let’s have thank-you sex
We are an international company, and so there are occasionally elements of slang that cause confusion for our co-workers for whom English is not a mother tongue. Permit me to demonstrate:
16:37 <bzzz> phik: all the bits are already committed 16:37 <phik> bzzz: roger, thank you 16:41 * bzzz just found roger’s description in dictionary: “if a man rogers someone, he has sex with them” 16:41 <phik> hmm, well, yes, that is _one_ definition, when used as a verb 16:43 <bzzz> aha. one more: “used for saying that you have received and understood a radio message” 16:43 <phik> there you go!
“Do not, repeat, do not blowcow orker!” “Roger, coworker blown.”
yes, and picture being a woman explaining directory structure of a product to a contingent of project auditors from the UK… my female North American cohorts and I thought nothing of the incongruent smiles, raised eyebrows and shared glances among the men across the table from us until it was explained after the meeting by one of our imported male cohorts
But really, how DO you explain directory structures without using the word ’slash’?
More to the point, who is responsible for owning the less than professional definition and what can a naive conversant, on her/his own turf reasonably expect as far as professional conduct in this event? Are these expectations changed if the speaker is on foreign turf?
Comments??? (besides the fact that I really need to get my web site up and runnning!!)
/mom to some
How old were these guys? Fourteen?
The people I am describing were senior technical folks from a well-known telecommunications concern over there. I was a little more than double the age in your question and I estimate that the fellows without manners were at least thrice that. Well old enough to have behaved more politely.
Had there been no reaction, I would be blissfully ignorant of this bit of international-ese. Knowing it, I became extremely careful about my terminology when dealing with them.
I wonder if there would have been any reaction at all if only men had been present. This question only just occurred to me, in fact. Back then (early 90s) I was far more concerned with the technical aspects of the project than the social decorum of its sponsors.
Reminds me of Canada’s “Roots” gear at the Australian olympics, where it apparently means something else.