Speaking two languages....

Irishguy16

Hey guys,
I recently started a new job. I work with a girl from South Africa. She is a great person, very good at her job, very advanced, one of the bosses favorite, and very helpful if I ever need any advice or guidance.

But she keeps making reference to the fact that she speaks two languages, English and Afrikaans. Every single day its "Oh, but I speak two langagues" and "Oh,it's great being bi lingual". We meet a lot of different people in the job, and she tells absolutely everyone that she speaks two languages, as if she deserves a reward or something. Even on break time i'm almost certain that she rings her mother on purpose, in front of us all, and starts speaking Afrikaans.

I'm not sure if she is aware that everyone in my job, except maybe one or two, speak a different language aswell, but we very rarely point it out. A few days ago we went out and she kept saying it again, not realising that all five of us,including myself, can all speak a different language, Irish, Hindi, Lithuanian, Chinese......

The other day we were all telling each other jokes and when it came to her she was like, I have to translate from Afrikaans, so this may take a few minutes, even though her english is absolutely 100% perfect

I'm not sure what to do or say next time because I am slowly getting frustrated. Nobody ever uses a different language on the job. All we need is English in the job and nothing else is important.

Anyone got any similiar stories?

teacherhead

She's a cnut.

teacherhead

She's a cnut.

Hande hoche!

Does she look like Charlize Theron?

B_Rabbit

She's a peanut.

Arthur Beesley

Is she hot?

ArtyC

Turn it into a drinking game.......
A swig for "two languages" said and a shot for every time she speaks it loudly for ye to hear......

Liver failure won't take long and you won't. Have to tolerate her **** anymore

Alf. A. Male

I had a girlfriend who spoke 7 languages. Clearly I win. You should tell your language-challenged colleague about my success and it will shut her up.

4zn76tysfajdxp

As far as I'm concerned, Afrikaans isn't even a proper language. It's more like special-needs Dutch.

Arthur Beesley

Alf. A. Male wrote: »

I had a girlfriend who spoke 7 languages. Clearly I win. You should tell your language-challenged colleague about my success and it will shut her up.

Had....

mfceiling

Tell her that Afrikaan's isn't really another language, and that it's only spoken by about 8 people.

Or find out from google translate what the Afrikkan is for "shut the fúck up"...

Arthur Beesley

mfceiling wrote: »

Tell her that Afrikaan's isn't really another language, and that it's only spoken by about 8 people.

Or find out from google translate what the Afrikkan is for "shut the fúck up"...

Yeah, and say it in Irish.

Sauve

Denver Wrong Bologna wrote: »

As far as I'm concerned, Afrikaans isn't even a proper language. It's more like special-needs Dutch.

Bit like Irish?

4zn76tysfajdxp

Sauve wrote: »

Bit like Irish?

Exactly but I'm sure Afrikaans is way easier. Nelson Mandela learned it in prison for god's sake.

Too Tough To Die

Tell her to votsek.

yr one

Does any two people speak the same language in work? If so have a conversation while she's around in that language, maybe she will feel left out and cop on to how stupid she's being.

What is it with people who insist on throwing in different languages when having a conversation, half the time it's a load of sh!te coming out if their mouth. I speak English and a tiny amount of Italian and Irish, I'm considering brining my cousin into the office I work in, she's fluent in English, Irish, German, Spanish and Japanese, she says she knows some Esperanto also and she's 19.. She just has the gift of the gab only multilingual gab.. Wonder how mr SI AND OUI to every bloody question would feel then

Sauve

Denver Wrong Bologna wrote: »

Exactly but I'm sure Afrikaans is way easier. Nelson Mandela learned it in prison for god's sake.

He was smrt though. I'd be screwed, I can't even do the Afrikaaner accent like....

4zn76tysfajdxp

yr one wrote: »

Does any two people speak the same language in work?

English?

Jacovs

Tell her to fokof.
In work they thought I only speak english, till they asked me and I told them Afrikaans is in fact my first language, not english.

They are always disappointed when I say I cant speak the clicky language.

yr one

Denver Wrong Bologna wrote: »

English?

Sorry I mean a language she cannot understand

diegroblers

mfceiling wrote: »

Tell her that Afrikaan's isn't really another language, and that it's only spoken by about 8 people.

Or find out from google translate what the Afrikkan is for "shut the fúck up"...

