I am Hispanic, and I live in a large Hispanic community. Over the past 5 years or so, a lot of my neighbors come to me when they have issues with their computers or need advice on what computer to buy.
As more and more Hispanics are getting computers, I have noticed an odd trend. While my neighbors have computers, only a portion of the family uses it, mainly the kids that are in school.
I always wondered why this was the case, but I really never bothered to ask why until recently when I was asked by a colleague of mine if I thought a Multi-Language computer would benefit Hispanics in America.
As soon as that question was asked, I immediately thought of two complaints my neighbors constantly have:
Complaint 1: My mom or dad always bug me asking me what this and that means on the computer.
Complaint 2: I want to know what my kids are doing on the computer but I am uncomfortable reading English and really don’t understand anything on the computer.
So I answer the question. I tell the person the above two complaints, and I think of schools and libraries that could also benefit from computers like these.
If there is ever a computer like this, I think it should function in the following manner:
I think if the above is done, then the computer would be a hit in the Hispanic community, and people would use it both to make their computer experience easier but to help them improve their English skills and keep in touch with family and friends in a way they currently can’t.
Now I know some of you think this is a bad idea. You think that if they live in the US, they should learn to speak English. Well the problem isn’t that they don’t know how to speak English; the majority of my neighbors speak English. The problem is they aren’t comfortable reading and doing things in English all the time, and why should they have to?
There are over 42 million Hispanics in the US, so the market is HUGE, and I think the first company to tap the market will make a killing. One company which I won’t mention made an attempt at this in the past, however it wasn’t promoted in a way that it should have been, and I don’t think it was as easy of a computer to obtain nor was it bi-lingual.
A lot of people whom I have talked too, think a computer like this would be a great idea. Others claim that it’s a horrible idea and some have gone as far as to say “English is the Official Language in the US”. Those of you who think that should brush up on the constitution.
So my question to you all is, do you guys and gals think a computer like this would benefit the Hispanic Community?
Comments: (40)
John on Thu, Mar 06th, 2008 at 03:09 PM
@Xavier: To help you, using the word ‘ignorant’ to describe dissenters to your point of view is offensive in polite society.
To help you further, I meant if you install an English system, it *is* an English system. You want a different language, install the language pack for that.
This is a niche requirement at best, IMO, and not deserving of the funds required to make it work.
At the end of the day, if Microsoft, or some enterprising company decides that there is money to be made in producing an overlay or hack for this, I’m sure they would product one.
This is not about Microsoft’s global dev efforts.
You throwing around insults just shows that you are more ignorant, and unable to engage politely in dialog if responses are not to you liking.
You want to lob insults? Do not even try.
Ignorant of this? I have been to more countries in more continents than you probably would ever visit. By the time i was 14, I spoke five different languages, and still utilize most of them daily.
Finally. I now remember you from CES. Goes to show that first impressions can be deceiving. I actually thought you were better than this....somewhat urbane. I was wrong!
Michael on Thu, Mar 06th, 2008 at 03:14 PM
Oh I just saw post number 4. I think I gots me a fan
Michael on Thu, Mar 06th, 2008 at 03:42 PM
@John, you asked can computers read mines or do a mind meld.
Well apparently computers like thare arn’t too far away
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335710,00.html
Julio on Thu, Mar 06th, 2008 at 06:43 PM
<quote=John>For example, how do you help Africans? With several hundred languages? How do you resolve that? For goodness sakes, people over there are whacking each other based on language differences.</quote>
So just because Africans want to whack each other, because they don’t want to accept that some people don’t speak the language they speak, everyone should learn to speak English?
Mira carajo give me a break. I know several languages. English, Arabic, German, Italian, French, Russian, Spanish, and I am currently learning Portuguese.
i am fortunate that I had the means to learn those languages, not everyone has the means, it isn’t always as easy as it may seem.
Julio on Thu, Mar 06th, 2008 at 06:50 PM
Sorry about the <quote> I thought that would work.
Lidia on Fri, Mar 07th, 2008 at 01:07 AM
Learn English. Benefits you dont die going up the wrong one way street.
Cindy on Fri, Mar 07th, 2008 at 12:47 PM
This is a free country and we should be aloud to say what we want. Iam 100% latina was born in the United States and my kids are bilingual and I would love a bilingual computer for them to use and keep learning the language.
