BEIJING (Bernama): Amid the lively bustle of Pearl Market, where hundreds of traders compete for visitors' attention in Mandarin and English, the distinct call of women speaking Malay stands out. (Come here, brother, come here, sister, cheap but quality goods!). Curious about the source of the voice, a group of Malaysian tourists, browsing souvenir items to bring home, turned their attention to two women in a shop.
Clearly, the tactic employed by Fatima Liu, 38, and her younger sister Aisha, 36, successfully caught the attention of these Malaysian tourists, who walked straight into their shop. In a recent interview with Bernama, Fatima and Aisha, who run a business selling household items such as bedsheets and tablecloths, shared that their ability to speak Malay not only simplifies business transactions, especially with customers from the Malay Archipelago countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei, but also fosters closer relationships with people from these nations. 'Business dealings become easier and more profitable because customers are also attracted when they hear a foreign trader speaking Malay. That’s why I always encourage traders here to learn Malay instead of focusing solely on English. If learning Malay can bring us profitable business, why not learn it?' said Fatima. Aisha shared that they began learning Malay informally about 15 years ago when their shop often welcomed customers from Malaysia, brought in by a'Malay uncle' from Malaysia who lived in the city. 'I started by learning one word at a time, which eventually formed a sentence. Over time, I became more fluent. For example, today I learned the word makan (eat), tomorrow cuci (wash), then wangi (fragrant), and finally, I could form a complete sentence. At first, it was a bit difficult, but over time, it got better. Moreover, mastering Malay has helped a lot in busines
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