# The use of foreign languages in posts (Not a Pitting) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 8, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460 "2007-09-08T14:07:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/21 "2007-09-08T21:49:13Z")
Just curious…If it’s (Not a Pitting) why is it in The Pit? Was it moved and I just didn’t notice? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/22 "2007-09-08T21:51:18Z")
The Pit is also where we’re supposed to discuss messageboard policies, and complaints. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/23 "2007-09-08T21:59:23Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] The Pit is also where we’re supposed to discuss messageboard policies, and complaints. [/QUOTE] Got it! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/24 "2007-09-08T22:15:50Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] In case you’re being serious, he edited one minute after the person following him posted. [/QUOTE] Nah. Sorry. I was just joshin’. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/25 "2007-09-08T22:16:30Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] The Pit is also where we’re supposed to discuss messageboard policies, and complaints. [/QUOTE] Which I never understood. I think threads like this belong in ATMB, while complaint or disagreements about modding \*might \* belong here, but would be better suited for ATMB, too, thus forcing people to actually argue their case about modding and not just say that Rod Moderator suxx, for closing a thread. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/26 "2007-09-08T23:10:32Z")
[QUOTE=Charlie Tan] Which I never understood. I think threads like this belong in ATMB, while complaint or disagreements about modding \*might \* belong here, but would be better suited for ATMB, too, thus forcing people to actually argue their case about modding and not just say that Rod Moderator suxx, for closing a thread. [/QUOTE] You’re not looking from the staff’s point of view. Here in the Pit, even legitimate complaints like those about server performance can be catcalled, guffawed, and batted away with juvenile hysterics. There will always be Pitizens taking the contrary side of any issue, and so the staff can always point to even drive-bys and go, “See? Not everyone is having the problem.” I’d speculate that the percentage of Pit threads complaining about moderation result in a reversal or admission of wrong doing or apology or such is probably very low. This is the smart place, from their perspective, to relegate complaints. That said, the vast majority of our mods are pretty damn good at what they do. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/27 "2007-09-08T23:59:27Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] I think it is a good rule. There are a lot of sniggering teens out there who would looooove to slip a bad word into their “foreign language sig”. [/QUOTE] Little fuckers, exposing us to bad words, and in one o’ them furrin’ languages to boot! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/28 "2007-09-09T00:10:19Z")
Alter kakher! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/29 "2007-09-09T03:59:16Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I think **Lynn** is making a problem out of something that isn’t one. Since each poster can enable sigs or not, at will, what does it matter if they are in Latin, Bantu or Norwegian? [/QUOTE] The moderation staff can’t moderate stuff they can’t understand. My Spanish is very rusty, and while the Spanish part of the sig certainly LOOKED like a direct translation of the English version, I couldn’t be sure. It’s a rule that’s more for the benefit of the staff than the posters, I’ve always felt. It’s not just my rule, either…it’s been a rule for a long time. And as a poster, rather than a staff member, I’ve always felt that it’s pretty darn rude to post in a language other than English on an English based board. Doing so is excluding people from the discussion. This is rude in meat space, and it’s rude on a message board. If we were a bilingual board, the two tongues being English and Spanish, then posting in either language would be OK. But we’re not. **Captain Socks** did not incur an Official Warning, by the way. And I appreciate his/her swift compliance with my note. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/30 "2007-09-09T04:08:44Z")
[QUOTE=Lynn Bodoni] **Captain Socks** did not incur an Official Warning, by the way. And I appreciate his/her swift compliance with my note. [/QUOTE] I didn’t mean to imply you’d made an official warning - just a request/note. And, again, I’m not criticizing your actions - just questioning the policy. A fine line, I know, but I like walking those on the 'net. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/31 "2007-09-09T04:47:28Z")
[QUOTE=Triskadecamus] Does anyone know how to say “We must stay the course.” in Hungarian? [/QUOTE] _Nekunk kell a kurzust maradni._😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/32 "2007-09-09T20:35:10Z")
[QUOTE=psychonaut] _Nekunk kell a kurzust maradni._😃 [/QUOTE] Well, sure, word-for-word. Can you use maradni with kurzus? Does that mean the same as in English? I mean, I’m not a native speaker. Are you? Is **pulykamell**? ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/33 "2007-09-09T21:52:21Z")
[QUOTE=Jamaika a jamaikaiaké] Well, sure, word-for-word. Can you use maradni with kurzus? Does that mean the same as in English? I mean, I’m not a native speaker. Are you? Is **pulykamell**? [/QUOTE] It was a joke, hence the smiley. And no, neither **pulykamell** nor I are native speakers. (Though I expect **pulykamell** ’s a lot more fluent than I am.) ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/34 "2007-09-09T22:17:35Z")
[QUOTE=psychonaut] It was a joke, hence the smiley. And no, neither **pulykamell** nor I are native speakers. (Though I expect **pulykamell** ’s a lot more fluent than I am.) [/QUOTE] Oh, I was just wondering if that was more correct than what I wrote in post #6. (I wasn’t trying to be insulting or anything. I was actually hoping that you were a native speaker, cause my Hungarian sucks.) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460/35 "2007-09-09T22:24:53Z")
[QUOTE=Lynn Bodoni] The moderation staff can’t moderate stuff they can’t understand. My Spanish is very rusty, and while the Spanish part of the sig certainly LOOKED like a direct translation of the English version, I couldn’t be sure. It’s a rule that’s more for the benefit of the staff than the posters, I’ve always felt. It’s not just my rule, either…it’s been a rule for a long time. And as a poster, rather than a staff member, I’ve always felt that it’s pretty darn rude to post in a language other than English on an English based board. Doing so is excluding people from the discussion. This is rude in meat space, and it’s rude on a message board. If we were a bilingual board, the two tongues being English and Spanish, then posting in either language would be OK. But we’re not. **Captain Socks** did not incur an Official Warning, by the way. And I appreciate his/her swift compliance with my note. [/QUOTE] I’m a he. And I would have changed it sooner, but I was out at the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-foreign-languages-in-posts-not-a-pitting/418460.md?page=1)