Do you think its rude to speak a foreign langauge in front of people that dont understand?

I definitely agree. I want to put a bumper sticker on my car and a t-shirt I wear to say "You're in America. Now please speak English." People come into this country and don't know how to speak the language. They expect us to know their language when we go in their country. They can at least know our language before they come here.

Pete

Definitely yes. But you can get back at them. I was once in a small shop with the owner and another visitor. They were speaking Russian, and although I can understand some (read: "very, very little") I didn't understand what they were saying except that it was Russian. As I was leaving and the owner handed me my receipt, I said, in Russian, "Thank you." As her face went white, I wished I hadn't said it.

leo10583

If you are in a group.. yes it is very rude... but if i am with my people and i dont know you and i feel like speaking in my own language.. then that is my problem...

JALISCO

Its not always the case that they my be speaking about you or saying bad things, its just that if a person is speaking to another person from let's say Mexico and you are American and you just happen to be their, they want to make sure they understand each other first, and I'm sure if it involves you it would be OK to ask for some help in understanding what they are saying, another language is not easy to master and for sure not in a years or two its just not that easy , so if someone trys just a little to learn and speak they should get some amount of respect for trying shouldn't they ? my wife studied 7 days a week for 4 years on our computer and with books she learned and is still learning, she didn't go to any school classes away from home, so i give her an A* FOR THE EFFORT, so to answer your question no i don't think its rude, if i go to Mexico city they don't think I'm rude if i speak to my Spanish wife in English, but they do smile and show me respect if i try to speak Spanish to them at stores i go into, really very nice people down their, the main problem that i can see with my country if sometimes we want others to fit in and make a good showing, but sometimes we fail the test as fair as setting a good example for others to fallow, we are all just people and none of use can help where our home country happens to be, so good place or bad we as humans should not be burdened by the dislikes or hard feeling of others based soly on the country of our homeland or the color of ones skin tone, we all wake up the same and we will all die the same, life is short so i ask myself why would i want to wast even a day of it saying bad things about others when it is not possible for me to be any type of role model or imply others are not good enough to live up to my personel standards, because i know of all animals on this planet humans are the only species that refuse to just live in harmony and in my book of logic thats a wasted life, have a nice day and remember we are on our way back down the evolution ladder, because we can't live with the fact that we are just dumb animals too.

judy m

why do you need to hear everything everyone says all the time?

Nexus K

no its not.and american etiquette says its not nice to be nosy and rude to wish to know everyone else's business. I do agree that everyone should learn english so that they can communicate basic needs and do business with others in that language but as for speaking it in public that's entirely up to the person.I use to live in an all asian neighborhood and they spoke their language amongst themselves but communicated in english when they needed to. Yet i didn't find it offensive,instead i made friends with some of them and they taught me a bit of their language in exchange for me teaching them some spanish. now quit being nosy and mind your manners.

Joel F

I live in NYC and if you are in earshot of someone who does not understand its considered rude. Especially in the office or on elevators.

mikis1967

learning English should be a priority. Also please take into consideration that freedom of speech is highly valued as well. If a person is speaking a foreign language it is their right albeit it may irritate the people around them.

lorinhl

Yes, mostly. Unless it absolutely can't be helped and it is made abundantly clear that you are not talking about the odd man out.

Smiles and other gestures are universal.

G L

I think if you are in a country to live you should speak the country's language. But if someone comes to visit it is ok to speak their language.
It is no longer a small world. I see someone moving here and not speaking english but it drives me nuts when I see their kids not speaking english when they are born here
PS both my sisters speak some Spanish so when someone talks spanish in front of us and they are making some rude remark my sisters start talking spanish in front of them and it blows their minds. there were some in a hospital slamming a doctor and my sister worked there. Once she said something in spanish to me in front of them they decided to shut up quick.

Aviator - THE Resolution

I agree that people who move to a country should do things to acclimate to that country, including learning the language. But why do you assume anyone who is speaking a different language is telling secrets about you?

carolinablue132

ha one time when i was in sweden i was on a ride in the amusment part with my brother and a bunch of swedish people were in the ride too.. it was one of those rides where everyones in a circle and u float on the water under waterfalls and such.. and i went under a waterfall and all the swedish people started laughing at me and talking to me and i had no clue what they were saying..

cocoa198517

Sometimes I think it is but I have a lot of international friends and they speak in a different language even though I don't know what they are saying. If you ask them to speak English instead of the language and they don't...then it's rude. America is a melting pots of cultures and languages...I highly doubt if you went to France with an English speaking friend and knew how to speak French, that you would actually do it because speaking English would be easier for you. You need to learn a lot about cultures...

