How can I respond to someone that keeps telling me to speak English instead of Spanish at work?
by 
Nenalinda
ANSWERS: 13
-
If there are people in your office that don't speak Spanish it is very rude to speak only in Spanish assuming that you are able to speak English. Put it this way. Would you walk up to co-workers and whisper things in their ears. No because it is considered rude to tell secrets in front of people. If you remember when you only understood one language. How would you have felt sitting amongst a buch of people who were speaking a language you didn't understand.
-
Ask if that's company policy. Americans generally feel that it's rude to speak a language other than English in a group, but that's not the intention. I live in a multi-lingual society and it's understood that you communicate with compatriates in the language it's easiest to talk in. This also used to be a Communist country where it was extremely dangerous to assume your hearer didn't understand the languge you were talking--Churchill and Roosevelt gave away state secrets at Yalta because they didn't know Stalin understood English. (Stalin pretended not to.) You could explain that you aren't telling secrets or anti-gringo jokes, just that you don't know enough words of English yet to say everything you want to say to your friends.
-
You could say, "Ok. I apologize for being so rude. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I truly didn't realize. I didn't think about how it looked from someone else's point of view. ... Perhaps I could return the favor and tell you that your approach was unecessarily cold and hostile. I mean, I wasn't TRYING to be rude and simply asking me nicely and maybe explaining why you were asking would have been much more effective. ... So do you want to start over? I could teach you some Spanish and we could go out to lunch and piss off the people at the next table!" :)
-
it IS a bit rude to speak a language others dont understand, so I'd take cavalleriza's advice....speak a language everyone can understand, if times come when something is un-translatable, it's polite to tell the non-speakers of the language that you have to switch languages for a moment
-
you can respond by speaking english in the work place. It really is rude to speak in other languages at work if you are not on your personal time. i find that the people at my job speak another language when they want to say something negative or talk about people in their face without them knowing whats being said.
-
no habla espanol
-
if you live and work in an english speaking country....SPEAK ENGLISH
-
I would respond that unless it is company policy that it is unfair to expect you to not speak in (Im assuming here) your native language. especially if you weren't directly speaking with your boss. I know alot of people believe its rude to speak spanish around people who don't know it but I don't think there looking at it from the other side. If you moved to a foriegn country and learned the language. You would still feel most comfortable speaking your native tongue. If you ran into other native english speakers, chances are you would speak to each other in English. Why do you care what is said between other people, just because you can't understand it? Sorry for my rant.
-
As someone who speaks English and German..If I am making someone uncomfortable by speaking German instead of English I SPEAK ENGLISH! I think when the majority of people in a situation speak English its rude to speak another language.
-
In English.
-
it depends on the situation.....keep in mind that it is like whispering, it's rude to not include or make someone feel left out of a conversation if they are right there in the room with you...people in Europe, where many people speak more than one language make it a point not to make others feel left our of the conversation. If this is just a nosey co-worker, dont worry about it, if this is a co-worker who should be included in the info, then obviously speak english. Manners are important, people judge your upbringing and you place in society by your manners, so use them to the best of your ability.
-
I speak both, but consider the following: For a company to succeed, it depends on transparency and clear communication. Suppose co-workers started exchanging code messages any time you were present. You might rightly think they are doing it to piss you off, that they are intentionally excluding you from their conversation, and maybe even that they are talking ABOUT you or plotting something. When teamwork is a job requirement, refusing to speak a common language with your teammates, even when you are able to, says you are comfortable knowing all that THEY say, but that your conversations are NOT for them to know about. It is consequently lopsided and trust is not equally extended in both directions.
-
You should look into the personnel policies before you respond. Make sure that it is not a concrete policy that you speak English (some companies actually do require and enforce this policy). If it is not a policy, then you can gently tell them so. However, I will mention that you can alienate people by speaking in a language that not everyone understands if you do not have to do so, creating a kind of hostile environment for yourself. You should really take some time to consider this and decide if it is worth it.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC