Speak English! Options

[radhikaeatsraman]

Okay, here's the deal. Hosing (known as Hosing Yu in chat) works in retail twice a week. He will sometimes get customers who don't know English or even bother trying to speak it. It gets him pretty annoyed, and I can see where he's coming from. Yen, on the other hand, believes we shouldn't be angry or irritated with these people and try to be understanding.

I believe that while in the United States, you should at least make the effort to speak English, even if it's not the best. If you don't want to do that, stick with someone who can speak it. Don't go up to people expecting them to speak whatever language. Yes, this is the US, and yes, there are many different cultures here, but there is one language that unites us; that language is ENGLISH. I wish some people would just realize that.

[AngelinaTaylor]

You must understand that sometimes, you'll bump into people who have recently arrived in the country. Which means, they probably won't know English that much. Will you really get mad at them? Do you know how hard it is? I had to come to Canada three years ago knowing next to nothing. I came home from school crying, almost every day, because I couldn't understand what the hell people were saying to me. It takes time, and it's definitely not as easy as you think.

My point is, don't get angry at people who don't know English. I'm almost completely certain that most immigrants at least make an effort. My dad's the worst.. he knew NO English whatsoever, because all he studied in Bulgaria was French. But he speaks it relatively well now. And you should know that adults have a VERY hard time learning a new language. It's much easier done when you're young.