Charles Morgan
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2010
- Messages
- 8,206
- Car
- Mercedes 250CE W114, Alfa Romeo GT Coupe 3.2 V6
I worked in an international bank (boo hiss...) and had a team of about 30. Half were continental European and between them they spoke English, Italian, Hungarian, Serbo-Croat, Russian, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Mandarin - as second and third languages. All wrote and spoke perfect English.
My British and US staff were monoglot English, with the exception of one who spoke Persian, French and Arabic to native standard (he was ex FCO) and one who spoke perfect Portuguese, Italian and Spanish having lived in all three places. I had to send at least one of my British staff on a remedial English course and he was a Cambridge graduate. Every year that went by the balance shifted further towards foreign staff as they worked harder, more efficiently and one didn't need to spend hours proof-reading and correcting their output.
Sometimes I feel the march of invincible ignorance has reached the point of no-return here.
My British and US staff were monoglot English, with the exception of one who spoke Persian, French and Arabic to native standard (he was ex FCO) and one who spoke perfect Portuguese, Italian and Spanish having lived in all three places. I had to send at least one of my British staff on a remedial English course and he was a Cambridge graduate. Every year that went by the balance shifted further towards foreign staff as they worked harder, more efficiently and one didn't need to spend hours proof-reading and correcting their output.
Sometimes I feel the march of invincible ignorance has reached the point of no-return here.
Last edited:
