Refusing to learn English

You go girl... If one goes to Germany one has to learn German. If you go to China you better know how to speak Chinese. So if you come to the U.S. then you need to learn to speak English. Easy way to fix this is to require every immigrant to get a Green Card and the application is in English. Translators allowed to assist with the document but must be able to speak it to get it. Anyone caught without one is put to work on our infrastructure (Freeways and such) AND cannot send any money home. They would be treated like prisonors and after an 8 hour shift they can go back to their cel and learn english and get their green card. To stop the Illegal immigratin you have to remove the reason they come over. To send money home...If they cannot do that they will either comply with the law or stay home since they will be of no assistance to their families in jail.

We have many older people in England who have lived here for years but have never learnt how to speak English and its usually the women. I believe that children should be taught the language that their parents speak whether it's English or not as research has shown children need to hear fluency of a language to develop their speech and language. Also once they start nursery they pick up English really quickly because they already have the volcabluary. I don't believe that the children need to be taught in their own language as you say, it will definately hold them back economically. I look at some of the women I know, they never are able to get jobs outside their own communities and this does lead to alot of segregation within communities as people tend to stick with their own as they do not need to learn the language. They have satalite tv to watch programmes from their own countries and do not really know what is going on in the country they have chose to live in. Even when I go on holiday to another country I feel so alienated when the language is not English, so I don't know how they cope. The whole world is going completely mad. No ones wants to integrate anymore. Its a shame my country is ending up like this. Good discussion. +

It's amazing! How can one be in USA and still fight so that they don't have to learn English. If they don't wan't to speak/read/learn english then why they were allowed in USA? They should not expect that the people from US will embrace them. You should try to be a part of the new place. I feel they can speak their own language also among them, who will prevent them if they take effort in translating books and publish them in their own language. I guess they want to have things easy and without much effort.

honestly English is our International Language. here in the Philippines mostly all people or students learn English from elementary untill college. That is part of our daily life already that the reason why we speak english and understand it well.

Oh I agree with you and just so you know it's not just Mexicans who do this. It's very irritating to have to compensate people who refuse to learn the luggage and yet insist on living here. If I wanted to move to France I'd learn the language and you know darn tootin' they would expect me to. What really gets me is I see kids who grew up here and don't know the language. Yes the parents only speak the native tongue at home so the kids never learn it and it slows them down big time in school. They will understand some after a time but they still had difficulty. The parents are just short changing their child when they do that. They don't want to realize that but it's true. If they made an effort at least it would help the children out.

Great post. Its so true. IMmigrants are welcome to our country, but you damn well better try to be a part of this country. Try to learn english, teach your kids english, it helps you and us.

No I don't.And what's worse,here in San Antonio they are requiring my grandson to learn Spanish! I totally don't agree with it.English is his 'native' language and IF he should want to learn another it should be an option,not a requirment.I myself can't imagine going to live in another country and NOT being able to speak or read the language.I would feel like such an idiot trying to go shopping or order food.Worse if something bad should happen and I wasn't able to communicate it to the proper people.And why Spanish? Seriously,why are Spanish speaking people 'special' anyway? What if all the people who spoke Chinese or Japanese (examples)wanted to have all thier tests in thier native language too? Nope,if you are going to live in the USA then learn English.If you can't take your driver's test in English then you don't need to drive.Same for voting or getting a job.And if you're going to work here,pay Taxes! If you can't or won't do those things,you don't deserve to be here.Hasta la vista baby.

I don't undrestand why government let things happen. It makes me mad. We let "illigal people to forced USA government". I agree with everything you said. Mexico is beautyfull country with many people who can speak English. If they want kids to learn spanish, can take their kids to Saturday schools. If they want to have good job, learn English.

If this country is to stay united, its inhabitants should be able to understand each other. They should understand that refusing to learn just prevents them from advancing. It does not make you less of a person to learn a new language.

I think to present the English in school lesson is good. I don't why some people refusing to learn English, it is a international language and no matter what you want to learn. In my country, English is important tools to et a good job with higher salary. Every one know it. I come here to learn English and make friend and make extra money.

I definitely can sense that something is wrong. I remember a man I met in Germany in one of my travels who spoke very little English. I asked him why the majority of people I meet don't speak English and the ones that do are mostly from the younger generation. His answer was Why should we? We are Germans, we are not English. Now that one, I find easy to understand. But a foreigner living in a foreign country and demands that his language be spoken in his new country is not right. And to ask that documents be bilingual is a way too much. No I don't support that. I have no objection though If they put up their own schools that will teach their own language. It's amazing how easy it is for children to pick up a new language. My children,when they were very young can easily switch to a different language just like that, depending on who are talking to them.

