Post by bergsteiger on Nov 14, 2007 11:43:07 GMT -5
vdare.com/letters/tl_111307.htm
A New York Reader Says His Polling Place Is A Chop Suey Of Languages
From: Norman Blake
Last week I voted in Forest Hills, a well-to-do section in the New York borough of Queens.
Forest Hills is itself very "diverse" these days with financially successful Chinese and Jews from the southern tier of the old Soviet Union.
The rest of Queens makes me wonder what country I'm in. I hasten to add that this is not the wonderment of an enchanted traveler. [VDARE.COM note: To better understand Queens has changed, read the New York Times article, Queens Now Has Less Feta, More Jellyfish, by Robert Grimes, January 28, 2007.]
Not only was signage in Chinese, Korean and Spanish (in addition to English—guess somebody goofed), there was a notice stating that an interpreter was available should anyone need translations.
I thought that individuals had to demonstrate English competency to qualify for citizenship. Aren't there terms and concepts that simply do not translate from one language to another?
Why are we Balkanizing balloting? What's next—debate in Congress in a chop suey of languages?
Must we relearn the lesson of the Tower of Babel the hard way?
In plain old English I ask what the hell is going on?
A New York Reader Says His Polling Place Is A Chop Suey Of Languages
From: Norman Blake
Last week I voted in Forest Hills, a well-to-do section in the New York borough of Queens.
Forest Hills is itself very "diverse" these days with financially successful Chinese and Jews from the southern tier of the old Soviet Union.
The rest of Queens makes me wonder what country I'm in. I hasten to add that this is not the wonderment of an enchanted traveler. [VDARE.COM note: To better understand Queens has changed, read the New York Times article, Queens Now Has Less Feta, More Jellyfish, by Robert Grimes, January 28, 2007.]
Not only was signage in Chinese, Korean and Spanish (in addition to English—guess somebody goofed), there was a notice stating that an interpreter was available should anyone need translations.
I thought that individuals had to demonstrate English competency to qualify for citizenship. Aren't there terms and concepts that simply do not translate from one language to another?
Why are we Balkanizing balloting? What's next—debate in Congress in a chop suey of languages?
Must we relearn the lesson of the Tower of Babel the hard way?
In plain old English I ask what the hell is going on?
