NON-ENGLISH-SPEAKING service staff are again making the news.

It is not the first time they have come under the spotlight. There have been many discussions before in the papers and on websites, as in the latest instance.

But has the situation improved? I don't think so.

Look at those stores which have been named and shamed for hiring staff who speak no English. They persist to use such because even though shoppers complain and grumble they continue to frequent them. Based on anecdotal evidence, more outlets than even seem to be using these non-English speakers. And with the slowdown in the economy, a cheaper non-English speaking Chinese staff may seem even more tempting to hire as they could make the difference between whether a store closes shop or survives this downturn.

We could all continue to complain or just try and make the best of the situation. More often than not, I tend to laugh it off though I have often been frustrated by such staff not because they don't speak English but because they also don't speak Hokkien, which I can speak a bit of.

The most recent amusing incident took place at a kiosk at a petrol station. My wife was queuing up to pay and making payment in front of her was a Caucasian. He asked for two packets of ice. The counter staff, a China national, promptly said: $25. The ang moh said again: "I want two packets of ice."

Sales staff: "Yes, $25."

Ang Moh: "Ice, ice."

Sales staff said: "Yes" . He keyed it into his cash register, tore the printout and showed it to the ang moh. "$25", he said.

The ang moh blurted: "Bloody expensive ice". and took out his wallet to pay for it.

My wife knowing that prices have gone up recently but not by that much stepped in, took a look at the bill and noticed that the counter staff had keyed in rice instead of ice. She again said ice but finally switched to Mandarin before he understood.

There are a few thngs we could do about the present situation as it really does not look like it is going to change. We could:

- Get upset every day and let these guys spoil your day

- Boycott the stores which don't provide English speaking staff

- Try and help each other out by stepping in and helping others to translate and explain and just putting up with the language problem.

I used to get upset but now I tend to accommodate them. They may not speak English but, in general, I find that they tend to be more polite and friendly. I would rather have a polite smiling China staff who uses sign language to communicate serving me than a rude Singaporean staff who makes you feel she is doing you a favour by attending to you.