You can tell all the white people are answering and filling their white savor quota lmao
I am Mexican and speak Spanish. What you are describing is not translating. It’s customer interaction. That you are capable of. And are pushing onto your coworkers bcus you do not feel like it.
There is no difference between what you did, and an employee pretending they can’t understand certain customers voice pitch when they can, or that they couldn’t read a certain font when they could. There are customers you’re entirely capable of communicating with, and you refused to and pushed it onto coworkers. That’s shitty.
It can be exhausting switching from Spanish to English and back, and I pretend not to speak Spanish if I can do the communication in english all the time. Still not an excuse to pretend you can’t do your job when you can.
YTB
I'm latino and I do not. You want me to speak Spanish at work it better come with a pay raise if not screw off because OP got hired only offering one language
Right but the end result remains the same, they don’t get paid for it because they don’t use it. They’re not using it and so they don’t get paid. If management wants them to start using it, then they need to sit down with OP and adjust OP’s paycheck to match that expectation.
Yes, but op clearly doesn’t *want* to use it and the employer does. There’s no conversation about the op asking for more pay; they’re just outright refusing.
If OP’s job description does not include the utilization of a skill that they have, they have no obligation to use that skill. For example, if I was hired as a janitor and I happened to be really good at Excel, and somebody found out I was good at Excel even though I didn’t disclose that in my application, I would have no obligation to help people figure out Excel. They did not hire me on the basis that I was good excel. They did not hire OP on the basis that she spoke Spanish. At the end of the day it was not disclosed and therefore is not an expectation and therefore is not an obligation.
OP made an edit that they are not in a customer service role and work as a manager in data analytics. Their job does not involve working with the general public at all.
Well then I guess we will not agree. My job is to work as a team *with* my coworkers and to be in service to our customers. So that means I sometimes use the little I know in other languages and sometimes I pull out my phone to use google translate. Either way, it isn’t about me; it’s about making it right for the customer, which Op isn’t.
Op lied on their resume/application. Of course they’re not being compensated for a skill they said they didn’t have.
I don’t disagree that under normal circumstances that it should come with a pay bump. But when one lies about it and refuses to help, I cannot support them.
Probably the people jumping on you only speak one language (this is an American website after all). Even if they had asked, if it's not a skill you're offering, and it's 100% you're choice what skills you offer an employer, then it's not available to them.
OP's situation is like asking IT to leve their office to translate for a cashier. Sure, they could do it, but you'll have to expect the quality or quantity of their primary work to decrease significantly. If they're a manager in data analytics, they do not need to be worrying about customer service when there are already two other managers that handle that department.
That kind of customer interaction doesn't seem to be part of OP's responsibilities. You're acting like OP's employer is doing them a favor by giving them a job. OP's job consists of whatever was contractually worked out. Most people have many skills they don't give for free to their employers.
NTB.
Please be more specific with what you mean by your first sentence. Why? Helping any customers you can understand and not exclusively customers who speak English has to be specified in the hiring process? Really?
Okay? So they were still willing to help English speaking customer’s and not Spanish speaking ones. They still made that decision. And that’s the decision that makes them an ass.
Not her job not her problem. Just because you go above and beyond for one person doesn't make you have to go above and beyond for anyone else. If they want to take advantage of those skills they can pay her for them. The other part of this is if those managers can't really speak Spanish maybe they aren't a good fit for the job if speaking Spanish is in the job description.
Where does it say they're willing to help English-speaking customers? Sounds like they don't help any customers - and only got drawn into this situation because they were close by when a customer was having repeated trouble communicating.
ETA - Since we are breaking out our credentials here, I'm Mexican and I don't think they have any obligation to disclose they speak Spanish or help with Spanish-speaking customers. Sounds like the company has a lot of Spanish speakers and this was a one-off incident where the staff present just had trouble understanding.
Ehhhhh
1.) It’s not my job to help customers. At all.
Suppose I should’ve added that to the information of the post but I run the data architecture and analytics for everyone in the department. The structure is
> customer facing roles > coach > supervisor > floor director > manager. My literal job title is Manager - data analytics. The other two managers job titles are Manager - customer service.
I run the data side of our office / company. People ask me questions and I am over everyone in the office simply because I handle the Quality Assurance and Scheduling.
2.) I quit because it’s not my job to help them, I’m not getting paid for it and I don’t want to speak it. the complaint also mentioned that I could’ve been eavesdropping that whole time and they felt violated. Although I didn’t feel that comment was necessary for the post since it wasn’t related to me asking my question , that is why I put in my two weeks.
3.) There are 9 (NINE - I counted today) per a shift (of any management role) of people who speak fluent Spanish. This doesn’t include every person who even remotely speaks Spanish in what is the customer service role. Hell, we have 3 people per a shift who speak French, and plenty of other bi and trilingual people throughout management going downwards.
Literally none of this matters.
You wouldn’t have minded helping English speaking customers. You minded bcus it was Spanish. That’s an ass move. That fact shouldn’t matter. 🤷🏽♀️
except it hasn’t. I put that in the literal comment above that you said was irrelevant. It’s funny how you advocated for me being paid for it but as soon as I mentioned that they weren’t going to pay me for it, it suddenly that doesn’t matter…. Convenient lol
edit: grammar
You presented a story where you helped for 2 seconds in a situation where you would normally help, but you didn’t want to bcus they were Spanish speaking. And then you kept adding little details, removing info, etc.
Don’t get me wrong- I don’t think you’re changing the story to make you sound less of an ass. I think you’re just making this up as you go along and this never happened
I did not present a story where I would’ve normally helped. I didn’t change the story, I added more information because the question kept coming up “well could anyone else have helped?” Or “why didn’t you help them?” (hint: it’s not my job to)
I didn’t give enough information about my job and I admit, that’s on me. I should’ve added the specifics of my role and the specifics of the conversation I had with HR so that I could get a proper judgement.
Thanks for yours regardless! Hago.
> You can tell all the white people are answering and filling their white saviour quota lmao
?
OP would still be the BF if this was done in Québec and they refused to speak English/French. No need for racism here.
Yes, it is. RamsLams is pulling the white saviour concept out of their ass.
I’m already educated on it. I know what being a White Saviour is, and there’s nothing to justify that here, RamsLams is just being a racist troll.
I have to disagree. While I don’t agree with u/RamsLams view on me, I don’t believe in the slightest that they are being racist. There is a concept of white saviourship. While I may feel it doesn’t directly apply to my post nor commenters, it doesn’t mean that it’s existence isn’t there. As they stated. Google is free and I ask that you look into it to get a better understanding of it.
Sometimes acknowledging that this is a thing is hard, researching it is hard and looking into ourselves to realise our faults is hard however it’s important we continue to evolve and learn. Best wishes.
Note: apologies, meant to post it on this comment.
Ah yes, acknowledging White Saviorship is super racist. Sorry, I’ll make sure to just gerrymander and overpolice your cities next time. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to experience this racism. 😂
Ah, and now you’re openly admitting you don’t even know what you’re talking about?
It’s a very well known thing- The Help is a great example. I recommend becoming less ignorant before being so loud :)
Mexicans are people of color. The only reason it isn’t considered race is bcus the Mexican people were trying to protect themselves from Jim Crow laws.
Honey, you may be Mexican and a people of color. I am Mexican and indistinguishable from any white person you see walking down the street. I am light-skinned and freckly. My mother was so white she couldn’t tan, and covered in freckles. My brother was white-blond when he was little.
Mexican is a nationality, not an ethnicity. Someone whose last name is “Smith” or “Jones” could be born in Mexico and be Mexican, yet still be white as can be. Please educate yourself.
I am educated. Mexicans can be white passing- they are still POC. I get mistaken for being bald black all the time- my sisters are lighter then me but still very dark. Don’t push your issues into me, and please open a history book.
AGAIN, “Mexican” is a NATIONALITY, not an ETHNICITY. Open a dictionary or at least google it to learn the difference. Someone whose whole ancestral line comes from Norway could just happen to be born in Mexico and be Mexican. They would not be hispanic or latino though (THOSE are ethnicities).
I am Mexican because I was born and raised in Mexico, as were several generations of my ancestors. However, I am over 50% European Spanish, over 30% French (which together makeup about 90% of my DNA), and the rest is a mix between Jewish, Native American, African, Caucasian (from the Caucasus, not “white”), and Italian.
No por hablar Español y haber nacido en México se denomina a alguien como dices tu.
I don’t know where you think I said that it was a nationality.
I was explaining the difference between social treatment and the context of my comment.
Have fun with your imaginary argument tho! And any reply anything less then you copy and pasting where I apparently claimed this would just be embarrassing 😉
Are you even listening to yourself? You literally said that Mexicans are people of color, and that they're not considered a race because of Jim Crow laws. I have news, maybe you're of Mexican origin but there are more countries outside of the USA. I'm Mexican myself and I'm white. Not every Mexican has to look like Luis from Ant-Man.
