# Languages on Census letter **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 9, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787 "2010-03-09T00:19:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/21 "2010-03-11T14:24:58Z")
I got my letter yesterday, and I was surprised there was no german or any other european languages on it. Well, not that surprised. Well, I was surprised, but not so much that my eyebrows moved. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/22 "2010-03-11T16:52:33Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#): > > I got my letter yesterday, and I was surprised there was no german or any other european languages on it. Well, not that surprised. Well, I was surprised, but not so much that my eyebrows moved. I had no idea that English, Spanish and Russian weren’t European at all. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/23 "2010-03-11T17:01:05Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yeah, actually, they count themselves, too… > > And if you wanted a Census job for April or May you needed to apply in January. But go ahead and apply anyhow - there will be work through at least the end of the year. Speaking of which, are you expecting to be on the payroll this year, **Broomstick**? Keeping my fingers crossed for ya! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/24 "2010-03-11T17:03:58Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > I had no idea that English, Spanish and Russian weren’t European at all. Well, Russia is so far east it could be considered Asia, Spanish is spoken in Mexico, and some Englishmen can often be _highly_ insistent that England is not a part of Europe… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/25 "2010-03-11T17:17:29Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Speaking of which, are you expecting to be on the payroll this year, **Broomstick**? > > Keeping my fingers crossed for ya! I’m expecting a call the last week or two of this month or the first week of April. I’ve got my fingers crossed, too. It also looks like I might be back to painting on Monday, but that’s not entirely 100% right now, the lady hasn’t made a commitment and could still back out/change her mind. I would LOVE to have the dilemma of having to choose between two jobs. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/26 "2010-03-11T17:18:37Z")
I mean the Europe that young couples go to in romantic comedies, not the Europe they go to in horror movies. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/27 "2010-03-11T17:46:31Z")
Part of the great thing about being a fiscal liberal is that I can wish **MsRobyn** and **Broomstick** the best for their government jobs, even though their jobs are at odds with each other! ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/28 "2010-03-11T19:11:25Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Well, Russia is so far east it could be considered Asia, Spanish is spoken in Mexico, and some Englishmen can often be _highly_ insistent that England is not a part of Europe… I do believe Russia is considered European, actually- well, at least half of it. Spanish is also spoken in Spain, as the name implies. And. . .yeah, I’m hoping this all is one big whoosh. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/29 "2010-03-11T19:12:04Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I do believe Russia is considered European, actually- well, at least half of it. > > Spanish is also spoken in Spain, as the name implies. > > And. . .yeah, I’m hoping this all is one big whoosh. Me too, because if it’s not, I’m really depressed. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/30 "2010-03-12T08:18:08Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Spanish is also spoken in Spain, as the name implies. Maybe **weirdaaron** got the news about Africa starting south of the Pyrenees but not the update about Spain being a member of the European Union? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/31 "2010-03-12T08:52:50Z")
I got my letter, and the left side is in English, the right side is in Spanish. As the block is majority Hispanic, that makes a lot of sense. And I’m sure they send the letters based on information gathered back in 2000. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/32 "2010-03-12T19:58:53Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Then this sentence is translated into Spanish (obvious), two Asian languages (Chinese and Japanese?), what might be Vietnamese, and Russian. Without cheating by looking at the rest of the thread, and based of my own memory of the same letter, the extra notices were in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian. Here’s how you tell Chinese, Japanese, and Korean apart: Chinese looks like this: 这是例句。 Japanese looks like this: これは例文である。 Korean looks like this: 이것은 보기 문장이다. Chinese uses only [hanzi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanzi) (characters). Japanese uses a combination of [kanji](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji) (characters, borrowed from Chinese) and [kana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kana) (the simpler letters)–in the example sentence, the fourth and fifth characters are kanji, while the rest are kana (specifically, hirigana). Korean uses [hangul](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul), which look almost nothing like Chinese or Japanese (they involve a lot of circles and mostly-straight lines). ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/33 "2010-03-12T20:28:10Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Korean uses [hangul](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul), which look almost nothing like Chinese or Japanese (they involve a lot of circles and mostly-straight lines). Someone once gave me the tip that you can tell it’s Korean because the writing looks “bubbly” (lots of circles). That tip has been very helpful 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/34 "2010-03-12T20:41:16Z")
Oh, and to clarify, when I said “they involve a lot of circles and mostly-straight lines,” the “they” referred to hangul, \*\*\*not \*\*\*to Japanese and Chinese. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/35 "2010-03-12T22:49:13Z")
I’m in Chicago and I got my census letter saying to expect the census form but mine only had Spanish and English. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/36 "2010-03-13T02:59:56Z")
we can’t move forward, until you mail it back. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/37 "2010-03-17T07:20:08Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Well, Russia is so far east it could be considered Asia, Spanish is spoken in Mexico, and some Englishmen can often be _highly_ insistent that England is not a part of Europe… > [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I do believe Russia is considered European, actually- well, at least half of it. > > Spanish is also spoken in Spain, as the name implies. > > And. . .yeah, I’m hoping this all is one big whoosh. > [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Me too, because if it’s not, I’m really depressed. Fear not, you two. I can be a little tone-deaf regarding when I need to use a smilie, but I like to think of myself as, if not smart, at least not stupid. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Luongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chris\_Luongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris_Luongo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/38 "2010-03-17T15:05:53Z")
> [@Rack-a-Bones](#): > > I’m a single male in Seattle. What does it matter whether I fill it out or not? > > Are they actually going to send someone to my door if I don’t fill it out? Former (2000) Census worker here. I’ve also applied to work for the 2010 Census. From what I understand, your being counted in the Census (or not) affects how many seats in the House of Representatives are alloted to your area, and also affects things like Federal grants to your state, or state grants to your city. I’m unfortunately not familiar with all the details. However, what I do know for sure, is that you are legally obligated to complete your Census form. If you don’t, they will send an Enumerator (they couldn’t just call them “people-counters” and pay them $19.50 an hour, could they?) to knock on your door and ask you to answer the questions in person. If you’re not home or don’t answer, they’ll just keep coming back. They won’t threaten you or get nasty or anything, but they will keep returning, over and over. As the others here have said, the Census doesn’t share its data with other government agencies. If you’re here illegally, owe child support, have a warrant, et cetera, it doesn’t matter. (Note that they do release the information after 72 years, when most respondents have already deceased, and genealogists greatly enjoy that.) I’m not advising you to be dishonest, but I’m pretty sure that none of the answers you give on the form are verified or checked out. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/39 "2010-03-17T15:11:03Z")
I just filled my form out yesterday. I gotta say I was a little disappointed that it asked for so little information. I was all excited to answer a bunch of questions. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787/40 "2010-03-17T15:32:34Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Then this sentence is translated into Spanish (obvious), two Asian languages (Chinese and Japanese?), what might be Vietnamese, and Russian. It sounds to me like, other than Spanish, they are trying to cover as many different _alphabets_ as possible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/languages-on-census-letter/531787.md?page=1)