Language Barriers - the Malaysian Way
When we went to live in Malaysia for six months in 2005, we knew that many of the Chinese spoke English. We figured then, that communication shouldn’t be too much of a problem, especially as we would be relating with the Chinese more than anyone else.
However, it turned out to be a little more of a challenge than we had anticipated.
Malaysians love to abbreviate.
Most of us know that ‘KL’ means ‘Kuala Lumpur’, which is the capital of Malaysia. It’s what the Malaysians call their capital - and they’ve trained a good part of the rest of the world to do the same.
It may not be a quirk unique to the Malaysians - but I don’t hear people routinely calling New York ‘NY’, or Cape Town ‘CT’, or Buenos Aires ‘BA’ - and we’ve stayed in those places long enough to get some idea of local custom. Granted, Los Angeles is internationally known as ‘LA’, but abbreviating in that manner is not habitual in the USA.
So, in Malaysia, I’d be asked a question like, “Did you take the LRT to KLCC when you went to KL?”
I would look at them as if they were speaking a foreign language. It felt like a language barrier all on its own.
Once they realised I needed an interpreter, they explained their meaning, only to ask, “Did you go to PJ while you were in KL?”
Another blank look and another explanation.
Then, “How’d you get to KL? By car or the MT?”
Then they’d laugh and explain what ‘MT’ was before I had a chance to ask them their meaning.
After a month, we were beginning to sound like them.
Abbreviating is so normal, that some people only recognise a name by its abbreviation.
Here’s a little experience I had when I was making arrangements to have boxes shipped back to Australia.
I rang a shipping company in Kuala Lumpur and explained what I wanted.
“Where do you live?”
“Port Dickson.”
“Where?”
“Port Dickson”, I said a little forcefully. I often needed to repeat myself when speaking on the phone in Malaysia.
“Where are you ringing from?” they asked, sounding somewhat puzzled.
“I’m ringing from Port Dickson,” I said again, this time taking extra special care to pronounce slowly and clearly.
“Are you in Malaysia?”
Now I was feeling frustrated. “Yes! I’m in Malaysia! I’m in the Malaysian town of PORT DICKSON.”
At this point, my husband interjected:
“Say PD”, he whispered.
“Of course”, I thought. “I should have known that”.
“PD”, I repeated into the phone.
“Oh, Port Dickson! Good! I’ll get someone to ring you as soon as they can’.
Ahhhhggghhh!