Huge thanks to my friends Catherine Hislop and Peter Kelley for fueling this article.
It is offensive that most English speakers, regardless of their educational degree received, don't take a few minutes to use google translator when addressing an audience primarily composed of speakers of a foreign language.
Since I opened my LinkedIn account, I have lobbied for investment in Venezuela. Issue seems settled with my new group. My focus has suddenly shifted into conveying to the British Commonwealth (UK, Paki, India, Australia) APRENDER ESPAÑOL INMEDIATAMENTE. Latin countries no longer wish to be sold stuff in English. The rest of the world speaks their language and English, why should native English speakers remain monolingual in the 21st century? In general, English speakers get offended when forced to use a foreign language.
India needs urgently to promote foreign language instruction into their elementary educational system. I am appalled by the frightening attitudes I have read of during the last week concerning unwillingness to learn Spanish. In no other country have I noticed such resilience to open up to communication in foreign languages. India, wake up!
As a true artist who always says his inner truth because any respectable artist should live thru love of art, I convey to my distinguished readership this paradox: The British and Australian citizens who were thanked above wrote that I'm arrogant or with an attitude. Should I take it as a compliment because finally a third world, underfunded seeker of capital, has succeeded in overtaking Britain's most widely accepted cliché? I must confess that after some years of networking, I'm still getting culture-shocked every once in a while. But then, my point is still the simple fact that the English speaking world for centuries has ordered Iberian speakers to aprender inglés inmediatamente. Do I have to apologize for saying this? The good news is that after back-and-forth clarifications, I believe to remain friends with both the British and the Australian citizen with whom I shared this argument.
Readers don’t care if you make errors on a google translation. They encourage you to improve your language skills. It just takes a few extra minutes to double check a google translation. Non-English speakers do get offended to receive info in English in the same way that Québec enforces their French-only rule.
It looks like US & Commonwealth countries will quickly fall behind in trade priorities. I am quickly making business with China, Japan, Brazil and Venezuela. I've been rejected from all the English speaking world (excepting Canada) during the last two years due their own recession problems. They should, then, if they stubbornly choose to remain in a mental recession, learn the language of their customers and suppliers.
Let’s hope that enough people will awaken with this assertive attitude.
Rubén Rivero Capriles
Caracas, November 6, 2011
Bemvindo a novo meu grupo Arte en Venezuela, the coolest group on both linkedIn and ushi
Both groups will continue dismantling language barriers in networking forever.
