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The Riddler
Triglot
Newbie
United States
Joined 4338 days ago
12 posts - 16 votes
Speaks: English*, Hindi, Telugu
Studies: French, German
| Message 33 of 58 31 January 2013 at 4:07am | IP Logged |
Presidio wrote:
The Riddler wrote:
I disagree with the post above mine about how conversing with Spanish monolinguals
could give you limitless opportunities. Without overgeneralizing, the major
opportunities you could get are in the medical treatment field (lot of Spanish-only
patients) or certain blue-collar jobs. You usually don't see Americans speaking Spanish
in a business-like setting, as it's not perceived as a "sophisticated" language,
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Currently services in Spanish are not just provided for hospital/medical care and for
courtroom/legal services.
They are also available when you call a bank or credit card support line, a pharmacy
for a prescription, a car rental or airline support line, or an Internet or
Satellite/cable support line.
In the company I work for I learned that our customer support line pays those who speak
Spanish an additional dollar an hour for their linguistic skills.
Businesses eat the cost of providing services in Spanish because they know it allows
them to tap a large market of consumers in the U.S. that otherwise would not use their
services.
Your are also ignoring CURRENT EVENTS.
Our President and our Congress are working out a plan to give illegal aliens -
including over 11 MILLION Hispanics - legal status within the U.S., if not outright
amnesty.
Do you not comprehend what that means?
It means there are SEVERAL MILLION Hispanic speakers that are now going to be able to
come out of the shadows and legally access government funded Medicaid. Welfare, and
housing, as well as services at hospitals, clinics, doctors offices, emergency rooms,
and pharmacies.
By the government's own statistics, more than half of these people don't have even a
basic grasps of English and will need Spanish Interpreter/Translation services.
That number is still in the MILLIONS.
That means:
- Multiple government agencies are going to have to hire additional Spanish speakers
- Every single state Medicaid office is going to need additional Spanish speakers
- Every single state Welfare office is going to need additional Spanish speakers
- The Depts. of Motor Vehicles in multiple states are going to need additional Spanish
speakers
- Banks, credit card companies, pharmacies, hospitals, clinics,
satellite/cable/Internet providers are ALL going to see their need for Spanish speaking
employees inccrease.
- Hospitals, doctors offices, clinics, pharmacies, court rooms, lawyers offices, etc.
are ALL going to see an increase in the need for Spanish speakers.
I myself like Spanish. It is not a difficult language to learn and there are enough
native speakers here for me to practice with in order to help gain "real world"
experience.
. |
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I completely agree with you about most of the opportunities available for Spanish
speakers, in fact that's a neat little expansion of what I said, when I said "medical
treatment field". But if you want to work in an engineering firm or a big business, or
even an IT firm, you certainly wouldn't need Spanish. Plain statistics will explain
why.
"Multiple government agencies" include state Welfare agencies, Medicaid agencies and
the DMV. You have simply regurgitated one line into five by repetition. Same with
"pharmacies and hospitals".
I am not denying the need for Spanish speakers, ONLY in certain fields, especially if
the worst happens and the bill you were talking about is passed. Yes, illegal=illegal.
Period. It doesn't change to become legal just because there are a lot of them and
they've been living here forever. I hope you don't think I'm some right-wing redneck
with those statements. I'm not even white and I support the Democrats, if only because
they are the lesser of two evils.
I find it quite interesting when you say Spanish is not difficult to learn and you have
enough native speakers to gain real-world experience, when it says on your profile that
your native language is Spanish!
1 person has voted this message useful
| Chris Ford
Groupie
United States
Joined 4744 days ago
65 posts - 101 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish, Portuguese
| Message 34 of 58 31 January 2013 at 4:56pm | IP Logged |
The Riddler wrote:
Presidio wrote:
The Riddler wrote:
I disagree with the post above mine about how conversing with Spanish monolinguals
could give you limitless opportunities. Without overgeneralizing, the major
opportunities you could get are in the medical treatment field (lot of Spanish-only
patients) or certain blue-collar jobs. You usually don't see Americans speaking Spanish
in a business-like setting, as it's not perceived as a "sophisticated" language,
|
|
|
Currently services in Spanish are not just provided for hospital/medical care and for
courtroom/legal services.
