Very upset canadian

[Esprit]

Please don't be offended by that. Most likely they were not able to converse in English fluently. On your table of 8, how many of them were French Canadians?

 

There were 4, and unrelated (two were on their honeymoon). Nice enough except for the French conversations between their fluent English ones.

 

We decided on a table of 8 so that we could find new friends and enjoy each others company, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way until we moved tables.

[HMH G]

:confused:

 

Sounds like an honest mistake, nothing to be upset or offended by.

[akeasley]

I wouldn't let something like this bother me...there are many other worse things in the world to complain about than this. :)

[Chelseaprincess]

I received the same email in French a couple of days ago, and yes, we are an English-speaking couple living in the province of Quebec. Mind you, the email was addressed to me, and not my DH, although quite often we receive two identical emails as we share the same email address at home. My DH is perfectly bilingual, and I know some French, enough to understand what that email was about.

 

I was not upset, like the OP, just read it and made a note to myself to follow up with princess if any further correspondence from them is done in French. But I can understand the feeling and where the OP is coming from. Also, the timing of this French email is very interesting – with the new provincial government in power and their intentions to tighten language laws and regulations, which I am not going to comment about.

 

BTW, there are two official languages in Canada, but only one in “la belle province”.

[luv2travel77]

There were 4, and unrelated (two were on their honeymoon). Nice enough except for the French conversations between their fluent English ones.

 

We decided on a table of 8 so that we could find new friends and enjoy each others company, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way until we moved tables.

 

It can be quite hard for a French-speaking person to find other French-speaking passengers on a ship, especially if they're from the same region and it takes place at a dinner table. They probably just met and got carried away and spoke French amongst themselves the whole time. The two that also can speak English probably didn't feel like acting as a translator either.

 

I met a lot of Quebec-born passengers on my recent Canada/New England cruise and they were really nice. Some have very limited English skills but at least the interaction and mingling was a positive one.

[CRUZER2012]

I received the same email in French a couple of days ago, and yes, we are an English-speaking couple living in the province of Quebec. Mind you, the email was addressed to me, and not my DH, although quite often we receive two identical emails as we share the same email address at home. My DH is perfectly bilingual, and I know some French, enough to understand what that email was about.

 

I was not upset, like the OP, just read it and made a note to myself to follow up with princess if any further correspondence from them is done in French. But I can understand the feeling and where the OP is coming from. Also, the timing of this French email is very interesting – with the new provincial government in power and their intentions to tighten language laws and regulations, which I am not going to comment about.

 

BTW, there are two official languages in Canada, but only one in “la belle province”.

 

 

Thanks for your post. I was going to ask if French was the official language in Quebec. You answered that question: it is bilingual. I understand that there has been a very long history of making French the official language in Quebec. I have a friend in Toronto who is bilingual. As he has told me, he speaks both languages because his job takes him all over Canada including, of course, the French speaking areas of Canada.

 

I thought I read where official documents in the province of Quebec needed to be in French. I wonder if Princess felt that due diligence mandated that they send their emails in French. Just wondering.

[CRUZER2012]

It can be quite hard for a French-speaking person to find other French-speaking passengers on a ship, especially if they're from the same region and it takes place at a dinner table. They probably just met and got carried away and spoke French amongst themselves the whole time. The two that also can speak English probably didn't feel like acting as a translator either.

 

I met a lot of Quebec-born passengers on my recent Canada/New England cruise and they were really nice. Some have very limited English skills but at least the interaction and mingling was a positive one.

 

 

Has anyone thought that they spoke in French because it was a private conversation? I realize it can be interpreted as rude or unfriendly. I have been around bilingual speakers in California who often switch between Spanish and English. I always thought they spoke in Spanish to keep their conversation private or because they simply felt like speaking in Spanish.

[robsaw]

Thanks for your post. I was going to ask if French was the official language in Quebec. You answered that question: it is bilingual.

 

French is the sole official language at the Provincial level in Quebec.

 

At the Federal level, French and English are both official languages.

 

At the Provincial level only New Brunswick and Manitoba are officially French / English bilingual with only NB offering full services in both languages.

 

All the Territories are subject to Federal Law and are therefore French / English bilingual but various aboriginal languages are also official languages in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

 

That is your language law lesson for Canada for today.

[Gunner22aa]

You will never have a problem getting mail in French ever again

[CRUZER2012]

French is the sole official language at the Provincial level in Quebec.

 

At the Federal level, French and English are both official languages.

 

At the Provincial level only New Brunswick and Manitoba are officially French / English bilingual with only NB offering full services in both languages.

