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I enjoy speaking Spanish. I've worked with people who have minimal English skills and on one occasion, which lasted a number of months, my co-worker was able to learn reasonably good English from me because I understood enough Spanish to teach him.
And the favor worked in my direction as well, since I became more comfortable communicating in Spanish.
If it only happens occasionally, I don't think it's a big deal. I have a few coworkers that will speak Spanish to each other occasionally; I know enough to know they are generally talking about their children. If they feel more comfortable having personal conversations in their native tongue, I don't care.
Amen!! Outstanding thread. We have to stand up for our country.For the language, and also the only flag that gets to fly in the U.S.A is the gorgeous pride and respected RED,WHITE,AND BLUE. period. I could rant for hrs on this one! I wonder how they would like it if I was to dialoge in Italian for a primary and English secondary. What knocks me sideways, is they know english and still speak their language as a primary!!
The 3 people speaking Spanish are all fluent in English, it happened to be a slow time at work, so they were all talking in Spanish and laughing. I could tell some of my other co-workers were wondering of they were laughing at us.
I did take one of the Spanish speaking co-workers aside and I mentioned that some of us felt it was disrespectful to be speaking Spanish in our public work environment. I said it was kind of the equivalent of whispering in someones ear so other people will not hear. I did make it clear that no one cared what they spoke in the break-room on their own time, but if we are to work as a team it was alienating some of us. He seemed upset by me saying this and said," Sure, you don't care if we speak Spanish when you need an interpretor, but other times you get offended."
I'm wondering if I was out of line by saying this to him. I felt that he may want to know. Thanks for other input, I guess I'm looking for assurance that I wasn't out of line by saying this to him.
I don't think you were out of line at all! Work is a common,neutral, place that should only hold one languag IMHO. English. Screenial your post was very well put and hits the nail on the head.
I am so accustomed to people speaking in tongue that I hardly notice when they switch to a language other than English. In fact, one of the senior directors I worked with would turn to me and immediately start to speak in Spanish (not a language I am fluent in)--she just thought of me as a friend. And frankly after so many years of working with South and Latin Americans, I am almost ashamed that I am not fluent.
He seemed upset by me saying this and said," Sure, you don't care if we speak Spanish when you need an interpretor, but other times you get offended."
I'm wondering if I was out of line by saying this to him. I felt that he may want to know. Thanks for other input, I guess I'm looking for assurance that I wasn't out of line by saying this to him.
If they would speak English, as they should in America, you would not need an interpretor. Go figure.
I dont think you were out of line at all. Well done.
And you shouldn't feel ashamed for not being fluent in Spanish. The only reason a person should feel obligated to learn this language is if they are about to spend time in a Spanish speaking country. And for those who have learned to speak fluent Spanish, I think that is great, but it doesn't mean that the rest of the U.S. should have to learn it to function in their own native country.
True Story:
An American citizen whose family has lived in Texas for over a century should be able to order lunch at Braum's. This week my coworkers and myself went to the local Braum's for lunch. Not one of the workers spoke English. We tried our best to explain what we were ordering, but they couldn't understand and each order was incorrect. I realize that lunch is a trivial matter, but its just the principle of the incident. This is Texas and at this particular Braums, person has to speak Spanish in order to be a customer. This would be acceptable and understandable if we were in Spain, Mexico, or any Spanish speaking country. Learning other languages is great for being able to communicate while traveling. It shouldn't be expected for US citizens to learn other languages to survive in our own country where English has been the spoken language for decades.
The 3 people speaking Spanish are all fluent in English, it happened to be a slow time at work, so they were all talking in Spanish and laughing. I could tell some of my other co-workers were wondering of they were laughing at us.
I did take one of the Spanish speaking co-workers aside and I mentioned that some of us felt it was disrespectful to be speaking Spanish in our public work environment. I said it was kind of the equivalent of whispering in someones ear so other people will not hear. I did make it clear that no one cared what they spoke in the break-room on their own time, but if we are to work as a team it was alienating some of us. He seemed upset by me saying this and said," Sure, you don't care if we speak Spanish when you need an interpretor, but other times you get offended."
I'm wondering if I was out of line by saying this to him. I felt that he may want to know. Thanks for other input, I guess I'm looking for assurance that I wasn't out of line by saying this to him.
No you were not out of line at all. This is where this problem has now accelerated in this country to very dangerous levels. The languange in the USA is english plain and simple. Millions of hispanic immigrants are rapidly changing that, so that we will feel politicially incorrect if we demand english to be spoken at work. You are at work, english is to be spoken, they can speak spanish in the break room, If this were to persist, with that or anyother employees arrogant remark such as that one stated, I would begin measures to check with the state labor dept and the companies policy on english in the work area. If this employee remained arrogant as to speaking english at the work station, I would state the policy, I would want to know how he expected to conduct himself at the work station. If he remained hostile I would seek dismissal. You did perfectly, do not for one moment feel you did something wrong, the level of disrespect that some people will pull in the work station is beyond belief. They are causing a very hostile work environment if ever I heard one.
Location: Lots of sun and palm trees with occasional hurricane :)
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I didn't read all of the posts here but, coincidentally, there's a article on AOL about this:
English-Only Workplaces Spark Lawsuits (heading).
Beginning of the article:
The English-only policies are coming as the number of immigrants in the USA soars: Nearly 11 million residents are not fluent in English, according to U.S. Census data, up from 6.6 million in 1990. Nearly 34 million residents are foreign-born, according to 2003 U.S. Census data. That's up from 24.6 million in 1996.
Employers may legally adopt an English-only speaking rule if they can show it is a business necessity, such as the need for communication with co-workers and customers or safety-sensitive situations where use of a common language could prevent an emergency, she says.
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And frankly after so many years of working with South and Latin Americans, I am almost ashamed that I am not fluent. 
