Watch How You Say What You Say To A Dallas Cop

[casingpoint]

It's "Watup", not "Que Pasa"?
http://setxbayou.blogspot.com/2009/10/d ... ckets.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mymojo]

Two questions:

1) How did she pass the written exam?

2) How is she gonna know what the traffic signs say?

[android]

Two questions:

1) How did she pass the written exam?

2) How is she gonna know what the traffic signs say?

The exam is available in Spanish.

Shape and color I guess.

[joe817]

I strongly believe that any resident of these United States must be required to speak THE recognized legal language of the land which is English. That is all. Out.

[Kevinf2349]

I strongly believe that any resident of these United States must be required to speak THE recognized legal language of the land which is English. That is all. Out.

You have to be able to in order to obtain citizenship, but I have to say that the test I was given comprised of the reading of one sentance..."Who can vote?".

Now it could be that I didn't get anything more complicated as it would have been apparent from my conversation that I had a passable command of the English language....maybe my accent gave it away?

I thought I had blown it when he asked me to write down "Citizens can vote" as the answer and I said...what about over 21 and not criminals....he just laughed!.

[The Annoyed Man]

I left the following comment on that article:

I don't care one way or the other what a person's native nationality is, or what their native language is. That said, the traffic signs are all in English, and drivers had better by golly be able to read them accurately and quickly. If they can't, that puts the rest of us who are on the roads in danger, and that's not right either. The signs are in English, not some other language. In California, where I am originally from, you can take the CDL exam in Chinese. CHINESE!!! Why?? If you can't read the most rudimentary questions on driver's test in English, then you can't read a freeway off-ramp sign, or a freeway interchange sign, or a railroad crossing sign, or a school zone sign, and you have no business behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Period.

What "English Haters" don't get is that nobody is asking immigrants to give up their native languages. I've lived in the US almost my entire 57 years, but I was born overseas, and French was my first spoken language as an infant. But I seriously do not expect anyone to let me take a driver's test in French, when all of our signs are in English. For me, it's not even all about patriotism (although that is a factor). It's just dumb to expect that the roads will be safe if a third of the drivers who drive on them can't read the signs. That can actually get people killed, and no amount of political correctness is worth that.

[android]

It's just dumb to expect that the roads will be safe if a third of the drivers who drive on them can't read the signs. That can actually get people killed, and no amount of political correctness is worth that.

Having driven in Ireland, Japan and Germany, I would have to disagree. Traffic laws are and signs are mostly universal. Staying on the left hand side of the road in Ireland and Japan a bit challenging the first day or so, and shifting with your left hand feels different too. Germany is right side driving, but is not really much of a problem. My only snag was I never could find the town of Ausfahrt and I drove around all day long looking for it.

I did not drive when I went to India. Although signs are in Hindi and English, driving there is rather anarchistic and you get a driver with the car for about the same price as a rental in the US.

[Kevinf2349]

My only snag was I never could find the town of Ausfahrt and I drove around all day long looking for it.

Classic!

I had a visitor who actually asked me how come there were lots of streets name "Frontage Road" in Texas

[MoJo]

I know it's hard to believe in this day and age but there are native born adult Americans who cannot read or write. Many of them operate motor vehicles the test can be given orally for those who are illiterate. A commercial operator license requires the holder to have a working knowledge of the English language. After talking to some OTR truckers its obvious fluency isn't a requirement.

[MoJo]

I strongly believe that any resident of these United States must be required to speak THE recognized legal language of the land which is English. That is all. Out.

There is no "official" language of the United States. Congress long ago adopted English but they never got around to making it mandatory. Another interesting fact English only beat German out by a couple of votes.

[suthdj]

Before my wife came here from China I asked DPS if they had drivers manuals in Chinese, Response was no only English. Well I was a little disappointed but though cool they only do english. Well jump ahead a couple years and my wife finally gets here and goes to take her test in English and behold they are handing out Spanish language manuals. Now that irritated me off. If my wife wanted she could of had a translator there to help her read the test, but she took it in English. Heck even at my job everything is written in English, Spanish and vietnamese.

[The Annoyed Man]

It's just dumb to expect that the roads will be safe if a third of the drivers who drive on them can't read the signs. That can actually get people killed, and no amount of political correctness is worth that.

Having driven in Ireland, Japan and Germany, I would have to disagree. Traffic laws are and signs are mostly universal. Staying on the left hand side of the road in Ireland and Japan a bit challenging the first day or so, and shifting with your left hand feels different too. Germany is right side driving, but is not really much of a problem. My only snag was I never could find the town of Ausfahrt and I drove around all day long looking for it.

I did not drive when I went to India. Although signs are in Hindi and English, driving there is rather anarchistic and you get a driver with the car for about the same price as a rental in the US.

Sure, some signs are universal, but freeway exits marked on the big overhead green signs aren't, and neither are a lot of others, including school zone signs, parking signs, etc.

I've driven in Europe too, in France. But I speak the language, and I know what's going on. There is no way in the world that you can convince me that someone who cannot read signs in English on our roads is 100% fully in control of their vehicle and how they drive it around other drivers. When I lived in SoCal, in Pasadena, Alhambra was just to the south of us. Alhambra was in transition to becoming a city populated overwhelmingly by Asian immigrants, many first generation, and they are both wonderful people with an ancient and vibrant culture, and also the blindest, worst drivers anyone has ever seen, partly because they cannot read English signs. THAT is why I think it is important to test foreign born drivers for drivers licenses in the dominant language of our nation... ...English.

[dicion]

and also the blindest, worst drivers anyone has ever seen, partly because they cannot read English signs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xOO39wyKK4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's pretty similar to that in some Houston areas as well

[chabouk]

My only snag was I never could find the town of Ausfahrt and I drove around all day long looking for it.

Easy, you just follow the signs to Umleitung!

[dicion]

My only snag was I never could find the town of Ausfahrt and I drove around all day long looking for it.

Easy, you just follow the signs to Umleitung!

Bahahaha I remember asking that question...

They actually sell shirts on base over there that say "Where the heck is Ausfahrt, Germany?"