Call Center English and Grammar

Have the call center reps taken your advice and improved the last 12 months?  I'm thinking very few of them read this forum.

mugtech wrote:

...I'm thinking very few of them read this forum.

I notice many people look for new job elsewhere by visiting this forum.

One of my banks has a call centre in the Philippines, and I always dread talking to them if that's where my call ends up.
The vast majority have no clue about inflection so it's like a Two Ronnies sketch half the ruddy time.

post wrote:

mugtech wrote:

...I'm thinking very few of them read this forum.

I notice many people look for new job elsewhere by visiting this forum.

Perhaps, but people already working I call centers?  Not so much, as working in a call center is an end goal.

samahantayo wrote:

Among the many interactions I've had with call centers around the world, I have mostly interacted with those in the Philippines, India, Mexico and some in Europe.

Since this post is about Philippine call centers I'd like to share my experience and suggestions. Overall, the reps are pretty good. Although, I will say that a large percentage can use coaching in how they interact along with speaking English properly and grammatically. There are some reps that are pretty good. I am not referring to accents although that helps.

Among a few issues, there are 2 main things I will point out that I find should be addressed. There is no need to address the customer as "Sir/Miss/Mam (first name)". If you really want to call them by their first name, ask them. "May call you Robert?" - Not Sir Robert. "May I call you Mary?" - Not Miss Mary. I know people in the Philippines do this to customers bc they think its respectful. But remember - you are not talking to people in the Philippines. This is not about your culture. I can see that reps actually think they are being respectful and nice but what I see are cultural habits that other cultures find strange. You can also address them with their last name like Mr or Ms Smith.

The second suggestion is about getting to the point. Filipinos are culturally notorious for being too wordy and going round and round when explaining something instead of getting to the point. I always find myself shaking my head as I am listening to them on the phone trying to explain or apologize about something. Remember, customers want to hear results. Not drawn out excuses or useless statements. It's the same comment as above about cultural habits that need to be addressed.

There are a few other issues but these 2 stand out. I'm originally from the Philippines but have been in the US for over 40 years. I also speak other dialects and am quite in-tune with the culture. I may have a leg up with the English language bc we spoke it very well when we were growing up.  And my 40+ years in the US has helped me understand American culture. I think better training in these areas it will make your organization more marketable to companies and your customers be more receptive to your Call Center representatives.

Thank you for the insights! I would just like to share, as I handle the call center team in Offshore Business Processing. All of this was true! last 2013 we already had foreseen this concern and came up with a training session in which we train our people to adapt to the culture of our specific clients. As a result, our call center services concerns were minimal.

2013? Well I do notice some improvement. However there are still some annoying habits related to my comments. They still say "sir" and the endless apologies still goes on. I have given feedback to companies like Ring and Amazon about this.

Recently, the other annoying thing I noticed is lack of understanding of the business they represent. This was true with Ring and Wellcare who happen to be the ones I called.

Much training and coaching still needed. Simply being able to speak English is not the only qualification to be good call center reps. Coaching, training and technical knowledge is critical. Again, the endless apologies and non-sensical responses are pretty bad.

My experience with call centers locations, the one I dread the most is those in India, I often have to ask them to repeat themselves.

I use Ooma Telo for voip (voice over internet protocol) if they have caller id it shows my stateside telephone number that I've had for 16 years.

The first time I had to call my bank in the states I did it in the wee hours so the call would be done in business hours of the bank. I got through immediately with no wait.

They handled my problem and then I remarked that I was calling from the PH. The customer service representative said she was in Pasay. Her English was so good I thought I was talking to someone in the states.

One of my charge cards is issued in Nebraska. When I call them I'm actually speaking from somebody in Nebraska.

Now, Call Centers & Banking: The best advise I could give to "future expats" from the US, is before you come here get a re-mailer in the states so you would have an US postal address. Next thing to do is get some sort of v.o.i.p and transfer your phone number to your v.o.i.p.

I had a land line in the states besides my cell phone. It was easy to transfer my landline. The cell phone carrier for my wife refused the transfer of my wife even though the number was hers before she signed up with her carrier.

Now a further thing about Ooma Telo, if you don't transfer your number they will allow you to pick two numbers for your Telo in an area code of your choice. The unit is full functioning. Caller id, caller block, night time mode, answering machine plus other features. After purchasing (less than $100) you only pay taxes (auto pay) in the state where the telephone is located.

Believe me, you will save a lot of frustration on receiving your mail and phone calls to and from the states.

