Would I be a weirdo if I used a translator tomorrow?

[LifeIsAboutToChange]

I took my DC to the park today & my son was playing with another boy from his class ( they ended up playing together for around 3 hours all in all and left when we left)

My DS plays with the little boy frequently at school and I recognised the name as soon as my son said his name, but i didnt know he was bi lingual ( never seen him in person, I'm always one of the last parents at pick up ) He was with his mum and she couldnt speak English but we exchanged several smiles and laughs at the kids playing,

As we were leaving her little boy asked my DS if he was coming tomorrow, I asked him what time and he couldnt pick a time so with me and the mum gesturing our wrists ( watch ) and fingers we agreed to meet at a time tomorrow so the boys can play together again

Do you think she will think I'm a weirdo if I download a translator? Is it weird? I'm not expecting to have massive conversations with her with it but at the same time she seemed really nice and i think if we spoke the same language we would of chatted more.

I have ADHD, awful anxiety and I'm on a waiting list for an autism assessment so I dont know If I'm just really over thinking it? Or if I'm being weird 😂🙈HELP!

She can't speak any English at all....?

Is she a refugee here?

But then, even most of those can speak a few basic conversational words.

Please use google translate. It’s quite usual for newish arrivals to the UK to use it, and she would probably much rather you communicated with her via this than not at all.

Any update OP? How did the meet up go?

Definitely fine!

We have lots of non-English speaking parents at school and Google Translate gets used for all sorts of things.

why is that so unbelievable?

It's a kind gesture. Just bear in mind the limitations of things like Google Translate in terms of accuracy and pronunciation!
Any idea what language she speaks?

I work all day with people who don't speak very good English, google translate is a brilliant app, and generally people are just pleased to communicate!

Ohh I've not heard of DeepL - does it have a wide range of languages? I work with a lot of people from East Timor and struggle a bit there. I'm in a factory so really varied which is fab!

My family who came here spoke a few words when they came over. Ended up studying English literature, went into journalism, studied philosophy, worked in education, addressed House of Lords on Big Important Things, advised gvt on education policy…

I am really crap at languages.

anyhoo. Google translate is useful. Is it a language you fancy learning?

Using a phone translator is fine, and a lovely idea.
Hiring a physical person and bringing them to the park- then no.

How do you know what language she speaks though, if you didn't even know until today that your ds's friend was bi-lingual and she didn't speak any English ?

I think there's a way to find the language on google translate, or the little boy will probably know

What's the language? Papago is better for East Asian languages, but google translate should serve you fine. Or if you're interested you could download Duolingo and learn a couple of phrases.

How did it go?

I think it would be really nice of you!

You sound lovely I bet she will be so pleased to make a friend.

Sounds a nice thing to do

Aw no that sounds lovely! Enjoy your play date 🙂

It's supposedly more accurate.
I've used both that and Google Translate whilst learning a second language.

I'd do it.. when l got new Polish neighbours.. l did this.. and they also did it to me.. we laughed about it.. but it really helped.. The Mother can now speak more English and the Children are now age @10/13 so they translate ( they were tots when they moved in)..
They are lovely neighbours.

And yet English-speaking people abroad often don't speak a word.

It's UNBELIEVABLE that someone in the UK doesn't speak any English.

When I was a student I did some research in east London and found quite a few people (young adults) who were born Londoners but spoke very little English.

Also when I used to read with the kids at DSs school when they were in year 4 some of the kids had very little English (again born here).

I felt sorry for the kids because it must be so frustrating not being able to express yourself.

She'll be grateful you are making the effort I'm sure. If she isn't amongst others of her nationality she may be quite lonely. Reach out, she can only walk away.

I work in an industry that has a lot of men employed from Europe who spoke very little English. The relief on their face when i'd pull up Google translate on my work laptop. As someone who is hard of Hearing it's horrible having someone gesticulating at you or speaking louder to get their point across when there is no need to.