language barrier

[user 26]

i had walkins last nite - around 7 ...
it has been in the 40's at nite here. the rooms not in use are closed. if a guest is checking in to a room, i turn up the heat when they check in and show them (it's electric heat in the rooms, comes up quick)
well, the walkins ... one spoke a little english the other did not. i think they spoke german. i pointed to the thermostat because when i opened the door, the room was chilly. and i said they could turn up the heat. they looked around the room and were talking to each other for a few minutes, back and forth (in german?) and finally said, ' sorry .. is too cold here' and headed down the stairs. maybe they thought i was saying the heat is as high as it goes?
i don't know. was tired and didn't bother trying to explain further ... just let them go.

 

[Sanctuary]

Ahhh, welcome to my world. LOL I feel your pain. Where I live (Miami, "the Capitol of South America"), English is not the common language spoken - hard to believe that in such a major US city, English is not the primary language.

 

[stephanie]

That's a tough one. I'm curious--does anyone here have translations of policies/information in other languages? I imagine in Miami or any of the states bordering French-speaking Canada, it'd make sense to have that one prevalent foreign language available in written form, even if you don't speak it, so you can just point to the book or sign.
Obviously, you can't do them in every language, and German wouldn't come to my mind as one of the more common ones.
Wonder how good a job Babelfish would do translating a policies sign on short notice...

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

If you lived near French or Spanish speaking areas you better have at least a few words and phrases under your belt. For all the rest we can only do what we can do.
I wanted to ask - Do any innkeepers here have a foreign language spoken often in their B&B's? I know there are influxes from Germany or Italy, but do you have one language you can say occurs often there?

 

[Morticia]

If you lived near French or Spanish speaking areas you better have at least a few words and phrases under your belt. For all the rest we can only do what we can do.
I wanted to ask - Do any innkeepers here have a foreign language spoken often in their B&B's? I know there are influxes from Germany or Italy, but do you have one language you can say occurs often there?.

If you lived near French or Spanish speaking areas you better have at least a few words and phrases under your belt. For all the rest we can only do what we can do.
I wanted to ask - Do any innkeepers here have a foreign language spoken often in their B&B's? I know there are influxes from Germany or Italy, but do you have one language you can say occurs often there?

French.

 

[Morticia]

I think we've had a few misunderstandings here, but mostly in conversation. If there's a big barrier, I'll write the prices down (I keep saying I should learn our basic rates in 4 different languages, haven't done it yet.) I did learn all the jams in Italian this year, we had so many and it's easier to not try to explain what a raspberry is.

 

[egoodell]

That's a tough one. I'm curious--does anyone here have translations of policies/information in other languages? I imagine in Miami or any of the states bordering French-speaking Canada, it'd make sense to have that one prevalent foreign language available in written form, even if you don't speak it, so you can just point to the book or sign.
Obviously, you can't do them in every language, and German wouldn't come to my mind as one of the more common ones.
Wonder how good a job Babelfish would do translating a policies sign on short notice....

We don't but I might work on one. I can get my laundry done in french and german. All over Europe while I was growing up everything was in three languages, English included. It really helped us traveling.
Riki

 

[happyjacks]

If you lived near French or Spanish speaking areas you better have at least a few words and phrases under your belt. For all the rest we can only do what we can do.
I wanted to ask - Do any innkeepers here have a foreign language spoken often in their B&B's? I know there are influxes from Germany or Italy, but do you have one language you can say occurs often there?.

I wanted to ask - Do any innkeepers here have a foreign language spoken often in their B&B's? I know there are influxes from Germany or Italy, but do you have one language you can say occurs often there?

I get a lot of german-speaking europeans (from Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and a lot of Dutch. But usually at least one person in the group speaks english very well; and usually everyone else speaks at least some english.

 

[ginocat]

The bulk of my business is from Europe and some from Asia. More and more are coming from the old Russian empire and east Germany so English may never have been taught. I can generally make people understand. I find that most can read a little English (much easier to read it that understand it) and I have all the room instructions written so they can generally understand. Body language works great and I can generally understand very badly spoken and heavily accented English.

 

[greyswan]

I think talking louder helps

 

[Copperhead]

That's a tough one. I'm curious--does anyone here have translations of policies/information in other languages? I imagine in Miami or any of the states bordering French-speaking Canada, it'd make sense to have that one prevalent foreign language available in written form, even if you don't speak it, so you can just point to the book or sign.
Obviously, you can't do them in every language, and German wouldn't come to my mind as one of the more common ones.
Wonder how good a job Babelfish would do translating a policies sign on short notice....

"Wonder how good a job Babelfish would do translating a policies sign on short notice..."
Not so sure which translator we used a couple of years ago but when some of our German guests were asking traveling directions to their next stop, DH quickly came to the pc and within minutes had the directions in German... Or so we thought. They spent several minutes reading and laughing at the wording, DH had also printed a map & highlighted the way... The man who spoke broken English said the map would work and told us some of what was so funny. Of course they knew how the directions had been created as DH told them in advance.
What we have found out about these translators is that most translate word for word and English sentance structure is quite different than most other languages. I think they work well for a single word or some common phrases though.

