Job Discussion Forums

[homersimpson]

This topic has been touched upon to a certain extent in the past, but I was hoping to go in another direction. Do you find yourself, as I do, speaking English (almost exclusively) with Japanese friends or co-workers who are fluent in English? Seems a silly question, but the reason I ask is I have often been asked by said co-workers why I don't speak Japanese to them. I tell them they should not look upon it as strange but rather a compliment of sorts. I am so confident in their English and their ability to understand me that I can speak to them as I would someone in the U. S. I use Japanese all day long and often times it can be a frustrating experience, so when I can effectively communicate in English I choose to do so. Case in point, Japanese #1: "Thomas san shiteru?" Me: "Shiranai." Japanese #1: "Thomas san kara Canada shiteru?" Me (for the second time): "Kare wa shiranai." Japanese #1 (same puzzled expression and looking for assistance): "E?" Japanese #2: "Thomas san wakaru?" Me (relenting): "Tabun." This stuff goes on all day long.

[ellienihon]

I'm assuming the *beep* is a word in Japanese that you don't understand?

[homersimpson]

"beep" is shi teru. Apparently I need to put a space in there.

[PAULH]

Ellie,

Japanese verb endings ending in -S-H-I-T-A come out as an expletive when written in Romanji and are seen to be 'cuss words' and are routinely 'beeped out'. This site can not tell the difference between Japanese and English words, bad language or not.

[fat_chris]

So the computer thinks something like "eat s-h-i-t-a-k-e" is vulgar.

Check it out: eat shitake!

[PAULH]

Another one I have often seen beeped out is

F-U-K-U-O-K-A which is the largest city in Kyushu for its close spelling similarity to you-know-what. It also picks up on 'approximate' spellings as well.

[Glenski]

[ellienihon]

Naru hodo. Thanks for the info about the screeninng program. In that case, I shall reply differently:)

When I was living in Japan, I had very few Japanese friends who spoke English better than I spoke Japanese, so we generally spoke in Japanese. Actually, I was asked a few times to talk with someone in English, but usuallly we would revert back quite quickly. I would break into English if the company could handle it or I was just tired. In the states, the Japanese people I meet generally speak English very well, so we go with the room majority. I have one friend where I speak English and she speaks Japanese, and it's just nice and relaxing for both of us.

Just for background, I was in Japan as an exchange student, and most of my friends were through the Gasshodan (choir), where I was the only foreigner.

[Lynn]

When I was on the JET program I walked off the plane to meet my "bosses" (BOE). There was also a little old man serving as the "interpreter". He said, "Miss Lynn. We know you were an exchange student to Japan a year ago. We know you can speak Japanese; that is why we chose you. No one at the city hall or BOE can speak English. Therefore, you must speak Japanese at all times."

Then I turned to the BOE bosses, stook out my hand for a hand shake and they bowed and greeted in Japanese. I did the same.

It was never an issue. I never found speaking Japanese tiring. I tried teaching one of the guys in the pysical education dept of the city hall how to answer a phone in English. We would practice "Hello?" over and over again. It was just for fun, though.

[kovac]

Having studied Japanese for two years before my departure to Japan I was "sugoi bikurishta" to have situations such as below...

Me : "ahh Sumimasen, kono tegami o kokuyubin de okutte kudasai"
Post office clerk: "Ahh yes airmail..which country ?"
Me : "sukottornado kudasai..ikura desu ka "
Post office clerk :"one thousand two hundred yen"
Me : "ah so desu....ichi sen ni hyaku en desu, dozo"
Post office clerk:"Thanks"
Me : "domo"

Mebbe my Japanese sucks, but in my schools and in day to day life I constantly have people only responding to me in English and never Japanese...Sugoi hen da yo....

PS missing out the I of s-h-i-t-a..to avoid censorship but to counter here is a big "MANKO" to blow it out of the water