Workplace Harasment and Language

[Midnight]

After a few letter to various politicians with no response, I bring this question to the AH community.

In the workplace, there are many things that are considered harrasment and can get you fired from your job. One of the more common things is if you are talking about someone or making jokes at their expense.

Considering this, why is it OK for someone to speak a foreign language with others while in the work place? I know in certain cases it is required for translating to visitors from other countries, etc.

What I am talking about is when ethnic groups are talking in other languages in common areas where others are able to hear them, but not understand what they are saying. It is especially disturbing when thy are laughing and seem to be telling jokes or the like.

Does this not make it an uncomfortable situation for some? An uncomfortable situation generated by one or more other people is harrasment in all other terms.

So the question is, do you think that speaking foreign languages in the wokplace, for any other reason other than translation to someone not speaking the "accepted language of the workplace" should be considered harrasment?

Midnight

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"Wing up, Get kills, Be happy"

Midnight
13th TAS

[Swoop]

Nah.

Harrasment is me sneaking up behind my Dutch collegues and screaming "SPEAK ENGLISH" at them at close range.  

Bloody Cloggies.

Swoop

[Staga]

We have some Turkish and Moroccoan(sp?) people att my work and I really won't care if they speak their OWN language or Finnish.
Last Spring we all went to Estonia to spend some time in ship and in Tallinn and these guys were really great and fun companies

Also we have one guy from Ireland and one from Wales and sometimes I really can't understand what they are talking  

[Naso]

It's not their fault if they speak two languages, it's your.  

I mean, learn their language, so you can understand what they say and have fun with 'em.  

Next you will ask they have to conform to your religion too?  

(joking, calm down)  

[Midnight]

Staga...
I am not saying that people who are able to speak foriegn languages are not good people. I have several freinds that can speak other languages.

Naso...
I am trying to learn Japanese. In my workplace, there are just too many people from foreign countries to learn all the languages.

What I am talking about is in Common areas where workers congragate and can hear other's conversations.

Where I work, it is even frowned upon to whisper to another person if someone else is nearby. I guess the outside person could think you are talking about him/her so it is bad. However, speaking in foreign tounge is no problem.

One main reason I dislike this is an experience I had in a fast-food resturant here in the states. I was there with my wife and I am fairly certain that two male employees were talking about her body, etc. based on their looks/gestures. However, since I could not speak their language, I couldn't be sure. I really got me steamed.

Do you see where I am going with this?

Midnight

[Animal]

WELL if they are POINTING at you and laughing and talking in another language then you have something to worry about.

Ive had several situations in wich english speakers get pissed because I am talking spanish with someone.

Once was back in military academy (high school), we were in an army base and a friend and I were naturally talking in spanish in a corner. A sergeant approached us and told us he recieved a complain from someone who didnt like we speaking spanish. The sergeant wasnt pissed at all; but seems like this person thought it was offensive.

The other time was in a Presidential Classroom trip to Washington DC; we were on a meeting and I forgot a word in english and asked a friend of mine (in spanish) what was the word. Some furious guy jumped from his seat and said something like "WELL CANT YOU LEARN TO SPEAK?"
To wich a supervisor in the room responded "Well at least he can speak both spanish AND english, you can barely speak english"
Everyone was laughing and the guy stormed out of the room. What a salamander.

Anyways; if you worked for an international company where everyone spoke french, you are not very good at it, and there are some people in the workplace who also speak english; wouldnt you talk with them in english?

[Saintaw]

Midnight, sounds like a big Corp you're working in.

Used to work for one not that far from Oxford as well, and... well, since we were covering EMEA, you can guess how many cultures/languages were mixed there...

Never seemed to be a problem there, and it never came up (even if we used to spend hours if not days debating and sending Chain emails on TRIVIAL things you would not even immagine, hehehe...)

Sit at these poeple's table when at lunch, or in the smoking room, they'll switch to English immediately  

If it troubles you, bring it up at a meeting, "Harrassment" might be a bit harsh (IMO)

Cheers !
(And stay tuned to FOX RADIO  )

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MASS/SAW
click  HERE for info on III./JG 5 Eismeer --->>
"kindergarden must be closed... all those little girls running around screaming..."
 -Fd ski

[This message has been edited by Saintaw (edited 01-25-2001).]

[mrfish]

it doesn't really bother me......i figure that if someone isn't man enough to insult me in my language then that is their problem.

most of the time its not an insult though - for example, i understand chinese well enough to pick up the subject of those loud bus conversations and really man...... it is about the quality of vegetables like 99% of the time!

if i need to insult someone, it is in their language and to their face - anything else is cowardly    


[This message has been edited by mrfish (edited 01-25-2001).]

[TheWobble]

People take "harassment" too far these days, you cant pat someone on the shoulder without risking sexual harassment charges, and that's NOT an exaggeration, when I was in school teachers were not allowed to be alone in the classroom with less that 3 students, also teachers were not allowed to physically touch students in ANY way.  pathetic how some folks will take something instituted to protect them and abuse it to the point that its very existence becomes a nuisance.

[Midnight]

Good points all. Thank you for your cander. I guess I don't really worry much about what people have to say about me.

I am probably just being a stubborn American that likes to be able to know what's going on around him.

Screw it. If they want to speak whatever, let them. It just gets annoying when you are trying to work and people are talking all around you that you can't understand.

Thanks again


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"Wing up, Get kills, Be happy"

Midnight
13th TAS

[Animal]

Midnight; I understand what you mean.
But like I said, if they are not pointing at you or looking at you while talking, then its no problem. Their conversation probably is of no interest.

I know what I'm talking about. Ive had to deal with people less patient than you.

[TheWobble]

Animal, I have been in the situation he is talking about, in my case it was at a Tiwanese restraunt, there was some...Tiwanese?? people at the table next to us (2 guys about 20) they kept talking REALLY loud and of course we couldent understand them, however they kept looking at us and then talking really loud laughing really loud, I cant say for sure that they were talking about us but only an idiot would assume they werent, at any rate it was pretty damn rude of them to behave that way.  My dad nearly knocked the toejam out of a few french guys for doing similar, he speaks very little french but he figured out that they yelling REALLY loud across the street about how my mom looked like a potato.  No reason for them to do so, just being amazinhunks (how rare).

[mrfish]

 

Originally posted by Midnight:

Screw it. If they want to speak whatever, let them.

that is a good attitude but i have to agree that speaking loudly in another language is rude if nothing else  - when i am some place where english is not the language, i try to speak very quietly and i think people should do the same. for the most part people do but there are always some....

[TheWobble]

Yea fish, it seems for some people that just because they no one can understand what they are saying (or at least they think no one can) they get this huge urge to talk really loud and try to one-up each other on who can say the rudest most vulgar thing about someone nearby, however it is funny when some "ignorant forener" nearby figures them out and clobbers them, justice served