What do you think about bilinguals (like myself) getting paid more than a non-bilingual?

alanninn

i love america! i'm happy for you,why would anyone be mad if you are here legaly! use what you got girl and don't get dragged down..someone needs to be here for the legal ones and why not you right?

gokart121

Um, I have some bad news for you...if you're an american, you have to stop being a mexican, now, 'cause you're not 'from' there, anymore. I know that's a hard one to get, maps n stuff are kind of hard, but there's always night school! LOL

QuiteNewHere

Being fluent in several languages is / has always been considered an asset in any job dealing with the public.
Please do not presume we didnt know that in the first place. Some corporations will list fluency with multiple languages as part of an entry level job.
The world is getting smaller.
Spanish can be one of these languages, but go to any bank and they list at least 15 languages that their employees can speak.

sillylittlemen

Speaking any other language in any country leads to more job opportunity and more pay. If your job requires you to use the secondary language, then yes, you should get paid more.

JaMoke

If you are providing a service, any service, that another is lacking, then hell yes you should get paid more for it.

rchlbsxy2

I think that if being bi-lingual gives you an advantage or allows to perform tasks that uni-liguists can't do then you should have that rewarded.

If you're getting paid more for exactly the same work, then that's pretty rubbish really.

cork

Dependent upon your job.
many people speak two ,three or even four languages.

Some choices made in life are for you--not for money,

I don't care how many languages you speak if it does not benefit me directly as your employer.

If I hire you to pour concrete or tie steel or weld-I don't care how many lingo's you fuss and cuss in.

If I hire you for sales and office work-then you will speak-write-understand fluent Spanish and English.

No shortage of Bi-lingo speaking people worldwide.

perhaps the State Dept is what you seek.

gabegm1

where i come from everyone is at lease bilingual if not trilingual.
getting paid for extras should be the norm.

La Gueta Micaela

of course we should be paid more..... we have advanced studies which make us a asset to anyone.

Clyde S

There are very few jobs that actually pay more for knowing Spanish. Most of them are low paying service jobs that most people wouldn't want anyway.
And lets turn your question around. Why don't the Spanish speakers learn English so they can better communicate? It only makes sense to learn the language of where you're living. If I moved to Mexico I'd learn Spanish. Why can't we say the thing about them?

Shelley

I don't think there is anything to whine about. Why? Because you have skills that your employer values and is willing to pay a higher rate to receive. Your employer is trying to reach its entire market, and it has deemed that it needs bilingual employees to do that.

Another example of this would be if people have two years of college and get hired for a particular job and then they go get their four year degree. They now are more qualified and would command a higher salary level, if not with that employer, then another one.

People who complain about Spanish-speaking people are just culturally uncomfortable with people who look different from them "taking" their jobs or they perceive that those who look different than them are taking their jobs. .

Ronnie

I think that individuals who have Bilingual Skills should get paid more.

It's a SKILL - It's not about Mexicans or Puerto Ricans or Cubans, etc.

I think its great to be educated in Lingustics. I took Italian and french when I was younger, and I know Spanish.

I think the ability to learn and speak other languages allows us to compete with the world. The way I looked at it.....is.. if people in other countries can learn 4 - 5 languages and that is their standard we should raise our standards to become multi-lingual we have the ability to do so why not take advanage!

Not to mention.....how wonderful it is to meet foreigners and/or visit foreign places and be able to communicate and learn something new.

Knowing other languages gives us such an opportunity to learn - ....it gives us the chance to grow as individuals and you deserve to be compensated for this skill.

jensantosleon

Of couse you should get paid more for it. You are more profitable to the companies, and if you are more profitable, then you should get paid more.

I too am bi-lingual, and if I worked outside of my home then I would ask for more money for what I can do.

colorlessblueideas

i'm not answering to the question exactly, as i don't live in USA. I'm just commenting because I love to learn languages. a friend of mine just told me a quote from Goethe:
â€œThose who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.â€
i agree with that, and i'd say that, whatever is the reason to learn a second (or third and fourth) language, doing so is fun and you'll never lose on the process.

courage

I have no problem with people with more skills being paid more.

