Southern European arrogance???

Gringo   Mon Aug 14, 2006 11:56 am GMT
LAA
««The guys in the kitchen are Hispanic, so they speak Spanish and English. The girls at the front desk only speak the international language, English. »»

It is not enough is it, to speak only English? If the Spanish speaker can solve the problem it means it is necessary to have someone at least that speaks one romance language. Is it very difficult to reach to this conclusion? That would stop the screaming. It seems you like to see people getting desperated. You do not understand what the tourist say and wait to call for someone to translate when he starts screaming? Funny.

««You think that screaming at people is justified just because they don't speak your language, when you are in their country? You're nuts!»»

And the people scream because they are happy isn't it? It is because there is something wrong you can not solve and leaves them desperate.
How nice to pay to stay in a hotel and you get upset to the point of screaming. I bet they don't scream because they think people are deaf.
One thing is to scream with a person that speaks your language and is making you upset, another to scream with a person that will not understand a thing you will say. That is calling for attention.


Uriel:
««In California, those "girls at the front desk" would have to speak at least five major languages to deal with the types of tourists that come through there, if they were going by Gringo's logic -- »»


And you think that is a big thing? You think other European capitals are less international than California? In Europe people at the front desk do have to speak two or three languages in most hotels. The same in travel agencies, even in some shops that deal with tourists they employ people than can speak two or three languages.

««and Portuguese and Italian STILL wouldn't be in that list!»»

How do you know?
It depends of the hotel; if they have Portuguese or Italian tourists on a regular basis you may find someone working in the front desk that speaks Portuguese or Italian.


From California inns and hotels advertisements:

"We have an international staff and between us, we speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, & German."

"The innkeepers speak: Greek, Mandarin, Portuguese, English, French, Italian, Spanish"

It may not be spoken by front desk staff in some cases but they do offer translation services.
Uriel   Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:06 pm GMT
Gringo, people who speak five languages in the US would not be working at a hotel desk. Certainly not ones who spoke English, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, and Japanese.

Polyglots like that just aren't that common, and certainly wouldn't be satisfied with the pittance a hotel would pay them to hand out keys.

Remember: the US is not Europe, where many languages are crowded together in a small area. There are only three main languages on our entire continent, and most Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans would be lucky to speak two of them, much less all three. (Monolingualism isn't just an American thing -- the majority of Mexicans and Canadians are just as monolingual. And nobody gives them a hard time about it.)
Gringo   Mon Aug 14, 2006 2:16 pm GMT
««Gringo, people who speak five languages in the US would not be working at a hotel desk.»»

Five languages is a lot but two or three is normal in touristic areas.Two people can speak six languages that way. And it is not just to be able to speak the language, you need a diploma, and don't forget there are several diploma levels that go from basic to advanced. You do not get good jobs with only basic level diplomas.

There are also people able to speak three or four or five languages but can not write in those languages, have no diploma, they don't get good jobs only with those skills. (I knew a talented person that could speak 5 languages at an advanced level but could write only in one language)

««Remember: the US is not Europe,»»

Yes we know that, but LAA says the bilingual is working in the kichen. Is he better paid there?

When the customers start screaming because they are not understood, something needs a change, no use blamming the customer. No use thinking that the Europeans are arrogant and screem and form an image of Europeans based on the frontdesk girls inability to communicate with tourists (which is what LAA is doing, look at the title of this thread: SOUTH EUROPEAN ARROGANCE???).

I bet the Latin American tourists would also scream if no one could speak Spanish in that hotel.

My opinion is based on LAA's post and what I understood is that the customers scream out of exasperation because they are not understood not because they are having an argument.
Ricardo   Sat Sep 09, 2006 3:44 am GMT
LAA, I'm sorry, but how many european tourists do you encounter on a daily basis? I find the not many europeans come to the USA as tourists....
LAA   Sat Sep 09, 2006 4:05 am GMT
<<LAA, I'm sorry, but how many european tourists do you encounter on a daily basis? I find the not many europeans come to the USA as tourists.... >>

I used to live and work at a hotel in a major tourist destination. I encountered hundreds of European tourists. Hundreds. Maybe over a thousand.
LAA   Sat Sep 09, 2006 4:21 am GMT
<<I bet the Latin American tourists would also scream if no one could speak Spanish in that hotel. >>

Nope. They were much more polite and patient, understanding they were in a foreign country. And they were delighted to meet a "Mexicano de los Estados Unidos". Europeans complain about "arrogant Americans" who expect everyone in Italy and France and Portugal to speak English. Why do you not hold European tourists in our country to the same standard?

This particular area is not very big. The hotel only attracts so many European tourists because they are on their way from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It is actually a small town. I hate it here, as I'm used to huge, cosmopolitan cites like Los Angeles or Las Vegas.