Often they can speak English, just refuse to do so. I now have several clients to whom I have spoken, in English, on the phone. But now they are demanding an interpreter to be present at their interviews. I think it is a conspiracy to make us learn Spanish.

Dear SageMother, I agree with you, I live in the Netherlands and overhere we see the same kind of problems, but as written by already many; not so much by mexicans but by all sorts of foreigner immigrants, wether they are refugy or here for economical reasons. When you decide to go live in another country, it is your responsibility to learn at least the language in basic or show the willingness to learn it. Besides all the fact that knowing a country's language and all the benefits from that, there is something else, such as having respect for the inhabitants of that country by showing that you are willing to learn, to speak and communicate in the language from the country you visit, stay in or live in.. Like someone else said before, if you go to spain you learn spanish, if are about to emigrate to germany you learn german etc. We do live in a multicultural and that doesn't mean that you should take it easy with your responsibility if you decide to go, for what ever reason, to live in another country serving another language. And if you are learning another language, that will automatically mean that you are growing. And beside this response, I really hope people will stay to take effort to learn the language surrounding them the most because it will lead to communication and will lead as well to a merge of understanding, respect, forgiveness, faith and a positive world. With a little help and initiative everyone is capable of learning a language, even the very difficult ones, but it is willingness and the motivation to do so...Great topic!

It is quite weird though. I really can't understand why they refused to let their children learn English. It is no harm if you can and have the chance to learn more languages. For me myself, I'm a Malaysian Chinese. I'm also encouraged by my parents to learn English and Malaysian language. I'm also taught Mandarin language in my school. Language which I am able to speak are no less than 5. Learning more languages proved to be useful in our common life. If I'm able to speak English, Mandarin and Malay language, I will at least be able to communicate with at least 40% of the people in the world. I really can't imagine what sort of thinking their parents had in their mind. Why not let their children learn more and be more competitive in the future ... ?

I am hispanic, I grew up & was born in America. I speak English, it's my primary language, I don't speak Spanish very well . But I speak it a little & a liitle French too. I feel everyone - regardless of ethnicity should learn as many languages as possible. It's very enriching to one's life. However if you are moving to a foreign country & are 80 years old I don't expect that person to learn the language, simply because it is scientifically proven that the older one get the more difficult it is to learn a new language. The human brain is already programmed so to say.

I truly believe that if you wish to go to a country, you should learn the local language. There is nothing wrong with keeping your own heritage, but Everyone should know the language of the country they live in.

I am in Canada so we don't have the problems with Mexicans, but everyone else.... Portugese, Chinese, Japanese, Italian.... I worked with a young woman who couldn't come to work one day because her sister was sick. She had to go to the hospital with her mother because her mother didn't speak English. That's ridiculous. As the saying goes, when in Roman... If you come to our country because you think it is a better place to live, then live like we do and speak our language, live our culture.

Why anyone would move to a country such as the USA to create a better life for themselves, yet not learn english is beyond me. The fact that they moved there illegally should make them want to learn. Canada is bi-lingual, and we keep a couple french schools around each major city but only one or two if you're lucky. The US doesn't have Spanish as their countrys second official language. It only hurts their kids to be taught in spanish. If it really is such a big deal for them though put them into home schooling, teach them the minimum english that they need and have them taught school in spanish. That way they can at least write the exams when it comes time to write their final exams.

It's a difficult issue in that one doesn't wish to appear insensitive to another persons beliefs but I try to put myself in that position. If I had decided to live in a different counrty who's national or popular language was not English I would not expect to be able to opperate properly. My reasons for emirating may be different to these mexican people that you are talking about, but I still whink that it's unreasonable not to make some effort to learn the host language. Surely the parents should be teaching the Children the natural language while they could learn and improve their english skills at the schools. Like it or not English is the international language and while that may not favour native english speakers ignoring English will not change that and resisting it will only put them at a dissadvantage. They should embrace the opportunity for their children to become fluent in two of the three most widely spoken languages in the world.

ah! I think you might have opened up a can of worms :) But yes i agree, ((No offence to the Mexicans i lub you guys too)) But i feel this way: If you feel that you need to move to america, please do not refuse to learn OUR language! You dont know how sick i was working at a fast food resturant, and having a mexican come to the ordering panel, and say he cant speak english...You cross our borders, you sneak into our country, yet you still cant do us the favor and learn at least basic english? :( It doesnt have to be perfect you know? And then in kentucky, they made it a new "rule" you cant get into any college unless you take two language classes...and im sorry, i love you people, i do, i have a best friend thats a mexican, but really, he even agrees with me...