Mendi8a

It is money well DESERVED!

doktordbel

Not everyone has the aptitude for languages, that's why they pay more to those that do. Hablo espanol, pero es deficil comprender un nativo sin practicar mucho.

kapute2

if you can speak a second language you're worth more ipso facto, as for the "illegal" stuff, those are generalizing dweebs. not all illegals speak Spanish, and not all Spanish speakers are illegal

Nick Z

It's not that easy to learn a foreign language in an English-speaking country, unless your family and friends speak the language around you from your early childhood.

Native Spanish speakers will always know Spanish better, and they'll always have an advantage over those who try to learn Spanish in school.

Pay should be based on one's work performance rather than on some personal quality, such as knowledge of a foreign language.

People who know foreign languages have more opportunities open to them in translation and in business. And these extra opportunities can give them an economic advantage over others.

sweet..dude..sweet..dude

Why??? Why learn spanish when english is spreading like a wildfire.

BTW- Puerto Ricans don't legally come here, they are here, they are part of America.

Ø§Ù„Ø¹Ø²ÙŠÙ…Ø©

Well Annie, i am starting to honestly think you have a problem with anyone who isn't mexican, you posted a similar question yesterday and had great answers.
I think it is appropriate that someone who enters America or any other country that speaks a majority of English, At least learn some so that they can assimilate, if you can't read english how do you read road signs? Not knowing how to learn english in AMERICA, is a huge deal, it's the same as going to mexico and not learning spanish.
Personally i think not knowing the language that most people speak is a set back,

Too Young To Know

My dad got offered a pay raise because he spoke two languages, but we had to move, so he said no.

neil r

I'm a total redneck when it comes to this subject ( and proud of it)
But I'm not stupid, I recommended to my kids to take Spanish in high school. It will help them get better pay.

Â«Â»RUBYÂ«Â»

The USA is very diverse. We have people from all over the world. We cannot accomodate every language in the world. When the USA makes English our official language, people will be required to KNOW basic English. I know there are people in the USA who have not yet grasped our language. Therefore, we need bi-linguals, for now. When people stop coming into our country without the basic grasp of English, we will no longer need bi-linguals. Where I work, English/Spanish bilinguals get $2 more per hour. The English/Korean bi-linguals get $4 more per hour. I don't like it, but there is nothing I, personally, can do to change it, other than learning another language myself. I hope the day will come [but, it probably won't] when we will no longer treat people from other countries 'special'. They should learn OUR language, we shouldn't 'pamper' them by offering a bi-lingual or a translator, except when dealing with international customers [people in their own country], even in that case THEY should provide the translator, not us. If WE called their country, WE would provide the translator.

bklynmka

I see no reason why someone shouldnt know two languages, its great although if i were to learn another language its not going to be spanish, it will be my language italian, but i do agree that if you come to live in america where english is the first language you should learn it instead of expecting everyone to learn yours. If i moved to spain tommorrow with a couple thousand more americans .... do you think they are going to learn english to communicate with me? no, i would have to learn their language, which is only right.

Spud55

More skills - more pay. And I don't think illegals are the only reason for Spanish being spoken.

Walter Ridgeley

Well, gee, nothing really.

cyclops

Its not a problem, its takes more skill to learn two languages
properly.

BoogieWoogie

If being bilingual gets you more monet, good for you. Someone said before me that you are doing the same exact work so getting paid more was rubbish. excuse me, are they speaking another language? so how is that considered the same exact work? you have a talent, and you should use it for gain.

morelli26

Would an American legally move to Russia and sit around and complain that no one will learn English to communicate with them?

I do speak a second language. French. Maybe the immigrants should learn that to communicate with me.

All of us came from somewhere else. Yet, we learned how to speak English, instead of demanding everyone else learn German, Polish, ect. Anyone not willing to do this is lazy. Period.

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