No Malay, no English, no problem: Local Sabah traders learn Mandarin, Korean to cater to foreign tourists

KOTA KINABALU: Negotiating skills can make or break a sale, more so if you can speak the language.

In Sabah’s seafood and dive haven of Semporna, local traders have learned basic Mandarin with some even conversing in Korean as tourism activities pick up and visitor arrivals from China and South Korea increase.

From learning basic numbers for prices to even mastering the art of negotiating with visitors, traders are allowing foreign tourists to bargain just like how they would do back in their own home countries.

As Chinese tourists are known for their bold negotiating tactics, local traders at the markets and jetties have also learned to be loud and firm with their customers.

“A deal works both ways and as long as they make sense and do not make us lose money, we are open to bargains and negotiations,” said a Bajau trader at the Semporna fish market near the Kahanga market.

He said speaking Chinese was not much of a challenge for them actually because local Sabahans also speak Chinese and they learned from their friends in the markets as well.

Chinese visitors often throng local markets to buy lobsters, fish, prawns and other seafood products.

But learning to speak Korean or other foreign languages just to make sales is actually quite impressive.

This is also seen in many of the seafood, handicraft and souvenir traders around Sabah, such as in Kota Kinabalu.

Many travel blogs and social media platforms have showcased how these traders use basic and “broken” Korean to speak to their customers.

Among these sites are Travelholic Korea on TikTok, showing mango sellers at the Anjung Kinabalu and along the vendor stretch near the market conversing in Korean to tourists.

The Sabah Information Department has also shared similar videos on its social media platforms, showing how tourism activities have not only boosted economic growth but also allowed traders to learn other languages to cater to the needs of their foreign customers.