Where Does This Idea Come From?

[sarasi]

While I think I understand where you are coming from, Sashimister, I don't think it's really that heinous a thing to want to greet or express gratitude to someone in their own language, even if you don't speak/write the language yourself.

As a similar example, my parents will soon meet my Japanese mother-in-law for the first time. They have asked me to teach them a couple of appropriate greeting phrases in Japanese- would you also see that as odd/wrong? My parents are also "complete noobs to the Japanese language", but they just thought it would show some respect towards my mother-in-law to greet her in Japanese when they meet her.

My mother-in-law speaks very little English and I can imagine she has been practicing phrases to greet my parents with as well- she does it to me occasionally, busting out an English phrase when I least expect it!

Surely there are much worse things that people can do than attempt to write a card in a language they don't know well/at all. I don't think it's really something to criticise or even spend a lot of time thinking about.

[seiki]

Originally Posted by Columbine

スネイプ？You might get done for plagiarism though. :P

Does that say snape??
And yes I ran that through a translator.

[Decen]

Sarasi, my mother in law does the same thing. It's awesome that they try especially since it reminds me that she cares enough to want to communicate and I'm not just here because she wants to see the kid.

[Sashimister]

Looks like only MMM and KyleGoez read my original post carefully.

[sarasi]

Originally Posted by Sashimister

Looks like only MMM and KyleGoez read my original post carefully.

I did read it carefully, and I have no idea why you find it so bothersome that you would start a thread about it. There are more important things to be concerned about, surely.

[Sashimister]

Originally Posted by sarasi

I did read it carefully, and I have no idea why you find it so bothersome that you would start a thread about it. There are more important things to be concerned about, surely.

"Important" is subjective. Why are you wasting your time posting in a thread that you consider to be of an "unimportant" topic?

[Sashimister]

Originally Posted by MMM

I am not sure if it is a matter of "being cooler" as much as a desire to make their Japanese friend happy.

However, I am afraid the result would be the opposite. If I were a Japanese living in a foreign country, I would probably be happier receiving a note in the native language of that country (assuming I understand it to some degree) rather than in Japanese.

This is exactly how I would feel if my non-Japanese friend who I knew didn't read or write Japanese sent me a letter in Japanese just because I'm Japanese.

If, however, someone that's been studying Japanese did the same, then I would feel the complete opposite and be very happy. It would make no difference how horrible the Japanese was.

[MMM]

STOP.

I have eliminated the attacking posts from this thread. Either stay on topic or face further action.

[KyleGoetz]

Originally Posted by Sashimister

This is exactly how I would feel if my non-Japanese friend who I knew didn't read or write Japanese sent me a letter in Japanese just because I'm Japanese.

This only applies because you speak English also, right? I mean, if you didn't speak English and a long-lost cousin who grew up in Hawaii wanted to establish contact with you, Japanese would be the preferred method (even if the Hawaii person didn't speak Japanese and had to have a professional translation done), right?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by KyleGoetz

This only applies because you speak English also, right? I mean, if you didn't speak English and a long-lost cousin who grew up in Hawaii wanted to establish contact with you, Japanese would be the preferred method (even if the Hawaii person didn't speak Japanese and had to have a professional translation done), right?

Of course, if the other person doesn't speak English, then it makes sense to do your best to get that message into Japanese.

I think it is safe to assume if you are communicating with someone from Japan, it isn't out of the blue and either you know Japanese or they know English (or whatever other language). So I think in the case you describe, this would be acceptable.