Originally Posted by
TakeAPu
So in the operation, you are dealing with 10 000 cabin crew and 3400 pilots who speak Dutch. And now you come along and expect them to switch to English. Sure, out of politeness the purser or flight attendant who comes to the flight deck in the middle of the night over the ocean will speak English with you. But when she gets into a more detailed conversation with your Dutch pilot colleague, guess what, she’s native in Dutch and not in English. So for that conversation, it’s necessary and more comfortable for her to switch to Dutch in order to be able to communicate in the nuances desired and required. And if you don’t understand Dutch....well...do you really expect her to do everything in English just because you’re present in the room? That will get tiring very fast.
And the same thing will apply during layovers when people are having drinks. People will simply speak in their native language if they can, especially if the entire airline is composed of native Dutch speakers. It is unreasonable to expect everyone around you to conform to you, just because you think everyone owes it to you to speak English, just because you are there.
How long do you think it takes to learn Dutch? it seems you expect everyone to understand conversational Dutch by the time they step on board for the first time. It will take quite a while for someone to get to that standard, so yes, they will expect you to do things in English, just because they are there, otherwise you are not very welcoming and inclusive.