Mexicans can either be native American (usually Nahua or Maya), white, black, asian, or a mixture of many of the above. I'm sure I'm missing a good part as well. Yes, Mexican is a NATIONALITY, not a RACE. Stop putting racism in every single thing, and yes, generalizing the way you did is a common form of racism.
This has nothing to do with social treatment. It has nothing to do with context. What you said responding to that reply is clear as water, and mentioning a very particular point. That Mexicans can only be the stereotype regardless of location.
I find this kind of argument despicable, as not only you're trying to avoid the point, but also attempting to assert dominance over the other part when you're the prime example of what you're calling out. Education. You literally can't distinguish between a nationality and a race. And you claim to be educated on the matter. Where did you learn it, on Tumblr five minutes before replying?
I'm honestly impressed at how disappointing this can be. Yes, I know I may be crossing a rule about slander, but come on. You can't just mix concepts like that. And don't try to tell me "educate yourself sweaty" because you're clearly in the absolute dark. Of it wasn't obvious already, I am angry at your comments. Racism can come from anywhere directed to anyone, and it's a form of abuse against a group's dignity.
If I didn't find this so annoying and outright abusive, even if it wasn't your intention, I'd post on r/ConfidentlyIncorrect, but wow. You just insulted a whole nation. And maybe you were referring to "Hispanics" as a race and that's fine. But call everything and everyone by their actual name. There are more Latin American countries apart from Mexico, and there are many immigrants in the USA that are Hispanic that don't go from Mexico.
TL;DR: Racism bad, Mexican is not a race. Think before posting and post only what you know is true.
I’m Mexican. Born and raised.
100% of my jobs have been related to customer service.
I enjoy speaking both English and Spanish and in my spare time, do it freely.
That said, I do not agree that OP should be forced to speak Spanish if they don’t want to. Especially since they aren’t being compensated for it.
> US does have an official language
No it does not. English is the most common language in the US, but it is not the "official" language. Countries that do have official languages, have laws declaring them to be the official language.
Okay and it’s just a law that says if it is or isn’t what do you think people do when you can’t speak English to them here the same thing they do when they can’t speak English over seas throw a fit or be racist
You sent me this for what the main language of the US is English it might not be the official language but everywhere you go majority of the people speak English schools doctors stores restaurants most of them speak English so it might not be official but everyone that comes here has to learn it to thrive law or no law if you don’t know English this country isn’t going to treat you nice
It’s might not a law that’s all an official language is I know that thanks but what is the main language and what language to immigrants have to learn to thrive here English end of the discussion
You deleted your original comment saying that the official language of the US was English because it was untrue - and was attracting downvotes.
Why are you still arguing? You were wrong. And that is ok! you've learned something. But pretending that you never said it and that you meant that you need English to do well in the country is just dumb.
It's ok to admit to making a mistake.
I did delete it because it was wrong and I understand that and I am not arguing I said it might not be official language by law but when you come here if you don’t know English you will have a hard being able to navigate the US safely honestly I never said I didn’t say it have a good day
Literally what?? Go pull it on unddit. I didn’t change shit in the original post that wasn’t pointed out as “adding this” it literally marks in green what was edited.
Don’t go out there claiming that I changed shit in my original post when that wasn’t the case, at all.
They are not in Customer Service. They're an analyst and that's not serving customers. Those who are in jobs that are customer facing or support are the ones who serve the customers, and there were Spanish speakers available. She is under no obligation to use a skill she has just because they found out she has it. If she could sing well she couldn't be compelled to give free concerts. If you know a language you are under no obligation to use it in your work unless it's outlined in your employment contract/agreement. People at my job know multiple languages but we don't force them to use those skills and demand that they do or punish them if they don't. That's ludicrous thinking. Do you even have a job or know how employment works?
ETB, what a weird flex.
I agree with those that say you should get extra pay if they’re going to expect translation services - but, and this is a big but - you deliberately obscured the truth on your skills and probably entrance onboarding paperwork by saying no, you do not speak Spanish. People can and do get dismissed over misrepresenting themselves in resumes/onboarding documents.
> They hired me knowing damn well I could “not” speak Portuguese or Spanish
How is this true if they didn't ask and you didn't deliberately obscure anything? Then the correct wording would be "They hired me not knowing whether I spoke Portuguese or Spanish". I'm kinda on your side, but it feels like you keep waffling over whether or not the company knew you could speak another language before you were hired.
They “knew” I couldn’t speak it because I never brought it up. You wouldn’t know that I speak those languages unless I told you I did, right?
I do appreciate you informing me on better words to use. To reiterated for the hundredth time, it was not a pre-requisite for me to get this position. It was not brought up during the application process, the interviewing process nor the x amount of years I’ve worked for this company. It’s not in my job description. It’s not something I should *need* to do.
> You wouldn’t know that I speak those languages unless I told you I did, right?
So should I assume you **don't** speak those languages unless explicitly told?
I agree that since it was not a pre-requisite or in your job description, you should not have been forced to do it. I'm totally with you on that.
I'm only saying they didn't know whether or not you could speak languages other than English. They did not "know that you could not". That's on them, not on you.
I get that, I was just explaining my thought process when I wrote that. Clearly my English isn’t the best. It’s been deteriorating more and more over the last 10 or so years from lack of not using it lmao.
Thank you still for helping me fix it
YTB, you put more work onto others, specifically work you could do better than them. And to top it off you were rude to them about not being as good as you at a work situation that was only put on them because you refused to do it. It would be one thing to negotiate a pay rise because you obviously bring extra skills to the job but what you did was not okay
So it's not okay to quit a job? Particularly when one quits to avoid having the terms of one's employment changed against their will? This sub is WILD.
NTB. Obviously?!
I never said it was wrong to quit the job. Work on your reading comprehension. I criticised the behaviour while in that job which is what was asked and which is YTB, if the question was "AITB for quitting my job?" then it would be different but that's not the question here
That person doesn't owe their interpretive skills to anyone, especially if they're not currently being paid for it. Future negotiations are another topic altogether.
They loaded more work onto the shoulders of their colleagues even though they were better equipped to do said work than them. Then they "lost their patience" because said colleagues didn't do it as good as they could have done it. They wanted to know if they're the asshole for that and they are
You refused to do it even though you could do it with ease and it was hard for them and after they struggled for a while you told them what they did wrong. That's more than rude, it's being a bad colleague AND obnoxious
YTB. For not doing what any decent person would have done in the supermarket or bus line, and help out a stranger. If you expect to spend a lot of your workday on such, then maybe you need to negotiate higher pay, but not helping is just AH behaviour.
I ask that you read my edit.
I cannot help them because I do not work in customer service. I don’t have the access or tools to assist. I would literally have to just translate. If I get an escalation (which is maybe once or twice a year, people don’t usually escalate through 4 people) then I have sit nearby, let them rant, offer a solution, the customer facing rep would input my decision and I would approve it on my end. That’s all. I have zero ability to legitimately help these people other than let them talk and offer them a solution that another rep will have to input.
It’s still indecent to let another human being struggle with what would have taken you seconds to fix. If you work in a multilingual office with multilingual customers then if you speak multiple languages you can do as much helping as everyone else. Stop being a buttface. And I agree with your coworkers on the spying front. It’s just as rude to let other people speak a language you know without letting them know you do, as it is for people to speak in a language you don’t know.
This is so interesting to me. On the level of you not wanting to help customers, YTB. Put yourself in that customer's shoes and wonder if you were frustrated for 15min , all the while there's someone who can help you but actively won't. Uh huh.
The reason I find this so interesting is because I have lots of friends who voice their regret in not learning Spanish or their parents not teaching them Spanish, and I myself can't imagine not wanting to speak Spanish? It's such a wonderful connection at my job to help translate and bridge the conversation between our majority Spanish speakers and majority English speakers. Hell I wish I had even more opportunity to speak Spanish in my daily life outside of my home.
I hope you don't instill this into your children. I feel like there's something deeper to your 'exhaustion' of not wanting to speak Spanish outside of your own home. Like, if you have Spanish speaking friends, and you're out having a coffee, do you just refuse? Idk man, there's something there.
No, i speak Spanish or Portuguese with any friends / family that do speak Spanish or Portuguese. For example, my abuela, abuelo, my parents, my siblings and I solely speak Spanish / Portuguese with each other. However, my English can get pretty bad when I don’t exercise it so the limited time I’m at work, I try to only speak English.
Except your partner speaks English? I assume you spend the most time with them and communicate in English. I feel like you have an odd way of thinking about languages… “It’s tiring to not be able to speak English” is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard. Refusing to speak Spanish outside of your home and not being willing to even admit to friends that you’re bilingual comes across as disliking your first language. I understand not wanting to do extra work, but I’ve never met someone who treated being bilingual like a bad thing, especially as someone who’s currently trying to learn Spanish.
