Speaking Tagalog in English speaking company

[templeknight7]

Magandaga umaga,

Please could I ask your opinion, Some of my English speaking colleagues are saying that it is very rude for Nurses from the Philippines to speak Tagalog around their non Tagalog speaking colleagues, I can understand why it is unacceptable to exclude patients but not why it is rude to speak ones own language in front of other staff,

What does everyone else think ?

[sasyone]

The same thing happens at office workplaces and it always gets to me. I don't remember if you said if you just work for an english speaking company or in the US. Either way, if they have a policy on speaking english, either abide by it or look elsewhere for a job. If you are in the US, it figures. It use to be people came to the US to embrace the culture, to learn about the holidays, fit in with. Now people come here to make money and have no interest in learning the American culture, to fit in. I would no more go to France and expect them to bend over backwards for me because I speak english and I only want to shop in american stores and only celebrate american holidays. I would love to learn about the country I'm living in. Too many foreigners are coming to the US for the money only, then planning to retire back to their country but expecting everyone in the US to bend over for them wile they are here. People are starting to get tired of it.

The worst place this happened was on a military base while working in the local BX. Most of the women working in there were from the Philippines except myself and one other woman. There were conversations going over the registers all the time in tagalog. It's rude, it's thoughtless. I would no more speak english with another person at work in front of french speaking people at work if I lived in France. If I voluntarily went to their country to live and make money, I'd do my best to fit in, to learn the culture, not to make sure I made an outcast of myself. I went there for a reason, no one made me go there. If I wanted to speak english all the time, go to US type stores, only eat foods I commonly ate in the US without trying french food, I'd stay in the US. No one FORCED you to come to the US. No one FORCED you to work for an english speaking company. Why don't YOU try to fit in instead of you expecting everyone else to fit around your preferences?

[vegas2009]

Wow, this is why I can't live in another country... I don't want to learn a new language. I wouldn't mind learning a new language but just for fun, not because I have to. Well, maybe for work, I would. I'm already bilingual, for a third language though -- I'd love to learn french! French --->> "the language of love"

[Hushdawg]

If you are in the US, it figures. It use to be people came to the US to embrace the culture, to learn about the holidays, fit in with. Now people come here to make money and have no interest in learning the American culture, to fit in.

Care to outline for me (an American) exactly what you define as American culture?

Also, why should someone celebrate holidays if they are not recognized in his/her religion?

[Fiona59]

Care to outline for me (an American) exactly what you define as American culture?

Also, why should someone celebrate holidays if they are not recognized in his/her religion?

I really don't think your Fourth of July, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day are religious holidays, yet people still celebrate them.

I work with Muslim nurses who insist on taking Easter and Christmas as scheduled and then insist on taking time for Eid, etc. I recognize that Jesus is considered a prophet in their religion but why insist on having the Christian holidays and then the Muslim?

[Hushdawg]

I really don't think your Fourth of July, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day are religious holidays, yet people still celebrate them.

Yet there are religions which would prohibit their adherents from celebrating or recognizing some of those holidays.

I work with Muslim nurses who insist on taking Easter and Christmas as scheduled and then insist on taking time for Eid, etc. I recognize that Jesus is considered a prophet in their religion but why insist on having the Christian holidays and then the Muslim?

Yeah, that's either done from: 1) ignorance 2) selfishness 3) habit

The third one I can understand as a convert; I still participate in some small way with Christian celebrations with my family.. but if there is work on that day I don't request it off.

[caliotter3]

I don't care what language you speak as long as you keep me supplied with lumpia and pancit. I can be bribed.

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

The town next to me some residents protested Christmas lights, there was a legal battle and the lights were taken down. Fast forward the town stopped giving non Christian Holidays off from school, the residents who complained about the Xmas lights now we mad that they could not have their holidays off. Now they asked they won't object to the Xmas lights if they could have their religious holidays. The town came to an agreement all could celebrate their respective holidays. If people respect each other we can all celebrate our differences.