They are also available when you call a bank or credit card support line, a pharmacy
for a prescription, a car rental or airline support line, or an Internet or
Satellite/cable support line.
In the company I work for I learned that our customer support line pays those who speak
Spanish an additional dollar an hour for their linguistic skills.
Businesses eat the cost of providing services in Spanish because they know it allows
them to tap a large market of consumers in the U.S. that otherwise would not use their
services.
Your are also ignoring CURRENT EVENTS.
Our President and our Congress are working out a plan to give illegal aliens -
including over 11 MILLION Hispanics - legal status within the U.S., if not outright
amnesty.
Do you not comprehend what that means?
It means there are SEVERAL MILLION Hispanic speakers that are now going to be able to
come out of the shadows and legally access government funded Medicaid. Welfare, and
housing, as well as services at hospitals, clinics, doctors offices, emergency rooms,
and pharmacies.
By the government's own statistics, more than half of these people don't have even a
basic grasps of English and will need Spanish Interpreter/Translation services.
That number is still in the MILLIONS.
That means:
- Multiple government agencies are going to have to hire additional Spanish speakers
- Every single state Medicaid office is going to need additional Spanish speakers
- Every single state Welfare office is going to need additional Spanish speakers
- The Depts. of Motor Vehicles in multiple states are going to need additional Spanish
speakers
- Banks, credit card companies, pharmacies, hospitals, clinics,
satellite/cable/Internet providers are ALL going to see their need for Spanish speaking
employees inccrease.
- Hospitals, doctors offices, clinics, pharmacies, court rooms, lawyers offices, etc.
are ALL going to see an increase in the need for Spanish speakers.
I myself like Spanish. It is not a difficult language to learn and there are enough
native speakers here for me to practice with in order to help gain "real world"
experience.
. |
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|
I completely agree with you about most of the opportunities available for Spanish
speakers, in fact that's a neat little expansion of what I said, when I said "medical
treatment field". But if you want to work in an engineering firm or a big business, or
even an IT firm, you certainly wouldn't need Spanish. Plain statistics will explain
why.
"Multiple government agencies" include state Welfare agencies, Medicaid agencies and
the DMV. You have simply regurgitated one line into five by repetition. Same with
"pharmacies and hospitals".
I am not denying the need for Spanish speakers, ONLY in certain fields, especially if
the worst happens and the bill you were talking about is passed. Yes, illegal=illegal.
Period. It doesn't change to become legal just because there are a lot of them and
they've been living here forever. I hope you don't think I'm some right-wing redneck
with those statements. I'm not even white and I support the Democrats, if only because
they are the lesser of two evils.
I find it quite interesting when you say Spanish is not difficult to learn and you have
enough native speakers to gain real-world experience, when it says on your profile that
your native language is Spanish!
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So, what languages do you honestly need in day to day business in the US as an engineer or in "big business?" If you're describing an international business role then the role of Spanish in the US is irrelevant, and you would have to focus on the role of Spanish elsewhere in the world to gauge its importance. In which case Spanish is still an important international language, with a huge population of native speakers in Latin America and Europe, and many rapidly developing economies. The fact that you can also easily practice it with native speakers in the US is only an advantage to those who actually intend to use foreign languages in their careers, not a negative. While it's true that as a pure "resume-booster" then something more exotic may be seen as a positive, but if your prospective employer actually does business abroad then they will look favorably on someone who actually speaks the language of the market which they are operating in, and that may just as likely be Spanish as any other major international language.
And, some advice for life in general: if you must preface your statements with the equivalent of "I'm not a racist, but..." you should probably reevaluate that statement you're about to make and the view behind it. An American does not have to be white, or of any particular social class or political affiliation, to be racist.
4 persons have voted this message useful
| The Riddler
Triglot
Newbie
United States
Joined 4338 days ago
12 posts - 16 votes
Speaks: English*, Hindi, Telugu
Studies: French, German
| Message 35 of 58 31 January 2013 at 5:46pm | IP Logged |
Chris Ford wrote:
The Riddler wrote:
Presidio wrote:
The Riddler wrote:
I disagree with the post above mine about how conversing with Spanish monolinguals
could give you limitless opportunities. Without overgeneralizing, the major
opportunities you could get are in the medical treatment field (lot of Spanish-only
patients) or certain blue-collar jobs. You usually don't see Americans speaking Spanish
in a business-like setting, as it's not perceived as a "sophisticated" language,
|
|
|
Currently services in Spanish are not just provided for hospital/medical care and for
courtroom/legal services.
