Yep, hard to believe. That's the beauty of Shenmue ^_^
I'm going through the game again, this time at a slow pace--talking to everybody I can find when Ryo has a new question.
So, when he was trying to translate the letter, I asked Mario if he could read Chinese. He said "No, but I can read Italian!"
That's not the funniest part though, keep talking to him, and he teaches you Italian words! Be sure to keep talking until you've heard them all.
When I asked Mayumi, she said "Oh! I'm taking Chinese at college. I should be able to read it for you in a year"
Ryo: Sorry, but I can't wait that long.
Mayumi: Yeah, I guess so
I'd advise everyone to talk to EVERYONE every time Ryo's question changes--you can get some pretty damn funny conversations.