| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | French workers in a UK firm based in France have gone on strike because their bosses only speak English
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| | Oliver Simoes (X) 
Local time: 02:53
English to Portuguese
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I am somewhat disappointed by some of the radical views expressed above.
So am I.
| | | | veratek
Brazil
Local time: 06:53
French to English
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| a bit too much daydreaming... | Apr 24, 2011 |
Kirsten Bodart wrote:
So, actually, the company had better not employed anyone and sought someone who met the requirements from the start. The team would have managed themselves for a short time.
In this particular case, it is really a bit weird. They could have asked a director from another factory to take care of business.
As an insider to their company and its organization and director availability, I'm glad you have all the facts and insider knowledge to support that claim.
Diane Gaillot, CEO of Thermal Ceramics in France, said: "The problem is that the former director had a unique opportunity to go abroad and we have not had time to recruit a new director."
She added that the situation was temporary and they were currently looking for another director who will speak French.
"Also lets not forget showing some respect for the country and the people, after all if you are working and living in a country the least you can do is to learn to speak the language , but nooooooo everyone else is expected to speak English. "
Learning a language takes no more than 24 hours, so it's really puzzling why this director just hasn't used up one of his weekends to do so and is simply not fluent enough to talk to everyone in French.
Pierrick Dumont, CGT representative to the factory, said: "I don't think it's up to us to make the effort to speak English. We're French workers based in France."
I think this incident gives an example to the world of how "wonderful" it is when people take a firm stand in destroying any possibility of communication with each other. Such a beautiful attitude. As exemplified here, I'm sure we can all agree that the less effort that is made in communicating with others, the "better" the result. Mr Dumont has taken an admirable stance in defending the workers' sacred right to be ignorant. It's what our world needs, entrenched, set-in-stone ignorance--of anything really, but especially of foreign languages and of the current lingua franca. Of course, they are up in arms about what again? Oh, the new director's ignorance of a foreign language.
[Edited at 2011-04-24 01:35 GMT]
| | | | | Oh gosh, where do I start? | Apr 24, 2011 |
Veratek, French is not a foreign language in France.
Really I think it is so rude to go to a foreign country and not make the effort to learn the language. Even if the company does not pay for their language lessons. Some jobs require a language qualification, but obviously these jobs didn't, not even for the director.
| | | | veratek
Brazil
Local time: 06:53
French to English
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| a foreign language to whom? | Apr 24, 2011 |
Lesley Clarke wrote:
Veratek, French is not a foreign language in France.
It is to all the foreigners who are there.
Really I think it is so rude to go to a foreign country and not make the effort to learn the language.
I am glad to see we have another insider to the company who can attest that the director has made no effort to learn the language (which is something we all know could have been done in 24 hours, so as you say, it's hard to know where to begin).
I was surprised you didn't tell us as well that this company must have at least 10 other directors lying around doing nothing, all of whom speak French, who could just pack their bags and go to France, and, alas, they chose one who didn't speak French.
Replacing a director in a company is such a trivial task, after all. Just like opening your mouth and saying "I think it's rude to go to a foreign country and not know the language." Anybody can do it, any time.
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| Are you even serious? | Apr 24, 2011 |
Lesley Clarke wrote:
Really I think it is so rude to go to a foreign country and not make the effort to learn the language.
Do you learn Tagalog for a holiday in the Philippines? If you were to go to Finland for a 3-month job, would you try to learn Finnish before you go there? Obviously, it would not even be possible as you wouldn't know about the job a year in advance, as I'm sure the manager in this news item didn't - but that's beside the point.
Don't forget, he's there temporarily, not for good. He may well have started learning basic French for all we know, but, as noted above, you can't learn a language overnight.
| | | | Kirsten Bodart
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:53
Dutch to English
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| If all Spanish employees have to learn English, | Apr 24, 2011 |
then all English employees should learn Spanish. I am sure no-one would have anything against that. And then, over time, make sure everyone can talk in their own language in meetings and understand what the one speaking is saying, be it in Spanish or English. It can be done. Axa in Brussels does it in Dutch and French. It doesn't help fluency in the other language but everyone is comfortable that way and can get his point across without problems. .
The least you could expect is som... See more then all English employees should learn Spanish. I am sure no-one would have anything against that. And then, over time, make sure everyone can talk in their own language in meetings and understand what the one speaking is saying, be it in Spanish or English. It can be done. Axa in Brussels does it in Dutch and French. It doesn't help fluency in the other language but everyone is comfortable that way and can get his point across without problems. .
The least you could expect is some decorum from both sides. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tatty
Local time: 11:53
Spanish to English
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| Big companies | Apr 24, 2011 |
Large companies often set a language for the company across the board. Often they choose English. I've interpreted for several German companies from Spanish into English precisely because of this reason. And usually the German listening to me only speaks basic English anyway.
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 02:53
English to German
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In memoriam | It is a small company, and the decision to pick foreign managers was plain dumb. | Apr 24, 2011 |
It doesn't matter what country, and it doesn't matter what languages.
"All 184 staff at Thermal Ceramics"
Sorry, this is a rather small company, and the communication between management and employees is direct, and the co-workers are close.
Any communication breakdown between boss and staff will be devastating in terms of mutual trust.
I used to work at a company of similar size back in Germany - we had to let go a brilliant executive after o... See more It doesn't matter what country, and it doesn't matter what languages.
"All 184 staff at Thermal Ceramics"
Sorry, this is a rather small company, and the communication between management and employees is direct, and the co-workers are close.
Any communication breakdown between boss and staff will be devastating in terms of mutual trust.
I used to work at a company of similar size back in Germany - we had to let go a brilliant executive after only two months: the clients didn't like his Finnish accent on the phone. It made them feel uneasy. ▲ Collapse
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"Every meeting is an ordeal. We have to have someone who translates everything into English, then anything our boss says has to be translated into French."
Where is the problem?
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 02:53
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Andrew Swift wrote:
"Every meeting is an ordeal. We have to have someone who translates everything into English, then anything our boss says has to be translated into French."
Where is the problem?
If you have never held a position in management, no problem. 
| | | | | There's a future for translation! | Apr 25, 2011 |
Cheer up everybody: if everyone could learn foreign languages overnight, they wouldn't need interpreters or translators, and we'd all be out of work!
Cécile
| | | | liz askew
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:53
Member (2007)
French to English
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| When in Rome... | Apr 25, 2011 |
Frankly, I think that anybody setting up a foreign company in France should speak French and I understand the French workers point of view entirely. Nobody likes the Big Brother attitude. The British worker would be up in arms if a foreign company's managers did not speak English here in the UK. Part of good cultural relations is to respect the language of the country in which you set up a company from outside of that country.
And to turn the debate completely on its head, anybody ... See more Frankly, I think that anybody setting up a foreign company in France should speak French and I understand the French workers point of view entirely. Nobody likes the Big Brother attitude. The British worker would be up in arms if a foreign company's managers did not speak English here in the UK. Part of good cultural relations is to respect the language of the country in which you set up a company from outside of that country.
And to turn the debate completely on its head, anybody who comes to work in Britain from another country and does not have a good grasp of English in the UK is limited in the type of work they can do due to all these Health and Safety Regulations.
Cheers!
Liz Askew ▲ Collapse
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Krzysztof Kajetanowicz (X)
Poland
Local time: 11:53
English to Polish
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is perpetuate the stereotypes (true or untrue) about the French:
1. Don't know foreign languages, English in particular.
2. Strongly prefer strike to work.
It's hilarious!
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