You know what would make a good device for real estate agents to use? A translator app that could convert foreign languages into English and vice versa, so we could discuss complex real estate transactions on the phone instead of through email. Not all of my clients speak English. And I can't speak any language, so many of my clients are doing much better than me because they can at least speak some English.
I know enough to ask where to find a train in Italy, or how to buy Chanel #5 in France or to order a glass of chardonnay in Mexico, but I can't in the slighest stretch converse. I can barely make out a few words in a foreign newspaper but only because some of the words are in English or come from an English origin. I am woefully inadequate when it comes to speaking any language apart from English and, if I have one regret in life, it is that I wish I had made more of an effort to learn another language when younger.
God knows my mother tried. She enrolled me in German classes, then Russian and finally Spanish, and the best I can do is sing Old Tannebaum.
One of the great things about living and working in Sacramento is the vast amount of diversity in this city. We have people from all over the world. Time magazine in 2006 called Sacramento the most diverse city in the United States.
Often, Sacramento sellers who speak limited English feel better about conversing with a woefully inadequate of their native tongue when there is another party involved who can translate or they can communicate via email.
You can read more in my personal blog today about Selling a Home in Rio Linda When the Surprises Keep Coming.
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