OMG, Really?

juicy011

I'm sitting in the nail shop with my daughter tonight and we're both having a great time getting our nails done. A nice lady (or so I thought) comes in with her grandaughter, about the same age as mine. The nail ladies (lol, don't know what they're called) are from Korea and they're always really sweet, which is why I always go there.

They speak to their customers in English and occasionally among themselves in their native language, which I don't mind at all. When this lady sits down she gets p!ssed, clears her throat and says ummmm, English please....you're supposed to speak English in America...in a very loud voice!!! OH Em Gee, it's not that serious lady.....then she goes on to her grandaughter (read; six years old) and preaches a whole sermon the whole shop can hear about how people that come to America need to speak English only, as that's the native language. WTF

I was horrified for the poor woman, she just didn't say a word after that. Some people are so rude....

mensasu

Well in Quebec 2 days ago some Quebeckers berated tourists from western Canada for speaking english instead of french. Imagine they would hassel US tourists also. Last time I checked Canada was a bi-lingual country and english is the predominant one used. Guess they don't want tourist to come and spend money to help their economy. And I expect that they would not have hassled anyone speaking any language other than english.

addeded the link: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/video-french-speakers-berating-montreal-tourists-goes-viral-190923485.html

Of course, just like your story not everyone is like that fortunately. But I agree OMG.

juicy011

wow, I guess it happens everywhere....people take life too serious. The woman actually said she would pray for them when she got home, lol :noway:

Anaconda62

I am not a native English speaker, and I'm married to another immigrant as well. There is this misconception among some people that those who come to the U.S. don't want to and don't try to learn English. If they only knew how much those people try and wish they could. How many of them study and study. It isn't easy for everyone to learn another language. That lady needs to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

EricNCSU

English may be predominate, but the US has like six "official" languages... I don't think Korean is included but English, French, German, Spanish and several others are.... we are a land of immigrants (even the English speaking ones!!!!).

Contrarian

Aww. She was feeling left out of the conversation. Also, she's stupid.

RainHoward

There are a lot of angry and disgusted people in this country. Regrettably those emotions are generally misdirected towards the wrong people. People here also often forget that even though our primary language is english, it's far from the only language spoken here.

juicy011

we are a land of immigrants (even the English speaking ones!!!!).

Exactly! Don't forget where you came from.....

Reinventing_Me

I am not a native English speaker, and I'm married to another immigrant as well. There is this misconception among some people that those who come to the U.S. don't want to and don't try to learn English. If they only knew how much those people try and wish they could. How many of them study and study. It isn't easy for everyone to learn another language. That lady needs to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

I agree. My friend and co-worker is from China and has been here since the early '80s. She speaks English but still has a very heavy accent and articulation difficulties, primarily because she has very little conversation with people in English outside of work, and even there it's very limited. There was another lady from China who works in our building whom my co-worker was introduced to. My co-worker said "hello" in Chinese and the lady politely said, "no, English, please". She's been taking lessons, but if she doesn't reinforce it by speaking English regularly, she will continue to have difficulties. For her it's a comfort thing. She's easily embarrassed when she doesn't know how to say something, which causes her to end the conversation. I keep at her and patiently try to understand what she's trying to say. She's funny as heck though!

That being said, I'm sure the nail technicians speak English perfectly fine, they just wanted to have a private conversation. The patron in the nail shop was ignorant. Maybe we should pray for HER because obviously she needs some compassion and wisdom enough to mind her business and hold her tongue.

Reinventing_Me

There are a lot of angry and disgusted people in this country. Regrettably those emotions are generally misdirected towards the wrong people. People here also often forget that even though our primary language is english, it's far from the only language spoken here.

THIS

ShaunaLaNee

What a b**ch

no1canadianangel

OMGGGG Sounds like the stupid *kitten* here in Quebec... they want us to speak french...

HurricaneElaine

English, and I mean AMERICAN English, is the most difficult language to learn. It's a proven fact.

That lady needs to bite her tongue. Literally.

BPayton27

Someone should have spoke up and said if she didn't like it, she didn't need to patronize the woman's business. She was nothing more than an adult bully. I can't stand people like that and will 10 times out of 10 say something. I'm polite, but I get my point across. My husband hates it. I wouldn't want my son seeing an adult push another person around for being different and him think that's ok.

People are jerks.

sds76

I am not a native English speaker, and I'm married to another immigrant as well. There is this misconception among some people that those who come to the U.S. don't want to and don't try to learn English. If they only knew how much those people try and wish they could. How many of them study and study. It isn't easy for everyone to learn another language. That lady needs to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

I totally understand that. I homeschool my children and have taught them to read and obviously speak. I have also taught them basic spanish and basic latin. The English language is very confusing becuase we have rules that don't always apply, silent letters, and words that are used for more than one meaning.
When my husband was in the military we had a friend that married a lady from Japan, she had kids. They moved in with him, the high school aged boy had such a hard time trying to pick up english, which of course made school near impossible,so he ended up moving back to Japan with his grandparents.

alliebedsaul

English may be predominate, but the US has like six "official" languages... I don't think Korean is included but English, French, German, Spanish and several others are.... we are a land of immigrants (even the English speaking ones!!!!).

the us has no "official" language

davidjohnb17

It is rather ironic that she was telling the ladies to stop speaking in their native language just because it isn't native to the USA whilst telling them to speak English...Yeah because English totally doesn't originate from another country in a different continent across a massive ocean :P

Cameo530

English may be predominate, but the US has like six "official" languages... I don't think Korean is included but English, French, German, Spanish and several others are.... we are a land of immigrants (even the English speaking ones!!!!).

