Foreigners that speak zero Japanese
- Thread starter edogaijin
- Start date
- 20 Aug 2003
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Which Japanese?
Managers who have foreign workers?
Co-teachers?
Shop keepers?
Spouses?
The average Taro on the street?
Kids with foreign teachers/ALTs?
Say "arigato" or "domo", and the average Japanese will say your language skills are fantastic. It's a way of complimenting people (over the top, of course), and in my opinion this is done simply because they don't expect a single word of Japanese to come out of your mouth. Granted, Japanese is difficult to learn (written form especially, because you can't sound out letters that you can't even pronounce), but IMO the Japanese have an over-inflated opinion of how hard it is to learn to speak. If you can manage a line or two, people visibly appear more comfortable, but that's only natural, and it shows (again, IMO) that they weren't expecting anything in the first place.
There are always those who MIGHT expect you to know it, though, simply based on your job situation. Others (like waitresses and clerks) will often defer automatically to the Japanese friend/spouse that accompanies you, and thereby totally ignore you before a single word comes out of your mouth.
Overall, I'd say the Japanese are very polite about accepting people with little to no language skill, but that might be a cultural viewpoint they are expressing
Managers who have foreign workers?
Co-teachers?
Shop keepers?
Spouses?
The average Taro on the street?
Kids with foreign teachers/ALTs?
Say "arigato" or "domo", and the average Japanese will say your language skills are fantastic. It's a way of complimenting people (over the top, of course), and in my opinion this is done simply because they don't expect a single word of Japanese to come out of your mouth. Granted, Japanese is difficult to learn (written form especially, because you can't sound out letters that you can't even pronounce), but IMO the Japanese have an over-inflated opinion of how hard it is to learn to speak. If you can manage a line or two, people visibly appear more comfortable, but that's only natural, and it shows (again, IMO) that they weren't expecting anything in the first place.
There are always those who MIGHT expect you to know it, though, simply based on your job situation. Others (like waitresses and clerks) will often defer automatically to the Japanese friend/spouse that accompanies you, and thereby totally ignore you before a single word comes out of your mouth.
Overall, I'd say the Japanese are very polite about accepting people with little to no language skill, but that might be a cultural viewpoint they are expressing
- 27 Nov 2012
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I think it's pretty well understood that Japanese is not a useful language in the 21st century outside of Japan, and that a majority of Western foreigners who come to Japan only stay a few years. So, it really doesn't matter if they learn or not.
People settling in Japan on the other hand...
People settling in Japan on the other hand...
- 20 Aug 2003
- 4,910
- 416
I disagree about not learning Japan even for a short-term stay. Most people who come to work here seem to do it as teachers or ALTs and stay 2-3 years. YEARS!
Be respectful of the bosses and co-workers you have. Learn some of the language! Your employer will be so much more appreciative that he doesn't have to tend to your every little daily need outside of the office. You will feel a lot better, too, in being able to navigate train stations, stores, and restaurants with less difficulty. Never mind that in large cities there is a lot of English used.
Look at it this way. How would you feel working alongside a person in your country if they never learned a word of your language, yet were able to keep the job for 1-3 years?
Be respectful of the bosses and co-workers you have. Learn some of the language! Your employer will be so much more appreciative that he doesn't have to tend to your every little daily need outside of the office. You will feel a lot better, too, in being able to navigate train stations, stores, and restaurants with less difficulty. Never mind that in large cities there is a lot of English used.
Look at it this way. How would you feel working alongside a person in your country if they never learned a word of your language, yet were able to keep the job for 1-3 years?
- 8 Aug 2005
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as Glenski pointed out, it's completely dependent upon who you're asking, and also, what foreigners? students? military dependents? English teachers/short-timers? long-term residents with familial ties to Japan? Would you think that their country of origin or ethnic background might play a role in how they're perceived?
The perception you're inquiring after is as broad as the visual spectrum, and it's compounded by the fact that you're dealing with both the perceivers and the perceived... not to mention the answer might change depending on who is asking the question; if you asked directly you might get a different answer than if it were a native Japanese asking.
Although I agree that they might be pleasantly surprised when you make the tiniest effort to use Japanese, I think the whole complimenting thing is just a programmed response that also helps ease the potentially socially awkward situation of having to deal with a foreigner... Japanese is full of set phrases, and I think we've gotten to the point that complimenting someone's modest Japanese is just another kimarimonku.
The perception you're inquiring after is as broad as the visual spectrum, and it's compounded by the fact that you're dealing with both the perceivers and the perceived... not to mention the answer might change depending on who is asking the question; if you asked directly you might get a different answer than if it were a native Japanese asking.
Although I agree that they might be pleasantly surprised when you make the tiniest effort to use Japanese, I think the whole complimenting thing is just a programmed response that also helps ease the potentially socially awkward situation of having to deal with a foreigner... Japanese is full of set phrases, and I think we've gotten to the point that complimenting someone's modest Japanese is just another kimarimonku.
- 27 Nov 2012
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- 1,086
Oh yes, my definite experience is the better my Japanese got, the less compliments I got. It was kind of a weird experience.
- 8 Aug 2005
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- 3,727
I had the exact same experience, to the point that I could tell when my Japanese was improving by the fact that people would just talk to me like a normal person instead of a child with a learning disorder and constantly try to provide positive reinforcement
