So there’s this sign drawing controversy from the English speaking foreign community of netizens who are living in or interested in Japan.
Submitted by ‘JD’ to Japanprobe.com, here is a photo of the establishment:
Some are proclaiming xenophobia, while others are in full support of the owner’s message. While I don’t think this is overt racism (after all, they aren’t banning foreigners from the premises), it isn’t very well thought out, and from my standpoint, operating a small business myself (in a foreign country, no less!), I find it absolutely stupid.
The service industry, especially in Japan, caters to the customer, not the other way around. In fact, there is a saying for this in Japanese: お客さんは神様 (The customer is God) This sign definitely doesn’t come off as inviting in anyway, except inviting people who can’t speak Japanese to take their business elsewhere.
There is obviously enough of a foreign community to warrant a sign being made in English. If the store staff can’t speak English, then they must have hired someone to have this sign printed and aligned for them. Instead, for the same cost, why didn’t they simply translate the menu? Paying customers are perfectly adept at pointing at an item on the menu, and then specifying the quantity desired with the digits on their hands. Again, this is from a business point of view.
If they simply must have a sign put up, couldn’t they have considered something a little bit more appealing to potential customers? If it was me, I would have written, “Our staff does not speak English very well, but we will do our best to communicate with you! Thank you for understanding.” That comes off as a much better disclaimer. In fact, I might have it translated into several other languages, too, like Chinese, Portuguese, and Korean, just to cover the major bases.
4 Comments
December 19, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Well the whole point is to, rightfully so, discourage people from entering the store and then thinking that talking in slowed English minus the conjunctions will help them find out whether or not katsu don is suitable for their vegan lifestyle when in fact even with the help of a translated menu the staff cannot speak enough English to answer their time consuming questions. Personally I can’t wait for the day when Esperanto makes its resurgence and finally puts an end to the smarmy propagation of the English language.
December 20, 2007 at 3:09 am
Ah, yes, but what I seemed to have left out in my post but was mentioned in the link is that this is a cafe. I’m sure most people know what’s in a Latte. And, with my more polite disclaimer suggestion, customers would not expect the owners to be able to understand a request for soymilk instead of whole milk.
It’s just plain common business sense that you have to go the extra yard to please customers. Customers shouldn’t be expected to cater to the shop clerks! This is true in any service industry. That’s how you make repeat customers.
Are tourists supposed to be able to order a cup of coffee in Japanese, having only been in the country for a week? I know this is Japan, and I am of the firm opinion that foreigners should at least try to learn the language, but not everyone lives in Tokyo to become fluent in Japanese, and it’s awfully self-centered to think that your own ideals are the ones that every one should live by.
December 21, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I kind of wonder if something specific happened to the proprietor here that made him do that. But really, if you’re living in Japan, you have to have the realization that not every place is going to cater to your English-speaking needs. When those times come, you gotta buck it up and make it through - but it would be nice if the establishment looked at the very least welcoming to everyone. It’s not a great sign, no - but it’s very indicative of the backhanded subtle Japaneseness that we all encounter here at some point or another. “Oh are you leaving at 3:45″ translates to: “You schmuck. What do do you think you’re doing leaving before your children are in bed?!” Or “How are those doughnuts?” Interpret as: “You’re fat. Can you actually buy clothes in Japan?” That sign more or less translates to: “If you can’t speak a lick of Japanese, get lost, we can’t be bothered.” But the sign *could* be a lot worse…
December 22, 2007 at 2:55 am
Someone on the japanprobe.com comments said they live near the shop and there’s a French community nearby. Some kids went in the shop and wanted to order pancakes. They may have even been speaking French, not English. Go figure.
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