Obama thinks we should learn foreign languages. What about foreigners?
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
United States
October 29, 2008 1:40pm CST
Obama thinks we should learn foreign languages. I have nothing against that as my husband I know various languages. However, what about the people who are coming from other countries and settling here? Do they need to learn English? His answer is, "They will." Right, right! I just went to a large department store the other day and all the departments were labeled in Spanish. If you are here from a Spanish-speaking country and you don't the word for Women's in English yet, are we responsible for putting it in Spanish? Everything is in Spanish. Is that not one foreign group that should have learned it before they came to live here? Or are Americans the only one who need to learn other languages? Did Obama tell Spanish-speaking people they need to learn English so we do not have spend tax payer's money putting gov't documents in Spanish? I bet he didn't. There are people being sworn is as citizens here who have an interpreter. There are people who have been here all their lives and don't know a lick of English. Sure, they will...they will. How on earth are some of the kids coming out of high schools today going to learn a foreign language when they can't speak decent English?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZprtPat1Vk
5 people like this
16 responses
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
29 Oct 08
I think that everyone should earn English first, and that there should be a foreign language taught in the schools. In Canada we are a mostly English nation with one French province. We learn French as our second langauge, and the people of Quebec who already speak French learn English as a second language.
3 people like this
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
29 Oct 08
Having spent a number of years traveling in quebec and ontario, I found that the dual-lingusitic thing doesn't seem to work there, Anglo's in Canada are getting hosed. I was hard pressed to find people, even young people in many areas of quebec who were even interested in ttrying to speak english, despite my efforts to learn french. I found no bi-lingual street signs, highway signs, menu's, or much english anything there. Yet in Ontario, I found english AND french in perfect balance. So why is it that Quebec isn't held to the same standard as the other provinces are?
This is the kind of thing I fear here.
1 person likes this
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
30 Oct 08
There are towns in Florida that no longer speak English. They only speak Spanish.
@AmbiePam (93941)
• United States
29 Oct 08
I know he is appealing to the minority voters, but I wish he wouldn't vocally take that stance. This is a key issue to the Hispanic and Latino vote, and I imagine he has a whole lot of their votes. Anyone living in a country, where they want to settle, needs to learn the language of the country they live in. If I lived in France, you better believe I'd learn French. I'm all for educating myself in a foreign language, but it shouldn't be a necessity.
1 person likes this
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
30 Oct 08
If he gets in they will see what he has in store.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (93941)
• United States
30 Oct 08
It's not a new situation in politics, but I don't know if I've ever heard quite so many things a politican has promised, that they have no way to show they will ever deliver. Some of the things I'm hearing won't be up to the President in the first place!
@tlb0822 (1410)
• United States
30 Oct 08
I think that if you are going to live in the United States then you need to learn english. Sorry if it sounds rude, but it should be mandatory. Yes being cultured is good for society, but why should we have to learn spanish, when we are an english speaking country. We shouldn't have to conform to their language when they are the ones coming into this country not knowing english. So overall I don't think that it should be mandatory for children/people to know spanish, they know english, and that is our language so why make us learn another one?.
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
31 Oct 08
And if we are going to learn another language, why does it have to be Spanish to accomodate a certain group? Maybe I want to learn German.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
29 Oct 08
I agree we should learn foreign languages. But I also think ALL the immigrants that come to this country should HAVE to learn english. All the signs in spanish annoy me. All the money spent extra signs and interpreters is a waste. If you are going to live in a country, know the language.
1 person likes this
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
30 Oct 08
I think languages should be optional. However, I love languages and have studied them because I wanted to. It was just normal in my husband's country to learn several languages. Yet, if you are going to live in a country, you should know the language.
1 person likes this
@tcage08 (88)
• Canada
29 Oct 08
i don't think foreign people should HAVE to learn english, the choice is up to them. However we shouldnt have to speak Spanish, Chinese, French...etc just to accomadate them.
If you are moving to an english-speaking country and wish to do business here, you should recognize that knowing at least some of the language is vital, and that not knowing english means you are still welcome, but you will be at a disadvantage that YOU have created (by choosing to move there).
Neither side has to accomadate the other, but both except the consequences. The problem up here is that the French demand that all the Anglos serve them in french, yet you try and get English service in Quebec or French New Brunswick.....good luck with that. :P
1 person likes this
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
30 Oct 08
In the USA, we are spending a lot of time and money putting everything in Spanish. We should not have to do that.
@hitejam89 (523)
• India
30 Oct 08
well i think everyone should learn atleast one foriegn language. in my high school i had French, hindi, Urdu, arabic as foriegn language. i can now speak urdu, english, persian bit of arabic and japenese. i personally think high school is the best time to learn foriegn languages..