Actually, the United States of America does not have an "official" language. There have been attempts to set one (usually attached to other bills I think), but none have made it through. Some states may have an official state language though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_United_States

So not only was that lady a real b-itch, but she was also completely wrong.

Reinventing_Me

Someone should have spoke up and said if she didn't like it, she didn't need to patronize the woman's business. She was nothing more than an adult bully. I can't stand people like that and will 10 times out of 10 say something. I'm polite, but I get my point across. My husband hates it. I wouldn't want my son seeing an adult push another person around for being different and him think that's ok.

People are jerks.

Agreed. I guess she didn't dislike it so much that she took her business elsewhere. I guess she just HAD to get her nails done for the weekend.

rextcat

oh damn i can only cuss in other languages and idc that they choose to speek something other than "my native" touge around me. im just happy some one is willing to remove my caluses for me! ill pay damnit!!!

HurricaneElaine

It may reflect badly upon me, but I would rather go to a nail shop where the ownership, and employees, speak English.

I prefer to be able to converse with the person working on me, that's all.

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running for the exit like a scared chicken..

veganbaum

It may reflect badly upon me, but I would rather go to a nail shop where the ownership, and employees, speak English.

I prefer to be able to converse with the person working on me, that's all.

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running for the exit like a scared chicken..

But OP said they did speak English to the customers. Who cares what language they use to speak to each other? Maybe the woman was also worried they were they were talking about her. With such a nasty attitude, I wouldn't have been surprised.

People like that are why it can really suck working in the retail/service industry. As an employee you can't say anything to them. And a lot of employers don't want to cause a fuss, even when the customer is clearly in the wrong.

Furthermore, they're bilingual, which is probably much more than that woman can say.

HurricaneElaine

But OP said they did speak English to the customers. Who cares what language they use to speak to each other? Maybe the woman was also worried they were they were talking about her. With such a nasty attitude, I wouldn't have been surprised.

Actually, I wonder about that myself - "Look at this fat one - does she think getting her nails done is going to help her?"

Just my own 'noia, I guess.

RainHoward

It may reflect badly upon me, but I would rather go to a nail shop where the ownership, and employees, speak English.

I prefer to be able to converse with the person working on me, that's all.

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running for the exit like a scared chicken..

And that is a personal freedom you are allowed. However, to patronize an establishment voluntarily and then sit in the establishment complaining loudly is rather absurd. It's like people that go out to eat, sit and loudly tell the entire room how horrid the food is and then lick their plate clean. No one told her she had to stay at that particular store. She had the freedom to leave at any time and give her money to an english speaking person. Instead she went the sit and make and *kitten* of myself route.

Now I am one of those people that gets rather perturbed when asked to push one for english. I don't think tax dollars should pay for ESL classes in public schools when they can barely stay afloat as is. And the number one thing that irritates is how the federal government and most of society in this country think there are only two languages, english and spanglish. Have you ever heard "push two for Korean"? When is the last time you saw a sign in Russian?

veganbaum

But OP said they did speak English to the customers. Who cares what language they use to speak to each other? Maybe the woman was also worried they were they were talking about her. With such a nasty attitude, I wouldn't have been surprised.

Actually, I wonder about that myself - "Look at this fat one - does she think getting her nails done is going to help her?"

Just my own 'noia, I guess.

And I'm sure there are cases like that, to be honest. But I still don't care. If they're going to be shallow enough to talk like that about someone just based on looks (rather than attitude) then it makes no difference to me if they say it in front of me when I can't understand them anyway or if they say it once I leave the shop. It has absolutely no effect on me that they're rotten people when I don't even know what they're saying.

suzieqcookie

sadly, i think it's an age thing. My grandfather was from italy. When the family came here his parents refused to learn english. By the time my mom was born, they still refused so he didn't teach my mother italian! My mother never once got to speak with her grandparents Grandpa would tell her, they want to be american, they need to learn english. It's a sad way of thinking, but an old one

DonniesGirl69

I'd have suggested that b*tch learn to speak Cherokee.

arnoswife

The nail lady should have refused service to her!! That was rude and uncalled for!

history_grrrl

I wonder what language the woman's ancestors spoke when they came to the United States?

SherryTeach

English may be predominate, but the US has like six "official" languages... I don't think Korean is included but English, French, German, Spanish and several others are.... we are a land of immigrants (even the English speaking ones!!!!).

The United States does not have an "official" language.

mom2handh1975

I would have said something to her, but that's how I am. No excuses. I call 'em like I see 'em. She's probably right about the employees saying nasty things about her. I know I would!