As much as I love living in Uruguay, there are some things that I don’t like. (Of course, I might even complain about the choice of music sung by the heavenly choirs in the celestial realms…)
Nevertheless, it is my responsibility to report both the good and the bad, so that you don’t make some of the same mistakes that I have or that I have seen others make.
One of those mistakes is being caught in the language bait-and-switch. This happens when you visit a company or professional firm to discuss doing business with them. The person with whom you meet speaks good English and you have no trouble communicating with him. You leave with the impression that this person will be the one with whom you are working.
The next time you contact them you speak to someone or receive an e-mail from someone who speaks English as badly as I speak Spanish. You get frustrated; especially because you are paying more than local rates in order to deal with English speakers. (This is especially common in larger firms or companies that claim to specialize in dealing with foreigners.) Ultimately the situation deteriorates and then collapses, and you are worse off than when you started, and certainly poorer.
While this has happened to me, it has not had the impact it might on others because I have an office full of bilingual people. But this could be disastrous for you.
My suggestion is that when you consider doing business with a company or firm with an English-speaking “front man”, you find out EXACTLY who will be doing the work for you, and that you insist on meeting that person and speaking with that person, BEFORE you agree to hire them or buy from them. Then, make sure that this is confirmed in writing.
I guarantee you, this piece of advice will save you hours of frustration, and, for those of us who do such things, hundreds less curse words to tell our confessor about… (My confessions usually start out, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I have taken the Lord’s name in vain, 250 times, this morning…)
