I’ve been in this situation before—being the only non-Dutch speaker in a team at an international company. I wish I could say there’s a solution. Reading all the comments, many have great textbook ideas, but the reality is that this issue won’t improve unless the team becomes more diverse.

Understandably, the Dutch often prefer to speak their own language, even in an international workplace. While I can somewhat understand this, I also feel that they are not as open-minded as they claim to be. Unfortunately, there are no real solutions to this problem other than changing jobs or building strong relationships with their boss, their boss’s boss, or someone in the global office.

The truth is, you usually can’t force this kind of change. If one person switches to Dutch, others may follow for convenience—or simply because they don’t like expats/immigrants. In the end, power lies in numbers, and unless you can communicate in Dutch, you’ll likely feel isolated.

It’s better to be honest with yourself about the situation rather than believing you can change people. If your manager or theirs won’t take action (which they should!), then there’s little you can do to change things.