English in all U.S. businesses?

I was running a few errands today, couldn't help noticing how many of the employees, speaking Spanish. Maybe its one thing talking Spanish to a customer but when its employee to employee, I say, use English or run the risk of being fired. Wait, I know.....then the ACLU will get involved for firing that employee (lol).

The employee should get a warning or two, then fired !! and I dont care if its a Mexican-American business owner that needs to do the firing. I also dont care if the business has a TOTAL of 37 workers...... all Mexican-Americans. ENGLISH ONLY PLEASE.

Ken

Sorry - I disagree.

Belgium has two languages (neither English) and if you go to Brussels both are present on road signs etc. Some international companies use English as their official language but you will hear people of both sides use their own language when working together. Obviously at meetings English is used.

I have also noted if shopping late that shelf stackers in Asda (Walmart) are often talking to each other in their native language.

What I do think is wrong is where (say) the official language is English and there is a mixed group, either working together or at official meetings, that there is communication on anything but English between two people.

Quote: charliepatrick

Belgium has two languages (neither English) and if you go to Brussels both are present on road signs etc.

There is a comedy technique that Steve Allen used under the title "The Question Man" and Johnny Carson used as "The Amazing Karnac". The routine is that a very simple answer is offered, with Allen or Carson providing a matching and humorous question or request. One such A&Q went like this:

A: Blemish
Q: Name one of the two national languages of Felgium.

One of my colleagues was a native of Belgium. Upon hearing the above quip, he enlightened me that there are actually three national languages in Belgium, not just French and Flemish -- in a small section of the country the primary official language is German.

Back on topic, I agree that in a multi-language work group it is preferable to stick to a language that everyone understands. There are exceptions, such as when some participants have limitations in the chosen language and can work more effectively when they have side conversations in their native tongue. This, however, presents the risk that some others (who do not know the language of the side discussion) may feel, rightly or with paranoia, that the side discussions are intended to hide something from the other members of the group.

Thirty years ago, I worked briefly on a team doing a project for the US Embassy in Cairo. At that time, the Cairo embassy had the largest staff of any US embassy in the world, but they only had one American citizen on their staff who spoke Arabic. She found herself called on to sit in on many meetings with the Egyptian nationals, because her managers were concerned (paranoid?) about what was going on in the side conversations they could not understand.

I suspect a similar paranoia is the cause of many of the problems that arise in situation such as that described by the OP, whether that was the case in his specific experiences or not.

Oh, please. My dad often spoke Yiddish with my brother, and they owned the business. Likewise my mom and grandmother.

In a meeting with employees who speak mostly english, business should be conducted in English, sure. But any employer woudl realize that. There's no need to pile on more regulations.

Quote: mrjjj

The employee should get a warning or two, then fired !! and I dont care if its a Mexican-American business owner that needs to do the firing. I also dont care if the business has a TOTAL of 37 workers...... all Mexican-Americans. ENGLISH ONLY PLEASE.

Ken

So you are overhearing a conversation that doesn't concern you, and it bothers you that it's not in a language you understand. And you think that firing employees is the proper response for taking away your ability to eavesdrop.

I don't know if you caught my post, that the USA has now passed the country of Spain to be the country with the second largest Spanish speaking population in the world (behind Mexico). This announcement was made by a representative of the government of Spain.

Quote: pacomartin

So you are overhearing a conversation that doesn't concern you, and it bothers you that it's not in a language you understand. And you think that firing employees is the proper response for taking away your ability to eavesdrop.

I don't know if you caught my post, that the USA has now passed the country of Spain to be the country with the second largest Spanish speaking population in the world (behind Mexico). This announcement was made by a representative of the government of Spain.

"And you think that firing employees is the proper response" >>> Yes, next question?

Ken