If you are going to run a business in America, SPEAK ENGLISH.

The BBQ Pit
101

So what’s the problem? It’s not as if you’re forced to eat there, is it? Someone has the audacity to open a restaurant in my neighbourhood, and deliberately deceives me by pretending to speak English, so I get really pissed off and indignant about it.

I find the amount of rage generated by this insignificant event faintly disturbing. You people claim to live in a free country, where market forces decide. Okay, maybe there are people who don’t mind if the waiter can’t speak English. Maybe there are people (e.g. people who don’t speak English either) who actually prefer it that way.

Maybe they have a lot of Chinese customers. Maybe - and this is a concept that the US as a world power and many (but fortunately not all) of its inhabitants seem to have difficulty grasping occasionally, and not just in the area of fast food - maybe they don’t give a monkey’s toss whether you go in there or not.

Yes, I think it is. :dubious:

102

Actually, from the responses in this thread, it’s not.

Man, someone who gets all self-rightous over people thinking that someone who opens a business in a country and not bothering to even get a loose grasp of the language of the country that business is in, could possibly be in the wrong.

I really have seen everything.

:rolleyes:

103

I’ve been thinking about D-Fense ever since the OP. “Eighty-fie,” wasn’t it?
“We’re rolling back prices!”

104

Uh, so how do you know that this is an actual story, and not something he heard from someone else, or was just making up? Just taking his word for it? I wouldn’t. Not that that reflects on him poorly in any way; even Douglas Adams has done it. And, as the link points out, even if it DID happen to him, that doesn’t mean that he originated the thing.

Cicada2003: Yes, thank you! That infuriated me when I was in college! Except they wouldn’t ASK me if I wanted cheese; the cafeteria worker would just hand me a cheeseburger! And I’d have to give it back to them and tell them, no, I wanted a hamburger! Granted, English wasn’t their first language, so it’s not QUITE as maddening as your example, but still.

105

That’s me! :wink: Just trying to compensate for people who have the energy to get all self-righteous and lathered up about something so insignificant. Jesus, I wish I had your problems, OP. What do you do when it rains, have a nervous breakdown?

106

Where, please? I’ve read this book several times (and just flipped through it again) and while it does contain several humorous/embarrasing exchanges with room service, I did not recall and could not find the “Morny, ruin sorbees” example in my copy. Mr. Allen’s complaints were generally against people who were native English speakers but could not grasp simple logic or were missing basic vocabulary. He often emphasized that they did not appear to be ESL speakers.

107

Hey, they’re doing better than most of our countrymen, who generally don’t even TRY to learn local languages. I wonder how some of you complainers would do if there were big opportunities in Mexico or China.

108

Wow, so you read a full two pages about something you don’t think is worth ranting about? In a forum dedicated to ranting? Sounds like someone’s got too much time on their hands…

:dubious:

109

All the posters who are annoyed that employees who serve them “don’t bother” to learn English before they take on a job: that’s a pretty harsh judgment. How fast can you learn to speak a foreign language fluently? While it’s true that there is a percentage of immigrants who don’t feel it’s their duty to understand English, most of the people working counter jobs strive to improve their language skills in order to avoid messes like this. You think they like not being able to do their jobs properly? Unfortunately, your average Chinese delivery guy isn’t going to have the time or the money to be in an ESL program. Can’t you just make life easier on them and yourself and ENUNCIATE? speak clearly and slowly? Use words and pronounciations they might know? Is it too much a blow to your pride?

Funny enough, I don’t feel as though the OP pertains to this discussion. That was about someone not understanding a certain (uncommon in the urban setting, IMO) foreign pronounciation of ONE item. Just my two cents.

By the way, can any linguists or what-have-you explain why a “yeer-oh” would be spelled with a “g”? That one letter seems to be causing more trouble than it’s worth.

110

I will never understand this mentality. So you assume that because someone is annoyed by something that it is automatically the worst of their problems? What the hell kind of stupid logic is that?

I’m sure that the guy sitting in the hospital dying of AIDS still gets annoyed by the sheets creasing under his ass–does that mean that if he expresses his frustration, that creased sheets are suddenly the biggest problem he has? Even people with big problems get annoyed by small things! GRASP THIS CONCEPT PLEASE!

Christ.

111

They would demand they speak English…

112

It seems to me that the OP didn’t take advantage of the tools available to order, but…

This kind of thing is why I’ve started insisting that my barber, mechanic, and doctor all speak English very fluently. I even went to an Indian doctor with only a moderate accent, once, and when the conversation took an unexpected turn (as it often does when I’m involved), she was lost. She didn’t speak THAT much English.

113

If it isn’t even a stipulation for your PRESIDENT to have a more than rudimentary grasp of the language, why should a Chinese kebab shop worker have to bother.

114

To paraphrase something I heard: Someone was asked “So, how come with a name like Smith you don’t speak good English?” and he answered “Well, for one thing I was born and raised in China and, for another, I overslept this morning and was running late so I didn’t have time to do it today, but I’ll see if I can do it tomorrow”.

Customers like the OP should stay home and never eat out. If it’s not the language they’ll find something else to be picky about.

