do you think it’s racist we are not allowed to speak tagalog in YA Philippines?

19 Comments

1. AnN says:

   October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   were not allowed?why??I agree that’s racist!!!

   e di magtagalog tayo!!!!
2. yuta says:

   October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   spanish is also not allowed(i think), I did it before…

   let’s comlain it! hirap na hirap na ako sa english..
3. barrio lass says:

   October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   I think we should be flattered.

   That only means that Yahoo Answers trusts that us, Filipinos can do quite well with English.

   And anyway, this ground is a good way for us the non-English speakers to practice our English, improve our grammar and enhance our vocabulary.
4. tom1941 says:

   October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   Yea, why don’t you complain.
5. svdp_18 says:

   October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   cause some people here on YA can understand tagalog
6. Raison Bassig says:

   October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   Ano?!?! (What?!?!)
   Anak ng tipaklong! (Son of a grasshopper!)
   Ganoon ba? (Is that so?)
   Hehehe…. (Hehehe….)

   Sa palagay ko okay lang naman magsalita ng Tagalog basta ba isasalin mo ito sa Ingles para yung mga tao na hindi marunong magsalita ng Tagalog ay makakaintindi rin. (I think it’s okay to speak Tagalog as long as you put the English translation so that people who don’t speak Tagalog can understand it as well.)
7. annabelle p says:

   October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   I don’t think so. I guess they are asking us to use English when posting questions and answers to give others who do not speak our language to participate. Anyway, I think we can use Tagalog as long as we supply the translation for the benefit of those who can’t understand the language.
8. Randall Parker, MBA says:

   October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   Mabuhay:

   Actually, you are only allowed to speak foreign (non-English)languages in the foreign language portion of Y!A.

   This can be good practice for those whose second (or later) language is English, but I think the real reason is so that you have the ability to get more people involved in answering your questions.

   The majority of people who use Yahoo! speak English, so if a question is posed in English, more people are able to understand and respond to it.

   Maraming salamat po! (Thank you very much)
9. la_ciudadista says:

   October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

   Please consider the non-Tagalog speaking people who may benefit from questions and answers from Filipino users. YA is not an ethnocentric community forum.
10. ken_r41 says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    Yahoo Travel Forum is an International forum. Membership consist of members throughout the world. For all members to benefit from the questions and answers, a common language must be use. YA rules about language has nothing to do with racism, but more about practically. How can an International forum benefit from the collective thoughts and experiences of others when only a few can understand a particular language? It makes sense for a common language to be used and English happens to be that language.

    From what I understand Yahoo does not allow exception to the rules and allow Hispanci people or other good citizens from other cultures to use other languages. Again, a common language is issued for the good of the majority.

    Think not of your own culture, but what benefits all. Much can be learned from you and others who contribue to forum

    Instead of people complaining about a perceived problem, perhaps they should use their energy to help others. This what the forum is for.
11. sweetwater says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    Not at all. It makes sense to use English because it is understood by more people, thus a broader audience can be reached.

    I don’t think it’s a good idea to complain about a free service we are getting.
12. Leander says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    First of all, this is a travel section so not all are Filipinos.. Not all can understand to speak Tagalog. I think that this is a good way for Yahoo Answers to moderate and monitor the forums.. It’s hard for them to monitor it if it was not in English language.. They can hire someone to handle it but it’s an issue to how they can also check and evaluate the person doing it..

    We are not like China or Hispanics who have a wider reach.. China is a really big country and have so many people.. Hispanics doesn’t only originate from one country.. They are from most countries in South America, Europe, and North America so there’s more audience and makes sense to use their own language.. Philippines does not have that much of a market base that they can consider in spending money to hire a whole department of Tagalog speaking people…
13. agua ♥ dulce says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    No it’s not racist at all.

    Please understand that even among us Filipinos, Tagalog is not really our main dialect. And even if we are allowed to use Filipino (the language), not all of us are conversant in that either. The result in most parts would be Taglish.

    Then too this is an international forum, as others have mentioned. English is the language of choice commonly used and understood by most users. So English it is!

    Spanish is spoken in many parts of the world, in South America, in some parts of Europe and in some parts of North America. Therefore, the good people of Y!A made an international forum for them where the only allowed language is Spanish. In that sector, English and other languages outside of Spanish is not within guidelines.

    In the sector where "travel Philippines" belongs, English is the "official required" language and if we want keep on using this site, then we must comply.

    Nothing racist at all.
14. Sanmigsean says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    Well, since this is not YA Philippines, but rather the YA -> Travel -> Asia Pacific -> Philippines section I don’t see the problem. There is no such thing as YAP, just a creation alive in some people’s imaginations.
15. HGC_915 says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    First of all, it’s an international forum and we all need a method of communicating so that we can all be understood. The parent company, Yahoo!, is American so it makes sense that they would host the forum in English. Also it has to do with the bandwidth available for them to transmit on. There is a limited amount of bandwidth to transmit on, so the company has to decide what is cost effective for the majority of subscribers. Language is not racist per se. Some cultures may speak a primary language, but language is not the sole property of any one race. I know many Caucasians and Asians who are multi lingual. If you need to communicate in Tagalog or any other dialect I’m sure there are other forums on other servers that will let you do so, just maybe not here (at least for the time being). Your command of the English language seems perfectly adequate.
16. Juan C says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    let’s consider some people that are here in YA!P that don’t speak and understand Tagalog…
17. jamesinna says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    whats the point. yahoo doesnt care. eat your grub and enjoy it.
18. ericka says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    we should speak our vernacular language but still give consideration to those who needed translation.
19. Rode|ette ۩ says:

    October 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    it is not racist. tagalog is accepted here as long as you provide translation in english.