More than 1 year ago I devoted one entry to a problem of language barrier and absolutely enormous majority of Polish emigrants who couldn’t speak English at the comprehensive level. For more than 1 or 2 years Irish employers were mostly tolerant to that lack of easy communication between them and their employees, or even between their employees and their customers, but now it seems to change.
For the last couple of weeks I have been getting some news about groups of Polish employees who were banned to speak Polish at work. Usually those people are shocked and they can’t understand decision of their employers, but I since my arriving in Ireland I have been underscoring the language issue, and I have been warning my compatriots against the devastating language barrier.
I have always been of the opinion that while our staying in Ireland or UK, we should speak English at work, or always when there is a non-Polish person in our company. It is a matter of good manners, a mater of respect our friends, colleagues, and which is most important - the natives. I think it is very bad when Irish, English, Scottish or Welsh (whatever) can’t communicate with the shop assistants, bar tenders or whatever, beeing in their own homeland. I know we would be very pissed off if we couldn’t communicate in Polish, being in Poland, or when the majority of the staff was non-Polish (Ukrainian, Belarussian etc.).
Unfortunately the problem is still unsolved. Polish community is cut off from Irish, and spending most of the time between compatriots is not good opportunity to learn English at all. Many of us can’t see the point in learning English, since they can communicate in Polish mostly, and they regard their stay in Ireland as a temporary. In fact, a couple of years, or even more is not a temporary. The situation leads straight into a creation of Polish ghettos in Ireland.
Being involved in the attempts to activate and integrate Polish community (using my service - Carlow.pl) I am now thinking how to connect and integrate both communities of Carlow (Irish and Polish). Apart of persuading people to learn and to speak English, I think there is a need of some efforts from the Irish society. Unfortunately a great and very good tolerance of Irish people is also an effect of keeping out of the Poles. I mean - apart of some exceptions - there is no real socialisation attempts. Irish people are going their own way, and Polish people are going their own way, and don’t want to learn and to speak English.
The situation won’t be good nor for Poles nor Irish.
I know of a lot of Polish who simply do not have an opportunity to speak/learn English as they work 10 or 12 hour night shifts in factories. They seldom meet anyone who is not a Pole. Let’s not forget this. My own first few months in Germany were like this.
There are other Poles who are trying very, very hard to improve their language skills, but are thwarted by Irish people who refuse to speak slowly and clearly, and who use slang to purposely confuse them (or even make fun of them knowing they won’t understand). I experienced this too while working in southern France, so it is not just an Irish attitude.
[Oh, and my fellow Irishmen don’t pretend saying things like “ah shur, yer wan dare in de yella geansaí hasn’t a word a da lingo a tall” is English. It isn’t.]
There are others who simply do not want to learn, or see no need to. But isn’t it just politeness to help someone who needs help?
What I think we need to see is a Polish version of Spanglish - http://www.spanglish.ie/ - a website for Irish people interested in Spanish language and culture. Krishna De recently reviewed the site -
http://www.krishnade.com/blog/2007/spanglish-brand-review/
“What’s interesting about the Spanglish business model is that it is integrating many traditional and new media solutions including online networking with a membership community, offline networking with meetings and events, and for it’s premium members, podcasts in Spanish so you can learn or develop your Spanish language skills and blogs.”
Mackozer, why not use the Ning platform to create the equivalent social network for Irish people interested in learning about the Polish culture and language (like me)? Let me know if you’d be interested in working on this together as I have some experience of working with Ning. We could use their free service option and make the site completely free for everyone to use. I think it’s time the Irish and Polish got to know each other a little better online and offline.
Polish people are widely welcomed in Ireland, and indeed everything is prepared to help them to settle down. Infrastructure is in Polish, almost all statements and information in gov. offices is available in Polish etc. It is very good, and I and we appreciate it. But - from the other hand - it is a excellent ground to create Polish ghetto. I mean. I think Irish people usually have nothing against the Poles, but also they are quite often not very interested in socialise with Poles.
I mean all that help and infrastructure is not aiming in integration of Polish community into Irish society.
It seems that all what is wanted from us is to be good workers and decent people, but there is no need to integrate our community into entire Irish society.
Most of the Poles can’t speak English, and with all excellent prepared, and of course helpful, information and services available in Polish, they will never do it, without any pressure from Irish people, and without encourage.
As long as there won’t be a sensible reason (like having Irish friends, being a loyal/regular customers of the Irish pubs - I mean going out for a pint with Irish lads) Poles will not learn English and they will be living in a Polish ghetto, and both communities will be avoiding each other.
I can’t judge is it right or not. It is just how it is.
James: as for NING, I have too look closely. I can help you with that, no problemo.
I am also about to set up special internet discussion forum for Irish - Polish discussions.
Why don’t Polish people come into the local pubs? Is it because of the prices?
Krystian
A lot of the Poles seem to stick together, which would be understandable in larger cities, but they also seem to do it in smaller towns where mixing with the locals would be a hell of a lot easier.
While some of them seem to have an interest in learning English and integrating I get the impression that a lot of them have no real interest in doing so and just want to make money to send back home.
Michele
Krystian, Ning includes discussion forums so if you like we can just have it all on one service, i.e., Ning. The advantage is that Ning is a true social software platform and can help people make contact with others. It’s much richer than a traditional discussion forum.
I really like the way Spanglish emphasizes the social angle and think a Ning based site could do the same to help bring the Polish and Irish together. Any ideas for a name?
Oh, and my fellow Irishmen don’t pretend saying things like “ah shur, yer wan dare in de yella geansaí hasn’t a word a da lingo a tall” is English. It isn’t.
Horeshit. What exactly is “proper english” anyway. All versions of it have dialects, and that particular phrase in no more difficult to understand than any other dialect ( cornish, newcastle, cork, liverpudlian, or God forbid Dort speak etc.) The poles should learn the dialect.