One of the privileges of being a Malaysian is the ability to understand and converse in multiple languages – Bahasa Melayu, Chinese, and English, the 3 main languages in the country. Most of us stick to our own mother tongue in daily conversations, but can we survive by just sticking to 1 language?
A content creator from Guang Dong, China, Zhou was recently in KL, and he decided to observe if one can survive only speaking Chinese in the country. He documented his experience on Douyin, a Chinese social media platform.
He took a cab to one of the shopping malls in KL, and the first thing he saw was the Chinese labels on different luxury brands on the walkway.
“It feels just like home. I can also hear others talking in Chinese.”
After being amused by what he saw and heard at the mall’s walkway, it was time for an attempt to converse in Chinese with a local. Zhou did so by ordering food at one of the fast food chains in the mall.
The lady at the counter, however, could not comprehend what Zhou was saying, so one of the employees who can speak Chinese came to the rescue. He then proceeded to make his purchase smoothly.
His “experiment” did not end there. After finishing his meal, Zhou continued his attempt to speak Chinese, and this time, he tried to speak to one of the workers at the optical shop.
He expressed his interest in sunglasses, but the woman could not speak his language. Fortunately, a Malay worker saved the day and assisted Zhou with whatever he needed. Things seemed to be really going well for Zhou, and he said,
“I noticed that regardless of the kind of shop, you can communicate in Chinese without any issues. It’s miraculous!”
Last but not least, Zhou made his 1 last attempt by approaching a hotel concierge and pretending to ask about the breakfast set. The conversation went on smoothly without the need for a translator, and you can tell that Zhou was really amused.
“Conversing in Mandarin at a hotel for check-in & check-out was smooth. No issues at all.”
Zhou then concluded that you can actually survive in Malaysia by just speaking Chinese.
“Many can speak Chinese here, including those who don’t look like Chinese.”
You can watch his video here.
Klang Valley is not just dominated by one race, but many Malaysians of different races reside in the area. Regardless, do you agree with Zhou that we can survive in Malaysia by only speaking the Chinese language?
