The other day amidst the myriad of things on my mind I left a small personal item behind at a fast food restaurant on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks California. I realized my folly about an hour later and some 15 miles away.
I called 411 and got the number to the restaurant and called to see if I had in fact left the item behind there. Not one of the employees on duty spoke enough English to understand the very simple question I was calling with. The restaurant is of an American fast food chain that serves American fair. Since I had no other choice but to return and find out for myself I drove the 15 miles back to the restaurant and did indeed retrieve the left item which had been found and put into the managers office. Even in person however; it took nearly 10 minutes for the employees on duty to understand the simple question I was asking.

  The point of this is not xenophobia or racism. It is basic customer service where a VERY simple question should be able to be answered by at least ONE employee in the common indigenous language of the country that he/she/they are residing and employed in.  

I understand your frustration at what happened and I think it's good for people to learn the language of the country they are working in.  Otherwise, it limits their opportunities and can lead to ghettos of people only speaking whatever language.

You speak English and have other choices, would you want to work in a fast food joint?

There are few countries where the general population is as limited in the languages they speak as the United States. US travelers routinely expect their hosts to speak English. Where in the US can French or Russian or Chinese visitors find any sales people who can speak to them in their native tongue. In my home country of Switzerland the average citizen speaks at least 3 languages, French, German and English. I suggest that if you live in the Southwest you learn a little Spanish. It will serve you well. Imagine the fun you will have in Tijuana with the girls.

I save myself a lot of frustration and do not support establishments that cannot provide me with adequate customer service, regardless of the language spoken.  Sometimes that means avoiding chains all together or just specific stores.  If I am going to spend $3 for a cup of coffee, I want a smile with it.  

I understand that most of these jobs are crappy and don't pay much and I wouldn't do it unless I absolutely had to, but if I had to, if it was the best job I could get and I was getting paid for it, I'd certainly do my job well.

In your situation, I would have been happy my wallet was intact and somehow rewarded the employees for not ripping me off, even just a letter to the manager to show my appreciation.  Isn't is sad that we feel compelled to thank people for not stealing from us?

Kate Bishop

Who else is there to fill the void of minimum labor type work? I bet even your kids won't consider doing it, would rather live off the family and feel entitled to earn more and work less.

And I've no doubt while they are working multiple jobs you or others think they have time to go and be schooled in the language - why not agree to pay for it for that matter, they only make the lowest wage.

Yet our kids will go to colleges that the tuition alone exceeds the annual income of several of these low paid no English speaking workers.

Corp America is run by you and I - and we surely don't want our stocks to drop because we have to pay more or teach them to speak our language. Heck, like some suggest, don't let them work until they can speak it.

Well, that again points us back to the Board room to discuss a labor shortage and what to do about it - pay English speaking worker what they want and feel they are entitle to - an income that can support a family on 40 hours - LOL - not happening, call back the non English speaking and put up more signs...

Sorry, I can't believe I got so excited about this. Hmm, I wonder why type of car he was driving back that 15 miles and if it gets good gas mileage. And that little something, might have been a PDA, or a device that cost more then the entire week’s earnings of those who couldn't help him - LOL...

I agree, it is difficult to manage communication when our labor services are low paying non English speaking employees. Heck, I make enough to pay for school; I think I'll go learn the language - LOL....

It's considered humble to be grateful, not sad. And who are you thanking - not those who steel, but those who had the respect and consideration to have not stolen - those with some scruples and morals. And funny, those who likely make just a fraction of what he does – let alone afford what ever it was he left. I don’t recall him saying it was his wallet, but consider it had cash and cards  - could have feed an entire community of a third world county for a year  - LOL…

Anyway, that wouldn't be necessary if he hadn't lost it in the first place - LOL...

if the employees were fluent english speakers, but you knew the chances of their keeping your lost object for themselves was high?  There are other values than speaking a particular language that make someone you want to share a world with.  Values like going out on  limb in another country and working your ass off to support your family because you had no other choices.  The roots of these events lie in NAFTA and who you voted for, not in an individual who's just trying to have a life.

There are numerous Countries around the Globe that are now requiring English as a second language as early as elementary school.....

That aside, I can't imagine visiting another Country, let alone living & working there.... without knowing the language!!

I'd challenge anyone to even try something that illogical, in another foreign country and see how much sympathy you would get from the locals.... hmmm, I think the US is pretty forgiving and welcoming to those who grace our shores, use our roads, schools & highways not to mention our hospitals, social welfare and numerous other programs -But- never take the time to learn to communicate.