My mother moved to NY when she was a teenager came to this country and I might say can defend herself very well with the english language. She hold a very good job and is always looking to better helrelf. She has always wanted to use a computer and becasue of the language has not been able to, Listening to someone speak is not the same is trying to understand the technology of the program in a computer is not the same thing. So a System like this would be wonderful for her and the MILLIONS OF HISPANICS LIVING IN THIS COUNTRY. And if you dont like it then DON’T use it.
Im very certain that it would sell......................
You would think some of us would be alittle more educated. I tought this narrow minded era was gone. guess not
Claudia on Fri, Mar 07th, 2008 at 04:58 PM
wow the anger in this conversation strikes me as the anger experienced in the 40’s and 50’s.
For god sakes this is the United States of America not North Korea. If I want to speak spanish then I should be allowed too.
If I want a computer with 2 3 4 5 6 7 or 8 languages and a bi-lingual version then thats what I want.
Who are you to say that I need to learn english, if I want to speak spanish then I will speak Spanish and if you don’t like it then so what.
My mother would love a computer that was bi-lingual or in spanish, but she shouldn’t need two computers 1 in english for her grand kids and another in Spanish for her self.
I come to this post after searching for bi-lingual computer on google, and all I have found is you need a really expensive version of Windows to get it. Why should we be forced into paying more to make our lives easier.
Those of you who think this is a bad idea are ignorant, and the ones that seem really angry makes me wonder if you were abused when young.
Angel on Fri, Mar 07th, 2008 at 07:00 PM
I’d hate to say it, but whoever says “You live in America, you should learn English” is a damned racist.
America was founded as the MELTING POT. Meaning all languages and Ethnic backgrounds. English was just accepted as the main language because back in the 1600 - 1700’s, only English settlers were here. The only people that spoke a different tongue was the blacks, as slaves brought over to this country.
Now me, I am biethnic. Meaning I have two ethnic backgrounds. Puerto Rican and Irish. My main language is English, but that is because I was brought up in America.
I believe this would benefit people. Why? I’ll explain. Then maybe the ones that said this is a bad idea can learn something.
This could be used as TOOL of education. Put the Operating System into the persons native language, then pack it by default with some translation software, like Rosetta, that would HELP people learn English. See, not so hard now, huh?
As for those people that will say “Oh that would take up too much disc space!”.
So Vista or XP can’t be tossed onto a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD disc, inserted into a corresponding drive and support multiple language? Please. Learn disc capacities.
Hell, in Linux, you can make it multilingual in a heart beat, Actually change the OS’s native language. Just point, click, done. Reboot. When you boot back up, it is in another language.
Now, for those that say “That is Linux, not Windows.”. Uh, what’s so hard about Windows allowing that? It should be easy. All it is, is like downloading a Service Pack. There you go. Hell, microsoft could release it as a damned patch. If you say that “That can’t be done.” I guess the UI hacks out there can’t be done either.
Peace
/end rant.
Angel on Fri, Mar 07th, 2008 at 07:12 PM
One more thing. <-Does a Splinter from TMNT impression->
How about we just make it all Latin Operating Systems? Why? Oh yeah. English and every other European language is based off Latin. This includes Spanish (all forms), Portuguese (all forms), French, Gaelic, Proper English. The list just continues. The only languages that aren’t Latin based are the South-East Asian languages, like, Chinese, Korean, Japanese (to name a few.)
Marco on Sat, Mar 08th, 2008 at 04:30 PM
Do you thinks a computer likes this will ever be availables because mi family could uses one of theses.
Michael on Sun, Mar 09th, 2008 at 02:25 PM
I am not sure if they will ever be available, but I hope so.
Jack Lee on Tue, Dec 23rd, 2008 at 06:33 AM
I am agree with your article. Thanks for sharing your information.Best wishes for the future.
Thanks,
Andrew Jacob on Tue, Dec 23rd, 2008 at 06:36 AM
It’s an amazing article. I agree with all of it.
Thanks,
Peter Parker on Tue, Dec 23rd, 2008 at 06:40 AM
Thanks for sharing your information. And your article will definitely become very useful for us in near future.
Thanks,
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