SAMAH-You made some good points. You are a Pinay so can you please answer my concerns. I have lived in this awesome country 9 years and something really bothers me. Why are Philippinos sooooo NOSEY? They want to know everything about my personal life. Its gets annoying after a while. Now I just ignore it and smile and say 'Have a nice day" I will give you a few examples:When I first meet someone here even at the cashier check out I say hello and they start with "How old are you? Then" Do you own your own home? and finally "Are you married?" Happens all the time even daily. I got on a jeepney one time before the pandemic and there was a Pinoy about 55 yrs old sitting 3 seats away from me. "Hello Whats your name? Where do you live. How old are you? Are you married? Do you have any babies? Do you own your own home?" I love the people here and this country but this treatment becomes very redundant and annoying.In America this is not proper. I respect the culture and am learning more everyday and how to act and not offend anyone. Its what we all should do. I am living here on a permanent visa and planned on living here my remaining days but because of this repetitious  asking about my life all the time on a daily basis I am considering moving to a different country where my personal life may or may not be revealed when I am ready to reveal it. God bless America and may He also bless the Philippines.JIMMY in Baguio(Being addressed as "SIR" all the time is not an annoyance. It just makes me feel like I am in the military. I am used to it.No problem! Everyone Take care and stay safe!

SAMAH-You made some good points. You are a Pinay so can you please answer my concerns. I have lived in this awesome country 9 years and something really bothers me. Why are Philippinos sooooo NOSEY? They want to know everything about my personal life. Its gets annoying after a while. Now I just ignore it and smile and say 'Have a nice day" I will give you a few examples:When I first meet someone here even at the cashier check out I say hello and they start with "How old are you? Then" Do you own your own home? and finally "Are you married?" Happens all the time even daily. I got on a jeepney one time before the pandemic and there was a Pinoy about 55 yrs old sitting 3 seats away from me. "Hello Whats your name? Where do you live. How old are you? Are you married? Do you have any babies? Do you own your own home?" I love the people here and this country but this treatment becomes very redundant and [link under review] America this is not proper. I respect the culture and am learning more everyday and how to act and not offend anyone. Its what we all should do. I am living here on a permanent visa and planned on living here my remaining days but because of this repetitious  asking about my life all the time on a daily basis I am considering moving to a different country where my personal life may or may not be revealed when I am ready to reveal it. God bless America and may He also bless the Philippines.JIMMY in Baguio(Being addressed as "SIR" all the time is not an annoyance. It just makes me feel like I am in the military. I am used to [link under review] problem! Everyone Take care and stay safe!

Hi capricornrising, welcome to the forum, perhaps introduce yourself in the new members thread or here.

As for being addresses as Sir? Get used to it, as an Aussie I call the Pinoy sir or the Filipina mam until I know their name and station here. You called the OP "pinay", I didn't read that. The call centres here in PH work, I have dealt with them, Telco's and banking for near 20 years with nary a problem.

Nosy Filipinos? Never had that problem in the last 9 years here, perhaps I am ignorant and gossip (tsismis) is in all cultures and while some make a big deal about, others instead of getting on with their lives perpetuate and live it.
Being propositioned in the supermarket or on a jeepney? I wish, something to tell the better half and laugh.

Cheers, Steve.

capricornrising wrote:

SAMAH-You made some good points. You are a Pinay so can you please answer my concerns. I have lived in this awesome country 9 years and something really bothers me. Why are Philippinos sooooo NOSEY? They want to know everything about my personal life. Its gets annoying after a while. Now I just ignore it and smile and say 'Have a nice day" I will give you a few examples:When I first meet someone here even at the cashier check out I say hello and they start with "How old are you? Then" Do you own your own home? and finally "Are you married?" Happens all the time even daily. I got on a jeepney one time before the pandemic and there was a Pinoy about 55 yrs old sitting 3 seats away from me. "Hello Whats your name? Where do you live. How old are you? Are you married? Do you have any babies? Do you own your own home?" I love the people here and this country but this treatment becomes very redundant and [link under review] America this is not proper. I respect the culture and am learning more everyday and how to act and not offend anyone. Its what we all should do. I am living here on a permanent visa and planned on living here my remaining days but because of this repetitious  asking about my life all the time on a daily basis I am considering moving to a different country where my personal life may or may not be revealed when I am ready to reveal it. God bless America and may He also bless the Philippines.JIMMY in Baguio(Being addressed as "SIR" all the time is not an annoyance. It just makes me feel like I am in the military. I am used to [link under review] problem! Everyone Take care and stay safe!.

I don't think samahantayo is a Pinay (Filipino woman).

