Pet Peeve: "To continue in English, press one."
Can't that be assumed? Listening to the automated phrase wastes the time of the call center, of those who prefer English, and those who prefer Spanish. (I'll stipulate to the need for the invitation to continue in Spanish). And if they're adding on this English option because it's PC, how long before they tack it on the end, afterthe invitations to continue in any of five or six other languages? Is English not the most flexible and widely known language in the world (not to mention the US), the established language of international relations and international trade and the one language every air traffic controller and pilot around the world is required to use for all radio contact? Remind me,
Why do we not have an official language?
posted by S. at
8:18 AM
13 Comments:
See, God has unlimited ways to try our patience, grow us in Him, teach us love, help us learn not to sweat the small stuff.
That's why you have to push one for English. It gives you an extra second to say Praise the Lord!
By
Anonymous, at 2:08 PM, February 02, 2006
Who are you and what have you done with my mama?
JJ
By
S., at 3:20 PM, February 02, 2006
Huh?
By
Anonymous, at 7:14 PM, February 02, 2006
I'm with you. Its just more of the political correctness put out by liberals. We really should have an official language.
By
Anonymous, at 10:01 PM, February 02, 2006
you guys are funny, and I mean that in the most English of ways.
On a technical note the reason you have to press something is that otherwise it is set up to default to a selection after everything else is listed. Who would want to listen to the other options once they knew that they weren't what he needed? At lest it's pressing "1" and not "6". This country has always (not just sometimes) catered to the emmigrant, no matter what languages they have spoken. Just think if we suddenly had to leave our homes for France (God Forbid!); do you think that it would be easy to learn French in a few years? For casual conversation it may, but not for official business that has to do with your money. I speak Spanish well enough to chat with anyone, but when it came to matters of money, I always spoke to the secretary in English so that I knew I had not made an error in understanding her. I'm so glad that she spoke English fluently (as well as so many others who have helped me in my travels).
By
The Doctor, at 10:13 PM, February 02, 2006
Most people I know just push "O"
immediately and get through to an
operator who may or may not speak
intelligibly. I personally never remember
to try that until I have used up all the
other options.
Dennis, your technical explanations
are downright geeky. You are so
cute, mi niño.
By
Anonymous, at 8:06 AM, February 03, 2006
D--Assuming, arguendo that 'emmigrant' is a real word, which it ain't, how would one go about catering to one? :-)
Do we donate to his deportation, or expedite his extradition? Either way, I'm game. Alec Baldwin and Streisand can make good on their threats and emmigrate to France anytime.
By
S., at 10:22 PM, February 03, 2006
it is an inconvenience. on one hand...i feel that this is our country, and here in the U.S., we speak English. I welcome any and all who desire to come to this country, LEGALLY, but I don't feel like I should have to bend over backwards to accommodate them.
likewise...if I were to move to France or Italy, I would never expect the native people to accommodate me. I need to adjust myself to fit their society. Obviously, any and all assistance and accommodation would be greatly appreciated, but I'd never expect it.
on the other hand...perhaps our accommodation of other people is what makes us, as Americans, so great? our welcoming of them, with open arms, and attempts to make them as comfortable as possible. i dunno.
By
J C, at 1:18 PM, February 05, 2006
a difficult dilemma to be sure, but I stand by me argument that we do cater to the "emigrants" (okay so I added an extra "m"). How else could our country have become such a great nation? Now that we are so big and powerful, should we leave the philosophy of integration for one of isolationist nationalism?
J-the biggest problem I have with that idea is that it doesn't work for a lot of people, because when the whole family moves, thye whole family continues to speak the same language at home- not because they don't want to learn the new one, but because they can't yet communicate as a family in a new language, so they perpetuate the problem in order to have some sanity. When I was in Spain, it was such a great thing to sometimes go out with some people who preferred to speak English, because it didn't wear me out to do that like it does to speak Spanish. Of course if I moved there I would do whatever I had to do to become fluent, but to think that everyone would do that or even could do that without spending a lot of time in classes (and not making any money) is just wishful thinking. I've talked to a lot of emigrants/immigrants (SW- look them up) about this, and they all agree that it would be great to know english well, it's just not as easy a language as it looks.
By
The Doctor, at 3:31 PM, February 05, 2006
I never suggested isolationism. Just less pc phone calls. And of course I know the difference between the 'grants, but my joke was that you used the e when you meant the i, inadvertently making my point....
By
S., at 8:04 PM, February 05, 2006
don't you mean "enadvertentlty"?
I personally hate all that option 1, option 2 stuff anyway, and like Cliff, spend a lot of time just trying anything to get to a real person, no matter where they may be.
By
The Doctor, at 2:45 AM, February 06, 2006
Here's what I do--always press "0" over and over. When I do get a person, I usually ask where they are. That can be pretty interesting, though it's always been the 48 states except when calling Toshiba (Bangladesh, New Delhi, etc.--but surprisingly proficient and unaccented speakers of English, at least in my experience).
By
S., at 9:35 AM, February 06, 2006
http://www.usenglish.org/inc/
By
Anonymous, at 6:37 PM, February 08, 2006
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