Is this rude? Where I work, we have a lot of hispanics who will talk to each other in their language....?

Question

while I am standing there not understanding what they are saying. Now, these Hispanics know how to speak English, but instead they choose to speak to each other in their own tongue. Am I wrong in seeing this as very rude and impolite? Am I wrong to feel offended by this? In the least, I think that these folks know very little about proper etiquette. Am I right or wrong?

Answer 1

It's the rudest thing anyone can do. In my place of work it's absolutely forbidden to speak in a foreign language, my bosses philosophy is, if you want to speak in your language with each other on your break you have to leave work and go to a restaurant. I totally, wholeheartedly agree.

Answer 2

This is a not insubstantial part of why Americans are weird to me.

Here -- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, which borders on Québec -- loads of workplaces are primarily English, but they have a good dose of Francophone employees.

It would be risible, and unproductive, to go around fancying that the Francophones speaking French to one another in private conversations might be 'rude.'

That said, they invariably switch to English if an Anglophone is nearby and possibly interested in the conversation -- even if said Anglophone is bilingual.

From here, it seems like an incredibly silly thing to worry about. Few Americans worry about how they sound when they go abroad.

What on earth is wrong with having a bilingual country? Why on earth do so many Americans feel threatened by hearing other languages?

They do, as you pointed out, know how to speak English. Can't you all just get along? It's worries like these, I suspect, that do nothing to help the race relations problems there.

Answer 3

I don't feel it's rude most of the time when people around me do this. Consider it this way: imagine that you and your friend, who both share English as a native language, go to another country, whose language you also know. When you were talking to your friend, do you think you would use the foreign language, or your common native language? It's so much easier to use your native language, so when you're talking to someone else who shares the native language, why not?
Of course, if it's important for you to understand what they are talking about, they should include you by speaking in English. But chances are that you don't need to know the content of the conversation, so they are simply doing what's natural.

By the way, I disagree with Brown-Eyed Girl that parents should be speaking to their children in English. This assumes that we learn language from our parents, when children actually learn language from many people, including friends, peers at school, and so forth. In fact, many foreign-speaking parents actually hurt their children when they try to speak only English at home. The parents discover that they can't truly express themselves with their limited English-language skills, so they essentially stop talking to the child, which cuts off communication. The children are then so psychologically damaged by not getting normal support from their parents that they can't do well in school. It would be much better if parents would continue providing their best support to the children in whatever language works for them and let the kid learn English from the environment. There are many places in the world where it's quite common and normal for kids to grow up hearing and speaking two languages and nobody gets messed up.

Answer 4

When we don't understand what is being said we have a tendency to become defensive and can feel disrespected. I speak English and Spanish and work with a lot of Filipinos, so I feel your pain. People speak in a language they're comfortable in. And can be interpreted as rude. What I have done to overcome this dilemma, is to learn some basic words in Toga lo, I have found that not only is my mind stimulated to learn ,but I have also gained respect from my co-workers by learning about their culture, and have made new friends.

Answer 5

My step-nieces girlfriend is from Cuba and knows Spanish fluently. She has even taught Spanish at a university. A few years ago we spent Christmas at their house and a young friend of hers who is Spanish came by to visit. She and her friend visited and spoke Spanish quietly on the couch.

That is the most appropriate way to visit with each other when speaking in their native language. So that was rude. If they were talking about work then they should be talking English, because you are part of their work force. If it was pure socializing then they should have excused themselves and gone to a more private place to converse otherwise they should have just waited until after work. jmho

Answer 6

It really depends on the situation. If they're obviously standing in a corner and gossiping/talking about someone, then yes, it's rude.
If it's a group conversation and one or more people do not speak the other language, it's also rude.

If, however, they tend to befriend each other and have regular daily conversations in their language, then no it's not. I'm quadri-lingual, and I know when I meet someone and speak to them in a certain language, I can not switch to another language with that person, even if they speak another language I do. It just doesn't work that way.

Answer 7

If you and co-workers worked in the same place in a Spanish speaking country, would you talk to each other in English? I think you would. Sometimes we think they're talking about us if they're speaking in a language other than ours. They have the right to speak in whatever language they want. It could be considered rude, but the workplace is not exactly a formal sit down dinner.

Answer 8

Yes. I do think it's impolite. But they may not even realize they are doing it. So if I were you, I would be charming about it and simply make light of the situation by saying, "Hey! How about including me in the conversation? My Spanish is a little rusty. Can we start over in English?" after a few nudges requesting they use English around you, they will likely get the hint.

Answer 9

you're ignorant that's what i think. i think you are racist and you are picking on them, i mean why is it a crime for people that know another language other than english to speak in the language they want?, why dont you educate yourself and learn how to speak spanish and maybe then you wont be soo offended, i know i used to live in louisiana and people in new orleans would speak french and i coudn't undertsand a word they were saying, and i 've ran into swedish and german speaking peolpe and russian and thats what they speak, their native tongue, sometimes i hear them speak english, but the majority of the time they speak their native tongue, your just not as educated as them and it insluts you , admit it!

Answer 10

I am quite able to communicate in English, but Spanish is the language of my family. And when I speak in Spanish, I feel conversations become more intimate.

I am guilty of speaking Spanish and allowing people to feel left out, but I never felt that it was wrong. Often, the strength of the relationship is the main consideration when choosing the language. If I do not feel any connection to you, I will not care if you feel left out.

Answer 11

specifically - the extra unique the language, the extra all and sundry is extremely joyful to take heed to some words from you of their tongue. as an occasion - as quickly as I vacationed in Croatia, I discovered sufficient to order, ask for easy guidelines etc - and that they have got been *so* extremely joyful and satisfied - even however we'd could bypass returned to speaking English! comparable element with Turkish or perhaps Arabic. yet English audio equipment basically assume human beings to understand English. --- and the case could be comparable with Spanish audio equipment --- the two are notably studied languages. you're in no way going to get the comparable reaction I have been given in Croatia --- yet they are going to fortuitously assist you to be taught what you choose. they are going to be extra satisfied which you're *gaining know-how of* their language quite than they are which you have *discovered* x-volume.