No Speaky Espanol???

[Noir]

Just a rant really.

Is it really that difficult to learn 150-300 foreign words for basic communication?

Today a young man between the age of 23-28 years of age came into my shop and asked me a very simple question...

Messican: No speaky Espanol?
My reply while turning my head left and right: Sorry, no.
Same Messican with blank expression: No speaky Espanol?
My reply again while turning my head left and right: Sorry, no.

I started to turn away to go back to what I was doing when teh Messican asked me once more, 'No speaky Espanol?'.

What teh eff? Is there something I'm missing? Do I have hidden up my short sleeved shirt, a magical Fairy-Landshark glitter wand that conjures up a white cloud of smoke with a little hairy midget in the center that miraculously 'speaky' Espanol?

I could not understand how to effectively communicate the word 'NO' to this Messican though I think physically expressing 'NO' with my head turning left and right would have sufficed for any other mouth breather, but hell, I've been wrong before.

I've dealt with many immigrants that spoke very little Engrish and I have had little problems communicating with them but have been successful enough to figure out what they want or need.. Koreans, Japanese, Ethiopians, Russians, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Malays, Peruvians, El Salvadorians, and even some Messicans.....

This guy however takes the prize. I wonder if I could mount his head on my wall because clearly he's not fit for breeding.

I dunno.

/rant off

[SoCal LS-L]

The thing is, maybe he wanted to buy something, and not knowing spanish lost you a sale?

I only have a problem with illegal immigrants who collect welfare for the children born here while being paid under the table and paying no taxes. Its also infuriating that earlier in the week when the USA lost to Mexico in soccer, there were hundreds of them along Harbor Boulevard waving mexican flags and flipping off white people.

I guess what im saying is I have no problem with anyone who contributes to society and has pride in the country that they live in, so the language thing doesnt bother me, its the idiots who abuse the system and spit at caucasion people that piss me off.

Edit: I should also add that im half Blackfeet Indian, so you're ALL illegal immigrants to me J/K

[LetItSnow]

Originally Posted by SoCal LS-L

Edit: I should also add that im half Blackfeet Indian, so you're ALL illegal immigrants to me J/K

Well, to half of you, anyway.

The language barrier can be a pain in the arse. One of my fellow engineers had some trouble this week with some wiring instructions that came from the shop floor because they were written in Spanish. Stuff like this matters quite a bit - rojo (red), blanco (white), and azul (blue) translate quickly to someone who learned basic stuff in a Spanish class (and what's up with "anaranjado", anyway?) but online translators give "blanco" back as "target".

[Manarius]

I have an image appropriate for this:
Linky (blurred out bad words )

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by Noir

Just a rant really.

Is it really that difficult to learn 150-300 foreign words for basic communication?

Today a young man between the age of 23-28 years of age came into my shop and asked me a very simple question...

Messican: No speaky Espanol?
My reply while turning my head left and right: Sorry, no.
Same Messican with blank expression: No speaky Espanol?
My reply again while turning my head left and right: Sorry, no.

I started to turn away to go back to what I was doing when teh Messican asked me once more, 'No speaky Espanol?'.

What teh eff? Is there something I'm missing? Do I have hidden up my short sleeved shirt, a magical Fairy-Landshark glitter wand that conjures up a white cloud of smoke with a little hairy midget in the center that miraculously 'speaky' Espanol?

I could not understand how to effectively communicate the word 'NO' to this Messican though I think physically expressing 'NO' with my head turning left and right would have sufficed for any other mouth breather, but hell, I've been wrong before.

I've dealt with many immigrants that spoke very little Engrish and I have had little problems communicating with them but have been successful enough to figure out what they want or need.. Koreans, Japanese, Ethiopians, Russians, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Malays, Peruvians, El Salvadorians, and even some Messicans.....

This guy however takes the prize. I wonder if I could mount his head on my wall because clearly he's not fit for breeding.

I dunno.

/rant off

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Senor Noir es un burro.

[demonsvx]

It reminds me while I was at Advanced Auto the other day. A couple of "mexicans" came up to me and was asking if this particular brand of wax would be good to use on their car (a faded 1992 accord) I could barely understand what they were wanting and was thinking to myself "Am I wearing a store uniform?" I told him "yeah it should work" and realized it was the most expensive wax they had there

Also why do foreigners come to America to live then complain about how bad our country is let alone have to "accomodate" their language or flag?
Last time I remember this flag has saved a few foreign countries a$$es Dont remember Mexico coming to help anyone

[shelfy]

Once upon a time, my family came from Mexico and I can barely count to ten in Spanish. That will happen.

[Noir]

Originally Posted by SoCal LS-L

The thing is, maybe he wanted to buy something, and not knowing spanish lost you a sale?

Naw, I doubt that. We do service at my shop. Doesn't really matter, if you can't effectively communicate (I don't mean speaky engrish, I mean like nodding means Yes, left and right head turning means No, middle finger means EFF OFF, hand on crotch means I'm Bad) then you forfeit the any services that you might assume you are entitled to.

Imagine going to Indonesia and walking into a random store in which you do not know the skribble on the backlit sign. You approach the person who has come to greet you and ask: Do you speaky Engrish?

The response you see from the clerk/owner/whoever turns his head and says something that may sound like 'No' in your native tongue.

Do you:

a. leave.
b. pull out a Espanol to Engrish disctionary and try to find the right words.
c. ask the question again? word for word.
d. look for someone else to ask the question?
e. repeat option c.
f. repeat option e.
g. repeat option f.
h. diaf

Seriously, if I wanted to get my arse waxed in Messico, I'd draw pictures and try to translate out of a disctionary.

I'd look for the following: Me, buttocks, hair, shave. I think they'd get the picture.

[subiemech85]

at work I turn over the cards and pull out the "special" book if they want to buy STIHL.

on a side note:

I am learning svenska

[lhopp77]

Originally Posted by Noir

Seriously, if I wanted to get my arse waxed in Messico, I'd draw pictures and try to translate out of a disctionary.

I'd look for the following: Me, buttocks, hair, shave. I think they'd get the picture.

You left out one word as a last resort--"kiss"

But you are totally right. I have been able to communicatie better in numerous foreign countries with non English speakers than I have in my own country with some illegal mescans.

Lee

[mikecg]

No in spanish is "no". just in case you ever run into this problem again.