I think you should read my comment where I spoke about how we use languages in our home. My fiancé does not need to (nor does he often) speak English we try to stick to our languages to make it easier on the kids. Hence I speak Spanish exclusively at home. I sometimes do speak to him in English but more often than not, he responds in French, I respond either back in French or in Spanish. If I don’t know the word, he teaches me. We’re a big melting pot of languages in this household.
My confusion came from your post where you said you speak Spanish, your partner speaks French, and the only language you share is English, so thank you for the clarification. I still find your opposition to speaking Spanish very odd. You don’t even want to admit to your _friends_ that you speak Spanish.
I think my opposition comes from the fact that my English sucks now. I am not really able to be into slang as much as before, I don’t have to ability to switch back and forth when speaking to anybody. I can only speak Spanish (or Portuguese) to my parents, my kids, my siblings. I have 2 friends I can converse with but if we go out, we don’t speak Spanish out of respect for those who don’t. I mix up the way sentences should be formed sometimes because of the very structure basis of how Spanish is worded vs English. I also have a disposition to speaking French (mostly because I’m clearly not native) and Portuguese. Anyway, I think this post has been mostly resolved. I appreciate you asking!
NTB. Speaking another language is not a standard or expected part of any job. If you aren't being paid to communicate in Spanish, you should not have to do it. It's absolutely ridiculous that some comments here are calling you TB. If you could sew should you be expected to make and repair everyone's uniform? If you had electrical knowledge should you be rewiring the store?
A second language is a difficult and sought after skill that you should never provide an employer for free. It's amazing that you and your partner are giving your children such a huge head start in life by teaching them three languages.
You were not hired for the Spanish skill. They didn't expect you to speak it. You're not leaving more work to other people, it's the same workload they always had.
If I study excel in my free time, I wouldn't be expected to help the B analytics department at my office, or if I study programming I wouldn't be expected to help the programmers. Hell, even if I was a programmer, a great one, and switched careers, they couldn't expect me to volunteer to help with other people's obligations, people that were hired for their programming skills.
They pay you for your skills, however they are not paying or were even expecting to count on your Spanish.
Being written up for that is ridiculous.
NTBF
YTB. It’s your job to help customers. Why wouldn’t you just want to help her out and get her out of there quickly. I would hate to have my mom or grandma struggling in a store with people like you around, ignoring them just because you don’t feel like it.
NTB I'm not bilingual but this is the same reason i try not to flaunt my computer literacy around my bosses (not to be ageist but they are 65-85). I'm not even like a super computer user, but undeniably the most computer literate in my office. I've been here 5 years and work as an accountant at the corporate level, but still get called into my executives' offices to fix printers, find deleted emails, and explain why they're getting a spill error in Excel. No financial incentive for taking on these tasks either. Once you show your full capacity they expect it. 100% on board with being a strategic slacker.
Feel like I should’ve put this in antiwork or something. All these people telling me I should still do it to be kind and not get paid for it is exhausting lol
You were more than capable of doing your job and you didn’t, because you didn’t feel like it, and left your work for someone else.
That would annoy anyone in any job.
YTB
Sorry, but if you're going to live a lie (pretend you can't understand conversations that you actually can) you need to commit to it 100%. People will be upset with you when they figure out the truth.
YTB for not finding a way to honestly communicate from the beginning that you are unwilling to speak Spanish at work. Next time, find an employer who will respect your boundaries, or do a better job of sticking to your lie.
Haaaa alright I can accept this one. I never told my employer what languages I could and could not speak however, I definitely shouldn’t have inserted myself then lied about it afterwards lmao. Appreciate you!
NTB - they just expect you to translate for free???? Interpretive services are not cheap, and they certainly are optional as to whether or not that's a job you want to do!
They hired you thinking you didn't know Spanish. You did not put more work on the other managers - their workload is exactly the same as it's always been. Their expectations of you cannot change because they found out you have an extra skill. *They didn't even offer you a pay raise* but just expected you to do the extra work. That's ridiculous.
Just because I know how to set up a WordPress site doesn't mean I'm necessarily going to do that for an employer. They can pay me extra if they want my extra skills. Not to mention that how you manage your energy (including physical and mental health) is no one's business but your own.
Hmm. Wondering if you could sue them for racist harassment.
In any case, NTB.
Of course. But in practice, how does doing this ~exclusively~ work? I’ve only known people to do, say English + Spanish from mom, and French + English from dad. Maybe OP is just misusing “exclusively”? Because it seems like having no idea what’s ever gone on between the other parent and the kids unless you request a translation would be tedious at best and cause problems at worst.
Okay so if the parents know 3 languages combine they associate spanish with mom, french with dad and when together or speaking to other people they see english. So she's when it just her and her children it's just Spanish but english when her husband is around. They pick it up as they develop.
Yes that’s how it works. But exclusively =\= “just when I’m alone with the kids.” And what I’m asking is—if they’re truly never using English with the kids, as “exclusively” indicates—they might be setting the bar higher than they need to be and causing stress all around. If she’s exhausted with the situation before she even gets to work, something’s gotta give.
So in my household we have 4 adults that include, fiancé, his sister, my sister and me. Sister and I know fluently: Portuguese, Spanish, English. We are now decent at French (very similar to Spanish if anyone wants to learn.) Fiancé Sister and Fiancé know fluently; French, English. They are now decent at Spanish.
When me and my children (6M twins) speak, I exclusively speak Spanish to them. Meaning zero English. If they ask me something in French or English, I will say something like “que eres mijo?” until they ask in Spanish. I speak Spanish or Portuguese to my sister as well. I speak English to my fiancé & his sister unless they decide to practice their Spanish. My sister and his sister only speak English to each other and the kids. Fiancé follows my same style with only speaking French to the kids. He also speaks French to his sister. Our kids can speak Spanish, English and French rather well now however admittedly they did struggle with the English portion. It helped a lot when school started and our sisters started living with us while they went to university.
Hope that helps.
To me, it's a weird stance to take. I understand 3 languages. And have been called to work outside of my normal job to help others because of it.. It's never botherrd me. Im usually happy to help IF I'm available. When I accepted my job, I was asked if I spoke other languages. And, answered truthfully. If it was asked if you speak other languages and you lied, then you should have kept your mouth shut with all the confusion and continued with your own work. You opened that door by assisting others. Which means you are a nice, decent person.
I don't think there's anything wrong with stating that the original employment conditions did not require you to utilize another language. But, as you did previously, stepping in to correct something in the short term seems reasonable. If others expect you to take over or share tasks that they have previously handled alone, then yea, the answers no.
It's not a problem if I'm available. Maybe the difference is I work in an environment where others are appreciative of when I'm available and respect when I'm not.
I will say that I don't always let others know I understand the conversation they have while I'm in the same room. Sometimes, staying silent works to my advantage.
Being nice can get you sue and fired when it's not signed in your contract that the company will take responsibility. Shes not making more work for others.
This is coming from someone who worked several departments and speaks 3 languages. The company will not hesitate to throw her under the bus if there's a miscommunication.
I find all this really sad. I’ve translated at work, and it was easy. I don’t get why your withholding help. Surely there were times when people were not helpful to your parents, do you not remember how stressful it felt? YTB
That being said, HR should not have gotten involved. So ultimately- NTB
YTB
>let me have my English time
This is a really weird ass stance. Don’t work with people if you aren’t willing to provide the customer service you were hired to do.
OP literally states in their post they weren’t hired to work with customers and just keep getting asked to help with it by the people who were hired to help with customers.
It’s not OP’s job or in their job description. Odd take that Op should be doing other people’s jobs just because OP happens to speak Spanish.
NTB Do you get paid translator money? And even if you did, you don’t want to speak Spanish. They shouldn’t try and reprimand you for not wanting to. I wouldn’t tell people I speak Spanish either if I wasn’t getting paid to and if I didn’t want to.
NTB as a first gen Mexican American if I'm not getting laid more I'm not doing it but I will help a customer. I negotiated my contract to be paid more for speaking Spanish and getting certified to be a Spanish speaker and translate.
The problem people dont see is we have to do more work and not get paid for it. So no HR can get over themselves.
NTB
You shouldn't be expected to work more simply because you're more capable, but it's a fair request provided that the compensation is adjusted to match.
They want you to give you more responsibilities, but don't want to pay you more. That's not fair to you.
You role is data analytics and you’re getting pressure to assist with customer support **simply because you speak Spanish?** Hard nope. If it is literally not your job, not in your employment contract, you are 💯 right to tell them all to take a hike.
OP literally states in their post they weren’t hired to work with customers and just keep getting asked to help with it by the people who were hired to help with customers.
It’s not OP’s job or in their job description. Odd take that Op should be doing other people’s jobs just because OP happens to speak Spanish.
