Even babies know...

...that there are three "magic" words: please, thank you and sorry. This is what my mum taught me when I was a toddler and I have sticked to it since. 

Scene 1

I am eating pasta a yummy alla carbonara skillfully prepared by a good friend of mine and chatting away happily when I hear a bird tweet. I think: "Oh wow, spring is finally here!" and then realise that the source of tweeting was my silly phone (since I am often training in the woods I thought I should have a ringtone that doesn't clash with nature. The driiiiiiin I had previously freaked me out each time the phone went off). Gmail tells me I got an email. I decide to ignore it. I am with a friend, I say to myself, and he deserves my full attention. F**** technology. Ten minutes later I decide to have a look anyway, in case the message came from a friend who's in hospital at the moment. Subject: URGENT TRANSLATION! Text: Can you translate this quickly? Tell me you can. 

Scene 2

4 posters to translate. What to do? I decide to stick to my plan: aim for quality and efficiency. The client will eventually realise my rates are not too high, not even for them (wishful thinking????). I explain to my friend that I need to do this quickly, that it will take me 30 mins at the most and tell him to make himself comfortable while I get the work done. I rush to my laptop feeling annoyed and guilty. I come up with some brilliant solutions (while my friend is sitting in silence in order not to disturb me). I obviously make sure that a really flowery text sounds good in English (syntax, rhythm and all that*), reply to the client with a polite email to which I attach the translation. Done. Time elapsed from when I received the email to when I handed in the work: 40 minutes. 

Scene 3

Silence. 10 minutes later: silence. 30 minutes later: silence. 1 hour later: silence. One would expect at least a "thank you". It only takes 8 letters. In Italian it requires even less of an effort: Grazie (6 letters). Nope, nothing. 

Now, don't you think not only quality, but also speed and efficiency come at a price? And don't you think that, regardless of my rates, they at least owe me a wee "thank you"? Please correct me if I am wrong. You are free to tell me that I should face the big bad world out there, that a job is a job, that this is how things work, but you will never convince me that saying thank you is such a hard thing to do.

Scene 4

The annoyed translator really enjoys the afternoon walk with the patient friend and decides to have a nice and cheerful evening despite the lack of gratitude (and manners!) that permeates this world. The (a wee bit less) annoyed translator gets home late after watching "12 years as a slave" (I recommend it!) and reminds herself that each of us has a bright side, even the most disrespectful person in the world. 

Having said that, people should really grow up! 

Goodnight. 

:)

*thank you, E., T. and J. for being such great teachers.