WHY IS it these days that whenever I step into a retail boutique, I am greeted by the sales assistants in Mandarin instead of English?

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Ms. Chen,

Originally Posted by Helloser Chen

WHY IS it these days that whenever I step into a retail boutique, I am greeted by the sales assistants in Mandarin instead of English?
They then follow me around the shop, promoting their products to me in Mandarin.

Could it be that you actually look like a country girl from a farm in North West of China?

Originally Posted by Helloser Chen

But it seems to me that gone are the days when storekeepers would converse with customers in English in Singapore, a cosmopolitan country with many foreigners who live, work or visit.

Not all foreigners who "live, work"(sic) or visit Singapore are conversant in English. That's why some high end stores employ Japanese-speaking staff, as one example. They were the big spenders. Now, the Chinese - as in from China - are the big spenders.

Originally Posted by Helloser Chen

Retailers should look into this problem and ensure that their frontline staff master at least the rudiments of English.

And give you the chance to write in and complain that they are not professional because they speak only rudimentary English?

Originally Posted by Helloser Chen

Surely, we should not subject visitors to a mediocre level of service or allow them to think that our level of communication is so limited.

Visitors from China and Taiwan would rate their level of service as very high and that we have excellent communication. Anyway, you wrote earlier that speaking in Mandarin does not equal mediocre service. Could you please make up your mind?

basically dear, the sales assistants/promoters/salesgirls/salesboys etc will greet you in mandarin if you have asia ethnic/feature.

they don't care whether you are coming from korea, japan, indonesia, malaysia, brunei, or borne in US/Europe.
they thought that as long as you look like an asian people, you ought to be able to understand and speak Mandarin.

sad, but true.

when you have time, please walk around Raffles Place, especially in front of OUB Centre 1pm - 2pm. you shall be approach by min of 3 'survey' staff within minutes intervals, and all of them will be speaking mandarin to you!

basically dear, our shops are all miserly with what they are willing to pay, so we end up with foreign workers who are conversant in their language only, and are willing to not care about their own work life balance, because the miserly pay (to Singaporeans) is actually very good pay for them. Work hard a few years, and they can go home, and build a new house or something.

For SIngaporeans, if they were to take the job for the same pay, they would work hard a few years... and continue to work hard... then continue to work hard.... and still you have no money except maybe some where you can only see but not touch.

onenonly - you always talk about 'green wannabes', can i talk about 'english wannabes' too? LOL

pray tell, what is so 'professional' about using english? how unoriginal!

and btw, which variety of english? i've been asking these questions a number of times, and i haven't heard so much as a snort on it.

have you noticed Singapore follows the rise and fall of superpowers? China is a rising superpower and we see many PRC workers, then India, many sub-continent Indians, or Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, Russians, etc. So as each speak their own tower of Babel - we get into cosmopolitan fights cos' of one duck talking with one hen.

Ellouisa says Mandarin speaking does not equate mediocre service. But she does say that English is more world class, international, professional in usage than Mandarin. I see a lot of my Malaysian and China friends trying to learn English. I think in the same breath, Chinese who cannot speak Mandarin should try to pick up rudimentary Mandarin. How many French cannot speak French? How many Japanese cannot speak Japanese? How many Malays cannot speak Malay? I think the Mandarin speaking foreign workers just exposes the lack of ability in some Singaporean Chinese who cannot even speak Mandarin or show a dislike for their own language after being given years of billingual education.

onenonly said "Could it be that you actually look like a country girl from a farm in North West of China?" on Sat May 03 00:52:14 SGT 2008...wow...how insulting!

I feel Ms Chen has a point. And it certainly IS about professionalism. I'm Singaporean, neither Chinese, Malay, nor Indian. But my wife is Indian (also fully Singaporean).

However - EVERY TIME - we walk into a store or a restaurant - without fail, even after seeing my Indian wife, we will be spoken to in Mandarin. (The best part is that they speak to my wife in Mandarin). In many places that would be culturally insensitive. In fact it is! But these people don't bat an eye. Many times these are Singaporean Chinese, and an equal number of times from PRC Chinese working here.

This is terribly distressing and certainly unwelcoming to a family who would just like to have - say - some great Chinese food. But this sort of service just turns you off. Our children speak Mandarin and that helps. But our kids are not paying the bill. My wife and I are the principal customers. If the establishment has any sense of courtesy, it should at least get someone who speaks - even a smattering of English.

Nowadays we have expatriates from all over the world coming to Singapore to work and/or settle down. We have to cater to an international audience.

Even as China prepares for the Olympics - thousands of Chinese are taking English lessons and even English traffic signposts have been added for the ease of thousands expected to go to China for the Olympics.

So what is Singapore going to do about service for an international market???

And what do the critics who may believe we are being elitist have to say? We'd like your constructive views.

agja.

#9

Speaking Mandarin to an Indian...hee hee, that is funny.

Some Chinese did the same thing to an Indian lady, and that lady answered in English, "Sorry la, I don't know Mandarin, but I can talk to you in HOKKIEN! If you want to talk Sindhi, also can!"

And I knew of this Indian hawker who sometimes berated the other Chinese hawkers...in proper Hokkien (meaning no vulgarities).

Maybe we should tell the China girls to learn our dialects.