It is not my fault that you do not speak English!

[Ciarrai]

A Chinese woman came in to the store earlier this week, and apparently needed some help with skin care items. She didn't speak a single word of English. Not hello, not please. Absolutely nothing. I did my best to figure out what she was trying to say, but there was nothing I could do to help her. I finally told her, politely, that I didn't speak Chinese and therefore could not help her. I doubt she understood what I was saying, but I don't speak enough Chinese to be able to say it in her language (Mr Ciarrai is half Chinese and I have learned a tiny amount of Cantonese words from his father). She huffed off, and returned to the department about half an hour later. I still didn't speak Chinese, so she stormed off again. She went up to a supervisor, but once again he didn't understand her so she left the store.
It is not my problem that I only speak English, French and Gaelic. The first two are the langauges of Canada! Chinese is not an official language, and therefore I have never learned it.
Highly irritating.

[BookstoreEscapee]

If you don't know the primary language of the country you are in, you can't get mad at the natives because they don't speak your language!

Add that one to the list of "Rules for SCs"

[Boozy]

She huffed off, and returned to the department about half an hour later. I still didn't speak Chinese, so she stormed off again.

Geez, Ciarrai. Half an hour gave you more than enough time to master Cantonese. Whatever happened to customer service?

Seriously though, it sounds like a very frustrating situation. Probably every bit as frustrating for her, too.

[PaRaGaS]

Gaelic?
How cool is that
Such a lovely language.

[bigjimaz]

I got fired from a job once because of a situation like this. I had just moved to Tucson. This man comes in and starts speaking Spanish. I didn't understand a word. After him going through about 10 sentences, with me telling him I didn't understand every time he stopped to breathe, he looked at me kinda weird and said, in English, "Why you no speak a Spanish?"

I told him, "Because I live in America." Unfortunately my boss, heard me and told me that I was gone.

[MoonChild2007]

I told him, "Because I live in America." Unfortunately my boss, heard me and told me that I was gone.

Just for that? granted I would have said, "i never learned spanish" but its quite stupid to be fired for it. I guess the boss is one of those people who don't believe in "coaching".

[Shengirl]

I told him, "Because I live in America." Unfortunately my boss, heard me and told me that I was gone.

That is a reeeaaally harsh punishment for a first offense. Clearly, speaking Spanish wasn't part of the job description, since the guy hired you. And I know if I had someone speaking gibberish to me for 15 minutes, while I was protesting, I would be getting to the point of irate. And then for that person to speak English? What? You could have been at least TRYING to communicate your needs with monosyllables and handsigns for the past 15 minutes, but instead just kept wasting our time? It's pretty understandable how your mouth would get ahead of you. It really wasn't the most PC thing to say, but it happens.

I speak enough Spanish so that this doesn't happen, but one time it took me like 20 minutes to figure out a Chinese man had left 10 apples at a register by accident, so I understand.

[WorkAtBBuy]

Ironically, though, I have customers who get upset with me FOR speaking to our Spanish-speaking customers (My BA was in Spanish. I'm starting on my MA in the language in the fall). "They need to learn to speak English, blah, blah, blah...."

[Hon'ya-chan]

Geez, Ciarrai. Half an hour gave you more than enough time to master Cantonese. Whatever happened to customer service?

But what if she spoke Mandarin?

[saint]

I told him, "Because I live in America." Unfortunately my boss, heard me and told me that I was gone.

Sounds like someones boss had no sense of humor.
I find it amusing, but I'm an asshat like that.
No racist, mind you, just a mean sense of humor.

MOD EDIT:
Please use quote button! Thanks.

[Gravekeeper]

Being in Vancouver ( Which is immensely multicultural ) too I can relate to this scenario. I get it once every so often too. On the up side after years of living and working in a call center here I am a master of deciphering thick Asian/Indian accents. But yes, it is very trying when you get some grouch that blames the language barrier on you.

It was probably Mandarin ( Which seems more common then Cantonese here. ), and it is an insanely hard language to learn if your native language is a European one. I've tried. ( My ex is Chinese. ). I felt like a dog trying to learn how to speak Latin. ><

[Sliceanddice]

meiyou zhongwen (no chinese in mandraine)
Oh and i had my boss tell me once that because i lived in America i should learn spanish. I double over laughing. i then told him sure Right after I learn every native american language and dialect, french, german, spain spanish, hebrew and arabic (because when colmubas found the americas there was still a large muslam and jewish community in spain) irish/gaelic, danish, chinese, japanese and just about every other language out there. Because america is full of all cultures and under your reasoning i should learn to speak all of there languages... NO. Im like millionth generation american ( i go back to the may flower and i have navajhoe blood) and i even have alittle bet of mexican heritage (my great great grand mother was born and raised there) and if i choice not to speack spanish thats my right. YOU CANT MAKE ME.

[Ciarrai]

It was probably Mandarin ( Which seems more common then Cantonese here. ), and it is an insanely hard language to learn if your native language is a European one. I've tried. ( My ex is Chinese. ). I felt like a dog trying to learn how to speak Latin. ><

I couldn't tell what it was, but you may be right. I tend to hear Mandarin as harsher sounding to my ears than Cantonese, and this certainly sounded harsher.

[Becks]

She huffed off, and returned to the department about half an hour later. I still didn't speak Chinese, so she stormed off again.

But I'm sure you managed to become natively fluent in Farsi at that time, right?

[Andara Bledin]

YOU CANT MAKE ME.

I won't learn it. It's a bit of an issue with me because I've known way too many people who either spoke both English and Spanish, but wouldn't speak English unless it was the only way to get what they wanted, or who refused to learn English at all and expected everyone to learn Spanish for their sakes. And I reached that point while still in grade school.

I want to learn Russian and Japanese. And I took German in high school because the only other choices were Spanish and French, which I think sounds ugly.

^-.-^