Immigrants Need to Learn to Adapt

Re “Police Bilingual Efforts Fall Short, Latinos Say” (Jan. 28):

I have always considered myself a member of the silent majority. That is, I am so busy providing for my family, working and paying taxes that I have never had the luxury of complaining about the various social issues that deserve a dissenting viewpoint. However, after reading the article, I was so outraged that I had to sit down and write this letter.

If I moved to a foreign land, I would most certainly learn and speak their language and adopt their norms, similar to my ancestors who emigrated from Germany. Rather than expecting the American government and public to speak German, my grandparents learned English and became “Americanized.”

Why does the Latino community, an immigrant minority in the United States of America, insist on forcing their language and culture on the rest of the country? What’s more, why do we allow this to happen?

The article illustrates this attitude, which seems to pervade the Latino community. As far as I can recall, English has always been the code we use to communicate in the United States. Why should the police learn Spanish?

Perhaps our new citizens should learn English just like every other immigrant group has done.

DIETER JAHN

Laguna Beach

Nativo Lopez, co-director of Hermandad Mexicana, says the No. 1 complaint from the Spanish-speaking community is police officers’ inability to make themselves understood. This is the United States, and its language is English, which means our police speak English. The problem is that a good part of the Spanish-speaking community refuses to learn English. I say keep your native language, but if you want to use government services, vote, live and raise your children in the U.S., you must learn English.

MARK A. MUCKENTHALER

San Juan Capistrano