Social Experiment: Are Chinese REALLY shocked by White People Speaking Fluent Chinese?

Let's be honest. Are Chinese REALLY shocked by White people Speaking Fluent Chinese? I went to New York and Yokohama Chinatown to test this out for a social experiment. If you speak normally and casually to people in Chinese do they really freak out?
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[Oriental Pearl]

This channel is expanding to Korean and China this year! I'll be staying in South Korea for the month of April doing an intensive language-immersion program while staying with a host family. I can't wait to share the experience with you.

[Mekias]

That would be amazing to take a month and just immerse yourself in a language. Need to save up my vacation time and try it out! Been watching Korean dramas lately like Attorney Woo. It's fun when you finally start to pick out words and phrases. It's like opening up a whole new world.

[りん]

Look forward to it!!!

[It Iz 1]

omg so cool! i'll be in south korea this April! are you planning on doing fan meeting maybe? :)

[Night owls]

Awesome 🙂

[Kingdomcome777]

Im korean is you an angel 😇 so awesome transitioning from Chinese to Japanese real talent right there. KINGDOM OF GOD IS COMING ON EARTH JOHN 3:16

[jeremywhite92]

I'm White, I speak Chinese with a decent accent. On two occasions, I've had conversations with folks where they didn't realize we were speaking in Chinese, because they were preoccupied by something else. In one case, an old woman on the subway looked confused. I correctly guessed that she was Chinese, and asked her where she was trying to go. She told me, and I told her what stop she wanted. This conversation was entirely in Chinese, and she never seemed to register she was talking to a White guy in Chinese, because she was really concerned about what stop to get off. In another instance, two women were trying to figure out a pay barrier. I knew they spoke Chinese as I could hear them talking it. I explained to them how the barrier worked, and they thanked me -- again, never registering that I was speaking in Chinese. However their husbands, who were nearby, were cracking up.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s funny that your conversation was so smoothly they didn’t really funny realize you were speaking together in Chinese.

[Kim B]

So awesome

[Breeze H]

I can't tell you how happy I am you visited China town in NY and showed what it is really like to speak Chinese there. This is where the most "shocking Chinese speaking" videos are coming from. You are helping undo those misconceptions. NY is a very diverse place and they have heard and seen it all. They treated you like a regular customer with respect and courtesy. 💜 I hope your parents enjoyed the trip as well!💙

[ukuibo China vlog]

chinese people are actually friendly

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Breeze. I was surprised that nobody had talked about this before. Yeah, my parents had a good time. I tagged along with them while they were in NYC checking on my stepdad's business. We only stayed a day. It was short.

[szewei1985]

@Oriental Pearl hope there will be next time haha 1 week perhaps hehe

[HoodedFreak]

I actually also like the not shocked reactions. You get great authentic regular conversations from them and I enjoy watching those as well!

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm glad that you enjoy both types of interactions.

[2O QP]

Exactly. When I go to Korea, for a month at a time too, I just want to melt into the society there and not be noticed. However, a) as a white woman, that's impossible and b)while my korean is developping, it's not perfect. Far from it. It's a matter of experiencing the culture you go into and you want to disturb it the least possible.

[Xubuntu47]

Right? It was more interesting to see the back-and-forth. It did seem like the New Yorkers were more used to it than the Chinese people in Japan, though.

[FluidIce]

I enjoy those too. In NYC few people are really surprised because it is such a cosmopolitan metropolis. Many non-Asian (in appearance) Newyorkers study Chinese. But in Yokohama "foreigners" are expected to to barely speak Japanese, let alone Chinese, and I'm not sure how many Japanese locals can speak a foreign language at all. So, yeah, it must be a strange experience for them to hear her speak their language.

[b00p3r d00p3r]

I'm African American and I learned Spanish in High-school. It's been several years and I haven't practiced any of it since graduating: however I do remember a time at a football game I started singing a Spanish song for giggles, and a passing Spanish family stopped and asked me to keep singing. It was a really feeling to actually be encouraged to do so.

[IEMac6]

I doubt a Spanish family was passing by you in America. Maybe a Mexican family

[b00p3r d00p3r]

@IEMac6 You're right, that was a typo on my part. Thanks.

[Oriental Pearl]

Aww, that's a very cute story. Thanks for sharing.

[em1o smurf]

try a free online course, branch out. i was in awe: our neighborhood chinese restaurant is mostly mandarin, the cashier speaks "everything". i kid you not, from spanish to arabic she knows about 8 or 10 languages conversationally. crazy!

[b00p3r d00p3r]

@em1o smurf That sounds incredible!

[Desere F]

I’m so glad that you are transparent on these videos and that if your looking for a wild reaction that it’s not going to be like that everywhere you go. Not a lot of you-tubers would give this “secret” away. ❤

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm glad that you liked this video Desere. This is something I've wanted to talk about for a while.

[KT Kacer]

Well, it is kinda a given, don't you think? You want the best content and little/no reaction is seldom (unless framed right like this was) great content. She did it so well, it WAS great content.

[Catbjorn, Destroyer of Worlds]

when i was in japan i only spoke very minimal japanese but i remember one girl coming up to me at the mall to try and give me a napkin thing for a company and speaking rough english and i said that i was ok, but thanks in japanese and she lit up like a puppy, i felt really bad after she excitedly asked me if i spoke japanese and i had to tell her not really. So next time i go, i plan to be much better at it

[Oriental Pearl]

That's such a lovely story! Such a small act of kindness, but very memorable.

[Eric Mills]

Where you are in Japan can have a big difference in the reaction, though I find kids always think it's funny/surprising to hear foreigners speaking Japanese. I was at an onsen in Shimoda that had zero foreigners, and was next to a family in the lobby who had a little kid. The kid was staring at me so I said good morning in Japanese and he screamed and hid behind his dad's leg which I found hilarious. In Tokyo or Osaka, nobody really reacted to my very limited Japanese as they are so used to foreigners there I assume.

