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Post by houpla on Feb 10, 2023 7:04:01 GMT 1
Living as I do in an area crawling with Brits who expect to be nannied and spoon-fed by those who have made the effort, I've come to the conclusion that most of them are just plain lazy. Only because they have the (lazy) choice, anywhere else they would have to shape up or ship out, in my old area most shipped out within a few years. All those years ago I read a serious and not tongue in cheek posting on a forum asking for an English speaking whatever and they said "unfortunately I seem to have moved to a non English speaking village, I thought it was ridiculous and hilarious in equal measure and thought what on earth were they expecting? Now I realise that they had probably holidayed in this area before househunting and really did think that everyone spoke English. Many do but they sure ain't happy about having to do so. 15 years ago, (nearly) everything 'British' was fashionable with many of the French round here. Having Brit friends and speaking a smattering of English were points of honour. Thanks to the word we don't mention, that's changed. The backlash seems to have started within the medical profession. I've heard of several instances of practitioners getting extremely snotty when asked to explain something in English, or even downright refusing. Not through lack of ability. It's hard to tell whether it's spread to the various government departments because, depending whether you strike unlucky, they've often been consistently rude and unhelpful to everyone  |
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Nifty
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Post by Nifty on Feb 10, 2023 7:17:35 GMT 1
The above post may explain one of my visits to a Doctor. The bar steward claimed that I had stood him up previously.
He was rude,very unprofessional, and most importantly, wrong. not the type of guy that makes a good Head of Department..
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Aardvark
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Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
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Post by Aardvark on Feb 10, 2023 11:49:17 GMT 1
ITV2
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Post by pcpa on Feb 10, 2023 19:14:31 GMT 1
Thanks to the word we don't mention, that's changed. The backlash seems to have started within the medical profession. I've heard of several instances of practitioners getting extremely snotty when asked to explain something in English, or even downright refusing. Why blame it on Brexit? 17 years ago I was recommended a Médecin, he was a decent chap but I didn't realise he was recommended because he spoke English, I spoke French to him as I did with everybody else from day 1, very basic and halting French but we got by, he said to me he hated being the Médecin of choice of all the Brits in the area, he hated having to speak English to them and was concerned that his equally basic English would one day lead to a misunderstanding with dire consequences. |
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Post by houpla on Feb 11, 2023 8:00:29 GMT 1
OK, we'll call it a coincidence, then |
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Post by cernunnos on Feb 11, 2023 10:03:03 GMT 1
It probably depends on what sort of experience they have had with the " first contact"
We were at the eye clinique last week and all the assistants ( and the docter ) except one were very happy to try out their English, even though I can speak acceptable French.
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suein56
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Southern Morbihan 56 Brittany
Posts: 6,898
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Post by suein56 on Feb 11, 2023 10:36:59 GMT 1
It probably depends on what sort of experience they have had with the " first contact" We were at the eye clinique last week and all the assistants ( and the docter ) except one were very happy to try out their English, even though I can speak acceptable French.I was truly shocked last week during a visit with one of my OH's new vascular surgeons - they are a team of 3 who we are seeing in turn, before they decide between them the best way to operate to get the right result for OH. OH was answering a question in his passable French when the surgeon suddenly broke into a discourse in very good English. It was so bizarre .. because it was so unexpected. I was taken aback as up till now all consultations have been 100% in French. We reverted to French when he was describing the procedure he was proposing to use. But the final decision will be taken after the group discussion. |
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Post by houpla on Feb 11, 2023 11:34:12 GMT 1
Just showing off? |
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suein56
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Southern Morbihan 56 Brittany
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Post by suein56 on Feb 11, 2023 11:51:56 GMT 1
Just showing off? I don't think so but perhaps like pcpa's Dr this surgeon has become used to dealing with English-speaking people who can't manage a medical appt in French. He was a genuinely nice guy who answered my many questions in an informative, honest and totally non-haughty way so I don't know about him showing-off.
Tho perhaps a tiddy bit 
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Post by jackie on Feb 11, 2023 17:36:20 GMT 1
Years ago a friend who really applied herself and ended up speaking very good French acquired some Brit neighbours who told her they had no interest in learning French. Needless to say they then expected her to translate everything for them. She then had to move back to the UK to look after ailing parents. Wonder how they got on after that?
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exile
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Massif Central
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Post by exile on Feb 11, 2023 18:33:57 GMT 1
One of the younger radiographers at our not so local centre d'imagarie asks that she can speak English to me provided that I reply in French. I think this helps her to maintain/improve her English and I have no problem with that way of working. It certainly helps me.
In Germany, when my grasp of speaking the language was still a little bit wayward, I would hold work conversations with a colleague each speaking our own mother tongue. Colleagues from the UK were gobsmacked at the all but fluent bilingual exchanges.
When learning (and in that case we were both learning the other's language) such mechanisms can be extremely helpful.
AS far as Sue's doctor is concerned he may well have wanted to keep up his proficiency. As is often said, "Use it, or lose it"
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suein56
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Southern Morbihan 56 Brittany
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Post by suein56 on Feb 11, 2023 18:59:47 GMT 1
One of the younger radiographers at our not so local centre d'imagarie asks that she can speak English to me provided that I reply in French. I think this helps her to maintain/improve her English and I have no problem with that way of working. It certainly helps me. AS far as Sue's doctor is concerned he may well have wanted to keep up his proficiency. As is often said, "Use it, or lose it."
My thoughts more or less exactly. |
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Post by pcpa on Feb 12, 2023 13:14:58 GMT 1
In Germany, when my grasp of speaking the language was still a little bit wayward, I would hold work conversations with a colleague each speaking our own mother tongue. Colleagues from the UK were gobsmacked at the all but fluent bilingual exchanges. When learning (and in that case we were both learning the other's language) such mechanisms can be extremely helpful. I have remained very good friends with the lady who taught me French in my first 18 months, her, her husband and children are my best friends in France. We communicated like you at an intermittent stage, it happened totally unconsciously without decision but was usually the other way around, me speaking French and her English with both of us correcting the other, and then it would suddenly flip to us both speaking our mother tongue, again unconsciously, one would perhaps get tired or not be able to express something so would flip and so would the other. Now we speak only in French but still sometimes flip to English, we dont speak both together like before, if she or greets mephones me in English I will follow. |
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