Lord Winston says nurses need good English
He’s absolutely right here, but it also applies to lots of other professions as well.
I also think, that a couple of hundred years ago, others were complaining about Lord Winston’s ancestors in the same way, when they first came to the UK!
The solution is simple. People should not be allowed to practice in many professions, without a proper knowledge of English. I rarely use taxis and never use mini-cabs. With the latter, you never know what or who you are going to get. In the case of taxis and minicabs, all drivers should be subject to various tests and checks.
Perhaps black cab drivers could also have proficiency tests in other languages they know. So let’s say a Spanish fsmily staying in Londonwanted a Spanish-speaking taxi, this could be booked over the phone. I suspect that in London, there are quite a good few taxi drivers with pretty good Spanish, French, Polish and Russian for a start. I did have a Chinese driver once somewhere in the UK.
The Anonymous Widower 
I have had to use minicabs on some occasions, after surgery left me unable to drive for a while. I always use the same firm, and have found the drivers to speak good English, and have had some fascinating conversations with them – I always choose to sit in the front next to the driver. The town I live in has a lot of Pakistani and Afghani families, and many of the drivers come from there. I have learnt a great deal from the conversations about their native countries.
Comment by liz | September 11, 2011 |