Hacker News Reader

Comment by Dr_ReD | Hacker News Reader

I would talk to the manager, explain what's happening, leaving my personal feelings aside.

Co-workers speaking non-shared languages in each other faces is not useful in any way and it leads to many problems, way beyond a non-welcoming and non-inclusive environment, way beyond just HR...

Moreover, and to answer some strange theories in other comments here, If you're to be excluded from a conversation, the speakers better get a room, where they can speak freely and leave you alone. Just staying around and speaking a language you don't understand is plain rude, a nuisance, and will distract you anyway. (and probably become annoying, in the long term)

Having said that, I would also learn some Mandarin. If not enough to enter the conversation, at least enough to say "Would you, please, be so kind as to speak English for me? I'm learning Mandarin, but I can't understand you well enough, yet."

This worked wonders for me, in more than a few occasions.

View on HN

If they speak another language in the office but not with you (you are not part of their conversation), why is it rude? It is like a different channel where you will be less distracted by eavesdropping people.

Because it's disrespectful (non-inclusive and non-welcoming) to willingly bar someone who can obviously hear you, from understanding the conversation.

If you are "out of range", or in another room, then by all means, go nuts. Speak Elvish or even Klingon if that's your fancy. It won't bother anybody.

But in the presence of others, respect demands to let everyone understand. Even if the conversation is completely irrelevant to them.

And if you don't even apply basic respect, when others will start assuming the worst about your conversations, than that'll be your fault. You'd have brought it on yourself. Not "them", not HR—which sooner or later is going to be brought into the conversation...

Note: to make it clear as I have commented in the other thread, I believe that people should speak English in a discussion that involves people that don't speak the language(meeting, discussion that involved other people). However, they should be free to speak their own language if they want to communicate to each other in a private setting.

You are talking from only 1 perspective. Have you ever try to understand from the other side why they speak their own language?

I have been in both situation (people speaking a language I don't understand and I speak to other people in a language I don't understand) and almost 99.99% of the time it is not about YOU in the conversation. They speak their language mainly out of convenient. They can communicate/connect more easily with their peers speaking their mother tongue. Of course, there should be some courtesy apply here: don't speak too loud, make a lot of noise. But I guess it applies the same when you speak the common language. If they really need your input, they will switch to English and ask you to join the conversation.

> If you are "out of range", or in another room, then by all means, go nuts. Speak Elvish or even Klingon if that's your fancy.

So you are saying that speaking another language in public is forbidden? How inclusive is that of you? It is like British school in 19th and 20th centuries banning children from speaking their mother tongue in school. Does that sound good to you?

> when others will start assuming the worst about your conversations, than that'll be your fault. And you don't want other people to speak their own languages to their peers just because of your insecurity?

>not HR—which sooner or later is going to be brought into the conversation... Do you have any cases where HR involves in this? I really want to know how it goes.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com