Very upset canadian

[Traveler30]

I am Canadian and I live in Quebec. Yesterday I received a e mail from Princess and it was in French. I have travelled with princess 25 times, and no where is it mentioned that I am French. I sent the Captains Circle a e mail asking why it was in French, they responded within 2 hrs.via phone and the person was very,very nice, she asked that I forward the e-mail which I did, and she looked into it, and she called back 2 hrs later, and said they were advised to send it French.

 

Just recently the law became that the official working language is French, but this is a personal e mail, and a U.S. based company. I am hoping to hear from other people who live in Quebec as to their thoughts. I just hope that Carnival Corporation is not going to be sending us English speaking people mail in French.

 

I want to thank the person at the Captains Circle, for being so kind and thoughtful.

 

Sorry for rambling on, but I just had to share this. Hoping to hear from other English speaking Quebecers.

[CruiseCraig]

English speaking Ontarian here, and it was probably just an error on someone's part entering in your information. I doubt Princess would know about the language laws in Quebec.

 

I sailed on NCL's Pride of America last year around Hawaii. We were receiving two copies of their daily newsletter, one in english, one in french. After the 2nd or 3rd one, went to the purser's desk to inquire why this was, and they figured that because our last name is french, and we're from Canada, we must have wanted the french newsletter!

[2little time]

I think Princess was respectful of the fact that people in Quebec have chosen to have French as their official language and are just trying to be culturally correct. I am not sure why this would upset you.

[skynight]

Well, maybe Princess should have a preferred language check box in their customer's files. That is what you should mention. However, I find it unreasonable to "blame" Princess for trying to be co-operative with customers in Quebec, when it has been the government of Quebec that has pushed and made into law the "French First" policy for many many years.

[Traveler30]

I do speak French, but can't read it. At my age it would be difficult to learn to read it. I am not upset at Princess, just at our Government here in Quebec. Princess has been very good to me over the years. If anything I believe it should be in both languages.

[Sandyrella]

I think Princess was respectful of the fact that people in Quebec have chosen to have French as their official language and are just trying to be culturally correct. I am not sure why this would upset you.

 

I would not necessarily be upset by this but I do understand where the OP is coming from. When you are 100% anglo living in Quebec, it just gets a bit old receiving everything in French first. When I receive mail at home in French only, I just toss it. I won't even look at it.

 

My name is so English most French people can't even pronounce it, so to assume that I want my correspondence in French just because I live here, is just that an assumption. Just like NCL was wrong to assume that CruiseCraig is French because he has a French name. Do they also send every Rodriguez or Gonzalez, etc. their correspondence in Spanish??:confused:

 

I agree that there should be a language check box.

 

With that said, all of the correspondence I have received from every cruise line, including Princess, has been in English :)

[Putterdude]

I suspect it was a matter that the wrong box was checked at sometime by somebody....nothing more.

[cathystejuju]

I received the same E-mail in French as the OP and thought it was a bit strange, given that I have been receiving promotional E-mails from Princess, in English, multiple times a week since I cruised on the Crown Princess in September. No one asked me whether I wanted those E-mails or in which language they should come. I'll have to start paying more attention to which language all my other unsollicited E-mails appear in!

[Cruisin' Chick]

I would not necessarily be upset by this but I do understand where the OP is coming from. When you are 100% anglo living in Quebec, it just gets a bit old receiving everything in French first. When I receive mail at home in French only, I just toss it. I won't even look at it.

 

My name is so English most French people can't even pronounce it, so to assume that I want my correspondence in French just because I live here, is just that an assumption. Just like NCL was wrong to assume that CruiseCraig is French because he has a French name. Do they also send every Rodriguez or Gonzalez, etc. their correspondence in Spanish??:confused:

 

I agree that there should be a language check box.