Just my take on "indigenous" speech and our country.... (*another after thought, my roots are American Indian..... let's not steer the discussion to "indigenous" speech*) kisses ~T

I guess it is a good thing it wasn't your watch or a sentimental ring that you took off just before showering *LOL*
~Yes, I do call them back immediately when they leave something behind~.......
...... and surprise, surprise I even speak English!  kisses ~Tori

Food for thought- Know your provider(and her reputation)

I don't think too many non-immigrants want to work there.  The level of English speaking at these chains has been dropping lately.  Yesterday I did drive through the woman taking the cash could't understand me when I asked how much and couldn't say it in English when she finally figured out what I was asking.  She just pointed at the digital display showing the price.   At least she smiled the whole time.

it is te iindigenous language it is you yhat is out of step

I think it's the only English some of them know.

did it?  

Were you pissed about this before you discovered you forgot & left your vibrator there, or what?

So you drove back, just as you would have if somebody had told you, "yes, we have your vibrator in the manager's office, giggle-giggle".  Then it took you 10 minutes to get to see the manager.  Hell, it takes people 3 days to get an appointment with me.

Maybe they were trying to save you the embarrassment by feigning ignorance.  ("Feigning" means "faking".)  I'm just guessing you didn't thank them for not throwing out something you were careless with.

So if this is truly a matter of customer service, and not just sharing a personal issue, did you tell the manager?   And did you tell him, "thank you for picking up the Personal Item I was so careless with, but I really expected you to fucking FedEx it to me, and I'm so pissed I'll never come back here!"?  

I can't imagine he'd be thinking, "there's a fucking helpless customer we can do without."  

What has America come to, that we expect people to pick up after us, and then we complain about it?

The point is; thanks to the "corporate (Hire em' as cheap as you can get em') think" and a PC cant toward cultural genocide/suicide a natural born English speaking citizen of the United States cannot communicate the most simple question/need to a customer service representative in any number of daily interactions.

  My situation was of a low concern, non emergency nature. What if the converse was true?  Im not implying the employees at a fast food restaurant need to be paramedics or Harvard graduates. However; understanding more English than to merely punch in burger & fries into a computer register that has pictures of the items on the individual keys would be reasonable in a Socio-economic demographic such as Sherman Oaks California.  








-- Modified on 7/26/2006 10:44:41 AM

or at least enough to answer people's questions. It is frustrating. I had to go look at my Spanish book again just so I could talk to my construction workers.

Hugs,
Ciara

To further Carrie's original idea, this is ENTRY LEVEL work.  Where are you going to live in So Cal making minimum wage?  The only way these people get by is either living with multiple other house occupants or by working multiple jobs.  By the time they learn English (and I could bet you that most of them want to BADLY, because they see it is the only way they will make more money...which is the entire reason they are here, as most born in this country grow up learning English), they will be getting a better job and the next person that is hired at minimum wage will struggle with the language as well.  I mean, $6.75 an hour in the LA area?  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA.  Why do you think most fast food restaurants have a "Now Hiring" sign out almost permanently?

Consider something else...maybe they DO speak better English than they let on, so that in case your item  DID get lost, they wouldn't be blamed.  Probably isn't the case, but I honestly couldn't blame them if it was, either, given how quickly their ass could be fired.

This really isn't all that different from the "old days"...plenty of immigrants came to this country not speaking much English.  It is just that because of how our enconomy has developed, we are seeing more of those people in retail positions than we ever have (to keep prices down at Carl's Jr. for the guy in the drive thru in his Lexus), so it is more in our face.  I mean, most of the "sweatshops" in this country long ago were replaced by cheaper labor overseas.

As Bruce Springstten wrote in "The Ghost of Tom Joad":

"Welcome to the New World Order"

why medical costs are so high... did you know that hospitals are required to have non-english translators on staff?  for several languages... not just spanish?  

The other day I was called by my electric co.  They called my home phone... which is useless as I am almost never home during working hours.  They left a message to call back, and I did.  I received instructions in spanish... I live in Philly!  

I have posted several times on the politics board... the goal of the government of Mexico is to acquire the US Southwest.  the plan?  First have a large population move in to that territory.  then claim that the US govenment is oppressive to the majority!  then acquire, without a shot being fired with the entire UN cheering on the Mexican government....  maybe then the hollywood extreme left will wake up.

I agree, it is not xenophobia or racism that drives the comments, it is the relentless erosion of the educational and cohesive social fabric that unites a country... melting pot - not a random tower of babble.

We have all had the same experience.

This doesn't bother me nearly as much as being called by a credit card company from an offshore outsource.  It's to the point that if they can't pronouce the name of the company they are working for I just hang up on them.

How many hours working at minimum wage does it take to make ends meet living here? I agree that should they choose to stay, they need to learn to speak English. But, unless they are working 120 hours a week, they can't afford to live here without a group home arrangement - which is another issue all together.

