AIBU to stop attending meetings in a language I do not speak

[Tealightsandfairycakes]

I am currently working overseas for a historically British company which hired me on a 1 year expat contract. They know I do not speak the local language and led me to believe I would be in a team of 50% native English speakers and 50% fluent-English speaking locals. Their branding is very Britain-themed but apart from me, the entire staff are locals and speak English reasonably well but not fluently. I now find that I am required to attend client meetings which are 100% in the local language. These meetings are small e.g. me, a local colleague who is in the same role as me, an expert and a client, so it is extremely obvious that I cannot contribute. There is no translation going on during the meeting and my local colleague just has to tell me what happened after, which she resents. The clients know I don't understand so they do not address questions to me and I obviously cannot present anything. Our boss thinks that me attending even thought I don't understand anything gives the impression that I value the clients and think their project is important. AIBU to think that this is a total waste of time and it does not actually give a good impression at all? I'm trying to figure out if this is something I could reasonably push back on because it's so frustrating.

Are you living in a 1970s sitcom?
In all seriousness I don't know how you deal with this, sounds like a job for https://www.askamanager.org

I work for a non primarily English speaking company so understand your frustration. It’s boring and exhausting at times.
have you learnt a few lines of the local language? Even if only to introduce yourself and apologise for not speaking the language. Ask your local colleague to update you throughout the meeting, not just after, and then you may be able to contribute, even if they have to translate.
you need to put yourself into the conversation, then the client will probably slowly start integrating you and attempting English. Be more proactive, perhaps start by sharing something with them, try to direct the conversation towards English initially. Don’t just bail as that proves you don’t add anything?!?

I can speak a little bit of the local language, greetings, thanks for coming etc but I can't explain any of my role in the local language. My colleague refuses to translate during the meetings because she does not want them to take even longer which it would if there were going to be translations. We're on the same level but she has been there much longer than me, so I can't insist that she translates and it isn't part of her job role. She resents having to help me with the language and thinks the company should just stop hiring foreigners.
In today's example, the expert was the person leading the meeting and he doesn't speak English either. He actually started things off by having my colleague translate that this was a critical meeting and it was important that everyone understood, so we would be taking it entirely in their language to avoid misunderstandings. I literally sat there like a piece of furniture for 45 minutes.

what Language is it? I would persist with a few more lines to engage and break the ice, even small talk about the weather or something!
can you get your boss to support your request to your colleague that you need to be more integrated with intermittent updates ? if she resents you that’s her problem not yours!
what sort of meetings are these? Presentations? Can you interrupt to ask about slides? At least once you’ve exhausted all attempts to get involved you can then speak to your boss and say you see no added value after trying this, this and this.
I’ve just spent a week in a country where everyone was speaking the local language so I do get how difficult it is….but I just tend to interrupt and ask questions in English 😂

perhaps their are cultural issues at play that make the local interpretation different, but if I were client, I would want to know why you were wasting my money having someone waste time in a meeting without any contribution. You could be at the office working on the project with in that time, which would be a much better use of the client’s money.

The language is called Tshangla. It's only really widely spoken in 1 state in India and a couple of other Asian countries. I'm pretty confident no one from work uses mumsnet so I don't think there is much chance of this being outing.
My boss isn't really on side with helping with language issues. He is convinced that we are an British company and that working here is exactly like working in Britain, therefore, as a Brit, this is easy for me and I am not experiencing language issues. It's a bit head-in-the-sand but that seems to be the way here. I feel like they just want to wheel me out to prove how British the company is. But I have so much actual work to do! I don't have time to spend 45 minutes watching them have a meeting I don't understand.

gosh, that is pretty niche. I suppose maybe you could just state at the start of the meeting that if the meeting is not going to be in English you struggle to follow so could they please let you know if there’s any major issues you can help with otherwise you will excuse yourself.
can you lead the presentation?
if all else fails then yes, I don’t see the issue in stating to your boss that the meetings are being held in the local language with no translation and you don’t find yourself being able to contribute so would be able to add value working elsewhere

Or just suck it up and accept your boss is happy to pay you to do nothing but sit there!

Does your budget not have room for a professional interpreter?

I'm guessing they think it's important you being there for facetime, which is a compliment. I'd suck it up, you chose a job in that country. I'm just imagining if the situation was reversed, I'd think the worker was a CF.

Can you attend the meetings with your laptop if they're seated and be getting on with other work during the meeting? Get your translator to say you'll be present to be available for comment/opinion of required but meanwhile cracking on with other related work?
Obviously don't know the usual meeting environment and won't work if on seat/standing!

This is ridiculous. Why can’t the company employ a translator?

Totally agree op. But can you not use Google translate? Or a business-approved equivalent?

I would be pushing for a translator, or a more junior member of staff to act as one, or pretty much anyone who spoke both languages to assist.

The colleague at your level is just trying to shut you out and doesn't want you there.

Since it's only a handful of people in these meetings, there's no reason someone can't briefly explain the main points.

Do they know Hindi as you could probably use live google translate.

English is supposed to be the official language of Arunachal Pradesh.

I'm currently in a lab with 25 others, 22 are native local speakers, 1 is from a place where the local language is their 2nd language and there are 2 of us who don't speak the local language.

All meetings that one of the two of us are present for are conducted in English, if we're in it then its obviously something our input is vital for, hence being in English. If there are issues with others misunderstanding then someone will give a translation into the local language but the meeting primary language is English.

90% of meetings neither us attend and they are always in the local language unless they are with someone external who doesn't speak it.

OP you need to insist on meetings being in a language you understand with translation to the local language as needed or you don't attend as it is a waste of your time.

Could it be a cultural thing and your boss thinks the meeting has more credibility because you're there? I've been in situations like that. I've felt very uncomfortable about it - how on earth could little old me be making this event more significant? But but that was how it was perceived by the others.

As PP said, also maybe the client is paying for you so it's good for them to physically see you. I really don't understand the big deal

I want to see one of these meetings 😂
Do you follow the conversation at all by guessing the general tone? If they laugh do you assume it's funny and laugh too? 😂 or do you just sit doodling?

What a bizarre set up. Sounds like something from a sitcom!

I start off trying to understand and pretending I’m listening. I don’t laugh at the funny bits though. And I don’t doubt I look glazed over after a little while. I don’t doodle because it would be so obvious in such a small group and so far I’ve not taken my laptop. I literally just sit there in a kind of stasis mode. It’s a very weird use of time!