Thread: Skirmishes at work now over language

...and anyone who lives in Florida knows and can tell you of the employment descrimination here against American citizens who do NOT speak Spanish. It's practically required across the board now to get hired almost anywhere professionally.

Originally Posted by LegalUSCitizen

Incidences such as these are becoming RAMPANT in Florida. The American workers are SICK and TIRED of having to figure out WHAT IN THE HECK the person is trying to say to them in person and on the phone.

There is ENOUGH stress on the American worker and this is only making it WORSE.

George Bush doesn't have a CLUE as to the added stress he has placed upon the American people from this lack of immigration enforcement and FAILURE to STRONGLY advocate for people to assimilate.

He just lets the burden fall on the American worker.

Oh just gotta love Florida. I yell at parents quite frequently for putting me here. Their excuse is of course it was not always like this. Unfortunately we are a very family oriented group and I have my parents and 4 siblings here so until the whole group decides to up and leave I will stay. We keep moving further up the state every few years but it just follows us like a wave.

This was years ago that my husband worked in Miami. He set up people with medical equipment for respiratory illnesses. I cannot tell you how many times he got grief because he did not speak spanish and they did not speak English. They would get downright angry and rude. This was many years ago and I am sure it is much, much worse now. I have not been that far south in years and never will go back. I am on a slow northward trek.

I've heard the arguments several times lately that we (Americans) should learn Spanish to avoid communications errors in critical or emergent situations. The better solution is for others to learn English for the same reasons. I mean, really, there are who knows how many languages spoken in this country--many perhaps just in homes or local communities. Should we be required to all know Farsi and Hmong not to mention Russian, Arabic, etc. for emergency situations? NO. The only way society our functions is for one language to be spoken at at least a basic level by everyone or nearly everyone. As for those who would refuse to learn, I would say--well, I hope you're never in an emergent situation where it might make a difference--perhaps even a life or death difference.

In your trekking Northward, when you hit NC be prepared to be called either a "FlorIdiot" or a "Halfback" LOL.
We are in the process of planning a move ourselves and just got back from looking in North Carolina.

Originally Posted by dlm1968

Oh just gotta love Florida. I yell at parents quite frequently for putting me here. Their excuse is of course it was not always like this. Unfortunately we are a very family oriented group and I have my parents and 4 siblings here so until the whole group decides to up and leave I will stay. We keep moving further up the state every few years but it just follows us like a wave.

This was years ago that my husband worked in Miami. He set up people with medical equipment for respiratory illnesses. I cannot tell you how many times he got grief because he did not speak spanish and they did not speak English. They would get downright angry and rude. This was many years ago and I am sure it is much, much worse now. I have not been that far south in years and never will go back. I am on a slow northward trek.

This topic really strikes a chord with me. I am overwhelmed with this problem and the percentage of stress increase it places on me in the workplace is too significant to let it go.

About three weeks ago while at my job, I could not for the life of me understand a man when he was telling me his name. I asked him to repeat it two times and unfortunately it was not enough. I felt very bad and I politely said, "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you to say it again." The man literally SCREAMED very close to my face, "SPEAK SPANISH !!" I thought I was going to die. Thoughts raced through my head. I felt that I would like to walk off my job and just go home.

I was aware that there were two men standing behind him, but I was in such a "state", that I did not want to look at them. I was doing everything to keep my composure. I walked away and picked up a pad and a pen went directly to the man and firmly said, "NO, I WILL SPEAK ENGLISH.....YOU WRITE DOWN YOUR NAME HERE....IN ENGLISH!!"

He took the pen and proceeded to do as I had said. I then looked at the two men, who were glaring at this man, in a way as though they were about to grab him by the shirt. I thought God, please keep help them to keep their composure too. I think that when they saw that I had been able to handle the incident that they calmed down.

It was a TERRIBLE moment, and when it was all over, do you know who I thought of ? President Bush. I felt like I wanted to say to him, "President Bush, I feel that you are responsible for this !!"

It may seem minor, but the two men would tell you it was not. I was afraid we were going to need the police. It was serious, it was scarey, it was humiliating, and it was extremely stressful.

Of course it is stressful. It has been like this in Florida since the Cuban boat lift in '86 when they were granted amnesty then and still are. If they step foot on American soil they are in. It is not a minor inconvenience it is a major rip in the fabric of this Nation. I must hand it to you though. If one of them got in my face and screamed I know at this stage of the game I would not have backed down. I am just a little 5'1, 125 pound woman but I know I would not back down. I am fighting for the future of my children and I cannot lose.

In your trekking Northward, when you hit NC be prepared to be called either a "FlorIdiot" or a "Halfback" LOL.
We are in the process of planning a move ourselves and just got back from looking in North Carolina.

As long as I am an American and they say it in English they can call me whatever they like.

I know little spanish and I REFUSE to use it. However, if hear someone saying something nasty about or to me, you should see their eyes when I shoot something back at them. They are bullies and if you stand up to them they will usually back down. They are getting pretty ballsy here lately, mistaken kindness for weakness, shame they are in for a RUDE awakening.

Truer words, VIRGINIA

Anybody know if there is an "official language' for Air Traffic Control?

Yes, loservillelabor, it's English. But ATC's have complained about the fact that the pilots and air traffic controller's often misunderstand each other and often the pilot will do something different from what the ATC tells him to do.

But that is with international flights, so I don't know if there's an answer for that.