While we are parting on the New Year's eve, Trump is working hard at the White House.
- Thread starter meridian
- Start date
We do a lot of business with China. Our contacts there have a very good command of English, at least in written form. We've been told that promising kids are steered into programs aimed at international commerce, and that at a young age they adopt an "American" name. I can't tell you how well they actually speak English, but they sure as hell read and write it well.
I am tri-lingual so I am quite familiar with speaking in the 2nd language.
When you are uncomfortable with the language or dont use it on a daily basis/lingua franca, the person will need to translate English into his 'natural' language on the fly and back into English with his mouth. Then there's the accent and the slang the American speaker may use too to contend with; which the Chinese maybe unfamiliar with -- through the use of colloquialism is far less than say with the Brits. (I really struggle with the scouse accent and the usage of slang with the East End cockneys.)
That's why they prefer it in written form when communicating.
They also adopt a western name (rather than calling it 'American') for your convenience and to avoid you butching up their Chinese names. For some, the usage of a western name represents modernity. For some that I have met or heard of some names that I think represents poor research or translation -- like River, Tampon, Stone, Rainbow, Ashtray, Autism etc.
In my written communications I've learned to avoid slang, colloquialisms, even contractions. Doing so has made miscommunications quite rare. While it may sound stilted, even like "baby talk" to my ear, short declarative sentences are best.
LOL. We run into an odd one on occasion. The one I remember best was Nixon. Otherwise, they're pretty normal: Iris, Ruby, Tina, David, Sharon, Daniel, Joseph...
There is literally nothing he will do there other than generate income for his family. He doesnt give a shit about America.
