On a related topic,
last week I was at the nearby salad bar eatery and asked the cashier about one of their staff. The cashier gave me a blank stare. I asked again. This time she replied, "Sorry," the said nothing more. Thinking she didn't know much English, I asked again, this time in Spanish. She then told me, in perfect English, that that person no longer worked there. I was shocked, as the person I'd inquired after practically ran the place. I've experienced this before: ask in English and you get nowhere. Ask in Spanish and you receive a reply.