# What language(s) should people living in America have to known
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 9, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659 "2015-07-09T13:57:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/21 "2015-07-10T01:59:46Z")
I met a young lady attending a divinity school who could read and write Aramaic, which caused me to fancy her. Because how is that not hot? So maybe they should learn Aramaic, especially if they want to catch the eye of a young chemist many years ago.
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### Author:  [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/22 "2015-07-10T02:19:13Z")
> [@kayT](#):
>
> The school district where I used to work in California had 66 different languages being spoken by the students in the district. I wonder how many of the teachers could speak 66 languages. Seems like it would be a lot easier for all of the students to learn English. Then they could not only talk to the teacher, they could talk to each other.
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#):
>
> Were you the only English-speaking janitor? Or did you actually learn how the district handled those languages? [Houston’s the country’s most diverse city.](http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/31871)
Actually I was the secretary to the administrator who prepared the report for the state department of education. We had to file the report annually. Yes, there were a lot more Spanish and Korean and Vietnamese speaking students than there were some of the other languages, but as a matter of fact we had at least one speaker of all 66 languages.
ETA I was unable to access your link about Houston but I don’t think that quote is meant to imply that those are the ONLY languages spoken in Houston schools.
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/23 "2015-07-10T02:43:42Z")
What does ‘required’ mean? Is there a penalty for, say, not learning Spanish?
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### Author:  [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/24 "2015-07-10T02:54:31Z")
> [@kopek](#):
>
> I would like (and will never see) the day when Americans are required to have _some_ training in a language other than English. Which one? My opinion is take your pick based on what you want. Spanish would be a natural choice, Japanese or Chinese handy for many businesses, formal Russian wouldn’t be a bad call either. But you can make it anything from Mongolian to Swahili and I don’t think I would care.
>
> You are right; a lot of the world does speak English in some basic form. But that doesn’t mean we can’t return the favor/show some respect by having people around us who can speak theirs.
What about people that are deaf and only use ASL , do expect them to learn another language . I am very HoH learning another language would had been very hard for me. My dad family came from Russia and they didn’t expect people to speak their language they all learned English . People should not have to known how to speak another language if they don’t want to.
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/25 "2015-07-10T03:39:07Z")
> [@purplehearingaid](#):
>
> What about people that are deaf and only use ASL , do expect them to learn another language . I am very HoH learning another language would had been very hard for me. My dad family came from Russia and they didn’t expect people to speak their language they all learned English . People should not have to known how to speak another language if they don’t want to.
Isn’t English considered “another” language for you? Looks like you learned it pretty well. And I’m sure if we were suddenly required to be bilingual a person would only be expected to read and write another language if hearing is difficult.
I wouldn’t mind English being made our official language, but there would need to be more access to ESL classes if it was.
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/26 "2015-07-10T04:26:46Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#):
>
> I have a pretty low tolerance for people coming to this country and insisting that we speak and/or do business in their native language. English is the official language of this country, and if one is planning on living here, I feel it is incumbent upon everyone to learn it.
And how many Indigenous American languages do you speak?
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/27 "2015-07-10T05:54:43Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#):
>
> So what you are saying, in practical terms, is that when I go to court tomorrow to rep my company in a wrongful termination defense, court could legally be conducted in Serbo-Croatian, Swahili, or Yiddish? That’s disquieting.
You actually have the right to have your part of it go on in any of those languages. The court is required to provide adequate translation and interpretation services.
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### Author:  [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/28 "2015-07-10T06:22:55Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#):
>
> And how many Indigenous American languages do you speak?
I’m quite sure “that’s totally different”.
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### Author:  [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/29 "2015-07-10T09:28:01Z")
Is there any country with a justice system that doesn’t provide translation? I know that when I lived in China, I was told a translator would be provided if I were arrested If arrested on bogus charges, sometimes you can get released by speaking an obscure language such that it’s more trouble than it’s worth to find a translator.
I don’t think you can claim to have a justice system if you routinely put people through it who have no idea what is going on.
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/30 "2015-07-10T09:44:54Z")
Annie-Xmas, where do you get the idea that 85% of the world speaks English? The sources I’ve checked say that about 400 million people speak English as their first language, another 400 to 500 million speak it with near-native fluency but not as their first language, and perhaps a billion can use it to some extent. 85% is way off.
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### Author:  [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/31 "2015-07-10T13:02:30Z")
> [@kayT](#):
>
> …ETA I was unable to access your link about Houston but I don’t think that quote is meant to imply that those are the ONLY languages spoken in Houston schools.
The link works for me.
> [@](#):
>
> Languages spoken in HISD include Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese (Mandarin), Urdu, and Nepali.
The quotation obviously implies that more languages may be spoken. That’s what “include” means. Learning English Comprehension is important!
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### Author:  [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/32 "2015-07-10T13:08:12Z")
How can anyone be required to know a language? Some people can’t read or speak at all. Do we just kick them out of the country?
No one can make you learn any language. If it becomes sufficiently to your advantage for you to try to do so, you probably will.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/33 "2015-07-10T14:57:08Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#):
>
> But then they were very proud to be Americans and I don’t think as many of our more recent ‘residents’ feel that way.
Frankly, I think the second half of this claim is preposterous.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/34 "2015-07-10T16:48:02Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#):
>
> So what you are saying, in practical terms, is that when I go to court tomorrow to rep my company in a wrongful termination defense, court could legally be conducted in Serbo-Croatian, Swahili, or Yiddish? That’s disquieting.
No, what the law says is that people interacting with the court systems must be able to communicate and understand the proceedings. If the person doesn’t understand English then an interpreter must be produced who can help them understand. The same would be true if you were in court and someone testified in Urdu, a translator would need to be provided to help you understand.
It’s also true in some states for election ballets, forms, and other types of government communications.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/35 "2015-07-10T17:30:28Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> I had the argument yesterday with someone who said they shouldn’t “have” to speak English, but I should “have” to speak their language.
I think there is missing information. So, just to get this straight, the person is here, in the US, living as a resident or at least here on an extended stay. And they expect you to be able to speak their non-English native language, right? In what capacity? As an acquaintance? As a bank employee? Or what?
If I was in the US from, say France, I would maybe expect at the main branch of a bank in a major city that they would have someone capable of conversing in French. But just in general? _Non_!
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### Author:  [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/36 "2015-07-10T18:00:59Z")
> [@AnaMen](#):
>
> How can anyone be required to know a language? Some people can’t read or speak at all. Do we just kick them out of the country?
>
> No one can make you learn any language. If it becomes sufficiently to your advantage for you to try to do so, you probably will.
This. And if I read between the lines correctly, someone is ticked off at Mexican immigrants. Or not. But if it’s they who bother you, keep in mind, as AnaMen says, these are NOT educated people. In many many cases, they don’t read their own language, at least not proficiently. Very little education–I mean, some of these people still carry water 2x a day for their basic needs. Those are the people who need to get the hell out of Mexico and who come here.
Maybe I’m completely off base, but I can’t imagine how one teaches a foreign language to someone who can’t even read their own.
Anybody?
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### Author:  [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/37 "2015-07-10T19:20:30Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#):
>
> Maybe I’m completely off base, but I can’t imagine how one teaches a foreign language to someone who can’t even read their own.
>
> Anybody?
Which did you learn first: how to talk, or how to read?
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### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/38 "2015-07-10T19:48:15Z")
I used to work for Medicare in Florida, and we had a dedicated phone line for Spanish-speaking Medicare patients. I never got upset at older people who don’t speak English well. I figure the last stuff you learn in life is the first to go if you get older, so the \*abuelas \*in Miami get a break from me.
HOWEVER, when \*physicians \*complained that we didn’t have Spanish-language phone lines for them, it annoyed the crap out of me. In what language did you take your medical boards? :mad:
My maternal great-grandfather was Prussian, and insisted that his family always speak English when outside of the home. If he found out one of the kids was speaking German, woe undo that child.
It used to be the norm that people learn English when they come here. It should still be. If a business in an area with a lot of immigrants wants to speak the native language to those customers, that’s fine. But don’t force everyone around you to learn your language. I don’t have enough space in my brain for Hindi, Tamil, Mandarin, Russian, Nepali, Burmese, and Spanish (native languages of my coworkers). English is our common language.
ETA: That said, yes, Americans should learn a second language, and spend some time in a foreign country, so they get a little bit of an idea what it’s like to be the person who’s not good at the local language. It’s humbling.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/39 "2015-07-11T15:44:16Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> I think there is missing information. So, just to get this straight, the person is here, in the US, living as a resident or at least here on an extended stay. And they expect you to be able to speak their non-English native language, right? In what capacity? As an acquaintance? As a bank employee? Or what?
>
> If I was in the US from, say France, I would maybe expect at the main branch of a bank in a major city that they would have someone capable of conversing in French. But just in general? _Non_!
They thought that, as a cashier in an American store owned by Hasidic Jews, I should speak Spanish. We have several employees that speak Spanish as a first or second language, and I had one of them talk to her. But she insisted that 'everyone should have to speak Spanish."
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-s-should-people-living-in-america-have-to-known/724659/40 "2015-07-11T16:19:20Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> They thought that, as a cashier in an American store owned by Hasidic Jews, I should speak Spanish. We have several employees that speak Spanish as a first or second language, and I had one of them talk to her. But she insisted that 'everyone should have to speak Spanish."
_Tu eres una idiota_. There, hows that for speaking Spanish, bee-ahtch!! 😃
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