I am Miserable Middle Manager. I have been managing teams in the UK for 10 years. Office life routinely makes my life miserable, but full of adventures. And I can't shut up about it. I am female, European, middle sized, not middle aged yet but not in my twenties anymore. But who am I really? I am me, you, your friend, your brother, your wife. I am everyone who is or who has been working in an office, managing or being managed, interviewing or being interviewed.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Cross cultural (mis)understandings
Wikipedia recognises 4 southern countries: South Africa, South Korea, South Ossetia (where the hell is that?!) and South Sudan. You can double-check that if you want, I am not making that up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countries_of_the_world
Why the hell doesn't Wikipedia recognise Southern Europe as a country? Who knows, maybe contributors have never been to Marbella, Perpignan or Casteglioni della Pecalla. They might actually never left the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland).
Anyway, I am derailing now...
The question is: after over 8 years of cultural (mis)understanding, Miserable Middle Manager yesterday found out that "not too bad" does not mean what said.
Miserable Middle Manager had believed, for almost a decade, that habitants of the United Kingdom said "not too bad" when meaning "fine" or "great" in an attempt to reach that high state of politeness that characterize them. Well, actually, someone recently told her she was wrong...
Then, what the hell does then "not too bad" mean?! They are really driving her crazy.
- Le Dossier: How to survive he English!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dossier-How-Survive-English/dp/0719568471/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320441611&sr=8-1-spell
- Watching the English: The hidden roules of English Behavior
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=watching+the+english&x=0&y=0&sprefix=watching
- The Xenophone guide to the English
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xenophobes-Guide-English-Guides/dp/1906042292/ref=sr_1_16?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320441804&sr=1-16
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