115

This reminds me of my days repairing poker machines, many of which were in bars and restaurants owned by Greeks. My mother came along on a service call one day and cracked up when she heard me unconsciously mimicking their accents:

“Alex, he send me to fix the mashine, yes? You need the fix, I fix. Is okay, soon.”

116

Okay then. I guess according to some of you, the next time I travel overseas I won’t bother learning at least a few phrases. If anyone dares to get annoyed that I’ve made no effort to be able to communicate with those who’s culture I’m putting myself in the middle of, I’m sure some self-rightous people will make sure and tell them whats-what.

Actually, that wouldn’t work because I wouldn’t be moving overseas and starting a business there.

Some of you are acting like getting a bit annoyed at trying to give an order to someone who doesn’t understand one syllable you’re saying is the equivalent to a “let’s just ship 'em back where they came from!” mentality. All I and I dare to say, others that have posted here, are saying is that if you’re going to start a business in a country where the national language (for all intents and purposes) is English, it just might be a good idea to at least have enough of a grasp of the basics to be able to communicate with your customers. Nobody here is saying every foreigner that moves here MUST speak fluent English.

Sheesh! Get a little perspective, people.

:rolleyes:

117

And all I and others are saying is that someone who would not get his meal because he would rather not point at the freaking menu is an idiot, especially when native speakers cannot quite agree with how the word is pronounced and especially when there are native speakers you can hardly understand. If your principles forbid you from using your finger to point at the menu you might want to stay home. The restaurants would probably also prefer you stay home. That’s all. Quite simple.

118

No, sailor, that maybe all YOU are saying but others have been saying QUITE a lot of other things. I’m with lezlers. And I think the OP was a bit thick to not point at the menu or try different pronunciations of ‘gyro’ but that doesn’t negate the main point, which is that it’s frustrating to try to do business with someone who doens’t know a lick of English. That’s all.

119

I was going to write a nice, sensible reply, but then i remembered this is the pit.

So fuck you. My parents came here with literally zip. Nothing. They got shit jobs in shit restaurants working with useless numbfucks like you putting them down constantly. But they worked their fucking asses off to give themselves and me a better life. You think it’s easy to learn another language? It’s fucking hard when you’re working 2 jobs to pay the bills and take care of a family.

I grew up poor as shit and got pissed on by jackasses like you because of my nationality and this thread consists almost entirely of people making fun of how my parents talk. That hits a fucking nerve. You know what? They’ve worked harder than any of you can imagine.

My dad to this day (25 years later) still can’t speak english, but he owns a restaurant and could quit working now if he wants to, but doesn’t b/c he doesn’t know how to not work. When i was younger I had to deal with assholes like you making fun of my dad. But you know what? He’s twice the man you are. He had the courage to go to another country. He didn’t know a soul. He didn’t know the language, the culture, nothing. But he built a life for himself and for me, all the while being discriminated against, being called stupid, just being put down.

My mom taught herself how to speak, read, and write english, is 46 and is retired (they’re divorced). She worked hard her whole life in a country where she didn’t know anybody, and now she’s 46 and has enough money in the bank that she doesn’t have to work anymore. How many of you can say that?

Looking at them makes me work harder. It breaks my heart the sacrifices they made for me. For either of my parents to see their family, they have to travel around the world.

And this sin’t a “boohoo poor me” post. But for so many “intelligent” people pointing their fingers and saying “haha, look at them, they can’t speak english properly!!” pisses me off to no end. You know what? My dad can speak 6 fucking languages thank-you very much, and my mom can speak 7. I speak 4. How many do you speak?

Why don’t you try learning a language when you’re 21 (my mom) or 38 (dad) and NOT speak with an accent? I dare you to try. Preferably you can try to learn mandarin or cantonese, then i can laugh and make fun of you for not speaking correctly.

Anyways, it doesn’t really matter in the end. I’m sure all the people that made fun of my mom and dad back in the day are still working in menial shit jobs, and their children are going to be the people i hire to clean my house. Ah, the irony.

Do i have a chip on my shoulder? Maybe. But from reading some of the posts in this thread, not alot has changed in the last 25 years. Someone just coming here from China (or vietnam, or wherever) has the same small-minded morons to deal with.
“Morny, ruin sorbees” ha. ha. that. is. hilarious. :rolleyes:

Is it jealousy or fear?

120

I hope you don’t think that everyone who is frustrated by not being able to communicate with people at a business think that the people there are stupid or laugh at them or whatever.

I don’t think I could do it–move to another country and try to get by and learn a new language. I think it’s great that your parents were able to accomplish what they did.

In fact, there could be a million great reasons why the person at the counter doesn’t speak English… but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating when you’re trying to communicate.

I’m not saying that they shouldn’t work there or whatever (though I do think that people who move to a country should at least begin to learn the language if they plan on staying. How well they learn it isn’t the point–it’s the effort) and I’m not saying they should “go back home” or that they are stupid or anything.

I’m just saying that it’s frustrating when it takes 10 minutes to order a pizza because the person on the other end of the phone has no idea what you are saying. I’m human. Inability to communicate with another person is frustrating.