Speak the Right Language – AC Exclusive Rant 

(I was going to leave a comment in Spanish, but I'm too lazy to translate it. =P)

Very nice article/rant.

El autur es una concha.

Well... I left you a comment, but it went off into the ether. I am sure it will show up later. I really hate this current AC glitch...

I think he's right, if you want to live in a country, you have to learn the language.

He's right about living in the country, but he says he works in retail. People from other countries visit the US, you know. And sure, you can have a travellers dictionary, but what use is it when you don't know how to properly pronounce the words? I know from experience that a travelling dictionary is not always useful. I once had to act out "how much is this water?" because the salesperson didn't understand what I was saying (even though I'd looked it up) and he didn't speak any English. Embarrassing, I can tell you :) So yes, learn the language if you plan on living there. But salespeople should know other languages, too.

great comment, DrD. i agree there, but coming from Vancouver where an enormous percentage of the population lists something other than English (or French, the other official Canadian language) as their first language, i see where the author is coming from. it's a huge problem in my city, and it's really really frustrating. there's a huge difference between not having the resources to learn a language, and simply not bothering to make the effort. it's usually fairly easy to tell which is which.

There is no official language nationwide in the US.

I left a comment too. :)