Foreign Languages in the workplace

KiKi

RuthnJasper wrote: »

Rome is in Italy, not France... :D

Um, yes....?! Obviously you don't know the expression!

"When in Rome..." is a shortened version of the phrase "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", meaning that when you're somewhere different, you should act in the way they do and abide by those cultural rules. So the poster was pointing out that when they were in France, they spoke French and married a Frenchman because, you know, when in Rome...

KiKi

fluffy70

oh dear - I think the irony was lost there - perhaps in translation?

:T

asajj

I don't know why people give weird examples to prove their points. Most of them irrelevant.

If I work in a company where I do have a friend that speaks my native language, I'd find comforting to speak them in my own language for chit-chat.
As far as I understand, the OP refers to a similar situation. There is nothing about conducting business in another language or keep talking to others in a language that they don't understand.

I find slightly amusing some posters here insisting about culture, respect etc. Just because you do that, doesn't mean every Brit is the same. Many expects for instance, people abroad will speak English and find it strange when they don't.

remorseless

Thank you all for your responses!!! Defo a good insight...

I think the perception is that 'the team conducts business in another language' vs 'chit-chat/water-cooler chat' <<<That is what's been banned for this team only.

So you get into the office, you start your computer up and say to your colleague 'Hi, how are you? How was your weekend?" in whatever language...

It's very interesting how the topic is received, how sensitive it can be.
I worked in both the UK and other countries where I spoke the local language, though monolingual anglophones were keen to drive the whole office to speak in English.
I have been in an office where something like this was suggested and all it did was to turn the floor dead quiet and people switching to Lync/Skype/IM conversation in their local language!

In regard to the accent example, I have been in meetings in English attended by foreigners who could not understand say accents from Aberdeen, etc. Some UK/Aussie shows are subtitled in the United States.
Maybe this could be my next thread!!! "Accents in workplace friend or faux "

I understand it can be annoying, my argument was (and still is) about the ban for one team/language only rather than at a company level can be perceived unjust.
Either no foreign language in the office for everybody or it could be hard to receive when singled out.

It's very interesting [to me] that even though workforce is getting more diverse, mobile, and multicultural a bit everywhere the topic of language and accents can still stir a crowd! TGIF!!!

gettingready

Well, I have to say I really feel discriminated by the image in your last post as can not see "Dziekuje" anywhere on the image

RuthnJasper

KiKi wrote: »

Um, yes....?! Obviously you don't know the expression!

"When in Rome..." is a shortened version of the phrase "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", meaning that when you're somewhere different, you should act in the way they do and abide by those cultural rules. So the poster was pointing out that when they were in France, they spoke French and married a Frenchman because, you know, when in Rome...

KiKi

Yes, I know the expression. I was being ironic/ironique/ironisch/
ironico... never mind.

Takeaway_Addict

KiKi wrote: »

Um, yes....?! Obviously you don't know the expression!

"When in Rome..." is a shortened version of the phrase "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", meaning that when you're somewhere different, you should act in the way they do and abide by those cultural rules. So the poster was pointing out that when they were in France, they spoke French and married a Frenchman because, you know, when in Rome...

KiKi

Come on Kiki....you should know better!

KiKi

OMG. I think that's what I have to call a #KiKifail
<insert head slamming on table icon here>

pinkshoes

I teach a class with two arabic speaking kids, and they are not to speak arabic during my lessons, only English. It gives other children perception of being talked about as they do not know what is being said.

It also means I cant tell if they are discussing what they are supposed to be discussing!

It is basic manners not to speak in a foreign language at work if others are present that do not understand.

I have some time working in France, where me and the other English guy had to speak to each other in French! Neither of us were fluent, so quite entertaining!

AliceBanned

gettingready wrote: »

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww how cute you think this way. Bless you...:rotfl:.

Have you traveled around EU on business ? If you did, you would have known that most of EU business people/office workers already speak very good English AND often French/German/Spanish.

It is mostly English speaking people that are monolingual and with their mind set to not learning any other languages lol

Plenty of English people are multi-lingual. I spent a year in Germany and made great efforts to speak German - sometimes with success, sometimes not. I later studied it to degree level yet I didn't have a great education, I just seemed to have an aptitude for languages. I didn't do so well at some other subjects but that doesn't mean I have a mindset of refusing to learn maths.

There is no discrimination in asking people to speak the language used by the country they are in and the language used within that business, whilst in the workplace. There is discrimination in a comment like 'mostly English people are monolingual with their mind set to not learning any other languages 'lol'.


Generally foreign languages have historically been emphasised in education systems in many countries around the world more than in England, with teaching beginning at a much earlier age. You can't blame the English for not speaking foreign languages based on an assumption that they don't want to or have a 'mind set' not to. A foreign language is just a subject on the curriculum and how well we learn them has a lot to do with the education system of any country - that includes the motivation to learn them and the cultural and political issues around that. It isn't exactly an individual choice or refusal to learn a second or third language, though it may be in some individuals, of any nationality.


When in Germany I found my peers so much better at English than I was at speaking German that English became the dominant language because it was sometimes the only way to communicate. As my German improved and as I met people who were keen to speak to me in German I used it more and so it got better. It's a vicious cycle; if people insist on speaking English and you are trying to learn a language in their country, it is equally difficult, especially if you only started learning it aged 11 an hour a week and they learnt English from age 5 for several hours a week (reading and speaking) when the brain is more amenable to learning language - this is a biological fact.


It's very hard to break out of that cycle and I think it is a combination of poor language teaching in the UK and possibly a decision on the part of various UK governments that foreign language learning was not as important as other subjects, rather than an assumption on the part of English people in general.


In terms of offices - there are so many issues that can arise and I would feel uncomfortable if colleagues spent a lot of time speaking in a language I didn't understand, when in my native country. Outside my native country it's my responsibility to follow their culture/language, not impose my own. I think it could create a bad atmosphere so I can see why it was banned in a team if someone was finding it difficult. It could also be used to harrass people whereas asking people to speak in the country's language (ie one that everyone should understand in that office environment, otherwise wouldn't be employed there) is not harassing anyone, it is simply good management and good manners.