McDonald's Estonian speakers under fire

The Language Cops want them to learn it better

The Estonian Language Inspectorate recently inspected 518 sales clerks and service personnel whose mother tongue is not Estonian and ordered 338 of them to take the most basic level Estonian language test. The inspectorate has received complaints concerning the poor level of Estonian in the McDonald’s chain, as well as Maxima, T-Market, and Double Coffee.

Companies who flout the demands of the language police can be fined. McDonald’s confirms its staff has basic level language certificates, as well as phrasebooks with simpler Estonian phrases (Ma armastan hamburgereid!).

From our point of view, we’d rather be served by nice Russians in bad Estonian any day—if our other choice is surly Estonians with, well, Estonian service skills.