Thursday will be the last day to be able to take the driver\u2019s license exam in another language in Florida. <\/p>\n
That had some Jacksonville residents rushing to take the complete exam. Ana Valdes was one of a handful who came in before the statewide change. Valdes has been preparing for months and decided to take the exam before she can\u2019t complete it in Spanish.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a good thing. I mean, we\u2019re Americans, and Americans should have an English language for the test,\u201d said Terry Caldwell, local resident.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut as far as changing it, I think that\u2019s better. If people understand better in their native language, it\u2019s no problem. As long as it\u2019s the same test all the English readers get, I\u2019m not seeing a problem,\u201d said Roy Wilson local resident.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnxiety and worried because imagine not dominating English perfectly,\u201d Valdes mentioned.<\/p>\n
Valdes has been trying to learn English, but she knows she won\u2019t fully understand the exam if it isn\u2019t in her native language, which is Spanish. The state is also ending language translation services during tests.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they could give us a bit more time, it would be beneficial to all because we aren\u2019t going to be able to learn English from one day to the next,\u201d Valdes mentioned.<\/p>\n
FLHSMV said in a press release<\/a>, \u201cFlorida takes a leading role in highway safety by requiring all driver\u2019s license exams be taken in English and without an interpreter.\u201c <\/p>\n Before this change, people were able to take the exam in Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and other languages on noncommercial licenses.<\/p>\n >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<<\/a><\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n