They are also available when you call a bank or credit card support line, a pharmacy
for a prescription, a car rental or airline support line, or an Internet or
Satellite/cable support line.
In the company I work for I learned that our customer support line pays those who speak
Spanish an additional dollar an hour for their linguistic skills.
Businesses eat the cost of providing services in Spanish because they know it allows
them to tap a large market of consumers in the U.S. that otherwise would not use their
services.
Your are also ignoring CURRENT EVENTS.
Our President and our Congress are working out a plan to give illegal aliens -
including over 11 MILLION Hispanics - legal status within the U.S., if not outright
amnesty.
Do you not comprehend what that means?
It means there are SEVERAL MILLION Hispanic speakers that are now going to be able to
come out of the shadows and legally access government funded Medicaid. Welfare, and
housing, as well as services at hospitals, clinics, doctors offices, emergency rooms,
and pharmacies.
By the government's own statistics, more than half of these people don't have even a
basic grasps of English and will need Spanish Interpreter/Translation services.
That number is still in the MILLIONS.
That means:
- Multiple government agencies are going to have to hire additional Spanish speakers
- Every single state Medicaid office is going to need additional Spanish speakers
- Every single state Welfare office is going to need additional Spanish speakers
- The Depts. of Motor Vehicles in multiple states are going to need additional Spanish
speakers
- Banks, credit card companies, pharmacies, hospitals, clinics,
satellite/cable/Internet providers are ALL going to see their need for Spanish speaking
employees inccrease.
- Hospitals, doctors offices, clinics, pharmacies, court rooms, lawyers offices, etc.
are ALL going to see an increase in the need for Spanish speakers.
I myself like Spanish. It is not a difficult language to learn and there are enough
native speakers here for me to practice with in order to help gain "real world"
experience.
. |
|
|
I completely agree with you about most of the opportunities available for Spanish
speakers, in fact that's a neat little expansion of what I said, when I said "medical
treatment field". But if you want to work in an engineering firm or a big business, or
even an IT firm, you certainly wouldn't need Spanish. Plain statistics will explain
why.
"Multiple government agencies" include state Welfare agencies, Medicaid agencies and
the DMV. You have simply regurgitated one line into five by repetition. Same with
"pharmacies and hospitals".
I am not denying the need for Spanish speakers, ONLY in certain fields, especially if
the worst happens and the bill you were talking about is passed. Yes, illegal=illegal.
Period. It doesn't change to become legal just because there are a lot of them and
they've been living here forever. I hope you don't think I'm some right-wing redneck
with those statements. I'm not even white and I support the Democrats, if only because
they are the lesser of two evils.
I find it quite interesting when you say Spanish is not difficult to learn and you have
enough native speakers to gain real-world experience, when it says on your profile that
your native language is Spanish!
|
|
|
So, what languages do you honestly need in day to day business in the US as an engineer
or in "big business?" If you're describing an international business role then the
role of Spanish in the US is irrelevant, and you would have to focus on the role of
Spanish elsewhere in the world to gauge its importance. In which case Spanish is still
an important international language, with a huge population of native speakers in Latin
America and Europe, and many rapidly developing economies. The fact that you can also
easily practice it with native speakers in the US is only an advantage to those who
actually intend to use foreign languages in their careers, not a negative. While it's
true that as a pure "resume-booster" then something more exotic may be seen as a
positive, but if your prospective employer actually does business abroad then they will
look favorably on someone who actually speaks the language of the market which they are
operating in, and that may just as likely be Spanish as any other major international
language.
And, some advice for life in general: if you must preface your statements with the
equivalent of "I'm not a racist, but..." you should probably reevaluate that statement
you're about to make and the view behind it. An American does not have to be white, or
of any particular social class or political affiliation, to be racist. |
|
|
To answer your first question, I would say English in the US. Yes, in Latin America,
which is PREDICTED to rise up much higher than it is now, Spanish would be important.
