Press 1 for English
Once upon a time, when one called a company’s automated phone service to get to a representative, one might hear “for Spanish, press 2″ spoken in Spanish, presented in a very non-intrusive way. If nothing was pressed, the greeting proceeded.
Recently, I’ve noticed multiple companies following a new trend. Instead of offering Spanish so those who speak it could go through the menu in Spanish (which I think is a great service), now I am told to “press 1 for English.”
Many might think I’m overreacting, but I refuse to press 1 to do business in not only my native tongue, but the native tongue of the country in which that company does it’s business! If I went to Germany, I would most certainly not expect to contact a company only to hear that German speakers had to press a button to proceed in German. That would be stupid! So why must we? Spanish is not equal to English in the United States regarding which is the first language, it is a second language.
I must clarify something. I love the spoken language. In fact, I had considered minoring in linguistics in college at one point. I think they are a beautiful part of our world culture. I would never wish for the absence of Spanish, even in the culture of the United States. All I’m saying is, don’t encourage companies who seem to think it should equal with English here in the US.
To that end, I would encourage you to not “press 1 for English” when prompted. Just hang on, let it repeat it once or twice, then it should continue through the menu. That is unless you enjoy pressing 1, in which case, go for it! 