We have this elderly clerical person, who is quiet, cooperative, helpful and willing to work. One thing she probably cannot do is write good English, but she manages. One of the jobs done by her is to maintain various keys of different places in the department. The other day I wanted the key to the department's toilet. You may wonder why we need to lock the toilet door. Well, that is to keep visitors out (they have their own toilet) and keep the taps safe from thieves. When I got the key, I looked at it and was confused by the label on the key chain.
'Tolite" it read. I used to solve jubled words puzzles as a child, and I have not forgotten the art. After a few seconds I understood it was 'Toilet' and not 'Tolite'.
"Who has written 'Tolite' on this key chain?" I asked her.
She looked at my face. She also knew by experience that when I asked some question, there would be something wrong with it.
"It is the other clerical person" she said.
When I met the other clerical person, and asked her about this 'Tolite' business, she maintained it was not her, but the first clerical person who had written it, as a part of her job. I left it at that. Then the other day I had to fix the exercise bicycle in our department's gymnasium (not a part of my job, but the engineers would not do it and I had to do it), I asked for the key to the gymnasium. I took the key and looked at its label to confirm that I had got the right key.
'Jim' it read.
Oh, they probably mean 'Gym' I thought and went to fix the cycle. When I returned the key, I asked the second clerical person and got confirmation that the first clerical person had labelled this one too.
"Do you know what is on the label?" I asked her.
"Jim something" she said.
"What does it mean?" I asked.
"Umm ..." she said with a confused face.
So even if we had switched their job descriptions, the result would probably have been the same.
'Tolite" it read. I used to solve jubled words puzzles as a child, and I have not forgotten the art. After a few seconds I understood it was 'Toilet' and not 'Tolite'.
"Who has written 'Tolite' on this key chain?" I asked her.
She looked at my face. She also knew by experience that when I asked some question, there would be something wrong with it.
"It is the other clerical person" she said.
When I met the other clerical person, and asked her about this 'Tolite' business, she maintained it was not her, but the first clerical person who had written it, as a part of her job. I left it at that. Then the other day I had to fix the exercise bicycle in our department's gymnasium (not a part of my job, but the engineers would not do it and I had to do it), I asked for the key to the gymnasium. I took the key and looked at its label to confirm that I had got the right key.
'Jim' it read.
Oh, they probably mean 'Gym' I thought and went to fix the cycle. When I returned the key, I asked the second clerical person and got confirmation that the first clerical person had labelled this one too.
"Do you know what is on the label?" I asked her.
"Jim something" she said.
"What does it mean?" I asked.
"Umm ..." she said with a confused face.
So even if we had switched their job descriptions, the result would probably have been the same.
