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If I had posted on this forum with judgements purely on the fact his name is Chinese and he’s clearly native Chinese, your example of discrimination would be valid. However in this case, the reason why I posted is the fact this person is already assuming that I’m Chinese when no where in my profile does it say I speak Chinese and I was wondering if that would pose as a problem when it is already a problem getting people who already are fluent in English to read the manual in the first place. I have been to China three times and find it incredibly difficult to navigate there because even when I use Google translate, I’m scolded in Chinese about not knowing their language because I’m Asian (I know this because they were nicer to my non Asian friend who I travelled with) and definitely don’t want it to happen in my home. When I have used Airbnb for international trips, I usually make an effort to use Google translate or a survival version of their language to show that I’m willing to communicate with them. I posted on this forum to see how much of an issue language barrier has been for others or am I fearing the unknown, which I see from @lhsu718 she had a language barrier problem with her Italian guests.
Also if this person had reviews from other English speakers I would have no problem accepting him.
I did ask the guest if the fact I would have to use Google translate because I don’t speak Chinese was ok and how is his English. If he hadn’t responded, I would have declined him for being unresponsive and language barrier.
Your personal story (being chastised for not speaking Chinese, when your non Asian friend wasn’t) was illuminating, thank you. (Reminds me of dads on the playground being given all sorts of slack, while the moms judge each other hard)
My worst guests are ones that don’t read the listing. Some have been proficient in English, some haven’t. So I can sympathize with that concern.
Because of (my own, unconscious) bias I rely on instant book to keep me honest. Otherwise I’d be worrying all the time if my “gut instinct” was just racist.
As it is, whenever I get that feeling, I message the guest to make sure they understand I’ve got a very noisy baby and a cat who bites. I’m very happy to refund them all their fees, if they think they might not be comfortable with All The Noise. (It’s not that bad. But, you know, I’d rather scare off folks who aren’t sure, then deal with the review later… 2 star mom who complained about dust, I’m looking at you)
Google translate or there are apps for when you guest in your home, they speak into their phone in their native language and it is translated into english for you to read. Over 60% of my guests don’t have English as a first language. You will always find a way to communicate with just a little effort.
I did have a french host who sent me a message in french telling me she was considering staying with me for a night, she was deciding between 3 other places ( A private room not exactly big money) I understood her message completely but replied in Gaelige just to annoy her and then declined her request.
I used Papago (better for asian languages) to converse with wonderful guests from South Korea. They knew limited words in English but our dinner with them lasted 4 hours!
