Posted on 10/02/2015 9:03:12 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
If no Republican politician communicates to Spanish-speaking groups in their language of choice, the Republican Party will have a harder time earning their support.
Every night, Ellens bar is filled with the chatter of people speaking foreign languages. Theres some French, some German, but mostly English. Donald Trump would be able to find a lot of people to chat with there, but most locals wouldnt, because Ellens is located in China.
Living in China for the past three years has given me a unique vantage point from which to view the English-only debate Trumps candidacy has raised. Trump has attacked Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail, and at the September 16 CNN debate, Trump said, We have a country where, to assimilate, you have to speak English.
I first came to China in 2011 for one semester to study abroad, and our teachers encouraged us to make a Chinese-only promise. We were studying Chinese, after all, so speaking it would be a good way to learn. Most of my classmates, however, spoke English whenever we were together outside of class, so I quickly decided to spend less time with them. I instead hung out with a few serious students and made a lot of local friends. So I understand what Trump means when he thinks it would be best to speak English in the United States of America.
What Language to Speak Is Our Choice
I am one of those deeply integrated expats other expats might consider a snob because I speak Chinese all the time. I dont know for sure, because I never meet those expats. I avoid the bars that are crowded with foreigners. I kid (only slightly), but introducing these facts is necessary for context.
I was previously the foreign editor of a bilingual magazine, and one of my duties was to translate articles from Chinese to English. But I do often choose to consume much of my reading material, from websites to books, in English just because it is faster and gives me a more complete understanding of the material.
Heres where Trump is wrong: It is my choice who I make friends with and what language we speak together, as it is everyone elses choice, and people shouldnt be judged for it. Trump said Bush should really set the example by speaking English while in the United States, but he was communicating with some Spanish-speaking American citizens who might have a particular affinity for the language or even struggle with English.
My situation is different from that of a permanent resident or immigrant, to be sure. I am living and working in a foreign country, however, and knowing the language really helps for finding a job, communicating with locals, eating dinner, shopping, and most aspects of life. In that way, its not a question of people refusing to learn English for convenience. Life would be more convenient if all Americans spoke English. Whether politicians speak Spanish on the stump doesnt change that.
The World Is Multilingual
If governments publish material in foreign languages, does that make it too easy for people to get by in their native tongue and diminish their motivation for learning English? In China, the government also publishes information in foreign languages. In fact, almost all the signs in subways and menus at many restaurants have English translations.
They speak English in Hong Kong, too. In fact, English and Chinese are the two official languages there. However, most people speak Cantonese Chinese, a southern dialect that is mostly incomprehensible to Mandarin Chinese speakers. When I lived in Hong Kong for eight months, I must admit I didnt put any effort into learning Cantonese. I could get by in my daily life speaking English and Mandarin.
You can meet more than enough people speaking English at a bar in Hong Kong. You can see the shop signs and information in English and read the two widely circulated English-language papers, The South China Morning Post and The Standard. But when I attended some deliberations days for Occupy Central, the pro-democracy protests of 2014, to do reporting, I couldnt understand what the main speakers were saying.
Sometimes I got help. At one event, someone translated for me, and at other events, an English-speaking friend went with me and gave me notes in English about key points. But I knew I could have had a greater understanding if I could speak Cantonese.
The More Languages, the Merrier
This shows two things: First, people who speak foreign languages to help others understand are not doing anything wrong. They are helping those who need help, and helping themselves and their causes by spreading understanding. If I didnt have someone to help translate, I wouldnt have been able to write detailed articles about the Hong Kong democracy movement.
English-speaking Americans arent the ones who need to dictate to recent immigrants that they must speak English at all times. Immigrants, for the most part, want to learn English themselves because it will benefit them. And the children of immigrants overwhelmingly are fluent in English. According to American Community Survey data cited by NBC News, six in ten Americans who speak foreign languages at home also speak English well, including eight in ten children.
If no Republican politician communicates to Spanish-speaking groups in their language of choice, the Republican Party will have a harder time reaching those groups and earning their support. As Marco Rubio said at the debate, I believe that free enterprise and limited government is the best way to help people who are trying to achieve upward mobility, and if they get their news in Spanish, I want them to hear directly from me, not from a translator at Univision.
Second, thinking back on my time in Hong Kong, I am somewhat disappointed I didnt learn more Cantonese while I was there. Ultimately, I was the one who lost out because of it.
The article is a bit incoherent because he spends most of his energy proving that you need to learn the majority language in order to navigate life.
His time in Hong Kong reinforces that; not speaking Cantonese, he couldn’t completely enter in to what was happening there.
So his slap at Trump for encouraging people to speak English in America doesn’t even jibe with the rest of his piece.
I will admit, though, that having a candidate like Jeb who could speak Spanish fluidly and present his views to a Spanish speaking audience would be a wonderful thing if only he was a conservative. The tragic thing is that the one candidate we have who can do that is essentially Hillary in a business suit. He does nothing for our cause.
Cállate la boca, rata
To be fair, both the jebster and hill wear business suits. Jeb has thinner ankles.
“I will admit, though, that having a candidate like Jeb who could speak Spanish fluidly and present his views to a Spanish speaking audience would be a wonderful thing if only he was a conservative. “
It would be better to get rid of all the illegals and force the legal ones to learn English.
In mexifornia, elementary classes are taught in Spanish and the American children learn nothing in those classes. You have to speak Spanish to get mist entry-level jobs.
I am sick of pressing ‘1’ for English-and the way things are going, we will soon be pressing ‘2’ for English.
When he is with his amigos at the tanqueria he can say whatever he wants. When he is speaking as a candidate for the U.S. presidency, English is called for. I might make an exception for campaigning in Puerto Rico, where Spanish is both the dominant, and an official language.
As I have been saying for a long time.
English is the language of aviation, commerce, diplomacy and science.
Spanish is the language of cooking, cleaning and landscaping.
By not learning English, Spanish-speakers limit their career choices.
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