looking for answer to the language issue. do you feel it is rude to speak in a language that other people can not understand in the work place. if the bad people was at your work talking about blowing up the building in a language that you dont understand would you be upset? whats your oppinion?
2006-08-18 11:09:00 · 12 answers · asked by todaysgentleman 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
The right to speak your own language is one of the most fundamental human rights there is. Trying to force people to speak 'your' language is one of the most despicable forms of bigotry.
2006-08-22 03:51:14 · answer #1 · answered by insincere 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I get to speak and write a number of languages at work, and I always think that it's ok with me what language the people are talking, as long as everyone understands what needs to be understood and there's no harm done. When I have to communicate "between" languages, I like to sumarise and interpret it for other people. For example, if we have a business visitor, and we're out to lunch with me and my colleague who doesn't speak English very well, chances I we'll chat a bit away in Lithuanian, but then I'd say to the visitor, "Oh, sorry, we were just discussing this-and-that, and she's saying that...", and go on with the conversation in English until we do the same again. I think it is not rude for as long as you're being considerate to other people - like saying "Sorry to leave you out" or something. If you do that on some stupid principle or you pretend not to speak another language in order to irritate another person, then of course it's rude.
2006-08-22 03:42:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would think that your real issue is not whether or not they plan to blow up the building, but whether or not they are gossipping about you:
As to the first, you wont know till it happens, and as to the second, if they are pointing at you and laughing, then YES, they are probably talking about you...
Typically, the workers SHOULD speak the same language as the company they work for, but that is rarely the case (in the Construction Industry for example) nowadays.
This is not found only in the United States, by the way. When I lived in Tunisia, Africa (1980), they spoke both French and Arabic...typically within the same sentence!
2006-08-18 11:38:54 · answer #3 · answered by Julia A 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do not allow my employees to speak different languages at work.
Granted, I'm not thinking about the blowing up buildings and such, but... when they claims they're answering questions about work, I have no way of knowing if the person they're asking is giving the correct answer & now I may have 2 people doing the wrong thing.
If it's just general chit chat, they have 2 breaks and a lunch to chit chat in whatever language they'd like... but they are paid to work.
Oh... and yes, I think it's rude also.
2006-08-18 11:17:44 · answer #4 · answered by Swordfish_13 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm. I'll agree that that occasionally it's uncomfortable when this happens. Unfortunately there's really not much you can do about it. Ya know...people's rights and all. I took care of this problem by learning to speak Spanish. I'm a 'white girl', so most of the mexicans don't even second guess that I could possibly understand what they're saying...this has come in pretty handy a couple times at work(though most of the time they were just griping about their husbands/wives). It also gives YOU the oportunity to be the one people can't understand...leading them to post questions like this in Yahoo! answers. :) Lord Bless...
2006-08-18 11:21:31 · answer #5 · answered by jenn_acts2:38 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I teach math in English in Switzerland and I can understand that my students sometimes get the gist better when they explain things to each other in Swiss German, but it tends to frustrate me because I don't know what they're saying so I can't be sure it's right, plus I feel stupid not knowing the language of the country I'm in. Yeah, and now I realize that they're actually plotting to blow up the building! Geez!
2006-08-18 11:25:50 · answer #6 · answered by Goddess of Grammar 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it is very rude to talk different language other than English in public here in the USA. I noticed that in many instances people begin to feel inconvenient when you do that and i know that many take offense. They begin to think that you are talking something bad about them.
I think at your workplace you shall not chat with your colleagues in a different language, however, if you have to resort to speaking your language to help someone, it is acceptible.
2006-08-18 13:49:58 · answer #7 · answered by Mondschein! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't be upset because I'm used to people speaking Spanish. But I know a lady who gets uptight at co-workers speaking Danish. She thinks they're talking about her. However (1) I know her from my therapy group, (2) she's very paranoid, and (3) she works in a Danish furniture store. Go figure. Best avoided, but you can't please all the people all the time.
2006-08-18 11:19:07 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have the situation like your question. on my work their are Japanese,Chinese and Filipino(i am). this Chinese people are always talking in their language that we obviously cant understand.it like an insult to us. not about blowing up the building or bombing japan but all of us speak Japanese why don't they just speak Japanese or maybe just shut up. you can never say what they are talking about behind your back. its really irritating me.
2006-08-18 13:38:21 · answer #9 · answered by bunny baby 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My first language is Slovak and that i communicate English. I used to renowned slightly German and later Spanish, yet I forgot each and every thing. Engish is one in each and every of those common language which you not often would desire to communicate the rest.
2016-09-29 10:20:11 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