*Afrikaans
"shut the fúck up": Hou jou fokken bek.

Too Tough To Die wrote: »

Tell her to votsek.

*voetsek

Denver Wrong Bologna wrote: »

Exactly but I'm sure Afrikaans is way easier. Nelson Mandela learned it in prison for god's sake.

He should have; he was there for 27 years.

Tell her: "Jy's 'n onooslike bliksemse moerskont."

Cork Lass

I have four languages
1. English - my 1st language
2. Phone language - the language I use at work
3. Bad language - generally used after phone language
4. Eye language - the look I save for when there are no words. This would be used for the likes of the bilingual girl in the OP's office :pac:

Legs.Eleven

I speak two languages.





Did I tell you I speak two languages?




I do, I speak two languages.



Languages. 2 of them. I speak them both.



...of them. The languages I mean. I speak them. To people. Daily.






Speaky speaky. 2. Languages. Me. Not you. Me.

c_man

Can she say "blik"?

Donkey Oaty

Comedian/performance artist Simon Munnery claims to speak fifteen languages.

Even more impressively, he claims to have invented fourteen languages.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

I speak two languages.





Did I tell you I speak two languages?




I do, I speak two languages.



Languages. 2 of them. I speak them both.



...of them. The languages I mean. I speak them. To people. Daily.






Speaky speaky. 2. Languages. Me. Not you. Me.

Just two? :rolleyes:

Legs.Eleven

Denver Wrong Bologna wrote: »

Just two? :rolleyes:

Bite the big one. :cool:

Frosty McSnowballs

Pffft, who needs more than one language!

Just be awesome at hand signals, sorted.

Drakares

I speak two languages. La-di-da!

However, where I live most people, especially in the younger generation speak a minimum of two languages so I don't get to show off here

Wabbit Ears

Does she also say the words "South Africa" in that extraordinarily annoying accent at every single given opportunity?

Its like, yea, I get you're from SA and speak one of the native languages for the fifty fcuking thousandth time today

osarusan

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

Does she also say the words "South Africa" in that extraordinarily annoying accent at every single given opportunity?

Seth Efriceh?

I love how that sounds.

syklops

Speaking 2 languages really is no big deal. It is incredibly common.

My girlfriend is Polish and speaks (unsurprisingly) Polish and English fluently, is near fluent in German and can read/understand Russian and several other Slavic languages. Her sister studied linguistics in college and is fluent in four languages and near fluent in three others.

My parents next door neighbour is from the Gaeltacht and only speaks to his children in Irish. His wife is Austrian and speaks to them in German and they learn English in school. Trilingual at 5 and 6.

Raminahobbin

I really, really, really don't have any interest in learning to speak a second language. Seems like a lot of work.

gramar

I was working in the south of Spain about 7 or 8 years ago getting a shop ready for opening and I was helping the owner with selecting the candidates as she had no Spanish. One of the girls who she was thinking of hiring was from Argentina and told me that she spoke Spanish and Argentinian!

the_monkey

Irishguy16 wrote: »

.... A few days ago we went out and she kept saying it again, not realising that all five of us,including myself, can all speak a different language, Irish, Hindi, Lithuanian, Chinese......

....

Yeah Irish is a real important language to know !!

May as well learn Elvish or Klingon ffs...

--LOS--

That would do my head in, can you not just say it to her in a jokey way?


I met one of these asses recently that thinks it's downright shameful to only have one language. But a lot of us only have one language because that's all we need, and if you're in science you have to have english.

Can she not take a phone call in private as well. Just because people wont understand her, it's still rude to just sit there on the phone in the middle of everyone. I used to live with a south african girl and she was lovely but she always did this, like you'd be watching tv or cooking or whatever and you'd be forced to listen to someone shouting down the phone ughh

4zn76tysfajdxp

the_monkey wrote: »

Yeah Irish is a real important language to know !!

May as well learn Elvish or Klingon ffs...

What an irrelevant outburst.

Paramite Pie

the_monkey wrote: »

Yeah Irish is a real important language to know !!

May as well learn Elvish or Klingon ffs...

Most languages aren't important to learn, especially considering our tendency to emigrate to English-speaking countries.:pac: Also it's possible that he was raised to speak it fluently rather than actively chose to 'learn' it. And given the choice I'd rather learn any fringe language rather than a fictional language like "Klingon".