[KVS Construction Work]

I hope to go there one day

[Catbjorn, Destroyer of Worlds]

@Eric Mills yea i was in yamaguchi i think at the time or somewhere nearby, good times

[Catbjorn, Destroyer of Worlds]

@KVS Construction Work id say start learning some japanese cause honestly you can definitely get around without knowing it but it makes it 10x more enjoyable, and id say starting a journey like that theres never really a right time so as soon as you really can you just gotta force yourself to go for it

[Jason Hall]

I really enjoy seeing the "behind the scenes" aspect of making an entertaining and informative video. You do an awesome job! I feel as if most people will hold a reserve to thier reaction because they have been taught to remain respectful and silent. No matter how impressed they are with you.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you very much! I'm really glad that you wanted to hear what happens behind the scenes. I've wanted to talk about this for a long time.

[Pat Viravouth]

Thank you for making this video and showing that not everyone is going to react in a flabbergasted manner upon hearing a foreigner speak their language but that is completely fine too. Language Reaction videos are often highly edited to make it seem like every native speaker is shocked but the reality is some carry on like nothing unusual happened.

[Victoria N]

I can’t believe it never occurred to me that most people aren’t shocked or phased..I just never really thought about it. I really appreciate you showing us the truth and making this video. I’m sure a lot of viewers probably realized this but not me LOL

[Chaaaz Gould]

I like the fact that you can smoothly integrate with their cultures, without being condescending or rude. Every culture is unique, and has value to be explored. Great vid!

[DLB]

I started to speak a little Mandarin to a Chinese lady in London, she was so pleased to hear an Englishman learn a little bit of her language. I think Chinese people will warm to you more, if you can speak a little Mandarin. She became more friendly and trusting with me when I spoke Chinese.

[Oriental Pearl]

I think you're completely right. The mood really changes when you speak the language.

[alex100yi]

的确是这样的，用汉语和他们交流会拉进心与心的距离。

[Krishna R]

Thanks for making this video, it was very informative. I'm learning Chinese and am now somewhere between HSK1 and 2. The reactions I get when I try to speak Chinese range from confused looks, sometimes genuine incomprehension, and sometimes smiles and small compliments. The shocked, jaw-dropped looks have never happened (and I am an American of Indian descent). On another note, you're also completely right about how staged/edited the reaction videos are. "Xiaoma" makes these videos showing that he learned relatively obscure languages in 24 hours and then flabbergasts the ethnic people. The owner of a South Indian restaurant I visit told me about how he appreciated Xiaoma coming but that the video clip was completely misleading about how the conversation went and clearly made it look like he was much more fluent than he is.

[Obesia]

Ive met you in China back in 2012 and you are now killing it on youtube! Congrats on the channel and Im so glad you are still in Asia doing what you love

[Zefiris]

about a year ago I went into a local Japanese grocery store here in Atlanta, Georgia, and I asked one of the store clerks some questions about ingredients for okonomiyaki and explained that I was looking for a particular kind of Japanese flour for making udon noodles, all in Japanese. My friend who was with me was expecting me to blow their minds with my Japanese but I already kind of knew what the reaction was going to be. The ladies working in the store simply answered my questions and didn't even really acknowledge that there was anything unusual or interesting about me speaking Japanese. I will say, the times when I got the most reaction from Japanese people about me speaking Japanese were when I was clearly a novice/beginner. They would act so impressed that I was learning Japanese. Sometimes I will get a comment about my Japanese, but not nearly as much or seemingly as excitedly as when I spoke more たどたどしい片言日本語

[Oriental Pearl]

Yeah this is a good point. If you're a beginner people may be more likely to want to compliment you rather than someone who has more of a grasp on the language.

[Lin_Win]

I love how you make things look simple, that you talk about reality that most of the times spiced up on KZbin for entertainment 🔥Your simplicity and honesty makes me inspired to learn languages and not get disappointed if I’m not as good as some person on internet 🙏

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm so happy that these videos inspire you to learn and give you a more realistic perspective.

[Lin_Win]

@Oriental Pearl Yes they do! Again thank you a lot for the amount of content you're creating ❤

[Menoiti]

Thanks for showing people this! As someone who is multilingual, I honestly _prefer_ the completely casual reaction I get when I speak up in another language because it makes me less nervous about doing it. It's usually other English-only speakers who'd react like 😲 when I would talk to my service dog (who is trained in Welsh) and my friend's dog (trained in French). I look forward to other Americans going 😲 when I speak to my next service dog hat I plan to train in Chinese. 😁 P.S. to anyone wondering why you would train a service animal in another language: to stop random members of the public interfering with them by shouting at them in English. It also helps our canine partner understand us better in large, English-speaking crowds.

[SweetAshGamer]

Thanks for showing the other side of this. I honestly believed that everyone was just shocked. It's interesting to know you don't constantly get stopped and asked about it.

[Oriental Pearl]

Ha ha, yeah that’s the side nobody shows on KZbin. It doesn’t make the Final Cut.

