Are you talking about asking a Japanese-looking person if they know Japanese or from the perspective of them asking a foreigner ?Originally Posted by SkippyDaStudent85
They should assume that they can't understand Japanese and use gestures
They should first ask them whether they can speak Japanese (either in Japanese or in English)
They should address them in Japanese and only use gestures or speak more slowly if the person doesn't understand
Are you talking about asking a Japanese-looking person if they know Japanese or from the perspective of them asking a foreigner ?Originally Posted by SkippyDaStudent85
It was from the point of view of anyone dealing with foreigners, in general. Let me clarify my statement.Originally Posted by Elizabeth
Let's say that I am a Japanese person. I see someone who seems obviously foreign (say a VERY caucasian American, like me IRL) to the country. Now, as someone with common sense, I would like to think the American knows Japanese, being as he is in Japan. Being the same person of common sense, I cannot assume he knows Japanese because not everyone who travels to a foreign country knows the native language of that country's people. For this reason, it would make slightly more sense to ask him if he knows Japanese and have to apologize than to assume he does and address him as such.Originally Posted by Me
There is nothing about going to the country that is going to make you learn it unfortunately besides years and years of study....something you would assume vacationers or short-term tourists are willing to put in for the pleasure of pachinko or a Japanese baseball game ? Sorry to burst your expectations, but even a great many foreign students of the language living and breathing the air can barely hold a reasonable conversation. I was thinking it was illogical to know a priori which language you'd ask in....Originally Posted by SkippyDaStudent85
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