Friday, July 20, 2012

And How Many Speak Kreol in the Air?

We know 84% of Mauritians use kreol at home. Many Mauritians speak kreol on MK too. The funny thing is that they are often spoken back in an alien language by the flying staff. Which is the right thing to do because speaking kreol -- unlike hedging -- is not one of MK's core competencies. We leave that to infinitely inferior airlines like Emirates where Mauritian passengers are routinely shown a higher level of empathy by being answered back in their home language.

All is not lost though. We just need to find out where exactly is that country where our kreol can be learned.

5 comments:

Sanjay Jagatsingh said...

A la enn zoli lexamp.

akagugo said...

According to latest first-hand experience, there is a revival of our mother tongue in MK cockpits, with good humour and enthusiasm as bonus! Keep it up, sa-em sa!

Sanjay Jagatsingh said...

Pena enn audio sa leksperyans la?

akagugo said...

Nope, sorry. Unlike the younger people, I am quite averse to live-streaming every detail of my puny, unimportant existence. :-)
But seriously, I believe these persons could deliver more and better by being adequately protected from routine abuse from passengers.
Imagine this being said on the PA just after you pass immigration:
"Bonzour missié / madam. Pou ou prop sékirité ek confor, nou demann ou enn ti-minitt pou souflé dan enn ti-ballon avan embarkman. Si tess-la pa passé, nou pou invitt ou relax ek revini kan ou la-santé permett ou".
As an example, I've seen breathalyser screening as a mandatory requirement for all technical and equipment-driving personnel on hazardous sites - if you had been partying too hard on the eve, then you are granted an automatic day off duty to ensure that other personnel are not potentially endangered by the substances lingering in your system. Imagine this being set as a national requirement on all construction sites, and see the effect on the work-place mortality rate in the long-run.

Sanjay Jagatsingh said...

Breathalyser is a good idea. Should be extended to drivers of heavy trucks and buses on our roads. Can start with frequent enough checks then tweak policy when we underestand what the data tells us.