Foreign Talents - PRC

I will touch on the PRCs because they are the majority FTs here and I'll just comment on the service staff.

They are everywhere. Sometimes you can tell from their looks or dressings but sometimes only when they speak.


Nothing against the PRC but they are in abundance here and you can't help but feel their presence more and encountering them more often.

I just wish that they will at least learn a bit of basic English - no need any Queen English lah - just basic and even broken English, also can.

I've come across some PRCs making the effort to respond in English but they are more the exception than the rule.


Some incidents :

(1) China Bus Driver

I was on an SBS bus when the bus broke down. Driver called on the mobile to his HQ and asked what to do. From his accent, knew he's from China.

Next thing, he was gesturing to the passengers to get down from the bus.
There were Malay and Indian passengers and they asked him (in English) what's happening and what now?

China bus driver obviously can't speak any English as he just keep gesturing for us to get off the bus.

I stepped in and asked the driver (in Mandarin) what we should do and only then he explained in Mandarin that he will give out tickets for all of us to take the next bus free - of cos, I have to translate and explained to the rest of the passengers.

** isn't it dangerous that the driver is only able to express himself in his native language (Mandarin)?
What if he need to call his HQ in an emergency and the operator can't speak or understand Mandarin?
How is he going to communicate to his passengers if need be? There are not only chinese passengers but also malays, indians, the non-chinese, non-mandarin speaking?


(2) China Taxi-Driver

Was in a taxi with my aunt. Aunt spoke teochew dialect but China driver obviously don't understand (not driver's fault). Told him in English - also don't understand.

My Mandarin is pretty bad and so we ended up in another building (only know how to say this building's name in Mandarin) close to the building that we are supposed to head to.

** if the passenger don't speak Mandarin, how?



(3) China Sales-Staffs

Some can guess what you are asking them. You ask them in English, they answer you in Mandarin.

Some don't understand at all. What do they do? They holler to their colleagues who know some English to serve you. This is not fair to your colleague isn't it?


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I'm not against any China Chinese or any nationalities but as they say, when in Rome, do what the Romans do.

If you are in the public service, you cannot just be in your own world and not learn the common language, English, to communicate with non-Mandarin speaking people.

Singapore is a multi-racial country !

But I think the employers should be the ones to be blamed as I'm sure they knows if their employees can speak English or not.

If the employers still hire them, then of cos the employees won't make an effort.

As an employee, I will be thinking : If you still hire me even though you know that I don't know English, then that meant you don't care, don't mind if I don't know English, so why I bother to learn?



** employer of (1), (2) and (3) above : hello, only Chinese people in Singapore is it? Also, doesn't mean if you are Chinese, can understand Mandarin, you know.


Of cos, some people out there can say, hey, if employ a Filipina, the Filipina cannot speak Mandarin to the Mandarin speaking customers.

No one person is gonna be able to speak Mandarin, Malay, Indian.

What I'm saying is that the service staff should at least know some basic English which is the common language that we speak here among the different races to communicate with each other.

As some other bloggers said : I feel like a stranger in my own country.