Reminds me of a story from retail. The store was 50 miles north of the Mexican-American border, and wealthy Mexicans coming to the store for a day of shopping was a daily occurrence. Most employees had Spanish language skills ranging from "can wave arms and shout BANO! BANO!" to "just enough to get by." One employee who fell closer to the "decent enough" end of the spectrum was making rounds on a slow day and saw a man who seemed to be looking for something; and, after realizing he didn't speak English, politely asked, "Can I help you with anything?" in Spanish. Unfortunately, she got some of her verbs mixed up, and so she wound up saying something much closer to "I need your help RIGHT NOW and you are the only one who can." In a super calm and polite voice, smiling that demure, practiced retail smile.
Needless to say, the man was more than a bit unsettled.
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@Dan Okay, that was hilarious. ^_^
Reminds me of a story from retail. The store was 50 miles north of the Mexican-American border, and wealthy Mexicans coming to the store for a day of shopping was a daily occurrence. Most employees had Spanish language skills ranging from "can wave arms and shout BANO! BANO!" to "just enough to get by." One employee who fell closer to the "decent enough" end of the spectrum was making rounds on a slow day and saw a man who seemed to be looking for something; and, after realizing he didn't speak English, politely asked, "Can I help you with anything?" in Spanish. Unfortunately, she got some of her verbs mixed up, and so she wound up saying something much closer to "I need your help RIGHT NOW and you are the only one who can." In a super calm and polite voice, smiling that demure, practiced retail smile.
Needless to say, the man was more than a bit unsettled.