Planned billboard angers Arab-Americans

Fuck them if they get offended.  The truth hurts.

Fuck them if they get offended. The truth hurts.

Amen Brother!

They should only be offended if they are terrorists.  If they are truly offended... then it stands to reason that they ARE a terrorist deep down in their hearts.

NC hands out licenses like candy.

It' not the Arabs that are taking over NC, it's the illegals.

Charlotte Struggling To Serve Spanish-Speakers

POSTED: 10:18 am EST December 19, 2005
UPDATED: 10:18 am EST December 19, 2005

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Businesses, schools, and government agencies in the Charlotte area are struggling to keep pace with the demand for interpreters to serve its fast-growing Spanish-speaking population.

Up to 120,000 Latinos live in and around Charlotte, making it home to one of the nation's fastest-growing Spanish-speaking populations.

"Almost any place you look, the need is there," said Michael Collins, vice president of the Carolina Association of Translators and Interpreters.

Local schools have been severely affected by the growth. Nearly 15,000 area school students _ 12 percent _ are Latino, with 2,500 new students reporting for class this year.

Between 150 and 200 professionally trained Spanish interpreters work in city hospitals, the courts, schools and businesses, according to Rick Haffner, co-owner of CICS Language Solutions, which provides interpreters to Carolinas HealthCare System and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, among others.

But he estimates that 2,000 Spanish-language interpreters are needed to cover the various meetings that involve the Spanish-speaking community.

Haffner said interpreters need to do more than simply speak two languages. Their duties also require them to be able to explain legal proceedings and deliver life-threatening medical news.

An interpreter can earn between $25 and $100 an hour.

"The city is changing," said Lorne Lassiter, executive director of the Mayor's International Cabinet. "The Spanish-speaking population is here. It's our obligation as a society to speak with them."

To achieve that, the cabinet is building an online clearinghouse of nearly 200 public and private forms and brochures in Spanish and other languages.

Also, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department recruits from local Latino communities while it sends other officers to Costa Rica to learn Spanish. Less than 3 percent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police force speaks Spanish.

At the state level, the Division of Motor Vehicles allows applicants to take portions of the driving test in Spanish.

On the top floor of the Mecklenburg courthouse, nearly 10 percent of the children cared for at the court's daycare center are Latino, director Gloria Peters said.

The staff, none of whom are bilingual, has had to adjust. They've tried learning soothing sayings like "Tu mama vuelve pronto," or "Your mother will be back soon."

But it's not the same as having a native speaker.

"It would be very helpful to have a Spanish speaker here," Peters said. "A lot of the times it's the children who interpret when we can't."

Maura Elguera Chavez, interpreter manager for the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, sighed when discussing how her 18 interpreters must cover cases for the district, juvenile, civil and criminal courts.

And she worries about finding a dozen more qualified interpreters to meet expected demands when the new, larger courthouse opens next year.

"Everyday, the demand seems greater," she said.

Quoted: NC hands out licenses like candy. It' not the Arabs that are taking over NC, it's the illegals. Charlotte Struggling To Serve Spanish-Speakers POSTED: 10:18 am EST December 19, 2005 UPDATED: 10:18 am EST December 19, 2005 CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Businesses, schools, and government agencies in the Charlotte area are struggling to keep pace with the demand for interpreters to serve its fast-growing Spanish-speaking population. Up to 120,000 Latinos live in and around Charlotte, making it home to one of the nation's fastest-growing Spanish-speaking populations. "Almost any place you look, the need is there," said Michael Collins, vice president of the Carolina Association of Translators and Interpreters. Local schools have been severely affected by the growth. Nearly 15,000 area school students _ 12 percent _ are Latino, with 2,500 new students reporting for class this year. Between 150 and 200 professionally trained Spanish interpreters work in city hospitals, the courts, schools and businesses, according to Rick Haffner, co-owner of CICS Language Solutions, which provides interpreters to Carolinas HealthCare System and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, among others. But he estimates that 2,000 Spanish-language interpreters are needed to cover the various meetings that involve the Spanish-speaking community. Haffner said interpreters need to do more than simply speak two languages. Their duties also require them to be able to explain legal proceedings and deliver life-threatening medical news. An interpreter can earn between $25 and $100 an hour. "The city is changing," said Lorne Lassiter, executive director of the Mayor's International Cabinet. "The Spanish-speaking population is here. It's our obligation as a society to speak with them." To achieve that, the cabinet is building an online clearinghouse of nearly 200 public and private forms and brochures in Spanish and other languages. Also, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department recruits from local Latino communities while it sends other officers to Costa Rica to learn Spanish. Less than 3 percent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police force speaks Spanish. At the state level, the Division of Motor Vehicles allows applicants to take portions of the driving test in Spanish. On the top floor of the Mecklenburg courthouse, nearly 10 percent of the children cared for at the court's daycare center are Latino, director Gloria Peters said. The staff, none of whom are bilingual, has had to adjust. They've tried learning soothing sayings like "Tu mama vuelve pronto," or "Your mother will be back soon." But it's not the same as having a native speaker. "It would be very helpful to have a Spanish speaker here," Peters said. "A lot of the times it's the children who interpret when we can't." Maura Elguera Chavez, interpreter manager for the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, sighed when discussing how her 18 interpreters must cover cases for the district, juvenile, civil and criminal courts. And she worries about finding a dozen more qualified interpreters to meet expected demands when the new, larger courthouse opens next year. "Everyday, the demand seems greater," she said.

im with you a heard somewhere nc could lose a major highway spending money if they dont get the illegals under control and in a hurry.


i want to go work at a farm cant right now because of some many illegals getting the work before us which is Bullshit we have to feed our familys to.

WTF?

An interpreter can earn between $25 and $100 an hour and the police department has to send some of their
officers all the way to Costa Rica to learn Spanish?

Learn and speak english or get the fuck out!

Quoted: Learn and speak english or get the fuck out!

This gets my vote for Most Ironic Post Of The Month...