[Ernest Estrada]

Japanese was my first language at home because of my mother. I became fluent as a child growing up in Japan. In the states when seeing Japanese people struggling or lost trying to speak English. I first approached them in English then switch to Japanese. They are taken aback for a moment. They usually ask where I learned to speak such good Japanese. I ask them what they are looking for then give them instructions in Japanese sometimes a mixture because not speaking the language very much except with my mother on the phone some of my vocabulary has become a bit weak. I remember speaking to a Japanese person here in the United States. Who was offended I spoke such good Japanese using conjugations and terms that only native speakers use. This is not a typical reaction. But I later realized for this person their identity as a Japanese person was challenged by my perfect Tokyoben.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[Nena Vaskina]

I kind of felt the same way sometimes, I was born and grew up in England but I live in Russia for the rest of my life, and my whole time here I've never met a single person who knows English fluently, and to be honest, never met a foreigner from any country in the world who can do a "genuine" or "native" British accent. Sure there are tons of people who speak perfect standard RP and sound like a native speaker, but like a highly educated professional... But I mean no foreigner can speak "real" British English, with slangs and stuff, as in like, "oi, mate, 'ow the bloomin' 'eck did you manage that then?!" or like "the Jeremy Kyle show is chock full of right mingin' little slags innit" (lmao) but there is a famous Russian rapper here called oxxymiron and I'd only ever heard him speaking Russian for years, and I'd watched a few interviews and stuff with him on TV and I thought well he's just a regular russian guy, it's whatever, you know. And one time they showed an interview with him in London in the Radio One studio, with russian subtitles, and he busted out an absolutely perfect London gangster accent (idk what to call it lol) but it sounded like he grew up his whole life in the hood/ghetto/rough areas of London, with slangs and all, and well he had exactly the same accent as the dj's/hosts of the show, as if he was pretty much one of them, and I was shook, I was like WHAT THE FUCK, how the fuck, what is happening! It really does feel weird when you spend your whole life thinking that only natives can talk like that, and then it's like a punch in the face or something haha, it's hard to describe

[Kyle Clark]

I'm hoping to just get to talk to people when I finally get to travel to Japan and I know I don't need to be close to fluent to do that. It's so exciting the prospect of opening up an entire culture and people for myself to experience and show them that I am interested enough in their culture to take the time to learn and become proficient enough to speak with them in their native language.

[Oriental Pearl]

That’s awesome Kyle. I believe in you.

[Jan M.]

I agree, the 'shock' isn't really there when I speak to Koreans. Being half Korean I don't really look Korean, and there isn't a 'shock', but more of a compliment on my Korean language skills. My daughter (1/4 Korean), looks more Korean than I do and doesn't get much of a reaction at all when she speaks Korean. Another great experience you shared with us 😊

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you for sharing your experiences too Jan.

[Josie]

That's funny you're daughter looks more Korean than you haha. I'm half white half Eskimo. I look white though. My mom look extremely ethnic, and my son looks very squinty and ethnic. My man is white, I look white and people think he's adopted unless he's w my mom, then they say he looks just like her

[Xubuntu47]

Good on you, Jan M, for giving your daughter the gift of your heritage language. My mom's generation was more focused on assimilation, so I guess that's why she never spoke her language with us. I wish she had, but even more, I wish I had taken it upon myself to learn while she was still alive.

[Jack Patterson]

I love these videos, it's interesting to see the range of reactions people can have, and their personalities! I'm excited for the expansion you mentioned, it sounds like fun :)

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Jack. I really appreciate your support.

[Jerry Sinclair]

Thank you for being persistent to keep us so happy. I laugh every time !

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Jerry!

[Julia Happyhealthy]

Thanks a lot for your videos🙏 I agree that it's very important to show authentic situations and reactions of people. Also it's great that you share how much work and effort you've put into learning the languages you speak now. It allows people to adequately evaluate things and at the same time be inspired by your videos. I'm Russian (I grew up near China, in the Far East of Russia) and when I first saw your videos (shot 2-3 years ago), just like some of those Chinese, I thought you were Russian too:) Keep going, you're doing a great job!🌺🌺🌺

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you for your comment Julia. Thanks for following my channel for so long.

[Faye Strudler]

Great video! I subscribed awhile back before you talked about learning Korean. I had started learning some basic Korean back then & continue to dabble. I like your style of videos & commentary which have given me tips in my language learning journey. I look forward to your Korea trip as well as continuing to watch your interactions and pleasant demeanor while chatting with people. 😊

[Oriental Pearl]

That's awesome! I can't wait to share the language learning experience with you over in Korea. They are letting me film the school and everything.

[Matt Erickson]

the big reactions can be heartwarming but i really just love the subtitled conversations. even boring 'how much does this cost' conversations. basically i hate the language barrier and i love watching you kick its ass.

[Oriental Pearl]

Yeah, those conversations can get really repetitive. I agree.

[Matt Erickson]

@Oriental Pearl i'm saying i even like the repetitive conversations! to you it's repetitive, to us its the conversations we wish we could have with these people, but cant!

[KT Kacer]

@Matt Erickson oh, we can, we just have not put in the effort to do so.

[whushaw]

Good on you for educating and debunking this idea of shock value videos. It's like any sort of entertainment and it's not always reality. I find the gossiping while you were away was an interesting trait I had never seen or heard of before.

[Oriental Pearl]

Ha ha, the gossiping is probably the hardest thing to catch on camera. But maybe I'll catch something again this year.

[nixonraj]

Oh, there is always a blind gossip against a non local......everywhere. Ask yourselves, most of us do it.

[Jombozeus]

I dislike how shes throwing shade at Xiaoma every video (we all know who she's referencing). Xiaoma almost never gets a reaction speaking Mandarin in Chinatown but he's mixing in Canto and Fujianese. People in Chinatown are used to Mandarin speakers, who would've guessed?

[angelicoriginn]

As always, another amazing video! Thank you for the hard work you put into making these!

[Oriental Pearl]

Glad you like them!

