Mayor Speaks Spanish in His Press Conferences, but Poorly

I think it is great that he is doing that. I like that he is trying even if he's bad at it. But it is odd for people who speak languages other than english or spanish. Really, it is because he knows what percentage of his voting population speaks spanish (must be relatively high) and this is a ploy to get their vote the next time he needs it. He's a politician. It's what they do! Personally, I WISH I could speak a 2nd language. I'd love to learn spanish.

I think it's a valiant effort. He's trying to be inclusive and show respect. Even though his Spanish is spoken poorly, he's still trying... and speaking Spanish badly isn't disrespectful.

I am guessing he is catering to a vote (like ALL politicians) ... Therefore, I have to wonder IF he got a really high Latino vote.. That said, if it's true, then I think the community that he is catering would appreciate the nod, even if he doesn't speak Spanish really well.. some probably appreciate the effort.. I know my MIL who speaks Italian appreciates it when I try and have a conversation with her in Italian, even if I miss it up.. she likes it..
As for offending other communities, I could see how some might take offense, then again.. I don't think any politician cares as long as they are getting the votes they need in order to win an election..

How about this:

It was a nice try at being inclusive and reaching out? I don't know...

I'm sorry, but I am *sick to death* of the 'it should only be spoken in English' conversations. Our society seems fine with the dumbing down of the English language via "text" language, and many people in our country use English with no regard to grammar whatsoever. How many times have I heard someone say "went and seen" in my lifetime? Good grief.

We have to get over ourselves. We are a GLOBAL community, people. I refuse to be offended by people speaking a different language than the one I do. I'm far more likely to be upset by a person's actions, not the language or patois they speak. I grew up in Honolulu, where all of my family speaks Hawaiian Pidgin or 'da kine' 99% of the time. When I came to the mainland, I had to learn how to speak 'proper' English. Sometimes, something very rich and wonderful can come from blending languages into something more people can understand, so that they can work together. Efforts to be inclusive, to go beyond what is 'easy', should be acknowledged. Pidgin was formed by the need for workers and employer/employees to be able to communicate with each other while coming from many different parts of the world. This is something that Hawaiians understand, it is what makes the culture there so rich, and choosing to communicate in a new way was better than standing on some principal and saying "if you want to work for me, only speak my language". That would have brought industry to a screeching halt. Yes, there should be a more comprehensive presentation if it is in another language, I agree, but can we stop dissecting every.little.thing someone does that is 'unusual' to the stale status quo?

And my son WILL be learning Spanish as he grows up. I want him to be able to communicate with the majority of the people around him. Why? From the census of 2010:"37.0 million--The number of U.S. residents 5 and older who spoke Spanish at home in 2010. Those who hablan español constituted 12.8 percent of U.S. residents 5 and older. *More than half of these Spanish speakers spoke English “very well.”*
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey

Sorry, I had to laugh when I read this. The reason is because of having lived overseas, and knowing how HARD it is to read a foreign language that I'm no good at, even after practicing it several times. I remember going over it again and again, and after giving a concert, I spoke to my audience, reading their language. All of a sudden, I heard laughter, and it threw me and I lost my place. It took a moment to find where I was, and I was afraid that I would re-read whatever it was that made them laugh before, and that they would laugh again. That was the LAST time I did that. No more! What's funny is that I could sing in that language, and I sang a lot. But speaking is so different!

The laughter aside, which I'm sure was caused by poor pronunciation making it sound like I said something I didn't mean to say, the people there ALWAYS appreciated when I attempted to speak in their language. I can't tell you how many times they helped me find my way, showed me how to do something I couldn't figure out, etc, just because I tried to speak in their language. Americans are so different. I so very much appreciated my host country's understanding that learning their language was difficult. So many Americans just think that English is the only way. How backward thinking in the globally minded world we live in now!!

Yes, America is the melting pot. So many different ethnic groups, so many languages. Perhaps the mayor looked at statistics that said the major non-English group in his state is Spanish speaking. Perhaps he knew that the ONLY foreign language that he could possibly get out of his mouth is Spanish. Perhaps this is just something he decided to try. I would give him the benefit of the doubt on this. If you want to be mad at him, be mad at him for not closing school when Cuomo has said for people not to go anywhere until the snow storm has passed...

if he's got a lot of spanish constituents, then it's a nice AND smart gesture (who cares if it's political or not? he's a politician, right? do we expect football players not to act with with football in mind?)
if he had a preponderance of swahili or urdus in his district, then that too would be a nice gesture.
but it's kinda stupid of people (not naming names, but you know who you are) to pretend that people of spanish descent aren't a fast-growing VOTING demographic of this country, and that they don't matter.
good for the mayor.
khairete
S.

You can always count on the same people to complain about other languages being spoken.

Before I scrolled through I wrote down 3 names and they did not disappoint.

Anyway.. Of course it is cool that he would speak Spanish since so many people in Our beautiful inclusive country still are working at learning to speak English, which by the way is not the original language of this country. EVERYBODY should be informed on any dangers, and if a Teacher, Principal, Mayor, Governor or President can do this by speaking different Languages, how on earth is this a bad thing?