Although, Portuguese, and not Spanish is the language of what is arguably its biggest
engine of growth. In Europe, I would have to argue and say French and/or German would
be an absolute must, not Spanish. There is no comparison in terms of the number of
native speakers and the usefulness of the economies in which those languages are
spoken. So, outside Latin America (except Brazil), when it comes to international
business, Spanish pales against French, German, Arabic and even Chinese.
Thanks for the "advice", but actually I didn't start out with the equivalent of "I'm
not a racist", rather I was just expressing my hope that the other poster thought the
same. I know very well what I am and I don't have to spell it out just to make it even
more true. Often enough, when taking a stance that might be slightly controversial to
others, it is necessary to preface your statements in some way or the other. It's
called diplomacy. There is a subtle difference between the implications of the two
statements, even if you didn't spot it. Although you are right when you say political
leanings, color etc do not preclude one from being a racist.
1 person has voted this message useful
| Presidio
Triglot
Newbie
United States
Joined 4582 days ago
39 posts - 150 votes
Speaks: English*, Russian, German
Studies: Spanish, Arabic (Gulf)
| Message 36 of 58 31 January 2013 at 9:56pm | IP Logged |
The Riddler wrote:
I completely agree with you about most of the opportunities available for Spanish
speakers, in fact that's a neat little expansion of what I said, when I said "medical
treatment field". But if you want to work in an engineering firm or a big business, or
even an IT firm, you certainly wouldn't need Spanish. Plain statistics will explain
why.
"Multiple government agencies" include state Welfare agencies, Medicaid agencies and
the DMV. You have simply regurgitated one line into five by repetition. Same with
"pharmacies and hospitals".
I am not denying the need for Spanish speakers, ONLY in certain fields, especially if
the worst happens and the bill you were talking about is passed. Yes, illegal=illegal.
Period. It doesn't change to become legal just because there are a lot of them and
they've been living here forever. I hope you don't think I'm some right-wing redneck
with those statements. I'm not even white and I support the Democrats, if only because
they are the lesser of two evils.
I find it quite interesting when you say Spanish is not difficult to learn and you have
enough native speakers to gain real-world experience, when it says on your profile that
your native language is Spanish!
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-- I appreciate you pointing out that my profile says I am a native Spanish speaker. I hadn't noticed that. I have since corrected it since it couldn't be further from the truth.
If you were to drop me into Mexico one morning with my current level of Spanish, it is likely my lack of fluency would cause an international incident of legendary proportions by noon.
As far as, you saying, "But if you want to work in an engineering firm or a big business, or even an IT firm, you certainly wouldn't need Spanish," that statement is true for any one of a hundred different languages, as well.
If you work in one of those areas you also wouldn't likely "need" Russian, Chinese, French, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, German, etc. etc. etc.
These firms - even the ones doing work internationally - don't normally have engineers, rank-and-file business associates, IT experts, managers, etc. who know the language of a different country - any different country.
Why?
1. The majority of the countries they do business with already have people fluent in English to communicate and work with. (Fair or unfair, that is just the way it is.)
2. When necessary, most U.S. firms doing overseas business will contract with interpreters who fluently speak the language of the country they are going to do business with.
In some cases the interpreters will need to learn the terminology and business practices to bettter do their jobs, but they are compensated for that learning curve, as well.
But you (and I) also left out what you said earlier: "You usually don't see Americans speaking Spanish in a business-like setting, as it's not perceived as a "sophisticated" language.
Unsupported stereotype aside, it is not spoken in a "business-like setting" in most cases because it is simply not necessary.
But I provided you a list of several and future business areas where Spanish is going to be a very important asset if you are an employee.
You also said: "Without overgeneralizing, the major opportunities you could get are in the medical treatment field (lot of Spanish-only patients) or certain blue-collar jobs."
The existing and future jobs I have listed that will require Spanish speakers are HARDLY blue collar jobs.
And as far as Interpreters for hospital, clinic, doctors offices, lawyers offices and courtroom usage, the level of fluency and specialived vocabulary they must have requires testing and certification before they are even allowed to work in that area.
But for other businesses, addressing a banking or billing issue or troubleshooting a connectivity issue for the Internet or Satellite service, or even being able to fill a prescription and explain possible side effects and medical concerns to the patient requires a higher level of Spanish fluency than you seem to recognize.
So much for your 'blue collar' theory.
