[ahmeneeroe-v2]

>Treat others as they would like to be treated.

I have never expected a foreign government to provide English-language materials (especially non-tourism related materials) on any of my travels to other countries. Why should that be an expectation?

[cogman10]

And yet they do [1]. I'm not saying that the expectation be there for all interactions in the country, I'm saying the expectation should be there if you are about to be charged with a crime in that country.

Why should that be an expectation? Because if you or I am being held against our will, wouldn't it be nice if you had an interpreter who could translate what the officer, lawyer, and judge are telling you? IE, if they tell you "you have to do this to not be locked up for 10 years" wouldn't it be nice to know how to comply with a ruling against you? Wouldn't it be nice if when they asked you questions you could actually answer them?

[1] https://eucrim.eu/articles/directive-201064eu-on-translation...

[nineteen96]

Nice? Sure. Do I expect it? No. I’ll go to the consulate before leaving my country to ensure I understand the laws of the country in which I’m going to be a guest, and obey those laws. In cases where I’ve needed translations, I’ve obtained them at my expense. I certainly don’t expect them to be provided freely.

[cogman10]

What will you do if you are arrested by mistake?

Innocent people are arrested all the time. You can't just "obey all the laws" and assume you won't have a run in.

Without the legal protection to get a translator, you are assuming after being arrested you can simply call a translation service. Yet, you should know that most countries and most cops will take your cell phone.

It's a humanitarian principle that before being prosecuted you should at a minimum know why you are being prosecuted.

> I certainly don’t expect them to be provided freely.

I never said they had to (though I think they should). What's more important is that you have access to translation services.

[SoftTalker]

Generally if you are a tourist, on a tourist visa, doing touristy things in a place where lots of tourists go, there will be multilingual (probably at least English) support. If you're going deep off the beaten path into China or Mexico or Russia or some other part of the world where tourists are rare and the local language is all most people know, then you should be think about how you are going to function in both ordinary and exceptional circumstances, including "what if I get arrested?"

[cogman10]

I'm not talking about going off the beaten path. You can be arrested anywhere for any reason. Just being in a "touristy" location doesn't make you safe.

Even so, having translation support regardless of how far off the beaten path you are is something that should be consider a human right.

[ahmeneeroe-v2]

Sorry no, I do not consider it a human right.

You're also focusing on the low hanging fruit (a tourist getting falsely accused). What about voting materials or passport applications?

I do not expect other countries to make citizen-specific materials available to me in my language. I am also totally against making US-citizen-specific materials available in non-english language.

E.g. I do not want someone who doesn't speak English voting in local elections.

[bigstrat2003]

I agree. If I travel to another country as a tourist, much less live there, I have zero expectation that the people there will speak to me in English. It's nice if they do, but I see it as my obligation as the outsider to bend to their ways, not the other way around. I think that similarly, if someone lives here they should be expected to learn English. They don't have to give up their native language and culture, but the onus is on them to learn our ways, not the other way around.

[tchalla]

I hope you never have to call an emergency ambulance in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language.

[ahmeneeroe-v2]

Thank you, same! I certainly include that as a risk calculation when making travel plans.

[alistairSH]

And yet many of them do. Because it makes life easier for everybody.

[ahmeneeroe-v2]

The underlying contention is that it does not make life easier for everyone. Specifically, that the lack of cohesive American identity actually makes it harder for the people who matter most in the United State of America: Americans.

[alistairSH]

How does providing government paperwork in Spanish or Korean make life harder for an English-speaking American? And the contention that Americans only speak English is just wrong. Most do, but there are massive numbers of residents and citizens who have something else as a primary/first language.

What ever happened to being a melting pot. And taking on the poor, huddled masses? Growing up in Virginia, we were always taught our variety was one of biggest strengths, not a weakness.