This is a good advice – which I have learnt in my first English Lesson in Secondary school and which I always remember in my every day life.
This way I can work and communicate independently, no need to have a translator. No matter if I have a dictionary on hand or not.
Well this is a story, which happened in reality, which happened to me, few weeks ago.
Before my friend and I went out for dinner, we were going to buy some candies in a 24 hours supermarket. Once I looked in my wallet, I had recognized that there is no money in my wallet any more. “OK” I thought, “In this case I need to withdraw some money.” So I have asked the woman behind the cashier “Excuse me, where is the next ATM?” “ATM?” I was wondering why she does not know ATM, since this is a popular word in Hong Kong. Anyway I explained her “Automatic Money Machine.” But she did not get me. Her English seems to be not very good. So I gave her more detailed information. “From Bank. This Machine has a lot of money. Do you know where I can find?” “No, we do not know. Nowhere, sorry.” This can’t be, we are in HK, there are a lot of ATMs, so how come that this big shopping mall, does not have one. – Impossible! This lady did not understand me at all. So I tried to explain the ATM again “ATM is a big box” I used my hands showing a big box. “You put a card inside.” And I made the movement for inserting a card into this box. “Then money comes out.” I pictured a drawer, which I have to open before getting money. Finally this woman got totally confused by my little small play. So she started to ignore me and continue selling goods. The buyer next to me bought a sandwich and was going to pay in cash. As soon the sales lady opened the cashier, I pointed on the money. “In the big box, in the ATM, a lot of money” I got every inpatient and nervous, because I felt that the lady will understand me now: I made the same movements as before again, point again on the money, point on the sales lady and then to me. I finish my movement with “This is money. I want money”
After I saw the scared face of the sales lady and ppl passing by stop at the shop and looked weird, I realized that my whole movement might look like “Give me Money! I want to rub you. Give me all the money in your cashier.” Oh my gosh.. damn, what I have done? “No, I do not want to have the money from your cashier; I would like to take some money from the big box. No you cashier is not a big box. The ATM is a big box. Do not worry. Continue working!” Sigh… I was despaired… Damn I am not a thief. Believe me, please! But how can ppl believe me now?
In my imagination, the police had already arrested me, because they also did not understand my real purpose as well… I was in panic, so I ask my friend for help in German. “Please help me to explain this sales lady that I am looking for an ATM machine for withdrawing money!” She also forgot how to say “Withdraw money in English. Since she had been waiting already for a while, she got inpatient, too. She shouted loud and aggressive “Hey, did you not get her?! SHE WANTS MONEY!?!!!!!!”
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