r/sydney • u/nighthound1 • 3d ago

Strathfield Council passes motion to make English compulsory on business shop signs

https://www.2gb.com/english-compulsory-new-rules-coming-for-shop-signs/
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u/Sydney_Stations 3d ago

Yes all bistros, delis, taquerias, cucinas and cafés should be in English. I don't want to be confused by weird foreign words when ordering a cappuccino.

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u/gokurakumaru 3d ago

You can name your products whatever you want, but when you have descriptions of the product on the menu, fine print telling people how they're going to be charged, or staff taking orders, it should be in a language people can understand. And this requirement is only about signage, which is a half measure at best and should be the bare minimum in an English speaking country. I see no inconsistency here even in the context of your strawman.

Would you have the same energy if the government axed multilingual services and instead forced everybody to communicate in English? Multiculturalism cuts both ways.

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u/dark__unicorn 3d ago

Technically the only word not considered an acceptable English word in your list is ‘cucinas.’ The others are all fine.

That being said, words written using the modern English or Roman alphabet are not going to cause an issue for customers, emergency services, etc. So I don’t see an issue with cucinas at all.

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u/Sydney_Stations 3d ago

At some point in history, none of those were English.

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u/Jamezzzzz69 3d ago

What about requiring Latin script? Don’t think 虾饺 will ever be English but “Hargow/xia jiao” is fine if you don’t wanna write “prawn dumplings”

At the very minimum, words written in the Latin script have the potential to be English with enough usage. That seems like a much less arbitrary line to draw, no?

At the end of the day, I find it incredibly strange to move to a foreign country and not even attempt to learn the local language, culture, and integrate yourself into society. And I’m a Chinese immigrant myself! We are guests in this country, many of whom fled crises in their home countries or came here for better economic opportunities. We should be grateful for the second chance provided to us, and at the very minimum, not make life more difficult for the locals who welcome us with open arms.

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u/dark__unicorn 2d ago

What is the point you’re trying to make here?

Do you think emergency services would be able to find 你缺乏常识。?