[schoolinJOO]

Pearl you really were the first person to expand my concept on language learning; thank you for all of your efforts in helping other learners and simply sharing your experiences- I have been a French learner for 3+ years which only the pandemic interfered with; but my point is that you have shown how in application you can learn SO many other languages ! And ones that are exceptionally foreign to the west ! as far as learning at least ❤❤❤

[Ruby Duran]

Really wish I could live abroad in one of the countries where my languages are spoken 🥹 you're amazing! EDIT: PS, I know this video takes place in New York, but it's still awesome to see you use your languages and it's awesome to show the type of reactions you get (or don't get) when you speak with people. Thanks for sharing :D

[Oriental Pearl]

I hope your dreams of living abroad come true.

[Izzy]

Been studying Japanese for 4 years and moving there next month - I’m honestly pretty worried that people will have those big reactions when I speak Japanese to them, since when I speak Japanese to my Japanese friends in the states they act shocked a lot and think it’s really cute and it’s kinda hard not to think of it as condescending.

[Oriental Pearl]

That’s awesome that you’ve been studying Japanese for so long and stuck with it.

[Si Koyákoy]

I really think you should not think so negatively 👍🏼 A Ukrainian I talked to also said I have a “cute” (he may not have actually meant this word, but it’s what he said hhh) accent speaking Russian, but it seemed he actually wanted me to speak Russian because he was having difficulty conversing in English all the time, so it seemed he was hoping we could at least communicate in Russian sometimes since I demonstrated a bit of knowledge of it. Don’t overthink people’s reactions. If it distracts you, just courteously take it as best as you can and try to move on with the conversation otherwise maybe going to Japan won’t be a good idea.

[Izzy]

@Si Koyákoy I get it, in my head it doesn’t bother me since I know cuteness is more of a compliment in Japanese than it is in America (if my American friends called me cute I would probably get mad tbh). But overall I’m not too worried about it, I’m assuming it’ll be more common with the people I just met and my friends will eventually get used to it lol

[Andreas Ståhl]

You should be so proud of your hard work and journey in these languages! I wish I had an inch of your determination but It's so so difficult! I want you to really cherish this, because please believe me that you are at a stage that people would do anything to reach! My girlfriend is Japanese, but I still can only talk daily things with her in Japanese, so most of the time we speak English. It's been rough for us because of Corona but this Summer and winter we will finally meet again, and start of next year we will move together 🥰

[Sigboy]

Videos for just a few years and you are gaining on one-million subs. It is a testament to your personality that so many want to watch you just talking to folks on the street.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you! It would be cool to hit 1M this year.

[William Patton]

I am amazed that I’m one of only 0.8% of people who have subscribed to this channel. It’s been both entertaining and educational. I had planned for a 50th wedding anniversary visit to Japan. Had tickets booked, itinerary sorted and unfortunately Covid-19 struck. The plan is still there but with a revised itinerary due to watching some of these videos. We have been attempting to learn some Japanese. Keep up with the good work on the channel.

[Oriental Pearl]

Sorry your plans got cancelled. I hope that you’re able to come here. You’ll love japan.

[Jeff Saraiva]

Chinese, Japanese and now going for Korean and Vietnamese... amazing love for language and no doubt a gift! Congrats!

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Jeff. I'm giving it my all.

[Dzung Le Van]

@Oriental Pearl Vietnamese really hard to learn. 🤣 goodluck!

[KT Kacer]

@Dzung Le Van I've heard that, I learned a little (very little) [Like, hi, bye, thanks, nice to have met you] at a bus stop in... Columbus, OH? I believe? while waiting for the bus to arrive to take me to Indiana then Chicago.

[Ch3lz_Drawz]

I have to say this I watch so many of your videos, im pretty young (teen) but my goal in life is to be a English teacher and live in china (im Australian) you have inspired me so much and I am obsessed with your videos I am currently learning 20 minutes of Chinese a day using duo lingo and I am doing a couple of lessons on primsler I just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me to want a career like this! I cant wait!!

[Oriental Pearl]

That’s awesome. It makes me so happy that these videos are helping you.

[Average YouTube Enthusiast]

Nice

[dychui]

I love this video ! I’m a Chinese American guy who speaks Spanish with a Spanish accent. I feel like folks are getting more used to the inherent diversity of the world we live in - what May have shocked ten years ago is normal now. I welcome it, it’s awesome not to be treated differently :)

[Oriental Pearl]

I’m so glad that you liked this video especially as a Chinese American.

[sportsonwheelss]

nah, it is more of a double standard people have for Asian. How many Americans are at awe when an asian spoke perfect English? Just doesn't happen.

[D Moutrie]

These videos are awesome! So cool to see the genuine interactions in your videos!

[Ogsonofgroo]

I don't know why I love these language/interaction videos so much, vicariously meeting people? Happiness? No idea, but binging on a chilly rainy day these videos warm me up some :)

[Rhonda Budge]

I loved this video! The conversations are definitely the best part. My husband speaks Mandarin from living in Taiwan for 3 years (30 years ago) and in our 28 years of marriage, I have seen MANY shocked reactions. My favorite is when the person keeps trying to speak to him in very broken English until they realize that he is a white guy that is actually speaking Mandarin. I started learning Japanese 2 years ago but came across your KZbin channel about one year ago and loved that you spoke both Chinese and Japanese. You helped me find Pimsleur which has helped tremendously to get me to actually practice speaking Japanese out loud. Now, my husband and I will be coming to Japan at the end of April and living in Kobe for 2 years. We are beyond excited! If you ever find yourself in the Kobe Chinatown, it would be so fun to meet up with you and have TWO people who can speak Chinese. :)

[曹永晅Jerome Tso Wing Huen]

Good luck on your Korean studies on this coming April, Miss Alyssa, love to see videos from there, and Happy Valentine's Day. 💖 On the contrary, instead of being shocked, Chinese foreigners from both New York and Yokohama Chinatown are surprised and impressed with your Chinese language speaking, which gives a feeling of a community. Come to think of it, I had only been to Chinatown with my BFF (elementary school classmate) during our graduation vacation in Singapore, Summer 2019. We felt like we were part of the community too, as we understand both culture and language.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Jerome. I really appreciate that you're always one of the first ones here.

