How Many Languages Can You Speak?

[Root beer]

When doing service work its classified as billable hours.

 

Touche, sir. 

[SirSnookalot]

Despite going off in a different direction, this thread is about how many languages we can speak, read and write.  I do feel knowing a second language is a great benefit in certain geographic areas of the country, and ones own occupation.

Raider's comments pertain only to what he does and where he is doing it.  I do believe the demographics in other areas of the country for people doing the same kind of work, may find a second language coming into play.

[Root beer]

Despite going off in a different direction, this thread is about how many languages we can speak, read and write.  I do feel knowing a second language is a great benefit in certain geographic areas of the country, and ones own occupation.

Raider's comments pertain only to what he does and where he is doing it.  I do believe the demographics in other areas of the country for people doing the same kind of work, may find a second language coming into play.

 

I agreed. Several automakers in the area, (think Volkswagen, Mercedes, etc.) and its suppliers find it a great asset if you could speak German. A couple years ago I got interviewed by a supplier for Toyota who asked if I had the ability to translate foreign currency and/or could speak foreign languages. Lot of multi-national corporations find it a huge assets if they can get accountants to learn languages in countries where they got offices or manufacturers.  I got a friend who has an MBA and she went back to school for free just to take spanish classes. Her MBA specialization is in healthcare management and she learning spanish for her career in healthcare.   

[South FLA]

http://freakonomics.com/2014/03/06/is-learning-a-foreign-language-really-worth-it-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

[South FLA]

I agreed. Several automakers in the area, (think Volkswagen, Mercedes, etc.) and its suppliers find it a great asset if you could speak German. A couple years ago I got interviewed by a supplier for Toyota who asked if I had the ability to translate foreign currency and/or could speak foreign languages. Lot of multi-national corporations find it a huge assets if they can get accountants to learn languages in countries where they got offices or manufacturers.  I got a friend who has an MBA and she went back to school for free just to take spanish classes. Her MBA specialization is in healthcare management and she learning spanish for her career in healthcare.   

If you listen to the podcast I posted German is one of the top languages to speak for $$$

[Raider Nation Fisher]

I agreed. Several automakers in the area, (think Volkswagen, Mercedes, etc.) and its suppliers find it a great asset if you could speak German. A couple years ago I got interviewed by a supplier for Toyota who asked if I had the ability to translate foreign currency and/or could speak foreign languages. Lot of multi-national corporations find it a huge assets if they can get accountants to learn languages in countries where they got offices or manufacturers.  I got a friend who has an MBA and she went back to school for free just to take spanish classes. Her MBA specialization is in healthcare management and she learning spanish for her career in healthcare.

Mercedes pays VERY well. I will say. One of the funniest things I've ever seen was at Mercedes. A German engineer was trying to communicate with a Salvadorian line worker. Both were speaking extremely broken English and neither could quite figure out what the other was trying to say. It went on for a good thirty minutes.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

If you listen to the podcast I posted German is one of the top languages to speak for $$$

They also have lots of openings for electricians over there. Which is part of the reason I'm trying to learn German.

[slonezp]

Mercedes pays VERY well. I will say. One of the funniest things I've ever seen was at Mercedes. A German engineer was trying to communicate with a Salvadorian line worker. Both were speaking extremely broken English and neither could quite figure out what the other was trying to say. It went on for a good thirty minutes.

I used to do work at a Chinese restaurant and they had 1 Mexican working in the kitchen. He spoke fluent Chinese and is was the oddest thing I had ever seen. 

[Raul]

I speak Spanish ( and many of it´s multiple regional variations and pronuntiations ) and English ( also with many of it´s multiple regional/ national variations and pronuntiations, I only have a little bit of a problem understanding Indian English, they have to speak really slow because the pronuntiation ......... whew ! ), I can also understand Gallego because it´s extremely similar to Spanish.

[MCS]

I used to do work at a Chinese restaurant and they had 1 Mexican working in the kitchen. He spoke fluent Chinese and is was the oddest thing I had ever seen. 

 

That guy right there just blew their cover. Proof they can learn another language.   I keed, I keed.

[blongfishing]

I speak the southern English and Spanish.

[flyfisher]

I speak English and am planning on learning Spanish, especially since I will hopefully be teaching next year and even though around here the ELL population is pretty low, it will still help.

[Ratherbfishing]

Two:  English and gibberish.

[Nitrofreak]

I speak 3 fluent languages , English , Sarcasm and profanity

 

Not a cooperate kinda guy that needs to speak nor understand any other language other than what I was raised with , I'm quite comfortable with being an American .

[MCS]

I speak 3 fluent languages , English , Sarcasm and profanity

Not a cooperate kinda guy that needs to speak nor understand any other language other than what I was raised with , I'm quite comfortable with being an American .

