Sorry, Shakespeare!
“I thought I’d begin by reading a poem by Shakespeare, but then I thought, why should I? He never reads any of mine.” Spike Milligan
Welcome
In German we always say “Willkommen in …”. In English we use ‘to‘. So we say, “Welcome to …”
Welcome to Cologne. Welcome to the company. Welcome to our online meeting.
More euphemisms
We spoke about euphemisms last week, remember? Those words and phrases that often try and make the negative seem positive by using more pleasant-sounding words.
I’ve often heard people say they thought certain goods “fell off the back of a lorry” to mean that they thought they had been “stolen”. You might have heard someone talk about another person as being “big-boned” instead of saying that they are “overweight” or “heavy”. Or perhaps that someone is “economically disadvantaged” instead of saying that they are “poor”.
I suggest that it’s better to avoid euphemisms if you want to be clear in your communication.
Calling all model builders
This sounds like a real dream job for a lot of people. Lego is looking for model builders. You’ll find the job description here.
I’d love to hear from you if you get the job! 😉
Business jargon
Have you ever heard people say, “We have to think outside the box”? This is a phrase I call “business jargon” or just “business-speak” and which I find annoying, because not everyone understands it.
Isn’t it so much easier to understand the following sentence? “We need think differently, unconventionally or creatively (to solve a problem, for example).”
It’s funny, isn’t it?
“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different?” C.S. Lewis
