Falska vänner du behöver känna igen.
Eventuellt på svenska är inte samma sak som eventually på engelska, även om det låter som att det skulle kunna vara lika. Det är vad vi kallar en typisk false friend, en falsk vän i språket, som du bör se upp med.
Falska vänner du behöver känna igen.
K - I’m meeting a new client tomorrow; he’s going to pick me up on his expedition in Stockholm.
M – Karina, I’m confused – and a bit worried! When you say “pick me up” it sounds like he’s going to take you out somewhere on a date. And then you talk about an “expedition”! Where are you going with him?
K – Going? No, I’m meeting him at his company.
M – What, do you mean his office?
K – Yes. The VD wants me to come and present myself so now I need to work on my presentation.
M – Karina, I think we have a few problems here… where should we start? Perhaps the expedition.
K – Yes, what’s wrong with that?
M – I think we are dealing with a “false friend” problem here – in fact not just one of them, but several. As an English Coach, I face these difficult customers all the time. We have discussed “false friends” in one of our previous pods.
K – Oh yes, I think we did. I find this often happens when I want to tell somebody something quickly. I tend to think in Swedish, quickly translate into English and the result is then Swenglish… So can you help me?
M – Yes I can, Karina. This is actually a most – and sometimes critically – important area, which causes a lot of problems. Let’s start with the first “false friend”; expedition. In English an expedition is a journey of exploration, like a trip to the North Pole… on foot perhaps.
K – Oh I am just visiting his office, that’s what I meant by expedition – its “expedition” in Swedish.
M – Yes, I can see how that could be confusing. You mentioned he was going to pick you up, I’ve heard Swedes use this expression wrongly before. We would actually say “to meet you”.
Now – then you mentioned VD – I hear this particular acronym more than I want to. I’m sure you where referring to his position in the company, that is to say CEO or MD.
K – Oh my God, VD of course must be something else?!
M – Indeed, it is a generic term used to describe some sexually transmitted diseases.
Did the CEO ask you to present yourself, or to do a presentation?
K – Eh, I’m not sure, he said to present myself – what’s the difference?
M – If he asked you to present yourself, he meant that you should turn up, to be present, not to make a presentation.
K – I’m not sure I see the difference.
M – If he asked you to do a presentation, then he meant that you should give a formal description of your business, perhaps show slides or similar. Presenting yourself means literally making yourself present; that is to say: being there in person.
K – Now I see what you mean. Anyway, eventually, this will end up with some good business for me.
M – Oh, good, you seem very confident.
K – I didn’t say definitely.
M – Oh, you said eventually – that means almost certainly at some point in the future.
K – I meant it as we use the Swedish word “eventuellt”.
M – Well then you should say “perhaps”. This is a typical “false friend” and the critical type; the sort that can lead to a complete breakdown in communication and ultimately a failed business negotiation. Remember “eventually” in English is not “perhaps”. It means that something will happen, but we don’t necessarily know exactly when.
K – All this talk about false friends - I’m glad you are a true friend Mike! Thanks for explaining that.
A very good hint from Mike: “False friends” may lead to unintended amusement in everyday conversation but they have the potential to create serious problems in business negotiations. It would never be a good thing for your prospective business partner to assume that you meant “yes, definitely in the future”, when you actually meant “perhaps”. There are exhaustive lists of these to be found on-line and you should become familiar with these as a priority.
