So after so many pages, what is the solution...?
I read a few comments, some of them are justified.
But I think there are a few people here who put too much
emphasis on linguistic chauvinism and social discrimination.
That is what I can see essentially.
I comb through a few pages here and I am sympathetic to
non-Chinese people who have met with occasions of
communication-malfunction (not wardrobe malfunction).
But I am surprised to see and feel other people who are of
Chinese descent who have at least some proficiency in Mandarin but
quoted unsatisfactory service connected to language inefficiency in
English, and then these persons take up and cite additional reasons
such as the possibility of other races being met with the same
fate.
Yes this eventuality is fully justified and is a valid concern.
I dont have anything to say if the ones who point this out are
non-Chinese persons. In this situation, I think the solution is a
learning and adoption of English by those service people. But be
patient and think of "years" as a time frame because language is
not easy to pick up. There is no other solution, nobody will make
training, give subsidy, etc, nobody will do this, because they are
semi-skilled workers, it is not like being a lawyer or accountant,
or foreign university student, who must pass TOEFL or IELTS. These
semi-skilled workers will never go through this. This is market
forces. Nobody can fundamentally do anything about it.
Now to come back to Chinese persons who launch the majority of
these complaints, why dont you stop citing other non-Chinese
persons being met with the same fate as your concern. You know why?
Because it smacks of disingenous high-horse riding. It is just an
additional layer you cite to back up your own arguments, which is
essentially individual and internal. You have your own problem and
you are irritated. You have an unpleasant individual experience. So
stop trying to enlarge it and elevate it and get so PC (Politically
Correct) to gain yourself more credibility.
Your internal displeasure is essentially linguistic chauvinism,
social discrimination, and selfishness. It has nothing to do with
altruistic concerns about other races and peoples.
Why dont you be a little more patient, and maybe also hone your
bilingual skills. Since you are so educated, smart, and living in a
bilingual environment, while those semi-skilled workers are not
coming from bilingual surrounding and have little skills, language
or otherwise.
Hmm....actually if you are a Chinese person, it is not
unreasonable when they communicate to you in Mandarin.
Communication malfunction is regrettable, but perhaps the fault is
not entirely on one party, them, but could be you..? You should
have basic Mandarin knowledge, or even a rather sophisticated one.
And yes, Mandarin is one of the 4 official languages and one of the
2 main languages in Singapore. Why dont you blame yourself for
being even more inept than a semi-skilled worker.
My suggestion is for you to be more humble and believe in
language parity. Meaning, an equality, not one which is more
superior than the other, or must be used.This is the basis of your
disappointment and disdain. Please think about it.