[Doyle Brown]

Anming,how do you retain the Chinese and Japanese vocabulary as you speak it ? Myself trying to learn French at 65 years old (my mother spoke fluent - Cajun Louisiana French) is difficult to retain. I would look strange walking around with CHEAT sheet of French. You are a strong inspiration of people learning languages. You living in China for 6 years and using it every day, I can see how you mastered it. It rolls off your tongue like drinking water. Every episode of your video's out does the previous one. You represent America in so many ways through videos of getting along with many cultures as you speak their language. American ambassador of culture speaking. The videos you show,you are also teaching many different lessons of life also. Thank you for what you do.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much for your kind words Doyle. I'm so glad that you can see the improvement in my video editing.

[The Lilley Pad]

Pimsleur was the only one I found when I was in my first year in China. Listening to the conversations helped a lot! It helps you to see the pattern of sentences in your mind. I often used it before going to bed and repeating the same lesson daily until it was just stuck in my head all week. That way it came more natural. At least one sentence a week was very helpful. There were no apps at that time in 2010. Now there are so many apps, even ones that check your tone when you speak. Pretty neat when you can’t afford or don’t have access to a coach!

[Sweepout - Games & Mukbangs]

I love your videos! They keep me motivated to learn languages! Ive mostly been learning German, but also a bit of Japanese on the side! I hope to be able to speak either of those and meet new people like You eventually!

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm so glad that you're taking on Japanese.

[InsertMeme]

Im from Germany. Nice that youre learning our language. Dont give up on it too quickly.

[KT Kacer]

Guten tag Herr Sweetpout. Viel Glück! Meine derzeitigen Schwerpunkte sind Französisch und Schottisch-Gälisch sowie etwas Hawaiianisch. But I'm a native Amerian English speaker, tho, due to being a voracious reader, I have a fair bit of England English in spelling as well as verbiage when I go 'auto pilot' or am kinda tired/fagged out. (AE /EE as the second one has a very different meanig in AE).

[elizabeth kusce]

I seriously think not only are they shocked but I think in some weird way they appreciate you for learning their language , I think this is so awesome

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Elizabeth.

[emirates247]

OMG it’s so funny when you said you only taught adults in Japan. I’m going to seoul soon to teach adults for the same reason as you. I used to teach kids in Busan but found them naughty and didn’t want to baby sit as well as teach. I’m so glad I can now just focus on teaching. Your Japanese and Chinese is soooo good by the way.

[Chuck Wagon]

I would think it is more relieved than shocked. Maybe throw in a hint of surprise. Of all the vids of yours that I have watched, you seem to be as pleased at being understood as they are of hearing your fluency. Your excited laugh when conversing in their language encourages me to get stuck into my Italian studies.

[Thomas San Francisco]

I agree if they're impressed they keep it inside while in your presence from my experience. Speaking another language fluently when not your native language in any country is appreciated because it shows you've put in the effort to communicate. I watched your videos because you're so genuine and breezy and don't show off like other You Tubers who seem to learn a language a week just to elicit that shocked response.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Thomas. I'm really glad to hear you say that. You're one of the biggest supporters of this channel. I can't thank you enough.

[Fleury]

Oriental Pearl - You inspire me so much to learn korean! Thank you!! Also - Its REALLY cool to see one of my favorite youtubers who are also Catholic! :D

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm so glad that other Catholics are watching!

[[ Ri-Ryn ]]

Dad’s baptist, mom’s catholic. I’ve only been to Catholic Churches when I do go and as soon as I saw this I could only think: “Isn’t Ash Wednesday this month?”

[Dave M]

I loved this video! Can't wait to see you expand to Korean. I'm so happy for you and how much your channel has blown up since you first started!

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much!!

[deacu daniel]

I think it really depends on the context.When I spoke Chinese, some Chinese people were shocked, some were complimenting me but not really amazed, some didnt react at all, and some insisted on speaking English to me (the most annoying type). Mostly young people are acting extremely shocked while older people are more neutral, talking to me like I was just another Chinese person, eventually calmly giving me compliments.Sometimes they are just blocked because the language I speak doesn't fit with my face😂😂 so they choose to ignore me because they don't know what's happening😂😂

[디미트리]

I never imagined that this channel will grow so fast, feels like yesterday where you had 23k subs , I'm so glad for you! Keep it up !

[JMAC]

I think it also has to do with how you approach people. If you speak to them in a more casual, soft spoken way, they are less likely to be shocked. If you’re loud and start flexing your language skills, speaking almost better than they can in their native tongue, they will most definitely be shocked.

[Oriental Pearl]

That's true. I was trying to be especially soft-spoken here just to show that it's not the language that shocks people lol.

[Hennessy Jed]

I'm glad that you showed that the "shocked," reactions are in the minority, and that you have to keep trying to find someone to give you a youtube-worthy reaction haha. I felt like a lot of the "(insert nationality here) people are SHOCKED when I speak their language," videos have cherry-picked reactions to make it look as if every single person that they talked to were surprised. Don't get me wrong, it is still entertaining content, but I respect you showing the "not shocked," counter as well

[Oriental Pearl]

You're right. It's all cherry-picked by KZbinrs, myself included. It's for the entertainment of the viewers.

[RespectOthers]

The happiest thing I got from this fun video is you my friend still speaks Chinese awesomely even though you now live in Japan! :D

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you friend. I always appreciate when you come to visit.

[john Schmidt]

I speak several languages fluently besides English. This is SO refreshing to see! Thank you for not going with the hype. This is how real people react.

