People love to talk behind others' backs – you cannot deny it. You have likely done it yourself; it's just a flaw that we all have. Yet, it also matters how you do it – some cases tend to be way nastier than others.
For example, talking about a person while you're near them, but using a language they don't understand. Or at least you hope they don't. Because stories of those folks understanding it happen often enough. So, today, let's jump in to read them, shall we?
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#1
I was once giving a tour of our facility to a group of foreign exchange university students from various countries. One of the students from the UK was asking various questions about aspects of the facility - like the wattage of the solar panels or the electrical consumption vs the brightness of the overhead lighting - that was not part of questions many people would ask, but would make sense if you looked at them from an engineering or environmental science perspective.
Two or three of the other students started talking amongst themselves in Mandarin about this suck-up and how they'd just like him to shut up when the English boy turned to them and ripped them a new a*****e in excellent Mandarin. That helped... for a while, until a few minutes later when I heard them start again, this time in a more obscure Chinese dialect (Foochow, to the curious) about how overly sensitive some people were and couldn't the guide please just ignore that loudmouthed foreigner, when to my surprise and their mortification, the English boy turned around and ripped them another new one.
tl;dr - There are a couple of recent Xiamen University graduates walking around with three a******s.
Two or three of the other students started talking amongst themselves in Mandarin about this suck-up and how they'd just like him to shut up when the English boy turned to them and ripped them a new a*****e in excellent Mandarin. That helped... for a while, until a few minutes later when I heard them start again, this time in a more obscure Chinese dialect (Foochow, to the curious) about how overly sensitive some people were and couldn't the guide please just ignore that loudmouthed foreigner, when to my surprise and their mortification, the English boy turned around and ripped them another new one.
tl;dr - There are a couple of recent Xiamen University graduates walking around with three a******s.
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123points
#2
It's happened a couple of times, but both were pleasant experiences.
On one of those we were abroad and we were at a farmers market. I was standing in front of a stall looking at stuff, my wife was to my right and two ladies to her right. The two ladies noticed my wife and started talking to each other about my wife's eyes and how beautiful they thought she was. I was smiling as I was listening to their conversation and at some point I looked at them and they clicked that I was understanding them. They nudged each other that I knew what they were saying, smiled back and moved on.
Told my wife after they left and she was happy.
On one of those we were abroad and we were at a farmers market. I was standing in front of a stall looking at stuff, my wife was to my right and two ladies to her right. The two ladies noticed my wife and started talking to each other about my wife's eyes and how beautiful they thought she was. I was smiling as I was listening to their conversation and at some point I looked at them and they clicked that I was understanding them. They nudged each other that I knew what they were saying, smiled back and moved on.
Told my wife after they left and she was happy.
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96points
#3
I’m a jeweler, and sometimes do pop-up art shows, with a booth with my work on display/for sale. A German family was in my booth and they were all discussing my pieces amongst themselves. But it was all complimentary and really nice! So I didn’t feel the need to interrupt. They bought a bracelet (and did the transaction with me in English) and as they were leaving the booth I said “Tschüss!!” which is like, an informal way of saying goodbye, which you probably wouldn’t throw out there if you didn’t speak any German.
Their reaction was like (in German) “Bye!! –WAIT, what???” and suddenly they all ran back into the booth and were all over me, so excited!! I thanked them for all the sweet compliments and they couldn’t stop laughing. It was a super cute interaction!
Their reaction was like (in German) “Bye!! –WAIT, what???” and suddenly they all ran back into the booth and were all over me, so excited!! I thanked them for all the sweet compliments and they couldn’t stop laughing. It was a super cute interaction!
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85points
Statistics show that at least half of the global population is bilingual, meaning that they speak two languages. But it’s not that surprising, is it? After all, we’re living in a world of international migration, digital spaces full of various languages, and prominent global businesses. So, speaking more than one language is more culturally and professionally valuable than ever before.
Of course, this skill is the most prominent among young people, who are growing up in multilingual homes and use the digital world to learn languages. For this reason, it’s speculated that the next generation might speak more languages than ever before.
#4
I live in Washington, DC and between diplomats, armed forces/intel agency members, and tourists you can never tell who can understand what language.