Do not generalize. I'm Filipino. I don't just start a conversation with any foreigner. I don't care what you're doing here (unless of course I see that you're an adult alone with a Filipino minor - like the occupants of the cabin / room next to ours during our trip to Boracay back in 2005 - then I would care and call the proper authorities to investigate.)

I think the reason why some people ask you personal questions is they might be wondering why someone from a first world country would be here in a third world country. It's not like you see a foreigner every time you get in a jeepney. Think of it as like you're riding a bus / subway train back in America, then a celebrity like Tom Hanks or Bette Midler sits next to you. You might ask yourself: Why is Tom Hanks riding this stinky bus? Is he researching for a role / character? Are we being filmed? You might even try to strike up a conversation with him.

You can try this: put on some cheap ear buds at places where people would bother you and ask you questions, and then pretend you're in a conversation with someone over the phone. I did this back in the states when I ride the bus because guys would hit on me often and ask some personal questions. Putting a fake wedding ring on my left ring finger didn't work. I told one guy that I was married. The man said, "You can always leave him." But I don't assume that American men are sooooo NOSEY. They're not. So, don't generalize.

God bless the Philippines. God bless America.

Fred wrote:

One of my banks has a call centre in the Philippines, and I always dread talking to them if that's where my call ends up.
The vast majority have no clue about inflection so it's like a Two Ronnies sketch half the ruddy time.

I dread the ones that get directed to India. No offense. Some have a really heavy Indian accent such that I would often ask them to repeat what they just said.

Call center employees in the Philippines do get trained in inflection, grammar, pronunciation, etc. But training can only do so much because, at the end of the day, the employee would be conversing in his / her native language and their Filipino inflection and pronunciation will get mixed with English.

When I went to the states, in a month I talked like I grew up there because most people whom I talked to grew up there. I hardly talked in Tagalog. Then I came back here in the Philippines.

I talk in Tagalog to almost everyone at work. Then I come home, and talk to my husband and the kids in English. So, I have to adjust. Most Tagalog words have a lot more syllables than English words (For example: kapayapaan (5 syllables) = peace (1 syllable)). I have to remember to slow down my pace when I talk to my husband because sometimes I tend to talk too fast to him, especially just after I arrive home from work. And sometimes I accidentally mispronounce words that are commonly used in Taglish and English. My husband and I were talking about fast food restaurants, and I said "Jack in the Bucks". We had a big laugh about it.

I also try to teach my workers the proper pronunciation of English words. One time, someone said we  need to rent "scup-PAUL-ding" and buy metal "parr-ring". I taught them the proper pronunciation of "scaffolding" and "furring." But soon, they lost the proper pronunciation because most people they talk to pronounce those words incorrectly.

Honestly, i used to not be a fan of call centers from India. But even became not a fan of reps from Philippines for the reasons stated above. At least, the India reps get to the point.

FilAmericanMom wrote:

I dread the ones that get directed to India. No offense. Some have a really heavy Indian accent such that I would often ask them to repeat what they just said.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/its- … -bmw5j2jlf

Apparently, according to a bunch of morons at Hull Uni, it's white male elitist to speak English properly.
It seems dreading speaking to your bank's rep because their English is rubbish is racism.

It looks like education in the UK is being sacrificed to the godz of politically correct crap.

Don't waste your time trying to learn to speak English to the point where you can be understood because it's only pandering to elitist white English males. I thought there was something about being able to communicate effectively, but it seems not.

Interesting article Fred, I go back to my plumbing days when, over the years we employed many young apprentices as well as tradesmen. The spelling in their time sheets, job descriptions and initial employment application left a lot to be desired, so many words spelt phonetically but on reflection perhaps a better and simpler way? Old dog that can spell even though I failed english, math, history etc at the ripe age of 15 when I was booted out of school. School was boring and greater things afoot.
Such a pity some can't do their math properly nor admit the mistakes, constantly it seems.
On topic, call centres in foreign countries work, they are there for a reason, firstly for the shareholders of the native company to receive more dividends (makes the CEO look good and earn him/her more money) secondly, competition, lower prices for the consumer and last, good jobs/work for the willing in respective countries. I have dealt with foreign call centres for over 20 years in banking, telcos etc. and will admit that that 20 + years ago was met many times with frustration and a request to speak to an Australian operator, yes you can do that. As time has gone on dealing with the call centres no matter the country have become painless (for me) and goals achieved. While these days the workers in a call centre may have an accent the english and grammar seem to me to be correct. We have a friend in Manila, he is Filipino but his grasp on english and respective connotations is perfect, his english accent is garbage no different to my Tagalog (yes they laugh at times) and my Illicano worse. His company flies him between the Philippines and Mexico (yes he's from Zamboanga with fluent  Spanish) to train and coach to save the parent company money and hopefully get the operators to communicate properly.  Welcome to the 21st century and go with the flow.

