No point in learning to speak spanish to people who simply refused to speak english despite knowing how.
As one of my American Hispanic co workers told me. “They speak english, just not to you” They spoke english to him because they saw him as “one of theirs”. He wasn’t, he was an American.
The former owner of this company refused to try to speak any Spanish.
The Foreman spoke very limited English, so they had a bad communication problem.
When I took over I tried to issue all instructions in Spanish.
My Foreman must have felt challenged; he learned a lot more English. He once lamented to me that his son, who graduates tomorrow from a prestigious university, speaks Spanish poorly.
Now, we use both languages. Clear communication is essential to safety and quality.
I do not think of this as a right/wrong issue. I just adapt to the conditions that I encounter, and speaking Spanish has proven to be incredibly valuable.
I use the language frequently at restaurants and grocery stores. It brings a smile when I show respect for their culture.
That said, it is also clear that people who refuse to learn English limit their incomes and careers. I’m sure the younger generation will figure this out.