@Bevsue (251)
• United States
30 Oct 08
Americans should learn to speak other languages, not specifically to accomodate people who come here but because it is a component of being an educated person to know more than one language. Having said that,however, English is our national language and if you want to live here you need to be able to communicate in English.
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
30 Oct 08
I think learning other languages should be optional. If it is something you don't have an interest in and use, you lose it. English should be required to live in the USA.
@daisychinese (302)
• China
30 Oct 08
I have to say that if I didn't learn a foreign language, for example, English, I could not speak here. And I could not know what did you say above.
I am a Chinese. In the school, we study Englsh and take test.
And I think it is useful to learn foreign languages. It makes me know more people, and more things.
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
30 Oct 08
I've often admired the world's people who are bi-lingual and thought it would be nice if more Americans could speak at least one additional language. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at learning languages, so a part of me would also be quite content to have English as the universal world language which it practically is anyway. I do think that new American citizens should have to struggle to learn English just as so many of our ancestors had to. It's part of the deal. As for students not learning decent English and taking second languages, the schools that do a poor job of teaching Enlish will probably do just as poor a job of teaching another language.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
30 Oct 08
If you come to America, you should learn English. What is wrong with him? Does he want foreigners to come to America and still speak their language and not bother with learning Englisn? I can understand if someone is elderly, they have difficulties learning another language, but if you are young, and you should learn the main language of the country. In fact, there are schools where one can. It is the same in Canada, except for Quebec, when we come in, we have to learn English. There they have to learn French.
So does Obama want Americans to learn Spanish, etc. so the Mexicans who cross the border illegally or legally do not have to learn English? And that includes the ARabians, Iraqis, Iranians, Sudanese, Czechs, Germans, Russians, Nigerians, Irish, etc. So instead of learning another language, Americans will have to learn about dozen or more?
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
31 Oct 08
Why on earth does he not reason this way...because he is trying to impress Hispanics for their vote.
@sharra1 (6340)
• Australia
30 Oct 08
I think that anyone who moves to a new country should learn the language of that country. If the country is English speaking then they should learn English. I would be angry if a store in Australia was in a foreign language as the language of the country is English.
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
30 Oct 08
I agree. And we have people in this country who are angry that they cannot order food in a restaurant in Spanish, as if the restaurant workers are supposed to learn Spanish.
@baileycows (3665)
• United States
30 Oct 08
I agree, but the thing we need to learn from this is that we need to stop worrying so much about what other countries are doing. Our economy is failing and he is worried about uniting with all the countries. It is just crazy.
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
30 Oct 08
He is just saying that to look like a peace-loving guy.
@challengewealth (154)
• China
30 Oct 08
We should learn foreign language, it is a very important essential tool for people to communicate. Every country must open up to the world, now the whole world is a earth village. We should have a common language--english. Now in China,we have to learn English in school. In University, we can choose German, Japanese. French, etc. I am here also want to improve my English or i shall forget it if not in english environment. Here I call on all of Friends learn Chinese, welcome to China,enjoy chinese splendid scene and 5000 years' history and culture!
@zoeyren (26)
• China
30 Oct 08
It should be an option,not an obligation. It gives no cause for more criticism even if Obama has his wants as a politician. It's still up to you. As far as I know,many Asian countries advocate English education when their boys are very young. As an official language in the world,English is more powerful than you can imagine.It stands for a culture,also a way of life in those prosperous countries.What most of the English advocators really want is to be as rich as you someday.I guess few Americans find any interest in learning Vietnamese or Javanese,nor do I. Perhaps that's the point. Personally,I'm interested in learning foreign languages. Besides English, I want to learn French,Italy,Russian or other languages if their cultures stuck me. It can keep me an open mind to the different world,different ways of thinking and handling problems. The difference makes a full world. That's the point for me.
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
30 Oct 08
I agree. If you want to do it, you should and if not, fine.
@samijo719 (1052)
• United States
29 Oct 08
I think it's nice if people in America want to learn a second language, mor epower to ya. But what is frustrating is going to fast food, grocery stores, any just anywhere of that nature and the person helping you not being able to understand you! I think it should be required that if people become residents of the United States and are employeed here they should speak the language. I can't even tell you how many times it's been an issue not understand someone helping me and it's a very frustrating thing when your in your native country speaking th enative language yet you can't be helped/understood. I was at wal-Mart last week and the lady was speakign spanish checking me out! I didn't understand her! I was getting frustrated and then I hear a customer behind me say "Is it that hard to just learn spanish to understand!?" I was in disbelief. Why should I have to learn a foriegn language to get help in my own country!?!
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
30 Oct 08
Isn't that awful?!!! And they can be very nasty when you don't speak their language.
