The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Language Barrier
After a trip to Mexico and talking to the Firefighters over there, or "Bomberos" as they call themselves, I became curious as to know...
How many of you have ever been faced with a language barrier, and how did it affect the incident?
What do you do if you're faced with someone who speaks little to no English in an emergency, who do you call?
Does your department carry those quick reference sheets made specially for EMS and Fire?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Gregory Borg on
-
Marcio, Explain Luso, is it a last, or family name?
-
-
Who are you referring to?
-
-
Paul, You are so off base, no one cares if people speak other languages. The theme of this discussion is "deal with it". You just do not get what an American is, an immigrant, we all are. Why are you being such a knucklehead? Does someone speaking another language hurt you some how? Cost you money? What is the deal?
-
-
Heather, Prejudice/racism is the scourge of America and it is based on ignorance. An unwillingness to learn about other cultures and understand them. 'America is right all the time and we are the best'; this is a somewhat negative way to look at the world, but a lot of people do. I hope it will change.
-
-
Thanks for starting this discussion.
-
Permalink Reply by Márcio Teixeira on
-
No...lol
if I do not speak English ... try otherwise fend me, if there is no way we understand ... move into the hospital and inform you what I saw .. and much information I could find on the site , neighbors ..
-
-
Hi gregory
sorry about the word (Luso) it´s portuguese word/term.
example:
I have a friend that is luso american
Is parents are americans, but he as born in Portugal.
-
-
Hi Dan
Yes 50% / 60% of the tourists are English.
-
Permalink Reply by Eugene D'Alessandro on
-
I work in a place where it is mostly populated with spanish speaking resident. I myself dont speak any spanish, luckily alot of guys do though. If there isnt any around I pretty much rely on my very limited ability to understand the important words when it comes to the job, such as fire, floor etc...
-
Permalink Reply by Tony P on
-
I see what you mean MIke - but aren't there a variety of these methods of communicating? In other words no world standard? I'm certain I've read about that... I have never considered learning this type of 'talking', I know nothing about the method used here. I wonder if our paramedics learn it... No idea about that either, I work with the paras at incidents but that's as far as it goes, what with ambulance being a seperate govt. organisation.
Anyway. I think that for non English speaking people (we are getting more and more of them here, and many don't seem to think that English need be learned) then Heather's comment about charades might be right on the mark!
-
-
I always thought the word 'fuck' was a hangover from old Saxon. The language the French invaders of England pushed aside back in the dark ages ;o)
-
-
I can speak English. I tried some years ago to learn my (ex)wifes native language - German. I gave up after a while. I was learning high German, they all spoke dialect, and there are huge differences! I never have liked being constantly laughed at. My mother in law speaks good English, my father in law never would. He simply refused to try - it was his loss, he never had any real intereaction with my sons, they were frightened by the way he spoke. Why not have taught them German then? My ex could only have taught them child-talk in her dialect, she never learnt more. I would have been happy to learn German with them but they still wouldn't have understood his mixture of two dialects - and I would NOT have put up with them being laughed at for trying to speak what would have been their second language.
Heather? "Lady Heather René"? I thought it was illegal in the USA to use a title of nobility? My turn to ROFLMAO
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