 

With that said, all of the correspondence I have received from every cruise line, including Princess, has been in English :)

 

It reminds me of some cases around here in Los Angeles when it comes to Spanish. One fellow parent with the last name of Gonzales said that one of her daughters was put in a fully Spanish speaking class without asking the parents. The mom had to spring into action to get her child pulled out, insisting that her daughter doesn't speak or read Spanish. Another mom had to call her daughter's high school to tell them to stop sending the autocalls in Spanish as she doesn't understand Spanish enough (she married a Hispanic man, thus they have a Spanish surname, but she isn't Hispanic). And one of my daughter's friends was placed in a Spanish class for native speakers and his parent had to contact the school to get him changed to one for non-native speakers (the school itself was almost 75 per cent Hispanic, but many of the magnet students, such as this boy and my daughter, don't speak the language).

[room010]

Companies and institutions have to tiptoe through the Political Correctness minefield at the best of times so it's not surprising these things happen occasionally. Not worth getting bent out of shape about it IMO. No doubt a francophone québécois is equally outraged to receive correspondence in Engish :)

[Pam in CA]

I'm sympathetic. I get upset at all the US companies that force you to press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish. As has been mentioned, here in CA, children are automatically put into Spanish language classes even if they don't speak, read or understand Spanish. My cleaning lady's daughter, who is an honor roll student, was put in an English As A Second Language class even though she doesn't speak Spanish. The schools get more money from the State by designating children for special programs. :(

[jollyjones]

It's not just Princess. Because American Airlines lumps Bermuda in with the Caribbean and Latin America, all the emails I get from them about schedule changes are in Spanish - this continues despite emails from me to them requesting English. Once some computer somewhere has it in it's system, sometimes it seems to be impossible to change ...

[lovevacadays]

Wow. That is so strange.:eek:

[snorkelgirlca]

Never gets docs or emails in French here in CA but a lot in Spanish. It is that politically correct thing. I read Spanish and French (ratherly poorly) so I get the gist. But the funniest was when I got my 94 year old Mother's mail from Medicare in Spanish. Good thing I can read Spanish and it came here rather than the nursing home. She has an Anglo (technically French about 200 years ago) last name so for the life of me can't figure what that was all about.

 

Sometimes you just got to laugh at life.

[Sailingpeace]

I am Canadian and I live in Quebec. Yesterday I received a e mail from Princess and it was in French. I have travelled with princess 25 times, and no where is it mentioned that I am French. I sent the Captains Circle a e mail asking why it was in French, they responded within 2 hrs.via phone and the person was very,very nice, she asked that I forward the e-mail which I did, and she looked into it, and she called back 2 hrs later, and said they were advised to send it French.

 

Just recently the law became that the official working language is French, but this is a personal e mail, and a U.S. based company. I am hoping to hear from other people who live in Quebec as to their thoughts. I just hope that Carnival Corporation is not going to be sending us English speaking people mail in French.

 

I want to thank the person at the Captains Circle, for being so kind and thoughtful.

 

Sorry for rambling on, but I just had to share this. Hoping to hear from other English speaking Quebecers.

 

I am from Quebec and would not be " very upset" if someone wanted to respect our official business language. All official visitors, and vast majority of artists performing will acknoeledge the french language of the majority and try to say a few words. As for the law , it has been in effect for years. I do admit I am " very surprised" by the french message ( didn't get one yet). If after living here for years I was still unable to understand french, I feel I would appreciate beeing given the option to check a Company's language box, in this case English.

 

For those unaware of the interesting difference in views we enjoy in our beautiful,province... Never boring, just notice that a simple email can get "very upsetting".

[Bill B]

LOL... as a Canadian, I find all this 'cuffel' to be more proof of how far we lag behind the U.S. - we've (currently) managed to postpone our civil war for about 150 years.

 

I have a question -

Under legislation In Quebec, must an email sent in both languages use a larger font size for the French than the English?

[Putterdude]

Never gets docs or emails in French here in CA but a lot in Spanish. It is that politically correct thing. I read Spanish and French (ratherly poorly) so I get the gist. But the funniest was when I got my 94 year old Mother's mail from Medicare in Spanish. Good thing I can read Spanish and it came here rather than the nursing home. She has an Anglo (technically French about 200 years ago) last name so for the life of me can't figure what that was all about.

 

Sometimes you just got to laugh at life.

