Malaysia is such a beautiful multiracial country blessed with rich cultures, and there’s nothing more heartwarming than seeing a Malaysian having good command of other ethnic’s mother tongue.
Recently, two international students from China went to the Road Transport Department (RTD) office in Perlis to sort some matter out. However, the duo had a tough time communicating with the local officer as they couldn’t understand English nor Malay language. The language barrier between both parties was just too huge!
Source: Facebook
Luckily, a Malay female officer who knew mandarin showed up and saved the day. She explained to them using fluent mandarin and pointed them in the right direction.
The lady who was identified as Nur Syafiqah, politely and patiently clarified with them about the validity of the road tax and insurance.
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
Apparently one of the student wanted to transfer the ownership of the vehicle to his friend. Since the road tax was still valid, the new owner of the vehicle only need to purchase insurance for the vehicle. Thanks to Syafiqah’s fluent mandarin, the duo finally understood what needed to be done.
Here’s the video. Check out her mandarin guys!
When contacted by media, Syafiqah said:
“Seeing their difficulties, I was compelled to assist them. I did not expect my colleague to record the video while I was explaining the process to them in Mandarin.
“I learnt the language since I young as my mother is a Chinese and we converse in Mandarin at home. Apart from that, I was enrolled at a Chinese vernacular school, Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Yit Min in Changlun,” she said.
As expected, this video went super viral on Facebook with over 34,000 shares in 17 hours on a local news portal. Netizens from all races were absolutely impressed by her command of the language!
“She speaks just like a local Chinese with the usage of ‘gok’, and her intonation of ‘pinyin’ was slightly stronger as well! I have to say, her mandarin is better than mine!” a netizen said.
“That’s why I sent all my children to Chinese primary school because I want them to have a good grasp of the language. It would be a major plus point to know an extra language especially when they start looking for work in future,” a Malay netizen commented.
Besides, some netizens also suggested the government to give extra allowances for civil servants who know more than one language, as it’ll help tremendously when it comes to dealing with foreigners.
Being multilingual does have its benefit, and we think it is one of the best ways to showcase our vibrant multiracial society to the world, don’t you guys think so?
Also read: ‘The Voice’ Audition Only for Mandarin Speakers, But It Doesn’t Stop This Malay Girl