The loss of call centre work in all countries requires innovation, new things others can't do and in 10 or 20 years give it to them while the newer innovations will remain in the realm of the inventive country,,,,,, eventually to be passed on, progress.

Sorry for the rant and as always.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

Being an American English teacher with a few years in America-7 years in Korea-2 years in China(university) and 7 years in Philippines before covid hit I can add my 2 cents worth. With any new language you must speak it all the time and not just at your working place. The English academies I taught at here in the Philippines  the Philippino teachers when speaking to each other spoke in Tagalog instead of English. Hypothetically If I have a German wife who also speaks perfect English and I am learning German I would speak German all the time at home or in public. We NEVER forget our native tongue so we dont need to speak English to each other accept perhaps occasionally so we dont forget. When I used to see Korean students during lunch all talking to each other in Korean instead of English I would walk by them and tell  to them to talk in English only. Most English schools here have signs on the wall "ENGLISH SPEAKING ONLY" but the students just ignore that. Many people are lagging behind the ideas of common sense and how important the concept of common sense really is. I feel sorry for those who live in America with Spanish roots and only speak Spanish at home and English in School if they know it. Its truly counter-productive!Thanksgiving 2018 I visited my family in California for the last time. As I was on a bus from LA airport to San Bernadino there was a guy standing near me and I tried to talk to him and he just smiled and said"Sorry No speak English"Because of the current problems at our borders with illegals coming in I am afraid our great American English language will some day be a thing of the past.K SA RA SA RA! Jimmy

The great Australian English language came from? It certainly wasn't from the US, my indigenous cousins? Twist and turn it, where did your mother tongue come from? The native Americans? My school mates, primary and secondary were predominantly southern Europe with a smattering of Asian countries and never had a communication problem. I am not an english teacher so perhaps that's my downfall? Early days when I grew up immigrants integrated, I am an immigrant here and while slack to focus on the local dialect, Ilicano in reality it's not a problem because most converse in english when they talk to me and nary a problem. Go Philippines.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

My experience with Indian staffed call centers are that most of the staff are rude. A big plus for Filipino call centers. Just saying.

capricornrising wrote:

LA airport to San Bernadino there was a guy standing near me and I tried to talk to him and he just smiled and said"Sorry No speak English"Because of the current problems at our borders with illegals coming in I am afraid our great American English language will some day be a thing of the past.K SA RA SA RA! Jimmy

Given the travel was between two cities with Spanish names, both of which were Spanish territory until the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas and following war, I'm unsure anyone can complain about Spanish being spoken in that area. In fact, given the whole area was taken over as a result of war and dodgy treaties, I'm unsure the illegals are the illegal people in those areas.

Still, that's just politics and I'm sure we can argue all day about that without anything being gained.

Fred wrote:

I'm unsure anyone can complain about Spanish being spoken in that area.

The state of Nevada is 26% Spanish/Latino. . . .The problem in Las Vegas, the school system was over whelmed of children not being able to speak English.

Resulting in Nevada School system having the lowest rating in the nation.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Fred wrote:

I'm unsure anyone can complain about Spanish being spoken in that area.

The state of Nevada is 26% Spanish/Latino. . . .The problem in Las Vegas, the school system was over whelmed of children not being able to speak English.

Resulting in Nevada School system having the lowest rating in the nation.

Las Vegas - another English sounding name.
Perhaps, if the kids speak the native language of the area, the exams should be available in that language.
Yes, I know that's a wild thought, but I think out of the box.

Fred wrote:

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Fred wrote:

I'm unsure anyone can complain about Spanish being spoken in that area.

The state of Nevada is 26% Spanish/Latino. . . .The problem in Las Vegas, the school system was over whelmed of children not being able to speak English.

Resulting in Nevada School system having the lowest rating in the nation.

Las Vegas - another English sounding name.
Perhaps, if the kids speak the native language of the area, the exams should be available in that language.
Yes, I know that's a wild thought, but I think out of the box.

It's not that, when a child is in a Spanish speaking environment and goes to school without English skills it's harder for him/her to get an education. Let alone college preparation.

Also it takes more time trying to teach them and takes time away from the other students. As a result everyone student is a loser.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

It's not that, when a child is in a Spanish speaking environment and goes to school without English skills it's harder for him/her to get an education. Let alone college preparation.

Also it takes more time trying to teach them and takes time away from the other students. As a result everyone student is a loser.

Surely the answer is to teach in their native language. French Canadians get their lessons in French.

Big Pearl-Languages of aboriginal Australia of which there are about 400 comprises about 27 different families. Prior to 1778,Pama-Nyungan was Australia's largest language family consisted of about 300 languages covering  about 90% of Australia. Where the Aussie  language came from and exactly how it spread is a bit of a question but research has it all dated back 6K years ago in the Queensland area in a place  called Burketown and spread from there  because of climatic and  environmental changes. Aboriginal Australia is known as the world's oldest living culture. Much deeper discussion online if you are interested. Hope this helps.J I had an Aussie teacher friend in Korea and new him for a few years before I left  there in 2009. His name was Jake and he resembled  Russel Crowe. Cool guy-Also a big drinker. I have been to Melbourne about 15 yrs ago on a short 10 day vacation. Nice people!! Australia has a high rate of cancer deaths about 1/3 of the adult population. Many smokers there both men and women. Drinkin age there 18. Jimmy

Fred wrote:

Enzyte Bob wrote:

It's not that, when a child is in a Spanish speaking environment and goes to school without English skills it's harder for him/her to get an education. Let alone college preparation.

Also it takes more time trying to teach them and takes time away from the other students. As a result everyone student is a loser.

Surely the answer is to teach in their native language. French Canadians get their lessons in French.

French Canadians? Hardly, One City Montreal

Quite the opposite in your reasoning , in order for these children to lead a full life as adults in America they should  assimilate into society. Are you suggesting after their Spanish education, they should be educated in bilingual  colleges?

The United States has the largest number of foreign born, more then the next five
countries combined. Are you also suggesting the children of all these immigrants should be educated in their native language in the American School system?

The root of the problem many immigrants want to become Americans for freedom and opportunity and work hard at it. They want to learn the language and customs and they are assimilated by choice. Some are not equipped to do so, then their children are not equipped.

Las Vegas is special as the second largest immigrant group is Filipinos, behind Hispanics. They have no problem being assimilated into society, why? Because they speak the language and have a higher level of education.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Quite the opposite in your reasoning , in order for these children to lead a full life as adults in America they should  assimilate into society. Are you suggesting after their Spanish education, they should be educated in bilingual  colleges?

Given it's a Spanish speaking area, why not? The US has no official language, and that area was part of Mexico until the gunpoint treaty was signed.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

The root of the problem many immigrants want to become Americans for freedom and opportunity and work hard at it. They want to learn the language and customs and they are assimilated by choice. Some are not equipped to do so, then their children are not equipped.

But these kids aren't immigrants - They're Spanish speakers in a Spanish area that was taken over by English speakers.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Las Vegas is special as the second largest immigrant group is Filipinos, behind Hispanics. They have no problem being assimilated into society, why? Because they speak the language and have a higher level of education.

Assuming they don't get attacked in the streets
https://www.rappler.com/nation/filipino … march-2021

The Philippines was a Spanish colony before it was a US colony but I gather few locals speak Spanish. However, the US occupiers used the Pensionado Act and an enforced English educational system to impose English.
Sadly, the US doesn't do a lot to assist its own Spanish speaking citizens - That including the lack of a suitable education system.
Las Vegas, or "The Meadows' if you don't use the Spanish name Rafael Rivera gave it before it was invaded by the US, was Spanish speaking.
Of course Spanish speaking areas have a lot of Spanish speakers, so they should be allowed an education in their native language rather than be forced to speak a foreign one.

The racism displayed by not doing so is abhorrent.

Fred wrote:

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Quite the opposite in your reasoning , in order for these children to lead a full life as adults in America they should  assimilate into society. Are you suggesting after their Spanish education, they should be educated in bilingual  colleges?

Given it's a Spanish speaking area, why not? The US has no official language, and that area was part of Mexico until the gunpoint treaty was signed.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

The root of the problem many immigrants want to become Americans for freedom and opportunity and work hard at it. They want to learn the language and customs and they are assimilated by choice. Some are not equipped to do so, then their children are not equipped.

But these kids aren't immigrants - They're Spanish speakers in a Spanish area that was taken over by English speakers.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Las Vegas is special as the second largest immigrant group is Filipinos, behind Hispanics. They have no problem being assimilated into society, why? [b] Because they speak the language and have a higher level of education.

Assuming they don't get attacked in the streets
https://www.rappler.com/nation/filipino … march-2021 This link should be under review, why isn't it? You should know better, than this tripe.

The Philippines was a Spanish colony before it was a US colony but I gather few locals speak Spanish. However, the US occupiers used the Pensionado Act and an enforced English educational system to impose English.

America granted the Philippines independence in 1946, 75 years ago so the imposing ended 75 years ago. The teaching of English is now by choice by the Philippines.


Sadly, the US doesn't do a lot to assist its own Spanish speaking citizens -

Spanish speaking "CITIZENS"  get the same get the same assistance as any other citizen. The illegals sometimes get more than the "CITIZENS."


Las Vegas, or "The Meadows' if you don't use the Spanish name Rafael Rivera gave it before it was invaded by the US, was Spanish speaking.
Of course Spanish speaking areas have a lot of Spanish speakers, so they should be allowed an education in their native language rather than be forced to speak a foreign one.

Unfortunately your quote from Wikipedia leaves out so much that does not support your reasoning. The Paiute Indians occupied the area 100's of years before the first settlers and still do. With the Mexican War, 175 years ago, this region became a territory of the United States. (Imagine if every country in the world resorted  back to their boundaries of 175 years ago, many new countries would not exist.) The first settlers of Las Vegas were Mormons, nary a Mexican in sight. If it weren't for Bugsy Siegel building the Flamingo Casino for the "Mob", there would be no Las Vegas.

For those unfamiliar with Las Vegas, it's a city in complete isolation, driving distance to Las Angeles is 270 Miles and driving distance to Phoenix Arizona is 302 miles. All desert in between. Hispanics were late arrivers, well after the Paiutes, Mormons, Bugsy Siegel, Mafia, and Corporate America. They did not arrive until modern Las Vegas was developed and they were looking for work.

The racism displayed by not doing so is abhorrent.
No racism displayed

Fred/Bob-good points made but best point of all that USA ignores is if someone wants to live in AMERICA they must speak English-period! Inviting illegals to come to America and give them free education and free medical care,ect is an incentive the left has used to get votes. This is WRONG. Just making a point-not trying to be political. About 25 years ago I wanted to live in Romania because at that time the cost of living was very, very low even lower than Philippines. I did research about visas ect and everything needed to live there and I was lacking one thing-"I didnt speak their language" This is a no brainer. It was very inexpensive to live in Romania 25 years ago where 100,000 usd is worth about a million there(at that time) USA has to hire Spanish speaking teachers to teach kids in Spanish instead of putting them in class rooms where everyone speaks and understands English. That doesnt make any sense to me. I dont think anyone can dispute my comments. A little common sense goes a long ways! Does anyone really believe other countries would allow everyone to go to their country illegally and then be rewarded for breaking the law and receive massive benefits as an even more added bonus?I dont think so!JIMMY

FortuneFavorsTheBold wrote:

My experience with Indian staffed call centers are that most of the staff are rude. A big plus for Filipino call centers. Just saying.

Spot on. It seems that here in the UK service providers have a hidden agenda that by routing you through to an Indian call centre this will cut down on complaints - you just dread calling them. Not only are they rude but can be very patronising. Perhaps its because Indians have a chip on their shoulder about their erstwhile colonisers. Yes my ancestors did exploit the country to an extent. But we also left them with a democracy, the railways and probably the best civil service in the world - and they still to this day managed to f--k it all up.
On a positive note the Filipino call centres for my AMEX account are a joy to deal with. Very professional.

My Filipino friends, who said "sir" to me, I have made them stop by telling
/ in Sweden we count all equal and dont say any such even to the prime minister.  (Only to the king and queen in OFFICIAL situations, but the king prefer to be treated as "one of the boys".
/When I started being boss for Russian prorammers, when I didd built a developing there fora Swedish client,  they were still scared of telling their oppinion, because this wasnt long time after they ot killed or send to Sibirea for such, so I started with saying:
-Its ok to cal me "idiot" as long as you tell me why and tell a better solution idea than mine     

Fred wrote:

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Quite the opposite in your reasoning , in order for these children to lead a full life as adults in America they should  assimilate into society. Are you suggesting after their Spanish education, they should be educated in bilingual  colleges?

Given it's a Spanish speaking area, why not? The US has no official language, and that area was part of Mexico until the gunpoint treaty was signed. .

I find it remarkaböle so few AMERICANS, with English as first lanuage living in USA, speak Spanish.
Concerning "First language" - Dont Americans get any SECOND language in school?
(In Sweden we get FOURTH language in school...  So I can speak Spanish enough to manage to make an only Spanish speaking understand to repair my gearboix 

Btw - In Sweden immigrant kids get extra hours support education in their first language because someone have found out that assist them develop their skill in SWEDISH  lanuage too.

l

Fred wrote:

The Philippines was a Spanish colony before it was a US colony but I gather few locals speak Spanish.t.

Well. Filipinos DO spekk much Spanish by many words in Tagalog/Filipino ARE Spanish          E  g Filipino use Spanish words for counting too. And "Kamusta?"  (=How are you?) is twisted from Spanish "Como esta?"
I understood some Tagalog direct by I can some Spanish...   (Later I have learned some Tagalog by reading ads    and by communicating with some Filipinos not any good in English, so they have problem to explain something to me.  Then I tell them say it in Tagalog, perhaps I undertand, which I do rather often.

Fred wrote:

However, the US occupiers used the Pensionado Act and an enforced English educational system to impose English..

Typical US government to force people unfairly...

Fred wrote:

Of course Spanish speaking areas have a lot of Spanish speakers, so they should be allowed an education in their native language rather than be forced to speak a foreign one.

The racism displayed by not doing so is abhorrent.

Its some similar in the Philippines concerning local languages of what I have heared.  I dont know if  they get forced to Tagalog direct they start school, but its early. although perhaps its local diferences . An 8yo did read her THIRD language allready.  (=Cebuano, Tagalog, English.)

Compare;  In Sweden ALL five indigenous languages are OFFICIAL and people can demand to get oficial info in their own first language.
In Phils the official languaes are only Filipino, which is more or less Tagalog, and ENGLISH! NOT Bisaya !!!, which is similar big as first language as Tagalog.   So not odd some Cebuanos/Bisayans are pissed at that.  Perhaps they dont tell you  -  of some reason its rather common people tell me secrets. Some tell much BS too         So I get to know things many people living in guarded  subdisions never get to know ..   But I never tell WHO said it, if  I tell something  of common interest further.

FilAmericanMom wrote:

I dread the ones that get directed to India. No offense. Some have a really heavy Indian accent such that I would often ask them to repeat what they just said.

Possible update on an old thread

With meandering wages in the US in unskilled jobs fetching up to $15 per hour soon will drift to the few call centers in the US not outsourced to overseas.

I see in the future most call centers in the US outsourced, Please Lord not to India

coach53 wrote:

My Filipino friends, who said "sir" to me, I have made them stop by telling
/ in Sweden we count all equal and dont say any such even to the prime minister.  (Only to the king and queen in OFFICIAL situations, but the king prefer to be treated as "one of the boys".
/When I started being boss for Russian prorammers, when I didd built a developing there fora Swedish client,  they were still scared of telling their oppinion, because this wasnt long time after they ot killed or send to Sibirea for such, so I started with saying:
-Its ok to cal me "idiot" as long as you tell me why and tell a better solution idea than mine     

Fred wrote:

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Quite the opposite in your reasoning , in order for these children to lead a full life as adults in America they should  assimilate into society. Are you suggesting after their Spanish education, they should be educated in bilingual  colleges?

Given it's a Spanish speaking area, why not? The US has no official language, and that area was part of Mexico until the gunpoint treaty was signed. .

I find it remarkaböle so few AMERICANS, with English as first lanuage living in USA, speak Spanish.
Concerning "First language" - Dont Americans get any SECOND language in school?
(In Sweden we get FOURTH language in school...  So I can speak Spanish enough to manage to make an only Spanish speaking understand to repair my gearboix 

Btw - In Sweden immigrant kids get extra hours support education in their first language because someone have found out that assist them develop their skill in SWEDISH  lanuage too.

l

Fred wrote:

The Philippines was a Spanish colony before it was a US colony but I gather few locals speak Spanish.t.

Well. Filipinos DO spekk much Spanish by many words in Tagalog/Filipino ARE Spanish          E  g Filipino use Spanish words for counting too. And "Kamusta?"  (=How are you?) is twisted from Spanish "Como esta?"
I understood some Tagalog direct by I can some Spanish...   (Later I have learned some Tagalog by reading ads    and by communicating with some Filipinos not any good in English, so they have problem to explain something to me.  Then I tell them say it in Tagalog, perhaps I undertand, which I do rather often.

Fred wrote:

However, the US occupiers used the Pensionado Act and an enforced English educational system to impose English..

Typical US government to force people unfairly...

Fred wrote:

Of course Spanish speaking areas have a lot of Spanish speakers, so they should be allowed an education in their native language rather than be forced to speak a foreign one.

The racism displayed by not doing so is abhorrent.

Its some similar in the Philippines concerning local languages of what I have heared.  I dont know if  they get forced to Tagalog direct they start school, but its early. although perhaps its local diferences . An 8yo did read her THIRD language allready.  (=Cebuano, Tagalog, English.)

Compare;  In Sweden ALL five indigenous languages are OFFICIAL and people can demand to get oficial info in their own first language.
In Phils the official languaes are only Filipino, which is more or less Tagalog, and ENGLISH! NOT Bisaya !!!, which is similar big as first language as Tagalog.   So not odd some Cebuanos/Bisayans are pissed at that.  Perhaps they dont tell you  -  of some reason its rather common people tell me secrets. Some tell much BS too         So I get to know things many people living in guarded  subdisions never get to know ..   But I never tell WHO said it, if  I tell something  of common interest further.

Some interseting viewpoints here and I'm glad that this thread has been resurrected.
I hope that coming from a Brit that this does not come over as arrogant but English will always be the ‘Lingua Franca' in the world if only because it got a head start through the British Empire.

Up until the 1930's the UK was the most successful trading nation in the world and it made sense for foreign countries to communicate in a common business language - sic it made sense to learn the language of trade which was predominently English.

I personally think it's logical for each country to adopt a common language as it makes sense from a harmonious standpoint and through economies of scale from road signage to label printing.
If you have two languages in competition with each other this can and does create political division. Two good examples being Quebec province in Canada and the Catalan area of north east Spain.

In the 90's I spent 8 weeks living with a Quebec French speaking family at Quebec University learning the French language as I was hopless at learning the language at school ( my exam grade was so bad it was ‘unclassified').

As Canadian readers will be aware there has been endless conflict between the French and English speakers in the province over independence. As a result Montréal which used to be known as the ‘mother' city and was the largest centre of commerce in Canada lost out to Toronto. Most large national and international companies moved their head offices to Toronto and Montréal has never recovered. GDP in Quebec per capita is lower than Ontario by some distance.

Without doubt the Brits, Americans and our Antipodean friends are lazy when it comes to learning second languages and yes I would hate to see these languages disappear if only for cultural reasons. Cultural diversity is so important and language is first and foremost in its manifestation.

As far as I know the Philippines was the only country occupied by Spain for an extended period (300 years) that did not adopt the full language. Most Filipinos have a better command of English than Spanish. Yet the Americans were only in occupation for 50 years..

By the way I'm still not fluent in French but am working on it

Lotus Eater wrote:

Up until the 1930's the UK was the most successful trading nation in the world and it made sense for foreign countries to communicate in a common business language - sic it made sense to learn the language of trade which was predominently English.

Yes. And now it has started  to become intertin for business to learn to speak "chinese".

1000 years ago it was Wiking Scandinavian      Dont forget Wikings TOOK England 1066     as well as  e  g Russia and parts of Italy and France.  That domination depended partly of FLEET as well as for UK.

Lotus Eater wrote:

Without doubt the Brits, Americans and our Antipodean friends are lazy when it comes to learning second languages and yes I would hate to see these languages disappear if only for cultural reasons. Cultural diversity is so important and language is first and foremost in its manifestation..

Concerning culture English has got the COUNTING words from Wiking Scandnavian  and most of the Emglish words for weeks days are ftrom Wiking Gods   

Btw both English and French pronounce some letters wromg or mute!!! 
while e g Filipino and Swedish pronounce letters SAME correct   
So not odd an 8yo Filipina had problem to learn to read English that close after she had learned to read Tagalog.

Lotus Eater wrote:

As far as I know the Philippines was the only country occupied by Spain for an extended period (300 years) that did not adopt the full language. Most Filipinos have a better command of English than Spanish. Yet the Americans were only in occupation for 50 years..

Well. Kind of, but  many Spanish words are intergrated into Tagalog/Filipino, which they learn BEFORE English.

Closer to the Philippines...Some of the oldest languages in the world are still being used/taught in Singapore schools. (I.e : Chinese/Tamil) both languages including the Malay language that is
used by the local Austronesian ethnic /Malay people where Singapore is geographically located. Thus all students are still being taught these as their 2nd languages.
(I.e : Mandarin/Malay/Tamil).
The 1st language (language of commerce) has always been English since our independence from british colonial rule in 1965).
Infact way back in the early 70's & way before China took its place as a World Economic Powerhouse...Basic Malay was also taught as a 3rd language (To all non malay speakers).
Infact I too had to study 3 languages when I was growing up.

Maybe there was just one other serious 4th language that we were all "force fed" early on in our childhood...It is called  "discipline"....which helped me to achieve what I have abundance of right now :
ffffrrreeeeddddoooommmm.



Stephen Covey wrote, “The undisciplined are slaves to moods, appetites and passions.” They crave for freedom to do as they wish regardless of the impact of their actions or words.