fill the job requirements.
2006-10-02 17:12:20 · answer #5 · answered by Rhonda 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Discrimination is if she was refused the job because of his race, religion, etc. Because she was refused the job because she couldn't speak Spanish fluently is because the job and the company would benefit someone who knows how to speak Spanish. Think about it this way, you aren't going to hire someone who knows diddly squat about computer programming if they don't even know how to use one.
2006-10-02 17:18:13 · answer #6 · answered by bloop87 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends what kind of job she was going for. It might have been a requirement in her itenerary that she needed to know a foreign language.
It's not discrimination, it's a known fact...if you know a foreign language, you are 2x or more likely to get a job over a non-bilingual person.
The fact is, more and more immigrants from Spanish speaking countries are coming in, and employers are looking for employees who can speak to those potential customers.
I hope I have broadend your views on things.
2006-10-02 17:17:44 · answer #7 · answered by Rebecca 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the job required her to speak Spanish on an every day basis with Hispanic people then maybe it is not discrimination. Especially if they advertised that fact beofre she applied.
2006-10-02 17:14:50 · answer #8 · answered by langsteacher 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, most of the time if you have to speak spanish on a job, they will advertise it so the applicant will know before they apply. If they didn't let the applicant know then the fault is theirs. If they did and your friend applied anyway then the fault is hers and what they did was not discrimination.
2006-10-02 17:12:41 · answer #9 · answered by ms.melancholy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just because we speak English should not limit us to ONLY speaking English, and many companies need people fluent in more than one language.
In many countries they begin learning other languages in elementary school. In that aspect I believe other countries are ahead of us.
We need to realize the global need for better communication.
2006-10-02 17:13:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