Language in Hong Kong

Before we left to come to Hong Kong many of you asked if we would need to learn Cantonese.  We answered that English was also spoken in Hong Kong and we didn't anticipate learning Cantonese.  Now that we have been serving in Hong Kong for about 8 weeks we thought we would share with you our experience with different languages around the area and in the temple.

When we go shopping or just exploring we find that most of the Chinese people we meet are able to speak some English or at least enough that we can communicate what we want.  At times the original person we begin talking to will get someone else that understands English better to speak to us.  There are also several of the senior missionaries who served in Hong Kong as young missionaries so they speak Cantonese and help us when we are together.  Elder Sorensen is one of the few Elders who did not serve in Hong Kong as a young missionary.  When we first arrived we were given 3 cards to carry with us that have the address in Chinese and English for the the Hong Kong Temple, Harbourfront Hotel where we stay,  and the Wan Chai Area Office Building.  If we get in a taxi where the driver does not speak English we can show him the card with the address on it where we want to go so he knows where to take us.  Most of the signs in Hong Kong are written in Chinese and English (British English), though not everything we see.  When riding the MTR train information is given over the speaker system in the station and on the train in Cantonese and English.  We are able to function quite well out and about and feel comfortable going anywhere.

In the temple it is a wonderful experience working with several languages everyday and seeing the work move forward.  A typical preparation meeting for ordinance workers consists of the coordinator welcoming everyone and giving some information in Cantonese and then either he or an interpreter repeats what he said in English.  There is then an opening song sung in Cantonese and English at the same time.  An opening prayer in either Cantonese or English.  A scripture read in Cantonese and then read again in English.  Training by a member of the temple presidency in Cantonese then English or English then Cantonese depending on which member of the presidency is training.

The Hong Kong China Temple district has members who speak many different languages.  The temple is able to accommodate all of these members although most of the temple workers only speak Cantonese, English or Mandarin. Many Chinese ordinance workers can communicate in English in various degrees but not all. We have also learned that those who speak Cantonese don't automatically understand Mandarin or vice versa.  In an ordinance area it is common to hear several languages being spoken by the workers performing the same ordinance and the patron speaking a different language than any of the workers.  There are provisions made to help in these circumstances so patrons understand the ordinances in their language.  During an endowment session, typically not in English, many patrons wear head sets so they hear it in their own language.  Many times the officiator uses a head set also because the main language of the session is not his language.  The language to be used on a session is determined by what language the majority of the patrons speak.  If someone is receiving their own endowment then the session language will be the language of that patron.  We have had the experience of helping several patrons on the same session who speak either English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai, Spanish, Cambodian, Russian and Mongolian.  There are other languages used in the temple that we have not had experience with, yet.  We are both working on understanding some of the ordinances when they are spoken by patrons in Cantonese and hope to be able to actually help in Cantonese in the future.

It is wonderful how the Lord has made it possible for so many of his children who speak different languages to receive the blessings of his Holy Temple.  We have found that even when someone comes to the temple who's native language isn't spoken by any of the workers in the temple there is a language that communicates to all, the language of the spirit.

The badges we wear in the temple are in two languages.

These are the cards we carry with us in case we can't communicate where we want to go.  The Hong Kong Temple, Harbourfront Hotel and the Wan Chai Area Office Building.

The Hong Kong China Temple schedule card.

Where do you want to go?

In the airport.

International symbols are helpful.

More signs.

Safety reminder.

Sometimes the meaning does not clearly come through in the translation.

Inside the MTR train station giving the times for departing trains.

The same information board changes languages every few seconds.

Below are two audio clips as examples of what we hear when we ride the train, (Click on the blue wording and the audio file will download.  Open the file and play it).

In the Train Station Audio (click on link for access)

On the Train (click on link for access)