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Drivers license for a non-english speaking person.


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Sorry - I put this in the wrong section - please move it - I tried to delete it, but couldn't.

 

Hello,

I live in florida.

My wife wants to get a drivers license.

But she does not speak english - at least not enough.

Do they issue drivers licenses to such persons?

How do we get around the language barrier?

Thanks,

Scott

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I don't know about Florida, but in Texas, there is no language requirement. You are allowed to bring an interpreter for the written test, but not for the driving test. You must understand the common road signs.

 

Jiaying had a Cantonese driving instructor for the written part, and then hired him for one hour to show her the car. Then I taught her everything I knew.

 

The instructor provided a Chinese language study guide. There are also Chinese handbooks availabe from Washington and California.

Edited by Randy W (see edit history)
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I don't know about Florida, but in Texas, there is no language requirement. You are allowed to bring an interpreter for the written test, but not for the driving test. You must understand the common road signs.

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And the instructions given by the examiner.

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Pointing. They handle deaf people as well.

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I don't know about Florida, but in Texas, there is no language requirement. You are allowed to bring an interpreter for the written test, but not for the driving test. You must understand the common road signs.

237790[/snapback]

And the instructions given by the examiner.

237791[/snapback]

 

 

Pointing. They handle deaf people as well.

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Sometimes that works, but in our location they use verbal commands for the exam unless the person is identified as legally deaf. They allow deaf interpreters as well. Federal law doesn't require them to do anything for a foreign speaker like it does with those with a disability. :(

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I'd recommend finding a local driving school, in some places you will find someone who speaks Chinese. In most states if the school is accredited by the board of education the instructor can give the exam so she will only need to take the eye exam and get her picture taken when complete. This gives you the ability to take the exam with someone you have driven with and has learned to communicate with her.

 

Also having an instructor provides for a recognized authority who sets the driving standard instead of having the debate over driving methods. This is similar to the Chinese Expert situation. My wife has learned to control the car extremely well because the instructor said it was required. Also the instructor has demonstrated so many good ways for her to do things that I could not have taught her.

 

What's really great is that my wife is driving us around and I'm not terrified to ride with her.

 

Bottom line is she has learned to drive well and it was worth the $400.

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I don't know about Florida, but in Texas, there is no language requirement. You are allowed to bring an interpreter for the written test, but not for the driving test. You must understand the common road signs.

237790[/snapback]

And the instructions given by the examiner.

237791[/snapback]

 

 

Pointing. They handle deaf people as well.

237792[/snapback]

Sometimes that works, but in our location they use verbal commands for the exam unless the person is identified as legally deaf. They allow deaf interpreters as well. Federal law doesn't require them to do anything for a foreign speaker like it does with those with a disability. :(

237793[/snapback]

 

 

Different for different states. For Texas, no interpreter of any kind is allowed on the road test. The grade is simply based on the observations of the instructor. If English fails, they do point.

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The answers are here:

 

1. Learner- http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/teendriv.html#learner

 

2. Operator- http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/teendriv.html#operator

 

3. Road Test- http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/teendriv.html#operator

 

First, she must pass the traffic laws and substance abuse test and the road rules and road sign test. Good news. These, and some practice tests, are available on line.

 

and, Finally, the bad news from the hand book:

DRIVING TEST

 

* No one may accompany you and the examiner(s) during the driving test

 

http://www.lowestpricetrafficschool.com/ha...s/driver/en/1/5

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The answers are here:

 

1.  Learner-  http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/teendriv.html#learner

 

2.  Operator- http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/teendriv.html#operator

 

3.  Road Test-  http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/teendriv.html#operator

 

First, she must pass the traffic laws and substance abuse test and the road rules and road sign test.  Good news.  These, and some practice tests, are available on line.

 

and, Finally, the bad news from the hand book:

                                DRIVING TEST

 

    * No one may accompany you and the examiner(s) during the driving test

 

http://www.lowestpricetrafficschool.com/ha...s/driver/en/1/5

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THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS GREAT INFORMATION!!!

 

Scott

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i dont see why they dont...

i bet half the cubans in miami dont speak english and they are on the streets everyday...

 

not to mention the haitians.

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I was just going to suggest to learn Spanish. I wrote to the Texas DPS and asked if the provided manuals in Chinese they said no only English,BULLSH!T brought in wife to take her written test in English and the guy behind the counter gave a person a Spanish manual.

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i dont see why they dont...

i bet half the cubans in miami dont speak english and they are on the streets everyday...

 

not to mention the haitians.

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Yeah, well, wait until you learn you can get a FL driver's written test in Creole.

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ofcourse you can theres half a million haitians in north miami alone....

including a haitian mayor

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Huiyu just went through this. Took the 4 hour drug test thing and then the road sign and directions test. The road sign test is timed, 49 secs for each question. You must swear to the computer that you did not get any help when taking this test. cough cough wink wink On the driving test I told the lady giving the test she spoke english a little but was not great at it. She said no problem. She wsa doing the safety check, turn signals and wirpers things, and asked my wife to put on left turn signal, after 4 times, I stepped closer and told the examiner to try jsut left turn or right turn, as this is what she is use to. She said ok and bam left turn light! Go Huiyu! hehe The driving test took all of 6 mins and they never left the parking lot. They had cones set up in the back of the building to prictice parking and stoping etc.

 

My wife has driven in China for aver 10 years, there is seems stop signs really are jsut a suggestion. She say they never stop if clear just go, well I guess that is the way it is here too. I tell her to come to complete stop count to 2 then go if clear. She told the examiner this, haha. Well she passed the test easy. We then went in to get the license and they ask you questions like have you ever been convicted of DUI, are you crazy, seriously they asked this, do you have seizures, do you take meds....Needless to say she didnt understand most of the questions, and I didnt think I could answer them for her. The lady jsut said I need yes or no that is it. I just shook my head after each question. All were no. Well except for the is she crazy, I blurted out not usually! The lady tried not to laugh.

 

All in all it wasnt too bad. the 4 hour course and the road sign and directions test on the internet was the worst. I err She got 38 out of 40 on the drug one and 20 out of 20 on the direction one. There were 2 trick questions on the first one, evil bastards.

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