Why Do Some Players Insist on Speaking in Other Languages?

Your question is simple: why do people choose to communicate in a different language so that others cannot know what they are talking about?

The answer is just as simple: because, for whatever reason, they do. Perhaps they don’t speak English and they do not know that there is a German site. Of perhaps they’re not speaking German. You don’t seem sure, so it’s quite possible they are speaking a language that you’ve mistaken for German. There are many, many reasons. Maybe they’re two students studying a foreign language and they’re getting their practice in. Who knows?

If you don’t like to see it, go ahead and mute them.

Some people fear that those who speak in foreign languages are talking about the other people in the room. That’s not likely the case, unless players are making a point of talking about how they’re talking in a different language. And even if they were, ultimately who cares? If two people you’ve never met in your life, and will likely never meet in real life, say something about you that you don’t understand, what does it really matter? Soon they’ll forget about it, and so should you.

If you are reported for a Terms of Service violation that actually did take place – ie: you did violate the TOS – then you will receive an e-mail warning which will include the offending text.

If, however, you are reported and there is no Terms of Service violation, the report will be marked “non-actionable” (or something… I don’t know the exactly lingo), and nothing will be noted in your account, and you’ll never know that you’ve been reported. Furthermore, if you are reported in the future for a valid TOS violation, those erroneous reports will not play into the disciplinary action made by our Customer Support Representatives.

People sometimes innocently report the wrong people or they mistakenly believe that someone has violated the TOS when they have not.

As for getting three reports, if the reports are valid, you can lose your account. But each case is very different. For instance, if you engage in hate speech, you can lose your account the first time you’re reported. And if you’ve got a violation from 2002, one from 2006 and you get one this year, it’s possible the first or second report won’t be taken into consideration in the disciplinary decision made.

I’m not sure if you’re more taken aback by their not taking the time to greet the room before asking the question, or if you are upset about those who would rather rely on the kindness of others rather than reading the How to Play instructions for themselves.

If it’s the former, then they really should greet the room with a “hello” or “hi”. Maybe not “kiss my grits”, as most people do not have long enough lips to cross over many, many miles to actually complete that request. And, of course, they should also say “thank you”, “please” and the other niceties.

If it’s the latter, frankly, I don’t think asking others for help in understanding a game a big deal. Some people learn better when they have someone helping them. They prefer to learn interactively. We’re all different, and since they seem to be having little difficulty finding willing teachers, why stress over it? You can always engage the Mute!