| Sidor om ämnet: < [1 2 3 4 5] > | Have a nice day?? Trådens avsändare: Jessica Noyes
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Tom in London
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Medlem (2008)
Italienska till Engelska
| Yes, you should. | Jun 20, 2013 |
Jessica Noyes wrote:
Are these purely North American constructions? Should I refrain from using them with denizens of the U.K.?
Yes, please do refrain. I don't know when Americans started saying "have a nice day" but I hope a time will come when they stop. Which hopefully will also be the time when they stop referring to recently deceased family members as "loved ones".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loved_One
| | | | | As a translator | Jun 20, 2013 |
Working with clients all over the world, It is good to be flexible regarding such things. To make my life easier, I just understand the greeting a priori as polite and do not overinterpret it. For me "have a nice day" from an American is as polite as a "mit freundlichen Grüßen" from a German. On the other hand, while I feel very comfortable with being called Anna from the first introduction e-mail, I find it disturbing that a certain Austrian PM drops half my surname and my Dr (which I seldom... See more Working with clients all over the world, It is good to be flexible regarding such things. To make my life easier, I just understand the greeting a priori as polite and do not overinterpret it. For me "have a nice day" from an American is as polite as a "mit freundlichen Grüßen" from a German. On the other hand, while I feel very comfortable with being called Anna from the first introduction e-mail, I find it disturbing that a certain Austrian PM drops half my surname and my Dr (which I seldom use, go figure). It is a kind of fuzzy logic or better a matter of Bauchgefühl. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Medlem (2008)
Italienska till Engelska
| Offensive/invasive | Jun 20, 2013 |
Anna Spanoudaki-Thurm wrote:
For me "have a nice day" from an American is as polite as ......
For people in the UK, "have a nice day" is an intolerable invasion of the thing that's considered most important here: personal privacy.
"Have a nice day" is perceived as arrogant, presumptuous, unacceptably "forward", invasive, and verging on the personally offensive.
After all: my day, and whether or not it might prove to be "nice" (which is a horrible word at the best of times), is really none of your business.
That's why we wince whenever anyone says it.
As an alternative to wincing, I sometimes reply "thank you, but I have other plans".
[Edited at 2013-06-20 13:52 GMT]
| | | | Rebecca Hendry 
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Medlem (2005)
Spanska till Engelska
+ ...
| Well, I'm sorry to offend but... | Jun 20, 2013 |
... I often wish strangers well as I say goodbye, and I am a born and bred Brit. If I've had some kind of interaction with a shopkeeper, waiter, etc. then I will say "Have a good day/afternoon/evening/weekend" as I leave.
I'm not being insincere, I'm just being friendly, and I fail to see how it invades anyone's privacy!
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Angie Garbarino
Local time: 01:16
Medlem (2003)
Franska till Italienska
+ ...
Tom in London wrote:
For people in the UK, "have a nice day" is an intolerable invasion of the thing that's considered most important here: personal privacy.
"Have a nice day" is perceived as arrogant, presumptuous, unacceptably "forward", invasive, and verging on the personally offensive.
I can't understand why? It is just friendly.
However, my UK clients always wish me a nice week end, are they insincere? I do not think so... I just think they are flexible.
| | | | Tom in London
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Medlem (2008)
Italienska till Engelska
Angie Garbarino wrote:
I can't understand why? It is just friendly.
However, my UK clients always wish me a nice week end, are they insincere? I do not think so... I just think they are flexible.
"have a GOOD (never 'nice') weekend" would be acceptable if you know the person and are already aware of their weekend plans. But not otherwise since for all you know, that person might be intending to commit a murder that weekend.
"have a GOOD (never 'nice') day" isn't acceptable unless the other person has told you what they are planning to do that day. Otherwise, not. Usually the day in question is a working day, and it is not the purpose of a working day to make it 'nice'. I suppose it might be acceptable to say "have an effective day" or "have a productive day"; but nobody says that.
I, for one, do not want to ever have "nice" days. I can't imagine anything more repulsive.
In general, the word "nice" is to be avoided, unless used with irony.
[Edited at 2013-06-20 14:14 GMT]
| | | | Nicole Schnell
USA
Local time: 16:16
Engelska till Tyska
+ ...
In memoriam | Oh, Tom. Put a lid on it. | Jun 20, 2013 |
Tom in London wrote:
For people in the UK, "have a nice day" is an intolerable invasion of the thing that's considered most important here: personal privacy.
"Have a nice day" is perceived as arrogant, presumptuous, unacceptably "forward", invasive, and verging on the personally offensive.