For the most part, reasonable people allow for reasonable accommodations for everyone to celebrate their respective holidays. Isn't religious tolerance one of the reasons why the Pilgrims came to the USA?

For me the be issue is do the legal and illegal immigrants wish to come to American or wish to be an American. The difference being is that as an American you work hard to embrace American values and work to create a great country. Coming to America means you wish to work in America and spend money back home (since you don't think of America as home) and eventually go home once you collect enough money. Immigrants who wish to be Americans work hard to learn English, embrace American Culture, and make great citizens.

[Hushdawg]

Again, there is no such thing as "American Culture" that can be unilaterally defined. That is the core of being American: Embracing infinite diversity in infinite combination. (or is that Vulcan, I forget )

Becoming American does not mean that you homogenize.

Respect for traditions and merging into traditions are two different things. We have this sick ideology in America that has been going on for centuries that when someone arrives to the USA that he or she must leave behind things from the "old country." When my ancestors arrived (as did most on this board I'd wager) they were forced to change their names to make them Anglicized.

Over the years we have gone beyond that to embrace multicultural identity.

The only constant is language.

English is not the official language of the USA (there is no official language by the way) but it is the overwhelming majority language.

Therefore it is a matter of etiquette that one coming to the USA whether it is for temporary work, study or permanent migration learn and use English in a professional setting or when dealing with people in regards to business.

That being said, I have no problem with non-English businesses established in ethnic communities.

We have to get over our collective egos in the USA and stop forcing people to fit into a mold that never should exist.

One of the things I loved about living in Chicago was going through all the various ethnic communities and having a taste of culture, language and food that is not my own.

Only in America can you have such diversity and I don't want to see us lose that over bigotry and xenophobia.

Some have cited the enforced secularization and removal of Christian holidays in this discussion. Such an argument is irrelevant since it is not immigrants who are making these arguments and demanding changes. Please focus on what the real issue is here.

The real issue is professionalism.

Not homogenization of America and not abandoning culture and embracing a new one.

[vegas2009]

The bottom line is this -->> When someone goes to a country (other than theirs obviously), that someone needs to adapt to that country and to it's people . . . NOT the other way around. A lot of people seem to forget this little tid bit of info. I still don't get what the big deal is, English is not that hard to learn. I mean it's not like German, French or Russian language.

As far as the American culture goes, it really isn't that hard to adapt to either! Just because people have adapted to it, it does not mean they're losing their own culture. People who sound like, they're against immigrants can not be blamed for what they are saying. It's because of this mentality that, "I can't adapt to American culture," which turns so many Americans off, towards legal immigration.

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

Again, there is no such thing as "American Culture" that can be unilaterally defined. That is the core of being American: Embracing infinite diversity in infinite combination. (or is that Vulcan, I forget )

That being said, I have no problem with non-English businesses established in ethnic communities.

We have to get over our collective egos in the USA and stop forcing people to fit into a mold that never should exist.

One of the things I loved about living in Chicago was going through all the various ethnic communities and having a taste of culture, language and food that is not my own.

Only in America can you have such diversity and I don't want to see us lose that over bigotry and xenophobia.

Some have cited the enforced secularization and removal of Christian holidays in this discussion. Such an argument is irrelevant since it is not immigrants who are making these arguments and demanding changes. Please focus on what the real issue is here.

The real issue is professionalism.

Not homogenization of America and not abandoning culture and embracing a new one.

Actually it was new Russian Jewish Orthodox immigrants( newly arrived within the past few years) who demanded that the Xmas lights were to be taken down, took the issue to court, they didn't realize the law works two ways so I guess it is relevant.

[RelloydRN]

You don't have to adapt to American culture. You just have to respect American culture. If America says English, then speak it even if its broken grammar. Anyway, who's perfect in American English?

[Hushdawg]

You don't have to adapt to American culture. You just have to respect American culture. If America says English, then speak it even if its broken grammar. Anyway, who's perfect in American English?

Exactly.

Respect and professionalism.