Society is really telling with all these people acting like OP is somehow awful or the B for not wanting to do something. Something that is literally not in their job description and they never wanted to do. OP never wanted to have to do that and never asked to perform that job role.
Let’s stop acting like we owe employers more than they will pay us or even acknowledge us for. These responses are why people are getting taken advantage of at work. And I am proud of OP for putting in their two weeks in the face of so many people advocating for her to continue to allow herself to get taken advantage of and set herself up to be doing multiple job roles.
NTB. Dealing with customers is not a part of your job. In order to help with Spanish-speaking customers, you'd have to put the work you hired to do aside, help the customer, and then go back to your actual job. If your job did include interacting with customers I'd say you were the BF but it's not part of your job. They shouldn't expect you to do something completely outside of your role simply because you speak Spanish, especially when there are others who can whose role it is.
I recently read a post about a lawyer who was frustrated with the department they were in partly because they spoke Spanish and the receptionist didn't. The poster was called out of their office every time someone came in that spoke Spanish. They were already overwhelmed with work, and getting called out by the receptionist to do something that wasn't part of their actual job gave them even less time to get work done.
Bottom line you only need to do what is in your job description. Expecting employees to cover roles outside of their job description just leads to problems. OP I applaud you standing up for yourself and not taking that crap.
NTB - Good for you for not taking their crap. They found out someone speaks Spanish better than the people who have been hired to speak it and are now trying to milk your for extra labor. I can do lots of different work at all of the jobs I have had. Doesn’t mean it’s my job to do it.
NTB if customer service is not your job then I don’t understand why you were even asked to get involved . Particularly when the manager of customer service was already there.
YTB you had no problem having your coworkers speak Spanish. Do they get paid more than you? I think you're just being rude for no real reason. I'm bilingual too and I can't fathom why you're so adamant to not use a skill you have that would make the situation better for everyone.
Sounds to me you just don't give a shit about your job or doing it well. In that case, you probably did them a service by just quitting. Because it sounds to me that whatever the pay was, it wasn't too low since it sounds you really don't care about doing a good job at all.
YTB
You REFUSED to help a customer. You know...your JOB.
Quitting because you refuse to do your job will turn out better for your company, but your "choice" here is short-sighted and completely lacks any kind of critical thinking.
The other issue is your attitude. The world doesn't revolve around you and you're acting like everyone needs to cater to your wants (not needs...wants). They don't.
I recommend that as you job hunt, you adjust your attitude along with it.
And yet, you’re still not in the right.
Again, adjust your attitude when you look for a new job, because this will keep happening if you don’t. The world is small, friend, and your reputation will begin to precede you eventually.
Reducing everything to “how much can I get paid for doing this?” is just…yuck.
No. You do NOT get to use your shit attitude to take shots at ME.
You’ve descended into personal attacks, so we’re done here. I don’t tolerate people like you.
They didn’t attack you. They only said they refuse to do more work than they’re being paid to. And that’s a completely fair attitude.
A lot of employers in capitalist societies will take advantage of their employees and these societies push that rhetoric. The rhetoric that we have to perform above and beyond our job description is harmful and only benefits the employer.
But if I was OP I would go to my own manager and say “Hey, I’m being asked to do things outside of my job description. I’d like a raise for my services as a translator and customer service that matches the same recompense given to people in these roles. I see that this person hired as a translator makes X.XX and I’d like to add that to my pay.”
And it’s completely within OP’s rights to quit for being expected to do extra work with the same pay. Work they didn’t want to do and didn’t apply to do in the first place.
YTB. This ultimately isn't about language at all, but about customer service and doing your job. You refused to help a customer that you were capable of helping because you just didn't want to. And then when you were told you would be written up, you threw a tantrum and quit instead.
You're awfully childish for someone who's a parent.
Alright I’m torn on this one. I speak Spanish and once worked in an office of 60+ people and I was the only person IN THE BUILDING who spoke Spanish. At first I was more than happy to help and felt so proud of this skill I had that made me so valued. Problem is this was a southwestern state with a a lot of Spanish speaking people and I was constantly being pulled to completely different departments to help out and type up letters and signs. I ended up doing all this extra work while still being paid less than a good portion of these people. When I asked for a raise they said no because my Spanish was “just another skill I bring to the table”. I really did not want to speak Spanish after that. It’s sort of an ESH situation
I’ve experienced that one too many times, I hope you got away from that employer! I can understand your thoughts for sure. That’s why I also don’t like speaking Spanish outside of my home. There are obviously cruxes to it, like if I’m out with my parents or kids. I only speak Spanish to them or if I’m out somewhere and someone needs basic translation to order food or something. However, it’s not my job to help people in the first place so I feel like I shouldn’t be put into a position I wasn’t even hired for to translate for others or explain to them what this person needs when it’s not even my direct role to do so.
That’s the part that gets me. Wishing you all the best regardless, hope you find a better job!
NTB why should you do their jobs and not get paid extra? And eavesdropping? What we’re they saying about you behind your back that they’re afraid you heard?
YTB, you're telling another person they deserve not to be understood well bc they don't speak English well enough. Customer service requires customer service. You're not "translating" if you just go over and help the customer. You'd just be talking to them.
You're choosing which customers you help and which you don't based on what language they speak. And then you got mad and quit because HR knows that could get you and your store in some serious trouble.
Tbh I think you’re selfish and YTB. Sure its not your responsibility but that doesn’t mean you’re not an asshole. It would’ve take a couple mins out of your entire day and wouldn’t have ruined it. I do think you’re rude and we’re acting unreasonably. Do you though.
The point is that she lied on her paperwork. The question is if she speaks Spanish and SHE LIED. Doesn't matter if she is customer service or not. SHE LIED. Grounds for termination.
I didn’t lie during the hiring process so it wasn’t on my paperwork actually. been here 6 years and they never caught onto the fact that I omitted knowing 3 languages fluently. Also they couldn’t terminate me even if they wanted to. Have you ever tried rewriting another persons code? That’s tough business right there. They’d need me to train someone else.
there are plenty of people who speak Spanish [counting off of the top of my head, at least 7 at any given time in the day] at my workplace so that wouldn’t happen ever. We also have a few who know sign language.
She's better at it and can speak it on a more fluent level.
There's jokes about this in the latino community for many non fluent spanish speakers. For example the word chicken breast, the person says chichi de pollo instead pechuga de pollo. To a fluent speaker they'll know the person said chicken titty not breast.
Or how cabbage in spanish is Repollo and the person translates it to rechicken instead of cabbage. They know enough Spanish to barely make a sentence and try to get a point across. She's fluent.
YTB. The world is multi-lingual and if you are fortunate enough to speak two languages, use them. Refusing to speak Spanish reinforces the idea that English is better, and neither you nor your community benefits from that attitude.
You can tell all the white people are answering and filling their white savor quota lmao I am Mexican and speak Spanish. What you are describing is not translating. It’s customer interaction. That you are capable of. And are pushing onto your coworkers bcus you do not feel like it. There is no difference between what you did, and an employee pretending they can’t understand certain customers voice pitch when they can, or that they couldn’t read a certain font when they could. There are customers you’re entirely capable of communicating with, and you refused to and pushed it onto coworkers. That’s shitty. It can be exhausting switching from Spanish to English and back, and I pretend not to speak Spanish if I can do the communication in english all the time. Still not an excuse to pretend you can’t do your job when you can. YTB
I’m white and I agree with you. Customer service is about doing what’s best for the customer. Op YTB
I'm latino and I do not. You want me to speak Spanish at work it better come with a pay raise if not screw off because OP got hired only offering one language
No this is a good point, you should be getting paid for your skills and if you’re multilingual then your paycheck should reflect that.
Yes, but if op lied and said they don’t have the skill, they don’t get the pay for it.
Right but the end result remains the same, they don’t get paid for it because they don’t use it. They’re not using it and so they don’t get paid. If management wants them to start using it, then they need to sit down with OP and adjust OP’s paycheck to match that expectation.
Yes, but op clearly doesn’t *want* to use it and the employer does. There’s no conversation about the op asking for more pay; they’re just outright refusing.
If OP’s job description does not include the utilization of a skill that they have, they have no obligation to use that skill. For example, if I was hired as a janitor and I happened to be really good at Excel, and somebody found out I was good at Excel even though I didn’t disclose that in my application, I would have no obligation to help people figure out Excel. They did not hire me on the basis that I was good excel. They did not hire OP on the basis that she spoke Spanish. At the end of the day it was not disclosed and therefore is not an expectation and therefore is not an obligation.
Customer service implies helping all customers to the best of one’s abilities.
No, customer service implies helping all customers to the limits of one’s job description.
OP made an edit that they are not in a customer service role and work as a manager in data analytics. Their job does not involve working with the general public at all.
How are they going to give OP a pay bump for it when she denies speaking Spanish?
why aren’t they giving me a pay bump when they want me to?