And the last I knew those who are us citizens wouldn't seek employment in another country as long as they are subsidized by welfare and other program - they are paid more then minimum wage not to work. This is not the case in the other countries we see the immigrants coming from - there government won't help, can't help, and cast's them aside.

Please - I don't disagree with you and I think almost everyone is in agreement about the language issue. The funny thing is all this started around Corp America, the college educated, well speaking, upper class business men and women who make the decisions and have stock holders who expect gains in their investments. Fire all the non English speaking workers, pay more for those with knowledge and language skills, the cost of services and product will go up, and we will be complaining once more about inflation - but, Corp America will be just fine because they are not going to take a loss -we are...

You're right. It's sad. I was shopping for my sister's bday in this store she loves, Bebe, and left behind a pair of expensive sunglasses. Halfway out the mall, I remembered them and went back. They looked half heartedly and after growling at them to find me a manager, this little teenager working there pulled them out of a drawer she'd obviously put them in,said she didn't realize they were mine, and slunk away. Last time I buy my sister anything from there.

One only has to walk into Greek or Italian communities on the Eastcoast to realize that they contain elderly people that have lived here a large part of their lives and speak no english. Need drive language assimilation, if there is little need to learn a language, learning does not happen.
Past immigrant generations (pre early 1970's) found good paying jobs in factories and had little need to say anything other than nod. Of course, all of their young children grew up speaking the english language.
It all seems like an academic exercise to complain about daily contacts that do not speak english. For all but a few fortunate ones among us, easy to get, good paying jobs and the upward mobility that comes with them is a thing of the past. The future top economic levels in this country will belong to the highly educated in a limited number of fields and those savvy about making and growing money.

Have you ever wondered what effort is made by the Airports and Airlines that have created a new cottage industry selling the unclaimed baggage which most of the time comes from there own inept handling system?


That's what I consider steeling. I think this girl was disapointed the "Finders Keepers" rule no longer applied once she turned a teenager - not exactly steeling when someone inadvertantly makes the mistake of leaving personal property behind.

For me - it's always oops - what was I thinking leaving that Rolex on the providers night stand - LOL...

I didn't say foreigners; get out!
I didn't say they shouldn’t be able to seek and obtain employment.
However; somewhere in the corporate agenda of cheapest possible labor, and our governments turning a blind eye to this peaceful invasion / adulteration of American culture so the corporations can get this cheap labor; some provisions should be made to where at least ONE person who fluently speaks and understands English should be on duty so that if some poor hapless soul who was raised and educated in the English speaking public schools here in the UNITED STATES of AMERICA has a question or a problem to address they can do so without need of hiring an interpreter.

I didn't thank her. She wanted to keep the shades until I made a big enough stink about it.

Finders keepers? NOT THIS TIME!

Fast-food restaurants don't train employees minimally.  You could be sure for most franchises, beyond the "assembly" and delivery of the "food," franchises expect nothing else.

I started out working at a fast food restaurant, BTW.  Everyone there spoke English, but if you left anything of value there, it would have been gone.  Count yourself lucky.

I know what you are saying and agree. Aside from the Hispanic work force that you mentioned, the corporate mind set is affecting everyone. Go to just about any type of major store and it's pretty much the norm for everyone there to be part time with no benefit's or retirement and low pay. Is it any wonder customer service is a joke just about everywhere. Made in the USA used to mean you were buying a top quality item. Now it's pretty rare to find anything made here and when you do it's usually a piece of junk, made as cheap as possible and just adequate enough to hopefully make it to the end of warranty, if it has one. To the corporation that's the perfect product, to the consumer it's anything but. It's comical how everyone is so snowed over with the stock market and their stock's. Everyone throwing all their life saving's to these AH's and in turn they're eliminating US job's, retirement and health coverage, busting wage's, essentially attacking their own work force to make their stock more attractive. All these people who work for companies who offer stock option's and participate might be eliminating their own job's, plenty have found that out the hard way. The individual's lose, the country lose's but those fucker's are rolling in the dough. Even if they do a crappy job they'll just get their buddies on the board to give them a pat on the back and issue them another million dollar bonus. The sadder thing is that instead of our government keeping a lot of this bullshit in check, like it should, it's bought and paid for and does eveything it can to help the fleecing of America. Bend over and spell run.

would have to be hired to do that?  I thought you were against "big government"?

psychiatric care for people who are so fucking helpless that, for example, they can't ask for a translator.

What HMOs need to do is (1) put all their therapists online, and get a 'bot that says, "sounds like a personal problem to me.  Next!"  and (2) decriminalize drugs, and let people deal with the consequences when they're too fucking stupid that they don't know not to overdose.

We've screwed with Ma Nature too long, and now we have too goddamned many helpless people biting our ankles.   We need to authorize psychs to push every 4th patient out the 10th story window, and see how many people still have problems when that information gets around.