Language Barrier

[Minuteman]

What a can of worms.

Iranian immigrants want Farsi-language Oklahoma driver's license testing

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
4/1/2008 6:29 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The federal government is investigating whether the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety violated the civil rights of Iranian immigrants by refusing to provide them with driver's license tests in their native Farsi language.

What about other languages? How may hundreds of languages are there? Is the state required to provide material for all languages?

If someone can't read enough English to pass the drivers test, then maybe they can't read enough English to drive??? :-?

I'm just saying...

 

[ITO]

Every time I go to Japan, I get the same thing, they really appreciate any Japanese you can speak and with all the signs in Romanji it?s it very easy to get around without a guide. It?s amazing how fast they warm up when you correct them and say ?baka Texasjin? would be a more appropriate name than ?baka gijin? and then throw in some humility and thank them; the next thing you know they are buying you beer and toasting ?Kampai?. Yeah good times?

 

[gdoggs13]

Ignorance

Ignorance

Hey BackInThe Habit...

Mexican is not a language. Also, not all spanish speakers on job sites are Mexican. Open your eyes and stop stereotyping

 

[frenchelectrican]

What does Ductor mean in Fench? Dict says doctor but there are other meanings (I only got 1 free translation, didnt want to subscribe to the site).

m?decin = Doctor [ But keep in your mind some area may interurpet it diffrent than this one { this is in France verison. Quebec is little diffrent }]

sorry for delay.

Merci,Marc

 

[Sparky555]

A Personal Request: Please keep your politics, and personal feelings out of this one. Just the facts at hand please. Thank you. :smile:


Have you learned Spanish?


I feel very limited sometimes in the construction industry, both on construction sites and residential service work, by not being able to speak spanish.

Today was a good example. I koncked on the door and informed the tennant that the power was to be shut down for several hours while we replaced the service. I'm sure he didn't understand what I had said and told my apprentice as much. By the time I'd cut off the power he'd made his way to the side yard with a confused look on his face, then understanding as he put two and two together.


Along with all the other skills that are required to work in this trade do you feel this is going to become another necessary tool or skill needed to be succesfull?


What are your experinces?

After reading all the other posts I needed a reminder about the original.

If my clients were Hispanic, I might get serious about learning Spanish. I can speak a little, read a little, but when they speak it's way too quick for me. I've worked alongside Hispanic crews & picked up some phrases, more Spanglish than Spanish. I did it more to be friendly than out of necessity.

The crews I've seen have a bilingual foreman and the crew speaks little or no English. If I wanted a Hispanic crew I'd look for that key bilingual foreman. One of the major issues with learning any other language is most of the classes will be in traveler-visiting language. My wife had a class in Spanish that ended up geared toward most of the other classmates---landscaping Spanish, not Manufacturing Spanish that she needed. Finding a class in Electrical Spanish would be double-tough.

Dave

 

[BackInTheHabit]

Hey BackInThe Habit...


Mexican is not a language. Also, not all spanish speakers on job sites are Mexican. Open your eyes and stop stereotyping

This is what I wrote:
I think if you are wiring a lot of new residential homes with mexican speaking tradesman (i.e: framers, drywallers, painters) it would be beneficial to you. I haven't seen many of these tradesmen on commercial jobs.

I had a mexican that, who spoke English quite well, teach me some basic Spanish to use on the job. If you learn certain words or phrases it helps.


My error, should have said Spanish speaking.

I never said that all Spanish speakers on job sites were Mexican. Don't assume that I did. I have run into several other nationalities.

My apologies if I offended you or others in any way, not my intention.

BTW: Try to be a little more polite on your next post.

 

[tonyou812]

I took spanish for 4 years and Greek for 9 yrs. I really learned spanish when I was a cook. It was necassary in NYC, there the white dude is the minority. I really like it when they dont think I speak it and I catch them saying things and laugh with them...

 

[Texhunter7]

If they cannot speak or read english then may i ask how they are going to read our road signs that are in english to drive around our country. Why should i learn another language when they are coming to this country i am not in their country. Sorry if i spoke to bluntly but it get's real old dealing with ignorance.

 

[cadpoint]

Maybe someone could teach English to cadpoint, even southern would do....

There's always the ignore user(s) in your personal settings !

I was born a southern gentleman, I'm over it!

I have a handbook "Construction Spanish" , Spanish terms commonly used on construction projects and their English translations, Elevent Edition 2000.
National Center for Construction Education and Research www.nccer.org
seems to have started this way back when.

The funny thing is another firm holds the copyright that owns this site www.constructionspanish.com interesting. the handbook is here!