Speaking your language

By Jason Moore OVER recent weeks we´ve had plenty of telephone calls about the Gas and Electricity Board, GESA´s, billing fiasco. “What can we do,” the worried caller asks, “go to their offices and complain,” is our answer. “But do they speak English, asks the caller...” “I sincerely doubt it, is our reply.” Now there are two schools of thought on this issue. The first is that GESA, because they have a large number of foreign clients, should have staff who speak English but the second is that non-Spaniards should make an effort to speak the language so if they do have to make a complaint they have the necessary skills to do so. It is a difficult one and I do think that is six of one and half a dozen of the other. No, I am not sitting on the fence! You can “get by” living in Majorca without speaking a word of Spanish. In most cases you don´t have to. The only time when language skills are needed is when you have to do something rather unpleasant like complain about your bill. Now, I know I am not going to change the habit of a life-time with some expatriates who will never learn the language and there is a simple solution, let your gestor or legal representative deal with it. It saves a lot of trouble but unfortunately even complaining when you are in the right costs money!