Gaming Thread

[Dead Winter]

Hmm, when I was in Rome, it was damn hard to find someone, who speaks English.

Rome is in the south.

Strange, all my friends there speak English really well. Did you try to speak at least broken Italian to them? If not, they might have just said "no" because they didn't want to embarrass themselves. If you just ATTEMPT to speak Italian to them they'll meet you halfway, but if you just run up to someone speaking English you're gonna get the cold shoulder.

 

[Dead Winter]

No, that's not what I'm talking about.


That's what I'm talking about but it would be ignorance and not snootiness if they didn't expect everyone to speak their damn language. I've lost count of the number of times some Ity walked up to me and asked, "Parlo (or parla, whatever) Italiano?", and that my "no" was met with an eye roll and a sigh which simply said, "Stupid foreigners not knowing Italian."

It might be only people from the South who do that, but it sure is annoying (and snooty).

Maybe, maybe not. They were probably idiots from the south. Did they dress like porcupines with gold chains and tans, and sound like they had a mouthful of dick when they spoke? If so, they were from the south. You can clearly see why the north wants to split.

I dunno, I've never had that problem even before I spoke Italian, even with people who spoke very little English. Maybe I've just been lucky. What I don't understand is how the fuck could someone from southern Europe expect someone from so far north speak Italian. That's just retarded.

 

[ShadowsWithin]

funny thing about the english, when I was there they were quite nice but maybe we just got a good batch because when we were in Italy they were quite rude to everyone. But the Scottish are extremely nice, everyone we met in Scotland was insanely nice and even in Rome our Vatican tour guide was a Scot and was well integrated into the Italian culture and had been living there for quite a few years since he was studying anthropology there.


He was a super generic scot too he was talking about how he hurt his shoulder playing rugby the week before AND he wouldn't give another tour on Friday because he had to go play golf

 

[Mr.Sister]

Rome is in the south.

Strange, all my friends there speak English really well. Did you try to speak at least broken Italian to them? If not, they might have just said "no" because they didn't want to embarrass themselves. If you just ATTEMPT to speak Italian to them they'll meet you halfway, but if you just run up to someone speaking English you're gonna get the cold shoulder.

No, I don't speak Italian. Shouldn't people living in a city, which is full of tourists, expect, that most people don't speak their language? Anyway, I never said they were rude or something, just that they didn't speak English.
I've had a much worse experience in Naples (to support your south-theory). A friend of mine got robbed in a tram. All of her papers were stolen. She told it the tram driver (in Italian) and he just didn't cared. It also was shocking to me how rude she were treated on the police station.
Apart from that, I gotta say, that the Italians seem to be pretty nice people, it definitely was a great trip.

 

[Dead Winter]

No, I don't speak Italian. Shouldn't people living in a city, which is full of tourists, expect, that most people don't speak their language?

Well, not really. Yes, to an extent people should expect to have tourists; however, tourists shouldn't travel to a country not knowing at least a little bit of the native language. This is rude and it's even more rude to get angry when they don't speak your language. I always tell the Americans living here who get frustrated with the language barrier that THEY are now the Mexicans and the Italians are the Americans. That kinda puts everything in perspective.

I've had a much worse experience in Naples (to support your south-theory). A friend of mine got robbed in a tram. All of her papers were stolen. She told it the tram driver (in Italian) and he just didn't cared. It also was shocking to me how rude she were treated on the police station.
Apart from that, I gotta say, that the Italians seem to be pretty nice people, it definitely was a great trip.

This is why we hope Naples falls off into the ocean. It's a shithole and a blight upon this country. For the record, I'm American, so I know all about language barriers. I've only been living here since 2003. Still, I got by without any problems. Seriously, however, there's no reason I can see to travel further south than Rome, except to maybe visit Puglia on the beach or something. It's like a completely different country down there, almost third world.

 

[Dead Winter]

funny thing about the english, when I was there they were quite nice but maybe we just got a good batch because when we were in Italy they were quite rude to everyone. But the Scottish are extremely nice, everyone we met in Scotland was insanely nice and even in Rome our Vatican tour guide was a Scot and was well integrated into the Italian culture and had been living there for quite a few years since he was studying anthropology there.


He was a super generic scot too he was talking about how he hurt his shoulder playing rugby the week before AND he wouldn't give another tour on Friday because he had to go play golf

Well, in my experience it hasn't been the English per se, but mainly Londoners and such. Every single person I've met from the northern part of England has been wonderful (maybe it's that Scot/Irish influence ) Also, I'm not saying everyone from London is a dick, just everyone I've met from London were pricks; but then again, it's a huge city just like NY and people say the same thing about NYers.

