| Quote: | |  | |
| I started using Coop home delivery when I first arrived in Zurich 3 years ago. I was aware that Migros offered English on its website, but for various reasons, I wanted to order from Coop.
At the time, I had almost no knowledge of German. But with the help of a dictionary and Google translater, and the awareness that I had to learn German sooner or later (or risk starving), I had no problems at all navigating their website in German. As someone else pointed out, there are pictures everywhere on their website.
At no time did it ever occur to me that I should write to Coop and request that they provide an English option on their website.
I can understand the need for English for more complex transactions like banking, but if a simple task, such as doing the grocery shopping, can't be done in the local language, what motivation is there for a foreigner/expat to learn the local language??
I can appreciate that an English option on the Coop website will be beneficial for many people, and that perhaps Switzerland is an unusual country where such a request can be made, but honestly, if you are living in a foreign country, you have to at some point accept that they use a foreign language here. | |
| | |
Who on earth said they had trouble accepting another language was spoken here? I don't think anyone said or implied that at all. Making the sweeping assumption and rather tenuous connection that just because someone unfamiliar with a language wants to be able to order their shopping in their home language without a dictionary in hand and google translate open, somehow automatically means they care nothing for learning a language is somewhat unfair. Grocery shopping may be a "simple" task, but it's crucial to everyday life, especially if you have a family, and it's something that should not be struggled with in your first months of entering a country.