173: Hsing Kuon Wang - Professional - Which Language to Speak

Taiwan, Kinmen

Uh, if the first time I meet a client, if he, uh, I can tell from his expression whether or not he speaks Chinese. Now, if he can’t, he can’t speak Chinese—I’d first address him in Chinese—now, if he can’t speak Chinese, then I’ll use, first use, English to greet him, or to ask him if he needs any help. If he doesn’t understand English, either, then I probably will ask someone else to help him, supposing, uh, for example, that he was from some other country. Now, uh, as for language, I think that if I can speak English, and he can’t speak English, I think that, that is, I won’t insist on speaking to him entirely in my, uh, mother tongue because I think that language is only a tool for communication. Actually, the most important thing is to allow both sides to achieve their goals. Then their goals can be achieved, and then the deal can be completed. Then, actually, it’s OK. Now, in fact, you don’t really need to, to worry about what language you’re going to use to communicate with him because I think that fundamentally, language is just a tool for communication. That doesn’t mean that you, you don’t have to insist on speaking the local language with him to show that you identify with your country. [See note below.] In fact, now [we live in] a diverse society, an internationalized society. In fact, everybody can achieve their goals, get the things you want, get the information you want. Actually, this, uh, language [you use] to talk about it is, is only something that helps people, lessens the distance between the two sides. Now, actually, the objective, in fact, it’s already been achieved. That’s an opinion I have on this question. Thanks. 1 This appears to be an oblique reference to speaking Taiwanese and its relationship to Taiwanese nationalism.

啊如果第一次我碰到这个客人，那如果说他啊，从他的外表上面我就可以判断说他大概会不会说中文。那如果说呢,他不会他不会说中文，首先我是会用中文跟他讲。那如果说他不会说中文，那我会用先用英文呢来跟他做问候,或者是说问他需要什么样的帮助啊。而如果说他英文也不懂的话。那么这时候我可能就要请别人来帮忙他。比如说，啊譬如说他是从哪一个国家来的。那啊那对于语言来讲，我是觉得说那如果我会讲英文，那他不会讲英文，那我觉得的那就说，我并不坚持说第一我一定要完全用我的啊母语啊来跟他讲。因为我觉得语言只是一个沟通的工具呦。那其实你最主要的是说要让两边的目的能够达成。然后让目的能够达到，然后这个deal能够呢被做成。那其实呢就ok 了。那并其实并不太需要去呢去在乎说你那要用什么样的语言去跟他们做沟通。因为基本上我认为语言呢只是一个沟通的一种工具。那不代表你说你一定要坚持用你的当地的语言来跟他讲，那才代表说你认同你这样的一个国家。那其实现在是是一个多元化的一个社会，一个多国际的一个社会。那其实大家能够达到目标呢，得到你想要的东西,那得到你想要的咨询，那其实呢这个啊语言来讲它只是是帮助人们呢这个双边的距离能够呢更接近。那其实目的呢就其实已经达成了。那这是呢我对于这个问题的一个看法。谢谢！

啊如果第一次我碰到這個客人，那如果說他啊，從他的外表上面我就可以判斷說他大概會不會說中文。那如果說呢,他不會他不會說中文，首先我是會用中文跟他講。那如果說他不會說中文，那我會用先用英文呢來跟他做問候,或者是說問他需要什麼樣的幫助啊。而如果說他英文也不懂的話。那麼這時候我可能就要請別人來幫忙他。比如說，啊譬如說他是從哪一個國家來的。那啊那對於語言來講，我是覺得說那如果我會講英文，那他不會講英文，那我覺得的那就說，我並不堅持說第一我一定要完全用我的啊母語啊來跟他講。因為我覺得語言只是一個溝通的工具呦。那其實你最主要的是說要讓兩邊的目的能夠達成。然後讓目的能夠達到，然後這個deal能夠呢被做成。那其實呢就ok 了。那並其實並不太需要去呢去在乎說你那要用什麼樣的語言去跟他們做溝通。因為基本上我認為語言呢只是一個溝通的一種工具。那不代表你說你一定要堅持用你的當地的語言來跟他講，那才代表說你認同你這樣的一個國家。那其實現在是是一個多元化的一個社會，一個多國際的一個社會。那其實大家能夠達到目標呢，得到你想要的東西,那得到你想要的諮詢，那其實呢這個啊語言來講它只是是幫助人們呢這個雙邊的距離能夠呢更接近。那其實目的呢就其實已經達成了。那這是呢我對於這個問題的一個看法。謝謝！