And we wonder why other country's think we are such "Ugly Americans".

I knew this post would kick up the anger. Did you hear the story about the man who yelled at a woman next to him in the checkout line? She was on her cell phone and not speaking English. When she finished, he gave her the business about needing to speak English, and said "If you want to speak Mexican, go back to Mexico!" (Yeah, "Mexican") She listened to his lecture, then said, "Sir, I was speaking Navajo. If you want to speak English, perhaps you should go back to England."

Anyway, I think DiBlasio should use his rudimentary Spanish when shaking hands or in the crowds, but should have well-crafted speeches in more structure gatherings. Spanish is the 2nd language of this country, and reaching out and BEING CLEAR to a large population particularly in a stormy/emergency situation is fine. Does it reach every foreign language speaker, no. But it's a start. In our states of emergency (storms, last spring's Boston Marathon bombing aftermath), when our Governor is on TV, there's a sign language interpreter there as well. We don't scream and demand that every hearing impaired person learn lipreading. Likewise, we put closed captions on TV. I don't see a problem.

If every person kvetching about this can guarantee that they have learned at least one other language, or have volunteered to teach ESL, I'll listen to them. But I think the "speak English, dammit" attitude flies in the face of the fiscal realities which are that English classes have been underfunded and cut back drastically, with the expectation that people will "just learn it" somewhere, anywhere. Churches are closing and can't help, social service agencies can't help, after school programs and adult ed classes aren't staffed and funded, and those in the suburbs often lack cars or mass transit to get to urban areas where classes exist (but with long waiting lists).

30 years ago, we didn't have handicapped parking places or accessible rest rooms either, and we realized we were pretty backward and selfish. So I think that anything that makes people more aware is a good thing. Mayor DiBlasio may be doing that - and showing that he's willing to TRY to speak Spanish (not waiting until he's entirely fluent) - and he's also showing that it's not so damn easy to learn another language perfectly. That's a good lesson for all the complainers - many of whom can't spell, use proper grammar, or speak English as well as they act like they can!

I think it's great! If America REALLY wants to be a GLOBAL Leader, then we NEED to teach several languages to our children, from Kinder on. Most other countries teach their students several languages. Most other countries have SEVERAL languages or dialects that they use to communicate with each other. Communication with your neighbors & business partners is a GOOD thing. If you are in business & haven't a clue what is being said--even if you have a paid translator--lots of stuff can go wrong or you may not get the best deal.

The arrogant "English Only" crowd REALLY ticks me off. They tend to also be the same people who think only "they" have a right to be here, only their religion is the "right" religion. They live in fear. I don't want to live like them.

I would say english for official business, but continue the outreach in general. I always assumed that they had translators (sign language, spanish) at these kind of things. But maybe he's taking classes and want's to show that he's well rounded ;)

English is the main tongue of the US, but honestly, I think we're too provincial and our kids should be learning another language when they're small. The world is getting smaller and smaller, and to have the "I only speak english cause I'm American" is a short-sighted attitude at best. In many other counries, they speak at least 2 languages, native tongue plus english. They didn't get on their high horse and say "speak your native tongue only, don't learn english".

It seems like people assume that those who come here don't want to learn english? Do people know how HARD it is to learn a language as an adult? The kids DO learn to speak english. Why don't we make it EASIER to learn english? Maybe free classes at the chambers of commerce, or a channel that has english language lessons all day long? But no, people would rather rant about it than make a helpful change.

You don't like it when other people speak another language? THEN go get an ESL certification and TEACH IT. Put your money where your mouth is. BE the change you want to see in the world.

The United States does not have an official language. I applaud the mayor's efforts.

I don't need to learn another language bc I don't plan on moving to another country. Nor do I need to volunteer to teach ESOL bc I don't feel it's my duty to pay way more in taxes than I use in public services AND provide a service that is not needed as the result of a handicap or illness etc. And why should Spanish speakers be accommodated? Why not the Asian languages? They don't seem to ask for it though. Somehow they manage just as generations and thousands of people in years past managed when they moved to this country. ESOL didn't even exist when I was a kid but we didn't have people expecting official announcements in other languages then. How did they manage then but they can't now? Kind of ironic...

Eta: do people realize English is the international language of business? I deal with Europe quite a bit for my job and some with South America. It's all in English. If we want our kids to learn another language, I would argue it should be Chinese, not Spanish.

I don't care if it's perfect or poor Spanish. I think it's ridiculous. My mother is an immigrant and LEARNED ENGLISH!! She spoke her native language sometimes with some friends but never ever dreamed of not learning English. She wanted to move to America! No one made her or really makes anyone so why can't they learn English?? If someone wants to only speak their native language, stay in their native country... She has been in their shoes and strongly feels the same way. We should be Americans first. Maybe English isn't the official language but it is the common language. I can't imagine moving to another country and not learning their language - official or not - and expecting to be accomodated.

