OT: Penny per page?

You would never make it in Europe. It is common there to speak three languages. I don't know that there is much snobbery about how many languages you speak, but they do find Americans to be to "odd duck" who only speak one language.

Hotel? You lefties sure are fond of your strawmen.

How about them?

You lefties sure are fond of your strawmen.

Clearly you're an idiot.

I don't *WANT* to "make it in Europe, ditz! I want *everyone* (who's here) to "make it" in the USA. We have enough takers.

You lefties sure are fond of your strawmen.

You lefties sure are fond of your strawmen. It really is all you have.

Or write it, by the look ;-)

-- "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." (Richard Feynman)

Spoken like a truly monolingual dinosaur. No doubt you are one of those silly Americans that shout loudly syll-a-ble by syll-a-ble in English at unfortunate foreign waiters in restaurants when overseas.

There you go again with "*The* Language". There are at least two languages commonly spoken in the Americas and off hand I am not sure which one actually has the greatest number of speakers now. I suspect it is quite a close run thing including all of North and South America.

A common mistake made by English speakers negotiating in Japan is to assume that just because the other side does not speak English they cannot understand it. Many are far too shy to *speak* in English but they understand it well enough to turn things to their own advantage.

Perhaps you have never had someone who doesn't speak ANY english try to talk to you, and no one else in the group can understand them. I worked with some Hispanics who would ask a question in Spanish, knowing that I didn't speak the language. Then they would get mad when I reminded them with, "You know that I don't speak Spanish". They knew English. They wanted help, but they were wasting my time with their little games. They weren't doing their job, and they were keeping me from doing mine.

About 10% of the 200+ employees spoke Spanish. A few spoke other languages, but not many.

One engineer was Hispanic. He bragged that he thought in Spanish, but wrote in English. He wrote gibberish. He wrote some test procedures that no one could follow including him. They bounced him around the company for two years before firing him. His inability to use English properly cost the company more than they paid him. He even screwed up in the stock room, a job that anyone who made it through Jr. High could handle. I had the job to rewrite the procedures he cobbled together, and rework the test fixtures to actually do what we needed. That included both hardware and software.

Who the hell wants to go to Europe? I find the European Tourists to be inconsiderate idiots for the most part.

The United States is not 'The Americas', doofus.

I trust that if/when Spanish becomes the majority language in the USA, you will take the trouble to learn it fluently? (Or get out, presumably.)

I only speak English too, but I don't see it as something to be proud of. I am so lucky that English seems to be the "lingua franca(!)" of the modern world, I was terrible at languages in school. Tried hard but didn't make much progress.

There is a world of difference between learning a language in class, and learning it by being immersed in the country and its culture. A few hours a week of formal nitty-gritty details of grammar and random vocabulary does little towards mastering a language. Or so it was for me, anyway. Watching untranslated US and British TV series worked OK to polish up my English. Getting a French wife worked really well to get a handle on French. ;-)

Jeroen Belleman

Now that's an expensive way to learn a new language. Particularly if you want to learn several new languages.

It has its compensations. :-)

Jeroen Belleman

Idiocy noted.

Another leftist in love with strawmen.

They better hurry. I don't have much time left. They better have an assult rifle, too.

Yes, but the 2nd or 3rd language they speak is probably english.

Funny you should mention that. I do plan to retire soon and move away from all the yadda-yadda. I swear to god, every f^cking place you go down here, all you here is the Mexican Hat Dance going off in your head. It's maddening.

I was thinking.. Montana? Of course, even that place has a Spanish sounding name. I guess it's hopeless.

I don't want to "learn" Spanish. (I can actually make my way around pretty good with it...) But to me, Spanish is a MAJOR STEP BACKWARDS. Too many syllables, not enough content. Plus, the language sounds ugly. No thanks.

Where are the Italians when you need them? :)

who

Bringing up irrelevant cases and creating strawpersons does not advance your case.

?-)

Ah, I see, that is where I was going wrong!