Zapata

IT AS RUDE AS SPEAKING SO LOW THAT THEY CAN'T HEAR YOU!

If is not of your business why do you want to know what other people is talking about.

rache001

No......I travel and I speak English were ever I go...I do try to learn some basic words in the respective country.....The longer I intend to stay the more words I try to learn.....

So if your here in Us for a short time speak whatever you like its not rude.....but if your here for ever in the US....Your free to speak whatever langauge you like....but yeah it is rude to not even try to learn the langauge

oh and also you speak of cultural unity.....cultural unity that is a higher ideal....a greater virtue then what is espoused by Polical correctness...........However the current trend of Politcal correctness does not think the populace can handle True Unity in its purest and most virtuos form and so it forces upon us diversity which celebrates how people are different....instead of how we are similar........ and that there in is the flaw of diversity....it does not unite it divides.....
We do need to respect differences .....and honor traditions and beliefs of others but we need also put forth Unifying themes else we will never have a melting pot just a new Babel

Ophelia

According to Emily Post, it is rude to speak another language if your company does not know it. However, these days, everyone has poor manners. I think they should learn English, but also that Americans should not be so afraid of other languages. I speak quite a few languages, and in my experience, most of the conversations are innocent and not something to worry about.

missanglgrl

I agree that taking in public and speaking another language is kind of rude depending on the situation. If I am at dinner in a restaurant with all my latino friends and they want to speak spanish, I am going to speak spanish.

If I am on a family outing with family and they want to speak Chinese then I am going to do it.

But if I am meeting new people or at a small get together and my friend knows English I would not pull them aside and speak another language. There are limits and there is a time and place for everything even a foriegn language.

jazzy

No i don't because for people who English is their 2ND language it can be very confusing for them even if they have learnt it- there is always going to be variations in pronunciation and understanding (after all we all are human), I have to translate for family sometimes and this doesn't mean we are talking about people or telling secrets. You just need to excuse yourself before you do it or even explain why.

I also agree that telling secrets in front of people is rude, it doesn't matter what language you speak i guess.

The problem is many people can only speak English (their only language) and they get paranoid and feel insecure when other people are speaking another language. Maybe they need to expand their horizons and learn about other cultures instead of stereotyping and being rude.

Chez

If you dont have any choice and you have a proper excuse of speaking in other language then it is not rude, but as much as possible try to speak English. After all, English is our global language.

World peace!!!

bluff mike

Yes

JNISSI

American Etiquette is a yoke and a bondage placed on a Free people ,No its not rude ,To gossip is rude . To speak your mind in english or in any other langauge is FREEDOM.use it!

Hold em Rox.

It is in a private setting/social gathering. All etiquette professionals tell you that it is rude to start a conversation in a language that can't be understood by all participants of said gathering.
I have been in this situation and let me tell you I felt uncomfortable and left out. The only time it is acceptable is if the person speaking the foreign language can't speak English. Otherwise it is considered to be quite rude.

Out in public I could care less what you or anyone else wants to speak, heck speak Kling-on if you must.

misskate12001

American etiquette? I guess I never got handed my copy...

mrphaka

you bet, its rude.

madisonian51

Yes, it is rude because it is obvious that when you know that you are speaking in front of people that cannot understand, you are doing so because you are saying something that you DO NOT want them to understand or you are speaking about them.

I do think that people should learn the language of any country that they are living in. If you want to make your home in the United States then, of course, you should make every effort to learn English.

yes, it's definitely rude

Lonnie Smith Jr.

I believe where ever you go you should do your best in trying to learn the language of the country that you are in. It shows the people of that country that you are interested in their land and their culture. If you have know other choice you can only do your best when you are with the ones you have traveled with.

Enterrador

What if they do know english but rather speak to each other in a different language. Why are people so quick to critisize others.

jdk

I believ it is very rude! My wife and her family are from Brazil and have a tendancy to speak in Portuguese all the time, dispite the fact that theyall know English very well. This has caused a rift in the relationship between them and me, and causes unhappiness between my wife and me. I have also noticed this in other cultures/languages. I remember a time at work when I walked into the breakroom two people who were speaking English before I walked in instantly started talking Tagolig when I entered. Funny thing is, most of the time, when people are having a conversation in a second language, these same people get offended when a conversation starts in front of them in a THIRD language, one they don't understand!

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