 

[user 26]

I think talking louder helps

.

yes, you're right!

 

[Copperhead]

I think talking louder helps

.

Yes it seems to help with a lot of things...LOL

 

[gillumhouse]

Shucks! I have had folks from the good ol' USA that I needed an interpreter to understand!

 

[Samster]

Shucks! I have had folks from the good ol' USA that I needed an interpreter to understand!.

Folks from Alabama, I'm sure

 

[Cathy]

That's a tough one. I'm curious--does anyone here have translations of policies/information in other languages? I imagine in Miami or any of the states bordering French-speaking Canada, it'd make sense to have that one prevalent foreign language available in written form, even if you don't speak it, so you can just point to the book or sign.
Obviously, you can't do them in every language, and German wouldn't come to my mind as one of the more common ones.
Wonder how good a job Babelfish would do translating a policies sign on short notice....

"Wonder how good a job Babelfish would do translating a policies sign on short notice..."
Not so sure which translator we used a couple of years ago but when some of our German guests were asking traveling directions to their next stop, DH quickly came to the pc and within minutes had the directions in German... Or so we thought. They spent several minutes reading and laughing at the wording, DH had also printed a map & highlighted the way... The man who spoke broken English said the map would work and told us some of what was so funny. Of course they knew how the directions had been created as DH told them in advance.
What we have found out about these translators is that most translate word for word and English sentance structure is quite different than most other languages. I think they work well for a single word or some common phrases though.
.

lol ... although Babel Fish does a great job, as you found, it is not always right. When I was in language school here taking Spanish I tried to do my homework a couple of times as I wanted a short cut, but after reading the translation from Babel Fish I ended up having to do it the old fashioned way.
When we want something translated for our business (one of us has extremely good Spanish - not me by the way) we get a friend to check it.

 

[Morticia]

I have a sign in the dining room that tells how to say 'lobster' in many languages. So guests speaking a foreign language would know what the sign was for, I put 'How do you say it?' in 4 different languages. That sign has been up there for 2 years. I have had 'lobster' corrected several times by guests fluent in multiple languages, who knew WHICH lobster the sign meant.
Today someone corrected my German 'How do you say it?' Great. 2 years' worth of German tourists and not a one corrected me. I got the translations from Google. Retranslated them back into English to be sure I was getting the right phrase. Didn't help. I know the Spanish one is right & I know the French one is right. Now I have to assume this guest has given me the correct form for the German version.

 

[gillumhouse]

Shucks! I have had folks from the good ol' USA that I needed an interpreter to understand!.

Folks from Alabama, I'm sure

.

OOOOooo, that sounds like the folks fom West Virginia who talk about the lawyer that moved from West Virginia to Kentucky and raised the intelligence quotient of both States.
I do OK with those who paaak their caaaaar, dem from Brooklyn & Da Bronx can be interesting, and I have learned to understand the North Carolina dialect thanks to a friendship with someone from there.

 

[YellowSocks]

Shucks! I have had folks from the good ol' USA that I needed an interpreter to understand!.

Folks from Alabama, I'm sure

.

OOOOooo, that sounds like the folks fom West Virginia who talk about the lawyer that moved from West Virginia to Kentucky and raised the intelligence quotient of both States.
I do OK with those who paaak their caaaaar, dem from Brooklyn & Da Bronx can be interesting, and I have learned to understand the North Carolina dialect thanks to a friendship with someone from there.
.

OOOOooo, that sounds like the folks fom West Virginia who talk about the lawyer that moved from West Virginia to Kentucky and raised the intelligence quotient of both States.

LMBO! As an Ohioan with all these West Virginia jokes (which I've been sensitive and not shared with you), it is too funny to learn that West Virginians have Kentucky jokes! (Although I do have a joke that has all three states...)
=)
Kk.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Accents vary within even one county due to socio-economic factors, racial factors, and education.
Our county has a VERY STRONG southern accent. Very identifiable as well.
One part is the very deep extremely manly Virginian accent with soft R's. On the ladies it is appears as the soft genteel Southern Belle. Very sexy in both instances. (depending on your pref). When I met our banker after moving here - only speaking on the phone, he had this deep Virginian sexy accent. He was a short bald man. He had a booming voice. It was like a DJ or something...in person, NOT.
The other is the local county accent that sounds speeded up and crumpled into a paper sack, then hack out a few teeth due to too much sweet tea. NO IDEA half of what they are saying.
People say southuhners speak slow, not around here they don't, way too fast! On the phone, I DO NOT HAVE A CLUE what they are saying. In fact got a call from a Dane Smith. Dane. Heard it clearly. I asked him to spell it, D-E-A-N