Speakers of English as a second language and idiom in isolation

[scarlettina]

Today I was talking with a coworker who was telling me about his experience with company employees in another country. It seems that this group is (very well-)educated in said country, consists of fluent English speakers, is trained in Our Corporate Ways by employees from the US, and then is left to operate as part of the company independently.

Comments

[webcowgirl]

It would definitely be possible in India, where English is used for communication between people in different states. It's the "lingua franca" there. Sorta, only not French. You know what I mean.

[scarlettina]

Heh. Yep. (That is, in fact, the country in question. Don't know why I felt compelled not to be specific but there you are.)

more misadventures

[webcowgirl]

It was OBVIOUSLY Indian-English to me. Speaking of which, a girl that used to work with me used to text me saying "i am going to cum in l8 srry" and I had to say DON'T use that word but couldn't bring myself to explain why.

[ferragus]

That phrase "Do the needful" has been turning up lately in project requests from our China Operations Center (yes they call themselves the COC too, goddess, why doesn't someone stop them?).

So far it has meant "Cover the users ass by doing 3 weeks worth of work in a couple days", so there's a lot of scorn when we hear the phrase.

I'll have to see if it's originated in the IDC (India Development Center) though.

Something for me to do this morning while I wait on the 3 other groups that need to do their needful, before I can do mine!

[gnomi]

In other words, saying that English is the lingua franca is using Latin to say that English is French. :-)