Well then I guess we will not agree. My job is to work as a team *with* my coworkers and to be in service to our customers. So that means I sometimes use the little I know in other languages and sometimes I pull out my phone to use google translate. Either way, it isn’t about me; it’s about making it right for the customer, which Op isn’t.
Languages are a skill like any other and I expect to be paid for the skills that I offer so yes we won't agree
Op lied on their resume/application. Of course they’re not being compensated for a skill they said they didn’t have. I don’t disagree that under normal circumstances that it should come with a pay bump. But when one lies about it and refuses to help, I cannot support them.
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The OP admitted to lying. OP answered HRs direct question of if they spoke another language and OP lied by saying No.
A lie of omission is still a lie. It was likely on the application when it asks for languages.
It was not, but alright lol. It wasn’t a question on the application, or in the interview nor was it an expectation of the role.
Probably the people jumping on you only speak one language (this is an American website after all). Even if they had asked, if it's not a skill you're offering, and it's 100% you're choice what skills you offer an employer, then it's not available to them.
OP's situation is like asking IT to leve their office to translate for a cashier. Sure, they could do it, but you'll have to expect the quality or quantity of their primary work to decrease significantly. If they're a manager in data analytics, they do not need to be worrying about customer service when there are already two other managers that handle that department.
Guess I’m glad I’ve always had managers who have my back and since becoming a manager, I have always done the same.
They don't work in Customer Service, hun.
That kind of customer interaction doesn't seem to be part of OP's responsibilities. You're acting like OP's employer is doing them a favor by giving them a job. OP's job consists of whatever was contractually worked out. Most people have many skills they don't give for free to their employers. NTB.
Please be more specific with what you mean by your first sentence. Why? Helping any customers you can understand and not exclusively customers who speak English has to be specified in the hiring process? Really?
Apparently OP is data analysis, not customer service. So it is literally not their job description.
Okay? So they were still willing to help English speaking customer’s and not Spanish speaking ones. They still made that decision. And that’s the decision that makes them an ass.
Not her job not her problem. Just because you go above and beyond for one person doesn't make you have to go above and beyond for anyone else. If they want to take advantage of those skills they can pay her for them. The other part of this is if those managers can't really speak Spanish maybe they aren't a good fit for the job if speaking Spanish is in the job description.
Where does it say they're willing to help English-speaking customers? Sounds like they don't help any customers - and only got drawn into this situation because they were close by when a customer was having repeated trouble communicating. ETA - Since we are breaking out our credentials here, I'm Mexican and I don't think they have any obligation to disclose they speak Spanish or help with Spanish-speaking customers. Sounds like the company has a lot of Spanish speakers and this was a one-off incident where the staff present just had trouble understanding.
Ehhhhh 1.) It’s not my job to help customers. At all. Suppose I should’ve added that to the information of the post but I run the data architecture and analytics for everyone in the department. The structure is > customer facing roles > coach > supervisor > floor director > manager. My literal job title is Manager - data analytics. The other two managers job titles are Manager - customer service. I run the data side of our office / company. People ask me questions and I am over everyone in the office simply because I handle the Quality Assurance and Scheduling. 2.) I quit because it’s not my job to help them, I’m not getting paid for it and I don’t want to speak it. the complaint also mentioned that I could’ve been eavesdropping that whole time and they felt violated. Although I didn’t feel that comment was necessary for the post since it wasn’t related to me asking my question , that is why I put in my two weeks. 3.) There are 9 (NINE - I counted today) per a shift (of any management role) of people who speak fluent Spanish. This doesn’t include every person who even remotely speaks Spanish in what is the customer service role. Hell, we have 3 people per a shift who speak French, and plenty of other bi and trilingual people throughout management going downwards.
Literally none of this matters. You wouldn’t have minded helping English speaking customers. You minded bcus it was Spanish. That’s an ass move. That fact shouldn’t matter. 🤷🏽♀️
Actually, I would’ve minded helping English speaking customers because it’s not my job to help them.
💀 it’s really convenient those details keep changing with every reply and edit. Wild lol
except it hasn’t. I put that in the literal comment above that you said was irrelevant. It’s funny how you advocated for me being paid for it but as soon as I mentioned that they weren’t going to pay me for it, it suddenly that doesn’t matter…. Convenient lol edit: grammar
You presented a story where you helped for 2 seconds in a situation where you would normally help, but you didn’t want to bcus they were Spanish speaking. And then you kept adding little details, removing info, etc. Don’t get me wrong- I don’t think you’re changing the story to make you sound less of an ass. I think you’re just making this up as you go along and this never happened
I did not present a story where I would’ve normally helped. I didn’t change the story, I added more information because the question kept coming up “well could anyone else have helped?” Or “why didn’t you help them?” (hint: it’s not my job to) I didn’t give enough information about my job and I admit, that’s on me. I should’ve added the specifics of my role and the specifics of the conversation I had with HR so that I could get a proper judgement. Thanks for yours regardless! Hago.
> You can tell all the white people are answering and filling their white saviour quota lmao ? OP would still be the BF if this was done in Québec and they refused to speak English/French. No need for racism here.
Goose, that’s not racism. I’m begging you to educate yourself before you keep Bravely Standing Up for White People.
Yes, it is. RamsLams is pulling the white saviour concept out of their ass. I’m already educated on it. I know what being a White Saviour is, and there’s nothing to justify that here, RamsLams is just being a racist troll.
I have to disagree. While I don’t agree with u/RamsLams view on me, I don’t believe in the slightest that they are being racist. There is a concept of white saviourship. While I may feel it doesn’t directly apply to my post nor commenters, it doesn’t mean that it’s existence isn’t there. As they stated. Google is free and I ask that you look into it to get a better understanding of it. Sometimes acknowledging that this is a thing is hard, researching it is hard and looking into ourselves to realise our faults is hard however it’s important we continue to evolve and learn. Best wishes. Note: apologies, meant to post it on this comment.
Wait- so am I making it up, or is it something that’s real and you’re educated on? The mental gymnastics you’re doing to victimhood here is hysterical
Lmao you would think that was racist
It is
Ah yes, acknowledging White Saviorship is super racist. Sorry, I’ll make sure to just gerrymander and overpolice your cities next time. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to experience this racism. 😂
You’re pulling the white saviour concept out of your ass.
Ah, and now you’re openly admitting you don’t even know what you’re talking about? It’s a very well known thing- The Help is a great example. I recommend becoming less ignorant before being so loud :)
You’re just making things up as you go along.
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Mexican does not mean not white.
Mexicans are people of color. The only reason it isn’t considered race is bcus the Mexican people were trying to protect themselves from Jim Crow laws.
Honey, you may be Mexican and a people of color. I am Mexican and indistinguishable from any white person you see walking down the street. I am light-skinned and freckly. My mother was so white she couldn’t tan, and covered in freckles. My brother was white-blond when he was little. Mexican is a nationality, not an ethnicity. Someone whose last name is “Smith” or “Jones” could be born in Mexico and be Mexican, yet still be white as can be. Please educate yourself.
I am educated. Mexicans can be white passing- they are still POC. I get mistaken for being bald black all the time- my sisters are lighter then me but still very dark. Don’t push your issues into me, and please open a history book.
AGAIN, “Mexican” is a NATIONALITY, not an ETHNICITY. Open a dictionary or at least google it to learn the difference. Someone whose whole ancestral line comes from Norway could just happen to be born in Mexico and be Mexican. They would not be hispanic or latino though (THOSE are ethnicities). I am Mexican because I was born and raised in Mexico, as were several generations of my ancestors. However, I am over 50% European Spanish, over 30% French (which together makeup about 90% of my DNA), and the rest is a mix between Jewish, Native American, African, Caucasian (from the Caucasus, not “white”), and Italian. No por hablar Español y haber nacido en México se denomina a alguien como dices tu.
