Blog: Speaking is different from writing

Speaking Chinese is different from writing Chinese. If you hear someone speak Chinese, it doesn’t mean they can read or write Chinese. That was an embarrassment years ago when Locke, then King County Executive, was asked to autograph his name in Chinese during a trip to his native land.

Chinese people from China often assume that Chinese know how to read and write Chinese. Afterward, Locke practiced and practiced writing his name in Chinese.

His Chinese name, Kai Fai, given to him by his mother Julie, means making the family shine. How prophetic! Certainly, he has earned it! ♦