上班族必備軟實力

[Richard, from America, gets money for “working”.]

I try to access my bank through the automatic teller machines (ATM) as much as possible. That way I don’t have to fumble around trying to communicate with a person.

ATMs in Taiwan have an option to use English, but most do not follow the standard rules of English grammar. The English instructions are confusing. Sometimes they say the exact opposite of what is intended. For example, if you withdraw money from one of the machines in 7-11, the machine will, instead of asking you to remove your card, it says “Card Taken”, which means “We have taken your card”. In many other ATMs, if you do not want another transaction, you are expected to choose the “Cancel” option. You think, “I don’t want the machine to take my card.” and “I don’t want to cancel my transaction.”

When a money machine starts talking gibberish, it can make you nervous. When you are dealing with money, you must be sure of what is going on. It is easier on the nerves to keep the machine in Chinese and stumble through the instructions. I would rather guess what to do than do the opposite of what the instructions say. It is beyond my understanding why a banking institution would not take care to have understandable English on their machines. No English would be better than bad English.

English on ATM machines can range from good, to amusing, and sometimes just downright scary.

Bank tellers seem to be afraid to speak English. In this job, a misunderstanding can cost a lot of money, so they are naturally cautious.

The passbook is very important. In the USA, all you need is your ID card, signature, and account number. In Taiwan you need chops, passbook, PIN number, and ID card. Chops are the stamps that use ink pads and impress your name on a document.

A guard stands at the door. He is usually very nice and will help you find what you need. He keeps the criminals away.

As a foreigner who does some banking in Taiwan, I find that it is not as easy as ordering a cheeseburger, but with persistence, patience, and a little help from my friends, I manage to get by. You can bank on that. Thank you for reading.