Speaking English at the Bridge Table

[Cromlyn]

I was enjoying myself in the Main Bridge Club when after a few hands the opponents started talking in a foreign language. I have no idea what they were talking about and it could have been quite innocent but I thought everyone on BBO was supposed to use English? Is this correct?

 

If so what should I do when this happens?

[1eyedjack]

If as you say it was in MBC then my suggestion would be to move to another table. Otherwise forget about it.

[helene_t]

in the main room it is the table host that makes the rules. It would be nice if they wrote in the table description what the rules are, but the fact is that many hosts don't.

 

You can ask them politely if they can speak English. But there is nothing special about the English language - for someone who only speaks Spanish it is equally annoying if opps chat in a non-Spanish language.

 

If you have to find another table it is not the end of the world.

[lycier]

I have found many players often look with suspicion upon others who don't speak English while they have some discussions with his partner in the main table for several years.Please keep an open mind and trust them.In the other word,actually you doubt they are cheating,right? I honestly tell you: NO ,since all of them are fans of bbo bridge like you,the differences are English is not their mother tongue,only!

Be nice to others,you will feel happy.BBO is a happy life,don't you?

[nige1]

Better that opponents chat openly on BBO (in any language) rather than with 'phones or other messaging applications.

 

Incidentally, using the old client, you used to be able to record chat as a text-file. Is that now possible?

[aguahombre]

One keystroke will get you a snapshot to save as a file in "Paint", or something else with some operating systems. I haven't been paranoid enough to do it with foreign chat, but I have done it in cases of abusive behaviour.

[Bbradley62]

In another thread, there was a suggestion to create several language-based rooms, in part to avoid this problem. I wonder if there's been any serious consideration of implementing this.

[wank]

i find this sort of attitude embarrassing as a native english speaker. of course it was more embarrassing when i played in spain and another english pair complained about their opponents speaking spanish.

[Cromlyn]

Thank you for your helpful answers but perhaps I should have been more explicit.

 

When I joined the table the opponents were speaking English but after several boards they started to speak in a language I do not understand. So what I really want to know is:

 

(1) Is everyone supposed to keep to English during the BIDDING or PLAY of a hand? (I did think I had read somewhere that because BBO is an American site that English was the ‘default’ language but I cannot find any source to support that. )

 

(2) Would it be rude or wrong of me to ask them to speak English?

 

 

I think Wank has misunderstood :rolleyes: - I have no problem whatsoever with people speaking in their native language I merely wish to know what the correct protocol is. (It might have been better if I had phrased my query regarding talking during the bidding or play - I never have a problem with pick-ups ironing out their queries but when it is not understandable I become uncomfortable.)

 

I think too there is a difference between playing against people who can speak English and those that don't. Perhaps I should also have mentioned this in the first place but I was really only looking for the correct protocol. I think it is wonderful that I can play with someone from anywhere in the world and strongly support standardisation so that language is no barrier to this. :D

[hrothgar]

Interesting aside:

 

A few years back there was some discussion on the Bridge Laws Mailing list that about a ruling that took place at a WBF event held Germany.

All four players at the table where from Germany and native German speakers, as was the director.

 

One pair was ruled against because they provided an explanation in German rather than in English.

(Obvious, there was more to it than this)

 

Apparently English is the lingua franca of bridge and players at WBF events are expected to use this rather than their native tongues.

 

I was fairly surprised.

[Cromlyn]

This is so in other areas too. For example English is the mandated international language of aviation.

[aguahombre]

This is so in other areas too. For example English is the mandated international language of aviation.

It is probably a good idea for pilots not to be fumbling through a pile of pocket translation booklets when trying to land.

[mfa1010]

Interesting aside:

 

A few years back there was some discussion on the Bridge Laws Mailing list that about a ruling that took place at a WBF event held Germany.

All four players at the table where from Germany and native German speakers, as was the director.

 

One pair was ruled against because they provided an explanation in German rather than in English.

(Obvious, there was more to it than this)

 

Apparently English is the lingua franca of bridge and players at WBF events are expected to use this rather than their native tongues.

 

I was fairly surprised.

Players at WBF and EBL tournaments are allowed to agree on a mutual common language at the table.

[blackshoe]

Thank you for your helpful answers but perhaps I should have been more explicit.

 

When I joined the table the opponents were speaking English but after several boards they started to speak in a language I do not understand. So what I really want to know is:

 

(1) Is everyone supposed to keep to English during the BIDDING or PLAY of a hand? (I did think I had read somewhere that because BBO is an American site that English was the ‘default’ language but I cannot find any source to support that. )

 

(2) Would it be rude or wrong of me to ask them to speak English?

 

 

I think Wank has misunderstood :rolleyes: - I have no problem whatsoever with people speaking in their native language I merely wish to know what the correct protocol is. (It might have been better if I had phrased my query regarding talking during the bidding or play - I never have a problem with pick-ups ironing out their queries but when it is not understandable I become uncomfortable.)

