I live inAmerican Southwest. Not in a boarder town. I only speak English.?

Question

I feel frusturated because when I go to stores I cannot explain what I want because the employess do not understand english. Simple Spaish is not that hard for me. I could memorize certain phrases or take a dictonary to translate this if I had the time and they could wait. Spanish speakers who are native are usually understanding. Would their boss let me and should I go to this extent to get what I need? It almost seems easier. Spanish is just not that hard for me and they might understand it better. I am far from fluent and would like to know. What would a person think if their gringo customer just switched to spanish? I want them to learn but I also want to get what I need. As to other languages spanish is as far as I can go on any complex basis. Other languages I only know a word or a few. It is just not practical unless I live there or there is a large influx for a long time. I need to practice and if there is no one to practice with it is pointless.

PS the subject line was shortened because I had to. It did not let me have many characters. I do not write that way. It is bad grammar.

No Mr Inferior. Although i want to learn spanish I do not want to speak it all the time. Especailly in a customer service situation because that is hard for me. I just want them to understand what I need. I cannot tell them that if they do not know what I am talking about. Same if someone calls me from India from a company I deal with and I ask a question and they just ignore me because they do not understand me. I have no clue how to speak any language in India, but I could get some spanish together. If I could just speak english at this point it would be easier. There is no point in going to mexico because I live too far from the boarder and I am sick. It is stupid anyway with 100s of native speakers and even fully biligual schools here. When I have a headache which I have almost daily and have a hard time going out in the 1st place it would be easier to speak english, but i have a hard time communicating. Read 1st then respond like the woman answer 2 who respnded. Okay?

Thanks joyful that was sweet and texan that is not reality. I am trying to deal with reality.

I am not going to mexico guys I am dealing with here. I can just memorize spanish. I had a spanish roomate and people kept leaving really fast messages in spanish. I told them in spanish to please leave them more slowly and less complex so I could transcribe them for him. They did and many of them spoke english and just left an english one for me with a minimal spanish one for me so I could transcibe it for me. My family hated having a long spanish message on the machine, but negleced to listen to the message in english on how to bypass the message as people do always. They just comment on how long messages are.

I use translation programs sometimes, but only use them with words I use and how I speak in spanish. I have to be able to recite the spanish and if I do not know it it is much harder. I know tons of words, but my grammar is horrible. My roomate said grammar is the thing textbooks are great for so I am hopeful.

I am trying to deal with reality not discrimination not what the texan is saying. I talk to people, but in a human way. I do not need the usual trave junk or perhaps I do now that I need store stuff. I mostly just talk to people with spanish and their english. Spanish speakers are much more patient than other foreign language speakers or american spanish speakers in my state who pound on me. That is just personal experience.

If I lived in France they would refuse to understand my french if I tried to learn it, so it would be pointless. That is the way the french are. One of my freinds is french and they would not accept him after he lived in america for years. He could not asimilate back. They told him his french was very good. He said yeah I am from here, but they did not let him asimilate back he had been gone too long.

Answer 1

It is the job of the store to meet the needs of the patron; however, if you want to strengthen your Spanish speaking skills, I do recommend it, and acclaids to you! And if they see you are making an effort to speak to them in their language, they will be flattered. !Buenos Noches!

Answer 2

I think it sounds like a great idea for you to speak Spanish with the people who are serving you in stores and so forth. I don't think the boss would mind if you initiate the conversation. After all, "the customer is always right." Also, there are ways to speak English to make yourself better understood. You can speak with longer pauses between phrases, for example, and avoid idioms.

Answer 3

From what I understand, you want to practice your fledgeling Spanish. You are frustrated that Spanish speaking workers get their English speaking comrades because they automatically think you don't speak Spanish. You want to be fluent, but you need practice.

To speak fluently in any language, you must practice a lot with native speakers. Although you come in contact with native speakers, you don't get the chance to practice. I suggest going to Mexico every weekend (or frequently) to practice your Spanish.

Answer 4

This is the good old United States of America..not Mexico nor Canada. We speak English here unlike our neighbors to the north who speaks English and French. I say if you can not learn to speak English, go back where you came from and speak your language there.

Answer 5

The employees need to learn english more than you need to practice spanish. They need to realize that they are in a country of gringoes, and that they must speak the language of the gringoes if they want to do what is best for their customers.

Answer 6

the customer isn't there to serve them, i am fluent in English and Spanish and which language i speak to salespeople in depends on what country i'm shopping in. it's a disrespect to the customer to expect him to cater to the employees' needs.

Answer 7

if you lived in france and wanted to worked there, and did not know french would they hire you?? I think not. We are too laid back on this issue and its driving me crazy!! SPEAK ENGLISH!!!

Answer 8

And you don't speak English that well, either. "Frustrated" is the word, and so is "border", not boarder referring to your town.