新人

Right back at'cha

新人--->proclaims the Chinese (WorldLingo Translator).....not sure what you are proclaiming, but we are glad to have you here

新人 = New person

你好﹗

译者 - http://babelfish.altavista.com/

( I hope that is right )

I though about "Proclaims the Chinese" more and maybe he was asking if anyone speaks Chinese.

译者 at WorldLingo comes up as translator though

It translated fine for me, (I think)

新人 = New Person (Babelfish

你好 = Hello (Babelfish)

译者 = Translator (Babelfish)

/me thinks he'll go write a thesis titled: "Enpowerment by Online Translators".

About a month ago I went into Main street, Flushing Queens, after remembering how it was when I was a kid, I started asking myself questions like, "where am I," China, Korea? If the Koreans, and Chinese wanted to migrate to America, then they should become Americans, speaking our native language, which is English.
Why should I spend years learning how to decipher the kooky Hieroglyphics of immigrants...

well unless they take over and I am forced at gunpoint, then I will do it

Objectively, you could look at it this way, Anthony R...

What if you were to migrate to China or Korea?
Would you not actively seek out people of your own race, knowing that you are able to converse/relate with them?

You need to keep in mind that first generation immigrants do not always integrate into an alien society well, but the offspring of these people will more than likely be able to fit in quite well, given the opportunity.

Until we have tolerance of all races and religions there will always be people who "fear the worst".

What makes you think they want to "take over"?

Remember, every race on earth has it's "bad apples", and an entire race of people should not be tarred with the same brush, even if there are some troublesome members.

If the Koreans, and Chinese wanted to migrate to America, then they should become Americans, speaking our native language, which is English.

????

We were one vote away from speaking Spanish a few centuries ago... I got that from history class.

Listen to the Wreckless one.

que?.....

oui.

ja?

"If the Koreans, and Chinese wanted to migrate to America, then they should become Americans, speaking our native language, which is English."

Anthony:

You're missing the point. They are in business, so if they want to sell to Americans, don't you think it is counterproductive to advertise in a language that Americans can't read? Of course.

Thing is, they don't want to sell to Americans, at least not as focus group. A Korean grocery would go out of business fairly quickly selling only to Americans. We will only eat so much Kim Chee. The Americans that do go to ethnic neighborhoods generally go there FOR the ethnicity. The language makes the place different, genuine.

You can't look at places like Chinatown as if they were the mall. They are really specialty shops for people of that ethnic background, with a sideline as historical tourist attractions for Americans. So, if they spoke/advertised in English, they would alienate their focus group, and make themselves run-of-the-mill to tourists. I pointy-talkie in about 3 or 4ish other languages, and I have a ball in places like that.

Maybe you oughtta stick to whitebread if you are whitebread?


[Message Edited]

Here's my thoughts:

you come to my country, you learn my language, period.

Kona....unbending attitudes demanding some form of social compliance such as learn the lingo or bugger off is probably one darn good reason not to have such a country on a 'desirable destination' list.

Again it sounds so arrogant that people MUST assimilate or leave.

Everyone's world is enriched by diversity...

*sigh*

I am, and always have been, proud to be an American. I am occasionally however, puzzled, frustrated, and even embarassed by the attitude of some of my fellow Americans. Unless you're descended solely from one of the Native American tribes, (whose ancestral tongue is NOT English, by the way ), the vast majority of us in the U.S. of A. are only a few generations removed from being immigrants ourselves.

It's more a quirk of history than some manifest destiny which has resulted in English being the unofficial "official" language of the United States. Given a few reversals of fortune, and we could as easily be speaking one of a few dozen other languages.

I really don't understand this xenophobic fear of those who speak another language or take pride in celebrating the culture and traditions of their ancestors. We take such great pride in portraying ourselves to the world as a land of opportunity and great personal freedom, yet some few of us can be among the most bigoted and jingoistic of any people on earth.

It's bad enough when I see the scorn, suspicion and fear of those who speak another language or have yet to fully master English, the most complicated and least logical language known to man, here in the U.S. What really galls me though, is when I am in another non-English speaking country and hear an American acting rudely and inevitably saying something like, "I don't understand why these idiots can't speak English."

I speak several languages fairly fluently, and can get by, or at least be polite, in several others. I'm not saying this to boast, only to attest that I know how difficult learning those languages was for me. I applaud those who come here and struggle to learn English as a second, or third, or fourth language, and I admire the ones who are proud enough to hold on to their mother tongue as well.

We have engaged over the years in an incredibly successful marketing campaign, selling the US as a land of opportunity and freedom. We need to stand by those principles we flaunt so proudly and embrace those who accept the implied invitation we've extended.

I really don't understand this xenophobic fear of those who speak another language

Not my point. I should have stated it differently. It is fine if you speak another langauge in America as long as you can understand me when I speak. Nothing more fusterating than a langauge barrier to overcome when you need info from someone. I have nothing against non english speaking people.

Go back and read my post again. These ethnic communities don't target English speakers. Normally they make plenty of money within their own community, and the English speaking tourists are gravy. Why should we assume they are seeking our approval?

Kona:

"Nothing more fusterating than a langauge barrier to overcome when you need info from someone."

Supply/demand. They have info, and you can't get it because you aren't motivated enough to know anything but English.


P.S.

I wonder what the odds are of any of us running a successful business in a foreign country with a language handicap?



[Message Edited]

I didn't mean to target you specifically with my post, kona. I got carried away a little because this subject is one of my pet peeves. I have spent more of my adult life outside the borders of the US than within them, and all too often found myself apologizing for the rude behavior of my fellow Americans. It was to those people in general I referred, not any one in particular.

As for the rest of your post though, have you ever tried to learn another language? For some it comes quite naturally, and the younger you are, the easier it is to learn. But for the rest of us, the majority of people, learning another language can be incredibly difficult. And English is arguably the most difficult language of all to learn.

It is the least logical, with more exceptions to grammatical rules than any other language. It is the least phonetic language, with an incredible number of exceptions to pronunciation and spelling rules. Add to that the fact that it draws words from almost every culture on earth, with no true common origin, and that there are more words, period, in English than any other language.

On top of all that, you have only to look at this message board and see how poor is the spelling and grammar of so many. Or try listening to a conversation held by a group that includes natives of Bangor, ME; Long Island, NY; Hamtramck, MI; Valdosta, GA; El Paso, TX; and Los Angeles, CA. (That actually happened to me once - English is my native tongue and I would swear that none of them were speaking it! )

If you take that all into consideration, maybe you could be a bit more patient.
[Message Edited]

I would add that it is in really poor taste to start downing people 'who don't know the language' on a thread that some such person is trying to introduce themselves. I hope they have gotten the impression that such folks are in the minority.

Supply/demand. They have info, and you can't get it because you aren't motivated enough to know anything but English.

Please forgive me. But I want to learn other langauges. Not a question of motivation. It is a question of time and patience.

I would add that it is in really poor taste to start downing people 'who don't know the language' on a thread that some such person is trying to introduce themselves. I hope they have gotten the impression that such folks are in the minority.

It was not my intention to do such a thing although it seems that way.

Please, it may seem I am ignorant, but I am not.

"It is a question of time and patience."

More patience than time, if your participation here is any indication. People who know other languages forgo their 3 hours a night of surfing/flipping channels, others don't.

OK well lets just leave it at that.