 

One fundamental difference is Spanish is not an official language in California or indeed the USA however French (whether we Canadians like it or not) is an official language of Canada, along with English, and is the official language of the Province of Quebec.

[GHDPeter]

Does Princess Cruises have a Canadian registered subsidiary like they do in Australia? If so then that might account for the email being in french.

 

Sent from my AMID-972XS using Tapatalk 2

[snorkelgirlca]

One fundamental difference is Spanish is not an official language in California or indeed the USA however French (whether we Canadians like it or not) is an official language of Canada, along with English, and is the official language of the Province of Quebec.

FYI:

official government documents mailed in CA from a governmental agency in ca by law are supposed to be English and Spanish when benefits (ie welfare medical notifications or even Medicare) . That is why the previous poster who got notices from the school got the letters in Spanish. That is why I have to laugh when my non Spanish speaking clients ( I am an atty) who happen to,have Hispanic last names get notice from the department of child support have to come in to have me a white person who happens to be bilingual translate to them the official notice from the state of Ca that the mother of their child has applied for welfare. Just thought it was hysterical that the Feds sent notice to my Mom in Spanish which was taking that rule a little too far. ( if i had shown the letter to her reaction would have been more agitated than the original poster.

 

Even our voter notices from the November election came in Spanish..... Go figure. That was a political hot buttom about 10 years back when official governmental notices first became mandated to be in both,languages.

[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?

[jpthomas27]

I agree! ↑

 

Perhaps the French newsletter was merely an oversight or simple error...

 

Cheers.

 

Doesn't sound like an oversight or an error. They gave you both versions, English and French. It sounds to me that by giving you both French AND English they were trying to be sensitive to your preference, which ever it may be.

 

Having a company take this type of measure to ensure they are providing you great service sound like a problem I would like to have.

 

I do speak French, but can't read it. At my age it would be difficult to learn to read it. I am not upset at Princess, just at our Government here in Quebec. Princess has been very good to me over the years. If anything I believe it should be in both languages.

 

You nailed exactly! The government is the one that is enacting the change. Sounds like Pricness is just trying to be sensitive to their preferences.

 

I certainly understand the frustration with this. I too would be frustrated, but be carefull where you place the blame. It is people's over reactions that have caused the over exagerated, politicle correctness that has companies walking on egg shells.

 

These type of situations have put comapnies all over the world in impossible positions, nothing they do anymore is right because someone will have a problem with it.

[MicCanberra]

One fundamental difference is Spanish is not an official language in California or indeed the USA however French (whether we Canadians like it or not) is an official language of Canada, along with English, and is the official language of the Province of Quebec.

True, I would think that the customer would have the ability to change what language their correspondence comes in no matter where they live. If I deal with an English/US company, I would expect that the default language would be English unless notified otherwise.:D

[Esprit]

I think Princess was respectful of the fact that people in Quebec have chosen to have French as their official language and are just trying to be culturally correct. I am not sure why this would upset you.

 

I agree.

 

What upset me on our Caribbean cruise two years ago were the French Canadians on our table of 8 who spoke in French to one another thus excluding us from the conversations.

 

Needless to say we switched tables and had a very pleasurable time with English speaking Canadians from BC.

[luv2travel77]

I do speak French, but can't read it. At my age it would be difficult to learn to read it. I am not upset at Princess, just at our Government here in Quebec. Princess has been very good to me over the years. If anything I believe it should be in both languages.

 

Hi I also received that email in French. Although I'm an anglo, I wasn't offended or ticked off that Princess sent that out in French. In fact I was impressed at their effort to cater to Quebec residents, which most do speak/read French. If not for that reason then maybe the government forced them to do that? Here in Quebec all documents are in French by default but a request can be made for an English version. I know we're talking about online email advertisement so where do you draw the line? Well I hope the OP doesn't lose any sleep over this.

[luv2travel77]

I agree.

 

What upset me on our Caribbean cruise two years ago were the French Canadians on our table of 8 who spoke in French to one another thus excluding us from the conversations.

 

Needless to say we switched tables and had a very pleasurable time with English speaking Canadians from BC.

 

 

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?