Dtox333 said:
This has been something I'v wondered about for quite a while now.
Does anyone here, whose primary language isn't English, ever feel offended, or annoyed, when an English speaking person attempts to speak to you using your native language?
on another note, has someone ever spoken to you in a language that you didn't fully know, thinking that you were of a race or ethnicity that would know it? If so, did this ever offend or annoy you?
The reason why I ask is because sometimes, when operating amongst other people socially, I get this urge to say something to them in a language I think they know.
For example, I purchase things at a cashier, and the cashier has the look and accent of someone who would know Spanish, and for whatever reason I want to say something to them like "gracias," even though we both quite clearly know English. But I get the feeling that I might offend or irk some people wanting to do that, can't exactly explain why. I also feel like I'm being judgmental, assuming the person understands another language based on their looks and demeanor.
I learned Spanish, and I sometimes want to make use of it, but does it seem inappropriate to use it out of the blue like that? If so, why do you think that?
No, largely because I'm mono-lingual with English. However I have noticed a tendency for a lot of non-native english speakers to get upset when a white American is shown to know their language, which is I guess your experience that prompted this. I guess because it's considered sort of like "cheating" from their perspective.
Underatand most of my experience comes from working Casino security. For all the liberal ranting about undeserved paranoia over foreigners and their "secret" languages and how they are probably just discussing harmless thing, you'd be utterly shocked at what people will say around (or to) people who they don't think speak their language.
You'd be apalled at how many times people (especially Asians) where I worked that were suspected of various things ranging from minor gaming scams, to back of the house theft from employees, to even one case of a prostitution ring (or I will say unapproved prostitution ring, despite officially not doing that kind of thing, let's just say the host department could arrange just about anything for high rollers). In some cases we'd have some security officer/surveillance guy/employee volunteer just hang out around these people for a while without making it clear they knew the language and listen to them go on about whatever it is right in front of everyone. People simply get used to discussing the seemingly stupidest things openly if they think nobody can understand them, and then get all upset when it turns out an outsider can understand them.
I think for a lot of foreigners, not just ones that are up to anything either, they don't like the simple fact that they can be understood by people they might want to speak in front of covertly.... even if they don't ever intend to do anything illicit with it, it represents a loss of power so to speak.
Honestly I've been of the rather contreversial opinion due to my experiences that in the US there should be limitations on the abillity to use languages other than english as "unfair" as it is. It would never fly (so don't bother to rant about it) but I think in secure areas like banks, casinos, and various areas like that it should be an actual crime to use a language other than english at all for security reasons, limiting these facilities from a
lot of people, but also increasing security.
Of course then again I've also been of the opinion that english should be a prerequisite to live in the US (but not nessicarly to visit), or at least to hold any kind of employment or business. I say this for safety reasons despite what you might think, and not in the sense of being safe from the "evil foreigners". To put it into perspective... let's say your working security and patrol a specific route through the back of the house regions. You don't deviate from that path without good reasons. Some dude comes running up to you in a panic and start chattering and wants you to follow him. Obviously without a good reason your not going to. Let's say he's doing it because one of his co-workers just slipped on a wet floor and impaled himself in the kitchen and needs immediate EMT assistance. In the meantime while your calling for a translator that guy could be dying, and of course it raises the question the whole time if your being distracted from your route. I have first hand experience with this kind of thing. While it's not first hand experience there are also a number of incidents on record (in training videos and such ) of people who can't speak english gassing people by mixing the wrong things in janitor closets. International symbols are great, but in practice not everything is labeled that way, and there is frequently no way to tell if that kind of thing sunk in, in the long term. Outside of a large company it's the same thing, I mean you could be working at a Mcdonalds on grave shift with some guy who doesn't speak english, you get injured and there is probably at least going to be a delay if he ever has to call 911. Being bi-lingual with spanish is one thing, but trying to find someone who speaks say Veitnamese isn't quitre as easy and depending on the dispatch might not be on staff. With emergency lines in many cases they need to check a list of translators, find someone who knows the right language, do a transfer, and then do the local dispatch secondhand through the translator who might be on the other side of the country.
I'm not a nice guy I suppose, but I doubt my rather strong opinions here are going to change (even if a bit off topic). The bottom line is simply that I've had some experience with the same thing you seem to have.
