having fun with languages

When I buy Vietnamese street food, and I say “Zing chow” [hello] and then “Camern” [thank you] I notice a delightful response. The seller becomes another human being instead of a vendor.

In the supermarket, if the person at the checkout is Chinese, and I like to say “Nee how” [hello] and then “Tsi tsi” [thank you] there is the same response.

If the person is Indian, I can say“Namaste” [hello] and then “Danyebud” [thank you].

Recently I assumed the man at the supermarket till was Indian so I greeted him with “Namaste”. He replied indignantly that he was a Muslim from Pakistan so I could say “Salam” and we became instant buddies.

A woman at the checkout looked Indian but turned out to be from the Philipines so I could say “Com esta?” [how are you?] and then “Gracias” [thank you], she beamed with appreciation, and each time since then, whenever I see her we have this interchange which brings some lightness.

I had an amusing conversation at the chemist. The man serving looked Spanish so I ventured “Com esta”. He replied that that made no sense so the next time I saw him I was able to say, very cautiously “Hello” and we both laughed.

When we are with a client, it’s natural to assume that we are speaking the same language, but after Oscar Wilde’s observation that “England and America are divided by a common language” we can be more cautious. I saw an amusing bumper bar sticker on an American car that read “You’re in America. Speak English”.

It can be so important to assume that when we say something to a client, they make their own translation, meaning, interpretation.

This assumption can create a context where a genuine, empathic relationship has the possibility to emerge.