You tell 'em, Karl!!!!

"German or starve, ya woosies!!!"

Good idea. Perhaps worth pointing out to Coop that we really would like to be able to spend our collective millions of CHFs with them as well as Migros and refer them to this thread.

Or if all else fails, eat the Germans.

what about people for whom english is already second language ? they should learn third and fourth language ? you expect for example from IT person who doesn't have to have talent in learning languages, to know at least 3 languages ? or else get the F*** out of here, right?

this is just crazy. i learn german anyway, but it is sometimes a relief to do something in english and not have to struggle.

Why is it crazy? Karl only said to learn enough German to be able to shop not to become fluent. I thought that would be one of the first things someone does when moving to a new country where you don't speak the language. Learning what everything was at the supermarket was where I started with German, I had to as I had to eat to survive.

Umm, hello, I just went to the Coop online shop, and every item there has a PHOTO of what it is, and the numbers are the same as in English, so isn't it pretty obvious WHAT the product is, HOW many you want, and HOW MUCH IT COSTS? Are we really getting so lazy?

Hold on a sec here... we ARE talking about the hugely convenient (as in in most cases totally unnecessary) service which is grocery shopping at home via the internet, right?

If you can't understand the terms and conditions of ordering the delivery online, use google translate or babelfish, barring that GO TO THE STORE, it ain't rocket surgery!


Karl, I think the issue is more with the billing / payment aspect... terms and conditions and whatever else is involved rather than the item selection process.




Meanwhile, I agree it is nice to be able to visit websites for local businesses and find that they have things translated into English... I certainly do NOT think it is something to get all heated up about if it doesn't exist.

The German I do know has to do with perusing apartment ads, checking out animal rescue sites and being able to understand what is what when at the grocery store or reading a recipe in German.

Cool new profession. Rocket Surgeon

All fine as long as one knows to look under frischproducte / geflügel,
and that just to help along in this neck of the woods, it will be called
Poulet, not Huhn.

And of course, that you can understand times and dates.

And Terms and Conditions.

And can figure out questions like
"Since this is out of stock, do you want to cancell the item, or have it delivered once it is back in stock?"
.

Read the original post it's not that point.
Thumbnail photos on a small notebook screen are not exactly fool proof ways of knowing what you're viewing anyway, despite htat not being the OP's point.

Let me get this straight. You move to a foreign country. Instead of going out to shop and mingle with the locals, you prefer to sit at home and type your orders into the computer and pay an extra fee for the delivery. Then you complain that the web shop is in the local language, not yours. My goodness, are we becoming so lazy and insensitive to the fact that it is WE who are in THEIR country? It's like Arabs in the UK complaining that the Tesco online shop is not in Arabic.

Or like someone suggesting to a large UK commercial concern that it
might consider that not everyone in the UK reads and writes English
and that they might want to support one of the main immigrant
languages such as Punjabi, Pahari, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali,
Polish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Greek, Arabic, Portuguese,
French, Turkish, Lithuanian?

A bit like that? Is that what you mean?
.

As (relatively) easy as it is to get someone to translate a document, I should think it would not be terribly difficult to find someone who could translate Tesco's online shop into Arabic, particularly if there is a large number of Arabic speaking (reading) folks who shop there.

Meanwhile, a lot of the folks who use the online shops are folks who have limited time or have limits to what they can carry. I do not use that service myself but certainly can see how it would be useful as I live on the 5th floor without a lift... it sure would be nice to truly be able to get a whole week's worth of groceries and have someone carry it up for me.

I imagine that for someone with children it certainly has potential to be even more precious a commodity.


However... seeing it's usefulness does not mean that I find swearing about it's lack (ahem juice99) excusable in any way. Your attitude regarding it all is a bit repulsive as well to be quite blunt.

Well, short-term that would certainly have beat my approach. Long-term I'm not so sure.

The difference being that English is spoken natively or as the primary language by a very significant proportion of the population in Switzerland... far more than speak the "official" language Romansch. Also as said, a LOT of English-speaking foreigners come here from all international countries and the one language they have in common is English. Not only is it fair that they be catered for, but to be quite frank Co-Op would be stupid not to do it from a business perspective if they want to take some of the sales away from Migros... which obviously did see enough point in providing an English translation and catering for English speaking people on its' website that it... *drumroll*... did so.

In fact from a respected website on the issue... http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/Ma...rss=true&ty=st

There is obviously a need to cater a bit more to the English-speaking population in CH, and I don't think it reflects badly onm people for them to want to be able to do their shopping in a language they understand, ewspecially when they may be new here and not speak a word of German.

Thanks very much for this entry! I've mailed my request to Coop and I've posted the Coopathome@coop.ch address with instructions on my company's bulletin board too.

Peace

OMG! Seriously! It's daunting enough moving to a foreign country and I remember my first trip to the supermarket was horrific. Not some friendly jaunt down to the shop to mingle with the locals and have a lovely old time! I had no idea what products to get, felt under pressure to choose, was tutted at for dawdling, pushed in front of (the Swiss DO NOT CUE) and then treated like sh** by the cashier because my French wasn't up to much.

I would have been far happier checking out the product lines online first and getting a general feel for things.

Coop sells many English products imported from the UK for their Expat customers. They are clearly aware of their Expat customer base and cater to them accordingly. Therefore, it seems like a natural progression to cater for that same customer base online too.

Where I used to live in the UK, the local council built a mosque to cater for the increase in Muslims living in the local borough and they even translated all the borough literature into 5 different languages to cater for everyone.

I agree 'when in Rome' but would it really be that hard for Coop to run a simple program to translate it's website into English/Arabic and any other language there was a demand for?

I like this idea so much I plan to go after IKEA next... they are building in Geneva, but I digress....

Yes indeed. A profession pioneered by the world-reknowned experimental scientist and master of communication George W Bush. Oh how we don't miss him.

Is this before or after I learn Italian ?

Re all these opinions on the subject of not being able to speak the local lingo and home shopping ,

I for one and indeed many others may be able to tell you a hundred reasons why we dont and why we benefit from home shopping . Now look guys whilst your opinions are helpful lets remember the saying.... " when you are upto your armpits in alligators, remember the initial objective was to drain the swamp !! "

so with that , lets go back to my original post please .......

Hi everyone,

as you know both Migros and Coop do food home delivery BUT only Migros has the site in English.

Many of us also want Coop home delivery but need the English translation to be able to proceed with an order.

I have contacted Coop and they have advised me that if they get enough requests for an additional English translation to their site they will seriously consider adding it.

Please can you help by e mailing them to the address below your support for an English translation and also forward on to as many people as possible

Thanks
Caroline

send e mails to

Coopathome@coop.ch