Talk Dutch to me.
Talk Dutch to me
The weekend I was in Amsterdam because my daughter was studying there and had her birthday and couldn't come home. Being alone with her birthday she found a bad idea so we solved that with a sleepover of mine with her. It was very nice and although I could come up with 100 presents I decided that we would go birthday shopping. Seemed to me for a student just a bit more convenient and let's face the sale now makes shopping also very pleasant! We had pretty good weather to “town”. It was great to have some time with her so I really enjoyed her and Amsterdam. Although there was one point which surprised me very much and which I found quite unreal. In fact, I found it downright disturbing.
I was constantly addressed in English. Now I understand that the center of Amsterdam is a tourist area so I understand that this can happen but the annoying thing was that the staff in the shops spoke 98% only English. Look I understand that they want staff to speak English ALSO - and possibly other languages - but the staff just didn't speak Dutch and that's really “not done”. Nor is it that I do not speak English and therefore cannot communicate with them. But it's just that I don't want to. No more and no less. Maybe this is because I live on the German border where many Germans live and there are more Germans who come shopping here (and there are a lot of them) who often refuse to learn and speak Dutch but I'm going to put my heels in the sand. You certainly don't have to speak every language. Certainly not. But if you live somewhere, you learn the language. You don't have to speak it fluently. You can make a hundred thousand mistakes as far as my business is concerned, but at least try.
I used to switch to another language as a matter of course, but I don't do that anymore. Unless I notice that someone is bothering to speak in Dutch. Then I'm willing to meet someone and switch to a foreign language that I master. But it is not too much to ask to expect that if I am in a store in the Netherlands and I ask something that I get in Dutch answer.
I live in Limburg and I speak several Limburg dialects and I also find it very disturbing when I am addressed by the staff in a store in the dialect. Simply because people can't tell from me if I understand the dialect. So even then speak in consistent Dutch. The main language in the Netherlands is Dutch. And I think it's a decent issue to be addressed in that language. Gradually the conversation you can decide to continue speaking in the local language but I think it is up to the customer to indicate this.
So a call to all shop owners and shop staff “TAK ENGLISH WITH ME”!
