evyの译想世界

Like many Singaporeans, I have been wondering why many service providers such as bus companies, and restaurants don’t (1) employ foreign workers who speak English, (2) train their foreign workers to speak English. 

I was queuing for my plate of fried oyster at ION Orchard food court.  The cashier who was taking order speaks only Mandarin. The lady behind me made her order in English and pointed at the menu then made a “2” sign with her fingers.  There were two oyster dishes on the menu “Fried Oyster” and “Oyster Egg”.  The lady was curious the difference between the two dishes and decided to ask the cashier, unfortunately he did not understand a single word in English. After awhile, the cashier called out to the chef for help, but the chef’s gesture was rather rude. He shrugged his shoulder at the lady and said “What? What? What?…” So the lady gave up.

As I watched them I struggled if I should help, but decided not to poke my nose into it because 1) I was not the owner of that stall 2) I was not the one who employ non English speaking workers 3) it is the boss’ responsibility to train his staff to speak basic English. Literally it was not my business.

Back home I pondered, if the foreign workers can speak English, would they need to work overseas? For those from Mainland China especially, I guess not. The reason these foreigners came to Singapore is because they could not find a job at home. However if they can speak English, it means that they have certain academic qualification, which gives them an edge over other job hunters. From this perspective, should we not be more tolerant?

Latest news on Asiaone: Service literacy test to up F&B standards Jan24, 2010

Hopefully with this new literacy test, the quality of service in Singapore will be better. Employers in the F&B sector should spend some effort in upgrading the skills of their foreign employees. Singapore’s population may be made up largely by Chinese but we are also a multi-racial city. We have to be sensitive to the needs of people who do not speak Mandarin.