I am pretty good at the profanity too! Lol good one

[jbsoonerfan]

I speak 3 fluent languages , English , Sarcasm and profanity

 

Not a cooperate kinda guy that needs to speak nor understand any other language other than what I was raised with , I'm quite comfortable with being an American .

 

 

It has nothing to do with being "Merican" it is more about being educated. Kind of like learning calculus or knowing American history inside out. Neither of those will probably get you much further in life, but knowledge is something that I feel like "makes the man" so to speak.

[Nitrofreak]

It has nothing to do with being "Merican" it is more about being educated. Kind of like learning calculus or knowing American history inside out. Neither of those will probably get you much further in life, but knowledge is something that I feel like "makes the man" so to speak.

lo que hace que un hombre no es su educación sin embargo, su pasión por la vida.

I did not say I did not know other languages , nor did I say I was not educated , nor how well educated I was , I merely stated that I am a pretty proud American and that I was very comfortable being one , not to mention a pretty dang proud one at that , not "Merican" , although I am a deep routed country boy and do have a strong belief in our ways of life , I can promise you we are not retards because of the way we speak ,and it would be knowing American history " inside and out " not , inside out .

[jbsoonerfan]

lo que hace que un hombre no es su educación sin embargo, su pasión por la vida.

I did not say I did not know other languages , nor did I say I was not educated , nor how well educated I was , I merely stated that I am a pretty proud American and that I was very comfortable being one , not to mention a pretty dang proud one at that , not "Merican" , although I am a deep routed country boy and do have a strong belief in our ways of life , I can promise you we are not retards because of the way we speak ,and it would be knowing American history " inside and out " not , inside out .

 

 

I'm sorry, I never said you were uneducated. I was just replying to your post where you said you could speak English, sarcasm and profanity and then went on to tell us how you didn't need to speak any other language than what you were raised with, which I assume is "American"

 

Now go back to Google translate and post up some more words of wisdom.

[Nitrofreak]

LOL !! Ya got me !! Just havin fun !! Ain't Merica great !! LOL !!!

Well that and google !!

[jbsoonerfan]

LOL !! Ya got me !! Just havin fun !! Ain't Merica great !! LOL !!!

Well that and google !!

 

 

If it weren't for Google I would never be able to answer a question.

[BasshunterJGH]

English and a little spanish.

[RSM789]

No offense taken, but since you are in the retail business, I would think it would benefit you greatly if you were able to communicate in more than one language...

 

It may benefit him, but in the end, it hurts those who don't speak the common language.  In the U.S., one of the easiest ways an immigrant can guarantee that he & his family will never have any financial success is to choose to only speak their native language and not learn English.  I chose to not to do business with any company who I see advertising in Spanish here in So Cal.  They are putting their business success over what is best for people.  Their choice of course, but so is my choice to take my business elsewhere.  This catering to the language of immigrants is a fairly new phenomena, those who arrived in this country prior to the 1980's knew the first thing to do was learn the language.

 

As for me, I speak English and a disgustingly poor amount of Spanish despite 4 years of it in high school.  My hope is to one day be fluent in Redneck.

[RSM789]

I used to do work at a Chinese restaurant and they had 1 Mexican working in the kitchen. He spoke fluent Chinese and is was the oddest thing I had ever seen. 

 

A large percentage of Peruvians are of Japanese ancestry.  If you ever go to Peru, it is also odd to see a Japanese face with Spanish coming out of it at 100 miles an hour.

[Fishing Rhino]

"The international language of aviation is English. In most places, the pilots and air traffic controllers have demonstrated the ability to speak and understand English up to a level specified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Some of the accents can be very challenging. By using ICAO standard phraseology and speaking very distinctly, the necessary information is transferred."

 

Unless I'm mistaken, the same is true of ocean navigation, military and commercial.

 

"At first maritime English may not seem to be of great importance; however the issue takes on greater significance when one considers the fact that the 75% of seafarers presently employed aboard merchants ships or at work in most European Ports do not come from European Union countries and have been educated at institutions outside of the Union and are not fluent or even able to speak English at all. Because merchant shipping is an international industry and accurate communication is vital. It is widely accepted that English is the language of the sea. Therefore a seafarer’s ability to communicate to a high standard of English is essential."

http://martel-standards.org/Researchers/Downloads/Maritime_Test_of_English_Language_C4FF_Article.pdf

 

I'd bet most people on here are tri-lingual speaking foul language and French as well as English.

 

French you say, how's that?  Ever heard someone say, "Pardon my French" when they curse, or say something crude.  It is similar to foul language.

[Catch and Grease]

Merican.