Perhaps, when we go to a website, we should assume that the language that will be used, is the language that matches its name.  So, if I go onto a website whose address is http://www.voiles-alternatives.com, then I will anticipate having to struggle with my inadequate French to  work my way around it.  I would guess that a website called http://www.aluosa.fi would expect me to read Finnish.  I don't think that the people setting up these websites are intentionally xenophobic, imperialistic or just plain arrogant in not putting out their information in a multiplicity of languages: they assume that if you really want to find out what they have to say, you will make the effort to translate.

I have no problem at all with people posting on this website in any language that they choose, but they have to anticipate that a majority of people may be unable to respond, because the majority of people who use the website communicate to one another in English.  It is, no doubt, a sad indictment on those of us who are anglophone, that we are rarely fluent in other languages, but alas, that's reality.  One day we may all have Babel fish in our ears and then these issues will disappear.

A bit strong Claude, but it is a tricky, and very emotive, question.  I have spent more than twenty years working in international schools in various countries, where a selection of home languages are the norm. The use of language in these schools is always an interesting question, and I have always suspected that those teachers and school leaders who push for all communication to be in the common language - English in my schools - are more concerned about what people may be saying than anything else.  There is something in this, of course; when I worked in Latvia, we had to teach teachers the commonly used Russian swear words as certain students felt they could get away with some fairly foul language if they used a different language.

In the last two schools, which I have had the privilege of leading, the expectations have been fairly clear - all school documentation and the majority of student work is completed in English, but for any other communication, it is up to the people involved to find the language they are most comfortable with.  So in the staff room of my current school, you hear conversations in Norwegian, Italian, Spanish, various varieties of English and occasionally Welsh.  In the hallways, mostly the students speak English, but smaller group conversations can be heard in any of the school’s 25 languages.  The fact that I occasionally end up sitting in long meetings where I understand very little unless I am asked a direct question (in English) is, to me, a worthwhile price for ensuring that children and families understand that their language is equally valued in an English speaking world.

Looking through the entries here, I see one off the cuff remark about language and a couple of other people jumping in to say it is fine to use different languages (to which you can add me, although I only occasionally post to the forum). The beginnings of a healthy discussion, I would say, rather than imperialist ordering.

Mark

Thank heavens for Google translate, by the way.  Although I could just about manage the French, the Chinese left me totally lost.

Antoine Maartens wrote:

And back to topic please!

i've been working in international institution for manny years. At that time, the French government obliged civil servant to use only French.

For each meeting we had to specify the language or the translation means.

The respond was : "La réunion se tiendra dans une langue commune à tous les participants" (The meeting will stand  in a common language to all participants.) Out of manny meetings we only held one in French, with a Brit and  a German and it was a real plaesure for all of us !

So I suggest, on the JRA forum tu use "a common language to all participants. "

Eric

PS: I appologize for that "side forum" in French.

David Tyler wrote:

Kurt Jon Ulmer wrote:

Arne Kverneland wrote:

Hi Eric and Claude

If you have to write in French, why don't you just write ordinary e-mails to each others?

Arne

Not on.

All languages should be welcome here. We're an international group. If there's a policy restricting us to English, where is it written? ... so we can get rid of it.

Kurt

I agree, Kurt. While English is the lingua franca of seafarers, and a majority of members are native English speakers, that does not in any way mean that members cannot use these fora to discuss matters of common interest in their mother tongue, if they wish. If others can read that language well enough to understand, so much the better. 

By the way Chinese mandarin is the most spoken language in the world with about 1000 millions of people practising everyday, twice more than english speaking people.

May I then propose that Chinese mandarin becomes the mandatory language of JRA ? After all, junk rig is originally a chinese rig !!!

Arne Kverneland wrote:

Hi Eric and Claude

If you have to write in French, why don't you just write ordinary e-mails to each others?

Arne

Not on.

Kurt