189 replies to this topic

[djned]

at valencia i'm sure everyone noticed ferrari conversing with alonso in italian on the team radio.

in silverstone fp1, they asked him a question and then said "puoi rispondere in un'altra lingua" - "you can respond in another language".

i've often thought that there was a rule stipulating team radio conversations must be in english for the tv broadcast, because you often get the situation with two people from same/similar countries speaking english to each other when it wouldn't be the easiest way for them communicate.

if, in fact, it's not regulated, then why has it taken ferrari so long to start doing this?

obviously they have a few english speakers in the team (smedley) so they may use english as a lingua franca - but then again, the team is mainly italian, and alonso's crew would appear to be all fluent in italian.

i wonder what the cost-cutting proponents will say when teams have to employ a translator to understand what their rivals are saying...

[Watkins74]

I love the international flavor of F1 so I liked the Italian radio transmissions.

[BigCHrome]

Yes, they're supposed to talk in English. Why are they allowed to continue with this? I don't know.

[SirRacer]

I love the international flavor of F1 so I liked the Italian radio transmissions.

+1

Even if I'd prefer to understand what they say, I find it fair that they can talk with whatever language they like, and I also think it reflects the european "culture"

Edited by SirRacer, 06 July 2012 - 10:41.

[kosmos]

At this rate people will force all the mechanics to drink english tea.

[Ross Stonefeld]

I thought they were doing it in Valencia to delay how quickly the other teams knew what they were talking about, but even with my awful Italian I could figure out it was the gaps to the cars behind and how many laps were left.

[ayali]

Yes, they're supposed to talk in English. Why are they allowed to continue with this? I don't know.

Please would you be so kind to show us where that is in the regulations?

I think it's at best a request from FOM to communicate in English
Anyway Ferrari will do as they please
I quite like it btw

[Sakae]

Yes, they're supposed to talk in English. Why are they allowed to continue with this? I don't know.

I fully support proposition that F1 community should adopt as its official language German. After all, all the best things are made there, including drivers.

Edited by Buttoneer, 06 July 2012 - 11:39.
'and fans' removed - please stop trolling.

[spacekid]

Why should anyone have to speak English? Or be forced to speak any language? (So long as its to do with operating the team or running the car - of course you need a single language for communicating with race control, the stewards etc)

What madness is this? Having to speak English for TV?? Its anti-cost cutting because it forces other teams to hire a translator???

The teams should be allowed to speak in whatever language it pleases them or is most convenient for them to do so. Its TVs job to document what is happening for my viewing pleasure, not to dictate events.

Edited by spacekid, 06 July 2012 - 11:14.

[spacekid]

Yes, they're supposed to talk in English. Why are they allowed to continue with this? I don't know.

Please tell me that my sarcasm detector has failed? I think it has, but I can't quite tell...

[Xpat]

Please would you be so kind to show us where that is in the regulations?

I think it's at best a request from FOM to communicate in English
Anyway Ferrari will do as they please
I quite like it btw

It will continue until Bernie tells them to stop, then it will stop.

Ferrari will do as they please as long as it is what Bernie pleases.

[undersquare]

AFAIK it's a FOM requirement. But Bernie may have decided Italian sounds sexy. Which it does, secondo me

[sharo]

My suggestion is to introduce English speaking super licenses for all staff involved in F1. With English courses held by the FIA Institute, accompanied by an appropriate tax and yearly renewal.

[SirRacer]

I think they should switch to French and add an instagram-ish filter to the TV cameras, this way it would be a bit like the Amelie movie, which was cool btw.

[flowerdew]

AFAIK it's a FOM requirement. But Bernie may have decided Italian sounds sexy. Which it does, secondo me

Valencia was the second race (at least) this year that Ferrari has done this - I was at Montréal, so can't speak to that. But during the Valencia broadcast when one of the Sky commentators complained that he thought English was required, Brundle replied that he'd never heard of any rule about that. And I've never seen anyone produce any sort of statute here, either, so it seems unlikely to me that there is one.

[FastestSector]

I don't like it. As a viewer of British TV it's a bit annoying to have commentary stop for something nobody can understand.

I realise it's a world feed and a lot of the world doesn't speak English, but as a personal preference it annoys me.

[santori]

I think they should switch to French and add an instagram-ish filter to the TV cameras, this way it would be a bit like the Amelie movie, which was cool btw.

Yes.

Ferrari's team radio in Italian was, for me, the cherry on top of the Valencian cake. As a native anglophone I say 'more languages, please'.

Edited by santori, 06 July 2012 - 11:26.

[SirRacer]

I don't like it. As a viewer of British TV it's a bit annoying to have commentary stop for something nobody can understand.

I realise it's a world feed and a lot of the world doesn't speak English, but as a personal preference it annoys me.

Do you realise that F1 is aired to many countries with many people that doesn't understand english???

Just saying...

