This wasn't racist, was it?

[Fudgethatkay]

My best friend's Japanese. He understands English okay, but still gets interpreter when he can cause he is afraid of misunderstandings.

While calling a cable company for internet...got a representative that spoke with an attitude when I asked for a Japanese interpreter....cue a ten minute wait....

and the first thing I hear is "wei....?"

...Hint. In Japanese, you answer "moshi moshi"...in Mandarin Chinese, phone answer is "wei."

Yep, she gave us a Mandarin Chinese interpreter.

We hung up. Tried again. Waited for 15 minutes and got hung up on.

Third time was the charm.
But...seriously? I made it clear Japanese.

Some education can let you know they ARE different languages, even if they sound the same to you.

[dragon_wings]

The mind boggles that some people would think Japanese = Chinese.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

The mind boggles that some people would think Japanese = Chinese.

I read in some baseball player's book (I think it was Jay Johnstone but I'm not 100% sure) that it is a huge insult to call a Japanese person Chinese.

[Fudgethatkay]

The mind boggles that some people would think Japanese = Chinese.

The lady had such an attitude too..
"Why you need Japanese you speak English fine!"

..."M'am...its for my friend. He is the customer, and needs assistance."

" ugh, fine. Japanese. Whatever."

[Fudgethatkay]

I read in some baseball player's book (I think it was Jay Johnstone but I'm not 100% sure) that it is a huge insult to call a Japanese person Chinese.

Try calling a Korean person Japanese...xD

[dragon_wings]

That's why, when I don't know a person's race or nation of origin I ask instead of assuming.
(I get a fair share of Europeans in my store-in East Tennessee-and I love accents so I typically ask my customers where their from. With the exception of Brits, Scots, and Irish. I try to guess.)

[Food Lady]

I don't even ask; it seems to make them uncomfortable.

[PepperElf]

irv - yes.

mushi mushi my bf use to answer his phone like that when we lived in japan.

[Cat Herder]

Some education can let you know they ARE different languages, even if they sound the same to you.

What's really weird about the perception that the two languages sound the same is that they do NOT sound the same! They are, in fact, two very different-sounding languages, except to the extent that Japanese does include many Chinese loan-words.

and the first thing I hear is "wei....?"

No wei!

*ducks*

[Cat Herder]

I come from The Country That Has Lots Of Interesting Things Besides The Taj Mahal Despite What The Covers of Travel Literature Would Have You Believe. I look very much like someone who comes from that country.

Once, when I was in an L station in Chicago, a Polish lady who barely spoke English was having trouble understanding the directions on the fare card machine, and the attendant who was trying to help her picked me out of the crowd and asked me whether I understood the lady. Ummm...yeaaah...all we "foreigner-types" understand each other.

My mom told me that at a former job of hers, she asked for a translator to assist her in communicating with a French-speaking Haitian woman. The Powers That Be sent a bilingual assistant - who was fluent in Spanish.

[Cat Herder]

" ugh, fine. Japanese. Whatever."

Good Ceiling Cat

"Whatever" this, lady: I want to speak to your supervisor right now.

[the lawsmeister]

Totally!

I'd be calling back to report this bitch of a woman to her boss.

[Barracuda]

I can usually tell the difference. Mandarin is quicker and less guttural than Japanese, and to me, Korean sounds like the linguistic equivalent of wind whispering through the trees. Of course, I watch a lot of anime, and have heard Mandarin and Korean when I knew for sure which language I was hearing. Not everyone can say that.

[Kheldarson]

I will be honest, I have a hard time when hearing other languages (my AP test for German was a 2. I couldn't understand a thing of what was said during the spoken parts of the tests >.<). So even with all the anime I watch, I can't tell you the difference, even in dialects >.<

But the answer to "can you get me this language interpreter" is never "whatever". Lady needs to be reported.

[Teefies2]

That's why, when I don't know a person's race or nation of origin I ask instead of assuming.
(I get a fair share of Europeans in my store-in East Tennessee-and I love accents so I typically ask my customers where their from. With the exception of Brits, Scots, and Irish. I try to guess.)

Wait, what? Dragon Wings when I met you, weren't you in Baltimore? Or was I mistaken? East Tennessee is sooo much closer to me YAY