Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: ccplumb@rose.waterloo.edu (Colin Plumb)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: AT&T Operator Handling of International DA
Message-ID: <1967@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 8 Dec 89 08:23:19 GMT
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Reply-To: Colin Plumb <ccplumb@rose.waterloo.edu>
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 562, message 4 of 8


While I was in Europe last summer, I noticed that many operators could
handle 2 or 3 languages, and the *international* ones many more.

You'd think if I dialled the country code for Germany, it would be
a hint that speaking german would be useful?

(No, I haven't checked the situation in Canada, not having anyone
in Germany I want to call right now.  I'm pretty sure they all know
how to cope with French, if only to forward you to a French-speaking
operator.  I've occasionally been answered with telephoniste, but I
just start speaking in English and all is fine.)

I have to admit that there are plenty of places I don't reasonably
expect an operator to be able to handle, but I don't think western
Europe is asking too much.

	-Colin

[Moderator's Note: Colin and others dialing into an intercept message
in Quebec area codes may have noticed that the taped message is
frequently (usually?) recited first in French, then in English.  PT]