CHINA - SHANGHAI

This blog is about language and language barriers. We use language, or more precisely words, every day, but we never really think about the big differences between languages. Chinese - in this case - is a completely different language to the languages we are used to. The difference in the writing style alone, with its figurative characters, makes Chinese very different from what we are used to, and thinking in syllables is also a big difference to us. But because of my past in China, it was comparatively easy for me to get used to this language again.

At the beginning, I had difficulties finding my way around the street signs and labels of the train and bus stations. But also that addresses only lead to the right place in Chinese (in characters) if you enter them into a digital map. This was a big challenge, especially at the beginning of the trip. Verbal communication, which was particularly important in everyday life, was comparatively easy. For example, most sales clerks in supermarkets and restaurants only speak Chinese, which is why it was all the more important to strengthen the verbal aspect.

Nevertheless, certain strategies were needed to overcome the lack of vocabulary or communication skills in this difficult communication situation. The most common method for this is the translator program on the phone. As the translations in these programs do not always match perfectly, there were then methods, for example, of using different languages to find the right one, e.g. not translating from Chinese to German, but first translating to English and then either leaving it in English or translating to German. This was mainly due to the differences in sentence structure between Chinese and German, as the Chinese use a simplified sentence structure that cannot be understood in its complexity in German, as the lack of tenses or personalized words in particular means that no concrete sentence structure can be transferred. Gestures and facial expressions are also very important in order to bridge these missing elements of conversation. This is a great help, especially in stores.

I also believe that this realization of often taking detours to reach the goal and using methods other than the usual ones will definitely be an enrichment for my further approach.

Although these examples are of course very specific to a particular subject area, it has also shown that the right articulation and the corresponding visual language behavior can have a great effect on the other person and can lead to a correspondingly faster goal.

One thing I've also noticed during my time here is that this is very helpful. It is no longer necessary to know this language in everyday life in relation to street signs or general connectivity. But also in terms of the fact that people are really excited when we Europeans suddenly start speaking Chinese. Especially with street vendors or in small restaurants, people are always very fascinated and the special Chinese hospitality somehow makes you feel like part of the family. One example here was when we went out to eat with the international student group in a small traditional restaurant and I ordered in Chinese and they were so enthusiastic that they called the chef and he personally prepared and brought us some kind of specialty of the house. Then he asked if he could sit down with us and then he just talked to us a bit during the meal and asked us a bit about our backgrounds. It was a very nice experience of cultural connection, as people are of course always very excited when they meet someone who also speaks their language. But this example shows once again how language can connect in other cultural ways.

To sum it all up: Words possess immense power. They serve as bridges, facilitating understanding and acting as conduits for culture. Yet, how often do we pause to consider the vast differences among languages? In this blog post, I’ll delve into my personal experiences with the Chinese language and explore how language barriers impact our lives.