DEAR HARRIETTE: I work in an office where several of my co-workers are Spanish speakers. I have no issue with that. I do find it uncomfortable, though, when they speak to each other in Spanish when I am sitting right there with them. I’m not talking about during downtime. We will be working on a project together and they will switch from English to Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish, so I can figure out only a few of the words, but it always makes me feel that they are either talking about me or totally ignoring me. When I mention this to them, they apologize but keep on doing it. What can I do to get them to include me? -- Language Barrier, Dallas
DEAR LANGUAGE BARRIER: You may need to speak to your supervisor about this. But first, ask them if you can work together as a team. Tell them that you want to be collaborative, but it is impossible when they choose to speak Spanish when they know you do not speak or understand it. If your job is not bilingual, it should not be acceptable that they speak Spanish when they should be working with you.
After you make your case to them, speak to your boss. Explain the situation and ask for help. All you want is to be able to work together as a team without language limitations.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)