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[sciencephd]

What the heck are you people talking about in here? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND YOUR FOREIGN GIBBERISH.

Go to doctor.  Request "reverse Pyshnov" procedure.

[jackalope]

I'm thinking you eat a lot of fast food. Am I right or am I right?

[chelation]

Learning a foreign language, to recall Goethe, is akin to acquring another soul. I'm not from America but I took one semester of Spanish in university and could make out "the foreign gibberish" of our colleagues on here. I would focus on what you CAN do as opposed to what you CANNOT. If you are barred from applying for bilingual jobs, try to apply for ones that don't have that stipulation, or start learning. I know, easier said than done. However, being American is a privilege whatever your background. Je suis ravie de vivre ici. Me gusta mucho los Estados Unidos. 

[concordancia]

The United States of America does not (officially) have an official language. We do have a lot of variety. A very large part of that variety is Hispanic and a large part of that population speaks Spanish. If you are applying for jobs that require Spanish, they probably have good reason. If these are the jobs you want because of location, you either need to look someplace else or learn Spanish.

I don't care what the joke says, "American" does not equal "monolingual."

[merce]

I'm sure the person who wrote the original, first message is not returning to see our comments, however, on the off chance he is.

I think it must be very difficult to grow up thinking one language is the important one and then have the world change in such a way as to require another of you just so you can get a job to support yourself and keep on living.

But, it does seem the world has changed, or the US anyway.

Do take a class or even just purchase a do-it-yourself tape. Not to learn Spanish. You won't really.
It takes tons of time.

But the employers who are hiring don't know or recognize that.
They often will be happy to hire you if you just say you've had x amount of Spanish or are capable of X in Spanish.


Getting a job always means being capable of some set of skills. Work towards getting a job with only the skills you have (and even the types of jobs you've seen requiring Spanish might not require Spanish in other parts of the country if you can move).
Or work on getting another skill (Spanish to stay in the job sector you're looking into, or another skill that will put you into another sector where Spanish might not be required).


And, PS, I don't know if you figured it out, but this is a place where mainly university professors come to talk about issues. The people here have spent a gazillion years working on getting skills for the types of jobs they want or are trying to get (without success in my case) and that is maybe one reason why people are playing around.

[popcorn_pimp]

I live in America not Mexico or any other country whose native language is Spanish. 

I thought we lived in the United States of America but maybe our country should change its name to "Estados Unido de America!

I didn't know countries could talk.

Our marketing department must figure what kind of product would have an international appeal for when people start noticing that!

[t_r_b]

En este continente magnifica de norteamerica, hay una larga tradicion de muchos idiomas diferentes. Esta tradicion empezo hace mas de diez mil anos, con los miles de idiomas indigenas. En la epoca colonial, han llegado varios idiomas de Europa, de Africa, y de Asia, incluso el espanol, el portugues, el frances, el ingles, el aleman, el holandes, y muchos otros. Como continente, nosotros estaramos mas fuertes, mas sabios, mas ricos, y mas felices cuando todos celebramos esta diversidad idiomatica y respetamos a todos nuestros queridos vecinos.

[With apologies for lack of accents, and any problems of grammar and vocabulary: I'm out of practice]

Translation:

On this great North American continent, there is a long tradition of many different languages. This tradition began more than ten thousand years ago, with thousands of indigenous languages. During the colonial era, various languages have arrived from Europe, Africa, and Asia, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, German, Dutch, and many others. As a continent, we will be stronger, wiser, wealthier, and happier when we all celebrate this linguistic diversity and respect all our beloved neighbors.

[dellaroux]

Bien sur; je suis d'accord.

(Indeed, I agree.)

Diversity is the spice of life...and I don't mean that as a simple "flavoring," it's the contributions of every linguistic and cultural and religio-ethnic group's ideas that makes the conversation and the community strong, well-considered and satisfyingly textured.

Everyone needs to know more than one language.

The rest of the world does it, so can we.

[tinyzombie]

Not to mention, OP, that most of us in academia, at least in my experience, consider it part of our job and even part of our personal ethos to broaden worldviews and have a positive impact on the world around us. We tend to believe that our country is only one part of a unified world, and that it's part of our responsibility as global citizens to show respect for customs and languages we may not share, particularly when those customs etc. actually form a vibrant part of life in our own country.

Another side of this is that per the Census Bureau, Hispanics make up 15% of the US population and are the fastest growing minority group in the US. If you refuse to learn Spanish, you'll be SOL in a couple of decades.

And, PS, I don't know if you figured it out, but this is a place where mainly university professors come to talk about issues. The people here have spent a gazillion years working on getting skills for the types of jobs they want or are trying to get (without success in my case) and that is maybe one reason why people are playing around.

[verafrance]

I'm sure the person who wrote the original, first message is not returning to see our comments, however, on the off chance he is.

Then again, it could be a regular forumite with time on their hands going for a little diversion.

[puffin]

If you refuse to learn Spanish, you'll be SOL in a couple of decades.

Chime.

I associate the kind of statements the OP made with those who also cry out for more market, less government. Let's face it, OP, universities have to pay the bills, and that means they'll compete for market share, and that means you've got to learn the lingo. Beyond the minimum standards of intellectual openness that we expect from the higher educated. Especially if you're not geographically mobile and are sticking to an area with a high Hispanic customer base.

I'm sure the person who wrote the original, first message is not returning to see our comments, however, on the off chance he is.

Then again, it could be a regular forumite with time on their hands going for a little diversion.

Yes, probably a troll, but I'm in a cranky mood.

[zhimbo]

Blame your schooling.

[verafrance]

Not to mention, OP, that most of us in academia, at least in my experience, consider it part of our job and even part of our personal ethos to broaden worldviews and have a positive impact on the world around us. We tend to believe that our country is only one part of a unified world, and that it's part of our responsibility as global citizens to show respect for customs and languages we may not share, particularly when those customs etc. actually form a vibrant part of life in our own country.

Thank you all for the inspirational, lofty comments on how this ouverture to acquiring other languages broadens the mind and the soul. Very touching.  However an interesting contradiction exists when people proclaim  their love of multiple languages stands for proof of how open and respectful and multicultural they are, at the same time they they refuse to open their national borders to other nationalities. Unless you were "born in America," as the OP is, you cannot go live and work in the US (for most cases anyways), and most multiple-language-speaking Americans love that.

As a continent, we will be stronger, wiser, wealthier, and happier when we all celebrate this linguistic diversity and respect all our beloved neighbors.

Beloved as in having a seriously patrolled border with a freakin' "Berlin" Wall in the middle and an entire system to keep the current international segregation system in place for all other nationalities.

Thus it is perfectly apt to quote "Ich bin ein Berliner" in this thread, it really means, « Civis romanus sum » and, just as 2000 years ago, Romans were very careful who could be a "citizen," so it is now.

[octoprof]

Ich bin ein Berliner.

(No hablo espanol, but I want to participate in this thread!)

You donut!

Ich bin ein verschrobes altes Forummitglied.

[dellaroux]

Actually, even THAT's disputed! (see lower half of the page, with the picture of the jelly-filled "berliner" donut....)

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner

Not that their shape hasn't influenced mine....