Originally Posted by
felinaar
I think most Americans hate those Americans, too. I've been in situations like that before when traveling in Europe. It's not that we think non-English speakers are stupid, but it's very frustrating when you can't communicate with someone, even if fault isn't an issue (should I really learn a half dozen or more languages to cover every nation I might visit in Europe?).
I try always to ask (in the local language) if a person speaks English, and if my question is too complicated to use what little foreign language skills I have, I try to keep my English as simple as possible. It may seem like I'm talking to a child, but it's not meant to offend. It's just that they may be limited to a child's level of English.
Good for you.
Still, with the same attitude, US immigration have you speak English and communicate to you every possible detail about your life in their language.
Now, fly to Germany, Spain, Italy, you name it in the world and expect an American to explain anything at immigration of the foreign country in the local language and they would freak out. Does it make a difference because most everybody knows English over here anyway? Does it make a difference because English is "the world language"?
If that is the case, I am looking forward to a world, where we (and also Americans) can be expected to be fluent in Mandarin since the Chinese are the future single World Power.