Mostly English but
Posted By: Old part-timer on 2008-12-02
In Reply to: Ethnic variety/languages. What's yours? - Zara
My dad's family came to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s but my mom's family came in the late 1800s, one side from Ireland and the other from Germany/Poland. So while we speak English, we use various slang German and Polish words along with some Pennsylvania Dutch.
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English
My spouse and I feel that if you are immigrating into the US, you need to speak English. Of course as an MT I do not like my work being threatened by India (I previously worked in bank customer service, and my company there outsourced 3000 jobs to India and laid off all the US CSRs). My spouse grew up in Detroit which is now classified as a" dead city" with the highest unemployment rate and some of the lowest house values in the nation due to outsourcing of the auto companies to Mexico and many auto parts and steel are now made in Asia.
However, we may even learn Spanish. He is retraining in Nursery and Greenhouse Management and it just makes sense as that will help him manage the laborers. if he ever owns his own biz, we will insist on legitimate papers for every worker.
You can transcribe between two languages from home, just like you do MT from home. Spanish does not pay as much as, say, Arabic (a language I strongly wanted to learn) but there is more demand for it and it is easier to learn for an English speaker (and if we all get lucky, our overseas Middle East involvement will cease and there will be no more need for transcription of Arabic to English. Somehow I don't think we will get that lucky).
What gets me is people who move here and still do not speak the language after 5 or 10 years!!!
I would not even visit another country as a TOURIST without studying the language for months ahead of time if there was not a lot of English spoken there, and I would study some of the indigenous language anyway. It's just a sign of respect.
I think it is going to be to our benefit to be bilingual but I don't see us ever not having at least some ambivalence about the people we speak it to (but I think we will meet some good people as well).
English
Immigrated in the 1600s.
The English Patient
What can I say except I adore Ralph?? :-) Sigh...
Press One For English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEJfS1v-fU0
English as a Second Language - nm
nm
When she asked if I spoke English, I would...
have said, "No, I don't, but thanks for asking" and hung up.
You do read English, correct?
It says the son does NOT want these people at his wedding. It is the son and the woman he is marrying, not the grandmother. HELLO!
And don't forget to press 1 for English - or is it 2?
nm
This is America. Learn English.
Why does this country make it so easy for them NOT to learn English? This Is America. My grandparents who came from Italy learned English. They weren't "catered to" in Italian. Now it's.... Press 1 for English 2 for Spanish. Instructions to anything are given in both English and Spanish. Signs all over are in written in Spanish. We make it easy for them. Why should they learn English. Because they spend money in this country. Is that why? They should make an effort to learn the language spoken here. JMO
Thoughts? Not to mention when you try to make a service call, you get someone from India you can barely understand. Outsourcing, what a beautiful thing. NOT.
I teach English as a volunteer.
While there are immigrants here who do not choose to actively pursue learning the language via formal means, there are many who do. We have a waiting list of up to 12-14 months due to class space restrictions and a lack of volunteers. English is not an easy language to learn, and it takes time.
Why do I have to "press 1," (or, worse yet, 2) for English...
..
Hands down....The English Patient
Absolutely the worst movie I have ever seen.
Again, about the English part, listen closely
The mother of the groom is saying the grandmother is calling and giving threatening messages. I would not give a rats behind I would not want to even invite her if she cannot control her anger. It is THEIR wedding, not the grandmothers, not the mothers, but THEIRS. People send out messages by what they say- the mother says the grandmother is threatening. Why don’t you invite the grandmother somewhere??? Oh really sounds like someone I would like to come to my wedding, NOT!
well your english/grammar/punctuation/spelling
Who would want your rudeness around their children or good neighbors anyway? Since you seem to be just a judgmental person, perhaps there is some utopia somewhere for the likes of folks like you....hmmmmm? We wouldn't want you in the city nor the country as neighbors of our family, that's for sure, and WE DON'T IMBIBE...so there!
Rudeness and hate is taught in the home - now we know how it was for you.....poor thing....
My last fortune cookie was written in English...sm
on one side and Spanish on the other!
The only people who spoke English were the recruiters.
They micromanage A LOT.
I can't get to the company board...
English Toffee--super easy
You can put down any kind of nuts you want--if you want in a raised-sided cookie sheet.
Cook 1# of butter and 1# of brown sugar plus a little vanilla to hardball stage (I put a little in a cup of cold water and if it is crunchy, it is done).
Quickly pour into cookie sheet because it is easy to burn. Scatter one bag of chocolate chips on top and wait to melt a little before speading across the top.
Everyone loves it and it is pretty easy to make. Once it cools, you break it into pieces.
my family's been here since before the revolutionary war and we speak English
:)
100% English, all sides of family, all members. nm
x
And when they speak English, it is perfectly clear. Just go
NM
What? Give me a break!. This is because you can only speak English!...nm
nm
I'm complaining to the English reps. pronto! No way this woman should
s
My 14yr old is reading Animal Farm now for English
It is quite wierd. I really don't want to watch Kid Nation but am sometimes drawn to those kind of shows.
Hilarious/scary Chinese-->English Learning Aid...sm
Since language is "our thing" - and particularly ESL - I thought you'd like to get a head start on what to expect from future Chinese dictators. Get a load of these Chinese-to-English learning blocks (I'll post this as an URL you can paste into your browser since some are reluctant to click on links):
http://peer-see.com/blog/chumble-spuzz/2006/07/09/
I suggest we practice by forming sentences, such as: "The patient is a construction worker who was operating a navvy when a crustacea flew into the cab. Mistaking it for a darning needle, he swatted at the crustacea and lost control of the navvy, which crashed. Unfortunately, he was not wearing a safety armet at the time and was knocked unconscious..."
Don't be a jerk. Most of us were lucky enough to be born into English speaking families.
x
Yardley London English Lavender Hair Brilliantine for Men...sm
that's a real old-timey one and they still make it...I remember my grandfather used it....just go in and Google Yardley. Better yet, if you can find a real old barber ask what he's used on cutomers over the years...Good luck. Cat
I switch between soy saugage on whole wheat english muffin and yogurt or
fresh fruit with yogurt and Bare Naked granola. Coffee of course.
People in other countries do not chose to learn English, they HAVE to learn it in school
for a period of 8 to 12 years.
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