Friday, February 09, 2007

Want Me to Speak English? Pay Up!

I have about three minutes to write out an argument against all those who get pissed off when they encounter someone at a resturant/store/office who can't speak English. Here I go.

Pay for it! Language is a skill as much as being proficient at 10-key or making a Whopper. If someone applied at Burger King, but obviously is not proficient at speaking English, it is the duty of the employer to train them to do so. Do they not train them to understand the proper way of deep frying chicken nuggets? Did these un-Englished employees know how to do that beforehand? Unless they are professional fast foodeers, they probably did not. That is my point.

The nay sayers will say, But English is essential not just for working in the United States, but for LIVING in the United States. Negative. Depending on where you live, the prevalence of English is variable. California: Spanish trumps English in most of the state. Detroit, MI: Having the highest Muslim population in America, I am sure English is not the tounge of taste. English is not the official language of the US, and the Engli-philes have tried many times, and failed, to make it such.

Pizza is done.