Offended

By Anonymous - 04/09/2009 04:31 - Canada

Today, a customer came in who only spoke Spanish. I speak Spanish rather well so I helped the customer. She ended up buying $2300 worth of stuff. I got written up because not speaking English apparently "has the potential be offensive to other customers if they are not able to understand you." FML
I agree, your life sucks 60 178
You deserved it 3 520

Same thing different taste

Top comments

Yeah, I get that a lot... And the stupid part is? I was hired BECAUSE I'm bilingual.

Well, your in Canada... They have many people who speak French. This one doesn't sound right to me.

Comments

Working retail fail. Community college for the win.

FAKE. I bet the person who wrote this story has never work in retail before. Being able to speak other language Spanish/Chinese/French is an ASSET in retail. Conversing in client's native language will make them feel more comfortable doing business with you.

Obviously the Spanish-speaking client was happy; the OP's story makes it pretty obvious that other customers complained about her. Of course, those people are just being obnoxious and arrogant. Unless the OP had a 10-minute conversation with the Spanish speaker while just standing there doing nothing, the other customers have no right to complain. "Waaah, I can't understand what you're saying even though it's probably the same bullshit small talk cashiers say to everyone, poor me!" Idiots.

Trebie 6

Yeah, or these customers didn't stop to think that whatever was being said to the customer in the story did not concern them, and therefore was not any of their business. Not that I've never been annoyed when I hear words I can't understand being spoken, but I've never felt offended by it. Hell, the only reason it has ever annoyed me is because it's usually being spoken at 100 miles an hour in a louder-than-necessary voice. That would annoy me in english as well.

Can people not stick up for themselves theses days?? Don't be a wuss. Go to his manager and report his dumbass

Wow, I only speak a little bit of French but at my retail job if people come in that only speak French I'll speak what I know to help them out and usually that's enough to get the message across. The people I work with know that I can speak it and come find me if it's needed. I can't imagine getting written up for helping people.. :s

x3xmandamoox3x 0

wow 45, way to tell us your life story. lol pretty sure no one cares.

that is the dumbest thing i've heard. if people were turned off by someone HELPING A CUSTOMER, which is their JOB, maybe they should rethink their standards when they go shopping. not only that, but a person who helps people in a store only helps one at a time anyway. so it doesn't matter what they speak, as long as the person they are helping is able to understand

intoxicuunt 0

you shouldn't speak spanish in an english speaking work place, its up to the customer to adjust to the settings not you,. speaking english is the way forward and there is no excuse for not being able to, these people who cant speak english obviously have some sort of mental retardation.

caouette_fml 0

Mental retardation for not speaking english??O.o Wow, this is an interesting point of view...and what is so retarded about not knowing a language you usually dont have to use in your everyday life? Oh, you do know that many country dont have english as a first or second language, dont you?

intoxicuunt 0

they should, everybody speaks english, if you want to get ahead in life just ******* learn it

russianspy1234 11

obvious troll is obvious, or are people really that ignorant these days?

the problem with being politically correct is that it's not politically correct

A country needs a unified language. If we end up with 50 different languages in the US, then how would anything be accomplished? If every government document and road sign had to be written in 50 or more languages, it would be ridiculous. And if each person is adamantly opposed to learning anything beyond his/her first language, then how would anyone communicate with anyone else? How would people know about the politcians they choose? You can still retain all of your cultural heritage if you learn a new language; it is just respectful to the people of your host country to learn theirs. Rather than make millions of people cater to you, you should take the effort to learn their launguage and maybe even their culture, since you are the guest. Since the country needs a unified language, and the vast majority of people in the US speak English, that is the language we should all speak here to unite. I'm sure it will be hard for your cousin, but all I ask for is a reasonable effort; it would help him in the long run too. Everyone has some down time at work, and I'm sure at least some of his coworkers speak English. He can try to learn a little from them, or try to learn a little at a time from a book, or he can choose to just chat about nonsense in Spanish with his other coworkers. I hope you realize that if you are not a citizen of a country, any country, and you want to move there, it is a privelege to you to be allowed to do so. It (citizenship or residency) is a privelege because it is something that you want, and you do not have it, and you need someone else to give it to you. Given such a privelege, you should not be making demands of "cater to me!", "I hate your language and your culture, so how about you learn mine!?" (you specifically said, "how about you cater to them?"). If you do not consider it a privelege, or you hate their culture so much, then maybe you shouldn't be moving there in the first place. And there is always a little time that can be made and a little effort, it just depends on whether you actually want to or not; that is what peeves me, people are too lazy or opposed to learning their host country's language and culture. Just a little effort and gratitude (not to me, but to the country as a whole) for the chance to live where you want would go a long way, and I'm sure would appease the majority of people.

Sorry, #65 was a reply to #50, but it didn't get placed there. Ooops.

russianspy1234 11

Some people just can't learn it. They make an effort, and are just unable to learn enough to be comfortable with it. Your ability to learn language diminishes as you get older, especially after 20. I was able to learn English fairly easily, because I moved here when I was 6. When someone above said "how about you cater to them" I don't think they meant you must, but there is nothing wrong with helping someone with a difficult transition. We have it pretty easy. I have been around to a few other countries, and pretty much everyone speaks English, so most of us here will likely never know what it is like to live in a country where you cannot easily communicate with anyone. Its funny how in a country with no official language is the most indignant about their language being spoken.

I am very helpful and understanding of people who try. I love teaching language to and learning it from (even if just small phrases) my many international coworkers. Just go live in Miami for a few months and you will encounter the rudest, most stubborn people ever, who absolutely refuse to try. Obviously not all of them, and there are many who do try and many who are very successful with English, but there is such a large population of the obstinate others that it makes Miami a disgusting place.

he has been trying, i didnt say he isnt. i was just saying that sometimes it may take people longer to learn english (or whatever language is the most spoken in the country they're in)

PPS. i was being sarcastic when i said "how about you cater to them?" although i guess in writing you can't tell that, of course.

it makes Miami a disgusting place simply because they are doing what many Americans say? they are proud to speak Spanish, and in Maimi, there are a lot of Spanish speakers. Where they live, it isn't really necessary to learn English. Maybe if you go visit Miami, you should try and learn Spanish. See, it's a two way street. they could be thinking "god look at this guy, trying to take away my native language" Many hispanics are proud of who they are, and of their language. just as many Americans are proud and "patriotic" and choose to only speak english Overall, I think that everyone should simply be tolerant, and if they can, try to understand the other "side." I personally know 3 languages, but I'd really love to learn more. As an American, I'm lucky because my first language is English; lucky only because of the fact that so many other countries have English being taught in their grade school and high schools, so that in most business interactions, you can almost be certain that there will be someone who can talk to you. But I like doing what they do; trying to learn other languages so I can communicate with other people, like the person in this FML. Plus, my parents are from other countries, so maybe I understand it more than the average person would; the fact that not everyone can just "god damn learn "our language" " [although they speak english perfectly, but i've visited my relatives, and some of my relatives don't speak english]