Lucky for us, business is conducted in English. Sure, the good jokes come in Hindi, and we sit there grinning as we pretend to know what’s so funny; but for the most part, we get by in the office in our Mother tongue. Except when our Mother tongue meets Mother India, where a brainstorm is an “ideation” and an annoyance is a “botherization.”
———
This is nearly every conversation we have when a stranger calls us:
Phone rings.
Me: Hello?
Person: Hello?
Me: Hello?
Person: Hello?
Me: (exasperated) Yes? What do you want?
Person: (confused) Ma’am?
Me: (nearly shouting at this point) WHAT?
Person: (tentatively) Ma’am, I’m calling from Vodafone about…)
We thought it was just us. What are we doing wrong? How are we supposed to answer the phone? Why do they always sound so confused when they call us, as if we’re the first sales call of their entire career?
And then we began to notice the receiving halves of “Hello? Hello?” during meetings. (In India, the person on the phone inevitably takes precedent over the person in front of you. There is literally no such thing as voice mail. Conversations end and meetings are put on hold for people to answer the phone. The first time Dave answered his phone with a quick “Jenny, I’ll call you back,” everyone in the room was shocked at how rude he was to his wife.)
So after paying attention to conversations around us, we’re convinced the Four Hellos happens to everyone, not just us. Except they don’t get exasperated. They don’t shout. That’s just us.
(By the way, when the above conversation occurred, I cut the sales guy off by telling him I wasn’t interested, and then I hung up without waiting for a response. The joke was on me: he patiently redialed and the entire conversation, including the Four Hellos, was then repeated in its entirety.)
———
On the other hand, if you *do* know the person calling you, you don’t say hello. You say “Tell me.”
When we call our landlord: “Yes, Dave. Tell me.”
When our bosses pick up the phone: “Yes, Anuj. Tell me.”
“Tell me.” Not “How’s it going?” or “What can I do for you?” or even “What’s up?” — just a jarring, demanding, abrupt, “Tell me.”
Me: “Hi, Prachi, this is Jenny from downstairs.”
Prachi: “Tell me.”
Me: “Uh…”
———
Dave’s coworkers have taught him Hindi curse words just to hear them said in his American accent. It’s like when you teach your four-year-old brother to say “doodie”. They giggle when he says lund (dick), they laugh when he says choothia (bastard), and they love it when he says bhen calera (a nonsense swear they made up especially for him; it means “sister dick”). And when Dave learned gaand meh le lo (eat my asshole), Dave’s boss ran around the office telling junior account staffers to go ask Dave for such-and-such piece of paper so he could hear him tell them to gaand meh le lo.
And lo, did the office ring with cruel laughter that day.
Dave is reciprocating. He recently taught his coworker the word “douchebag.” His coworker has a thick Bengali accent, though; he now runs around calling everyone “doozebag.”
———
Indian corporate and governmental entities don’t like to take responsibility for anything. Their efforts to apologize for the horrific state of the infrastructure take the passive voice to enterprising new heights with three simple words: “Inconvenience is regretted.”
“Rest assured,” they’re essentially saying, “that someone is sorry this four-lane highway is squeezed into one lane so we can spend six months installing these sewer pipes. We’re NOT saying that WE feel bad about anything; but we want you to know that someone, somewhere, is filled with intense remorse. Not necessarily us. But someone.”
At the airport, which is under a perpetual state of construction, someone somewhere is really ringing their hands over the plight of the traveler. “Inconvenience,” say the signs, “is deeply regretted.”
26 responses so far ↓
Russ // April 13, 2008 at 3:30 am |
Hello?
Hello?
Just wanted to drop a note to say how much I enjoy reading your blog. Great stuff, Dave and Jenny, keep it up!
mmmmmjenny // April 14, 2008 at 2:52 pm |
Thanks Russ! Your feedback positive feedback means a lot to us. Hope all is well with you, Beth and Owen.
Danu // April 14, 2008 at 11:34 pm |
Great post, I love the bit about the ‘inconvenience is regretted’.. and the swearin of course!
Just because I’m obsessive-compulsive, I need to tell you that ‘chootiya’ means fucker and ‘gaand mei le lo’ means take it up the ass, you!
Arvind // April 15, 2008 at 9:38 am |
I am glad someone has helped convey the correct meaning of the abuses (Danu).
I am also amused that you have used gaandmelo as a tag – Are we to expect from articles from that genre
I love this blog. (Thanks to Desi Pundit). This one is getting added to the google reader list.
Keep them coming!
Anshul // April 15, 2008 at 10:42 am |
“Gand mein le lo”
Ha ha ha…
Though it means “Shove it right up your ass”
Nicole // April 15, 2008 at 8:24 pm |
Yeah, they giggle at me when I swear, too. At first I was told it’s because I didn’t use the appropriate amount of venom. So I say it while thinking evil thoughts. That doesn’t work, either, so I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.
take two and call me on one of my six phone numbers in the morning « Our Delhi Struggle // April 26, 2008 at 6:38 pm |
[...] go see the doctor. “Tell me,” they say, of course. And you divulge your mysterious skin rash or what not. They listen, take [...]