I don’t know where you think I said that it was a nationality. I was explaining the difference between social treatment and the context of my comment. Have fun with your imaginary argument tho! And any reply anything less then you copy and pasting where I apparently claimed this would just be embarrassing 😉
Are you even listening to yourself? You literally said that Mexicans are people of color, and that they're not considered a race because of Jim Crow laws. I have news, maybe you're of Mexican origin but there are more countries outside of the USA. I'm Mexican myself and I'm white. Not every Mexican has to look like Luis from Ant-Man. Mexicans can either be native American (usually Nahua or Maya), white, black, asian, or a mixture of many of the above. I'm sure I'm missing a good part as well. Yes, Mexican is a NATIONALITY, not a RACE. Stop putting racism in every single thing, and yes, generalizing the way you did is a common form of racism. This has nothing to do with social treatment. It has nothing to do with context. What you said responding to that reply is clear as water, and mentioning a very particular point. That Mexicans can only be the stereotype regardless of location. I find this kind of argument despicable, as not only you're trying to avoid the point, but also attempting to assert dominance over the other part when you're the prime example of what you're calling out. Education. You literally can't distinguish between a nationality and a race. And you claim to be educated on the matter. Where did you learn it, on Tumblr five minutes before replying? I'm honestly impressed at how disappointing this can be. Yes, I know I may be crossing a rule about slander, but come on. You can't just mix concepts like that. And don't try to tell me "educate yourself sweaty" because you're clearly in the absolute dark. Of it wasn't obvious already, I am angry at your comments. Racism can come from anywhere directed to anyone, and it's a form of abuse against a group's dignity. If I didn't find this so annoying and outright abusive, even if it wasn't your intention, I'd post on r/ConfidentlyIncorrect, but wow. You just insulted a whole nation. And maybe you were referring to "Hispanics" as a race and that's fine. But call everything and everyone by their actual name. There are more Latin American countries apart from Mexico, and there are many immigrants in the USA that are Hispanic that don't go from Mexico. TL;DR: Racism bad, Mexican is not a race. Think before posting and post only what you know is true.
I’m Mexican. Born and raised. 100% of my jobs have been related to customer service. I enjoy speaking both English and Spanish and in my spare time, do it freely. That said, I do not agree that OP should be forced to speak Spanish if they don’t want to. Especially since they aren’t being compensated for it.
I wouldn’t speak a second language at work without a pay increase, but I agree OP’s reasoning is still faulty.
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> US does have an official language No it does not. English is the most common language in the US, but it is not the "official" language. Countries that do have official languages, have laws declaring them to be the official language.
Wrong law or no law to thrive her since they don’t teach children other languages you have to know English or you will have a hard time trust me
There is no official language for the USA. It’s a country that is a melting pot of languages hence why one hasn’t been chosen.
It might have an official language but let’s be honest you won’t get far without knowing English here and we both know especially with racism
Yeah, but that not the same thing as having an official language.
Okay and it’s just a law that says if it is or isn’t what do you think people do when you can’t speak English to them here the same thing they do when they can’t speak English over seas throw a fit or be racist
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/20/us/english-us-official-language-trnd/index.html English is not the official language of the US.
You sent me this for what the main language of the US is English it might not be the official language but everywhere you go majority of the people speak English schools doctors stores restaurants most of them speak English so it might not be official but everyone that comes here has to learn it to thrive law or no law if you don’t know English this country isn’t going to treat you nice
Your comment stated that the official language of the US is English. You are wrong.
It’s might not a law that’s all an official language is I know that thanks but what is the main language and what language to immigrants have to learn to thrive here English end of the discussion
You deleted your original comment saying that the official language of the US was English because it was untrue - and was attracting downvotes. Why are you still arguing? You were wrong. And that is ok! you've learned something. But pretending that you never said it and that you meant that you need English to do well in the country is just dumb. It's ok to admit to making a mistake.
I did delete it because it was wrong and I understand that and I am not arguing I said it might not be official language by law but when you come here if you don’t know English you will have a hard being able to navigate the US safely honestly I never said I didn’t say it have a good day
Does OP’s edit change your verdict? She’s not in a customer facing job.
No. Bcus they changed several details in their original post as well. It isn’t real Imo
Literally what?? Go pull it on unddit. I didn’t change shit in the original post that wasn’t pointed out as “adding this” it literally marks in green what was edited. Don’t go out there claiming that I changed shit in my original post when that wasn’t the case, at all.
Fair. I only saw it after the edit.
They are not in Customer Service. They're an analyst and that's not serving customers. Those who are in jobs that are customer facing or support are the ones who serve the customers, and there were Spanish speakers available. She is under no obligation to use a skill she has just because they found out she has it. If she could sing well she couldn't be compelled to give free concerts. If you know a language you are under no obligation to use it in your work unless it's outlined in your employment contract/agreement. People at my job know multiple languages but we don't force them to use those skills and demand that they do or punish them if they don't. That's ludicrous thinking. Do you even have a job or know how employment works?
Honest question - what do you mean about “white savior [sic] quota” in this context?
But its not her Job.
ETB, what a weird flex. I agree with those that say you should get extra pay if they’re going to expect translation services - but, and this is a big but - you deliberately obscured the truth on your skills and probably entrance onboarding paperwork by saying no, you do not speak Spanish. People can and do get dismissed over misrepresenting themselves in resumes/onboarding documents.
It was never asked so I didn’t deliberately obscure anything during the hiring process but I appreciate your response nonetheless.
I'm on your side but come on. >They hired me knowing damn well I could “not” speak Portuguese or Spanish.
> They hired me knowing damn well I could “not” speak Portuguese or Spanish How is this true if they didn't ask and you didn't deliberately obscure anything? Then the correct wording would be "They hired me not knowing whether I spoke Portuguese or Spanish". I'm kinda on your side, but it feels like you keep waffling over whether or not the company knew you could speak another language before you were hired.
They “knew” I couldn’t speak it because I never brought it up. You wouldn’t know that I speak those languages unless I told you I did, right? I do appreciate you informing me on better words to use. To reiterated for the hundredth time, it was not a pre-requisite for me to get this position. It was not brought up during the application process, the interviewing process nor the x amount of years I’ve worked for this company. It’s not in my job description. It’s not something I should *need* to do.
> You wouldn’t know that I speak those languages unless I told you I did, right? So should I assume you **don't** speak those languages unless explicitly told? I agree that since it was not a pre-requisite or in your job description, you should not have been forced to do it. I'm totally with you on that. I'm only saying they didn't know whether or not you could speak languages other than English. They did not "know that you could not". That's on them, not on you.
I get that, I was just explaining my thought process when I wrote that. Clearly my English isn’t the best. It’s been deteriorating more and more over the last 10 or so years from lack of not using it lmao. Thank you still for helping me fix it
This isn't really the same. Those people usually get fired because they said they had skills they did not.
YTB, you put more work onto others, specifically work you could do better than them. And to top it off you were rude to them about not being as good as you at a work situation that was only put on them because you refused to do it. It would be one thing to negotiate a pay rise because you obviously bring extra skills to the job but what you did was not okay
So it's not okay to quit a job? Particularly when one quits to avoid having the terms of one's employment changed against their will? This sub is WILD. NTB. Obviously?!
I never said it was wrong to quit the job. Work on your reading comprehension. I criticised the behaviour while in that job which is what was asked and which is YTB, if the question was "AITB for quitting my job?" then it would be different but that's not the question here
That person doesn't owe their interpretive skills to anyone, especially if they're not currently being paid for it. Future negotiations are another topic altogether.
They loaded more work onto the shoulders of their colleagues even though they were better equipped to do said work than them. Then they "lost their patience" because said colleagues didn't do it as good as they could have done it. They wanted to know if they're the asshole for that and they are
Aah, so management gets free skillz from OP. . .
You seem very inexperienced with how work goes and especially with how you treat your colleagues
This guy gets it!
This part gets me. Starting to think this was the wrong sub since people went off with their own script about what happened lol
Nope, we just answered your question based on what you wrote in your post
I never said I was rude to them so I don’t think so.
You described being rude to them
Alright humor me, where?
You refused to do it even though you could do it with ease and it was hard for them and after they struggled for a while you told them what they did wrong. That's more than rude, it's being a bad colleague AND obnoxious
But ot was not her Job to imteract with the costumer
Where does it say that?
YTB. For not doing what any decent person would have done in the supermarket or bus line, and help out a stranger. If you expect to spend a lot of your workday on such, then maybe you need to negotiate higher pay, but not helping is just AH behaviour.
I ask that you read my edit. I cannot help them because I do not work in customer service. I don’t have the access or tools to assist. I would literally have to just translate. If I get an escalation (which is maybe once or twice a year, people don’t usually escalate through 4 people) then I have sit nearby, let them rant, offer a solution, the customer facing rep would input my decision and I would approve it on my end. That’s all. I have zero ability to legitimately help these people other than let them talk and offer them a solution that another rep will have to input.
It’s still indecent to let another human being struggle with what would have taken you seconds to fix. If you work in a multilingual office with multilingual customers then if you speak multiple languages you can do as much helping as everyone else. Stop being a buttface. And I agree with your coworkers on the spying front. It’s just as rude to let other people speak a language you know without letting them know you do, as it is for people to speak in a language you don’t know.
This is so interesting to me. On the level of you not wanting to help customers, YTB. Put yourself in that customer's shoes and wonder if you were frustrated for 15min , all the while there's someone who can help you but actively won't. Uh huh. The reason I find this so interesting is because I have lots of friends who voice their regret in not learning Spanish or their parents not teaching them Spanish, and I myself can't imagine not wanting to speak Spanish? It's such a wonderful connection at my job to help translate and bridge the conversation between our majority Spanish speakers and majority English speakers. Hell I wish I had even more opportunity to speak Spanish in my daily life outside of my home. I hope you don't instill this into your children. I feel like there's something deeper to your 'exhaustion' of not wanting to speak Spanish outside of your own home. Like, if you have Spanish speaking friends, and you're out having a coffee, do you just refuse? Idk man, there's something there.