Ah rúguǒ wǒ dìyīcì wǒ pèngdào zhègè kèrén，nà rúguǒshuō tā ah，cóng tāde wàibiǎo shàngmiàn wǒ jiù kěyǐ pànduànshuō tā dàgài huìbúhuì shuō zhōngwén。Nà rúguǒshuō ne, tā búhuì tā búhuìshuō zhōngwén，shǒuxiān wǒ shì huì yòng zhōngwén gēn tājiǎng。Nà rúguǒshuō tā búhuì shuō zhōngwén，nà wǒ huì yòng xiān yòng yīngwén ne lái gēn tā zuò wènhòu, huòzhěshì shuō wèntā xūyào shénmeyàng de bāngzhù ah。Er rúguǒshuō tā yīngwén yě bùdǒng de huà。nàme zhèshíhòu wǒ kěnéng jiù yào qǐng biérén lái bāngmáng tā。 Bǐrú shuō，ah pìrúshuō tā shì cóng nǎyīgè guójiā láide。 Nà ah nà duìyú yǔyán láijiǎng，wǒ shì juédé shuō nà rúguǒ wǒ huì jiǎng yīngwén，nà tā búhuì jiǎng yīngwén，nà wǒ juédé de nà jiùshuō，wǒ bìng bù jiānchí shuō dìyī wǒ yīdìng yào wánquán yòng wǒde ah mǔyǔ ah lái gēntājiǎng。Yīnwéi wǒ juédé yǔyán zhǐshì yīgè gōutōng de gōngjù yōu。Nà qíshí nǐ zuìzhǔyào de shì shuō yào ràng liǎngbiān de mùdì nénggòu dáchéng。Ránhòu ràng mùdì nénggòu dádào，ránhòu zhègè deal nénggòu ne bèizuòchéng。Nà qíshí ne jiù ok le。Nà bìng qíshí bìng bú tài xūyào qù ne qù zài hūshuō nǐ nà yào yòng shénmeyàng de yǔyán qù gēn tāmén zuò gōutōng。Yīnwéi jīběnshàng wǒ rènwéi yǔyán ne zhǐshì yīgè gōutōng de yīzhǒng gōngjù。Nà bú dàibiǎo nǐ shuō nǐ yídìng yào jiānchí yòng nǐde dāngdì de yǔyán lái gēn tā jiǎng，nà cái dàibiǎo shuō nǐ rèntóng nǐ zhèyàng de yīgè guójiā。Nà qíshí xiànzài shì shì yīgè duōyuánhuà de yīgè shèhuì，yīgè duō guójì de yīgè shèhuì。Nà qíshí dàjiā nénggòu dádào mùbiāo ne，dédào nǐ xiǎngyào de dōngxī, nà dédào nǐ xiǎngyào de zīxùn，nà qíshí ne zhègè ah yǔyán láijiǎng tā zhǐshì shì bāngzhù rénmén ne zhègè shuāngbiān de jùlí nénggòu ne gèngjiējìn。Nà qíshí mùdì ne jiù qíshí yǐjīng dáchéng le。Nà zhèshì ne wǒ duìyú zhègè wèntí de yīgè kànfǎ。Xièxiè！

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View original Cultural Interviews with Chinese-Speaking Professionals from University of Texas at Austin.