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by clan
3059 days ago
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Non-native speakers will either first construct sentences in their native tongue or be heavily influenced by native idioms. Just because you speak another language does not mean you assimilate the culture. The word "please" is easy to translate - but I have to remember to be more cordial and remember to use it. It does not come naturally in my own tongue. Things do get lost in translation. I absolutely loathe the amount of "sorry for your inconvenience" in each and every communication with american support staff. To my ear it sounds insincere. But I do appreciate the fact that it would sound impolite to an american user if left out. Being polite is not in the words themselves but how they're used. And to my mind that is predicated on culture. |
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Same in France. As a French, I hate the "merci pour votre compréhension". It drives me crazy because this is such an empty sentence.