Language barrier

[Shindig]

My workplace recently acquired a new employee, we'll call him Winston. Winston immigrated from another country and English is not his first language. He does speak English but could use some practice. English is the common language for everyone in our workplace.

 

Winston's wife also immigrated and has not been able to find a job (partly because of her poor English). She spends her days at our office helping Winston with his work. Despite the request of our employer to speak English, they consistently speak their primary language along with another girl in the department whenever our boss isn't around (which is most of the time).

 

I'm not sure how to go about asking them to speak the common language in our workplace. It is frustrating because I can't understand Winston when he speaks his primary language and have trouble understanding him when he speaks English because his accent is so strong. Any ideas?

[TaraMaiden]

If you are their superior, then you can tell them that at work, English ONLY, is acceptable. Outside work, they can do as they wish. Otherwise, they will never learn. Your colleague (who also speaks their langauge) should be helping them, not hindering.

 

If you have no authority, you have 2 choices:

Either complain to your boss - or put up with it.

If it's not your place to say anything, then you may just have to make occasional comment, and deal with it.....

[Shindig]

I hate that you're right. I can put up with it or complain to my boss.

 

I want to communicate, I know I have something to learn form my colleagues. I suppose I'll have to complain.

 

I'll let you know how it goes.

[dunstable]

...they consistently speak their primary language along with another girl in the department whenever our boss isn't around

It improves their communication amongst each other to speak their own language and probably facilitates getting the job done. I wouldn't worry about them using their own language when speaking amongst each other.

 

I've worked in the Middle East where different groups in the office used different languages (English, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Tagalog, etc.) amongst themselves -- not a problem.

 

I think it would be counterproductive to try to suppress non-English languages in a multi-ethnic office. I think your boss is short-sighted to insist on only English.

[Shindig]

I would argue (at least in this case) that it is in Winston's best interest to improve his English by practice. His first drafts started turning up on my desk (yesterday afternoon and again this morning) because our boss won't take the time to correct grammar himself.

 

I have Middle Eastern, European, and Latin American colleagues and are just as comfortable communicating English as their native tongues. Winston's ability to write a report or give a presentation are already becoming an issue. Winston is a smart guy and I have a lot to learn from him but I can't as long as I can't understand what he's talking about.

[dunstable]

I would argue (at least in this case) that it is in Winston's best interest to improve his English by practice.

Surely he will get enough practice in English when speaking with his English-speaking colleagues and writing his reports? Do you really need to force him to speak English when he is in conversation with others from his own country?

[Shindig]

You're right, no one can force him to improve himself. When it comes to his writing; I correct his reports and hand them back to our boss, Winston won't ever see them again. He's going to keep making the same mistakes unless he seeks to improve his grammar. It also isn't fair to me that I lose time for my own work.

 

Winston really isn't making the effort to talk to anyone other than his wife and the other staff from his country. I want to be able to pick his brain (our work is technical) about his past works but each time I ask him a question he'll walk away or turn to talk to his wife instead. I managed to get a couple of my questions answered when the admin (we'll call her Jenny) was available to interpret but her English vocabulary isn't broad enough to cover a lot of the materials. I'm sure I lost a lot in translation.

[Mary3]

Some time ago we had a situation where 2 spanish speaking employees were told to speak english ONLY. They went to an attorney and came back after that , the employer never insisted again that they speak english. I don't know the laws but I would check with an attorney to find out if you can say that to them.

[Kamille]

Winston has plenty of opportunity to learn english, without being forced to speak English with other co-workers. If you feel you have a lot to learn from him, why not set up a time when you exchange on best practices together (instead of you listening on other people's conversation).

 

Studies have shown that employees who work as a linguistic minority in a work environment often fare better if they are allowed to speak to other employees who speak their language in their own language. This helps them feel secure in the new environment as they learn how to navigate it. Basically, why would you want to interfere with the strategies that help Winston cope in his new work environment? Take a minute here to imagine yourself in a foreign country. I've done it, and I can tell you, it isn't easy. Many things I did and said came under scrutiny as I was often perceived as "lacking" because I did things differently or because I didn't speak arabic (I was a Canadian working in Tunisia).

 

And also, English-speaking skills are not the same as English-writing skills. Here I am assuming that everything Winston is asked to write is in English, so he does get to practice it a lot, and like Dunstable pointed out, surely, being in North America is immersion enough for him to improve his English-speaking skills. If Winston needs improvement on his writing style, that is something his employer could consider providing.

[Trialbyfire]

Free exchange of ideas, is a good thing within an office environment. On the otherhand, if part of Winston's job description doesn't include teaching or training you, he's not obligated to do so. To feel that you have the right to the knowledge within his mind and then insisting he provide it in the language you understand, is a little self-entitled, no?

[Shindig]

That is an interesting point and something I hadn't thought too much about. I had considered the converse: that Winston had advertised himself as speaking English but couldn't read the buttons on the copier.

[dunstable]

When it comes to his writing; I correct his reports and hand them back to our boss, Winston won't ever see them again. He's going to keep making the same mistakes unless he seeks to improve his grammar. It also isn't fair to me that I lose time for my own work.

I sympathize with you but why don't you let Winston see his reports after you have revised them? Then he can learn by your example.

[Shindig]

Thanks for the suggestion. I dropped it on his desk and told him to ask me if he didn't understand any of the changes.

[Shindig]

It has been 5 days since I've been handing back the his drafts with corrections and explanations. Our boss is still putting drafts on my desk with the same sorts of mistakes: run on sentences, improper use of gerund (to avoid using tenses), spelling, etc.

 

*sigh*

[dunstable]

I think it's right to let him see the edits you make to his reports but I wouldn't expect him to master written English in a matter of days -- it could take years and maybe he will never master it. I don't know if the reports he produces are of a formulaic nature or different every time -- if the latter, then he has plenty of scope for making new mistakes each time.

 

I know how frustrating it is for you, I've been in that situation myself and often it takes longer to edit someone else's report that just to write it yourself in the first place.

[Neutrino]

It has been 5 days since I've been handing back the his drafts with corrections and explanations. Our boss is still putting drafts on my desk with the same sorts of mistakes: run on sentences, improper use of gerund (to avoid using tenses), spelling, etc.

 

*sigh*

 

Hi Shindig, one thing I don't understand - when and why have you become responsible for the corrections on Winston's reports ? If this is a colleague at the same level as you - was there ever an explicit question from your boss if you agreed to do this ? How did this situation start ?

 

In your place - I would simply tell my boss that initially I wanted to help Winston as a personal favor, to help him into a new place of work, but now this is becoming an obligation and imposing on my time - that my own work is falling behind schedule. Winston decided knowingly to come to work and live in an English speaking country - nobody forced him, he could have guessed he would have to use English as the primary language at his job !! Teaching him English and correcting his work is probably not in your job description - so you don't have to do it - if you continue - it will be taken for granted and after time considered your obligation - promoting Winston will then come at the expense of your own career.

[Shindig]

Winston is new and I think he's trying to prove himself by being productive. It is standard for drafts to be distributed to one or two people for proofreading (form and content). Our boss favors my editing when it comes to form so I get a disproportionate amount of the work in this case.

 

It is flattering on some level, but (I've reminded him) I have my own work to complete. I've asked Winston three times now if he wanted me to explain any of his more common mistakes and he refused saying he understood. I reported this to our boss and I've begun declining my boss' requests to correct Winston's drafts.