Is this racist ?

In the work environment the native tongue should be spoken at all times

Don’t you think that comes across as a bit needlessly authoritarian?

In the work environment the native tongue should be spoken at all times unless the work requires otherwise.

How would the English get served in Welsh shops? You’ve singlehandedly kileed the economy of Abersoch.

Two people, fluent in a language common to each other, which you aren’t familiar with, are having a private conversation, which you are not party too, and your nose gets put out of joint?

Not sure how you have aprivate conversation whilst sat i at a till where it can be over heard …could you explain?

I do believe the Life Shop™ © ® have a sale on, I suggest you pop along and get one.

🙄
Yes that has persuaded me I am wrong and that I dint have a point. thanks for your invaluable input

Should I be in a public place in a foreign country with a friend, do you consider it to be racist that we hold our conversation in English, thus excluding everyone around us?

you know that bit of mone you quoted any chance you could have a go at understanding it?

it would still be out of order for me to exclude others from my private conversations.

I find the best way to have a private conversation is in private rather than when I am dealing with a customer at work in a public place.

Jesus what is the world coming to.

Question for the OP – if you were working at say a Decathlon store in say France, and the person working on the next checkout was also a native English speaker, would you be having a natter in English or French?

How would the English get served in Welsh shops? You’ve singlehandedly kileed the economy of Abersoch.

In Wales then I’d accept it …and enjoyed it in the past when the cashiers spoke Welsh. No problems with that.

fin25 – Member
Colgar, ¿esto nos hace racistas?

Quiza, en otra realidad que yo no entiendo!

Question for the OP – if you were working at say a Decathlon store in say France, and the person working on the next checkout was also a native English speaker, would you be having a matter in English or French?

French of course….unless the shop allowed their cashier to speak to me in English as it would be good customer relations.

A touch rude for staff to continue a conversation while they’re serving you, but not really a big issue. I think it upsets people for a variety of reasons; you may feel self conscious, a bit ignorant and there are cultural norms. I don’t think any of these trump a persons desire to converse naturally though. For most people,it is frustrating to communicate in a second language. I’ve sat in on plenty of Polish conversations where I get about 10%. I find it interesting to see what I can comprehend with a minimal vocabulary. Moment my MIL called me a pig was **** priceless though – about half of my Polish is food related 🙂

N

Not sure how you have aprivate conversation whilst sat i at a till where it can be over heard …could you explain?

By talking in foreign of course

Though I think he meant a conversation of no concern to you rather than one to be kept from you at all costs.

thestabiliser – Member

By talking in foreign of coourse😆

I live in Germany…. I get peeved when the person serving me can’t speak German.

Was recently in Berlin in a bagel shop. I said to the Mädl hinter der Kasse in my best high German “gibt mir bitte zwei von die da, vier von die und noch drei von die oben links da”
She may stared at me blankly and asked if I spoke English. Some septic. Told her in my best Bavarian “klor koan I Inglisch aber du bist in Deitschland…”
Sie looked blanker than before so I spoke to her in English. “You are in Germany. Why the hell should I speak to you in English…? Why don’t you learn German?”
Ended up having a proper moan at the manager.

I consider myself to be “welt offen” but find it disrespectful if the person serving me doesn’t use the local language. Obviously it’s different if you as the customer can’t speak the local lingo…

There are some proper trump supporters on here. Who cares what language people speak…as long as communication is made clear when required.

All this speak the national language when in public. A hilariously dim thing to say!

we have yet to meet the intellectual heights displayed in that post and i find your ad homs most compelling.

we have yet to meet the intellectual heights displayed in that post and i find your ad homs most compelling.

Whatever. He’s nailed it.

What possible objection could anyone have to two people having a private conversation in their native language?

we have yet to meet the intellectual heights displayed in that post and i find your ad homs most compelling.

Speak bloody English man!

I think it’s natural to feel a little excluded when those around are having a conversation in a foreign tongue. It’s not unusual for some to feel this less when in Spain amongst locals speaking Spanish than say in any British town amongst locals speaking any other language. Xenophobic more than racist but also not abnormal?

bigblackheinoustoe – Member
In the work environment all employees should speak the national language at all times unless the work requires otherwise. Outside of work whatever. It’s professional.

Yes, but which one. There’s at least three or four in the UK before you start talking about some pretty devious dialects

captainsasquatch – Member

Speak bloody English man!😆

maybe the conversation was how to work the till, or mind and give him the promotional discount we’re doing right now, or how hot the guy in the queue is (ok probably not this one).

Anyways’ I need to go have words with my wife about talking to her sister in their own language!!!!

