| > | | | | better than their English. Some did this because they |
| While many Americans often assume that everybody | | | | liked to speak English, while others thought it was |
| should be able to speak English if they try, especially | | | | their obligation as people working in the travel service |
| for people who have been in America for many | | | | sector with Westerners. Japanese did not all believe |
| years, other views exist in other parts of the world. | | | | this and some would speak Japanese with Fred. |
| Japanese and other Asians often assume the | | | | Talking with a fellow expat, Fred was just moving to |
| opposite - that people from different cultures, | | | | his key point as I walked in the room. "What makes |
| especially Caucasians, cannot speak their language | | | | so many Asians see Caucasian faces and assume |
| and should not be expected to. | | | | that they do not and cannot speak whatever the |
| Out for a drink the other night, I ran into Fred in a | | | | language of the country is?" I didn't even try to reply |
| nearby bar. Just back from a trip to America, he was | | | | as Fred went on, "Actually an even better question |
| reflecting on language choices, ethnicity, Asian | | | | might be what makes many Asians see a Caucasian |
| languages, and English. Having traveled around Asia, | | | | face and be unable to recognize that they are |
| Fred has seen some of the same paradigms | | | | speaking whatever the language is. I remember once |
| repeated in different environments: beliefs that | | | | when I was hitchhiking between Tokyo and Osaka |
| Westerners are unable to speak Asian languages, all | | | | and a trucker picked me up. We had been talking for |
| Westerners speak English, one should always speak | | | | about 10 minutes, in Japanese, when he asked me if |
| English to a Westerner, and Westerners cannot | | | | I could speak Japanese." |
| understand the local culture. | | | | Fred concluded with a sweep of his hand, "It never |
| Fred was now discoursing about a flight he took on | | | | fails to blow me away when people have beliefs so |
| Japan Airlines (JAL). Fred spoke Japanese pretty well, | | | | strong that they can ignore reality. How could the |
| and he knew it. He wasn't offended when Japanese | | | | truck driver have talked with me for 10 minutes in |
| staff at airports and on airlines and such persisted in | | | | Japanese without noticing what language we were |
| speaking English to him, even when he spoke | | | | speaking in?" And with that Fred took a large drink of |
| Japanese to them and his Japanese was better than | | | | his beer as if he had said everything worth saying. |
| their English. He followed a different world view | | | | I had heard his stories before of other Westerners in |
| though, believing that when people shared two or | | | | China and Korea who had had similar experiences. We |
| more common languages they should speak in | | | | all wondered why some Japanese, Koreans, and |
| whatever language offered the maximum | | | | Chinese didn't think more before saying things that |
| understanding to both of them. | | | | totally ignored the reality in front of them. I guess it |
| His perspective differed from many of the Japanese | | | | all just comes down to perception. Reality is as you |
| he met though. They believed that they should | | | | perceive it to be. |
| soldier on in English, even when Fred's Japanese was | | | | |