[Andrew Sim]

You're amazing. A humble lady, unlike most of the famous vloggers. Your accent is spot on. You're not even "trying" too hard and, it flows effortlessly. Your attitude and humility has gained a new subscriber, me. Keep it up. I can't wait for your next upload. In the meantime, stay healthy, and safe.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much Andrew. I appreciate the subscribe.

[Cinetyk]

I was born in Portugal in 1984, always lived there, so even though I eventually learned some Japanese, I'm probably clueless regarding interacting and living with people. All that said: my overwhelming feeling is that this is so awesome - people breaking the language/culture barrier and trying to communicate earnestly. Again, I'm from Portugal - English is a mainstay here in public obligatory school - yet it doesn't get to everyone the same way - let alone other languages all over the world to the other like 6 billion people out there. In my own bubble I'm thankful I came across Oriental Pearl channel. Thanks for all your work and effort!

[Brianne Slamin]

I love that you said it’s about the conversations, it’s so true. And look how far you’ve come with that, let’s not forget how you used to be nervous. Practice and personality goes a long way ❤🎉

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Brianne.

[YourNewStepDad6_6]

I’ve been studying Portuguese as a third language! Thanks for the inspiration it’s really awesome you can speak a lot of Asian languages! 🙌🏽🙃

[Oriental Pearl]

Happy to hear that! Best of luck with your studies!

[sophia isabelle]

We love to see more videos like this. Somehow this breaks down stereotypes.

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm so glad you like them Sophia.

[harmonic]

HOW ARE YOU EVERYWHERE SOPHIA

[Allan W]

You are a sweetheart and I love your experiences. It is astonishing how people open up when you speak their language. I think it really shows a sense of respect.

[Guy in Zhongguo]

I’ve lived in China a few years, and got to a decent level now. This video’s great to see, it’s not a clickbaity “Hey, look at me, I can speak another language and everybody’s amazed by my skills” video. Nice to see the normal reactions (or lack of 😂) too, most of them are just running a business so don’t care what language you’re speaking 😂

[CzerwonyTub]

I speak 4 languages fluently, and I have basic knowledge of maybe 4-5 more. The biggest reaction I get is when I am speaking russian to my patients, which fled from Ukraine (I am MD in Poland). They are just thankful that someone understands them fully, and they feel safer. The worst reaction I get from english speaking patients cause they are assuming (not all but many) that I am obligated to know that language. On the other hand, everybody in Poland would be very impressed by a polish speaking foreigner (especially of non slavic origin - thus, it is more difficult for them). BTW I am far from calling myself a polyglot.

[Aileen Martinez]

This was a very interesting and entertaining episode ! I look forward to seeing the next one. Have a great weekend 😄

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Aileen. I’m glad that you enjoyed it.

[Gorene1130]

Thank you for debunking this. I know for a KZbin video you need to have those big reactions for the purpose of having an engaging video that makes people want to return for more. What concerns me is when you see people who advertise themselves as fully fluent and speak like a native when that is really far from the truth. There are certain linguistic patterns and ways to pronounce words that are developed as a small child. By certain ages your comprehension and accent there are limits you can attain. It’s why, for instance, a family member of ours born in the US is “near native” but he will always have a slight accent and certain grammar he can’t grasp because his first language until kindergarten was Cantonese. As someone who has started Japanese only really in earnest over the last few years, I know I can only get so good whereas if I decided to ever take back up German or Hebrew, I have the potential to attain a much higher fluency because of my age of exposure.

[Oriental Pearl]

You and I are on the same wavelength. I made a video 2 years ago about exactly what you’re talking about.

[Daniel Vogt]

I have started to learn Dutch many years ago becaue of a girl I fell in love with. A few years ago I moved to a City next to the Dutch Border. So I drove many times across the Border to go for shopping ans sightseeing in the Netherlands. Every time I started speaking in Dutch, the people most like ly were answering in german, espacially close to the border. The further you drive inwards the more the people are sometimes shocked hearing a german speaking dutch. Even though we are Neighbours by country, Dutch is not a common language to learn in school except for schools close to the dutch Border.

[Oriental Pearl]

Love is a powerful motivator.

[KT Kacer]

@Oriental Pearl lol, you'd know ;)

[Veronica N.]

Interesting to see the difference in reactions! I live in Tokyo now, but lived 10 years in NYC and I think the reason for the disparity is that NYC is such a diverse city, I'm sure Chinese folks get spoken to in Chinese by non-Chinese occasionally, especially in Chinatown. Chinese is after all one of the most popular languages to learn in America! I know in NYC I practiced Spanish and Japanese at every opportunity I had. On the flipside, in Japan, I think most Chinese are spoken to in Japanese by default. Most Japanese don't get to take a Chinese class (and that's if they WANT to) until University, so I think it might be pretty rare for them to randomly chat in Chinese to folks in China town. I think seeing a white person who speaks Chinese is like seeing a magical unicorn.