This was a while back before smartphones. A small group of tourists were speaking among themselves trying to figure out how to get to a tourist site. A older, well-dressed African gentleman went up to them and helped them in their native language. I was waiting at the crosswalk next to him afterwards and asked what language they were speaking, he told me it was Russian and he was a diplomat from Nigeria and knew Russian from earlier in his career.
This was a while back before smartphones. A small group of tourists were speaking among themselves trying to figure out how to get to a tourist site. A older, well-dressed African gentleman went up to them and helped them in their native language. I was waiting at the crosswalk next to him afterwards and asked what language they were speaking, he told me it was Russian and he was a diplomat from Nigeria and knew Russian from earlier in his career.
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73points
#5
A white American friend spent time in southern China as a student where he learned to speak Hakka fluently. He was walking through Chinatown in NYC one day when he overheard two guys having a heated argument in Hakka. These guys were on the verge of getting in a physical altercation when my friend walked up and said something to the effect of, “what’s going on here?” in Hakka. They were so gobsmacked that they regained their cool, my friend chatted with both of them for a bit (they were deeply amused by his fluency), and everyone went on their way - fight averted.
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67points
#6
I had just sat down and ordered some Cevapi at a restaurant overlooking Zagreb's central square, when a woman approaches me and asks in broken english if she and her family could have my table. I told her politely that I had just ordered and would be another 20 to 30 minutes, she quite rudely complained in Croatian that "These stupid, fat f*****g Americans had no respect for the locals and that she hoped I choked on my food" to which I reply in perfect Croatian (Thanks grandma) "Firstly I'm Australian and secondly you can f**k off into your mother's 3 c***s" (people who know the language will get the translation haha) the look on her face was 👌.
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66points
And to be honest, it’s very good news, as there are plenty of advantages that come from multilingualism. Starting with improved communication and understanding – by knowing more than one language, you can communicate with a variety of people. That opens various possibilities for you to see the world more, understand other cultures and people better, and you get the gist.
It can also open more job opportunities. You can work as a translator, interpreter, or any other job that benefits from more than one language. In fact, even if your job is monolingual, you can still benefit from multiple languages, as languages are proven to enhance cognitive abilities, which is a plus by itself.
#7
Friend and I were sitting in a guest house common room and there was a Japanese gal and her boyfriend. The girl was making fun of my friend for not being able to use chopsticks while her boyfriend looked kind of embarrassed of her talking like that. Then I overheard him say something like wanting to ask us a question, but being too bad at English to try. I told him in Japanese that he can gladly ask his question in Japanese. His girlfriend did not look amused.
My friend and I did not address her earlier mocking. After getting into a bit of a chat with her boyfriend, my friend did, however, give the two of them little souveniers she brought from Germany. She said she felt petty and wanted to k**l her with kindness, lol.
My friend and I did not address her earlier mocking. After getting into a bit of a chat with her boyfriend, my friend did, however, give the two of them little souveniers she brought from Germany. She said she felt petty and wanted to k**l her with kindness, lol.
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62points
#8
Few years ago I was in Dubai and a small group of French tourists (mostly wannabe fashionistas) were taking pictures. At one point they complained that I was ruining the shots “y’a une pétasse en arrière plan” (there is a b***h in the background). I turned around and said désolée (sorry) in a sarcastic tone. Their faces immediately became red and they mumbled no no it’s fine.
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62points
#9
I was in a souq in the middle east, and one of the shopkeeps was talking some s**t about me (Caucasian woman) to the others nearby. The others weren't saying much at all. I continued poking around, listening to the dude who was clearly bored and having some fun. He did have some items I wanted, but I was going to go with one of the others because he kept running his mouth.
One told me in English how much some perfume bottles were, and I responded in Arabic. *EVERYONE* went silent for a moment, and then everyone but that one shopkeep burst out laughing. One guy asked in Arabic how much Arabic I understood, and I glanced at the rude guy before responding that I understood quite well, thank you, and he cackled and ran off to bring us all some tea. The rest of the shopkeeps there announced that the a*****e would take 50% off everything in his stock for me. Which he did.
We all ended up being friendly after that 😁 And whenever I brought a friend, someone would tell them the story of how I started frequenting their part of the souq.
One told me in English how much some perfume bottles were, and I responded in Arabic. *EVERYONE* went silent for a moment, and then everyone but that one shopkeep burst out laughing. One guy asked in Arabic how much Arabic I understood, and I glanced at the rude guy before responding that I understood quite well, thank you, and he cackled and ran off to bring us all some tea. The rest of the shopkeeps there announced that the a*****e would take 50% off everything in his stock for me. Which he did.
