Thread: Bilingual requirement unfair to U.S. citizens who speak Engl

Bilingual requirement unfair to U.S. citizens who speak English
Paul Manning - El Paso
July 5, 2007
You better believe I feel the impact of immigration. Many job openings in El Paso require applicants to be bilingual. I am confident that I am qualified to do all the jobs I have applied for, but often I have not gotten an interview. I believe it is because I cannot speak Spanish fluently. It is amazing that otherwise qualified applicants are passed up because they don't speak a foreign language in their own country.

There are many times that I have asked for assistance at a local business and the employee can't or won't help because he or she does not speak English. What part of the job requirement was fulfilled when those applicants who speak only Spanish got hired?

It is unfortunate that some may label me racist if I expect immigrants to learn English. I can't even get the jobs that so many say Americans don't want to do because I don't speak Spanish.

How many foreign countries can we go to and expect that menus, television shows and billboards will be written in English? If we demanded such a requirement, we would only exacerbate the stereotype of "arrogant Americans." Immigrants chose to come here. We didn't ask them.

My great-grandparents were immigrants who learned English. It's sad that the country I was born and raised in has made jobs easier for illegal immigrants to get than for people who were educated here, respect U.S. traditions and served in our military.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/07/ ... requi.html

Gee, perhaps that's discrimination on the basis of origin...America!

You are being discrimiated against because you speak English!

This is just all part of the Plan de Aztlan.

While in Hawaii, I had trouble finding a job since I didn't speak Japanese. I was told that an employer could require an employee to speak a second language due to business requirements.

You are a disadvantaged worker and should be supplied a governmental mandated Spanish class and until you pass , you should be supplied an interpreter at your place of work to handle your disability until you graduate.

Meanwhile , in my neck of the woods today---

http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... /ADVSEARCH

Buffalododger, welcome. Glad to have another NWesterner here. I live in the Portland Metro area, suburbs though. My grandmother and grandfather were both from Chelan and Douglas counties (Fosters and Hoffs).

Anywho, this issue of the "migrant" workers being told to camp out in the store parking lots, good luck on that, you know they will make a disaster area out of it, hope the city at least put out port-a-potties!!!

Here in my area, it is year round since it is a larger population, and there are many nurseries nearby, as well as landscaping companies. Makes neighborhood so.......colorful!

Stay on with us, we can use the help and I love having more people from my neck of the woods. Bring more with you too.

I have experienced this type of DISCRIMINATION directly. When I moved to El Paso years ago I had a very hard time finding a job. I felt I was also qualified for the positions and applied anyway. When I arrived to fill out the application it stated that they preferred bilingual applicants! There were also some jobs that stated your language skills would be tested!

I also have experienced direct discrimination from my own race! I am hispanic and when I tell other hispanics I do not speak spanish I am met with the Why Not , your hispanic aren't you. I have even been told that I was brown on the outside and white on the inside!!! Does that not sound racist!

These employers need to provide positions for english only applicants, it is not fair to me an American citizen that I be required to learn a foreign language in my own country just so that I can become employed

Welcome buffalododger!

We really have an effort on our hands here in Washington State. Particularly since we have a gov. and senators and Mayor Nickels who all seem to believe in sanctuary policies.

Try getting a job in Miami, Fl!!!! I have an AMERICAN friend, who, although bilingual, couldn't get a job, even though, no one, IMHO, could have done her job better! BUT, she's AMERICAN. I told her she should fight the discrimation in court...but she was too busy trying to find a' job that AMERICANS won't do', so she could feed her family and thus, survive.

blkkat99,

Wow! I'd take a hidden tape recorder to your interviews. I think some of their probably unlawful comments might pay for your children's 1st year in college or help fund your retirement!

Steve, great idea, maybe next time I'm looking I will...however if you look in the El Paso times job section you will see many jobs requiring you to be bilingual. Not sure much will change in the border states especially. Might need to be a class action law suits to get this type of discrimination done away with!

I've decided that the second language I will be using is Swedish as that is my ancestory.

I might of chosen Spanish until now, but since it has being crammed down everyone's throat, I am not going to learn that language on purpose. It's still a free country and we can choose what second language we want to learn.

When someone speaks Spanish to me I will speak Swedish and we will Not be communicating because I choose not to, unless we use hand signals and I have some favorites I like to use.