Japan vs. English

[Mirage]

While I don't mean to be feeding an argument/discussion here more than it needs to be, I still feel a tad offended at your arguments...
I understand you're saying that you don't expect fluent english from Japanese players but... statements like this

I'm not expecting fluent english from most Japanese players, but enough to make themselves understood really isn't too much to ask for, I think.

While I do understand that English is a harder language for Japanese people (due to not being in the same language
family), it is far from impossible to learn it, and they do actually learn English at school. I think it's strange
that so few of those I've met ingame know English, I don't expect them to know the language.

are a little... strange themselves I think. I don't like to pick apart what people say, but things like this DO bother me.
Remember, this is a game made in Japan, by a Japanese company, on a Japanese system (if you're playing PS2 version) with a story that was developed in Japanese. They have no obligation to you, to try to make themselves understood, even if you're not expecting them to be fluent or whatever, you shouldn't be "asking for" them to make themselves understood to -you-, because -you- are able to speak an international language. Even if they can speak English, who says they want to?
It -isn't- far from impossible to learn, and I have japanese friends that have done exchanges in other countries and have learned English, or other languages rapidly (like most people when immersed). But if they haven't had the chance to spend lots of time in another country (like many people in many countries) they would not have enough exposure to the language to really get a good handle on it, and also do not have the best teaching methods, either (from what I've seen.)
Europe, etc. is a different case. It is more closely tied with America, the English language (yes, of course english is not only America), and culture than Japan ever was and is today, despite the heavy influence of American and other foreign cultures there.
A European, etc. child would most definately have more exposure and reason to use English than a Japanese child would.
Again, I know you don't expect them to speak English, but don't be surprised at it either. It kind of sounds by the way you stated those arguments that you -did- expect more, but now you only expect less than "average".

It's just what I've experienced ingame. Most japanese players I've seen or partied with have either not been able to, or chose not, to communicate in English. Maybe I've just had some bad luck, I don't know. One thing I do know though, is that if I knew Japanese, I would do my best to communicate with other japanese players in a party. Likewise, if a Japanese person happens to know English, I think he should use English to communicate with non-Japanese players in a party. Choosing not to use it just because he doesn't want to (like you suggested) makes no sense to me, really.
If a japanese player is good at English, I become happy, because it becomes much easier to communicate with that person.

Okay, "not too much to ask for" was perhaps a bit over the edge. I retract that statement, sorry. If they don't know it, it's kinda silly to expect them to learn it for just the sake of this game.

And i think this: "Remember, this is a game made in Japan, by a Japanese company, on a Japanese system (if you're playing PS2 version) with a story that was developed in Japanese." is pretty irrelevant. The game is released for Europeans and Americans just as much as for Japanese players. I don't think this should have anything to do with this discussion. If the game was released only in Japan, and foreigners had to import it, then this would have been a valid point.

I disagree, I don't think of Spanish, French and Chinese as nearly as international as English.

Mandarin is the international language of the business world, even moreso than English.

I'm not talking about the business world.