After all: my day, and whether or not it might prove to be "nice" (which is a horrible word at the best of times), is really none of your business.
That's why we wince whenever anyone says it.
As an alternative to wincing, I sometimes reply "thank you, but I have other plans".
Rather tell your fellow Britons that it is absolutely inappropriate to address an American woman with: "Dear" or, worst of all: "Love". (Reaction: "Have we met??!?", "Disgusting pervert!").
| | | | XXXphxxx (X)
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Portugisiska till Engelska
+ ...
Tom, since you're Irish are you speaking for the Irish, the Brits or both?
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Angie Garbarino
Local time: 01:16
Medlem (2003)
Franska till Italienska
+ ...
| Same question | Jun 20, 2013 |
Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
Tom, since you're Irish are you speaking for the Irish, the Brits or both?
I second this question
| | | | LuciaC
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Engelska till Italienska
+ ...
Well, the other day a college porter called me "pet"! It's unusual here in East Anglia, but I find it really sweet... and very British, the echo of a time that is heading towards extinction.
| | | | Ty Kendall
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Hebreiska till Engelska
@Tom
I don't think the vast majority of the English (I won't speak for the Welsh, Scottish or Irish) find "Have a nice day" offensive. Mildly annoying perhaps, but not much beyond that. Especially in a retail context, people understand it's just a stock phrase the retail person is most likely forced to say.
Since outside of a retail/hospitality context most people seldom say it (i.e. I'd never say it to a friend or family member on parting, not unless I felt like being... See more @Tom
I don't think the vast majority of the English (I won't speak for the Welsh, Scottish or Irish) find "Have a nice day" offensive. Mildly annoying perhaps, but not much beyond that. Especially in a retail context, people understand it's just a stock phrase the retail person is most likely forced to say.
Since outside of a retail/hospitality context most people seldom say it (i.e. I'd never say it to a friend or family member on parting, not unless I felt like being teased), I'd say most people don't even give it too much thought.
When I was the minimum waged retail person I always found it amusing when a customer would wish me "a nice/good/any other positive adjective day" because I'd stand there thinking "are you kidding me? I'm here till 10pm, it's taking all my energy just to refrain from going postal" although what came out of my mouth was "you too!" with a forced "retail smile".
There's too much offence taken in this world, I'm certainly not going to take it because of "have a nice day". ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ty Kendall
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Hebreiska till Engelska
LuciaC wrote:
Well, the other day a college porter called me "pet"! It's unusual here in East Anglia, but I find it really sweet... and very British, the echo of a time that is heading towards extinction.
These terms (this one and the ones Nicole mentioned) are more commonly associated with certain Northern dialects. They are not limited to women either, northern women have called me "love" in the past (and "duck")....although not in a business/professional context.
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XXXphxxx (X)
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Portugisiska till Engelska
+ ...
| Lover (off-topic) | Jun 20, 2013 |
LuciaC wrote:
Well, the other day a college porter called me "pet"! It's unusual here in East Anglia, but I find it really sweet... and very British, the echo of a time that is heading towards extinction.
Well, if the Americans find "Love" offensive then I can't imagine what they'd say about "me lover", which is the equivalent of "pet" in the south-west.
| | | | Ty Kendall
Storbritannien
Local time: 00:16
Hebreiska till Engelska
| I love "me lover" | Jun 20, 2013 |
Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
LuciaC wrote:
Well, the other day a college porter called me "pet"! It's unusual here in East Anglia, but I find it really sweet... and very British, the echo of a time that is heading towards extinction.
Well, if the Americans find "Love" offensive then I can't imagine what they'd say about "me lover", which is the equivalent of "pet" in the south-west.
Makes me think of a west-country accent every time I hear it and I like the west-country accent(s).
I also have a soft spot for people who don't drop their accents/dialects and force themselves into standard English in formal situations.
...which may be quite a common opinion, given the placement of call centres in places like Cardiff and Newcastle, supposedly because of the accents/dialects.
| | | | Nicole Schnell
USA
Local time: 16:16
Engelska till Tyska
+ ...
In memoriam | That is exactly the point | Jun 20, 2013 |
Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
Well, if the Americans find "Love" offensive then I can't imagine what they'd say about "me lover", which is the equivalent of "pet" in the south-west.
I see discussions regarding the finer points between Northern, Southern, the South-West, Welsh, Irish or not, British or not. Yet 315 million people spread over 3.79 million square miles (9,83 million km2) are called "the Americans". Apparently finer points don't apply to this continent.
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