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Speak English?

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Jemisa | 11:27 Thu 28th Jul 2011 | Society & Culture
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Should foreigners who come here to live and work be able to speak English?
Evidently there's a new law that says YES and they won't be able to enter the country without a test.

Having said that, what about the Brits that go out to Spain to live without being able to speak a word of Spanish? Should Spain enforce this law too.?

jem
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We have free movement in the EU so Spain would have no say in the matter.
Yes, and going on the twit i spoke to earlier today, when i asked for something in Boots the chemist, the sooner the better.
Anywhere you reside you must have an understanding of the language surely, especially if you are in a service type role, in a a shop, pub, restaurant, whether its Britain, Spain, or timbucktoo.
ric.ror, according the paper, she doesn't speak a great deal of English, and her husband back in India doesn't speak English at all.
I am afraid i am getting rather fed up with the situation, having to repeat myself endlessly to some people, i don't mumble, or cannot be understood.
Even worse was when i was in the hospital, a number of nursing staff could barely be understood, which is reprehensible, because mistakes there could prove fatal.
I was quite distressed after an examination by a doctor at the ante natal clinic. He hardly spoke any English, couldn't understand what I was asking, then just rudely said "6 weeks, you have 6 weeks". As I had only 2 weeks to go I was quite upset.
2 weeks later after giving birth this doctor showed up and I said "6 weeks ha what did you know"
The nurse said "I'd shut up if I were you........he's doing your stitches".
My prediction in this matter:

The High Court in Birmingham will rule in favour of Mrs Chapti (the lady whose husband has been denied residency because of the UK Border Agency’s language requirement). The UKBA’s rule will be declared unlawful because either it is ruled to be discriminatory or because it infringes her Human Rights or, more probably, both.

The Government does not seem to have quite got hold of the idea that Labour’s legacy of the 1998 Human Rights Act and the 2010 Equalities Act both deny them the right to prevent people whom they think unsuitable the privilege of entry to the UK. Until they do they will continually be frustrated by the courts when they try anything like this.

As for health staff’s inability to communicate, political correctness is far too important to sacrifice for the far more trivial matter of patient safety.
My partner is a hospital consultant. Due to the specialised nature of her work she often has to take phone calls out of hours, receiving laboratory and test results and advising on treatment.
I overhear her having to spell out medication and treatment to nursing staff - and sometimes doctors - who cannot understand or spell the information given.
The thing is, she is not from Europe and had to take an English language and writing test before being allowed to enter the UK. This is despite the fact that English is her first language, and she speaks and writes it far better than many of the indigenous population - and some hospital staff from the EU who did not require such a test.
What is the point of taking up residence in a country where you can't communicate? I don't understand this attitude. Either you want to live and enjoy the advantages or you're excluded from society.
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Not quite, - being of a Scottish disposition. But we accept Geordies, they`re quaint and in time understandable.
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DOH! We know about the EU Mungo, it was a hypertheticle Spain, could be Italy France - whatever (sigh)

jem
Im still trying to master English and I have lived here for 53 years!!
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I have no shame, - and I live far enough away
I can dodge the flak☺
If a spouse is brought into the UK from the Indian sub-continent and doesn't speak English, they'll be condemned to a life of isolation. It shouldn't be allowed.
My Tesco online shopping order has just been delivered by a lovely Polish bloke. He unpacked everything for me and while doing so told me in perfect English that he had been here for four years and tried very hard to do his job well. I found out he was Polish because, of course he had an accent and being nosy I asked him what it was. I don't suppose you ever lose your accent.
My sister lives in Spain and can speak Spanish fluently. Her husband also, but not quite so well. When she went there to live she decided she had to understand what was going on so joined a class.
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I use Tesco online shopping too Star,You must have the same bloke as me, ours is Polish too. You in the Southend area.?
Just thought, Tesco probably employ several E Europians all over England.

You've summed it up for us there Star.

Jem
suppose her husband had had a stroke and had affected language capacity - still going to bar his entry?

Going to deny entry to any multimillionaire who might decide to come here?

No?

Aren't you just passing judgement based on your own prejudice that foreigners are too lazy to learn English?
Not on entering the country, but after a while then they should be tested on basic conversation,about everyday things, you must remember it is not always easy for foreigners to learn English as it is a very hard language to master.
So "after a while" you're going to test them and kick them out if they're not up to scratch?

Even if it's a businessman who's making a load of money and employing a workforce?

Get real - like I said this is just prejudice about "lazy foreigners"

If we were getting British businessmen kicked out of Gulf states for not speaking arabic there'd be uproar
thank you jake for retinerating my point which everyone seemed unable to understand (it was in english right?) or provide a comprehensive response.

again. i was living and working in saudi, i could speak passable arabic and could write my name in arabic - thats all. if i wanted my wife to join me in saudi, should she have to learn to speak arabic and write it fluently enough to pass a test before she could enter the country ?

secondly, would my children have to do the same?

and saying, i coud move back here, was not an option at the time.

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