"I don't speak English" wtf

[mariamousie1]

This past week my mom went to Montreal with her sisters. She's been there before when my brother lived there but now she's a tourist. Anyway, she was looking for Montreal's old town, the historic area of Montreal. This is a very well known area in Montreal. She went into a store and asked for directions. This is the conversation that followed.

Mom: Can you tell me how to get to the old town, please?
Employee: What?
Mom: I'm trying to get to the old town of Montreal.
Employee: I don't know what that is.
Mom: It's the historic area of Montreal.
Employee: I never heard of it.
Mom: You live in Montreal and you never heard of it? (she wasn't being rude, just surprised)
Employee: I'm sorry, I don't speak English.
Mom: You've been speaking English ever since I walked into this store!
(my aunt walks in wanting to ask where the basilica is)
Mom: Don't bother asking him, he doesn't speak English. (a bit sarcastic here)
(my aunt asks anyway, and he never heard of that, either. )

The wtf isn't so much that he never heard of it, although that is a bit odd, and hilarious to the next person she asked. What was really weird that he claimed not to speak English when he was speaking it fluently??? I figured he was just claiming ignorance because he didn't want to be bothered by answering my mom's questions, my brother thinks he was on crack. Any other theories?

Also, I was not actually there, so I just have my mom's side of this story. I don't think I've left anything out. I'll ask my mom again to make sure. She thought it was pretty funny, so she wasn't mad, so it's just a WTF.

[bhskittykatt]

I have a lot of coworkers who live outside of town. If they don't know something, they just explain that they don't really live here and they aren't sure. Most customers are pretty understanding of that.

Of course, in this town if someone wants to know where "historic downtown" is, it can be confusing, as we have two historic downtown areas (used to be two cities before they were incorporated into one). So what should be a simple question really isn't!

[Misanthropical]

I have told a man in the store that I didn't speak English. Of course, I said it in perfect English. He walked away with a look on his face.

My husband told me I can be so evil sometimes.

[infinitemonkies]

Maybe he's seen this video.

But not this one.

[Aethian]

When I first started my job, if I didn't have a map I wouldn't know where I was going.

[Imogene]

Had a call the other night, asking how to get to my store, from Oklahoma.
"Not really sure... you might take 121, or 75... or... what part of Oklahoma?"
...
"Not sure where that is. I can tell you how to get here from 121, but otherwise, I'm clueless."

[Magpie]

Was this the classic "you speak English so I'm not going to be helpful" problem? I thought that wasn't as bad these days. (And I can understand not knowing how to get there, but not having never heard of it).

[elsporko]

Some people really can't speak English, except for enough to tell you they can't speak it.

[alcaholjunkie]

Some people really can't speak English, except for enough to tell you they can't speak it.

Reminds me of a scene from family guy. ^_^ (Poor quality vid, but all I can find of the scene it reminds me of.)

[KellyHabersham]

Reminds me of a scene from family guy. ^_^ (Poor quality vid, but all I can find of the scene it reminds me of.)

For me, it brings to mind guys whom I've encountered in Yahoo chat rooms in the past - they would PM me in a language which I don't speak/understand, and when I'd ask them to use English, they'd respond with "I don't speak English", and continue trying to chat in their native language.

[Sleepwalker]

I say that all the time at work, when I don't want to be jabbered at. That, and No hablo espanol.

[Magpie]

I can understand people who can say "I don't speak English", but no other English. However, given the other English that that clerk was using, I'd expect him to have a strong enough grasp of the language to better explain. "Sorry, my English isn't good". "Sorry, I don't understand what you're asking". etc.

FTR I can explain my level of French accurately, but my Spanish is limited to saying that I don't speak it, and asking for the washrooms.

[yomiko]

As a native Montrealer, I can tell you that there's a resurgence of 'French only' demands with repect to retail. There was some survey and in 8 of 20 shops or some such, the workers *GASP* spoke to them in English first rather than French. Mind you they all switched to French when the person stated their preference but that is apparently besides teh point. There's this HUGE movement now with official signage, I believe a slogan and whatnot coupled with the usual todo about the impending death of the French language.

I honestly try to ignore the most of it, but bad as this issue often is, people are currently intentionally whipping things up to make it even worse. It's going to be a fun summer.

[Andara Bledin]

I honestly try to ignore the most of it, but bad as this issue often is, people are currently intentionally whipping things up to make it even worse. It's going to be a fun summer.

Oooh... I don't envy you.

Then again, I live in a place that won't even declare an official language...

^-.-^

[Imogene]

Whenever someone starts talking in a language I don't know, I immediately respond, "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" because, hey, at least I'm being polite, and it usually confuses them long enough for me to make my escape, and retain enough ink for the next time I run into a shark.