Speak english, please.

[Jagger]

This doesn't bother me at all now. I've traveled a lot over the years and being on the other side of this debate perhaps makes you a little more tolerant.

However, the most blatant form of this, that really did use to piss me off, was when I went into a pub in Wales and everybody was talking English. Once I walked in they ALL switched to talking in Welsh! You just know then that they are talking about you!!!!

[fatso]

Well, I think it is rude. But is it really a language issue? It's tantamount to having a conversation with a friend. Then their friend shows up and starts chatting with them, without acknowledging or introducing you. It's like they're temporarily pretending you're not there.

[onetwo_threefour]

A little ÖT

I think there was an inside joke in that td commecial. I think the couple thought the mortgage lady was offering breakfast nookie and were shocked and horrified, then replied in a polite Chinese way, "we are not 'nook' people."

[red sky]

As an aside, the commercial everyone is referring to is actually Scotiabank not TD

[J pold]

I don’t mind at all…I haven’t traveled as much as I would like too but I’m really interested in others culture. And when people speak a different language it’s a neat experience.

[mykalberta]

I only find it rude when I know the people speak conversational English well enough and they decide to speak their native tongue in front of me. That happened once and I just started to walk away. You should be able to tell pretty quick if someone can speak the language fluently enough or if all they know is John Wayne movies.

If someone is just "off the boat" as it were and someone is translating stuff for them I dont mind it. Also in Chinese dominated restraunts, its capitalism plain and simple. They are catering to thier customers, if a "whitey" comes in they are legally obligated to provide him with a menu in English, but that is it.

When peope whine and complain about labour shortage, they have to give and take. If you want people to move here to work they are likely moving to upguage their life, not downguage it and the majority of those people dont have English as a native tongue.

[onetwo_threefour]

Originally Posted by red sky

As an aside, the commercial everyone is referring to is actually Scotiabank not TD

Ha, that's what I thought, but I assumed I was misermembering since everyone else was saying TD.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by red sky

As an aside, the commercial everyone is referring to is actually Scotiabank not TD

As a second aside, I believe they are Korean, not Chinese.


I agree with CommodoreAfro, it's insecurity about having only one language yourself. I know I feel a little insecure about knowing only English when I travel. I feel a bit guilty when I'm hanging out with my Swiss friend and all 20 people in her group of friends make the effort to have all of their conversations, whether i'm involved or not, in English to make me feel comfortable, yet when people here speak their own language it irritates me. Well.. it used to. Once I started travelling I realized pretty quickly what it's like on the other side of the fence.

[alltherage]

I could have sworn it was TD, but now I'm remembering the whole "Richer than you think" crap. And if they were Korean, my bad... I made my best guess.

[The Ditch]

Had a bunch of meetings with a company from China, they would talk to each other during the meetings in Chinese and you know they were talking about us. I felt like I was in an episode of Seinfeld.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

As a second aside, I believe they are Korean, not Chinese.

OT

Actually, they're Chinese because they are speaking Mandarin.

For people who were curious, the guy just asks his wife what a nook is, and she tells him its the same thing that his sister has in her kitchen.

And yes, that's an annoying commercial. They speak fluent, accent free English, yet they still found a need to ask each other in Mandarin what a nook is.

[malcolmk14]

My dad's remarried to a Russian lady. She and my little (half) sister speak Russian all the time at home, but my dad and I have no idea what they're talking about. It doesn't bother me, and I don't think it bothers him much. Every once in a while one of us will ask what was said. I guess it used to bother me a bit, but after a while you get used to it. Now when it happens in public i don't even pay any attention to it. If I'm really curious what was said, I will ask.

After being around it enough, you pick up the basics and you can figure out what certain things mean. it's like French, i can't speak it or understand it, but if I read it, I can almost determine what it means just by seeing words that I recognize from living in Canada and having French on all my packaging my entire life.

[alltherage]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

OT

Actually, they're Chinese because they are speaking Mandarin.

For people who were curious, the guy just asks his wife what a nook is, and she tells him its the same thing that his sister has in her kitchen.

And yes, that's an annoying commercial. They speak fluent, accent free English, yet they still found a need to ask each other in Mandarin what a nook is.

Aha! Me FTW!

I thought it was a good guess! I used to be completely oblivious to the differences between asian ethnicities, but I'm starting to get it. I wonder if Asians have a hard time telling the difference between English, American, Swedish, Dutch etc. Even I do!

[Bill Bumface]

Dammit! But they have such big eyes.....

[Phanuthier]

You know what is funny is when travelling abroad, we still do everything in english, and expect them to understand things like : fork, bathroom, beer, train station, your place or mine, its my heart etc. Even in their own country, its "speak english please" - I tend to think we're a little ego-centric to be thinking everyone should speak english. I speak a 2nd language quite fluently myself, but in my native country, I still speak english whenever in conversation. Anyways, my 2 cents.

[Matata]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

As a second aside, I believe they are Korean, not Chinese.


I agree with CommodoreAfro, it's insecurity about having only one language yourself. I know I feel a little insecure about knowing only English when I travel. I feel a bit guilty when I'm hanging out with my Swiss friend and all 20 people in her group of friends make the effort to have all of their conversations, whether i'm involved or not, in English to make me feel comfortable, yet when people here speak their own language it irritates me. Well.. it used to. Once I started travelling I realized pretty quickly what it's like on the other side of the fence.

For what its worth, english is a very valuable language in Europe/the world and the youth like to practice with us english speakers. They may have switched languages hoping that you would join their conversations and help them out.

Remember, english is the international language of business, science and well...everything.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Just to throw my hat into the debate about the Scotia Bank comercial.

Nooks are for some reason bad Feung Schwei (I know I spelled that wrong, but I think it's phoenetically correct enough for people to figure out).
Anyway, I'm guessing that's why they aren't "Nook People"

[missdpuck]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Just to throw my hat into the debate about the Scotia Bank comercial.

Nooks are for some reason bad Feung Schwei (I know I spelled that wrong, but I think it's phoenetically correct enough for people to figure out).
Anyway, I'm guessing that's why they aren't "Nook People"

Yeah..feng shui means wind/water and I guess neither could flow too freely in a nook