I learned Spanish in high school, but I never really had the opportunity to use it (grew up in a very insulated community where minorities weren’t exactly celebrated and ‘you’re in America speak English was a common sentiment) and lost it. I can still say ‘your mom smells like cheese when it’su see water’ and a few other things, but any semblance of conversational Spanish is gone.

[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago

I used to get mad at this meme because as an american we have a worse time in school learning other languages than europeans do. But I've dropped the shame and started spanish again from almost nothing. Maybe one day I'll be fluent.

[–] Gadg8eer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

This. I appreciate everyone who has learned English, but more so than that I think having to learn it before moving to an English speaking country like mine is like expecting a baby to walk before it has been born. Take it from a half-Colombian who can't understand a word of what my mom says on the phone to family members and friends, if you want someone to learn a language, the easiest way is complete immersion into a society that speaks it.

Worst of all is any asshole who, say, goes to Mexico and thinks "because I'm an American and we are nationally owed $$ by Mexico I am entitled to be so arrogant as to think people should have to speak English when I go to Mexico on vacation". It's not just America to Mexico obviously, I could say Quebecios to Western Canada or Englishman to (insert country here) or Chinese to (insert country here) but I'm sure you get the general formula. Arrogant wealthier-than-average tourist, different culture with less material wealth, inevitable offensively bigoted comment.

In such a case, I would absolutely tell the arrogant tourist that just because they're rich and live in Nation X, does not make them entitled to being catered to, albeit with more colorful language because somehow idiots like that tend to realise they've gone too far and either apologize and stop or give one last angry quip and storm off to ragequit the conversation.

The meme feels too accusatory, but I understand that language-wise I got lucky and most people have to work up to knowing a language with critical user mass. I will never expect anyone to HAVE to speak my language for any reason.

I mean, with the specific caveat that if it's an emergency and they know some English, ANY at all, we should probably go as far as we can to speak each other's languages in a temporary pidgin until nobody is hurt or in danger. Aside from such time-sensitive situations, I'm definitely willing to learn from them as long as they acknowledge I hope they try to learn some English from me, but no obligation should be involved either way.