No need to apologise because by page 4 many threads have wandered along a different path.

Rosemary

Anyway…

what is the latest on the driving licence saga please ?

asking for a friend lol

The latest is : if you have a uk licence and have decided to live in a country which speaks a different language to yours you are going to need to do what every foreigner is expected to do in UK - learn the language. And fair enough. For years I taught English to Spanish, Polish, Italians,Iranians etc all who lived in Scotland. They made themselves learn English because they were told in no uncertain terms that if they wanted to live in Britain they should have to courtesy to learn our language. We impose those requirements on all immigrants coming to Britain who wish residency. From our perspective that seems perfectly reasonable until the shoe is on the other foot then its - but we are different from other people we are British !!

Your question was answered a couple of posts ago. See below

Good post :-)

I know it's a bit tangential but at the moment Im really angry at how us Brits view people from other countries and this stems from a recent experience:

About 6 months ago I was considering returning to UK with my 16 son. The idea was for him not to do the Spanish Bachillerato but A levels to make it easier for him to get into uk university. Anyway I phoned a local secondary to enquire about admission. The person in charge informed me my son would be required to present a C1 level English certificate because she told me A levels required an high level of English and as my son had not been taught in English he would perhaps have problems writing and comprehension at this level. I then pointed out he was technically bilingual but she then went on to say that didnt mean alot as she doubted that even if he was a fluent speaker the level required for Alevel needed to be native level in all areas. She then basically told me that she would expect all overseas students from non- English speaking countries to be equipped with English if they wished to receive a uk education. She then basically lectured me on how they dont have resources to teach students English and why should they. If I came to UK Me and my children should not expect help with the language from the state and that English was a basic and reasonable requirement for anyone wanting to access state organisations. So basically I'm not going to return to uk. My son is more than capable of studying Alevels and could do an equal exam in Spanish no problem. Us Brits at times have a an overinflated idea of who we are and what we achieve. We often think that we have the best of everything and that the rest of the world is constantly envious of the UK. The long and short of it is: if we want to look down on foreigners and lecture them about integration then it gives me delight to know Brits wanting to have Spanish driving licence should be told to do it in Spanish. I came here first when I was 40. I paid for Spanish classes and make a point of learning the language. It was hard, humiliating at times, and costly but I felt it was only right I did it. Now Russians come here and they all immediately start learning. Brits are lazy and arrogant and now they deserve to be treated as they treat others. I'm sorry about the rant but I'm fed up having to stand in queues like Aguamed or Suma whilst English couples insist on trying to make Spanish officials understand their English. They dont even have the courtesy to pay for a translator either.

Rosemary

Fell over this by accident!

What I find incredible is the assumption made that all British, native English speakers (studying for A level) have such a high standard of English (daft, innit!).

I remember taking part in an international forum which included representatives of 25 European countries (I was the sole native English), drafting a lengthy & technically complex document, in English. The chairman commented that I was, although native English, surprisingly quiet (for me!), I pointed out that the rest of the delegates all had better English than me and should just carry on (& I think my English is reasonable!).

That is one thing I like about the USA - we have no "official" language... Though, if you want to get things done, it is in english, ie. government documents.. Though some offer them in Spanish and most institutions, banks, etc.. offer them also in Spanish...

I read once that in the UK you had a choice of 20+ languages for forms for certain government agencies...

Easy question 1 - would Spain bring able to quickly issue fines to British tourists generate bad press in the Mail and the Express?

Easy question 2 - with the announced civil service cuts, can you see the DVLA investing in a new IT system to handle automated vehicle owner requests from Spain?

Easy question 3 - does the government bother in any way about Britons living abroad?

Easy question 4 - will the problem eventually go away as Britons get used to the idea of taking a test in Spain anyway?

Now you've got your answers, better crack on and take a test for a Spanish driving licence.

Yep and you were once allowed to take an official translator with you when doing the driving test (before the days of theory etc).
We lived in Southall in the 70's and a school friend of mine's father took the test and had a translator from English to Hindi and back again.
However he was ok with the practical but the highway code questions were answered by the translator (he had done this on numerous occasions and was found out a couple of years later)..

I can't remember how many Portuguese lessons I have had. But I have given up because native speakers keep replying in English even when making an effort stringing sentences together. The only way to learn a language is to buy a place in a rural area.

I think Spanish and Portuguese love practising their English - they assume all foreigners are fluent in English . My sister-in-law's English, who moved to the Costa del Sol 20 years ago, has greatly improved but her Spanish is only good enough to order food in restaurants.

So please tell your Spanish and Portuguese friends not to reply in English.

Was that before or after Eric Pickles, in his role as Communities Secretary, told the nation that translation undermines community cohesion?

I came to Spain 12 years ago, my mums husband is from Oviedo, I had a massive head start at learning Spanish it does not make me better than anyone else

However… some older people have got no chance of learning Spanish, people with learning difficulties won’t learn it, deaf people will not learn it, is it a written law to speak Spanish if you live here ? Try going up the Stratford road in sparkhill in Birmingham, hardly anybody speaks English.

too many people are quick to jump the gun on this forum it is pathetic and sad to be honest, everybodys individual situation is different, some people are lazy and too arrogant to learn Spanish yes but a lot of people simply cannot learn it, just because you speak Spanish does not make you anymore of a resident then the next man who dont speak it who is also a resident im afraid

romanians, Italians etc learn Spanish very easily because they already speak Latin languages and Russians and Ukrainians, Scandinavians etc learn Spanish quickly because they very rarely have English as an intermediate language to get by when they get here so are put in the deep end straight away and are forced to learn it fast

and lets have it right. English is the easiest language on earth to learn

this thread is about the driving licence situation, if they decide that a straight swap is not allowed, plenty of driving schools are doing the theory and practical IN ENGLISH

Get over it, wow

go and ask any spanish, italian or french speaker and they will tell you english is the hardest language to learn... I have been told that many, many times in my 22 years here.