Chinese expatriates eager to master Indonesian

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While many Indonesian businesspeople are starting to learn the Mandarin language to expand their networks, Chinese expatriates in Jakarta are taking the time to master Indonesian to establish closer relations with the country's citizens.

"The most difficult thing is pronouncing the Indonesian alphabet ... It takes time to get used to it," said Joanne Liu, a Taiwanese student at the Bahasa Indonesia untuk Penutur Asing (Indonesian Language for Foreigners, BIPA) class at the University of Indonesia (UI), said.

Liu, 30, who came here solely to study Indonesian, found that the kind of formal language training she got in class was sometimes not applicable in social life.

To understand the differences, she practices her Indonesian language with the Indonesian roommates at her boarding house located near her campus in Depok, south of Jakarta.

"Thanks to the practice, now I can bargain if I'm shopping at traditional markets," said the holder of a bachelor's degree in tourism and travel.

Another expatriate, Luo Hao, who plans to study Indonesian later at a formal institution, acknowledged that his skills were not as advanced as Liu's.

"Right now, I can only smile if they say something to me," said the man, who works at a Mandarin language course in Central Jakarta.

Luo, who arrived in Jakarta on Jan. 6, says he is fortunate to know many Indonesian-Chinese who can also speak Mandarin and he communicates with other Indonesians with their help.

One of the BIPA teachers, Muhammad Abduh, said the use of interpreters might be the reason there were not many Chinese enrolling themselves at BIPA.

"They tend to learn the language with their Indonesian relatives, who also speak Mandarin," he said.

Liu said that among the first-year students studying at BIPA, she was the only Chinese person there. "Most of the students are Japanese and Koreans," she said.

Liu and Luo said mastering the language would make it easier for them to adapt to live in the country.

For Luo, who signed a three-year contract in Indonesia, knowing Indonesian would help him make friends. Liu, meanwhile, is also thinking of the business opportunities.

"Indonesia is good for investment. I'm thinking of starting a business here, maybe setting up guest houses for foreign students who are studying in UI," said the woman, who formerly worked at Citibank's national headquarters in Taiwan. (006)