I dont understand the idea of a Presidential debate in Spanish either.
To be a US citizen and have the right to vote, a person must already know English!
It's the law.
Every time I see those debates I think that maybe both Parties are registering non-Americans to vote!
I wonder?????

I dont think he's saying that mirror, but the avg European can not speak multiple languages either!

As a Ukrainian immigrant, I speak three different languages.
German, Russian, and English. I'm not bragging, its just a fact!

Good job!
Welcome to America

Does anyone on here realize the distance from London to Baghdad is less than from NY City to LA, Calif?
How many different National Languages are there in the distance from London to Iraq?
How many from NY to LA?

How many major wars have happened in the distance from London to Baghdad in the last 200 yrs?
How many major wars have happened in the distance from NY to LA in the last 200 years!

There has to be something said about the one language, United States thing we have going on here!

interesting

The Republican Party = The Amnesty Party

The problem is when we go to another country people want us to learn their language, but when they come to our country they dont want to learn ours. Plain and simple you want to go to a country you learn the language. That includes the US. If people dont want to speak our language to our citizens, THEN STAY OUT.

Yeah, you can schmooze the cuties in two different languages ... lucky swine ...

Good to see you Bud.

I personally think that learning languages helps give you an understanding of culture as well as speech.

I would sue my parents (if it would get me anywhere) for taking me out of language classes.

As a European, I NEED to speak other languages.

But the languages the world needs to learn now are no longer French or German, but Mandarin, Russian and Arabic.

Because we need to understand the culture before we ignorantly do something stupid

Mandarin, and Arabic could be very useful!

Err ... yes they can

The Dutch can speak at least 2 (they refuse to speak German unless they have to - but that would be 3)
The Swiss at least 3, sometimes 4 and even 5
Germans speak English too
The French (when they have to speak two)
Spaniards learn English
The Scandinavians speak better English than anyone else in the world as well as other Scandi languages
The Belgians can speak 3 ... need I go on?

The only European country that has very little language exposure in any other language apart from English, is the United Kingdom.

Most people speak enough English to make themselves understood.

You just have to be patient enough with them so that they will try.

I knew most required English in their schools, but most avg Germans I met can barely speak it at all, or any other language. I cant remember many French that could speak much English either!

I did check just now though, and found that 53% of the Europeans can speak at least two languages, while Americans are 9%. I dont think that is bad considering we dont need to as much as the Europeans do!
I also wonder about the accuracy of that 9% since many people speak Spanish here!

I do agree with you on the point that it does help to understand the culture a little better.

My High School here teaches Spanish, French, German, and Latin. Also those that are in their 3rd year of that language go to the primary school (pre-k thru 3rd) and tutor the children in the language they are learning.

I think it's a great idea to learn a new language. But as I said before, having it forced on me (especially when I already speak the main language) is not something I would agree to.

But I agree that if I went to a different country with a different language, I would learn the language so I could understand the people better and be able to communicate with them as well. That being said, I think it is only fair for people who come to live in America to learn our language as well.

Im thinking that number would improve a lot if we spoke a different language in every state like in the EU!
What do you think?

Think they already do, Just talk to someone from Lousianna

The majority of Germans who are under 50 do speak some English. The younger a person gets and the location of their birth place in Germany dictates how much.

I work for a German company in Egypt and the majority of the customers speak enough English that I can communicate complicated physics theories to, with the aid of a manual, pictures and some very slow speaking.

Not to have a dig at only Americans (because we Brits are as bad) but having the attitude that "let them learn our language" is very short sighted.
Europe is the richest continent on the planet (just ask the Swiss) and to plunder that wealth, the seller and buyer must have a common language.

From my experience, even the smallest amount of another person's language puts them at ease, as it shows you have made the effort.

For example, my arabic is limited to the numbers, please, thank you, can I have the bill please, and the salutations needed to wish people a good day, good morning and see ya'

But you should see the smiles it brings to people's faces when I try it. They almost fall over themselves with joy that I have taken time to learn their language.

Its just in my experience.

As a child you are a sponge. You absorb so much information.

If French, German and Spanish were all taught from 7 years old to you, you would learn them by default.

They would be as natural to you as learning 1+2=3

The "They must learn my language" thing is also a worry. First generation immigrants (be they legal or otherwise) will struggle to learn the language.
But their children will learn English as its the only way they will survive.
It will happen.

English is an easy language to speak.

You only need 800 words of English to be understood in most simple situations. You can butcher it and we English speakers will understand

German, you need 1500

and Castillian Spanish you need 2500!!

But to speak it properly, English is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn.

There are millions of grammatical rules that only apply in certain situations.

We have to learn them all to be able to speak or write properly.

In this situation, German becomes easier.

You learn a rule and 95% of the time it applies.

In English its, you learn a rule and then you learn the exceptions (which are numerous)

For example ... I before E, except after C (and except when you feel like it)
How many exceptions are there to THAT rule

I personally think that Spanish should be taught in every school from age 7 in every US school.

Your neighbours in the South (and I dont just mean the Mexicans) pretty much all speak Spanish.

I know Brazillians speak Portuguese, but Spanish would cover the majority of Central and South America.

I'm still trying to perfect the first lingle before moving to a second lingle.