I spent a short time in Korea (not long enough to learn the language) and I've continued to try and learn the language since I came home. I may never go back but I enjoy it, and that's the most important thing.

P. Breathnach

From OP:

I recently started a new job. I work with a girl from South Africa. She is a great person, very good at her job, very advanced, one of the bosses favorite, and very helpful if I ever need any advice or guidance.

But she keeps making reference to the fact that she speaks two languages, English and Afrikaans....

On balance, it seems that her good points outweigh the bad.

I'd regard her behaviour as a foible, and not give it too much thought. It is possible that Afrikaans is her first language, and she is covering herself in case her English is a bit flawed.

gctest50

send this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeDk6ZeGNnU

OneArt

I dislike Afrikaans, only because it always reminds me of the strict teachers I had in South Africa. The sound of it still gives me the chills, and not in a good way.

On a fun note, my dad was a factory manager out there and took to learning languages like Afrikaans and Zulu for the craic. His colleagues in the UK were very confused when the Irish boss started speaking to the South African cleaning lady in Zulu...

Solar Flare

The benefit of a second language when you speak English is primarily on a personal developmental level, for that reason it's not pointless learning obscure languages.

biko

Next time say: "Yeah I used to work in a customer support centre, most people there spoke 2 or more languages. It was amazing..."

Capt'n Midnight

Sauve wrote: »

Bit like Irish?

More like Ulster Scots.

From the PSNI http://www.psni.police.uk/ulster_scots.pdf

The Polis Service o Norlin Airlan is aa sat for makkan Norlin Airlan saufer, wi
progressive, professional polisin. We arettlet at makkan our services apen
tae the haill commontie.
...
Get Ahauld o Us
Ye can get ahauld o the Polis Service wi the telephone, the email or in writin.
...
Gin ye haena the Inglis, ye will be put owre tae an interpretar.
A nott case is whaur serious injure is efter cumman aff, or gan on, an the
suspects at or next the airt.

corner of hells

Irishguy16 wrote: »

Hey guys,
I recently started a new job. I work with a girl from South Africa. She is a great person, very good at her job, very advanced, one of the bosses favorite, and very helpful if I ever need any advice or guidance.

But she keeps making reference to the fact that she speaks two languages, English and Afrikaans. Every single day its "Oh, but I speak two langagues" and "Oh,it's great being bi lingual". We meet a lot of different people in the job, and she tells absolutely everyone that she speaks two languages, as if she deserves a reward or something. Even on break time i'm almost certain that she rings her mother on purpose, in front of us all, and starts speaking Afrikaans.

I'm not sure if she is aware that everyone in my job, except maybe one or two, speak a different language aswell, but we very rarely point it out. A few days ago we went out and she kept saying it again, not realising that all five of us,including myself, can all speak a different language, Irish, Hindi, Lithuanian, Chinese......

The other day we were all telling each other jokes and when it came to her she was like, I have to translate from Afrikaans, so this may take a few minutes, even though her english is absolutely 100% perfect

I'm not sure what to do or say next time because I am slowly getting frustrated. Nobody ever uses a different language on the job. All we need is English in the job and nothing else is important.

Anyone got any similiar stories?

Wait till she's having a slash in the bog and throw in four black cat fireworks , then you'll find out her primary language and how good she is at screaming.

sebastianlieken

Tell her you speak three languages. that'll make her feel inferior.

gctest50

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=O--uGzo34N4#t=53

kowloon

This seems relevant: On being biligual

corner of hells wrote: »

Wait till she's having a slash in the bog and throw in four black cat fireworks , then you'll find out her primary language and how good she is at screaming.

Like this?

diegroblers

You can tell her knowing two or more languages will eventually be redundant: http://www.geek.com/microsoft/microsoft-emulates-star-trek-turns-skype-into-a-universal-translator-1595044/

BBJBIG

And ...

Who the Foook understands her ... except another bloody Boer ...

And, why do you think she is in Oireland ?
It certainly is a lot more safer than SA for a start - despite the skangers.

Anyway ... is she Hawt ???
Why not ask her (translated) in Afrikaans :-
"Can I roide the Hole off ya ?"

Oink

syklops wrote: »

Trilingual at 5 and 6.

... And fooked up at 7 methinks...


:-)