Bilingual

[Mountain Res-Q]

This is the UNITED STATES speak ENGLISH.

I actually don't speak English becasue I don't live in England. I speak American, because that is where I live! we say things like "Snap" "Y'll" "Whatever" "Yep" "Betcha" and we are pround of it.

 

[Shishkabob]

I actually don't speak English becasue I don't live in England. I speak American, because that is where I live! we say things like "Snap" "Y'll" "Whatever" "Yep" "Betcha" and we are pround of it.

American English*

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

American English*

Fine. I am an Appalachian-American who can speak Ameriglish "real good like".

 

[Shishkabob]

Ameriglish

I can't even attempt to pronounce that word in my head :wacko:

 

[VentMedic]

The United States has no official language. Surf up why. You would also be surprised at the consequences of what would happen if English was the official language. Florida did make English the official language and lost millions of dollars immediately for the education of children. That money was to go to both teach people English and to encourage those who speak English to learn a second language. Florida lost even more millions in tourism which is a leading industry for Florida and the U.S. Do you know how many English speaking business owners suffered from that?

Those of you that have gone to college, why do you think 2 semesters of a foreign language are required? For one, it makes people think of another heritage and banishes some of the attitudes that are being displayed here. How many display this attitude with your patients that don't speak English? Some of these strong opinions may be difficult to conceal.

Many people who have not learned to speak English in this country are older who were brought here by their children or who fled their country for reasons of violence. Look at some of the Asian and South American countries. Many of these people did not want to leave their homes just like some of our own ancestors but some feared for their lives and the lives of their children. I don't always agree with the way this country treats immigrants, either legal or illegal. The Cubans and Haitians are treated totally different by the U.S. I did not agree with the Mariel boatlift but again that was the doing of the U.S. Castro just took Carter up on his offer. But, as a healthcare provider, I will try to communicate with at least the two dominant languages in my city. In the hospital, it will their right to have someone interpret for them.

While someone shouldn't be forced to learn a another language to work in EMS, I believe a similar statement can be made for those who have chosen to live in the U.S. This country is supposed to be rich in diversity and FREEDOM. There seems to be a few here that don't seem to understand those words. There is also a good chance they haven't seen much of the U.S. or the world either to appreciate freedom, choice and diversity.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

I can't even attempt to pronounce that word in my head :wacko:

A-Mare-eye-glish. I've sumitted it to Websters.

 

[TransportJockey]

"Any imigrant who comes to America should be required to learn english within 5 years or leave." -Theadore Roosevelt

Not that I agree with that (for fear of angre replys). But I agree with what you said 100%: "And I do not support government efforts to enable them to get by without having to even make an effort. However, the simple fact is that, this is something that will make you better able to perform your job, so a professional commitment to doing so is to be encouraged." but manditory? Nope!

I agree 100% with it. I don't care about angering people

 

[Sasha]

English is one of the hardest languages to learn. Things that sound like they should start with "S" start with "C", there's their, there, they're, your, you're, picture, pitcher, present as in gift, present as in current time, ever changing slang.

If you had replaced "learn a second language" with "learn more about COPD, Cardiomyopathy, ALS, gullain barre syndrome, trisomy,the endocrine system, (you get the point) many would be all over it, yeah! something that may be able to help better understand, asses, or treat a patient down the road! So why is the same no applicable to a second language? How could you better asses a patient than in their native language?

I can't tell you how dissapointed I am to read comments like "You're in America, speak American!".

 

[AJ Hidell]

I can't tell you how dissapointed I am to read comments like "You're in America, speak American!".

Would you be similarly disappointed if you heard it from immigrants who came here speaking no English, but were determined to be Americans, and learned English, and are now encouraging other immigrants to do the same thing? Would you rather them encourage other immigrants to just sit around and isolate themselves from society, and never make any effort to assimilate? Sounds to me like you're promoting segregation. That disappoints me.

 

[Sasha]

Would you be similarly disappointed if you heard it from immigrants who came here speaking no English, but were determined to be Americans, and learned English, and are now encouraging other immigrants to do the same thing? Would you rather them encourage other immigrants to just sit around and isolate themselves from society, and never make any effort to assimilate? Sounds to me like you're promoting segregation. That disappoints me.

Actually, I would be similarly dissapointed. I'm not supporting them to totally ignore learning English, but why not take steps to make it easier for YOU the health care provider to communicate with them? Make regulations on them learning English when you're in congress, not medicine.

And we had this conversation like 20 minutes ago on the phone, Mr. Hidell

 

[VentMedic]

If you had replaced "learn a second language" with "learn more about COPD, Cardiomyopathy, ALS, gullain barre syndrome, trisomy,the endocrine system, (you get the point) many would be all over it, yeah! something that may be able to help better understand, asses, or treat a patient down the road! So why is the same no applicable to a second language?

We've already tried that approach for some in EMS and few even go for more medical education. The same comments about not needing more book learnin' also applies here.

However, if you post a communication class in other medical settings for signing or another language, it fills quickly. When you have patient responsibility for longer than 15 minutes, most will see the rationale for improving their ability to communicate or having access to interpreters especially if there is another language very prevalent in an area.

We can not always pick and choose our patients nor can they choose when they will need medical care.