Rahul Munshi // June 30, 2008 at 9:29 pm |
you are rushing through your post without interpreting each entry justly.
btw…bhen calera … amusingly spelled
Niket // July 2, 2008 at 3:55 pm |
“Tell me” is one of those literal translations that sound rude in English but are OK in Indian languages.
the mad momma // September 4, 2008 at 6:36 pm |
LOL! I am dying to correct the spelling but I am guessing it wont matter anyway!
Dan Berkowitz // September 21, 2008 at 3:07 pm |
Hey Jenny and Dave,
“Inconvenience is regretted” is plastered across the walls of our temporary office in Delhi…it never made so much sense until now!!
Siddharth Singh // January 31, 2009 at 2:23 pm |
Haha “bhen calera” is spelt so wrong, it’s funny! Well, it’s actually “bhen ka lauda”! Not that I think it’s appropriate to use it anyways… Nice post!
Sanjay // February 1, 2009 at 4:17 pm |
I suspect the difference is that Indians pay attention to the tone in which it is said, so “tell me” in a nice welcoming tone is equally polite.
Perhaps Americans don’t use tone/pitch to convey meaning, so the words are important ? (I’m not a linguist)
The classic example is how Indians convert a statement into a question by giving the last syllable an upward pitch.
Through another’s eyes – “Our Delhi Struggle” « India Unfinished // July 9, 2009 at 6:11 pm |
[...] for anything. Their efforts to apologize for the horrific state of the infrastructure take the passive voice to enterprising new heights with three simple words: “Inconvenience is [...]
Sharell // July 10, 2009 at 10:48 am |
I was laughing to hear of those frustrating phone conversations so similar to the ones I’ve been on the receiving end of — “hello…hello”. I’m now convinced it’s because they’re waiting for me to tell them to speak.
When my husband (Indian) answers the phone to his friends he just say, “haan bol” (yes, speak) . Now when strangers call I just jump in and say “boliye” (please speak) so that they can’t even get to the second round of hellos!
lostrealist // July 28, 2009 at 9:06 pm |
Hahahaha, Aaahahahaa. Doozebag – I know exactly how that would sound with a bengali accent. Me and my wife (we’re Indians in the US) had great fun reading this. Totally hilarious. A sincere Best of luck in India guys =). I hope in some time you see the order in the chaos (yes there is one!). Even I am amazed by the fact that my homecountry somehow keeps functioning, but it does. Inconvenience is regretted. =D
Nitin // July 30, 2009 at 12:15 am |
Ha Ha!!!
I just had comment on this one. The explanation of “Inconvenience is deeply regretted” is the best I have ever heard =)
@Sharell: He He!!! Loved the “haan bol” expression, it is typically used for very close friends, where you don’t need any formal pleasantries, its almost like “I don’t need to be formal with you and neither do you, just speak up!!” and I loved the “boliye” part too, cause you are being polite but to the point at the same time
Raj // August 14, 2009 at 1:35 pm |
When I moved to the US 24 years ago, people would first speak slooooowly and verrrry clearly to me. Then with a look of surprise they would say that I spoke good English. Things have come a long way since then.
JD // August 16, 2009 at 1:35 am |
Made me laugh
“inconvenience is regretted”, it is always 3rd person, as if too ashamed or scared to take the responsibility…
martina // October 7, 2009 at 6:58 pm |
OMG! now it all makes sense to me… LOL
thanks for this post guys!
Prerit // October 8, 2009 at 11:56 am |
LOL
goodness…this one is hilarious !!
tomtom // October 24, 2009 at 7:33 pm |
Here’s a tip:
Me: Hello?
Person: Hello?
Me: Yes
Person: Ma’am, I’m calling from Vodafone about…
Me: gaand meh le lo
Gowhar Fazili // November 19, 2009 at 1:19 pm |
Here is another English from a bizzare world:
MR WONDERFUL FLOWER MAN – KASHMIR
Rastogi // January 4, 2010 at 12:56 am |
God! Even when I call my dad, we go through the “Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello?” routine!
I am from India (currently in Canada, hoping to visit NYC soon!) and your blog made me realize that I am actually so gora inside!
Raj Kashyap // February 3, 2010 at 5:07 pm |
This is hilarious… I think the “Hello” thingy is a leftover from back when the government controlled the telephones, and it was terrible. You had to be sure the other person can hear you. If you can’t hear clearly you kept saying “Hello”, and the caller keeps saying “Hello”. Each successive “Hello” gets louder. So, “Tell me” assures the caller that you can hear.
Sandeep Singh // February 25, 2010 at 9:25 am |
God u made me laugh like anything….Infact i too use “Tell me” with my friends and yah it just means 2 tell him/her that everything is fine and i can hear everything clearly and so there is no need to shout….