 

All the Territories are subject to Federal Law and are therefore French / English bilingual but various aboriginal languages are also official languages in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

 

That is your language law lesson for Canada for today.

 

 

Thanks. I do appreciate the lesson.

 

Well, "Ne vous comprenez l'anglais?" may come in handy.

[Minoushka]

i too got ths email in French ..did not think twice about it .my first reaction was it wasa spam ....guess not..i foundit surprising to get somethingfom Princess in french

i once wanted to participate in a Princess photo contest ...had an amazing pic but culd not ecause rules were not in French therefore illegal in Quebec

Toobad because i had great shot of our ship with a huge iceberg right in front taken in Greenland ...actually gave the pic to captain and he put it up inhis officeHe told me

Now perhaps thywill write the rules in Frenchso I can participate

[CRUZER2012]

i too got ths email in French ..did not think twice about it .my first reaction was it wasa spam ....guess not..i foundit surprising to get somethingfom Princess in french

i once wanted to participate in a Princess photo contest ...had an amazing pic but culd not ecause rules were not in French therefore illegal in Quebec

Toobad because i had great shot of our ship with a huge iceberg right in front taken in Greenland ...actually gave the pic to captain and he put it up inhis officeHe told me

Now perhaps thywill write the rules in Frenchso I can participate

 

 

Je serais ravi de voir que l'image.

 

or should I say

 

I would love to see that picture.

[Minoushka]

i too got ths email in French ..did not think twice about it .my first reaction was it wasa spam ....guess not..i foundit surprising to get somethingfom Princess in french

i once wanted to participate in a Princess photo contest ...had an amazing pic but culd not ecause rules were not in French therefore illegal in Quebec

Toobad because i had great shot of our ship with a huge iceberg right in front taken in Greenland ...actually gave the pic to captain and he put it up inhis officeHe told me

Now perhaps thywill write the rules in Frenchso I can participate

[Hstergo]

There were 4, and unrelated (two were on their honeymoon). Nice enough except for the French conversations between their fluent English ones.

 

We decided on a table of 8 so that we could find new friends and enjoy each others company, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way until we moved tables.

 

I live in Ft Lauderdale Fl we get tons of French speaking Canadians during the winter months If you say hello to them they won't even acknowledge you. I am certain they understand the word hello and its meaning but pretend your not even there.

[Griller]

I live in Ft Lauderdale Fl we get tons of French speaking Canadians during the winter months If you say hello to them they won't even acknowledge you. I am certain they understand the word hello and its meaning but pretend your not even there.

 

I do not even pretend to understand how French-Canadians see life.

 

Our most recent cruise two ladies from Quebec kept insisting to me they were French.

I said - aren't you Canadian? And they eventually and grudgingly agreed they were. They both spoke perfect English as well.

 

A sad state of affairs to deny your nationality, if I were Canadian I would be proud of it, regardless of if I were Anglo or Francophone.

 

Maybe French-Canadians should have their own ships where everything is in French, like the Germans have Mein Schiff where everything is in German.

Could make everybody happier.

[Karennella]

We found the French speaking people in Quebec, and also on a European cruise last year, to be really friendly, especially when they learnt that we were Australian.
But my husband is Italian born and I do find that we get an occasional letter or phone call in Italian which can be a bit irritating. Plus all the stuff from Italy about my elderly mother-in-law's Italian pension is in Italian, which of course is fair and reasonable. But the trouble is, people of her age, 89, are barely literate in Italian and their children are generally not at all. So the cash strapped Italian government have to fund a whole office to deal with the translation.

[DonnasMom&Dad]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]If you have a translation problem, go to google, click on MORE, at the top of the page, then TRANSLATE, in the drop screen, at the top, select the languishes you want, the copy and paste the letter to the initial languish, and the translation will appear in the translated column. :confused: :D

Cato

[SIZE=3][U][B]Completed Cruises ! [/B][/U][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Red]Pre-cruise Days - The Big Red Boat, 1993 ??[/COLOR]