[Jim Ross]

I think I always say this, but I really enjoy your language videos. My language skills are nowhere near as proficient as yours. I have always tried to learn a few basic phrases in the language of the country I'm in, because it's only polite. When I was first in Asia I found many expats lived in foreign language bubbles, and choose not to learn the local language for whatever reason. Japan was different for me personally, because I was interested in the history and culture, in a more than tourist language fashion. Having friends who lived in Asia long term, I got to experience some of these things in real life. My friends spoke some Mandarin, but before I first visited them in Taipei, I purchased a Pimsleur Mandarin course, and because I wanted to believe those you can learn X language in thirty days, spending only ten minutes a twice a week. I failed miserably. I did learn a few base phrases but my pronunciation and rhythm was off. Why, cause I was lazy and didn't put in the effort required to succeed. I had my friend who could communicate in Mandarin to speak for me, so I was able get by. I also found many people could speak and understand some English to greater or lesser degrees of proficiency. Many were shy, and felt their English was poor, and were reluctant to speak it until needed. Their poor English was leaps and bounds more proficient than my bad Mandarin. Prior to my first visited Japan I had purchased a language program called Rocket Japanese, and because my mindset was a little different, I worked a little harder, and knew a very very basic form of Japanese.I remember being thrilled that upon arrival that I understood some words and phrases. I was the Japanese expert (?) in the group, which in reality meant there was no one who had any proficiency in Japanese. I was forced to be the spokesperson, and although I was embarrassed by my lack of language skill and reluctant to speak, I was required to try. I continued studying Japanese in a poor but inefficient manner, and my skill improved minimally. On my second trip I was less afraid and used my poor Japanese whenever I could, and with Google translate got by. I even had some polite people lie about how good my abysmal Japanese was. I also found when back in Taipei that my limited Mandarin sounded more natural. I was asked, and this notable in English, if I spoke Mandarin because my accent and rhythm of speech had improved. I sounded more natural when speaking. I found a Japanese tutor and continued with different online programs until covid ended my tutoring sessions. My Japanese was improving minimally, cause I still wasn't fully committed, and was not studying efficiently and effectively. I knew this but hadn't acted upon this dawning knowledge. Then, I stumbled onto the Oriental Pearl KZbin Channel and discovered Anming who was effective in both Mandarin and Japanese. She seamlessly transitioned from English, Mandarin, and Japanese in the same sentence. I was and still am in awe of your abilities. I subscribed almost immediately, because you didn't try to sell the fairytale that learning a language was easy. You told me it would take daily effort, for years, be hard work, and I would be frustrated, but pushing through all that was only way to succeed. You still inspire me and I'm over 950 days of studying. I never miss a day, and will find a way carve out at least a hour, and often more to study and practice Japanese. This channel has become very important to me. I wait for each new video with anticipation. Anming is not only inspirational, her content is unlike any other in it's real world scope of Japan. It is so many wonderful things, that words in any language fail to fully comprehend what this amazingly gifted creator provides. If your not a subscriber, you should be. Not only that, you should become a Patreon member. Sorry for going off on a pontifical rant Anming. This truly is a great video that eloquently drives home my experiences, and beliefs on the benefits of learning a second or multiple languages. Anming proves it can be done.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment Jim. I'm really glad that this channel is helping you have realistic goals about how much study time it takes to get proficient. I also only did Pimsleur for a few days a week in 2015 and couldn't get conversational. That's when I doubled down and increased my study time substantially. That's the point I'm at in Korean too. Time to go all in, all or nothing. That's the mentality that will get you to where you want to be. I hope my series in Korea will help you because you'll see me go from the plateau stage into intermediate Korean and how to overcome that awkward phase where progress is minimal.

[mads t]

As someone who looks like you and lives in Korea it's very similar here people don't really care that foreigners speak Korean, I'd say older people have reactions sometimes... 😮Happy Valentines Day Alyssa ❤

[Oriental Pearl]

Happy Valentines Day!

[NancyLEE]

You're just so smart. What a gift you have to be able to learn all of these languages. I had a hard enough time just learning French.

[KT Kacer]

Je sais. Droite?

[KT Kacer]

(btw, pardon my spelling it's likely horrid) ^^^^^

[Maya K]

i speak very minimal german but the joy of our airbnb owner saying "you understand me!" when i replied to her in german is still the best reaction i've ever gotten lmao

[Oriental Pearl]

Awww, I love that feeling too.

[dodo69]

I love this channel and your content. it is giving me good vibes for asian culture and languages. thank you !

[Oriental Pearl]

Glad you enjoy it! That means a lot.

[narsplace]

What you say it is so true. Once you cross that line, most Japanese don't even react to you speaking Japanese. You get way more reactions than I do. Most Japanese don't even use English with me.

[HouseMDaddict]

The coolest thing would be if you ever crossed paths with Xiaoma (xiaomanyc) who lives in NYC in China town. You two are both very passionate language learners and I think you'd easily be good friends!!! He's fluent in Chinese also!

[The Gretna Experiment 2.0]

Yes! We need a collab! ❤❤❤

[Oriental Pearl]

I tagged along with my parents when they went to New York for a business trip. Wish I could have stayed longer.

[Creativepic NL]

Brilliant video. After watching a lot of these types of videos I kinda figured it out along the way. Nevertheless your vids are a joy to watch. Love the personal touch and situations and the linguistic talent is just so entertaining to watch. Keep it up.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you I’m so glad that this video resonated with you and you understood the message I was trying to convey.

[Mezoti Echo]

I'm surprised how much I understood when you were conversing. I took 2 years of Mandarin in college... (About 10 years ago) lol

[Yeboyi 叶博一]

I enjoyed your approach and transparency in this kind of "behind the scenes" video. 👍🏼

[Learn with Dan]

Thanks for that video. When I was speaking mandarine to some cinese people, they weren't surprised at all. So I was wondering why I didn't get the same reaction you always get in your videos. Now I understand ))

[Oriental Pearl]

Glad it was helpful!

[S C]

Proud long-time subscriber here! Love your content. Why people don't subscribe is beyond me, it's always top-notch work and effort going in to these. Keep it up!

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you for being one of the special ones. I haven’t done a good job reminding people to subscribe.

