Earlier this month I went to Vienna (Austria) and Bordeaux (France). After some 30 hours in the plane I arrived in Vienna city and went looking for some food. Being in a strange country, I decided to check out something familiar and found a Burger King Restaurant. At the counter I saw several migrant workers, one looked very Indian and so I spoke to her in English, she replied to me in an unknown language. “Do you speak English”, I asked. She said “Yes”. When I asked her what language she spoke earlier, she said “Deutsch” meaning German. I was impressed to learn about a Bangla Deshi lady having the fluent ability to converse in the language spoken in Vienna.
In Bordeaux, I encountered many migrants of African and Chinese ethnicity speaking fluent French. I felt somewhat isolated and alien as I could not speak either of these languages
The good news is, migrants can survive anywhere and be successful in their chosen vocation, be it a Burger King sales person or an air hostess. I was still able to communicate with my French taxi driver by sign language and a few French and English words that I wanted to be taken to the airport. When I wanted to know what the fare was, he simply wrote the value on a piece of paper. We bid adieu at the airport never to see each other again.
What I realised is the power of words to communicate meaning, to establish rapport and to ensure appropriate outcomes. It is best expressed in one's native language or the vernacular.
What impressed me most was the versatility of migrants wherever they chose to emigrate to. While the native French taxi driver said “Non” when I asked in broken French, “Parlez vous Anglaise?”; The migrant lady at the Burger King spoke English, German and several Indian dialects!
Cheers migrants, you can do anything!
In Bordeaux, I encountered many migrants of African and Chinese ethnicity speaking fluent French. I felt somewhat isolated and alien as I could not speak either of these languages
The good news is, migrants can survive anywhere and be successful in their chosen vocation, be it a Burger King sales person or an air hostess. I was still able to communicate with my French taxi driver by sign language and a few French and English words that I wanted to be taken to the airport. When I wanted to know what the fare was, he simply wrote the value on a piece of paper. We bid adieu at the airport never to see each other again.
What I realised is the power of words to communicate meaning, to establish rapport and to ensure appropriate outcomes. It is best expressed in one's native language or the vernacular.
What impressed me most was the versatility of migrants wherever they chose to emigrate to. While the native French taxi driver said “Non” when I asked in broken French, “Parlez vous Anglaise?”; The migrant lady at the Burger King spoke English, German and several Indian dialects!
Cheers migrants, you can do anything!
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