It seems fittingly ironic that I studied Spanish in college, hoped to find a job teaching in Latin America or in Spain, and in the end, me and my Spanish language skills (deteriorated though they might be) are here in Japan. We have been rekindling our relationship, my Spanish skills and I. You can find us together in most places here in Japan, staring awkwardly at each other when can’t understand spoken or written Japanese, shaking our heads and thinking: “Damn girl, couldn’t you have found room for a Japanese first year series in your undergraduate courses?”
I did try to learn a few phrases from the audio Pimsleur language learning series before I left. It was very useful, but I had a hard time fitting in time for learning because I was busy with the end of the school term and trip preparations. But thanks to Pimsleur, I can say a few essential phrases:
-”Sumimasen” (Excuse me / I’m sorry)
-”Ohio gozaimas / Konichiwa / Kom ban wa” (Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening)
-”Nihongo-ga wakarimas-sen.” (I don’t know Japanese.)
-”Eigo-ga wakarimas-ka?” (Do you know English?)
-”Domo arigato gozaimas.” (Thank you very much.)
-”Domo” (Thanks)
-”Kudasai” (Please)
-”Oy-shi-katta” (That was delicious!”
-”[insert noun / toy-re] wa doko des-ka?” (Where is the (e.g. toilet)?)
-”Hai” (Yes)
-”Ei” (No)
These basic phrases are enough to get by and communicate most things politely. But communication gets muddled or halted completely when the conversation gets more complicated… like checking for hotel room availability for a place that doesn’t do online booking. Figuring out proper postage and asking questions for how to write on a special money-sending envelope. Wanting to have more than a basic conversation, but not being able to. Wondering if a bag of white powder food stuff at the grocery store is sugar or salt. Desperately wanting to practice little phrases with store clerks, who narrate and guide the entire transaction with what I assume are polite little phrases. Wanting to know the ingredients of the food that I’m considering for purchase, but not being able to read a damn thing. Being able to answer back immediately when a group of drunken festival men dressed in white shorts ask you if you’d like to be hoisted up and blessed in their local festival way (they originally asked me in Japanese and I had no idea what they said until a coworker translated for me a few seconds later).
(It just occurred to me that I haven’t written a blog post about this festival that happened a few weeks ago. I will get around to writing about this soon… it was lots of fun!)
Somtimes it’s just as well that I can’t speak Japanese, because even if I was able to, doing so here at the university would break the rules of the intensive English program that I work in, which maintains a strict “English-only” policy for students and faculty in the classrooms, cafeterias, and a few other instructional situations. Much to my surprise and pleasure, the majority of these students actually follow the rule! It’s rare that I want or need to speak or read Japanese on campus, but the desire to not come off as illiterate tourist is definitely felt when I’m out and about in the little villages around here or whilst speaking with the facilities staff members.
I’ve had a few interesting language interchanges with the university facilities staff. Here on campus, there is an “energy center”, which is in charge of switching the air conditioning on and off for the entire university. In response to the 3/11 earthquake and the nuclear power plant shut downs, Japan is making serious efforts to reduce their power consumption, so as to avoid rolling blackouts for lack of power resources. Thusly, if you stay late in your office here or if you would like the air conditioning switched on or off in the gym, you must call the energy center and request for them to turn the AC on or off.
The first time I worked past 18:00 (6:00 p.m.), which is the magical witching hour for air conditioner shut-off in my office building, I called the energy center. Someone answered the phone with a polite Japanese expression and I responded with “Kom ban wa” (good evening, remember?). Then I proceeded in slowly paced English with my request: “Please turn on the air conditioning. Research Center, room 205.”
…Cue the music for Led Zepplin’s “COMMUNICATION BREAKDOOOWN!”
Needless to say, the air conditioning did not get turned on. (Later I remembered that I was given a little phrase book by my the university for facility-specific essential phrases like this one. Whoops.)
The next time I found myself in need of calling the energy center, I was in the gym and I wanted to have the AC turned off (for warm, stretchy yoga practice!) I did not have my little aforementioned university phrase book. But I did remember some advice that my friends who had traveled to Japan before gave to me, which was to “speak Engrish (speak English with a heavy Japanese accent) and you will be understood”. I took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and called the energy center.
EC: “Polite-Japanese-greeting-phrase-that-Rachel-can’t-remember verbatim”
Me: “Konichiwa. Hai, airo condishun, room one pifty (150), please turn off-o. Okay?”
EC: “OH OKAY! Room one pifty, off-o. Hai, hai.”
Me: “Arigato gozaimas”
… within 30 seconds, the AC in the gym was shut off, as requested.
I couldn’t believe that speaking Engrish actually worked. I felt so rude for using a mocked accent for real communication, but as far as I know, the reception with the person that I spoke with was positive, and the message was communicated. So… win! Right? Maybe? Who knows.
Whenever I go off campus, I’m always sure to keep my Lonely Planet phrase book near me and I should really be practicing some more Pimsleur lessons when I have free time in my dorm. But knowing that Engrish is seemingly unoffensive to Japanese speakers (unless I’m completely misreading the cues) and that it can get the message across in a pinch is a nice little tool to have in the language tool belt.