Thread: Grumpy Old Men

So i grabbed the box of Aunt Jemima pancake mix this morn to make some pancakes with some homegrown maple syrup. As i flip the box over to read the instructions,i see know they are in Spanish and English,WTF,is this America ? Press 1 for english and all the other s..t that we have to put up with, just a grumpy old man venting. Oh by the way when is Straightrazorplace going to Spanish??

Perhaps it's just me, but I really can't see a problem. Maybe they have distribution in spanish speaking countries/regions, so that those people would also like to read instructions in their mother tongue. I mean, is that really less... "American"? And the most important thing, were the pancakes any good?

Regards,
Adrian

Originally Posted by algernon

were the pancakes any good?

I've had those. They are mucho bueno

Cómo fueron los Pancakes? (Google Translator, it could actually say anything about Pancakes, I have no idea)

Only two languages? I had a frozen pizza yesterday and the cooking instructions were in TEN languages. English was 8th! Had to find my reading glasses as the print was so small!

That's what happens when we are supposed to be a part of Europe!

Gareth

In the UK a lot of products are distributed all over europe, as Galopede said, we can have instructions in up to 10 languages. the palmolive shave cream has "shave cream" in three languages

Packaging in Europe comes with at least 4 languages, sometimes not even 1 of them is my own. Manufacturers often combine languages on a package so that they don't have to print packages in diffeent languages. I've even had packages that were not in my native language but in one of the other languages Belgium has. The idea that everything should come in only one language (your own) and no other is weird at best.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Packaging in Europe comes with at least 4 languages, sometimes not even 1 of them is my own. Manufacturers often combine languages on a package so that they don't have to print packages in diffeent languages. I've even had packages that were not in my native language but in one of the other languages Belgium has. The idea that everything should come in only one language (your own) and no other is weird at best.

I've gotten used to it but here in the States (other than on the Canukian and Mexican borders) it has been rare to see packaging in anything other than English.
In Europe you have a bunch of countries.with relatively small landmass (but large population) smooshed together so it has been common for you for years.
Before so much production moved out of the US everything was English only. We may not have as many people but we only have two borders.
/not trying to sound xenophobic but that's just how it used to be here and what most folks remember. Even more disconcerting when you pick up a package and three sides of the cube are in Spanish and you have to keep turning the package to find the English side. In the middle of the country.

Originally Posted by Galopede

Only two languages? I had a frozen pizza yesterday and the cooking instructions were in TEN languages. English was 8th! Had to find my reading glasses as the print was so small!

That's what happens when we are supposed to be a part of Europe!

Gareth

English is just one of many European languages and not even most common here. As long as products are sold to other countries, someones language has to be the first. Usually the official importer has a legal responsibility to add the the language of the country where the product is sold.
However. I believe there will never be a day where you could find instructions etc in all European languages (not at least from pizza boxes).

As long as the instructions don't refer to me as a Pendejo I don't much care.