Language

America doesn’t have an official language. (I think I should, but that’s beside the point I’m shooting for.)

I speak American English. I can work with German, French, and Spanish. I am by no means fluent in any of them. That being said I don’t have a problem with broadcast TV or Radio having commercials in other languages. Commercials cater to the demographics of a particular market.

So If I lived in an area that has a high percentage of say, German speaking folks I’d expect to hear commercials in English and German. (In reality, I could be living in the middle of a predominantly German community in America and I’d not hear one commercial in German.)

I actually live in an area with a high percentage of Spanish speaking folks and therefore expect to hear broadcast (by broadcast I mean over the air) TV and Radio commercials in English and Spanish. I’m good with that. Again it’s market demographics.

However, I’m quite confused as to why in my Amazon Prime, and Hulu accounts, where there are specific markers that I prefer ENGLISH, I’m getting commercials and reviews in Spanish and English. It’s about 50/50 lately.

I’m paying for these services. Shouldn’t I have a say in what language is presented? Shouldn’t we all? If you’re paying for a service shouldn’t you have the option to have the service presented in your preferred language?

The vendors paying to have their commercials aired are wasting their money throwing Spanish versions of their commercials into my home.

In fact, I’m less likely to consider shopping those vendors products because I’m annoyed. Not by their product per se, but switching from an American English style of commercial to a  commercial with a Latin flair is jarring.

Latin TV and Commercials are dramatic and attention getting. They’re somewhat reflective of the culture and that’s to be expected. 

When I’m in Mexico I’m always impressed by just how exciting a floor cleaner can be. 

A Mr. Clean commercial in Mexico is very different from a Mr. Clean commercial in America.

As an aside: Fabuloso is actually a nicer product and I use it all the time. Yes, I saw their commercial while in Mexico and when I saw the hotel crew using the product I thought, “That’s a nice smell and based on the bathroom and hotel floors, it works.”  When I saw the product on the shelf in a grocery store stateside I bought it, and have been a happy customer since.

In Mexico, I’m going to do my best to speak, listen, and read Spanish, I’ll even laugh when I blow it and a kind Mexican person corrects my botched sentence in flawless English.

Likewise in French speaking provinces of Canada, I’m going to switch to French and pray that I”m not too offensive with my mispronunciations.

Most of the Mexicans & Canadians I’ve met are very patient, kind, and respectful, that I’m at least trying. Often hilarity ensues when they get what I was trying to say, and then think about how I said it. 

That being said, when I’m home in America, paying for services, I’d like for those services to be presented in my preferred language. 

If I’m brushing up on other languages, I’ll specifically tune in to Univison, CBC en Français, or DW auf Deutsch.

All I’m asking is that my wishes and choices be respected and that other folks wishes and choices be respected too.

Is that too much?