A Message to U.S.A.

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14th November 2008, 06:07pm
#1
by Joe14
El Mejor Pueblo Puerto Rico
Member Since: Nov 2007
Member Points: 1597

In the world exisist diferent lenguege but today exist a Big problem:

The most people of U.S.A Dont know other Lenguege but the people of Cuba Mexico Puerto Rico Rep. Dom. and others country that the lenguege of they are spanish can learn 2 or more lenguege. If you are of U.S.A. look this and explain how the others country can learn other lenguege and you no .If are of Other country Give your opinion about this problem in U.S.A.

If you like to learn spanish see this

He= el

She= ella

you= tu

I=yo

we =nosotros

How =como

Why = por que

who =quien

Which = cual

If you like topost your translation part please post it

14th November 2008, 06:15pm
#2
by Hugh_T_Patterson
San Francisco, CA United States
Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 1324

This is great. I have been trying to learn other chess players languages, at least a few words, since I have the opportunity to do so. Thanks for the translations. You're right, most Americans don't have a second language and they should! Thanks!

14th November 2008, 06:20pm
#3
by MsCloyescapade
California United States
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 572

hijo de...

just kidding... everyone should speak latin and greek then we could all speak to eachother

14th November 2008, 06:21pm
#4
by CountArach
Sydney Australia
Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 40
MsCloyescapade wrote:

hijo de...

just kidding... everyone should speak latin and greek then we could all speak to eachother


Seconded. The language of a true gentleman.

14th November 2008, 06:24pm
#5
by MsCloyescapade
California United States
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 572

gentlewoman?!

14th November 2008, 06:27pm
#6
by Gaby
Bayamon Puerto Rico
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 1029

Continuation:

Hi-Hola

Bye-Adios

Boy-niño

Girl- niña

chess-ajedrez

amigo- friend

14th November 2008, 06:35pm
#7
by Stevereti
North Carolina United States
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 70

Si- we should encourage the study of languages in the US. I am trying to learn Spanish-thanks(gracias)

14th November 2008, 06:36pm
#8
by broccolihero
International
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 160

semper ubi sub ubi!

14th November 2008, 06:41pm
#9
by Gaby
Bayamon Puerto Rico
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 1029

Esto fue una buena idea Joe14, ahora la gente se esmera en aprender español

14th November 2008, 06:49pm
#10
by Joe14
El Mejor Pueblo Puerto Rico
Member Since: Nov 2007
Member Points: 1597

si Gaby

but I have adjetives:

Good = bueno

bad = malo

big =grande

small =pequeño

weak =debil

tired =cansado

best =mejor

better than =mejor que

new= nuevo

old= viejo

copy and paste alls translation and study (you can leran)

14th November 2008, 07:33pm
#11
by neospooky
Virginia United States
Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 234

I'm married to a Colombian.  I've traveled extensively in South America, Europe, the Middle East, and I've visited Africa.  The self-hating American view that other people in the world all speak 2 languages and we don't is a complete falsehood.  I think this view grew out of Americans living abroad in American enclaves and meeting people that spoke English because they dealt with Americans on a daily basis.  It IS true that most business people who work globally speak English.

However, I ran into NO ONE in Bogota who spoke English other than my wife and one of her cousins.  In the Czech Republic, non-student Germans, Saudis... it was the same.  France has a significant number of English speakers.  I ran into 2 people in Kuwait that spoke English and I was there six months.  They came to the US for school.  I work with a lot of "unauthorized" immigrants where I work and, again, the vast majority don't speak English.

It's good to learn another language.  It's not good to tell an entire country they're sub-par while using unrepresentative examples.

Quizás algo fue perdido en la traducción?

14th November 2008, 07:38pm
#12
by Vance917
North Potomac, Maryland United States
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 1134

Nice, but we already have a languages forum, posted a while ago.  And posted by one of us dumb Americans -- me.  Go figure.

14th November 2008, 07:40pm
#13
by Vance917
North Potomac, Maryland United States
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 1134

Not being as smart as a non-American, it did not occur to me right away to post the link, but eventually I got it:

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/community/language-exchange

14th November 2008, 07:49pm
#14
by dan_in_la
Los Angeles United States
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 542

I would like to see some empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that "most Americans do not speak a foreign language." I think it is a false.  Where I live in Los Angeles, I think the majority speak English and either Spanish, Korean, Armenian, Farsi, Hebrew, Chinese, Russian, or one of another 200 languages. This may be the most heterogenious population in the world. Personally, me hablo un poquito espanol.  Me espousa habla, espanol, francois, russian, portuguese, italian.

14th November 2008, 08:02pm
#15
by 0-0-0
USA-Ireland Ireland
Member Since: Aug 2008
Member Points: 61

i can't really understand what you are saying but you probably speak english on about the same level as average americans speak spanish

most people can hold a basic conversation(greetings, simple questions/answers,etc.)

so Americans do speak other languages but there is more variety...most know some spanish, others are fluent in german, etc.

i hope you don't perceive us as ignorant because it sounds like you do

14th November 2008, 08:18pm
#16
by Konstantyn
United States
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 233

 My first language is Russian,but I try to learn English.

15th November 2008, 05:55am
#17
by Spiffe
Orlando, FL United States
Member Since: Sep 2008
Member Points: 952

At ease, gentlemen... the original post appears to me to be well-intentioned, even if perhaps misinformed.  The stereotypes go incorrectly both ways, as one might expect.  Not everyone in the US knows only English (or even knows English, for that matter); not everyone in the rest of the world is multi-lingual.

The truth of it is that language proficiency comes from exposure & need.  I learned French in high school and college, but without knowing anyone who speaks French or ever seeing it in practice, my fluency has faded.  Conversely, I've picked up a lot more Spanish since I moved to Florida than I knew before, because that's all that a lot of people here speak.

The same goes anywhere.  Many Americans only speak English simply because they're only exposed to English, just as it might be for the average person anywhere else in the world.

15th November 2008, 06:06am
#18
by Mm40
Essex County, New Jersey United States
Member Since: Sep 2008
Member Points: 2148

en el colegio, tengo la clase de espanol

15th November 2008, 06:22am
#19
by JingoLinx
Fes Morocco
Member Since: Aug 2008
Member Points: 50

I have lived in Poland, Thailand and now Morocco and have spent considerable periods of time in 50 or so other countries.Now, learning 50 languages would be impossible, so I've never bothered to learn more than a few words in each. As the majority of communication is non-verbal, ie. body-language, I have mastered the art of signalling and smiling. I speak no languages, other than English,but never have any problems wherever I go.Latin and Greek do help with my reading of some European languages, but learning dead languages is not really the solution.I have taught English, from pre-schoo, through primary to University level and beyond, and always refuse to speak a word of any other language.I am currently considered the best teacher in my city and am highly sought after to teach in several subjects, even when my students don't speak my language, I can still teach them geology, biology, maths, etc. with very little problem.

The American problem is being totally self-obsessed and not knowing or caring about any other culture, or place, other than America,except when trying to make it American too. Language is only a symptom of your disease.

Oh, dear! My punctuation here is appalling! I must also go back to school.

15th November 2008, 06:46am
#20
by monroe721
New York United States
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 3433

Thank you for analizing the problems here in America.....May I suggest you not quitting your day job.

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