James Baquet

    Mark is chatting with his classmate Ming in the common room of their dorm.

    Mark: Hi, Ming. What’s that?

    Ming: Oh, my friend sent me some cards about work in an email. He thinks they’re funny, but honestly, I don’t get them.

    Mark: Yeah, it can be hard to understand another culture’s jokes.

    Ming: Would you help me try?

    Mark: Sure! It’s a great way to get more comfortable with our way of doing things.

    Ming: Thanks! The first one says, “Congratulations on getting promoted to the job you’re already doing.”

    Mark: Okay. You understand the idea of congratulating someone on a promotion, right?

    Ming: Sure. I think everyone does that.

    Mark: So try to find the funny part, even if you don’t understand it.

    Ming: Something about “the job you’re already doing?”

    Mark: Uh-huh.

    Ming: That’s a little helpful. I guess the person being congratulated was already doing her new job, before the promotion.

    Mark: That’s right. Often, we do certain more advanced tasks on the job for a long time before the boss recognizes it, and maybe increases our pay.

    Ming: I see. Interesting maybe, but not really funny.

    Mark: I agree. Let’s talk about another one.

    Ming: All right. This one says, “The first five days after the weekend are the hardest.”

    Mark: We often say things like, “The day after a vacation is the hardest.”

    Ming: Maybe. I think everyone hates Mondays!

    Mark: Exactly. So this person is saying it’s not just the first day that’s hard, but the first five days —

    Ming: Every day until the next weekend! Okay, that’s sort of funny. And I guess this one is the same way: “This week was five days too long,” meaning the whole week was bad.

    Mark: You’ve got it!

    Ming: Is this one similar? “I came into work sick because I didn’t want to waste a sick day.”

    Mark: Not really. You know what a sick day is, right?

    Ming: I think some companies allow you so many days off in a year for illness, without reducing your pay, right?

    Mark: That’s right. But of course, some people use those days when they’re not sick, to go play.

    Ming: I see. So this person didn’t want to take a sick day — even though she’s sick — so she’ll have an extra day to play?

    Mark: Yes.

    Ming: Let’s do one more. “I’d like to run something past you and stick with my decision regardless of your opinion.”

    Mark: I see. Do you know what it means to “run something past someone?”

    Ming: I think that means asking their opinion, right?

    Mark: That’s right. So this guy will ask another person for an opinion —

    Ming: And then ignore it and do what he was going to do anyway?

    Mark: Exactly!

    Ming: Got it!