 

[STATION4]

I actually don't speak English becasue I don't live in England. I speak American, because that is where I live! we say things like "Snap" "Y'll" "Whatever" "Yep" "Betcha" and we are pround of it.

same dam thing

 

[reaper]

English is one of the hardest languages to learn. Things that sound like they should start with "S" start with "C", there's their, there, they're, your, you're, picture, pitcher, present as in gift, present as in current time, ever changing slang.

If you had replaced "learn a second language" with "learn more about COPD, Cardiomyopathy, ALS, gullain barre syndrome, trisomy,the endocrine system, (you get the point) many would be all over it, yeah! something that may be able to help better understand, asses, or treat a patient down the road! So why is the same no applicable to a second language? How could you better asses a patient than in their native language?

I can't tell you how dissapointed I am to read comments like "You're in America, speak American!".

But Sasha, should we learn every language spoken, to better assess our Pt's?

Vent hit the nail on the head, even when putting down, we only have our Pt's for 15-20 minutes. I can assess my pt and treat them, without ever speaking a word to them. We do it all the time with unresponsive Pt's. So how is it different? If we had the same pt for 12 hours, then I would need an interpreter. On the truck, we have the problem of the interpreter not wanting to stay in the cabinet all the time!

 

[Foxbat]

While I am not a US citizen and I can't tell you what to do with immigrants, here's my humble opinion.
Yes, immigrants should learn English. Also, people should not take heroin, drink alcohol in excess, or commit suicides. And yet EMS providers learn how to treat drug overdose and how to deal with suicide attempters. We don't say "this is America, you can't take illegal drugs, if you do, that's your problem". We try to help the patient the best we can even if they do something stupid.
Besides, not knowing English is not always patient's fault. You may see a pediatric pt. who is too young to speak any language and whose parents don't know English. You might see an elderly patient who came to US along with his children and is simply too old to learn a new language from start.
Or, you might see a patient trying to tell you he has an infectious disease, or that he was just exposed to hazardous material, or that his lasceration is actually a knife wound and the guy who did that might come back any minute.

 

[reaper]

As stated above. Do your assessment and treat!


I could be treating a terrorist with a bomb strapped to them and speaking Arabic. If I do my assessment, I find the bomb and deal with it from there. You could "what if" it to death. Does not change the out come. Assess and treat.

 

[Foxbat]

So you don't think there are a lot of situations in which knowing symptoms (as opposed to just signs), history, and allergies would significantly change the way you would treat a pt?

 

[VentMedic]

As stated above. Do your assessment and treat!


I could be treating a terrorist with a bomb strapped to them and speaking Arabic. If I do my assessment, I find the bomb and deal with it from there. You could "what if" it to death. Does not change the out come. Assess and treat.

I can also tell you about the many times that I have been warned about a dangerous situation in Spanish which may have saved me from harm. I'm not talking about what if situations either. There are some situations I would like to know about before I am close enough to touch the patient.

If you choose to live in an area that has another language that is spoken even more than English, you should consider learning that language. Miami is a great example. By not speaking the language, you can miss out on many cultural events and will not truly be part of a great city. You will also have more job opportunities and can even pick up extra money as a medical interpreter which can pay better then ambulance work.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

I believe the original poll question was should it be Mandatory?

Without going further into the political aspects of the argument, I believe that almost everyone here is saying the same thing. Mandatory: no. A great idea if we want to provide the best posssible care: ABSOLUTELY! It demostrates your personal commitment toward furthering your education in an effort to become the best medical provider you can be; same as getting ACLS when you are just an EMT or taking more Advanced A&P or Cardiology classes as a First Responder. It's not needed to do you job, but it is always benifical to do your job 110%, which should be everyones goal here. But out of all the classes/courses we should be making mandatory for EMSers, 2nd, 3rd, 4th languages are pretty low on my list.

 

[Aidey]

I voted no, like others have expressed I feel that when in the US you should at least make a decent attempt to learn English. Of course this will never happen, plus there are always tourists, and there are just way too many languages for it to be practical. Some larger areas have 3 or 4 different language groups that have significant populations. Which language would be mandatory?

I also agree that it is generally possible for us to do our jobs without having to have an extensive conversation with the patient. It makes it easier when we can talk to them, but if we can't we need to be able to work around that. I think language interpreter lines are much more appropriate. That way you know the person interpreting knows what they are doing, instead of depending on someone who took a couple of semesters of German 4 years ago.

That all being said, I am technically bilingual. I speak English (obviously) but I'm also proficient in American Sign Language. My University requires a language, and of all the people in the US they are the only ones who can't control the fact they can't speak or understand spoken English.

 

[Sasha]

But Sasha, should we learn every language spoken, to better assess our Pt's?

Vent hit the nail on the head, even when putting down, we only have our Pt's for 15-20 minutes. I can assess my pt and treat them, without ever speaking a word to them. We do it all the time with unresponsive Pt's. So how is it different? If we had the same pt for 12 hours, then I would need an interpreter. On the truck, we have the problem of the interpreter not wanting to stay in the cabinet all the time!

No, that's unfeasible, but if you have a big Spanish speaking population, or a big German speaking population, or a big Russian population, why not learn enough to do asses? What if your patient was allergic to latex, or morphine? How do you assess allergies without speaking to them if they're not wearing a medic alert braclet?

The difference between an unresponsive patient and a non-English speaking patient is the unresponsive patient is... unresponsive. Sure, you CAN treat and assess, but don't you think your patient would feel REALLY uncomortable you touching them and not speaking to them?