ETA: Would it be nice to provide everything in multiple languages? I guess so but we live in a world of limited financial resources. I don't see how printing everything in multiple languages is the best way to use very limited government funding. Not really applicable when he's speaking Spanish but I stand by the general idea. And handicapped people are just that. As I have read a handicapped person say "we would GLADLY give up our special parking places to be able to walk". People who can't speak English after moving here typically are not handicapped. Not the same thing...

I love hearing other languages and I wish more Americans were bi or tri-lingual, but even I think it's a bit obnoxious (obvious pandering).

We got a speeding ticket when we were traveling in France a year or so ago, and the ticket came to our home here in the US. There was not one word of English on that document. NOT ONE (except our address?). It took me awhile just to figure out how to handle it (google translate).

In France and Italy there were many people who spoke at least a little English. It's humbling, actually, how conversant Europeans are in English versus American's ability to speak other languages. That being said, the US is a vast nation where people generally do not *have* to learn another language to live.

I don't have a problem with emergency announcements in Spanish, but your example sounds more like he is trying to cater to a favorable voting block - especially if he's not speaking it well. Wouldn't it be better to have a Spanish translator make the announcement? And what about the other languages?

JMO.

He could give all of his speeches in perfect Spanish and it wouldn't make a bit of difference to me. He makes his living by pandering to liberals and excluding (and saying hateful things about) conservatives.

ETA: Apology accepted, Megan. Thank you.

To me, it sounds like he's making an effort to communicate with the spanish-speaking only population. Why would that be a disservice. Even if his pronunciation is not perfect, I'm sure they can make that out just like people who speak English only can usually make out what someone who is not fluent in English is saying.

Here is the answer - everyone learns multiple languages including English and Spanish at early ages. As kids get older let them learn some French as well as our our other neighboring country has a large population of French speakers. And heck, I don't know... maybe let them learn German or Japanese just for kicks.

We cannot avoid the fact that we are a multi-cultural society and yes, should learn multiple languages; however; why do we always have to pander to just one group? Why can't we expect exclusively Spanish speakers to learn English? Oh, yeah we are so mean to expect that right? Here you are saying it's so awesome that we learn Spanish right? Well, learn English please. It goes both ways and it's too bad so many feel insulted and not think about it in those terms.

Totally agree with Fuzzy. I think we go way too overboard accommodating the Spanish speaking people. If they want to live here, they should at least try to learn the language. If we continue to translate everything, will they ever be bothered to learn?

Good luck with the snow. I am surprised the schools are still open.

Sorry - DeBlasio is just like Cuomo...and every other politician out there - He's a liberal democrat who believes, like Cuomo, that Conservatives have no place in New York...so why should I give him credence?

If he's TRYING to reach out to his constituents? Great..but what happens when his constituents are Farsi, Urdu, Arabic, etc.? is he going to try and learn each language to be able to speak to all of them? If not? Then he's really not doing himself any favors...

Here in DC...we got about 14" of snow. We're expecting more tonight into tomorrow and more on Friday/Saturday...yippee!! More snow days!! (urgh!!)....

Anyways - back to your question - I don't care what language he speaks in to be honest. He does't represent me nor my family nor my district...

I was rude and that was uncalled for. I'm sorry Christy Lee.

My thoughts? Purely political on his part. Nothing more, nothing less.

I am bilingual. English is my first language, but I am a certified Spanish translator. I speak it well and with a good accent. (toot toot. That's me, tootin' my horn! lol)
When my son was being baptised we took him to a Catholic church and had him baptised in Spanish since a lot of my husband's family was going to be there and they are mostly Spanish speaking.
This poor guy was HORRIBLE at speaking Spanish. I couldn't understand anything he was saying and my husband (the native speaker) didn't know what he was saying either. It would have been better if he had just done the whole thing in English.
That being said.....I think it's good he's trying, but it would probably be better if the person speaking was a native speaker or GOOD! If he's as bad as you say then most of the people he is trying to reach don't know what he's saying anyways. It's important, especially in a situation where the public is in hazardous conditions, that they understand what is being said. He should have an aid or someone fluent get up and make the announcement.

L.

I think it's great.
It's about COMMUNICATION.
I give him an A+ for the effort.

I find this to be a wonderful well meaning attempt. I see what you are saying with the other languages excluded, but they would be if he just spoke in English too. I feel like its more of a nod to the fact that there are people of many different cultures in the city.
On a side note, good for you! I really want to raise my daughter to be bilingual. I can speak spanish, but not really well, and have been looking into an immersion preschool for her. I'm having some difficulty finding something affordable.

Sometimes people expect others to try and when they do, they jack it up so bad that it is laughable...that's what happens when I try.

It takes a lot of work to not only pronounce and speak Spanish properly, but to get the appropriate translation across to drive the bottom line home.

I work with the public and may say a word or two in spanish, but would never try to convey an entire message.

Here is my favorite...you know what happens when I try to say charcoal in Spanish???

i think he is trying to be inclusive and recognize a major group of constituents. However, if he is providing emergency weather information to the citizens in your area, they may better be served by someone speaking their native tongue so there is no misinterpretation of the information . They should also be providing info in as many languages as possible, including American Sign Language. Perhaps scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen?