Speaking Louder to Someone Who Doesn't Understand Your Language isn't Going to Make them Understand it - Comments

Chinese store, not story xD

That's silly. There are A LOT of Chinese people here in Portugal, so we tend to speak slowly to them, even if we don't mean it in a harmful or offensive way. Once I wanted to ask the boy in a Chinese story if he had rubber duckies for bath and I began to explain slowly, he just smiled and said - with a great pronounciation - that he speaks fluent Portuguese. I felt so bad

But, like, Romance languages are very similar and, although I never formally learned Italian, I can understand them clearly if they speak a little more slow.

@ Charity M. Lewis
I hate the ignorance that surrounds different languages. I like hearing other languages being spoken around me. Even if I can't understand them, a lot of languages out there are really beautiful when spoken correctly. If only people had more of an appreciation for the uniqueness of different languages. v.v

People shouldn't have to speak English on public buses or trains.... Everyone should just stop talking. At least, they could start talking in normal voices and not practically yelling at each other. Your friend sitting next to you can hear you, you don't have to shout at the top of your lungs, people. >.> I'm joking of course. c:

@ njet
I guess I can see how speaking slowly would help with someone who knows a little of the language, because it could help them catch the words more. But if someone doesn't speak any of the language, it probably doesn't help at all and is just plain insulting. I think speaking slowly with someone who doesn't speak any of the language is pretty much the same as speaking loudly at them. If they don't understand it at normal volume and speed, they most likely aren't going to magically understand if you speak louder or slower.

@ Soy un Dorito!
I usually see it coming from tourists oddly enough but never the locals. Sometimes when I've been browsing stores in downtown, I've heard tourists come in and speak to the shop keeper slowly just because they're not Caucasian. Apparently if you're not Caucasian, you don't know English. People sometimes. I don't even know.

I like learning languages because I think a lot of them are very pretty when they're spoken. I guess the only exception to that is Spanish. I think Spanish can be really beautiful, but I'm learning more so for practicality because Spanish is so common where I live. I think Spanish is quickly becoming the second language of California, everyone is beginning to learn it because we have so many immigrants from Mexico that it's becoming necessary. c:

@ druscilla.
I try my best not to speak too slowly but not too fast, because I've encountered a lot of people who found me speaking slowly to be insulting so I try to keep an average pace if I'm talking with a customer who doesn't understand English. I just kind of try to play it on the safe side the best I can.

I don't yell or anything, but I occasionally get a customer who only speaks Spanish and we only have one guy at work who speaks Spanish and he's only there sometimes, obviously.

I talk slowly to sort of figure out hand gesture while trying to ask question. Generally they just want copies and I only need a number and color vs. black and white. So I talk more to myself while hand gesturing.

I'm good at hand gestures because my mom wears earplugs a lot when my stepdad is sleeping.

@ njet
Speaking slowly might help, actually, if the language one is speaking is similar to your own.

This happens so often around here. That's why I like learning languages, you never know when it might come in handy.

This happened to a kid I used to go to school with on a field trip once. Only it was some English speaking man trying to instruct him on how to abseil the right way. He wasn't just yelling though. He thought it would be perfectly acceptable to scream at the boy, up close to his face. Frustrating thing about it was that while we could see the boy responding positively by keeping silent, the man didn't get it. So he kept screaming until one of the braver kids in our group told him that he was listening. It's not just about language, I guess. Sometimes people need to read culturally specific body language and get it too. Especially when you live in a country where said culture is indigenous to. Huh. I talk too much, lol.

People seem to think that foreign people are just stupid, so raising their voices and speaking slowly will help them understand. The only way of proving this isn't true seems to be by imitating them in your language - though that's probably really unprofessional.

THIS! Oh my god.

One time I was on the bus and I don't know if this is a everywhere thing, but New York has a little sign near the front of the bus of things that you shouldn't do while on the bus or tain (but some people do it anyway) and someone graffitied SPEAK ENGLISH is big ass letters.

Even though I am, sadly, limited to only one language, that offended me. It also offends me when someone yells at the other person when they speak a different language. Like the person is gonna go "yeah, I instantly understand (whatever language you're yelling at them) now. Thank you!"

no, stop. please, it offends me and I'm not even the one being yelled at.

Sorry, I ramble. lol.