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Letter: Taiwanese are most polite

I was dismayed when I read in your paper about Reader's Digest's assessment of politeness in Taipei ("Taipei is among the globe's rudest, says Reader's Digest," June 22, page 2).

I actually believe that the question of cross-cultural definitions of politeness is an important issue in this age of international travel and tourism. Perhaps a better designed and more thorough study would reveal more truth.

Reader's Digest assessed politeness in 35 cities around the world, using tests called "document drops," "door tests" and "service tests." The basic idea of the "document drop" test is probably familiar to people who travel a lot: Who wouldn't appreciate help carrying items or -- in this case -- picking them up? Well, actually, some people might take pride in being able to do things themselves. That being the case, it might actually be more polite to wait until somebody asks for help.

Similarly, in Western culture, it is customary to open the door for somebody who needs help, say for example somebody who is carrying many bags. Some men will also open doors for women, thinking it is the polite thing to do. A lot of women, however, don't want men to hold doors open for them because doing so implies that they are weak and helpless. Thus, again, not everybody agrees as to what behavior is considered polite, even among people in the same culture. The language barrier might also be a problem.

A foreigner who might want help might not know how to let others know, and a foreigner who doesn't want help might not know how to tell a local that help is not required. People are always going to seem more "cold and distant" to people with whom they lack a common language. In my case, I find I can always find someone here to help me if I make a request in Mandarin.

The survey also included a very cursory analysis of polite speech: Saying "Thank you" to a customer is polite, but so is greeting customers when they enter the store.

If the latter analysis were performed, Asian cities such as Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo would fare better than cities in the West. Indeed, most Americans are surprised to learn that stores in Japan hire women to simply greet customers as they enter: Some would even consider this position to be degrading. To the Japanese, however, it would seem as natural as having an office receptionist.

You can't judge an entire city based on a few isolated incidents. I lived in Korea for four years and in Taiwan for three, and I've found people here in Taiwan to be genuinely appreciative of foreign visitors, especially those who make an effort to learn the national language.

There's also a noticeable tendency for people to say "Excuse me" when they accidentally bump into you (although, admittedly, there is a distinct unwillingness for people to apologize for more serious things in cases where admitting wrong may result in a loss of face).

I think most foreigners living here would have experienced the same shock that I did when I read about the Reader's Digest article. I actually find Taiwanese people to be among the most polite people in the world: It's just that you would never know if you aren't able to speak their language.

Martin Phipps
Assistant professor
Department of Applied
Foreign Languages,
Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung
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