People who try to speak Russian to me

[rentvent 0]

Damn, I spent a lot of hours trying to learn Russian. I'm self taught and always looking for a little help. I know a couple hundred words and can handle almost any situation without translation.

I don't like the snobs who trash my attempts to convey things in Russian. I know my Russian sucks. It seems that some of my favorite experiences have been where I have had to do a business transaction with a Russian that knows minimal English. It seems that the Russian person is willing to cope with my bad pronunciation.

[mox 298]

Funny how here you actually hated the Russian people, not just the government. In my country they didn't hate Americans - they felt bad for them, because they were oppressed by that horrible imperialist government

No, I didn't mean to give the impression we "hated" the people. I think people from both countries felt the same way--we didn't like each others' governments but we loved the people. I just meant that the rivalry between the two nations created an interesting dynamic that Americans tend to feel even to this day, even though the cold war is ancient history to many of them. It's one of the reasons someone like you is going to attract more attention than someone of another nationality. The U.S. and FSU have gone through a lot together.

[rouguewave 7]

"Although I appreciate the chance to converse in Russian, I'd really prefer to talk in English because I'm trying to build my skills in this new language for me. If you can give me any pointers or tips, that would be great."

Wow, do I write that bad that it makes you think I speak awful English too and need a lot of practice?

Nope, I'm just trying to give you a friendly way to deal with the problem, rather than the agressive alternative of "telling them where to go".

It's just funny, cause I've never seen anyone try to speak Spanish to Mexicans or Mandarin to Chinese people. If a person looks Hispanic or Asian, no one seems to give a damn where they're from and what language they speak. But with me it's different.

Around my office, people are often speaking Spanish to Mexicans or other languages to people from other countries. And clearly some of them are not native speakers. Its not that we're an International Company, because we're not. But in the metro-DC area, where I am now, it is a largely International community with people coming and going from many nations. I suspect that if you were here and gave visual or audible clues you were from Russia, you would would be frequently greeted in Russian by fellow Russians, other CIS people, and those who had reason to learn Russian as part of their background.

And to re-iterate, it most likely meant as a friendly and welcoming gesture, or a (perhaps ill-timed) opportunity for them to practice. Most people here LIKE the multi-cultural environment and do things to be supportive of that.

[Danno 1,228]

How do you say "chip on the shoulder" in Russian?

[slim 1,514]

It's just funny, cause I've never seen anyone try to speak Spanish to Mexicans or Mandarin to Chinese people. If a person looks Hispanic or Asian, no one seems to give a damn where they're from and what language they speak. But with me it's different.

It's one of the reasons someone like you is going to attract more attention than someone of another nationality.

Around my office, people are often speaking Spanish to Mexicans or other languages to people from other countries.

and those who had reason to learn Russian as part of their background.

And to re-iterate, it most likely meant as a friendly and welcoming gesture, or a (perhaps ill-timed) opportunity for them to practice. Most people here LIKE the multi-cultural environment and do things to be supportive of that.

There's another interesting dynamic at work here, race. You don't "look" foreign at first glance. Mexicans, Chinese, and others "look" foreign. When Americans see a "foreigner" they almost look down upon them. In places like California, there are so many American "foreigners" that it's become the norm for them to speak English. "You're in our country, you better speak English." However, when they see someone that doesn't "look" foreign, and that person hits them with a little accent, then they get the chance to show off how knowledgeable they are about your country and your language. A big "Privet comrade." And all the sudden they've single-handedly bridged the Cold War gap. In contrast, the Mexicans and Chinese that have immigrated have been "Americanized" and are required to assimilate into the culture because they look different so they must change their language to ours. You, on the other hand, are neat and interesting, not an annoyance.

By contrast, in business, someone speaking Spanish to a Mexican is trying to efficiently get the job done or form a bond with a coworker. This is vastly different from having an everyday expectation that they "must" speak English because they're here.

Ask these "privet" and "spasiba" people if they can say hi and thank you in Spanish or Mandarin or if they are "so smart" in any other languages.

[mox 298]

Only tangentially on-topic, but when I returned from my trip to Russia, 3 different co-workers came up to me and said "Das Vadanya!", obviously thinking it meant "hello." They meant well and were enthusiastic, so I didn't say anything. It was more fun regaling them with stories from my trip.

[Nancy2015 2]

There's another interesting dynamic at work here, race. You don't "look" foreign at first glance. Mexicans, Chinese, and others "look" foreign. When Americans see a "foreigner" they almost look down upon them. In places like California, there are so many American "foreigners" that it's become the norm for them to speak English. "You're in our country, you better speak English." However, when they see someone that doesn't "look" foreign, and that person hits them with a little accent, then they get the chance to show off how knowledgeable they are about your country and your language. A big "Privet comrade." And all the sudden they've single-handedly bridged the Cold War gap.

You know, I think you nailed it. I don't look "foreign", and people don't expect me to be foreign. So when they learn that I am, it probably comes as a little bit of a surprise.

Well, I think I should just stop letting it bug me, cause it really isn't that big a deal. Well, I can live with it.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

I feel you should be flattered! So many American's give those a hard time when they discover they are originally from a foreign country. Their attempts to speak your mother tongue should be regarding as kind and welcoming.

Why not compliment them for the attempt, and ask them where they learned these Russian words? Then say, "It would really help me if we could speak in English as I want to master my new country's language."