Language Barriers

You said that you would find an English speaking associate at a Dallas
Wal Mart? I used to live in Dallas, and I hate to break it to you,
but you would most likely encounter Hispanic employees there too.

I agree on this one. If I want to learn spanish (which I can speak
fairly well) it should be personal choice. It should be a requirement
to speak English if you are working in a customer service job in the
United States. Otherwise, Wal-mart can pay for me to continue my
Spanish lessons!

usually I would support you in the language thing, as I believe they
should at least try to learn english... but she DID get a translator,
she tried to talk to you. sorry it had to be through a third party,
but be lucky someone could speak to you. go to miami, if you talk to
them they dont speak english and all they will do is shrug their
shoulders, and apologize, no ingles no ingles, and walk away.

I agree! This is the United States of America, not Mexico last time I
checked (sorry La Raza, Mecha, et al), and our de facto language is
English!

If you want to work here in America, come here legally and learn
English! Why should Americans have to learn Spanish because you're
too lazy to learn English? When my great-grandparents came here from
Europe--LEGALLY--not only did they learn English, they also Anglicized
their names!

I agree about the conditions of the store. Regarding the language is
easy "learn Spanish" at least as a General Culture, be more
"culturized" and next time ask for an English speaker. Or maybe you're
one of those people who don't know another world than this
country....sorry for you!!!!SAYONARA

thank you. this is a good letter. I too believe that you should be
able to speak the language of the country you live in. it's just
common sense and respect. Natives should not have to adjust to
outsiders, it should be the other way around and that goes no matter
what country one is in.

ITA...if you work in the US...speak English. Speaking Spanish or
other foreign languages is great...but speak English, too.

I'm wondering if the cashier had a BASIC grasp of English, for saying
hello and announcing the price, but did not understand OP's question.

I understand it just fine. But it is not the kind of vocabulary you
learn in English for Immigrants. "Is this a temporary markdown? Will
you be getting more in? Or is it being discontinued? If you're not
getting more in, can you see if it's the same price at the XYZ
Wal-Mart?"

Perhaps the cashier could answer typical customer questions, but felt
that she could not properly address OP. So she got help. Just as OP
would do at his job, if a customer asked a question he couldn't
answer.

Would OP be as upset if the cashier had said, in "perfect" English,
"I'm not sure. Let me get my manager to find out"? I'd guess not.

I need to thank Melissa S for this idea, since she's the one who
brought it up further down in the thread.

I do agree that if you are going to work in positions that require
dealing with the public, such as Wal-Mart customer service, then
having a decent grasp of English is a requirement. However, it is
possible that this lady was not customer service, but was in fact in
maintenance or a stocker. The letter doesn't say she worked in
customer service, only that she went to the customer service desk to
find someone to help the OP. It is entirely possible this woman is
not supposed to be dealing with the public at all. Perhaps she was on
a break, or was temporarily out on the floor. Perhaps she was even
off for the day and had not taken off her Wal-Mart clothes.

Yes, it's conjecture, but I think it is another point to consider.

I have enough Spanish to communicate. I can understand most of what I
hear and read, but speaking is rather iffy because of a speech
impairment. Let's just say, it's really easy to mispronounce words and
lend a whole new meaning to things! Russian is also a rather dangerous
proposition. One time, I was trying to tell my russian prof's mom that
I liked her dress....that isn't what came out however. :)

That being said, I do not have enough proficiency in the language to
work in a customer service position in a Spanish speaking country. I
would question why someone would hire me for such a position, just
like I question why someone would be hired who had no knowledge of
English here in the States.

Expecting brain surgeons to have passed medical school before they
operate on someone? Of course people have to speak a particular
language if doing so is PART of their job.

I agree with you whether I'll get flamed for it or not.

Where I live, English is the official language (was on the ballot in
2005, I think, and won overwhelmingly).

The bigger issue is an employee who can't speak English. Bilingual is
fine, of course. If you think your situation is bad, try living where
I do where everyone speaks only Spanish and there are no translators
available. This includes store supervisors, managers, etc.

It's just bad business sense if you choose to hinder communication so
severely.

I can see the problem. You recently moved to El Paso, Texas. Think
carefully about the location of that area of the state before moving?
It boils down to three things, Location, Location,Location. Learning
the local customs can be vexing, but not impossible to learn with
patience and time.

Being from the east coast, I can't imagine getting used to a Texas
Twang, let alone someone translating Spanish into English while using
one. And the same for Philly Speak. But I can tell you this, I've been
to many places here where people speak spanish and it never bothered
me in the least.

I've been ignored by employees who speak both languages so it's not
just a Texas issue.... at least this woman TRIED and did come back
with help. Instead of being grateful you find it amazing that someone
would DARE speak spanish. She my be a recent naturalized citizen for
all you know...she may not be from Juarez at all so why bother
bringing that up?

So saving a hundred bucks wasn't worth the wait I suppose?

This sounds like an issue for your Congressman.....not Walmart.

Hello Jay!

So, when you get Tacos, Enchiladas, Nachos, Fajitas, and other various
mexican foods do you complain that they arent hamburgers and french
fries? Oops. i think hamburgers are actually German. No place for
culture here. how about Pizza? Oops, thats Italian, again, this is
AMERICA!! How about... macaroni and cheese? Ooh wait, macaroni
originally comes from Asia, no place for that here. How about beef
stew? oh what is this, Ireland? I could go on. You cant pick and
choose which part of culture is allowed in the US. Just because that
woman doesnt know english NOW doesnt mean she isnt trying to, or on
her path to learning. Learning a new language is HARD. (especially
english, its pretty complex)

When I traved to Italy, I went ahead and learned some common phrases
prior to my trip. It wasnt enough. I had no idea what anyone was
saying, ever. (well towards the end of the trip I started to
understand, but I'm also from an Italian family that does speak
Italian. thats right, dont come to my family gatherings, you'll
freak!)

Oh and as a philly girl, this is all over the US, including PA. there
are plenty of spanish speaking communities up north too.

Y'know Jay, the surest way to get flamed around here is to start
tossing around racist and intollerant comments like, "If you want a
Spanish-speaking Wal-mart go build one in Juarez."

El Paso, to my understanding, is still a LARGELY hispanic population
and while the lady probably should have had a better understanding, at
least she went and got someone to make sure that you were helped.
That's more than I would have expected.

My guess, at least from your description, is that there are MANY
Spanish speaking people frequenting this store and she is more an
asset than a hindrance.

What if you were the one who spoke limited Spanish and the only
associate you could come across was one who spoke Spanish. I'd think
it would make you feel better that she cared enough to give you good
customer service - to ensure that if she could not help you, someone
could.

If you want to complain about the conditions of the store or long
lines, that's fine, but this woman's linguistic preference has no
bearing on those issues.

Perhaps you should grow up and realize that the whole world doesn't
need to be just like you to be valid.

Really, I kind of see the OP's point.

I have nothing against immigrants. Hell, I am one. But if you live in
a country where the majority of people speak English, you should speak
it. Businesses should hire employees who can actually talk with their
clients.

The attitude of this letter, however, is rather immature. and the
statement about building a Walmart in Juarez was just plain rude.

I'll probably get flamed, but I agree with you. I don't have a problem
with people (legally!) coming to the US and working here. America has
always been about diversity. But I think it's pretty reasonable of a
request that people in customer service should speak English. I
wouldn't move to France and expect everyone to learn English to make
things easier on me. I'd learn French. It's ridiculous to walk into an
American retail store and have to wait 20 minutes for a translator
because the cashier doesn't speak the accepted dominant language of
the country.

"If you want a Spanish-speaking Wal-mart go build one in Juarez."

You know, you had a legitmate complaint up until you started up the
Klan rally. You even made a great point on why it is important to
have bilingual employees because of the large spanish speaking
population. Yes, Im sure we can all agree that an employee working a
"customer service" position at Wal-Mart should be able to speak
english. But there was no need to then get up on your soap box and
preach your, "This is America!! blah blah blah..." rant. If this
happened three months ago, why write the letter now? Are you really
still steamed about this?

When are they going to change the name of "El Paso" to something more
'merican? Why are they keeping those Spanish names for towns in
Texas? Don't they know this is America and we don't 'preciate no
Spanish town names?

Why would a good American even want to live in a town with a Spanish
name?