Britain, by some means or another, became a multi-cultural society some years ago. I have just heard a human rights lawyer on the news saying that Great Britain is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual society! When did this become official?
Before anyone jumps on the bandwagon of calling anyone who dares to raise such issues "racist" - I certainly am not. But, I am a stong believer in "when in Rome ....". I have many friends who are immigrants to this country - they decided to settle & live here but in doing so, have become fully integrated in society, speaking the language (better than many British people!), working amongst us and bringing up their children with British values. They don't live in "communities" of Chinese or German or Indian groups - they fully integrate. Anyway, I'm straying from my point which is - when did we offically become a multi-lingual society and what do you think about this. What do you think about the figure given of £110M a year spent on translation?
2007-02-20 09:27:08 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
On this occasion, the lawyer wasn't referring to the official languages of Great Britain. Of course the Welsh, Scottish etc language have existed throughout. She was referring to all the other languages that are now spoken in this language (the reason SO much is spent on translation)
2007-02-20 09:37:48 · update #1
It is disgusting. If they're so desperate to live here, learn the language and integrate. I'm not racist - I'm partly Jewish - but I think it's totally wrong the way this country is being torn apart by people who don't care about us or our ways of life.
That £110M a year - does that include the figure for what the NHS has to pay out on translators for people who want treatment at our expense but can't be ar*ed to learn our language?
And in response to those who are saying "It's because of the Welsh/Cornish/Irish people who live here".... be serious! When have you ever heard of Human Rights lawyers getting up and shouting about anything to do with indigent people? The multi-cultural, multi-lingual society that they are talking about has come about through immigration. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but there can be too much of a good thing.
Watch for the thumbs down on this answer......
2007-02-20 09:34:21 · answer #1 · answered by catwoman6942 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
i don't care to be quite honest - Spanish is the largest spoken language in America, although many think it is English. I agree that when in Rome do as the Romans do, but i don't believe that you have to give up your own ethnic or Religious identity in the process. I was raised bi-lingual - French and English - that doesn't mean that i haven't learnt to integrate into a British mainstream culture.
2007-02-20 11:59:26 · answer #2 · answered by Faith 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well my dad is an interpreter so i cant complain he gets paid a hell of a lot so please keep them coming.
But i think your mistaken because much of this translations occur in the immigration department when the immigrants just arrive in Britain and don't know any english but they do learn english (at least most do) after living a year in Britain. they just don't lose their mother tongue, what do you want them to do just forget the language they've spoken for all their life ofcourse they cant.
Obviously i do know its rude to speak in another language in public and thats why i dont, and most people dont either.
I think your issue is more to do with immigration and certain immigrants in particular. i'd just like you to remember that these people are not imposing their culture and languages onto you their just trying to live a better life. It's a shame the same cant be said about colonial britain, who when arriving in a country did impose their language and domineering culture. But you know what, you dont hear South Africans, Ugandans, Indians, Egyptians and many more countries complaining.
Live your life be happy, enjoy what your lucky to have, trust me life could give you much more reason to complain.
2007-02-20 10:59:52 · answer #3 · answered by Zaina 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Catwoman....Gwynedd County Council(North Wales) HAVE been threatened with the race discrimination act.Why? For daring to advertise jobs in Gwynedd with the words..'Ability to communicate in Welsh and English essential.'
I fail to see what is racist about that..I know a few black ,asian and Chinese people here who speak Welsh(and English) these would all be eligible for the job.The non-Welsh speaking (so-called) Welsh people would not.
You can change the fact you don't speak a language..by learning
it.You can't change your race.
When you are in a mainly Welsh community and you work with (mainly) first language Welsh people does n't it make sense you should be able to do it in their own language?
The argument is the same for people working in English communities..the ability to communicate in English should be a pre-requisite.
2007-02-20 10:48:23 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's probably refering for the most part to Wales, along with Scotland.
Welsh people do have their own language to a point, I believe the Scottish have done the same in preserving it, but English is obviously primary.
Of course there will be other races, and communities that reflect them, that is only natural.
2007-02-20 09:31:34 · answer #5 · answered by Ethernaut 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Is Britain being a multi-lingual society really that surprising? I always thought that the Indian population in Britain is like what the Latin population is to the American southwest. Really common, I thought. :S
2007-02-20 09:32:48 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Before you start burning immigrants from flagpoles it probably refers to English and Welsh. On top of that is high and low Gaelic of the Scottish and Irish rural areas and remnants of Cornish. Granted people that speak fluent Urdu probably outnumbers speakers of all but Welsh of our minority languages. But we have always been multi-lingual to whoever actually travels this country.
2007-02-20 09:32:37 · answer #7 · answered by jleslie4585 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Britain became a multi-lingual society back when the Welsh, Cornish, Scottish and Irish joined with the English. Someone please help me out with a time scale for that, it's several hundred years ago..................
Just as an addit to your addit, the United Kingdom does not have an official language. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Northern_Ireland
2007-02-20 09:33:29 · answer #8 · answered by 'H' 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
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The same thing is happening in the U.S. It's no coincidence. They're bringing in huge numbers of immigrants any way they can for cheap labor and retirement programs.
What Dubya and Tony and their puppetmasters are doing for the long run is making the world one massive, tax paying market...one language (eventually), being a composite after massive immigration is forced down our throats, because it's easier to market to and tax one group of people. The U.N. is being set up now as a taxing entity.
Stop them now. Email, fax, write, call your legislators. They have to respond if enough people make noise.
P.S. Don't listen to people telling you what your ancestors may have done. You are not your ancestors!
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2007-02-20 11:05:15 · answer #9 · answered by CQ 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Email the news company with the question, its the only way to stop this nonsense at the moment they only get complaints from minority groups and thus pander to them they must understand that there are other people such as the majority that they can upset too.
Direct your anger towards making a difference, I have and it works we need more people like us to stand up to this left wing nonsense, i bet it was the BBC.
Good luck, by the way im not mohammed, but its amazing how much longer my yahoo profile lasts with muslim names! another sickening truth!.
2007-02-20 09:36:55 · answer #10 · answered by Mohammed A 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