Language confusion
In general, I think it is very poor sport to make fun of people's short-comings in foreign languages, especially since people who know no or few foreign languages seem to think it is especially fun. I am sure the Chinese find my bold attempts to use their beautiful language as amusing as I find some of what I have seen and heard here in English. So here are some examples, noted by someone who once ordered a sun-flower in a French restaurant, when I wanted a nice, juicy piece of tenderloin ("tournesol" instead of "tournedos"!).
The Guest handbook in my hotel is a treasure trove of sentences worthy of The Private Eye, for example, among the regulations for guests:
3. Please not to smoke on the bed and in the elevators, and the dog-ends are only allowed to put in the ashtrays.
9. Please not walk out the room in barefoot.
12. Any person who involved irregularity like Prostitution, freak-out, smuggle and gambling will be punished according to relative Chinese law.
Poor dogs!
On the inside of the door:
Please don't worry if a fire is occurring We hotel have owned succor scattering facilities to sure you transmitted safely.
Today, I managed to tear open one of those free tea bag that one gets in hotel rooms (some rather good green tea here), since it was wrapped in one of those burglary-proof outer bags. Since they apparently forgot to clean my room today (about which I did not complain, since I really have not made much of a mess), I needed new tea bags. So I pressed the "Housekeeping" button on the phone. I first reached a very nice young lady, who did not speak English. She handed me over to a nice and very apologetic young man, to whom I explained in my best school English ("I seem to have torn a tea bag..."; well not really), than in simplified English, then I tried Chinese (chabao means tea bag), and finally he asked me to spell out each letter. A moment later a housemaid showed up with ... a shopping bag. It was a very nice one, and I am sorry I was not able to put my hands on it. Instead I showed her the torn tea bag, and she immediately came back with half a dozen. When I thanked her, she said something that I interpret as that she was honored to be thanked.
The hotel staff is very sweet and is struggling mightily with English. I have not really met anyone at the hotel with whom I could speak English in a normal way and expect to be understood. I think they are grateful that I am at least bothering to likewise struggle with Chinese.
The Guest handbook in my hotel is a treasure trove of sentences worthy of The Private Eye, for example, among the regulations for guests:
3. Please not to smoke on the bed and in the elevators, and the dog-ends are only allowed to put in the ashtrays.
9. Please not walk out the room in barefoot.
12. Any person who involved irregularity like Prostitution, freak-out, smuggle and gambling will be punished according to relative Chinese law.
Poor dogs!
On the inside of the door:
Please don't worry if a fire is occurring We hotel have owned succor scattering facilities to sure you transmitted safely.
Today, I managed to tear open one of those free tea bag that one gets in hotel rooms (some rather good green tea here), since it was wrapped in one of those burglary-proof outer bags. Since they apparently forgot to clean my room today (about which I did not complain, since I really have not made much of a mess), I needed new tea bags. So I pressed the "Housekeeping" button on the phone. I first reached a very nice young lady, who did not speak English. She handed me over to a nice and very apologetic young man, to whom I explained in my best school English ("I seem to have torn a tea bag..."; well not really), than in simplified English, then I tried Chinese (chabao means tea bag), and finally he asked me to spell out each letter. A moment later a housemaid showed up with ... a shopping bag. It was a very nice one, and I am sorry I was not able to put my hands on it. Instead I showed her the torn tea bag, and she immediately came back with half a dozen. When I thanked her, she said something that I interpret as that she was honored to be thanked.
The hotel staff is very sweet and is struggling mightily with English. I have not really met anyone at the hotel with whom I could speak English in a normal way and expect to be understood. I think they are grateful that I am at least bothering to likewise struggle with Chinese.
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