A lot of people tend to think that English is the main language of communication across the world, given the fact that so many countries use it as the default language on most tourist signboards. So it’s pretty hard to deny that English is the lingua franca, or common language, of the modern age. But surprisingly enough, Bahasa Malaysia may not actually lag far behind!
In an astonishing find by Facebook netizen Zakaria Azizi, a signboard used to indicate shuttle-bus directions in South Korea included Bahasa Malaysia as one of its main languages for the convenience of tourists, alongside English, Mandarin, and Japanese!
Source: Facebook
If you need another closer look, just to double-confirm that it really is Bahasa Malaysia, here’s another picture.
Source: Facebook
Apparently, this isn’t the first instance of South Koreans using Bahasa Malaysia on their signage for tourists either, as other netizens have also chimed in with their own photos of various different locations in South Korea using Bahasa Malaysia as one of their main medium of language.
Source: Facebook
Here it is again, clear as day in Bahasa Malaysia, directing tourists to different bus-stops in Seoul and the Itaewon Global Village! Wow!
Source: Facebook
You can even see it in South Korean airports, where Bahasa Malaysia is used to direct Malaysian travelers to their respective flight gates before take-off. How cool is that?
The move, which has earned the admiration of many Malaysian netizens, is most likely attributed to the higher influx of Malaysian and Indonesian tourists who are now making South Korea their travel destination of choice.
Source: Facebook
Seeing how Bahasa Malaysia is gaining international exposure, we as Malaysians really have to give South Koreans credit for putting our national language in the spotlight!
So what do you guys think? Do you guys feel that same sort of patriotic pride that we are over these photos?
Also read: 18yo Teenager From Ghana Speaks Fluent Bahasa Melayu Sarawak After Living In S’wak For 1 Year
