A great source of pride in the Philippines is that Filipinos are proficient in English. They are so proficient that not only do foreigners travel to the Philippines to learn English but American companies are hiring Filipinos to tend virtual fast food kiosks in New York City.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/567764/filipino-virtual-cashiers-taking-orders-at-new-york-restaurants |
Your next order of fried chicken at a New York City restaurant may come with a “hello” from the Philippines.
Virtual assistants based in the Philippines have become a sought-after option for companies who want to do more with less.
Some restaurants in New York City are now exploring this option to keep up with the rising costs of labor, rent and other overhead expenses.
As minimum wages soar – $16 in New York City and now $20 for fast food workers in California – restaurant owners are feeling the pinch.
Beamed on flat-screen monitors at self-service kiosks, virtual hosts from the Philippines are now taking orders at restaurants, including Yaso Kitchen, Sansan Chicken in Long Island and East Village. They welcome customers with flashing smiles — a hospitality trait Filipinos are renowned for.
The company pays Filipino virtual assistants $3 per hour — way less compared to US wages but considered a competitive rate in the Philippines.
Aiming to incorporate fair wages into fiscal accountability, Chi Zhang told Fortune, “We pay 150% more than the average cashier job in the Philippines.”
Like all virtual assistants from the Philippines, recognized as one of the largest English-speaking nations, Amber and other Filipinos working for Happy Cashiers speak perfect English.
Every thing about this article is quite awful. Not only are Filipinos taking jobs from Americans because of inflated minimum wage laws but the owner of the company is proud that he pays Filipinos a measly $3 per hour which is "150% more than the average cashier job in the Philippines." $3 is P175 which is practically nothing.
The article also notes the Philippine is "one of the largest English-speaking nations" and Filipinos "speak perfect English." While it may be true that many Filipinos have perfect inflection and diction the use of English in the Philippines can be quite odd.
Take the word bump.
a light blow or a jolting collision
A typical use of the word bump would be, "I fell and bumped my head." It may have been startling and jolting but it's a very slight thing. Bump is typically used for collisions that are slight. The word collision is used for violent interactions like a car crash.
In the Philippines that is not the case as the following news articles show.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1923033/pedestrian-dead-2-hurt-after-truck-bumps-them-in-cavite |
A female pedestrian died and two others were injured Monday after a speeding truck hit them in Carmona City in Cavite province.
The Region 4A police reported that an Isuzu Rebuilt aluminum van driven by one “Fernando” accidentally bumped Jemerine Bombani, 29; Sheryl Cantuba, 45; and Burlet Sevilla, 48, while the three were crossing the pedestrian lane around 7:30 p.m. along Governor’s Drive.
The three pedestrians suffered grave injuries and were rushed to the hospital but Bombhani died on the way.
“Due to his uncalculated speed the truck driver did not notice the three victims” who were about to cross the pedestrian lane, the police said.
The headline says a truck bumped three pedestrians while the article notes the truck was speeding. A speeding truck does not bump anything. It collides with the object and tears right through it.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1961436/2-riders-dead-after-motorcycle-bumps-parked-tractor-in-quezon |
Two motorcycle riders died early Tuesday, July 16, after their vehicle bumped into a parked tractor in Candelaria town in Quezon province, police said.
The motorcycle, ridden by a still unidentified driver and backrider factory worker Emerson Alviso, 21, was traveling along the Maharlika Highway around 2:15 a.m. when their vehicle slammed into a parked tractor head on the side of the road in Barangay Masin Norte, a spot report from the Quezon police said.
Both riders suffered fatal injuries and died on the spot.
Again, another news item with the headline saying motorcycles bumped a parked tractor while the article says they "slammed into a parked tractor." Slamming is not bumping. Slamming is a lot more violent.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1940783/5-tuk-tuk-passengers-dead-4-others-hurt-in-3-vehicle-mishap-in-quezon |
Five passengers of a “tuk-tuk,” a three-wheeled motorcycle, died, and four others were injured early Wednesday, May 15, in an accident involving two other vehicles at the Maharlika Highway in Lopez town in Quezon province.
The Quezon police said in a report that the tuk-tuk being driven by Julius Brin, 32, was traveling at 2:10 a.m. to Albay province when it was bumped from behind by a truck driven by Ernesto Alberto, 51, in a section of the highway in Barangay Canda Ilaya.
Upon impact, the tuk-tuk suddenly burst into flames and bumped the rear section of a passenger bus driven by Amor Pedragosa, 47, running ahead.
The bus also caught fire, but its passengers were all unharmed.
After the collision, the wayward truck fell and rested on its right part on the side of the road. The driver was not hurt.
The report said four of the tuk-tuk passengers – Cheska Jucares, 28; Riza Brin, 25; and two boys, Jasper and Jarid died on the spot from severe burns on their bodies. Jaymar Lunas expired while being treated at the hospital in the town center.
This article says a tun-tuk was "bumped from behind by a truck," burst into flames upon impact, and then bumped into a passenger bus which also caught fire. That is not a bump. A mere bump would not cause a vehicle to burst into flames. After using those inaccurate words the article then describes the accident as a collision. Why not use that word all along?
The headline calls this collision relating in 5 deaths a mishap. What is a mishap?
an unlucky accident
Certainly it was an accident and everyone hurt and dead was unlucky but it was obviously much more than that. It was no mere mishap but a result of bad driving likely including speeding and tailgating.
There is nothing grammatically wrong with these articles. The issue is the author's use of understatement. Bump is never a word that should be used in to describe a horrific and violent traffic collision which results in death. In the Philippines words are used to cover up events. One instance being the word "salvage" to describe a murder victim. Speaking English well is not just a matter of pronunciation. It is also a matter of understanding nuance and using words correctly.
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