5 persons have voted this message useful
| The Riddler
Triglot
Newbie
United States
Joined 4338 days ago
12 posts - 16 votes
Speaks: English*, Hindi, Telugu
Studies: French, German
| Message 37 of 58 01 February 2013 at 2:20am | IP Logged |
Presidio wrote:
-- I appreciate you pointing out that my profile says I am a native Spanish speaker. I
hadn't noticed that. I have since corrected it since it couldn't be further from the
truth.
If you were to drop me into Mexico one morning with my current level of Spanish, it is
likely my lack of fluency would cause an international incident of legendary
proportions by noon.
As far as, you saying, "But if you want to work in an engineering firm or a big
business, or even an IT firm, you certainly wouldn't need Spanish," that statement is
true for any one of a hundred different languages, as well.
If you work in one of those areas you also wouldn't likely "need" Russian, Chinese,
French, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, German, etc. etc. etc.
These firms - even the ones doing work internationally - don't normally have engineers,
rank-and-file business associates, IT experts, managers, etc. who know the language of
a different country - any different country.
Why?
1. The majority of the countries they do business with already have people fluent
in English to communicate and work with. (Fair or unfair, that is just the way it is.)
2. When necessary, most U.S. firms doing overseas business will contract with
interpreters who fluently speak the language of the country they are going to do
business with.
In some cases the interpreters will need to learn the terminology and business
practices to bettter do their jobs, but they are compensated for that learning curve,
as well.
But you (and I) also left out what you said earlier: "You usually don't see Americans
speaking Spanish in a business-like setting, as it's not perceived as a "sophisticated"
language.
Unsupported stereotype aside, it is not spoken in a "business-like setting" in most
cases because it is simply not necessary.
But I provided you a list of several and future business areas where Spanish is going
to be a very important asset if you are an employee.
You also said: "Without overgeneralizing, the major opportunities you could get are in
the medical treatment field (lot of Spanish-only patients) or certain blue-collar
jobs."
The existing and future jobs I have listed that will require Spanish speakers are
HARDLY blue collar jobs.
And as far as Interpreters for hospital, clinic, doctors offices, lawyers offices and
courtroom usage, the level of fluency and specialived vocabulary they must have
requires testing and certification before they are even allowed to work in that area.
But for other businesses, addressing a banking or billing issue or troubleshooting a
connectivity issue for the Internet or Satellite service, or even being able to fill a
prescription and explain possible side effects and medical concerns to the patient
requires a higher level of Spanish fluency than you seem to recognize.
So much for your 'blue collar' theory. |
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I've noticed you haven't answered all my points, just the ones where you have a valid
argument. Yes, you won't "need" Chinese, German, Russian etc. when working in an
international environment or business, but it would CERTAINLY help if you did know
them. It helps in building inter-personal relationships and trust with people whose
native language isn't English. All these languages do seem to shrink in usefulness when
compared to English, but still much more useful than Spanish, at least where the money
lies. How many Chinese IT guys have we seen? How many German engineers? How many
Russian businessmen? And against that, how many Spanish people in those same circles?
Maybe blue-collar wasn't the right way of putting it. What I meant was that a lot of
these jobs you mentioned seem to have lower compensation in general, so I don't see how
attractive it would be to learn an entire language just to have more opportunities in
that particular line of work, like, troubleshooting internet connections, filling in
prescriptions etc. Yes, those types of jobs will require Spanish IN THE FUTURE, but is
that really the best argument there is for learning Spanish to widen career
opportunities? Possibly even Chinese, though infinitely harder to learn for an English
speaker, will probably have more ROI.
"Higher level of S fluency than I recognize?" I think not. I am quite aware that in the
places where Spanish is required (like lawyer's offices and courtroom usage, you seem
to mention that a lot for some reason, as if Spanish-only speakers would need courts
and lawyers a lot more than other people), it will behoove someone to be more than just
fluent.
1 person has voted this message useful
| Chris Ford
Groupie
United States
Joined 4744 days ago
65 posts - 101 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish, Portuguese
| Message 38 of 58 01 February 2013 at 4:44pm | IP Logged |
The Riddler wrote:
To answer your first question, I would say English in the US. Yes, in Latin America,
which is PREDICTED to rise up much higher than it is now, Spanish would be important.
