Tennessee judge forcing immigrant mothers to learn English!

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Adagio


That would be "too late"... making them learn english now makes it easier to learn other things at school. If you start going to some english school without understanding english at all you will quickly get far behind the others in class

So can we make it mandatory for them to give their kids educational toys?

Look, we've got mandatory education for kids from 1st grade or Kindergarten (?) If we want mandatory education earlier, well lets mandate that and fund it.

I doubt that ESL (engiish as a second language) is as big a drain on resources for kids coming to Kindergarten with no English, as it is for new immigrant kids coming in at later ages with no English.

OTOH, intense English education for new immigrants would be a good idea. But hardly needs to be mandatory - build it, they will come.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Ramo
You do realize that people who can only speak obscure languages no one can translate are very unlikely to be the sole witness to a murder, right? Furthermore, you realize that a person who is forced to learn English could get discouraged and has to move back to his/her home country (leaving no witnesses to the murder!), right?

It doesn't have to be that obscure. Just try to have someone from China move to some small town in DK where nobody is around who understands chineese (AND speaks english or danish)... Here where I live there are very few around who both speaks chinese and danish/english

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

What if this foreign guy moves to some place where there's nobody else who speaks his language? Then the mentioned situation could happen

So what? He's allowed to speak what he wants to speak.

Would you think the same if you are the person who's about to go to death row for a murder you didn't commit, knowing that this guy who have lived as your neighbor for 20+ years doesn't understand english is the only who can get you out, but he's not able to do it because he can't communicate with anyone?

[Ramo]

It doesn't have to be that obscure.

The point is that such a situation is insanely unlikely.

Just try to have someone from China move to some small town in DK where nobody is around who understands chineese (AND speaks english or danish)... Here where I live there are very few around who both speaks chinese and danish/english

Then they can find a translator in Copenhagen if this absurdly unlikely situation happens.

[Adagio]

In Copenhagen yes, here no!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Would you think the same if you are the person who's about to go to death row for a murder you didn't commit, knowing that this guy who have lived as your neighbor for 20+ years doesn't understand english is the only who can get you out, but he's not able to do it because he can't communicate with anyone?

So what? He's allowed to speak what he wants to speak.

And are you telling me there are no translators around? And what do I know he saw if I can't ask him?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe
What next, suggesting 3 square meals?

Oh the humanity!

[Ramo]

In Copenhagen yes, here no!

Then this witness of yours who's in your small town who can only speak a language for which there exists absolutely no community (what, exactly, is he doing there, I wonder? how does he work?) can find a frickin Mandarin speaker in Copenhagen.

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by Ramo

Furthermore, you realize that a person who is forced to learn English could get discouraged and has to move back to his/her home country (leaving no witnesses to the murder!), right?

That would be bad how?

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
So? It prevents them from preventing you from saying certain things - it doesn't say they can't make you also say certain other thing

Actually it does.

[Adagio]

AFAIK there's no translaters around this place who can most languages in the world (that is in several translators, not just one)

But the thing is I don't see WHY you should even use translators for people who have lived in some foregn country for 20+ years.
Why did they move to a foreign place if they don't want to try to learn to be able to communicate with the locals... they should at least try to learn it
I don't like the fact that 25% (or probably more) of foreigners who have lived in this city for 20+ years haven't even tried to learn danish.
Because they can't understand danish (or english) they're not able to get a job and if they can't get a job it's the government who has to give them money so they can live, and as you all know it's the taxes we pay that goes to this. I don't see no reason why I should pay money to someone so he/she can live, but wont even try to make it possible to get a job so he/she can pay it back some day

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Last Conformist

That would be bad how?

Beats me. Maybe Ramo likes people living in ghettos.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Ramo
what, exactly, is he doing there, I wonder?

I'm wondering the same thing

Originally posted by Ramo
how does he work?

He doesn't

[chequita guevara]

In the U.S., it's a time honored tradition of 0-gen immigrants to not be able to speak English, while their children can speak both languages, because they learn English at school. It's much easier for children to learn new languages than for children to do so. The mohter doesn't need to learn English, her kid will learn it at school and be able to speak both as an adult.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Adagio
AFAIK there's no translaters around this place who can most languages in the world (that is in several translators, not just one)

But the thing is I don't see WHY you should even use translators for people who have lived in some foregn country for 20+ years.
Why did they move to a foreign place if they don't want to try to learn to be able to communicate with the locals... they should at least try to learn it
I don't like the fact that 25% (or probably more) of foreigners who have lived in this city for 20+ years haven't even tried to learn danish.
Because they can't understand danish (or english) they're not able to get a job and if they can't get a job it's the government who has to give them money so they can live, and as you all know it's the taxes we pay that goes to this. I don't see no reason why I should pay money to someone so he/she can live, but wont even try to make it possible to get a job so he/she can pay it back some day

My father in law, may he rest in peace, was never really even conversational in English, much less fluent. AFAIK he supported his family from his work from the time he arrived till he retired. He came to the US in order to be safe from the dangers his family faced in eastern europe circa 1956, and to have a better future. Of his seven children, 5 are quite fluent in English, and the other are two are conversational. All the males are employed, and the two daughters have been at various points, and their husbands are. Id say my father in law achieved his goal.