Why Can't You Speak English?
Discussion
It amazes me how some people, who having lived - and worked - in this country for many years, cannot string together more than a couple of lines of English.
Perhaps I have a bit more of an angle on this; I receive calls from a variety of people - most are pretty much from within my 'target market', however, there are some (and they're usually the 'How Much? Crew') who frustrate me with their piss-poor English. Some, I can deal with because there is a level of sincerity and a conscious effort to communicate, but then there's the guy who has been around for a while (I can tell by the way he craftily slips in the occasional, "mate" and other words of cockney extraction). He'll then pass the phone to his son who speaks 20% English, 30% in his father's native tongue and the remaining 50 is an amalgam of ghetto and ignorance.
"Does your windscreen have a moisture (or rain) sensor?"
"Eh mate?"
"Rain sensor - it controls the wipers on your screen"
"Yeh mate, iss like, got de um, fings dat clear da screen"
"You mean wipers?"
"Das it, yeh, wipers"
Perhaps I have a bit more of an angle on this; I receive calls from a variety of people - most are pretty much from within my 'target market', however, there are some (and they're usually the 'How Much? Crew') who frustrate me with their piss-poor English. Some, I can deal with because there is a level of sincerity and a conscious effort to communicate, but then there's the guy who has been around for a while (I can tell by the way he craftily slips in the occasional, "mate" and other words of cockney extraction). He'll then pass the phone to his son who speaks 20% English, 30% in his father's native tongue and the remaining 50 is an amalgam of ghetto and ignorance.
"Does your windscreen have a moisture (or rain) sensor?"
"Eh mate?"
"Rain sensor - it controls the wipers on your screen"
"Yeh mate, iss like, got de um, fings dat clear da screen"
"You mean wipers?"
"Das it, yeh, wipers"
You simply shouldn't be allowed to move permanently to a new country unless you speak the language properly. It's just as annoying seeing Asians who have lived here for a decade barely speaking a word of English as it is British ex-pats in Spain after many years who can barely manage two words of Spanish.
Edited by BigLepton on Sunday 28th December 15:16
BigLepton said:
You simply shouldn't be allowed to move permanently to a new country unless you speak the language properly. It's just as annoying seeing Asians who have lived here for a decade barely speaking a word of English as it is British ex-pats in Spain after many years who can barely manage two words of Spanish.
Agreed, lazy and rude.Edited by BigLepton on Sunday 28th December 15:16
Negative Creep said:
Yeah, damn foreigners. At least when the English go abroad we always learn the lingo and integrate into the culture
I don't think anyone was suggesting we are a shining example. It embarrasses me when I go to a country and can't speak the language. This summer I went to Portugal and spent the four weeks or so before trying to learn some basics, which didn't help a lot if i'm honest because it wasn't pronounced at all how it was spelt, so I couldn't write anything and had to rely on trying to remember words from a CD. My girlfriend thought it was a waste of time even trying, which I thought was a poor attitude, but probably what most people think.Edited by RDE on Sunday 28th December 15:36
Yes we have the same problem at work, trying to work out what bits of their car they are actually after is always a PITA! One particularly polish customer every part he ever wanted was "pulleys", and it always ended up with my colleague or me going outside and a lot of pointing ensued, if its on the phone we're f
ked!
ked!
Negative Creep said:
Yeah, damn foreigners. At least when the English go abroad we always learn the lingo and integrate into the culture
You have a point, if I were to emigrate to foreign climes I would want to be able to speak the language to a competent level, for my own benefit and the benefit of the country I'm going to!cloggy said:
Why do I find it funny when English people complain about other nations not speaking English properly?
Am I missing something?
Please explain.
Well it's simple really. All you bloody foreigners speak all these little local languages that are internationally irrelevant which means you only have to learn the language that matters, English, whereas it is pointless for the English to learn dozens of foreign jibber-jabber languages unless they actually intend to live in a jibber-jabber speaking country.Am I missing something?
Please explain.
Clear now?
I've been in Germany for the last 7 years and when I did my German language classes there were no Brits on the course. However, there were pupils from all around the world during the 18 months that I was in attendance.
The British Armed forces who have several bases in Germany are a classic example. They never mix with the locals and import loads of "British" food. All you have to do is listen to BFSB radio in Germany to hear the "social" events - only amongst themselves. It's pathetic and quite rude to basically "occupy" huge areas of another country and show absolutely no interest in the local culture. Unfortunately this is typically a British trait.
All you have to do is see the "Irish" pubs in German cities, again typically full of Brits socialising amongst themselves because they can't be arsed with a) anything related to attempting a few words in another language or b) anything related with the local culture.
Still, one good thing is that it makes it easy avoiding Brits abroad because their locations are so predictable
The British Armed forces who have several bases in Germany are a classic example. They never mix with the locals and import loads of "British" food. All you have to do is listen to BFSB radio in Germany to hear the "social" events - only amongst themselves. It's pathetic and quite rude to basically "occupy" huge areas of another country and show absolutely no interest in the local culture. Unfortunately this is typically a British trait.
All you have to do is see the "Irish" pubs in German cities, again typically full of Brits socialising amongst themselves because they can't be arsed with a) anything related to attempting a few words in another language or b) anything related with the local culture.
Still, one good thing is that it makes it easy avoiding Brits abroad because their locations are so predictable
Edited by Silver993tt on Sunday 28th December 15:48
BigLepton said:
cloggy said:
Why do I find it funny when English people complain about other nations not speaking English properly?
Am I missing something?
Please explain.
Well it's simple really. All you bloody foreigners speak all these little local languages that are internationally irrelevant which means you only have to learn the language that matters, English, whereas it is pointless for the English to learn dozens of foreign jibber-jabber languages unless they actually intend to live in a jibber-jabber speaking country.Am I missing something?
Please explain.
Clear now?
It is not 'THAT' difficult if you make an effort.
Trying to understand other cultures can only be achieved by understanding some of their language.
Maybe I am to dumb and not 'English' enough.
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