Yesterday, we took the kids with some friends for one of our favorite hikes along the river on the “Billy Goat Trail.” This is the sign we encountered at the start of the hike. Does this mean some bilingual citizens are counted twice by the National Park Service since they drown in two languages?
It appears that non-English speakers generally have a higher fatality rate. Putting aside the mystery of the signs, we had a ball with about eight kids climbing over the rocks. We followed the outing with a run to Ray’s Hell Burgers for the world’s best burgers. Perfect day.
Jonathan Turley
but we’ve just returned from Italy where nearly everything, both commercial and official, is posted in English in addition to Italian and many also include German and French.
If you haven’t noticed, English has become the universal language internationally, much to the dismay of the French. So having signs in English is a normal response. I don’t recall Spanish is the same. For example, I was on a flight between Iceland and Norway, and the only way the Icelanders and Norwegians could converse was to use English. English is the standard language in aviation, and I was even surprised to learn that on the flight deck, even foreign airlines mandate that all communications between crew members be in English when dealing with flight.
I have no problem with putting signs in Spanish or other languages especially if we want their tourism or business. Tourism is Italy’s biggest revenue earner, so it is no surprise that they are even more accomodating.
The problem is that too many Spanish speaking folks, mostly illegals, do not want to learn English and think it is their right to have everything translated into Spanish for them. When I was a tourist, I made damn sure that I knew the basics of the local language and had a pocket translation guide with me. I think that the expectation that we should cater to illegals is the problem.
Pete,
How can you tell when a smurf is suffocating?
how can you tell a smurf is suffocating?
Loved the Billy Goat Trail as a Boy Scout in the late 60s. Also, the C&O Canal by the Monocacy Aqueduct. Great place to toss cherry bombs
I’ve always thought the right’s blathering about having signs in languages other than English to be xenophobic to say the least, but we’ve just returned from Italy where nearly everything, both commercial and official, is posted in English in addition to Italian and many also include German and French.
Frank,
Yep. Likely the Park has a limited budget and replaced the older Spanish sign but not the nearly brand new English sign they had made up just prior to the 8th person dying.
Sounds like something I might do….or did…
The Spanish language sign was made & posted after the English language one.
Never been to the Billy Goat Trail but we have a few places around here that offer the chance to damage yourself on rocks & water & every year there are always some who avail themselves of the opportunity.