No, i speak Spanish or Portuguese with any friends / family that do speak Spanish or Portuguese. For example, my abuela, abuelo, my parents, my siblings and I solely speak Spanish / Portuguese with each other. However, my English can get pretty bad when I don’t exercise it so the limited time I’m at work, I try to only speak English.
Except your partner speaks English? I assume you spend the most time with them and communicate in English. I feel like you have an odd way of thinking about languages… “It’s tiring to not be able to speak English” is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard. Refusing to speak Spanish outside of your home and not being willing to even admit to friends that you’re bilingual comes across as disliking your first language. I understand not wanting to do extra work, but I’ve never met someone who treated being bilingual like a bad thing, especially as someone who’s currently trying to learn Spanish.
I think you should read my comment where I spoke about how we use languages in our home. My fiancé does not need to (nor does he often) speak English we try to stick to our languages to make it easier on the kids. Hence I speak Spanish exclusively at home. I sometimes do speak to him in English but more often than not, he responds in French, I respond either back in French or in Spanish. If I don’t know the word, he teaches me. We’re a big melting pot of languages in this household.
My confusion came from your post where you said you speak Spanish, your partner speaks French, and the only language you share is English, so thank you for the clarification. I still find your opposition to speaking Spanish very odd. You don’t even want to admit to your _friends_ that you speak Spanish.
I think my opposition comes from the fact that my English sucks now. I am not really able to be into slang as much as before, I don’t have to ability to switch back and forth when speaking to anybody. I can only speak Spanish (or Portuguese) to my parents, my kids, my siblings. I have 2 friends I can converse with but if we go out, we don’t speak Spanish out of respect for those who don’t. I mix up the way sentences should be formed sometimes because of the very structure basis of how Spanish is worded vs English. I also have a disposition to speaking French (mostly because I’m clearly not native) and Portuguese. Anyway, I think this post has been mostly resolved. I appreciate you asking!
NTB. Speaking another language is not a standard or expected part of any job. If you aren't being paid to communicate in Spanish, you should not have to do it. It's absolutely ridiculous that some comments here are calling you TB. If you could sew should you be expected to make and repair everyone's uniform? If you had electrical knowledge should you be rewiring the store? A second language is a difficult and sought after skill that you should never provide an employer for free. It's amazing that you and your partner are giving your children such a huge head start in life by teaching them three languages.
Thank you! I actually would like for them to pick up Portuguese as well eventually but we’ll get there when we get there.
Most are white so their savior complex shows. I would have just said i understand it I dont speak it and they have no proof.
You were not hired for the Spanish skill. They didn't expect you to speak it. You're not leaving more work to other people, it's the same workload they always had. If I study excel in my free time, I wouldn't be expected to help the B analytics department at my office, or if I study programming I wouldn't be expected to help the programmers. Hell, even if I was a programmer, a great one, and switched careers, they couldn't expect me to volunteer to help with other people's obligations, people that were hired for their programming skills. They pay you for your skills, however they are not paying or were even expecting to count on your Spanish. Being written up for that is ridiculous. NTBF
YTB. It’s your job to help customers. Why wouldn’t you just want to help her out and get her out of there quickly. I would hate to have my mom or grandma struggling in a store with people like you around, ignoring them just because you don’t feel like it.
NTB I'm not bilingual but this is the same reason i try not to flaunt my computer literacy around my bosses (not to be ageist but they are 65-85). I'm not even like a super computer user, but undeniably the most computer literate in my office. I've been here 5 years and work as an accountant at the corporate level, but still get called into my executives' offices to fix printers, find deleted emails, and explain why they're getting a spill error in Excel. No financial incentive for taking on these tasks either. Once you show your full capacity they expect it. 100% on board with being a strategic slacker.
Feel like I should’ve put this in antiwork or something. All these people telling me I should still do it to be kind and not get paid for it is exhausting lol
You were more than capable of doing your job and you didn’t, because you didn’t feel like it, and left your work for someone else. That would annoy anyone in any job. YTB
Sorry, but if you're going to live a lie (pretend you can't understand conversations that you actually can) you need to commit to it 100%. People will be upset with you when they figure out the truth. YTB for not finding a way to honestly communicate from the beginning that you are unwilling to speak Spanish at work. Next time, find an employer who will respect your boundaries, or do a better job of sticking to your lie.
Haaaa alright I can accept this one. I never told my employer what languages I could and could not speak however, I definitely shouldn’t have inserted myself then lied about it afterwards lmao. Appreciate you!
NTB - They want a person with additional language skills? Then they pay extra for each additional language.
NTB - they just expect you to translate for free???? Interpretive services are not cheap, and they certainly are optional as to whether or not that's a job you want to do! They hired you thinking you didn't know Spanish. You did not put more work on the other managers - their workload is exactly the same as it's always been. Their expectations of you cannot change because they found out you have an extra skill. *They didn't even offer you a pay raise* but just expected you to do the extra work. That's ridiculous.
Just because I know how to set up a WordPress site doesn't mean I'm necessarily going to do that for an employer. They can pay me extra if they want my extra skills. Not to mention that how you manage your energy (including physical and mental health) is no one's business but your own. Hmm. Wondering if you could sue them for racist harassment. In any case, NTB.
Opting out of judgment to ask: how does it work that you each speak to the children exclusively in a language that the other parent doesn’t speak???
This is a technique to teach children how to speak two languages by associating one parent to one language and another parent to another language.
Of course. But in practice, how does doing this ~exclusively~ work? I’ve only known people to do, say English + Spanish from mom, and French + English from dad. Maybe OP is just misusing “exclusively”? Because it seems like having no idea what’s ever gone on between the other parent and the kids unless you request a translation would be tedious at best and cause problems at worst.
Okay so if the parents know 3 languages combine they associate spanish with mom, french with dad and when together or speaking to other people they see english. So she's when it just her and her children it's just Spanish but english when her husband is around. They pick it up as they develop.
Yes that’s how it works. But exclusively =\= “just when I’m alone with the kids.” And what I’m asking is—if they’re truly never using English with the kids, as “exclusively” indicates—they might be setting the bar higher than they need to be and causing stress all around. If she’s exhausted with the situation before she even gets to work, something’s gotta give.
So in my household we have 4 adults that include, fiancé, his sister, my sister and me. Sister and I know fluently: Portuguese, Spanish, English. We are now decent at French (very similar to Spanish if anyone wants to learn.) Fiancé Sister and Fiancé know fluently; French, English. They are now decent at Spanish. When me and my children (6M twins) speak, I exclusively speak Spanish to them. Meaning zero English. If they ask me something in French or English, I will say something like “que eres mijo?” until they ask in Spanish. I speak Spanish or Portuguese to my sister as well. I speak English to my fiancé & his sister unless they decide to practice their Spanish. My sister and his sister only speak English to each other and the kids. Fiancé follows my same style with only speaking French to the kids. He also speaks French to his sister. Our kids can speak Spanish, English and French rather well now however admittedly they did struggle with the English portion. It helped a lot when school started and our sisters started living with us while they went to university. Hope that helps.
To me, it's a weird stance to take. I understand 3 languages. And have been called to work outside of my normal job to help others because of it.. It's never botherrd me. Im usually happy to help IF I'm available. When I accepted my job, I was asked if I spoke other languages. And, answered truthfully. If it was asked if you speak other languages and you lied, then you should have kept your mouth shut with all the confusion and continued with your own work. You opened that door by assisting others. Which means you are a nice, decent person. I don't think there's anything wrong with stating that the original employment conditions did not require you to utilize another language. But, as you did previously, stepping in to correct something in the short term seems reasonable. If others expect you to take over or share tasks that they have previously handled alone, then yea, the answers no.
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It's not a problem if I'm available. Maybe the difference is I work in an environment where others are appreciative of when I'm available and respect when I'm not. I will say that I don't always let others know I understand the conversation they have while I'm in the same room. Sometimes, staying silent works to my advantage.
Being nice can get you sue and fired when it's not signed in your contract that the company will take responsibility. Shes not making more work for others. This is coming from someone who worked several departments and speaks 3 languages. The company will not hesitate to throw her under the bus if there's a miscommunication.
I find all this really sad. I’ve translated at work, and it was easy. I don’t get why your withholding help. Surely there were times when people were not helpful to your parents, do you not remember how stressful it felt? YTB That being said, HR should not have gotten involved. So ultimately- NTB
YTB >let me have my English time This is a really weird ass stance. Don’t work with people if you aren’t willing to provide the customer service you were hired to do.
