I believe Fleet has already did this with their ATMs a couple of years ago. I remember having to set my default language once, and then I was never prompted after that. There is a way to change the default language from the ATM's main menu, but unless you touch that setting, it just assumes you want to continue using the same language, which just makes sense after all.

I've often wondered why there are braile markings on the selection keys at ATM machines - if the blind person cannot see the screen to read the prompts, why would they need to be able to push the selection buttons?

Just a thought.

Brilliant!

Why don't the bank just set the customer's preferred language upon issuing the card, or opening an account? Once the setting is done, all transactions, i.e. ATM, telebanking, is done in the preferred language?

Great idea Ian. This sparked another idea. Often times when I call my telephone company they keep asking me for my language preference. After repeatedly listening to the barrage of language options I sometimes forget that I'm still in America. The phone company along with many other companies should use caller ID to automatically default to my desired language preference.

Banking w/Wells Fargo, I recently was prompted by the ATM to set my prefered default values for "Quick Withdrawl". A quick withdrawl is a one button transaction that takes the default withdrawl amount from the default account. It has speeded my ATM transactions greatly! The default data is managed by the bank's servers, not stored on the card.

How about this idea - rather than generic ATM's that charge you a fee for using and then being charged a fee from the bank on top, the generic ATM would have a list of banks to choose from. The generic ATM could still charge you a fee for use, but the bank would no longer charge you additionally. I assume there would need to be some agreements between the ATM company and the banks to avoid the additional bank transaction fee?

Why not have people be smart? Why not have beauracrats be competent?

My consultant friends have brought great ideas and tools to several stagnant beauracracies, but they end up being useless because the people who run the system don't want to put any effort into their jobs and don't actually care if the system works... they just want their paycheck.

I for instance change languages for the fun of it.

They do this in Switzerland. When you sign up for a bank account they ask which language you want, and not only the ATM uses the correct one, but also all statements and other communications from the bank are automatically in the right language.

If you sign up for virtually anything from a national company, there is usually a tick box on the form "Please communicate with me in Deutsch / Français / Italiano".

This only works in Switzerland, if I use my card in another country, it still asks me which language I want, same as when I use a non-Swiss card in Switzerland.
The relevant body that standardises the data on bank cards internationally should get together and agree to put standardisedlanguage codes on all cards.

who would hold this information? If the account holder's bank, then that is a seperate database field that must be maintained. Losts of modifications.Then you have to edit all the ATM programs.How much would you want to pay for the availability to have 1 less key-stroke.

Or we coud just make English the official language of the US.

who would hold this information? If the account holder's bank, then that is a seperate database field that must be maintained. Losts of modifications.Then you have to edit all the ATM programs.How much would you want to pay for the availability to have 1 less key-stroke.

Or we coud just make English the official language of the US.

Good idea, but where I live, we don't have to deal with Spanish machines.

Also, 'ATM machine' is funny. 'Automated Teller Machine Machine'.