Although, Portuguese, and not Spanish is the language of what is arguably its biggest
engine of growth. In Europe, I would have to argue and say French and/or German would
be an absolute must, not Spanish. There is no comparison in terms of the number of
native speakers and the usefulness of the economies in which those languages are
spoken. So, outside Latin America (except Brazil), when it comes to international
business, Spanish pales against French, German, Arabic and even Chinese.
Thanks for the "advice", but actually I didn't start out with the equivalent of "I'm
not a racist", rather I was just expressing my hope that the other poster thought the
same. I know very well what I am and I don't have to spell it out just to make it even
more true. Often enough, when taking a stance that might be slightly controversial to
others, it is necessary to preface your statements in some way or the other. It's
called diplomacy. There is a subtle difference between the implications of the two
statements, even if you didn't spot it. Although you are right when you say political
leanings, color etc do not preclude one from being a racist. |
|
|
Obviously English is useful in the US, but considering that this is a primarily English-based language forum for foreign language learning enthusiasts, most of us are here because we have some desire to learn a language other than English. I'm aware of the importance of Portuguese in Latin America (if you'll notice, I'm learning both, and the ease of learning the other other once you know one is a big plus in Spanish's favor as well), and the rest of Latin America, taken as a whole, is obviously overwhelmingly Spanish speaking. It is unreasonable to disregard the importance of all the other countries in Latin America merely because the largest economy is not Spanish-speaking. Furthermore, the status of Brazil as the largest economy in Latin America is hardly set in stone - look at what is happening with manufacturing in Mexico, if you'd like an easy example.
And yes, your insistence on judging an entire language, culture, and people by the fact that those members most visible to you are more likely to be lower income, is racist at worst and naively small minded at best. Trying to stereotype, in any way, the maternal tongue of what is probably the second most spoken language on earth is on its face, ridiculous. You continually disregard the international opportunities and importance of Spanish while acknowledging those afforded by other languages. You seem to so easily overlook the fact that a wealth of native Spanish speakers in the US is only an advantage to learning the language, and will not doom a Spanish learner to only use their language skills in lower-income jobs. Take it from someone who has frequently used Spanish to represent clients in court in the US (and never criminal court, believe it or not), and used Spanish to communicate with colleagues on three continents (none of which were South America, by the way).
I've seen your other posts in this thread and they're not any better. I won't be spending any more time on this discussion, thank you.
3 persons have voted this message useful
| leosmith
Senior Member
United States
Joined 6551 days ago
2365 posts - 3804 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Tagalog
| Message 39 of 58 01 February 2013 at 6:31pm | IP Logged |
vvaamim wrote:
| Are there any languages that you guys feel obligated to learn |
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"Obligated" is a very weak word when describing how I feel about learning my languages. It's more like I'm in a death struggle with, and my life had no meaning unless I learn Spanish, Swahili, Thai, Japanese, Mandarin, French, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Vietnamese, German and Italian to a C1 or C2 level, so that I will be able to speak them all at that level in a single you-tube video some day in the future. I could break down the reasons for each one, but that would be even more boring than the rest of this thread.
2 persons have voted this message useful
| Presidio
Triglot
Newbie
United States
Joined 4582 days ago
39 posts - 150 votes
Speaks: English*, Russian, German
Studies: Spanish, Arabic (Gulf)
| Message 40 of 58 01 February 2013 at 9:42pm | IP Logged |
The Riddler wrote:
Yes, you won't "need" Chinese, German, Russian etc. when working in an
international environment or business, but it would CERTAINLY help if you did know
them. It helps in building inter-personal relationships and trust with people whose
native language isn't English.
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-- True. Same with Spanish.
Perhaps moreso with Spanish within the U.S. since we have several trading partners from Spanish-speaking countries (my sister's PT Cruiser was built at a Crysler plant in Mexico). And a very large portion of consumers within our own country (compared to those other languages) have Spanish as their native tongue.
The Riddler wrote:
All these languages do seem to shrink in usefulness when
compared to English, but still much more useful than Spanish, at least where the money
lies. How many Chinese IT guys have we seen? How many German engineers? How many
Russian businessmen? And against that, how many Spanish people in those same circles?
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-- If you are talking about actual end-users, we interact with far more Spanish speakers that Chinese, Russian, Arabic, German, etc. etc. etc.
