Oprima el Cinco Por Asistencia en Espanol

Call any major business or government service in the U.S. and the automated voice response system answering the call will ask you if you want to be helped in Spanish.

Typically a friendly voice in Spanish will ask you to push a number on your phone if you want to change the language. Also, public announcements in some airports, the safety video on some airlines and much more is done in two languages: English and Spanish. (Not to mention all the Spanish language ads, radio and TV stations here.)

The reason is clear, there are tons of Spanish speakers in California and in many other parts of the U.S. and businesses and government want to cater to that large audience. It makes complete sense.

But imagine a business doing this in the Netherlands, the country known worldwide for being open and progressive. It wouldn't work.

If the Postbank or ABN Amro would offer customers the option to do business in Turkish or Moroccan, it would cause a riot among Dutch people. It would cause a mass exodus of Dutch customers saying that the action is contra integration of immigrants. Everyone needs to learn Dutch, is the rule.

Silly.