By Deirdre Marlowe

We all know the quote: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."  Well, actually, occasionally, the Bard got it wrong. There’s a lot in a word. A friend recently went to Japan for the first time. I knew she would not learn Japanese but wanted to give her a few words that could prove helpful. Please and thank you, of course. Excuse me (Sumimasen ), is particularly important in Japan where things are often crowded, and people are conscious of personal space. Sumimasen is also used when entering a small shop to announce one’s presence and ask forgiveness for the interruption.

Since my friend is somewhat of a foodie, I also gave her oishi or delicious. I also advised her to never say “no” unless the situation is dangerous or unforgivable. I’d learned this in bustling Nagasaki station; I said ie and everything stopped, heads turned, and suddenly, I was in the wrong.

Slang can be in the wrong, too. My family lived in France for years. When I took my already foodie children to Paris, my dad told them to say dégueulasse if something was truly delicious. So, we were at a one-star restaurant and my kids told the server that the food was dégueulasse. The server was speechless. My dad’s slang was out of date; they were saying that the food was disgusting rather than délicieuse.

My wordly [sic] advice would be to learn the important words: "please, thank you, excuse me, delicious", but not the slang for it. For anything else, use the translation device on your phone or the mini dictionary you packed. Even if you bungle it, people like that you are trying to speak their language.