[ryproar11]

I learned German and French. I spoke to locals on my trip to Europe. Ironically they mostly spoke in English due to the tourism. When I spoke like the locals I was told by an old German lady, "It's okay dear. Thanks for trying but we can all tell you are from the states. You have a certain dialect." Virginia kinda does have a bleed through effect on accents. 😂

[Momolinlin]

I want to say thank you your videos made me think "I really wanna learn japanese one day" and "one day" became now I downloaded an app, set my goal to 10 minutes of learning a day (I normally do more but setting it to 10 mins makes me feel good doing more, if I set it to an hour a day and can't make it, I would feel bad, tricking myself a bit :D) I will be at A1 end of june but that's fine, one step at a time I did a japanese course before but many times I would miss the lessons because of work :/

[SonyUSA]

I have to say, I know a teensy tiny bit of Chinese (mostly just phrases and responses to order food 😅) but it always lights up the employee's faces, I think the diversity of Chinatown probably puts them in a position to see a foreign speaker much more often, whereas in your hometown or city they may never get it! I usually get a larger portion when I order compared to other people, too 😉 Knowledge is power!

[Yesnog05]

I'm half Japanese and half Filipina and no matter how many times I visit my relatives in Japan, they are always surprised. I think its because I barely see them and they keep forgetting I can speak Japanese with them. However, when I go to Japantown in San Francisco (my hometown) I don't get a lot of reactions as they are probably used to being exposed with so many people.

[Mark Robinson]

Thanks again for the great content, I will try pinsleur, to learnJapanese, you are inspirational, and your camera work ,puts the audience right along with you, like we're in your pocket 😀 ,thanks anming

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm so glad you're giving Pimsluer a try. I love their lessons. I've been using them since 2015.

[Mark Robinson]

@OrientalPearl my Japanese wife is insistent, I learn, and you give me inspiration ,with your multi- lingual skills, keep up the great content, and stay safe ❤️

[Florencia Flores]

I can't believe you were in NYC! (My hometown) If you're from NYC, you've seen everything and nothing will surprise you! (All in one day, too) I would definitely love to be a part of your videos. You continue to inspire me to work on my Mandarin and Japanese. I sell furniture for a living and I have many Chinese customers and I love helping them in Mandarin and they are so receptive. It shows you that we are all the same and we can connect through language!

[Nendo Akuma]

Absolutely true. Most people don’t freak out. In fact, it seems less likely to happen than it did say 15 years ago, particularly with more recent immigrants from China. I appreciate the honesty.

[Oriental Pearl]

I’m glad you appreciate this video.

[jay f]

I always enjoy the shock videos but had a feeling it may have been a bit too good to be true Thank you for setting it straight. It is probably no different than seeing an Asian person speaking English. It's kind of expected if you live in a country where people speak the designated dominant language. In the States, shock reactions are a lot less. Decades back one might get a comment like your English is really good, and it was mainly in locales down in the southern US or rural areas.

[Oriental Pearl]

Yeah, it's not very common for people to have a big reaction, but of course that's what makes it on to youtube.

[nightdreamz]

I really appreciate the lady at 9:25 asking if you are chinese. You can't always tell where someone's cultural background is just by looking at them.

[Megan]

I love your videos! We're probably about the same age, but I will live vicariously through you watching them.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much Megan. I hope you enjoy all 145 videos.

[Megan]

@Oriental Pearl haha I probably have

[Person]

I would definitely watch another "not shocked" style of video. I understand that content is edited and curated, but it's definitely nice to see the "boring" content sometimes as well.

[Oriental Pearl]

That’s no problem. It’s all for entertainment. I’ll definitely be making more.

[Roxa S]

Thank you for clearing that up. That was a learning moment for me. I still think you are awesome. Really enjoy your videos.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thanks for watching Roxa. I’m glad you got to hear the message in this video.

[Jc Dizon]

You're so good at speaking Chinese even though I don't even understand the language and it seems that you don't even have a strong American accent when speaking it. An American speaking Chinese in Japan must be surprising to the Chinese people there, more so than speaking to Chinese people from the US. I'm gonna look forward to your stay in South Korea and speaking to the locals and see their reaction to it and it's gonna be so cool when they realize you also speak Chinese and Japanese.

[Oriental Pearl]

I can’t wait to start making videos in South Korea.

[I’m A Determined Penguin ;p]

I have ADHD and lack object permanence and will forget that your channel exists. But then something will remind me and I always get so excited to see what you are up to! Works out too because I love to binge your videos!

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you for binge watching my videos.

[Amelia]

I love your energy so much! Such a kind and happy person. Absolutely love your videos so much! ❤️❤️

[tenshi ☆]

Fiirst💞😭

[Oriental Pearl]

You are so fast!

[Lil-G]

What I used to love about Japan, when I lived there was that no matter how bad (when I first moved there) or how good (when I became fluent) that all Japanese used to tell me how good my Japanese was. They were so complimentary.

[Cairnwell Metal Detectives]

Another informative Video - Thanks..! Its great seeing the reactions to a 'foreigner' speaking Chinese/Japanese.......do you think age is a barrier to learning Japanese? Im very keen to do so, but am not sure the learning ability is still there for me..! I think if I could practise on / with Japanese people in my area it would be easier, but there are not many Japanese speakers in my area, alas........maybe in my next life...! 😉

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you. My mom is learning Japanese now in her 50s.

[William Baker]

Growing up in Flint, Michigan, I have escaped and done some traveling to Europe. It's good to see American getting out and traveling to other countries. Thanks for sharing your adventures.

[Feliks Gailitis]

When I lived in Taiwan and went to China, whenever I spoke Mandarin to them, they at first didn't understand what I said because they couldn't believe that a foreigner could speak their language, then when they realized I was speaking Mandarin they couldn't believe it, even sometimes saying to each other "do you really think he can speak Chinese?" while I'm looking at then able to understand what they're saying. I can speak Japanese too, and when I lived in Japan, the Japanese have a different response. They also are surprised, but immediately recognize that you're talking to them in their language, and they have a delightful response.