Chinese expatriates eager to master Indonesian

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)