In most cases companies doing ongoing support and logistic services overseas actually train native personnel in that country to do the service. It is much more efficient, cost effective, and greatly reduces problems/errors caused by linguistic differences.
On higher level interaction it is - for better or worse - exactly what I said.
The companies we deal with overseas already have a large pool of people fluent in English or, on a much, much smaller scale, we use license interpreting services.
The Riddler wrote:
Maybe blue-collar wasn't the right way of putting it. What I meant was that a lot of
these jobs you mentioned seem to have lower compensation in general, so I don't see how
attractive it would be to learn an entire language just to have more opportunities in
that particular line of work, like, troubleshooting internet connections, filling in
prescriptions etc.
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-- Those "lower compensation" jobs you speak of are not permanent "lower compensation." They are entry level positions.
When I left the military after learning German and being a full-time Russian interpreter for them, I took a job on a support desk troubleshooting computer issues.
Pay was lousy to start, but the company I worked for supported mainly English speakers, but also computer users in Mexico, two countries in Europe and one in the Middle East.
Neither my Russian or German helped at all but we had a number of Spanish and English speakers who handled the lion's share of our calls. The rest of the time we either had in-house interpreters that we went through or organizations such as 'Propio' that provide three-way telephonic interpreting services.
But three years later I was a supervisor. A little over three years after that I became a manager, at four times my starting salary.
I now oversee three different departments, one is a support desk, and my salary is even larger. And it all began by taking that 'entry level' position.
This is important so I will capitalize it:
IF I HAD SPOKEN Spanish FROM THE FIRST DAY I STARTED, I WOULD BE EVEN FURTHER UP THE LADDER WITHIN MY ORGANIZATION RIGHT NOW. The other two languages I spoke didn't help me a single solitary bit.
The Riddler wrote:
Yes, those types of jobs will require Spanish IN THE FUTURE, but is
that really the best argument there is for learning Spanish to widen career
opportunities? Possibly even Chinese, though infinitely harder to learn for an English
speaker, will probably have more ROI.
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-- Actually, there is a huge demand for Spanish speakers RIGHT NOW.
Check job listings in your local paper or online. Scores will point out that Spanish fluency is desired and it will cause you to have a base salary higher than those who work in the same job without it. If you check you will see there is also a huge shortage of Spanish speaking interpreters in the mnedical and legal field.
And as far as your "IN THE FUTURE" statement goes, that is no more than a year or 18 months. That means that a person starting to learn the language NOW - if they truly commit to it - may have the fluency required when the need is in full swing.
Try that with Chinese...
The Riddler wrote:
I am quite aware that in the
places where Spanish is required (like lawyer's offices and courtroom usage, you seem
to mention that a lot for some reason, as if Spanish-only speakers would need courts
and lawyers a lot more than other people),
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-- Unbelievable.
Here, allow me educate you:
Let's take a quick look foreign language interpeter usage in just the U.S. District courts alone, shall we:
YEAR Spanish TOTAL (Spanish and all other languages combined)
2000 179,271 190,127
2001 171,331 181,303
2002 163,344 174,405
2003 176,704 189,044
2004 212,223 223,996
2005 214,355 227,416
http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNJournal01.nsf/Author/0 89C9FC08403FDF885257471005ECF98
In many states, including states like CA, FL, AZ, TX where Hispanic populations are very high, the percentage of Spanish interpreters needed compared to other languages is even higher.
Or didn't you know...
- Other than English, Spanish is the most spoken language in the U.S. - by far.
- The Hispanic population in the U.S. has the largest portion of any group that is not fluent in English.
- More Spanish interpreters were required in U.S. courts in the last year tham Chinese, French and German interpreters - COMBINED.
- The U.S. Dept. of Justice reports a shortage of qualified Spanish court interpreters throughout the United States.
- With the continued exponential growth of Spanish speakers in the U.S., the need for Spanish court and hospital interpreters will continue to outweigh ALL OTHER LANGUAGES...by far.
And that doesn't even take into account the need for Spanish speakers in Hospitals, doctors offices, clinics, pharmacies, etc. combined to other languages.
Yes, there is a need for other languages for hospital and court interpreting services. But they are by far overshadowed by the current (and obviously future) need for Spanish interpreters.
3 persons have voted this message useful
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