My cousin (Libyan/Scottish) tells a story about going up in a lift at univ with two middle eastern students who didn’t know she was a native Arabic speaker and understood every word while they were talking about her. She made an appropriate comment to them in Arabic as she left the lift at her floor.

Rule 1 of being in a customer facing position (god I want to have a word with myself about using that phrase) is that the customer is your exclusive point of interest when you are dealing with them- even in ASDA.

When serving the customer should you talk to a colleague about what you are doing at the weekend? Nope.
When serving the customer should you talk to a colleague about about the massive norks on the girl in the queue? Nope.
When serving the customer should you talk to a colleague about how much you hate your job and all the customer are brainless tossers? Nope.
When serving the customer should you talk to a colleague about if they have any spare carrier bags as you are running out? That’s ok.

The problem for the OP is they don’t have a clue which of those four conversations was being had. An issue which makes it inappropriate and in my opinion rude. The main ‘crime’ though was having the conversation in the first place; the language choice was secondary. And if the conversation was legitimate (carrier bags) a perception of rudeness was avoidable assuming being able to talk in English is a requirement of working in Asda.

convert – Member

The problem for the OP is they don’t have a clue which of those four conversations was being had

But why assume it’s anything but one you’ve decreed is OK? Essentially you’re assuming rudeness without any reason

Essentially you’re assuming rudeness without any reason

Rule 2 of being in a customer facing position is that the customer is always right. If the customer is put in a position where they can easily make an incorrect assumption it’s your problem not theirs.

My mrs spent 2 years studying mime in Paris with Jacque Lecoq.

In awe and jealous

did she meet Nalle Laanela?

Rule 1 of being in a customer facing position (god I want to have a word with myself about using that phrase) is that the customer is your exclusive point of interest when you are dealing with them- even in ASDA.

When serving the customer should you talk to a colleague about what you are doing at the weekend? Nope.
When serving the customer should you talk to a colleague about about the massive norks on the girl in the queue? Nope.
When serving the customer should you talk to a colleague about how much you hate your job and all the customer are brainless tossers? Nope.
When serving the customer should you talk to a colleague about if they have any spare carrier bags as you are running out? That’s ok.
I think the Spa shops are excluded from these rules, those good old local ones where they let you know just how much of an inconvienance the customers are 😉

When at a new detists in Glasgow years back the young dentist was chatting with the nurse about where they were going out that night, how hammered they were going to get and how much fun last night had been 🙂 Would have preferred that one in a foreign language.

Anyway for the OP address all complaints to the
Head of International Relations
British Section
New Republic of Trumpton
FAO Nige

He will sort it right out

OK – so when you go on holiday to Spain, do you refrain from talking across the person behind the counter at the supermarket ?

We have some Polish people at work. Somebody took me aside and tried to complain as they were having conversations in Polish. He thought they were talking about him. Hard to keep the professional face on for that one.

Reverse the situation. You’re English, you live and work in Spain and your English colleague asks you something in English, does it matter if you respond in English or Spanish?

sums it up for me

Rule 2 of being in a customer facing position is that the customer is always right. If the customer is put in a position where they can easily make an incorrect assumption it’s your problem not theirs.

😆
Unless your been serious, in which case 😯
Try working in a customer facing position and come back and report how many customers are always right. And then let me know exactly why they should put up with the way customers treat and talk to them.

I work with a Londoner, a Lithuanian and a couple of local people and I’m from West Yorkshire. It’s like four different languages, mine been the most difficult one to comprehend. I love overhearing different languages and trying to pick out bits of conversation. As others have said I don’t think the OP is racist and I agree that it’s pretty rude. Then again I won’t talk on the phone whilst being served in a shop and think anybody that does should have their phone taken off them and smashed with a toffee hammer.

personally i think its a bit rude to use a language in this country that is not native when you are fluent in the native language.

Relatives who live in germany have the rule of english in the home german in public at all times

I was once at kids art thing in the local library when a lady was speaking in an other language. She then asked me in the broadest local accent to pass her a pencil for her son. Seems daft to use another language to her son in that case.

It does not really bother me but one should speak the language if one is able to do so

I only ever use welsh or my flimsy arabic so that others cannot understand me,this may skew my opinion of it.