[showtime]

AFAIK there isn't any rule about which language must be used in radio transmissions.

[Tony Mandara]

Anyone ever tried posting on this board in their own language?

One would assume that there is a request from FOM for all radio comms in English but, as said already here, it's probably just a request, not a rule, and this is just a tactical ploy from Ferarri to delay how quickly other teams understand their comms. Teams have been heard many times informing their drivers of other teams comms/issues. "Push Pastor. Lewis is having trouble with his..... <Crunch!> ......" Oops!

Ferarri must be laughing themselves stupid at the other teams diving into their Italian/English dictionaries!!

McLaren mechanic:- "What does "The duck is back in the bag and Flavio's thong will be sacrificed forthwith" mean?"

;)

Edited by Tony Mandara, 06 July 2012 - 11:47.

[TheWilliamzer]

Not a problem at all! and Italian is very understandable.

No reason to complain as we hear English in team radios since ever, being in a non-English speaking country.

[spacekid]

Is there a rule that every driver has to be able to speak in English to race control and the stewards?

It would also make sense if the medical staff can also all communicate with all the drivers. If I'm Italian and I crash in China I might want to explain that my leg is broken and trapped to whoever is trying to remove me from the car.

I could understand there being a mandadated single language for those purposes.

Edited by spacekid, 06 July 2012 - 11:38.

[ayali]

I don't like it. As a viewer of British TV it's a bit annoying to have commentary stop for something nobody can understand.

I realise it's a world feed and a lot of the world doesn't speak English, but as a personal preference it annoys me.

That's fair enough personal preference and all but then you must complain with the BBC, surely they have someone there who can speak more than 1 language and translate.

I quite like it, it's an extra tactic that Ferrari can use that most of the other teams can't.
Use English for your regular communication and Italian for important stuff to put the other teams at a (slight) disadvantage

[JRizzle86]

Next they will communicating in Pig Latin to confuse the other teams.

[MichaelPM]

All teams must speak in the native language of the country they are racing in for the duration of their stay. Problem solved.

I'd say Italian is one of the easier languages to learn and English is one of the hardest.

Edited by MichaelPM, 06 July 2012 - 11:42.

[4MEN]

At this rate people will force all the mechanics to drink english tea.

[FastestSector]

Do you realise that F1 is aired to many countries with many people that doesn't understand english???

Just saying...

In my very post you quoted I said "I realise it's a world feed..."

So...

Edited by FastestSector, 06 July 2012 - 11:44.

[chrisblades85]

I'm sure teams have people who understand whatever languages the teams are saying.

Team radio very rarely reveals much anyway.

[TheWilliamzer]

All teams must speak in the native language of the country they are racing in for the duration of their stay. Problem solved.

I'd say Italian is one of the easier languages to learn and English is one of the hardest.

Welcome to Abu Dhabi

[Coops3]

Anyone ever tried posting on this board in their own language?

I was going to draw the same parallel. I think there's a board rule which states you have to post in English. Does it discriminate against non English speakers? Yes. Does it benefit the forum? Yes.

The reason the teams are forced to broadcast their radio transmissions isn't for the benefit of other teams, it's for the benefit of the viewers. Therefore I think the same justification applies in forcing them to speak English, or at least, a single language.

Edited by Coops3, 06 July 2012 - 11:50.

[SirRacer]

In my very post you quoted I said "I realise it's a world feed..."

So...

So like all those do, they translate from one language to another...

BBC could do the same as all those TV have been doing for years. I don't see any problem.

Of course it would be easier if there was only 1 language, but wouldn't the world be easier too if there was 1 language too? Gotta deal with it.

[NateF]

With drivers coming from different parts of the world, and teams employing people from differing nationalities, I assumed that English was used as a 'common' language. Rather than anything official, so it just became the norm, whilst most drivers are bilingual, you have some like Alonso who are can speak multiple languages.

Edit: I am actually surprised that Alonso and his engineer haven't spoken in Italian in their radio messages (that we hear) as a rule

Edited by NateF, 06 July 2012 - 11:56.

[ayali]

The reason the teams are forced to broadcast their radio transmissions isn't for the benefit of other teams, it's for the benefit of the viewers. Therefore I think the same justification applies in forcing them to speak English, or at least, a single language.

There's nothing in the rules about having to communicate in English so how can that be enforced.

Ferrari will do as they please and communicate sometimes in Italian if they think it's to their benefit.
If FOM has a problem with it just don't air the message
simples

[goingthedistance]

Maybe there was formerly a gentlemen's agreement to use English, at Bernie's request.

It's a world sport so I'm happy for the dialogue to be in whatever language suits. It's usually easy to find someone's translation of it on twitter if you care enough.

[Buttoneer]

I'm not sure I understand the fuss. English is the language most commonly used in the paddock and I believe is mandated for the multilateral interview in the press conferences, but that it as far as I understood.