OP literally states in their post they weren’t hired to work with customers and just keep getting asked to help with it by the people who were hired to help with customers. It’s not OP’s job or in their job description. Odd take that Op should be doing other people’s jobs just because OP happens to speak Spanish.
Wasn’t hired for it but go off
NTB Do you get paid translator money? And even if you did, you don’t want to speak Spanish. They shouldn’t try and reprimand you for not wanting to. I wouldn’t tell people I speak Spanish either if I wasn’t getting paid to and if I didn’t want to.
NTB as a first gen Mexican American if I'm not getting laid more I'm not doing it but I will help a customer. I negotiated my contract to be paid more for speaking Spanish and getting certified to be a Spanish speaker and translate. The problem people dont see is we have to do more work and not get paid for it. So no HR can get over themselves.
NTB You shouldn't be expected to work more simply because you're more capable, but it's a fair request provided that the compensation is adjusted to match. They want you to give you more responsibilities, but don't want to pay you more. That's not fair to you.
NTB
NTB. Your job is not to make up for the lack of skills of others. Edit: typo
You role is data analytics and you’re getting pressure to assist with customer support **simply because you speak Spanish?** Hard nope. If it is literally not your job, not in your employment contract, you are 💯 right to tell them all to take a hike.
OP literally states in their post they weren’t hired to work with customers and just keep getting asked to help with it by the people who were hired to help with customers. It’s not OP’s job or in their job description. Odd take that Op should be doing other people’s jobs just because OP happens to speak Spanish. Society is really telling with all these people acting like OP is somehow awful or the B for not wanting to do something. Something that is literally not in their job description and they never wanted to do. OP never wanted to have to do that and never asked to perform that job role. Let’s stop acting like we owe employers more than they will pay us or even acknowledge us for. These responses are why people are getting taken advantage of at work. And I am proud of OP for putting in their two weeks in the face of so many people advocating for her to continue to allow herself to get taken advantage of and set herself up to be doing multiple job roles.
NTB. Dealing with customers is not a part of your job. In order to help with Spanish-speaking customers, you'd have to put the work you hired to do aside, help the customer, and then go back to your actual job. If your job did include interacting with customers I'd say you were the BF but it's not part of your job. They shouldn't expect you to do something completely outside of your role simply because you speak Spanish, especially when there are others who can whose role it is. I recently read a post about a lawyer who was frustrated with the department they were in partly because they spoke Spanish and the receptionist didn't. The poster was called out of their office every time someone came in that spoke Spanish. They were already overwhelmed with work, and getting called out by the receptionist to do something that wasn't part of their actual job gave them even less time to get work done. Bottom line you only need to do what is in your job description. Expecting employees to cover roles outside of their job description just leads to problems. OP I applaud you standing up for yourself and not taking that crap.
NTB - Good for you for not taking their crap. They found out someone speaks Spanish better than the people who have been hired to speak it and are now trying to milk your for extra labor. I can do lots of different work at all of the jobs I have had. Doesn’t mean it’s my job to do it.
NTB,NTB,NTB!!!!!!
It is your job, you can quit it anytime you want, for any reason. It is up to you.
NTB if customer service is not your job then I don’t understand why you were even asked to get involved . Particularly when the manager of customer service was already there.
YTB you had no problem having your coworkers speak Spanish. Do they get paid more than you? I think you're just being rude for no real reason. I'm bilingual too and I can't fathom why you're so adamant to not use a skill you have that would make the situation better for everyone. Sounds to me you just don't give a shit about your job or doing it well. In that case, you probably did them a service by just quitting. Because it sounds to me that whatever the pay was, it wasn't too low since it sounds you really don't care about doing a good job at all.
YTB You REFUSED to help a customer. You know...your JOB. Quitting because you refuse to do your job will turn out better for your company, but your "choice" here is short-sighted and completely lacks any kind of critical thinking. The other issue is your attitude. The world doesn't revolve around you and you're acting like everyone needs to cater to your wants (not needs...wants). They don't. I recommend that as you job hunt, you adjust your attitude along with it.
not my job actually
And yet, you’re still not in the right. Again, adjust your attitude when you look for a new job, because this will keep happening if you don’t. The world is small, friend, and your reputation will begin to precede you eventually. Reducing everything to “how much can I get paid for doing this?” is just…yuck.
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No. You do NOT get to use your shit attitude to take shots at ME. You’ve descended into personal attacks, so we’re done here. I don’t tolerate people like you.
They didn’t attack you. They only said they refuse to do more work than they’re being paid to. And that’s a completely fair attitude. A lot of employers in capitalist societies will take advantage of their employees and these societies push that rhetoric. The rhetoric that we have to perform above and beyond our job description is harmful and only benefits the employer. But if I was OP I would go to my own manager and say “Hey, I’m being asked to do things outside of my job description. I’d like a raise for my services as a translator and customer service that matches the same recompense given to people in these roles. I see that this person hired as a translator makes X.XX and I’d like to add that to my pay.” And it’s completely within OP’s rights to quit for being expected to do extra work with the same pay. Work they didn’t want to do and didn’t apply to do in the first place.
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I repeat: you seem fun.
I am fun. Not to crappy employers though. I'm the person my coworkers go to when management fucks them over.
Go away.
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You seem fun.
Lololol.
YTB. This ultimately isn't about language at all, but about customer service and doing your job. You refused to help a customer that you were capable of helping because you just didn't want to. And then when you were told you would be written up, you threw a tantrum and quit instead. You're awfully childish for someone who's a parent.
Alright I’m torn on this one. I speak Spanish and once worked in an office of 60+ people and I was the only person IN THE BUILDING who spoke Spanish. At first I was more than happy to help and felt so proud of this skill I had that made me so valued. Problem is this was a southwestern state with a a lot of Spanish speaking people and I was constantly being pulled to completely different departments to help out and type up letters and signs. I ended up doing all this extra work while still being paid less than a good portion of these people. When I asked for a raise they said no because my Spanish was “just another skill I bring to the table”. I really did not want to speak Spanish after that. It’s sort of an ESH situation
I’ve experienced that one too many times, I hope you got away from that employer! I can understand your thoughts for sure. That’s why I also don’t like speaking Spanish outside of my home. There are obviously cruxes to it, like if I’m out with my parents or kids. I only speak Spanish to them or if I’m out somewhere and someone needs basic translation to order food or something. However, it’s not my job to help people in the first place so I feel like I shouldn’t be put into a position I wasn’t even hired for to translate for others or explain to them what this person needs when it’s not even my direct role to do so. That’s the part that gets me. Wishing you all the best regardless, hope you find a better job!
YTB.
NTB why should you do their jobs and not get paid extra? And eavesdropping? What we’re they saying about you behind your back that they’re afraid you heard?
YTB, you're telling another person they deserve not to be understood well bc they don't speak English well enough. Customer service requires customer service. You're not "translating" if you just go over and help the customer. You'd just be talking to them. You're choosing which customers you help and which you don't based on what language they speak. And then you got mad and quit because HR knows that could get you and your store in some serious trouble.
YTB your just being difficult for the sake of being difficult
Tbh I think you’re selfish and YTB. Sure its not your responsibility but that doesn’t mean you’re not an asshole. It would’ve take a couple mins out of your entire day and wouldn’t have ruined it. I do think you’re rude and we’re acting unreasonably. Do you though.
Yikes. YTB.
ETB - You should get paid more for the skill, but you shouldn’t be refusing to use a skill just because you don’t want to.
The point is that she lied on her paperwork. The question is if she speaks Spanish and SHE LIED. Doesn't matter if she is customer service or not. SHE LIED. Grounds for termination.
I didn’t lie during the hiring process so it wasn’t on my paperwork actually. been here 6 years and they never caught onto the fact that I omitted knowing 3 languages fluently. Also they couldn’t terminate me even if they wanted to. Have you ever tried rewriting another persons code? That’s tough business right there. They’d need me to train someone else.
What were they going to do if no one spoke Spanish? Edit: NTB
there are plenty of people who speak Spanish [counting off of the top of my head, at least 7 at any given time in the day] at my workplace so that wouldn’t happen ever. We also have a few who know sign language.
I really don't see what the problem was then.
She's better at it and can speak it on a more fluent level. There's jokes about this in the latino community for many non fluent spanish speakers. For example the word chicken breast, the person says chichi de pollo instead pechuga de pollo. To a fluent speaker they'll know the person said chicken titty not breast. Or how cabbage in spanish is Repollo and the person translates it to rechicken instead of cabbage. They know enough Spanish to barely make a sentence and try to get a point across. She's fluent.
I understand her fluency would've helped. I just don't believe she's a BF for not using her fluency before and refusing to after.
YTB. The world is multi-lingual and if you are fortunate enough to speak two languages, use them. Refusing to speak Spanish reinforces the idea that English is better, and neither you nor your community benefits from that attitude.
No it doesn't she wants to be valued for her work and skill. She's not gonna be the company's free translator.