14 SCHIMPFEN IM BERUF Business Spotlight
WTF!
The f-word seems to come far too easy to learners of
English. As a non-native speaker of English, it may even
seem less offensive than it does to native speakers.
That’s not to say we don’t use it. Do we? Fuck yeah!
(Used strategically, it can have a humorous effect.) But
we also use polite alternatives in business situations.
Did you know?
In Britain until the 1960s, the
use of the f-word in the media
might have led to prosecution.
Today, some conservative
publications, such as The Daily
Mail, still choose to hide swear
words. They replace letters
with asterisks (f**k), often
turning a report into a kind of
puzzle. For an insight into how
swearing in the British media
has changed over the years,
watch Yes, Minister, a BBC
comedy series on politics in
the 1980s, then The Thick of It, a
BBC satirical series on politics
in the 21st century. Short clips
are available on YouTube.Strong
Mike: What the fuck just
happened? Why didn’t
we include the extra
costs in the offer?
Jake: Sales forgot.
Mike: For fuck’s sake! You'll
have send a new offer.
Jake: Me? Un-fucking-
believable! Call sales
and tell them to fix
their own fucking
mistake!
Mild
Dave: How’s the software?
Sabine: FUBAR!
Dave: They still haven’t fixed
it?
Sabine: They’ve done sweet
FA about it.