for shopwork in Japan...

いらっしゃいませ。
お弁当を温めますか。
お箸はいくつ要りますか。
ポイントカードお持ちですか。
ではお会計700円になります
1000円を預かりします
300円のお返しです
ありがとうございました。

It's funny that I've never looked up お預かりします until just now, even thought I've heard it many thousands of times.

You'd better start practicing this one:

申し訳ございません。

責任を取ります！

Drop the polite speech and it becomes useful in an even wider array of situations…

~J

おまえはもしんでいる

brianobush Wrote:おまえはもしんでいる

多分もう死んでいる....と言いたかったのですか？

IceCream Wrote:hey

so, i'm seriously thinking of doing a working holiday in japan. id like to get some casual work while im there other than english teaching. So, id like to up my chances by learning a bunch of commonly used expressions for bar / shop / ski resort work.

I definitely think you should go for it, if I were you, I'd apply for that working holiday visa right now, too bad we can't apply for it across the pond over here...

I'd think (but not from experience) that working in shops/bars or anything that involves contact with customers (and probably other, more senior staff?) would need 敬語. Though even Japanese people don't always get it right:

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%90%E...C%E8%AA%9E

Lists mistakes young people make when using keigo at their jobs, but also lists some corrections for what they should properly be as well.

http://allabout.co.jp/gs/businessmanner/...20090523A/

Some more words you shouldn't use.

http://敬語辞典.sblo.jp/

kazelee Wrote:

brianobush Wrote:おまえはもしんでいる

多分もう死んでいる....と言いたかったのですか？

いや、同様に死んじゃったって事です。「は」要らないんですが…

~J

IceCream Wrote:i never realised you could get to a website using kanji before, either...

Strictly speaking you can't, but IDNA specifies a way of translating non-ASCII Unicode into ASCII characters that's implemented in a number of recent browsers.

Also: バカップル. Definitely a word you're going to want to know if you work anywhere people might go on dates.

~J