Unilingual francophone terrorists, please use the express lane at Pearson
Please pardon the hyperbole in this post's title. I'm not particularly hysterical about airline security, and I long for the day when I can once again bring my shaving razor on an airplane. But last Wednesday, I witnessed the following exchange between the security agent at the screening gate at Pearson airport in Toronto and the woman in line behind me:
Agent: Hello, I've selected you as my random for security screening. Have you ever been selected for this before?
Woman: No.
Agent: Do you know how this process works?
Woman: No.
Agent: Do you speak English?
Woman: No.
Agent: Well, I don't speak French, and I don't know where the translator is, so you can go.
There was a particular irony to watching this exchange while I was catching a flight to a conference held in honour of the 40th anniversary of the Official Languages Act.
At least it made for a good anecdote to start my conference presentation. But still, the mind boggles that this is still allowed to occur.
Labels: airline security, bilingualism
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posted by Matt @ 7:18 pm
3 comments
3 Comments:
Oh, dear.
That deserves a chuckle. Hurrah for Canadian Airport Security! Note to guard: If you don't know where your translator is, use your radio.
Did that really happen or did you just Canadianise a Herrold and Kumar 2 scene?
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