We all ended up being friendly after that 😁 And whenever I brought a friend, someone would tell them the story of how I started frequenting their part of the souq.
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60points
For example, bilingualism has been linked to enhanced executive function, as well as increased abstraction abilities and improved memory. Not to mention the delay in the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Basically, constantly switching between two languages forces the brain to adapt and flex constantly, resulting in a stronger and more agile mind.
Interestingly, it was also proven that by learning new languages, people tend to rewire their brains, as such a process requires the organ to encode, store, and retrieve new information. Such physical changes are good for the brain in the long run because they make it more efficient in recovering from challenges.
#10
In a movie theater before the movie started, they were talking in Polish wondering if my hair was real (blonde & very curly). They were talking about pulling on it to see (grown a*s women mind you). I promptly turned around and told them it was real and that there’d be problems if they touched it. They stopped talking after that.
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55points
#11
When I was working as a waitress, I think I was around 17, in a café mostly frequented by German tourists (I don’t speak German, so I spoke English to those tables and Czech to the few who weren’t tourists), a French couple came and ordered in English. I didn’t feel like speaking French that day, so I just let them struggle with English a bit. They were talking s**t about the food, the drinks, pretty much everything, which was funny because they acted like everything was fine when I checked on them. When they were paying, I said something like “thank you, have a nice day” in French, and the shock on their faces honestly made my day.
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51points
#12
I was hiking and overheard a group arguing in Japanese whether to take the trail to a lake because the sign said it was two miles away. They were trying to figure out how far in kilometers and deciding if it was too far.
As I walked by, I said in Japanese “it’s .2 miles, not far”
One of them said “that man just spoke to me on Japanese!” And the rest of them said she was silly.
So I turned back and said “It’s 0.2 miles, less than 400 meters” and bowed and left.
As I walked by, I said in Japanese “it’s .2 miles, not far”
One of them said “that man just spoke to me on Japanese!” And the rest of them said she was silly.
So I turned back and said “It’s 0.2 miles, less than 400 meters” and bowed and left.
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49points
Besides all of these technical and scientific advantages of multilingualism, there are some more “human” ones. By this, we mean that it simply enriches your day-to-day life in many ways.
Let us introduce you to a scenario: you overhear people talking about you in a language they clearly don’t know you understand. So, you can use your knowledge to catch them in this nasty act and have a glow of feeling superior. And, of course, you have a story to tell in the future.
#13
Not quite.
I’d been learning some Spanish on my own.
One of my new jobs was working with a woman who spoke Spanish (first day and being highly judged I found out later-whatever.) she was talking with someone on her phone in Spanish.
I didn’t understand a word and didn’t care.
At our next job someone asks how to say “how do you say..” in Spanish and I blurted out the response. Her face went pale.
Maybe she wasn’t talking s**t about me in last conversation, but the look was priceless!
I’d been learning some Spanish on my own.
One of my new jobs was working with a woman who spoke Spanish (first day and being highly judged I found out later-whatever.) she was talking with someone on her phone in Spanish.
I didn’t understand a word and didn’t care.
At our next job someone asks how to say “how do you say..” in Spanish and I blurted out the response. Her face went pale.
Maybe she wasn’t talking s**t about me in last conversation, but the look was priceless!
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46points
#14
I, a white lady, lived in Ghana for a while for work, and picked up enough Twi to get by (exchange pleasantries, ask for directions, haggle for pineapple, etc). It’s pretty unusual to see foreigners in the town I was in, let alone ones who could speak Twi, and I guess word got around.
I was in line at this little shop one morning before work, probably buying some Nescafé or a snack, and the woman in line ahead of me was talking to the shopkeeper. Now I was off in my own little world, likely thinking about buying more pineapple for lunch, so I was only vaguely aware that the woman in front of me kept furtively looking back at me. Finally the shopkeeper stopped her and said, pointing at me, “She speaks Twi, you know.”
The woman’s eyes got huge and she started to stammer out an apology. Again, wasn’t paying attention, no idea what she said, but it obviously wasn’t nice, so I just pretended to graciously accept her apology. Then when I got to the front of the line I thanked the shopkeeper (in Twi) for having my back.
