HOW DO YOU FEEL?

Good morning guys!

Have you ever been ignored from some foreigner who doesn’t speak your language? I bet a lot!

What I mean with my question is that since we live in an international environment, where there is an important mix of cultures and languages everywhere, sometimes we can find ourselves in a group where different languages are involved and for example two or three of them are from the same country and they end up speaking their language without considering that other people don’t have any idea about what they are saying. I understand the importance of speaking your mother language whenever there is the possibility. What is important though is to not make anybody uncomfortable while doing so. Many times it happened that I would be in a group of both Polish or Chinese people and they just spoke their language even if I or a few other people were there in that moment without knowing what they were saying at all!!!

Ok, ok… I must admit that I made that mistake myself too! I spoke my language in front of people who didn’t understand anything but I realized it is uncomfortable: first of all for the person who doesn’t speak your or the language which has more speakers in that moment and second of all because this person, who doesn’t understand, can think that you are talking bad about him/her, you can say whatever and smile at this person and maybe he/she thinks that you are fooling around with them, even if you are not doing it.

So what I am trying to say is that if you are in an international group (for example a French, an Italian, a Colombian, etc.) and there is a common language which can be English or Norwegian as here in Norway, spoken by all, just speak it. Don’t wait your Italian friend and start speaking Italian without no one understanding what you are saying, because I think, it is not polite. But then again if you are alone with someone from your own country, well, be free to express yourself the way you want.

Speaking your language in front of others who don’t know it is certainly not a way to get their attention in a positive way… remember you are not being cool… but you’re simply being a showoff!!! So whenever you are in a group of people who all speak different languages, if you have a doubt about being understood or not all you have to do is change your register to a more common one.

Everything is based on respect and attention!

What do you think about it? Did it happen to you? How did you feel?