Well, my Japanese Faux pas doesn't seem to end with my earlier adventure at the party hall. Here is more..
Two days ago, my manager in Japan... ya ya the same Sato-san organized a send-off dinner at an Indian restaurant in Shinagawa (like you know where it is..). All the Japanese guys who I worked with were invited for the dinner. Since it was a working day we were all in the office and left for the restaurant together. One guy who I spent most time with (I mean working...you pervert) is Shinya Hirai-san. He must be a nice guy I thought, since he keeps smiling all the time. But the problem is, he has no choice but to smile all the time because he knows only as much as I know Japanese. Anyway, we left the office together and I was stuck with him while walking up to the railway station. After a labour ( I mean working hard..dumbo, its a he, not a she!) of about five minutes he managed to ask me,
"So what you buy in Japan?"
I said "I got a video camera"
"India no bideo kamera?" (Is there no video camera in India?)
"Of course we have video cameras man, but they are not as good as they are here. There are more varieties here.."
He seemed to have been impressed by the compliment. But he smiles when he is lost in translation too..So I would never know. As we walked there was a long pause. After some time, I saw a bus with strange exterior colours..with a bit of bright yellow on it. That was the first time I saw this kind of a bus in Japan. Priding myself of my capability to simplify my English down to Japanese level, I pointed to the bus and said
"That is very different".
He turned around to me and asked "India no bassu?" (Don't you have bus in India?)
Simultaneous thoughts clogged my mind:
a) No man never knew what the word bus meant before I came Japan.. we still go around with bullock carts and donkey driven carriages..
b)Never talk to Japanese in English, they will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience!
Two days ago, my manager in Japan... ya ya the same Sato-san organized a send-off dinner at an Indian restaurant in Shinagawa (like you know where it is..). All the Japanese guys who I worked with were invited for the dinner. Since it was a working day we were all in the office and left for the restaurant together. One guy who I spent most time with (I mean working...you pervert) is Shinya Hirai-san. He must be a nice guy I thought, since he keeps smiling all the time. But the problem is, he has no choice but to smile all the time because he knows only as much as I know Japanese. Anyway, we left the office together and I was stuck with him while walking up to the railway station. After a labour ( I mean working hard..dumbo, its a he, not a she!) of about five minutes he managed to ask me,
"So what you buy in Japan?"
I said "I got a video camera"
"India no bideo kamera?" (Is there no video camera in India?)
"Of course we have video cameras man, but they are not as good as they are here. There are more varieties here.."
He seemed to have been impressed by the compliment. But he smiles when he is lost in translation too..So I would never know. As we walked there was a long pause. After some time, I saw a bus with strange exterior colours..with a bit of bright yellow on it. That was the first time I saw this kind of a bus in Japan. Priding myself of my capability to simplify my English down to Japanese level, I pointed to the bus and said
"That is very different".
He turned around to me and asked "India no bassu?" (Don't you have bus in India?)
Simultaneous thoughts clogged my mind:
a) No man never knew what the word bus meant before I came Japan.. we still go around with bullock carts and donkey driven carriages..
b)Never talk to Japanese in English, they will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience!
1 comment:
Your fate:)-
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