I was in line at this little shop one morning before work, probably buying some Nescafé or a snack, and the woman in line ahead of me was talking to the shopkeeper. Now I was off in my own little world, likely thinking about buying more pineapple for lunch, so I was only vaguely aware that the woman in front of me kept furtively looking back at me. Finally the shopkeeper stopped her and said, pointing at me, “She speaks Twi, you know.”
The woman’s eyes got huge and she started to stammer out an apology. Again, wasn’t paying attention, no idea what she said, but it obviously wasn’t nice, so I just pretended to graciously accept her apology. Then when I got to the front of the line I thanked the shopkeeper (in Twi) for having my back.
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44points
#15
I’m the whitest of white girls, but I also spent a few years in East Africa and speak/understand Swahili pretty well. Little kids there loved to scream “mzungu jambo” (“white person” and a grammatically incorrect greeting that tourists mostly used) at me. Until I answered them in Swahili and suddenly got the deference-to-elders greeting they should have used all along.
43points
That happens more often than you might imagine – today, we serve you a whole list of stories like that. What we can say – it’s extremely entertaining.
Maybe you have a similar story too? Please share!
#16
I tried to sell gold at a family-run precious metals store where they (mom, dad, and son) didn't realize I could understand them.
I heard their entire negotiation strategy as we haggled. Lol. They kept lowballing me, so I left their store and sold to a different one.
I heard their entire negotiation strategy as we haggled. Lol. They kept lowballing me, so I left their store and sold to a different one.
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40points
#17
Not me but my gran. She was evacuated from London to rural wales in the war, she was about 15. Spoke with a clearly south London accent. Some old ladies on the bus were talking badly about her, as the locals tended to do about the evacuees. Didn’t know my gran was raised by her Welsh grandmother and spoke it fluently. She told the old ladies off and walked off the bus with her head held high. She didn’t have much of a short term memory in her later years but still loved telling me that story.
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39points
#18
I was fixing a computer in the Mexican embassy a few years ago. There were some young women chatting in Spanish. I told them I spoke Spanish and they looked absolutely horrified. I don’t know what they were saying as I don’t actually speak Spanish.
37points
#19
Yes, though it was something nice so I didn't let on. She found out later that I could understand what she was saying and blushed quite profusely as it dawned on her that I had understood what she said to her friend before. We became a couple not long after that.
36points
#20
Travelled to India in 2019 for what would turn out to be a harrowing ad filming job, among many of the tasks I had to learn on the fly was how to speak and understand Hindi.
Cut to 2 weeks ago, when one of my situationships needed help picking out a used car from a lot in Milton Keynes (UK). To my surprise towards the end of the sale the salesman starts to speak to his staff in Hindi about how they're ripping her off, they don't expect the car to make it back to London, and it doesn't matter he forgot to fix a vital component. I was also surprised I still understood, but I guess something learnt during a period of stress sticks with you more than most.
After subtly gaining their background by talking to his son (The same area of India I learnt Hindi, incase the dialect was different and I misunderstood) I told the guy (In Hindi) I would greatly appreciate it if he would replace the broken component he was trying to stiff us with and drop the price as compensation for his dishonesty.
After a back and forth that cemented for him I knew exactly what he'd said, and made me feel like I'd just crushed his figurative balls in a vice, he dropped the price significantly, repaired the parts while we waited and apologised enough to make me sick of the word.
Our mechanic said it still shouldn't have passed its MOT but was glad we got it for the low price.
Cut to 2 weeks ago, when one of my situationships needed help picking out a used car from a lot in Milton Keynes (UK). To my surprise towards the end of the sale the salesman starts to speak to his staff in Hindi about how they're ripping her off, they don't expect the car to make it back to London, and it doesn't matter he forgot to fix a vital component. I was also surprised I still understood, but I guess something learnt during a period of stress sticks with you more than most.
After subtly gaining their background by talking to his son (The same area of India I learnt Hindi, incase the dialect was different and I misunderstood) I told the guy (In Hindi) I would greatly appreciate it if he would replace the broken component he was trying to stiff us with and drop the price as compensation for his dishonesty.
After a back and forth that cemented for him I knew exactly what he'd said, and made me feel like I'd just crushed his figurative balls in a vice, he dropped the price significantly, repaired the parts while we waited and apologised enough to make me sick of the word.
Our mechanic said it still shouldn't have passed its MOT but was glad we got it for the low price.
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35points