I live in France, and my two sons speak French most of the time (at school and crèche, with their mother and her family, with friends, at gym etc). I really really do not know why it would bother you that I sometimes speak to them in fluent English and sometimes even ,shock horror, do that in public. They get few enough opportunities to hear and use English, and always doing it in the same context (i.e. home) really restricts the vocabulary and usage they’ll get out of it, so I even *hangs head in shame* sometimes go out of my way to do it when we’re out on visits and things… I will of course ask for directions (or pencils…) in French if I’m speaking to someone in the street, and generally would use French even to them if we’re with other French speakers (though I’m frequently asked to use English even to French people in that context, for the same reasons I do it with my family. I’ll make a note to suggest they’re not being narrow-minded enough next time 😛 )

For the record, if I’m with a native English speaker here in France, and not in a group, we speak English. If I’m with another “foreigner” who speaks their own “foreign” and English and French, we generally have a quick chat about which would be easiest. Why would I have a conversation in a non-native tongue to someone else who is a native speaker of my native language, however good my French is (and, blowing my own trumpet, I hold a masters degree in French from a French university, so it’s pretty much impossible to differentiate me from a native speaker)? The only reason I would, and here we get to politeness, is if there are others involved in a discussion who don’t, and then the default should be the easiest for all concerned.

I’ll be even blunter, WTF is it to you what language I use with my kids? Apart from giving you something to tut about and then post on the internet, I really don’t know why you’d care.

Sorry for that but this is something I feel quite strongly about (because of my context) and all the outrage about speaking foreign is just ridiculous. The outrage about appalling customer service is a little ridiculous too, because generally speaking the UK can’t even compete with France for appalling customer service. They’re in a different league 😆

I’ve been slagged off on this forum for posting links to French and German sites, even though an automatic translation is two clicks away.

I don’t mind what people speak among themselves, unless they’ve assumed I don’t understand and are saying things they wouldn’t if they knew I understood. That’s when you find people are racist. As a teacher I asked a colleague for a check list of Gujarati insults that might concern me and heard them all too often.

Try working in a customer facing position and come back and report how many customers are always right. And then let me know exactly why they should put up with the way customers treat and talk to them.

I have numbnuts. Still do kind of. There is a difference between them actually being right and given the impression you think they are right or at least respect their opinion. It’s called professionalism. Come back and report when you have a clue.

I have numbnuts. Still do kind of. There is a difference between them actually being right and given the impression you think they are right or at least respect their opinion. It’s called professionalism. Come back and report when you have a clue.

I use this place to get rid of my pent up angst too. Too much time being nice in front of customers and I need a release valve. Still being abusive and insulting is more telling of the abuser.
Have you considered a position more suited to your attitude? Lighthouse keeper?

As I said I couldn’t give two hoots that they were having a chat, just that it was in different language

I’d say that is what makes it racist. You are not bothered by them chatting just the fact that it is another language?

If you were bothered about them chatting when they should be serving you that is one thing but only being offended because of the language they are talking is a bit racist IMHO.

I’ve been slagged off on this forum for posting links to French and German sites, even though an automatic translation is two clicks away.

That’s a shame. That’s called dumbing down, I think. Because not everyone is capable of reading a link in a language, no-one should. As you say basic translation is easy these days, and tbh, French and German are sufficiently common languages that it’s not entirely unreasonable to imagine that at least a few of us would read them in their original language.

As a teacher I asked a colleague for a check list of Gujarati insults that might concern me and heard them all too often.

I’m a little less convinced about this bit. If I got offended every time I head “fat middle-aged bloke” in someone else’s conversation I’d do a lot of tutting and complaining on the internet 😆 . Not entirely sure how being able to identify a few insults and inferring they’re about you makes you anything but a little paranoid. Having said that, I’m not a teacher but I can imagine that a certain level of paranoia is possibly useful 😀

however good my French is (and, blowing my own trumpet, I hold a masters degree in French from a French university, so it’s pretty much impossible to differentiate me from a native speaker)

Nonsense, everyone has an accent. I can have a pretty good guess at which region French people are from and the people here all know I’m not Béarnais. Even different valleys have different accents and indeed dialects. Sometimes people ask where I’m from so I ask them to guess, they’re usually right with those that are wrong guessing Canada or Switzerland.

Even people that arrive very young but are bought up in native families have an accent, even third generation immigrants often have an accent. Kids from the “cité” in my local Lidl speak to their parents in France with an African accent even though they were born here. For those in the UK, sit on a bench in town with your eyes shut and listen to people talking as they walk past, especially the children, I bet you can hear where their parents are from.

Edit: how would you feel if you kept hearing the equivalent of the “n” word or “white honky” ?

I was once at kids art thing in the local library when a lady was speaking in an other language. She then asked me in the broadest local accent to pass her a pencil for her son. Seems daft to use another language to her son in that case.

Not really, it’s educating them in another language. I always speak to my kids in English, despite living in Spain. That way they learn another language for free.

Edukator

however good my French is (and, blowing my own trumpet, I hold a masters degree in French from a French university, so it’s pretty much impossible to differentiate me from a native speaker)

Nonsense, everyone has an accent. I can have a pretty good guess at which region French people are from and the people here all know I’m not Béarnais.[/quote]