I would suggest that if you are going to have one language for notices and messages which might impact on the safety of others, then this ought to be in English for all the same reasons that air traffic control around the world is English. It's simply more ubiquitous. The driver-engineer radio transmissions don't come under that headline and should be in whatever language the teams deem appropriate.

[Buttoneer]

All teams must speak in the native language of the country they are racing in for the duration of their stay. Problem solved.

Yeah I like that one

Starting this weekend.

[SirRacer]

I was going to draw the same parallel. I think there's a board rule which states you have to post in English. Does it discriminate against non English speakers? Yes. Does it benefit the forum? Yes.

The reason the teams are forced to broadcast their radio transmissions isn't for the benefit of other teams, it's for the benefit of the viewers. Therefore I think the same justification applies in forcing them to speak English, or at least, a single language.

Autosport business it's focused mainly on the english territory. If it was like F1, which is based worldwide, it would offer support for various languages, maybe different forums, different subforums, etc.

[TheWilliamzer]

Actually the problem is, some English commentators speak nothing but English. Fire them.

[W154]

]All teams must speak in the native language of the country they are racing in for the duration of their stay. Problem solved.

I'd say Italian is one of the easier languages to learn and English is one of the hardest.

Fair suck of the sav Cobber.! How the****in hell are the ****in teams going to ****in learn ****in Strine over the ****in Christmas break before they ****in all come to ****in Melbourne. Also every second ****in word of the ****in broadcast will ****in have to be ****in beeped out by the ****in host ****in broadcaster in ****in Australia. Won't ****in work !

[Coops3]

There's nothing in the rules about having to communicate in English so how can that be enforced.

Ferrari will do as they please and communicate sometimes in Italian if they think it's to their benefit.
If FOM has a problem with it just don't air the message
simples

Well I'm not saying there is a rule (there may be, I don't know), I'm just saying I think there's perhaps a justification for one.

[JRizzle86]

All teams must speak in the native language of the country they are racing in for the duration of their stay. Problem solved.

I'd say Italian is one of the easier languages to learn and English is one of the hardest.

As Peter so effectively proved.

[Coops3]

Autosport business it's focused mainly on the english territory. If it was like F1, which is based worldwide, it would offer support for various languages, maybe different forums, different subforums, etc.

You could argue F1 is based mainly on English territory as well though.

I'm playing devil's advocate to an extent, I don't particularly disagree with what you're saying, I'm just making the point that in this BB, there's justification for a single language, and perhaps the same argument applies to radio transmissions.

[Fastcake]

It annoys me when I can't understand a radio message so from a purely personal point of view make everyone speak English!

[ivand911]

Ross Brawn understand Italian. MS also understand it. Aldo Costa also. So, I see no problem.

[fabr68]

at valencia i'm sure everyone noticed ferrari conversing with alonso in italian on the team radio.

in silverstone fp1, they asked him a question and then said "puoi rispondere in un'altra lingua" - "you can respond in another language".

i've often thought that there was a rule stipulating team radio conversations must be in english for the tv broadcast, because you often get the situation with two people from same/similar countries speaking english to each other when it wouldn't be the easiest way for them communicate.

if, in fact, it's not regulated, then why has it taken ferrari so long to start doing this?

obviously they have a few english speakers in the team (smedley) so they may use english as a lingua franca - but then again, the team is mainly italian, and alonso's crew would appear to be all fluent in italian.

i wonder what the cost-cutting proponents will say when teams have to employ a translator to understand what their rivals are saying...

I don't know such rule exists.

In any case you could argue Ferrari conversations were targeted for Italian-speaking tv broadcast.

Any country in the world that does not speak English have their commentators broadcast/translate the sport to the local language. You could argue English-speaking broadcast should to the same when the language is other than English. That would be much better than moaning and demanding Ferrari complies to their perceived right way of doing things.

Edited by fabr68, 06 July 2012 - 12:05.

[JRizzle86]

Ross Brawn understand Italian. MS also understand it. Aldo Costa also. So, I see no problem.

Aldo Costa is Italian!

[ayali]

Well I'm not saying there is a rule (there may be, I don't know), I'm just saying I think there's perhaps a justification for one.

Not from FiA's (a completely bi-lingual organization btw) or a sporting point of view and they make the rules.

Sure from the point of view of FOM there's justification to have all communication in English but they don't make the rules.
FOM can kindly ask Ferrari not to communicate (everything) in Italian or just not air their messages.

I hope this trend continues, I look forward to a big "Scheisse Michael" from Norbert Haug when Schumi hits another problem or car this year.

[Feanaro]

Actually the problem is, some English commentators speak nothing but English. Fire them.

I wholeheartedly agree

[TheWilliamzer]

FIA = Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. <== that's French.

[ivand911]

Aldo Costa is Italian!

Of course he is. My point is that for MGP, Ferrari communication is not problem. For other teams probably too.

Edited by ivand911, 06 July 2012 - 12:14.