Speaking foreign languages

[wanderlust99]

What do you think about hospitals where there is a strong majority of filipino nurses and they primarily speak that language to one another in the hospital environment. Around the nurses station, on the phone, in the break room, etc.. Indifferent? Wrong? Am I being racist? Thoughts? The patient population is mixed.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Freedom of speech didn’t say you should only speak in the English language! If you think people are talking about you all the time and you have paranoid thoughts, go see a shrink and take your medications, please! It depends where these nurses use their knowledge of a foreign language. If it is in the break room or staff lounge and you’re on break, I don’t see any issues with that. If your co-worker gets upset because she couldn’t butt in your conversation or she has paranoia, that’s not your problem. It might be rude but she’s too nosy too…..so serves her right! If you are talking to a patient or giving report, then it should be in the English language. If you are on the phone and talking to your family while on break, I don’t see why you can not speak in Filipino. When you’re on the phone and talking to a patient’s family, then obviously use the English language. If it’s about patient care and you are sharing the vital information to the team, then use the English language. Otherwise, you can use whatever language you like!

This is funny. I'm not paranoid; the fact is they DO talk about people in their own language! A lot of my coworkers speak in their own language at the nurses station. I didn't really think much about it--and generally ignore it--until one night, I heard my name, plain as day. I was concentrating on something, and my instantaneous reaction was to respond, "Yeah, what?" When I turned around, I got met guilty looks. I shrugged it off, and I went about my business. No amount of confrontation is going to stop them, and I don't want to be part of any work drama.

If you think people speak in their own language just to comfortably chit-chat, and they never use it to talk about others right in front of them, you need a serious reality check.

[maelstrom143]

It's not just filipinos only, here in Miami, FL there are a ton of cuban nurses that speak spanish all the time in front of everyone. I've seen some of these nurses ask the doctor to give them their orders in spanish because they couldn't understand english that well.

Ah...No.

[roeth]

I work with a lot of indivduals who speak Spanish. Sometimes we'll be sitting together in the cafeteria and they'll break out in Spanish while I'm the only one sitting there who does not fully understand the language. I do find it annoying and kind of rude because they'll say something and laugh while I sit there like an idiot. I speak a different language and I absolutely do not discuss anything in that language in front of friends or other people who do not understand it. I will do it on the phone, but I step away if I can. A different language should not be spoken in front of patients unless a particular patient speaks the same language and feels more comfortable using it.

[Vinniesguy]

The last place I worked had a policy of English only on the floor - we had a lot of Indians and Nepalese. They ignored it constantly despite numerous reminders. Then a relative complained - 2 nurses (one of them an RN) had a conversation in Nepalese whilst bed washing a resident! Disciplinary action was taken and it has still made no difference! It doesn't bother me in the break room but in front of patients or to deliberately exclude someone from a conversation I think is incredibly rude.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

I found this very interesting:

http://tagaloglang.com/The-Philippines/Language/filipino-tagalog-pilipino.html

Thanks for the link. Filipino, Pilipino, or Tagalog - it's confusing even for me who grew up in the Philippines. I left the Philippines in 1995 and I'm still stuck with referring to the language as Pilipino (with a P instead of an F). That's from being a product of the public school system during the fierce nationalism of the Marcos years (though I do have a strong disdain for the dead dictator and his minions).

Sorry, off topic.

[wanderlust99]

Thanks for the replies. This is in Los Angeles:) I'll adapt, but I have to say I feel pretty alienated at work. I don't believe they are talking bad about me, but it's just odd not to know what people are discussing. We're nurses, we're suppose to be a team? Or not. I don't know. I've worked in many multicultural hospitals, but never where English was rarely spoken amongst nurses. They are purposely alienating anyone who isn't Filipino, no? Stick together because of their race? I don't like it. And I'm sorry, but if I was a patient and all the nurses were speaking another language, I would think poorly of our profession.

Also, I don't know if there is a policy, as I'm just a traveler nurse here but in orientation we were told that we should speak English in the hospital environment (unless translating of course). Of course as a traveler I wouldn't report anyone and also all the management is Filipino as well so they probably brush it off anyway.

Also, my point wasn't to offend anyone, particularly any Filipino nurses. I really hope I didn't do that. Just venting. I'd love to be included in the work dynamic, that's all.