 

[Det Som Engang Var]

Is London an expensive city to live in?

 

[ShadowsWithin]

depends on where but yeah

 

[Dead Winter]

There are two capitals of the world: London and New York. If that tells you anything...

 

[Mr.Sister]

Well, not really. Yes, to an extent people should expect to have tourists; however, tourists shouldn't travel to a country not knowing at least a little bit of the native language. This is rude and it's even more rude to get angry when they don't speak your language.

When they don't speak my language? My language is German, and I would never expect someone to speak German in Italy (Ok, in South Tyrol I do). That's the thing about English: a language learned all over Europe to be able to communicate with other people all over Europe, so you don't have to learn a language everytime you visit another country. Therefore I would never expect a tourist in Germany to speak German, and therefore I think it's rude, when an Italian gets angry with me, because I don't speak his language. Especially in a city that lives from tourism.

That doesn't mean I expect someone to speak English, or even get rude if he/she doesn't.

 

[Dead Winter]

When they don't speak my language? My language is German, and I would never expect someone to speak German in Italy (Ok, in South Tyrol I do). That's the thing about English: a language learned all over Europe to be able to communicate with other people all over Europe, so you don't have to learn a language everytime you visit another country. Therefore I would never expect a tourist in Germany to speak German, and therefore I think it's rude, when an Italian gets angry with me, because I don't speak his language. Especially in a city that lives from tourism.

That doesn't mean I expect someone to speak English, or even get rude if he/she doesn't.

That's just it, though. I agree with you that English is an international language, and maybe it's just a southern thing that no one there speaks English, but literally everyone I know speaks at least some English here. It also could be an age gap issue. Older people don't speak English here, but nearly every single young person I know speaks it enough to get by. Hell, they're constantly traveling to the UK on weekends so they have to know at least some.

I'm not saying it doesn't need to be improved and diffused more throughout the country, but I don't see where Italy gets this reputation for being unable to speak English when literally everywhere else I've been has just as many people lacking in English-speaking skills. Germany and the Nordic countries all speak English quite well, but I've even come across Germans and actually a lot of Austrians who don't speak it at all. The Spanish? Forget about it. The French? Not a chance. Portugal? No way. Yet for some reason Italy gets the brunt of it.

Of course, it could be that everyone wants to go to Rome and Florence and Venice instead of Madrid or Barcelona or Lisbon or Paris.

Maybe I see it differently because I live here and know people here.

 

[Mr.Sister]

I'm not saying it doesn't need to be improved and diffused more throughout the country, but I don't see where Italy gets this reputation for being unable to speak English when literally everywhere else I've been has just as many people lacking in English-speaking skills. Germany and the Nordic countries all speak English quite well, but I've even come across Germans and actually a lot of Austrians who don't speak it at all. The Spanish? Forget about it. The French? Not a chance. Portugal? No way. Yet for some reason Italy gets the brunt of it.

Just like I said: I don't expect 'em to speak English, but I expect, that they tolerate my attempt to communicate in English (I don't even experienced the opposite! Just want to make my point clear)

And for the Germans who don't speak English: Most people in eastern Germany don't speak English. Out of obvious historical reasons they never had it in school. I'm actually part of the first eastern German generation, that had English lessons. And there are also the Germans, which are just dumb and didn't get it in school...

 

[Jace_Mereel]

Not gonna read a lick of that.

Finally beat Portal 2. I miss it already.

 

[El Stormo]

Maybe, maybe not. They were probably idiots from the south. Did they dress like porcupines with gold chains and tans, and sound like they had a mouthful of dick when they spoke? If so, they were from the south. You can clearly see why the north wants to split.

I dunno, I've never had that problem even before I spoke Italian, even with people who spoke very little English. Maybe I've just been lucky. What I don't understand is how the fuck could someone from southern Europe expect someone from so far north speak Italian. That's just retarded.

Yeah, maybe I've just been unlucky in that regard, but it does happen surprisingly often, to me and my colleagues, that Italians only speak Italian and not a word of any other language (and it's not always the Southern Guidos). Greeks, same thing.

 

[Dead Winter]

Wow Greeks? Really? I haven't had any experience with them but I've always heard that nearly everyone in Greece speaks English.

 

[El Stormo]

Ha! No way, José!

 

[Dead Winter]

Learn English or GTFO!!!! That should be the motto in every country.

 

[neal]

 

[derek]

Scotland.

Yeah. Baby.

 

[WhiteBeastofWotan]

hah like thats english the scottish speak, amirite?