What's 'vote' in Spanish?

sacbee ^ | 3-4-05

[LouAvul]

GOP Assembly members take language classes in effort to reach out to Latinos

...snip...

Thursday's hourlong session in a Capitol hearing room was part of an eight-lesson program meant to help GOP lawmakers communicate with Latino voters who speak no English.

Assembly Republican leader Kevin McCarthy - labeled "jefe," or chief - took a good-natured stab after class at the Spanish phrase for a state budget deficit projected at $8 billion when the year began.

"Ocho biliano?" he guessed.

Not quite, but close.

"Ocho billón."

The middle-aged class of GOP "asambleistas" - Assembly members - focused on the simplest of Spanish phrases, but their message was politically sophisticated and reinforced by inviting the media.

One word at a time - from "hola" to "buenos días" - Republicans hope to convey that they care about the Latino community and are willing to do whatever is necessary to serve it.

In a state where nearly one of every three residents is Latino, language lessons could lead to more airtime on Spanish-language TV and help to boost Republican ranks statewide, GOP lawmakers say.

"A lot of Hispanics and Latinos have conservative values," said Assemblyman Russ Bogh, R-Cherry Valley. "They share our values. They don't necessarily share the values of Democrats. So we're trying to reach out to them."

[paulmartin]

it's more practical to learn Spanish in school than French.

[bill1952]

Speaking of the word "vote" in Spanish, perhaps the people of Spain itself might wonder about the greater meaning of that word as it pertains to Iraq.

Also, what is the spanish word for "surrender?"

[My2Cents]

el polo loco

[4mycountry]

Ditto.

[AuH2ORepublican]

""Ocho billón.""

---

Geez, they can't even get *that* right. "Eight billion" would be "ocho billones" in Spanish, since one would need to use the plural.

Actually, if one wants to get technical, "eight billion" should be translated as "ocho mil millones" (literally, "eight thousand million") since in Spanish-speaking countries the word "billón" refers to "a million million," not "a thousand million." This is exactly like the traditional use of the word "billion" in Great Britain, in which "billion" was used for "a million million" and the word for "a thousand million" was "milliard."

[Clemenza]

My favorite sign ever, which I noticed at a bar in Mexico DF back in 1998:

"Hora de Happy Hour"

[Cultural Jihad]

How about ...

LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH, YOU ARE IN AMERICA NOW!!!

Would the so-called "AmericaFirsters" (really just "AmericaWorsters") try to criminalize the speaking of Spanish? Somehow I wouldn't doubt it.

[AuH2ORepublican]

""Hora de Happy Hour""

---

Now that belongs in the Department of Redundancy Department.

Although that may be payback for the use of the phrase "Salsa sauce" in the U.S. And Arabs probably find it funny that we talk about "pita bread" ("pita" means bread in Arabic). And once, at a deli in your old neck of the woods (Lonck Island), I actually saw a sign that said that they sold "Panini sandwiches." Talk about a bunch of mamalukes.

[Clemenza]

You forgot "Pizza Pie."

[Clemenza]

My own POV is that people should maintain the language if they wish, as that is what the first generation of my family did (all my grandparents spoke Polish or Italian with their parents, even though grandparents were born here). Nevertheless, government-sponsored bilingualism must stop.

[s_asher]

http://world.altavista.com/

vote = voto en español

[TheOtherOne]

Is this article really from the SacBee?

I found the same story on the ModBee:http://www.modbee.com/local/story/10063615p-10892229c.html

[KC_for_Freedom]

Son las cinco in alguna parte

[AuH2ORepublican]

"You forgot "Pizza Pie.""

---

I guess I'm trying to forget that some people actually call it that. Do pizza shop windows actually advertise that redundancy?

[TheOtherOne]

Nevermind, same story, same author, different title.

[Clemenza]

I want to slap the face of the Albanians and Arab pizza shop owners who advertise "Sicilyan" pizza.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Wow, Sicilyan. Must be really authentic.

In New Haven (where the locals claim the pizza was invented), the best pizzerias are still run by Italians, but there are also some excellent pizzerias run by Greeks. They had one-stop shopping for great Italian-style pizza, Greek-style gyros and Lebanese-style stuffed grape leaves.

Darn, it's a Friday during lent. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to relive those days.

[monkeywrench]

Why don't you leave the snivling, whining, and exscuse mongering to the liberals?

I prefer the America firsters to the me firsters and their enablers. Too lazy to learn the country's language, indeed.