i think i understand
for those living in the u.s.a. (which is all four people who read my lj), you have surely heard anti-immigrant sentiments from immigrants. these people are ordinarily legal immigrants who came to the u.s.a. through much personal sacrifice and luck and often left some family members--children, parents, brothers, sisters--in their home countries. they have learned english (if they didn´t already speak it) and feel that other immigrants should suffer as they did--going through the lotteries, learning english, suffering from separation from their families.
and of course you have heard the language thing from native speakers--why don´t they learn english?
i tend not to say those things but i always advise working-class brazilians not to immigrate to the u.s. "i know some illegal immigrants in atlanta," i say. "they are very vulnerable and exploited. they work for good wages, but the jobs are dangerous. if they get hurt, they lose their jobs. there is no public health system in the u.s. sometimes the employers don´t pay their wages. it is very difficult to be away from your family and your country. unless you are highly educated and speak english very well, i wouldn´t go."
so anyway, over the last week i have gotten to know an older japanese businessman (he worked for sanyo) and judô teacher who has been in brazil for 30 years. over those 30 years, he has barely learned portuguese. this immediately rubs me the wrong way--30 years and he barely speaks portuguese! it´s not like he´s a bolivian who is working in a sweat shop 12 hours a day--he is a businessman! doesn´t he understand how important language is in business?
what´s worse, he has decided that i should speak japanese. even though i have told him that i speak no japanese whatsoever (the question was, of course, asked in japanese), he continues to speak it to me, as if one afternoon i will suddenly break into beautiful nihongô... which won´t happen. i learned the word for drizzle yesterday, but that´s about it. i can pick up meaning because i can hear all of the sounds so i can pick out the english (in the case of native japanese) and portuguese (in the case of the brazilians) that litters japanese, but this does not mean i understand anything.
so if i were giving him the benefit of the doubt, i would say that he thinks i actually understand and say i don´t. i know a few people like that--who think i understand because i pick out the word "guarda-chuva" and respond appropriately in portuguese. in his case, though, i have spent enough time around him for it to be clear that i don´t speak one word of japanese. not even konichiwa.
what disturbs me, though, is my rising frustration--anger, even--over the language thing. i find it disrespectful to do business here without learning portuguese, expecting your associates to learn japanese or english (although his english is awful as well). it smacks of nineteenth century liberalism, otherwise known as economic imperialism. it also shows that the person--or business--has no interest in brazil besides for its money.
and yet--why don´t i care if the bolivians learn portuguese? do i think their children will learn it in the terrible public schools (if they attend)? do i think it´s okay for them to continue as they are, invisible, trapped in the underclass, virtual slaves? ultimately, portuguese is much more important for them than for some rich japanese who drives a toyota corolla (like a camry in the u.s.) with an automatic transmission and leather seats...
and of course you have heard the language thing from native speakers--why don´t they learn english?
i tend not to say those things but i always advise working-class brazilians not to immigrate to the u.s. "i know some illegal immigrants in atlanta," i say. "they are very vulnerable and exploited. they work for good wages, but the jobs are dangerous. if they get hurt, they lose their jobs. there is no public health system in the u.s. sometimes the employers don´t pay their wages. it is very difficult to be away from your family and your country. unless you are highly educated and speak english very well, i wouldn´t go."
so anyway, over the last week i have gotten to know an older japanese businessman (he worked for sanyo) and judô teacher who has been in brazil for 30 years. over those 30 years, he has barely learned portuguese. this immediately rubs me the wrong way--30 years and he barely speaks portuguese! it´s not like he´s a bolivian who is working in a sweat shop 12 hours a day--he is a businessman! doesn´t he understand how important language is in business?
what´s worse, he has decided that i should speak japanese. even though i have told him that i speak no japanese whatsoever (the question was, of course, asked in japanese), he continues to speak it to me, as if one afternoon i will suddenly break into beautiful nihongô... which won´t happen. i learned the word for drizzle yesterday, but that´s about it. i can pick up meaning because i can hear all of the sounds so i can pick out the english (in the case of native japanese) and portuguese (in the case of the brazilians) that litters japanese, but this does not mean i understand anything.
so if i were giving him the benefit of the doubt, i would say that he thinks i actually understand and say i don´t. i know a few people like that--who think i understand because i pick out the word "guarda-chuva" and respond appropriately in portuguese. in his case, though, i have spent enough time around him for it to be clear that i don´t speak one word of japanese. not even konichiwa.
what disturbs me, though, is my rising frustration--anger, even--over the language thing. i find it disrespectful to do business here without learning portuguese, expecting your associates to learn japanese or english (although his english is awful as well). it smacks of nineteenth century liberalism, otherwise known as economic imperialism. it also shows that the person--or business--has no interest in brazil besides for its money.
and yet--why don´t i care if the bolivians learn portuguese? do i think their children will learn it in the terrible public schools (if they attend)? do i think it´s okay for them to continue as they are, invisible, trapped in the underclass, virtual slaves? ultimately, portuguese is much more important for them than for some rich japanese who drives a toyota corolla (like a camry in the u.s.) with an automatic transmission and leather seats...