American businesses are constantly competing to win the loyalty of African-Americans, Women and other minority groups, and one of these fastest growing groups is Hispanics Americans and Spanish speaking individuals. One of the ways they do this is by using specific multimedia marketing campaigns that try to tap into each group's lifestyles and needs. Having studied International Business in college, I can easily see how this is a sound strategy and need, especially in today’s ever changing and growing world market.
There are many multi-million dollars companies, advertise and do business using foreign language speaking employees and forums? There are many U.S. corporations that have international offices that deal with foreign-based companies. Yet you never hear any uproar and protest over these companies doing business in a foreign language and yet there is now a growing movement over companies that choose to do business with Spanish speaking customers in their own language. Companies catering to Spanish speakers is on the rise, but so too is the attacks on these business that choose to look beyond race, ethnicity or language, when seeking customers for their products and services.
The tired old issue of illegal immigration is always and wrongly brought into the mix and issue of business using any and every means to attract Spanish-speaking customers, which includes employing bi-lingual salespersons and using ad campaigns that take advantage of the Spanish language. As a businessman, I see this as an intelligent and essential part of being successful in today’s current economy.
Yes, this is about money, but it is also about freedom. The freedom to conduct and run your business in the matter you see fit, the freedom to buy or not to buy from whomever you choose. So if the fact that the owner of a small Toyota dealership chooses to advertise in Spanish bothers you, than you have the right not to buy from him. Just as I have the right to buy from someone who treats all individuals and customers, regardless of the language they speak, with respect.
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Comments: 27
It is an economically impossible scenario. A small business needs to employ staff that fulfill the needs of the company not based on what language they may speak. Being forced to add spanish speakers is not only wrong, it may force an important business out of business. That is just plain wrong.
That being said, any business is free to do exactly that. If they wish to antagonize a lot of English speaking potential customers, that's their choice. Personally though I think in the long run this particular business owner will come to regret his decision to pander to a subset of his customer base at the risk of antagonizing the majority. That is his choice and only time will tell if it was a wise decision. I do believe, however, that a person should never be denied a job anywhere for any reason because they don't speak a second language unless language is a direct requirement of that job (such as teaching the second language, translating, etc.). What I'm saying is that offering a service is one thing, but denying native speaking Americans jobs because they don't speak Spanish is the wrong direction to go.
I also believe that bi-lingual means I can understand the english being used. I can not tell you how many times I run into people (all races and accents) who I can not understand or have difficulty communicating with.
For instance, I was getting nails done, and the woman was asking me "Pie?" and I looked at her and said I could not understand what she was saying. She asked again, I asked for someone else to help... she wanted to know if I wanted paint, or just clearcoat. Paint sounds alot like pie doesn't it? Hehehe.
I lived for a while in Italy after having studied Italian in college. This did not make me fluent, and though I did my best to constantly speak only Italian, sometimes I just needed some help. A sign in English or a friendly Italian who spoke English was a life saver in moments like those. They didn't make me decide to give up on perfecting my Italian, but learning a new language is harder than most monolingual people realize.
I patronize and support all of our local businesses, regardless of the natinality of the owners. Their contributions to the social and economic fabric of our community is vital.
Excellent article and thank you for presenting a point of view that's often overlooked when discussing the may issues surrounding immigration in America. It also highlights the fact that when speaking about illegal immmigration, there seems to be an underlying hint of racism as well.
is a big part of Spanish speaking countries invading us, and robbing us of our wealth.
As for being about freedom, well suppose we decided to not restrict the "freedom"
of arsonists, or car thieves, or burglars ? Get the idea ? Freedom is relevant to what you're being given the "freedom" to do.
In this case, Mexican (et al) plutocrat billionaires are being given the "freedom" to lighten their load of tax paying by dumping the burden on us ($62 billion/year), while
they burglarize our economy for another $45 Billion/year, in remittances.
This is like giving your neighbors the "freedom" to enter your living room uninvited,
illegally, and remove your belongings, (ie. burglarize you). But hey, we wouldn't want to disturb their "freedom" ???????????
As for treating with "respect", would we have treated with respect invading soldiers
(Japanese or Germans in WWII) ? No ? Then why are we treating these invaders
(economic and cultural), with respect by conforming to them and their language ???
It's ludicrous and treasonous.
As far as pandering is concern, that would be what any business man would be doing, if her or she would summit or bend to the bigotry and animosity mind set of individuals who believe to speak any other language than English is somehow a treasonous act.
What I said is that the dominate language of the United States is English. It is the language of commerce, business, and everything else here. If you are visiting then you are not expected to speak English fluently, just as I am forgiven my abysmal Spanish when I travel in Venezuela. If, on the other hand, you are living here permanently, it's the height of abject arrogance to expect 300 million people to suddenly speak your language because you refuse to learn theirs. This would be equally true if I moved to Caracas and demanded that all of Venezuela speak only English.
It sounds as if America is asking for immigrants to ascond their heritage, as language is a large part of maintaining that. I think some people are missing the point here, no one ever said, author or otherwise, that they are refusing to speak English. but they have the right to own and run businesses utilizing their native tongue, if that's what their customers who frequent them, are comfortable using nor is anyone advocating changing the national language to anything other than English.
But then again, it may be hard, when fear, bigotry and ignorance is clouding your view to see this. Asians have beendoing this for years, yet no outrage is directed towards them, it's all for the Latino population whose poised to overtake the White race in population size. It seems that whenever a racial group seems to upset the hold white America has, they becoem some sort of insideous threat and become villified overnight. Sounds and smells like just plain fear to me.
that they were torturing animals (rabbits), in experiments in which the rabbits became
blinded. Never went back to them.
2. No Juan, you weren't directing your comment at Carolyn. You were directing it
at anyone who might be foolish enough to fall for your deception. Again, as so often,
you stand corrected. I never said speaking ANY language other than than English is a
TREASONOUS act, those were your words. I said, and I say it again, it's a treasonous
act to speak SPANISH publicly (in commercial advertising for example), WHEN THAT IS
THE LANGUAGE OF THOSE WHO ARE INVADING US AND RAIDING OUR ECONOMY AND
STATE AND LOCAL TREASURIES. As for other languages, they are not fully proper in the true sense of being a NATION ("We have but one language , and that is the English language", Theodore Roosevelt, 1907), but speaking them publicly would NOT be treasonous, when those countries are doing us no harm, as you tried to say, that I was saying. So again, NICE TRY.
So although you twisted my words again, and stretched them to a different meaning (what else is new?), I just come back here again, and correct it.
One of these days, you will twist my words again, deceitfully try to put words in my mouth, that I didn't say/mean, and I'll be off the computer for a few days,
and I guess you'll get away with it. On the other hand, gather members (except for a
few newbies), have seen enough of your games to be on guard whenever your slanted, lame, constantly race-based comments appear, to take them with a grain of salt, and correct them themselves. Like the story of the boy who cried wolf.
them quite well. There's a long list. HO Hum.
As for business, what will your projected 53 million in 2020 REALLY be after mass
deportations by attrition occur, as public sympathy for illegal immigration is dropping
like a lead ball right now ?
In late 2006, 28 states had passed legislation restriciting the things that illegal immigrants come here for (jobs, housing, welfare, etc.), introducing 71 new bills in
2007, with 73 from the previous year still on the agenda (source: STATENET). In 2005,
36 bills were passed (source: Nat'l Conference of State Legislatures). Clearly, this is a
growing trend away from tolerating all this past lawbreaking.
The figures for Hispanic population growth don't include the newest trends which
are exactly the reverse. The Hispanic population in 2020 might be LESS than it is now,
and very likely will after attrition.
Lastly, business owners shouldn't be doing anything to increase their sales. that's why we have government regulation.
goes" if it increases sales.
Perhaps that is why so many equate 'spanish speaking' with 'illegal'...just a thought. Juan.
How do you distinguish "pandering" from "courtesy?"
If I am a businessman trying to sell to the public I want to make it easy and pleasant for my prospective customers to buy my products. If that means hiring people who can speak more than one language then it is my *business* to do so.
If you don't like other people to speak a language you don't understand then learn that language.
This comment is why so many minorities equate "southern accents with cross burning and lynching.
Robert F., Oct 8, 2007, 9:18pm EDT
LMAO!!!!
act to speak SPANISH publicly (in commercial advertising for example),"
So speaking German, French or some other European Language is permissible and not considered treason?
on Gather? If you want to rip each other apart do
it in private email please people!! This makes my
blood boil to see intelligent people acting like this
and I won't be a party to any of this. Gather is a
place to write stories, prose, poems to post your
beatiful pictures, a happy place to meet friendly
people and it should remain this way. Remember
that "All men were Created equal"! Aho!
Gather is a place for the free and open exchange of ideas. "All men are
created equal" was stated by Abraham Lincoln, in one of the fiercest, "contention"
debates of all US history, in the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Debate, however rough,
is healthy free speech, and it's what 100s of thousands of US troops died to defend
(among other things). We ought ot revere it.
Juan :
Speaking French or German IS permissable and NO they're not considered
treason BECAUSE, as I just explained, those countries are NOT doing us harm. They are NOT extracting $60 Billion/year out of our economy & local treasuries occupying us with 12-20 million burglars in a deliberate fashion, in contradiction to our laws, like is the case with Mexico and a few other Spanish speaking countries. Get it ?
Now, since you're so hung up on this Hispanic vs. European thing, let me say that I have noticed that the president of Ireland has done the same as the last 2 Mexican
presidents-ie. to request that Bush take in more Irish immigrants (the ones Ireland wants to get rid of), and was in the White House, last St. Patrick's Day, doing just that.
He might have been a little less arrogant than the big-mouthed Mexicans (Fox &
Calderon), but the idea was the same. Fot more info on that, you could check the website : legalizetheirish.org. Only thing is, the Irish speak English, so there isn't a language conflict. To further pacify your European trauma, I've noticed quite a few
Russian speaking immigrants here (some legal, many illegal). If Russian were spoken
in advertising or libraries, etc., and it was where there are many Russian speaking
illegal aliens, then YES , that would be a treasonous act. Got it ?
Pueblo, Ute et al ?