1st cruise - Coral Princess, 19 November 2008, 10 day Panama Canal, FLL to ACA
2nd cruise - Coral Princess, 15 May 2009, 3 day Repositioning, Los Angeles to Vancouver.
3rd cruise - Sapphire Princess, 25 November 2009? 7 day Mexican Riviera.
4th cruise - Golden Princes, 12 June 2010, 7 day Alaska. (Golden Anniversary Cruise)
5th Cruise - Island Princess, 04 October 2010, Vancouver - Los Angeles, Repositioning
6th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 05 January 2011, 10 day Mexican Riviera. LA to LA.
7th cruise - Golden Princess, 11 May 2011, 3 day, LA to Vancouver, Repositioning
8th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 14 May 2011, 1 day, Vancouver to Seattle, Repositioning
9th cruise - Coral Princess 19 May 2011 2 day, San Francisco to Vancouver, Repositioning
10th & 11th cruises - Coral Princess 02 July to 16 July 2011, round trip Vancouver - Whittier Alaska, B2B
12th & 13th cruises - Sapphire Princess, x2, Cabins, 18 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning
14th & 15th cruises - Golden Princess, x2, Cabins, 24 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning.
[B][COLOR=Red]We have now reached Elite status with Princess Cruise Lines :D[/COLOR][/B]
16th cruise - Oasis of the Seas, 26 Nov. 2011, 7 day, Western Caribbean, Ft. Lauderdale, Ret.
17th & 18th cruises - Crown Princess B2B, 03 - 10 Dec & 10 - 17 Dec 2011, 14 Days, South & western Caribbean
19th cruise - Grand Princess, 31 Mar. - 07Jun.0212 7 Days, Eastern Caribbean, FLL - FLL
20th cruise - Island Princess, 06-16 June 2012, 10 day cruisetour Vancouver - Wittier
21th cruise - Emerald Princess, 16 day, 10 - 26 Sep. 2012, TA, Copenhagen - New York
[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][U][B]Future & Hopeful Cruises ![/B][/U][/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]( Already booked )


22nd cruise - Carnival Ecstasy 10 - 14 January, 2013, 4 Day Bahamas, Port Canaveral Ret.
23rd cruise - Sapphire Princess 31 March - 06 April, 2013, 7 Day Coastal LA - LA
[COLOR=Red]24thh cruise - Royal Princess 16 June - 05 July, 2013, 19 Day Inaugural cruise, Southampton - Venice. ;)[/COLOR]
25thcruise - Emerald Princess, 01 Oct. - 16 Oct. 2013, 16 Day Cruisetour, Toronto Via Quebec City to New York City
26th cruise - Royal Princess, 14 November - 01 December, 2013, Eastern Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale Ret.


[/SIZE] [/COLOR]

[beg3yrs]

[quote=Donna's Dad;36232943][COLOR=RoyalBlue]If you have a translation problem, go to google, click on MORE, at the top of the page, then TRANSLATE, in the drop screen, at the top, select the languishes you want, the copy and paste the letter to the initial languish, and the translation will appear in the translated column. :confused: :D

Cato[SIZE=1]

[/SIZE] [/COLOR][/quote]

I've used that tool more than once, mostly with great success. Sometimes however, its result is worthy of popcorn. :D

[newport dave]

I live in Wales in the UK, and we get everything in English and Welsh. A complete waste of money and resources. I think I might complain to Princess, as to why they're discriminating against the Welsh, and making them have to do with just English.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[baldercash]

[quote name='Hstergo']You make it sound like they sent something vulgar. You live in a French speaking Provence You do know there are such things as a simple mistake?[/QUOTE]
You I assume do not live there so you do not how under attack English speakers feel there.
[url]http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/canada/archives/2012/07/20120713-141437.html[/url]

[Sailingpeace]

[quote name='Hstergo']I live in Ft Lauderdale Fl we get tons of French speaking Canadians during the winter months If you say hello to them they won't even acknowledge you. I am certain they understand the word hello and its meaning but pretend your not even there.[/QUOTE]

Ahhh! The wonderful world of all or nothing. "Tons of them" and NONE replied when you said hello... :rolleyes:

[Sailingpeace]

[quote name='baldercash']You I assume do not live there so you do not how under attack English speakers feel there.
[url]http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/canada/archives/2012/07/20120713-141437.html[/url][/QUOTE]

I believe that stupidity is unfortunately found all over the planet and you can meet dingbats in any country, and therefore, sadly, we have our in Quebec ... We also have the other model, the one who understands french but pretend he doesn't... Some humans, since the begining of times, seem to have problems handling differences, even petty ones.

[caber]

[quote name='newport dave']I live in Wales in the UK, and we get everything in English and Welsh. A complete waste of money and resources. I think I might complain to Princess, as to why they're discriminating against the Welsh, and making them have to do with just English.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

On a Saturday night English might even baffle you. :eek:

[newport dave]

[quote name='caber']On a Saturday night English might even baffle you. :eek:[/QUOTE]

What are you trying to say Helen!!!!!!!!!!

[Hstergo]

[quote name='Sailingpeace']Ahhh! The wonderful world of all or nothing. "Tons of them" and NONE replied when you said hello... :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

Yes none as in Zero not a single one ... Are you in So. Florida to know anything different or you simply assuming I am lying ?