When someone moves to your country to live, should they learn to speak your country's language?

He should do whatever he likes!!

I guess he will learn my language anyway,it's natural.

Of course.

Are they living there permanently? Or are they merely posted there for a job? Ideally, it would be helpful to speak the host language...however this is coming from a person who has lived in Hong Kong for nearly 7 years and only speaks a bit of Cantonese.

I think they should, but it shouldn't be mandatory. I lived in Sweden for a while and hardly learned any of the language because everybody I met was practically fluent in English. The daughter of the lady I lived with, her school asked me to come along for the day just to talk the kids so they could hear English from an English person.

Had I gone to stay there for any great length of time, I would have made much more of an effort to learn their language.

Yes and it should be mandatory. if I was going to move to Japan I would learn the language, simple as that.

I think for their own benefit, it would be a good idea. If they don't *need to use it for every day living, then let them be. People who don't speak English, who live in America, don't effect my life any.

I really hate when I call a company and have to press 1 to continue in english.

It's useful for people to learn the language or languages most commonly spoken in a country they're going to live in, or in the city they'll be in, etc. For example, if you're living in the United States, learning English is useful; if it's a part of the United States with a large Spanish-speaking population, then learning Spanish as well is useful. And people may sometimes have problems if they don't learn that language or languages, but I see no point in deliberately adding to those problems.

Yes, and I think it should be mandatory, especially for kids who are in school. A friend and I were just talking about this the other day--her husband works as a translator in the courts, and sees how much it fudges people who don't know the language. Some of the lawyers and other professionals who are bilingual and work with non-English speakers are less than scrupulous because they know the immigrants are at their mercy. While most of the time people can live in neighborhoods where their culture and language are "native," at some point many of them will have to interact with people who only speak English, in the government especially.

It doesn't bother me either way. I think most people who move here would like to learn our language, but for some people learning languages is more difficult than for others. A friend of mine is a natural for learning other languages, but I have a lot of trouble with it. I like hearing different languages and seeing signs in various languages around me.

Yes, but it shouldn't be mandatory. Some people don't have a head for languages and it can be difficult for older people to learn a new language as well.

I'm not a PC lefty. I believe all people in a country need to be able to communicate if barriers are to dissolve. Yes, I believe people who move to a new country should learn the language, but I would not make it manditory. One would think people looking for work would make the effort to be able to at least speak with the person interviewing them for the job.

Yes, but it shouldn]t be mandatory, and I really don't care.

Yes but it shouldn't be mandatory. Should an 84 year old woman need to learn english if she comes over here to be taken care of by her adult children until she dies?

Yes, if they wish to make it their place to live, work, etc.

When I moved to America I had to learn a whole new way of speaking just to keep from getting beaten up on a daily basis. I lost my British accent right away and learned to turn phrases as not to attract attention. I had to learn the correct words for things and not use the English terminology for items.
Nothing makes me more angry than immigrants who want to sidestep this valuable growth experience and just continue to speak their own language!

Absolutely. If I were going to move to say, Germany, I would at least learn German. It's a courtesy. I don't understand why anyone would move to a country and not learn their language. It just doesn't make sense and it's incredibly rude.
I worked in fast food for a while and had to take orders from Mexican people who didn't speak English. That wasn't easy at all.
I had an easier time taking orders from deaf people, at least I can do sign language. That should be taught in schools automatically. The deaf should not be forced to write everything down just because people are too lazy to learn to communicate with them. At least learn the ABCs in ASL.

Where do you live that they would beat you up for having an English accent? That's nuts!

Yes, and it should be mandatory. (I'm a fascist I guess)

I think it is a good idea, but I don't think it should be mandatory. Certainly not for an elderly person. I don't know how they would get around it if they were in school.

Not necessarily, but, for their sake, it would be helpful.

depends. people should do it, but then again, most people for some reason just cluster around other people who speack their language. this happens a lot with spanish speaking people. a lot of them who move here just move to some small town where everyone already speaks spanish. its as if they were still in mexico except under a new government. and its not just them who people do. its a lot of cultral groups and communities. and the worst part is that even when they have kids born here, they teach them their (communites) dominant language over english because its more convient for them. this keeps people from advancing in thier jobs and keeps them from contact with others and dependand way to much on their small comunties. people are just lame like that.

anyway, the only true universal langueage is math. but i doubt this should become huge, considering the number of people worldwide who have problems with and better yet, hate it

YES YES YES YES!!!!!!! I'm all for people moving to other countries to be happy but for gods sake please learn how to speak that language. I could say that if I were to move to another country I would make the effort to learn their language. Not only for my sake, to make it easier for me to survive there but for the sake of others who can only speak their own language. I don't think they should be subjected to having to try and understand what the hell i'm saying in my language.