 

I think too there is a difference between playing against people who can speak English and those that don't. Perhaps I should also have mentioned this in the first place but I was really only looking for the correct protocol. I think it is wonderful that I can play with someone from anywhere in the world and strongly support standardisation so that language is no barrier to this. :D

My two cents: During the bidding and play of the hand, communication should be limited to the bids and plays themselves. IOW, in this period, no "conversation" no matter what it's about - and hence no language problem. Outside the bidding and play periods, do whatever you like.

 

As for rude, I'm no Ann Landers, but I think it's rude to hold a conversation in a language other people at the table do not understand. I do not think it's rude to say to such people "I do not understand your conversation, please enlighten me" or some such. If they ignore this or attack me for it, I would, on BBO, simply make a note not to play with these people and leave the table. An attack might rate a report to abuse. In f2f bridge, I would call the director. At the very least such rudeness is a violation of Law 74A2.

[Bbradley62]

... When I joined the table the opponents were speaking English but after several boards they started to speak in a language I do not understand. So what I really want to know is:

 

(1) Is everyone supposed to keep to English during the BIDDING or PLAY of a hand? (I did think I had read somewhere that because BBO is an American site that English was the ‘default’ language but I cannot find any source to support that. )...

On the BBO site, included under Help then Rules of This Site, is the following passage:

Chat guidelines

We have members from all over the world playing on BBO and this is one of our strengths. While English is the "official language" of this site, plenty of our users do not speak English at all or have only limited English skills. Members are sometimes offended over what is really no more than a language problem. Please be aware of the possibility of a misunderstanding before you get upset by a chat message from another member.

[lycier]

Relative to the English, I am a foreigner, but for me, I would like to talk about my own feelings at BBO.

Generally speaking at below :

1 - I think the British people speak the most standard, and easy to understand.Not easy to misunderstand.

2 - Non-native English speakers may not necessarily standard, but it's easy to achieve mutual understanding,and not easy to misunderstand.

3 -Compared with British people, I think it is often difficulty to understand what north Americans especially Americans and Canadians speak English,even misunderstanding sometimes. And while south Americans speak English ,it is still easy to understand,and not easy to misunderstand.

I know it may not be right and fair for what I said just now,however this is just my personal feelings.

Sorry,and again if my opinions are wrong.

[barmar]

And while south Americans speak English ,it is still easy to understand,and not easy to misunderstand.

The native language in most of Central and South America is Spanish, except for Brazil where it's Portugese. So for them, English is usually a second language, so their English is probably as good as yours.

[hrothgar]

Relative to the English, I am a foreigner, but for me, I would like to talk about my own feelings at BBO.

I think it is often difficulty to understand what north Americans especially Americans and Canadians speak English,even misunderstanding sometimes. And while south Americans speak English ,it is still easy to understand,and not easy to misunderstand.

 

 

Folks may find the following of interest

 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html

 

FWIW, it pinned the most likely location that I live withing about 50 miles of where I grew up....

[mycroft]

In the ACBL, outside of Quebec, if they are not speaking English, I ask that they keep their conversations to when they do not have cards in their hands. In Quebec, I deal with the fact that French is the lingua franca and use my very bad French to follow along. [Edit: I've never been to Mexico. I assume it would be the same there, but s/French/Spanish/g (oh, and very bad == very bad).

 

I sometimes play in a Czech tournament with my Czech partner. I don't expect they'll speak English, and I hope my "no words" explanations are understandable to them; and I deal with their explanations, because usually I can get it.

 

But I am a professional paranoid, and one of the maxims is "it's not enough to be ethical, you have to appear ethical as well."

[awm]

When this happens on BBO I sometimes try to use Google Translate. While this is certainly imperfect (sometimes humorously so) I can normally get the gist of what is being discussed. Usually it is opponents criticizing each other's bidding/play on the prior hand, in which case I am thankful that they did not make me listen to the ridiculous recriminations live or read them in a language I understand. :)

[Zelandakh]

I was going to write an answer along the same lines as Adam's. As an extra tip you can set the source language to be automatically detected so you do not even have to know that. Words such as "colour" will be a translation of "suit" and "honour" will often show up as something comical like "shape" or "character". My experiences from this method have been identical to Adam's.

[jcalex2]

I was enjoying myself in the Main Bridge Club when after a few hands the opponents started talking in a foreign language. I have no idea what they were talking about and it could have been quite innocent but I thought everyone on BBO was supposed to use English? Is this correct?

 

If so what should I do when this happens?

Simply open up Google split screen with active BBO hand (Keep playing at same time) and copy and paste into google with the word "translate" in front of it, I do it all the time

[cherdano]

When this happens on BBO I sometimes try to use Google Translate. While this is certainly imperfect (sometimes humorously so) I can normally get the gist of what is being discussed. Usually it is opponents criticizing each other's bidding/play on the prior hand, in which case I am thankful that they did not make me listen to the ridiculous recriminations live or read them in a language I understand. :)

Instead, they made you copy-paste their ridiculous recriminations into Google translate :D :P