To report colleagues for talking about me through our radio?

[TrixieMattel]

Hello,

I recently started working in a shop. A few of my colleagues are Italian and I often hear them talking through the radio, in Italian, making nasty comments about me.

Today they called me “retarded”.

I speak Spanish, they know this, and we have talked before about how similar the two languages are. I’m pretty sure they know I can understand what they’re saying.

AIBU to want to report this to the manager? The thing is, it would be my word against theirs - it’s all verbal so I don’t have any evidence. Any other suggestions on how to deal with the situation? It’s really upsetting me.

Thank you.

Yes you should report it straight away.

Darn right you need to Report this lovely.. that is not on... atall

Yes, report.
Could you record it as evidence?

Too flipping right!!! Report it, you don’t have to put up with it

I would record the evidence on my phone if I were you.

Just record it every time they start talking on the radio and you’ll catch them.

Sorry they’re being horrible.

What twats

Of course you can report them

And nice username

Were you late for work?

Record it on your phone.

I think @britbat23 might be right...

What did they say exactly? Could you have misunderstood?

Like others, just make sure they were definitely saying that, and not commenting on you being late.

Why would you say that britbat?

Ah, I get it now

Tardy= late.

Late in Italian is ritardo. Ritardato means retarded, but also means delayed.

And ritardatario means someone habitually late.

What exactly did you hear, OP?

Obviously, it sounds an unpleasant situation as you say they are often talking about you on the radio. Is this across the shop floor?

You'd be on really shaky ground claiming you know for a fact they are talking about you when you don't speak their language. There are a lot of differences between Spanish and Italian, especially over the radio when you aren't seeing body language and gesture.
If neither is your native language you're even shakier.

Definitely record it first and have it listened to and translated by an actual native speaker before you go in all guns blazing and potentially make yourself look like a fool.

Should it turn out that you were, indeed, right, then by all means report it to the manager.

Are they speaking Italian Italian, or some sort of dialect ?

I somehow don't think the OP will come back

You could get into a lot of trouble recording colleagues work conversations and playing them to someone else without their permission. That would be gross misconduct in some workplaces.

Humm, you do need to make sure you know what’s happening before you respond accordingly.

Whilst op may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick here, it appears that if her colleagues are habitually conversing in ear shot - be that over a radio or in the same room, in a language foreign to her, it can be construed as bullying by exclusion.

Op, I would mention you feel excluded by their habit of talking in their shared language when they know you will be able to hear. And I personally would be looking at getting lessons in conversational Italian so I could join in!

I did learn a little Portuguese when I worked with a gang of Portuguese workers. It certainly helped foster better working relationships.

Are you sure they are actually being deliberately unkind, OP? You're new, do not speak their language and have instantly come to the conclusion that they are calling you names - are you usually good at getting on with colleagues, or are you a habitual whiner? If it's the latter, then please get a grip, or 'bullying' is going to follow you wherever you go.

Just to echo what others have said, it's possible that they were talking about a delay and lateness as that would be a similar translation in Italian 'Ritardo - delay/late'