It should be mandatory, especially because of driving signs and government documents. It's costly to publish things like these in 2,3,4 or more languages.

Welcome to Montana. Where men are men and the sheep are scared.
In 1975 I was beaten after school and at recess...chased, made fun of, harassed and literally scarred for life by the treatment I got from my classmates. I was 8.

Shouldn't be mandatory....but yes. If they are going to deal with people in public.It helps.

Definitely

Isn't Montana where a lot of the anti-government militia's are?

I believe so...but when I lived there I never heard of such a thing.

That's the one thing that REALLY peaves me off about my country.We 'celebrate multiculturalism'. (Aren't we sweet?) That way, they can come here from any country in the world and choke their beliefs down our throat and when it comes right down to it, they don't really have to abide by our laws after all. To Canadians: I submit-remember the case in BC where the Sikh mother& uncle had their daughter murdered FROM CANADA when she married a guy in India that was not of 'her caste'? No matter the outrage and protest from Canadians, nothing was done! They (foreigners) should be made to follow OUR rules/ and speak OUR language. My mother came here with her parents from Ireland. My grandfather nor none of his children came over here and started trying to kill off the Catholic Irish! Piddles me right off!

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Here Here....I totally agree

I think you are referring to the one about learning the language? I hope I didn't sound TOO high-handed. It just happens to be one of my BIG pet peeves. I am so mad about that case in BC too! She seemed to be such a sweet girl!

I live in the USA, and working in retail I have found that when a customer goes to pay or needs help..they can't speak the language (english) BUT.....when they come back to get a REFUND..THEY SPEAK PERFECT ENGLISH...."I WANT MY MONEY BACK"!

Yes, it should be mandatory. When you come to another country, you shouldn't expect it to accomodate to you.

Yes, eventually. It shouldn't be mandatory though.

I am sick of people that live in America but cant speak English. Get out of the country if you cant speak English. The worst is when they are mad that you cant speak their language.

It would be a good idea for them, but I wouldn't like to see any law passed to ensure that it was the case.

however i do feel that the world language should be english

i dont think it is fair for people to come to our country and expect us to accommodate them

Hell F&&k Yeah. If ya can't speak english get the hell out!

Although it's a pity to reduce people's cultural diversity, using (or learning) the language common to the country you live in can be essential to your integration.

When you move to another country, it should be mandatory to adapt to their customs; this of course includes the national language. Though the United States does not enforce this, English in my view is and should be the nation's language. It is only logical for it to be mandatory to learn the common speech.

As a trilingual person who's passion is learning foreign language, I still think that new immigrants should learn the language of the country in which they have settled. Learning a new language only helps a person. It does not cause a person to forget their old language and customs. Immigrants will be more likely to succeed in the job market and be respected by natives of their new country if they can effectively communicate in the vernacular. It is said that communication breaks down many barriers. People can only communicate if they know a common language.

Yes. Why should another country have to accomodate for them? And it would just be for that person, it would have to be for every immigrant who comes to that country. Thus, a country would have to have everything translated a million times.

If I moved to a country that had a different native language, I would feel that I would need to learn it in order to function and have a productive life. People coming here should do the same.

I made this survey because along with my husband and his parents I hear a lot of other Americans complaining about ppl who move here not speaking (American) English, it being our chosen language here.

I have told my husband that I do agree it can be frustrating when speaking to someone and you can't understand them because they have not learned English (and this is different from not being able understand one because of their accent!! When that be the case I tell them not to worry and if I don't understand I will just ask until I do, and they do the same ) But that maybe if our government made it mandatory for those who move here (whether to live or work) they make sure they have classes to attend to learn the language, not for those who complain that they should, but because it would I believe make one more confident living in a country where ppl don't understand you or you them and one would be able to live a better life for many reasons due to understanding and speaking the language.
If I were to move to a non speaking English country I would believe I need to learn their language for myself and others for the reasons I stated above.

Learn it or LEAVE..... :)

Personally, I don't care what they're saying since they obviously don't care what we're saying. If our borders had enforcement of the illegal aliens coming into this country, we wouldn't have to concern ourselves with a language other than English.