Originally posted by Davo:
Originally posted by MxRacerCam:
jesus davo, are you looking to pick a fight???


Uhhhhhhh.....no moreso than you are. I'm just trying to have a conversation. I'm trying to understand someone's point of view (which I don't do very often) and I'm being accused of 'picking a fight'.

Originally posted by MxRacerCam:
he's saying that people shouldn't have to learn the language of the foreigners who are visiting their country, not that it's a shame if those foreigners don't learn the country they are visiting's language! i think everyone can agree, buy a translation book when you're travelling.
sheesh.


He's saying it's a shame (or he's ashamed of) when Americans talk to people in English when traveling. Yet foreigners shouldn't be expected to speak English WHEN THEY LIVE HERE. Now, you try to explain that to me.

It's not completely ridiculous to assume someone speaks English, especially someone who may work in a tourist hot spot. Having said that, it is less than productive to assume so, but far from being shameful.



When traveling to another country and you dont know the language of course you'll be speaking your native tongue, but he said its a shame when Americans, for ex, try to speak english to non-english speaking people because they dont understand what the American is saying, this usually leads to frustration of both parties mainly the American b/c he cant get his point accross. But, when there are foreigners living in a certain country they dont have to learn or speak that domestic language because they really wont be associating with them socially, the people they seek out is people that speak their own language, so its not really important enough to get time off or waste money to learn the language. Remember, most of the jobs that immigrants take dont require too much communication between them and their bosses that isnt implied in the job.

-ivan c.