Raja4Divers
  • Home
  • Raja Ampat
    • Region
    • Pulau Pef
    • Weather Conditions
  • Resort
    • The Resort
    • Your Bungalow
    • Bar & Sunset Lounge
    • Restaurant
    • Activities >
      • Explore Pulau Pef
      • Books & Games
      • Pef Band
  • Diving
    • Dive In
    • Diving Facilities
    • Dive Team
    • Marine Life
  • Snorkelling
    • Snorkelling In Paradise
    • Snorkelling Team
    • Marine Life
  • From Guests
    • Guest Comments
    • Guest Galleries
    • Guest Movies
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Mission
    • Publications
    • Blog
    • Wallpapers
    • Partners
  • Visit Us
    • Reservation / Bookings
    • How to get here
    • Rates
    • Availability
    • U30 Weeks
    • Downloads
    • Our Agents
    • Yachts

Bahasa Indonesia

7/2/2020

2 Comments

 
I love languages and have always learned them rather easily, although most of the five that I speak at a young age. So it felt like a natural consequence for me to study translation at university. My goal was to become a simultaneous interpreter after passing my translator’s diploma, but then I started working in communications and marketing and drifted away from languages. I never actually worked as a translator, but every office I have worked at was very happy to have me translate short texts and letters or check translations for them. I didn’t mind that and enjoyed doing it.
Picture
When I applied for the job as Marketing Manager at Raja4Divers, Maya asked me if I was prepared to learn some Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) and I answered that this was one of the things I was really looking forward to. I was very eager to learn a new language and naïvely imagined it would be as easy as in my younger years. I guess you know where I’m heading – it turned out a lot more difficult than I thought!

Grammatically, Indonesian is not a difficult language. There are no tenses and no declinations and plural forms are often created by simply repeating the word twice. But even though the vocabulary has some Dutch and English influence, it has no common roots with any Latin or Anglo-Saxon languages that I speak. This makes it hard for me to remember the words, even after repeating them many times and trying to learn them by heart. At the beginning, everybody told me to be patient. «It’ll come in time, you don’t have to rush», they said. Well, I’m not a very patient person, so I wanted to speed up things and ordered a textbook to study in a more structured way. I was convinced, this was going to do the trick and started studying enthusiastically during my lunch breaks. At least for a few weeks.

Unfortunately, the words didn’t stick with me any better than before. The fact that I work at the office here, surrounded by Indonesian ladies who speak perfect English, as well as our German Facility Manger and Maya, with both of whom I speak German, doesn’t really help. I feel a little ashamed of not being able to communicate with our local staff who doesn’t speak English. And it doesn’t make me proud to sit at the staff meeting every morning listening to my colleagues speak a language that I only understand little bits and pieces of. Every day, I tell myself that something has got to change! And then I have a million excuses why I didn’t have time to study again…

A few months ago, I started teaching English to our dive guides. They need to improve their English in order to communicate better with our guests. When they sometimes struggle to pronounce and remember the words in English, I catch myself thinking «Come on guys, it’s not that difficult! Just try a little harder!». But for them, English is just as far away from Bahasa Indonesia as Indonesian is from English for me. Or even further. Who am I to judge them for struggling to learn a completely different language? I’m in no position to be judgmental as long as I don’t speak their language. So I better get down to it and study harder.
​
Wish me luck!
Blog Directory
2 Comments
Gabi
9/2/2020 08:48:51

Good luck Sis! If anyone can tackle that language, it's you 😀

Reply
Thomas
11/2/2020 08:00:45

Gosh, was I struggling with Khmer when I worked as a volunteer in Cambodia. Maybe languages don't come that easily anymore as one get's older... :-) Good luck!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    #TalkingWithMangroves

    I never even dreamt of working on a remote island in Indonesia, but life has a way of taking care of itself…
    Born and raised in Switzerland, I worked in marketing almost all my life and joined Raja4Divers in August 2019 as Marketing Manager.
    ​This is my first blog and it reflects my impressions, feelings and thoughts from the day that I set foot on this beautiful island. It is meant to give you a different, more personal and backstage view of life on Pulau Pef.
    Happy reading and thank you for your comments, likes and shares!
    ​Monika
    ​

    Archives

    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019

    RSS Feed

Contact Us
Picture

Location

Pulau Pef - ​Raja Ampat - ​Indonesia
Pulau Pef on Google Maps

Follow Us

Our Office in Sorong

​Jl. Gagak No.7 B, Km 7 Gunung, RT.001 RW.002
Kelurahan Malengkedi, Remu Utara
PO Box No.130
Sorong 98416 – Papua Barat - Indonesia
Phone +62 (0)811 485 7711


Rates and information are subject to change without notice. Terms and Conditions apply. All rights reserved.

Imagery is copyrighted and may not be used without express permission and written consent.
Images and videos of the following photographers / videographers were used for this website:
Barbara Moll, Claudia Peyer, Pere Rubio, Thomas Haider, Filip Staes, Christian Kaufmann,
Dos Winkel, Duri Mayer, Jürgen Freund,
Daniel Brinckmann, Amanda Künzle, Joram Zimmermann, Ramon Sibold, Roman Keller
, Barbara & Markus Aichinger, Fabienne Hadorn, Andreas Hadorn,
​Armin Keller, Marcel Rudolph, Sabrina Inderbitzi, Peter Löseke
 © 2022

  • Home
  • Raja Ampat
    • Region
    • Pulau Pef
    • Weather Conditions
  • Resort
    • The Resort
    • Your Bungalow
    • Bar & Sunset Lounge
    • Restaurant
    • Activities >
      • Explore Pulau Pef
      • Books & Games
      • Pef Band
  • Diving
    • Dive In
    • Diving Facilities
    • Dive Team
    • Marine Life
  • Snorkelling
    • Snorkelling In Paradise
    • Snorkelling Team
    • Marine Life
  • From Guests
    • Guest Comments
    • Guest Galleries
    • Guest Movies
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Mission
    • Publications
    • Blog
    • Wallpapers
    • Partners
  • Visit Us
    • Reservation / Bookings
    • How to get here
    • Rates
    • Availability
    • U30 Weeks
    • Downloads
    • Our Agents
    • Yachts