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To: mtbopfuyn
The NSA will need some good patriotic Mandarin speakers.
27 posted on 04/02/2005 4:14:25 PM PST by HereInTheHeartland
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To: HereInTheHeartland
The NSA will need some good patriotic Mandarin speakers

In all seriousness, this is important. I am convinced that a person cannot truly understand a culture without mastering the dominant language. A our intelligence performance in the Mideast has shown, you cannot just rely on native speakers who may not fully understand American culture or who may not accept or support American culture. At different periods of my life, I have learned Spanish and Thai and my experience has been that the manner of communication, word patterns, politeness, cures, humor, etc. all flesh our and explain much about beliefs, social structure, power, and the like. "Have them learn English" may allow them to communicte with us but not allow us to communicate with them.

37 posted on 04/02/2005 4:29:47 PM PST by JimSEA
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To: HereInTheHeartland

Don't you hope...


149 posted on 04/03/2005 12:07:06 AM PST by maui_hawaii
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To: HereInTheHeartland

Let's just hope that the Chinese nanny is more pro-American than Dad is...


187 posted on 04/03/2005 7:04:26 AM PDT by Paul Ross (We have sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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