A Vietnamese woman
“Sumimasen”
A young lady called me to stop, at a station’s platform.
It was the day before yesterday, while I was on the way to the walking event.
“Yes, what can I help you?”
The moment I replied her in Japanese, I sensed that she was a foreigner, maybe from one of the east-south Asian countries. Actually, she told me that she was Vietnamese and could speak very little Japanese, no English.
With smiling, she showed me her smart phone, displayed transfer information, and said “here”.
Yes, I understood that she wanted to go to a JR station and, to get there, she had to transfer to JR line. And it was same direction of my next train so I took her to the platform of the JR station 30m distance from there.
Showing the route chart I said, “I go this and you go this” and she understood that this Japanese man accompanies her till the partway.
So we got on the train together and I left it at the station for my transfer.
It was an interesting experience. There were only few words of communication between us but I could guide her to appropriate direction. We inclined to think detail of language skill is important but it is not everything of communication. I should remember the core of communication is to express my will to others.
