Please speak English!!!!!

[azgal81]

Exactly! I couldn't agree more I'm currently in AZ and I experience this every day at least. It's pretty bad.

 

[blue_eyes5212]

It's not illegal to not hire someone because they can not properly do the job, and if excellent communication skills are a must (as they should be for any job that you need to speak with the public) than not hiring someone because they have sub-par communications skills is not illegal.

If received applications from prospective employees that are written in such poor English I can barely read them. There is no way I would hire that person, this job requires good written and verbal communication skills. Since we speak English and most all of our customers speak English our employees need to speak English.

If I worked in fast food and kept getting the orders wrong I wouldn't be shocked if I got fired. Why can't they fire someone for getting orders wrong, no matter what language they speak?

I absolutely agree with this!! If I cannot communicate with the customers that I am supposed to be helping or assisting......then I expect to be terminated!!!

Also, I would never move to another country and not learn the language spoken by the majority of the population!! I would not move to France and not learn French!!!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Won't get flamed by me. I totally agree. I'm all for the USA being a giant melting pot...I'm all for everyone working for a better life. But I also believe you need to speak the language. I would never go to another country to get a job and not speak the language.

Exactly, why should anyone get flamed for stating when you are here in America, you should speak English when you work with the public.

But then again, we have all English speaking workers at our local McDonalds and the orders are still always wrong.

 

[darlak]

We are the great melting pot. We gladly take evryone's tired, poor and homeless, but please...tell them they will need to learn to speak our language. It will NOT be our responsibility to learn their language.

 

[Stacerita]

This drives me crazy! And on the other side, I hate when people call or come into where I work expecting me to speak their language. I had some guy call last night, I answer the phone in english, and he proceeds to ask his question in spanish. I do understand spanish, took a few years in high school, and then a few more in college, plus I grew up with spanish speaking relatives. But in the medical field, I just do not feel comfortable using my spanish. To many things can be said wrong, and I don't want any problems. So since I didn't want problems I explained that I do not speak spanish and needed him to speak in english. He then speaks to me in very fluent englsih. Now why would he call and speak in spanish when he can speak in english?

 

[SplshMtn99]

That's one of the risks you get living in America. After all, our country does not have an official language, so it is illegal to not hire someone just because they don't speak it.

I personally think it would be a good thing if we had an official language.

Since when????

ETA: Nevermind. I read the rest of the thread. But if they can't speak English...and if they need to to do the job....I don't have to hire them...and that's perfectly legal. Same for any other language.

 

[wvjules]

Bolding mine. Since when????

The USA has NEVER had an 'official' language.

 

[Chuck S]

Ugh!! ITA! It's become a problem at our local McDonald's. I swear, it takes twice as long to order as it used to, and most times it's wrong. DH and I always order the Southwestern salad with low-fat dressing. Half the time we get the wrong salad and/or the wrong dressing. We ask for milk with the Happy Meals, and they almost always hand us a soda cup anyway. Drives me nuts!!!! I am so sick of having to order like I'm talking to a two year old. There should be stricter language requirements for public-facing employees.

I think it is a McDonald's system-wide problem. We have 3 McDs in town, the one closest to our home has few Hispanic employees. Yet this location has never gotten one of my orders correct (and they were simple orders). Meanwhile, the once across town, with mostly Hispanic employees rarely goofs up my order.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I wouldn't worry about it, even if they spoke English more than likely your order would be wrong.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I don't have this problem, but at every drive through, my order is ALWAYS messed up by the teenager that really doesn't want to be there.

 

[boomhauer]

At Dunkin' Donuts, they won't hire you if you speak english.

 

[Daxx]

At least they're working and trying to make a living and not using language (or lack of skills) as a crutch while trying to squelch off the government! I give them loads of credit for coming to this country LEGALLY, trying to learn the language and supporting themselves.
This might be the only opportunity they have to practice their language. They may go home and have parents who don't know the language and can't practice on them.

Regardless, I find that people who come to us from other countries are grateful to be here and are often harder working than their teenage counterparts that work these fast food jobs.

 

[JunieJay]

I never encountered that many non-English speakers my entire life in WV as I have here in 2 months. I guess I'll have to get used to it or learn Spanish. This is all new to me. lol

Don't come closer to D.C., you'll think Frederick is like Mayberry RFD in comparison. Its rare that I encounter English speaking people in retail stores or drive through lines.

I'm all for people immigrating to this country, but I think they should do their best to learn English. Where I find it the most frustrating is in the school system, I don't know how our teachers deal with it. Many students in my kids classes have parents who don't speak a word of English, so the teachers can't communicate at all with them about their children. Makes it very frustrating for the teachers and even more so for the children, who have to translate for their parents. I actually saw a kid about 8 years old doing the talking for his mother in a bank the other day.....thats too much responsibility for a kid, having to be the only English speaking voice of the family.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

At least they're working and trying to make a living and not using language (or lack of skills) as a crutch while trying to squelch off the government! I give them loads of credit for coming to this country LEGALLY, trying to learn the language and supporting themselves.
This might be the only opportunity they have to practice their language. They may go home and have parents who don't know the language and can't practice on them.

Regardless, I find that people who come to us from other countries are grateful to be here and are often harder working than their teenage counterparts that work these fast food jobs.

This is sooooooo true!

 

[Hound 109]

At least they're working and trying to make a living and not using language (or lack of skills) as a crutch while trying to squelch off the government! I give them loads of credit for coming to this country LEGALLY, trying to learn the language and supporting themselves.
This might be the only opportunity they have to practice their language. They may go home and have parents who don't know the language and can't practice on them.

Regardless, I find that people who come to us from other countries are grateful to be here and are often harder working than their teenage counterparts that work these fast food jobs.

I agree.

& their kids will do just as well or better (& speak just as well or better) than our kids. Every generation we have an infusion of New Blood.....& it has ALWAYS made our country stronger.

In the meantime, I enjoy them & work on my 2 years of HS Spanish.

hound

 

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

ITA - You live in America you speak English.

The problem I have is when you call a customer service line and you are talking to a person that can barely speak English and you are trying to tell them your problem and the language barrier is hard enough to conquer never mind having your problem fixed.

 

[boomhauer]

Don't ever call Delta or Apple. All of their switchboard operators are stationed in India.

It sounds mean, but there's a very heavy language barrier there.

 

[wvjules]

The lifeguard at our pool is from Columbia. She's here working for the summer and wanted to stay but her VISA was denied. She's teaching DD how to speak Spanish. She's a great young lady. I'm going to miss her when summer is over. Once DD learns maybe she'll teach me. lol

I agree that working is better than milking the system but atleast learn basic English.

 

[Fitswimmer]

Don't ever call Delta or Apple. All of their switchboard operators are stationed in India.

It sounds mean, but there's a very heavy language barrier there.

I ordered my iMac from Apple and used their tech support and I got California...

 

[WhatATreat]

At least they're working and trying to make a living and not using language (or lack of skills) as a crutch while trying to squelch off the government! I give them loads of credit for coming to this country LEGALLY, trying to learn the language and supporting themselves.
This might be the only opportunity they have to practice their language. They may go home and have parents who don't know the language and can't practice on them.

Regardless, I find that people who come to us from other countries are grateful to be here and are often harder working than their teenage counterparts that work these fast food jobs.

Oh I don't think anybody is arguing that these people are working hard to be productive members of society. What is frustrating is that there is a huge language barrier (in some areas more than others) and we feel that more and more the English speakers are being expected to adapt instead of the other way around.