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Thread: Am I impolite 'cause my status updates on Facebook are in English? :-(

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Middle of Germany
    Posts
    8,761

    Am I impolite 'cause my status updates on Facebook are in English? :-(

    As you may know, I'm on Facebook for many years, and I have always written in English. When I registered in 2008, almost all of my FB friends were from English speaking countries; Pet Talk folks and other friends I made on the net over the years. There were barely Germans on Facebook those years, as most of us were in a German social network called wer-kennt-wen.de. I used to have an account there where I was communicating with my German friends - in German, of course.

    Over the past few years, more and more of these German friends moved to Facebook and abandoned wer-kennt-wen (I deleted my own wkw-account sometime in 2012), and by now, my friend list on Facebook is half German, half English-spoken. I'm still writing in English most of the time because I want everyone to understand what I'm taking about. I took for granted that most Germans know at least the basics of the English language, but obviously, I'm wrong. Lately, I got some stupid remarks by some folks who really seem to be offended that I'm not using my native language, which annoys me. Is it rude of me to make them feel excluded? What do you think?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Illinois, USA
    Posts
    28,379
    Heavens, no! I enjoy the mix of German and English that I see on your page!

    (I'm following a Czech language page called "Living with my Cats". I can't make out most of the text, save for the occasional word or phrase. But I still enjoy the pictures and trying to figure out what the posts mean. My friend Tammy lives in Spain so her content is always a mix of Spanish and English. I can't read the Spanish but I enjoy looking at the words and trying to sound them out.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Methuen, MA; USA
    Posts
    17,105
    It is your choice how to proceed!

    Part of the 'down side' of speaking / writing multiple languages, is which one to choose. I see some folks post in one language one time, another language a different time, depending on what they are posting. Examples:
    If your soccer team has a game on TV, the folks in the USA probably can't get it anyway. That is a post for your local pals.
    Short posts can be posted in both languages: I set up a new photo album check it out!
    .

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    11,191
    Kirsten, honestly, people get offended now a days if you BREATHE the wrong way. Take it with a grain of salt, ignore them. It's your page and they shouldn't be telling you how to run it. Tell them to block your posts from appearing on their newsfeed if they continue.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    11,778
    You post however you want to. Usually there is a place to show translation so I can see what you are saying.
    Isabel (Husky_mom) makes some of her posts in Spanish and I just click on the translation to read it.

    And since I took German for three years in high school (of course that was over 20 years ago) I still like to see what words I know.
    Our goal in life should be - to be as good a person as our dog thinks we are.

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    Cindy (Human) - Taz (RB Tabby) - Zoee (RB Australian Shepherd) - Paizly (Dilute Tortie) - Taggart (Aussie Mix) - Jax (Brown & White Tabby), - Zeplyn (Cattle Dog Mix)

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Cincinnati, Ohio USA
    Posts
    11,467
    I have 10 or so friends that post in dual languages. I have never thought it rude, or really, thought anything of it! It is your business how you post.

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