Solution of English Grade IX || Unit 5 Why “I’m Sorry” Doesn’t Always Translate || Reading I

Unit 5

Why “I’m Sorry” Doesn’t Always Translate

Key points from the text:

1. There is a misunderstanding between Americans and Japanese when it comes to apologies.

2. Examples of misunderstandings include Americans not being moved by apologies from the Toyota CEO after car malfunctions and Japan being upset when a US submarine commander didn't immediately apologize for a collision with a Japanese fishing boat.

3. Different cultures have different rules and meanings for apologies, and this confusion goes beyond just the US and Japan.

4. Americans often see apologies as admitting guilt, while the Japanese view them as a way to show willingness to repair relationships without accepting blame.

5. In a survey, US students were more likely to think apologies meant accepting personal responsibility, while Japanese students apologized more frequently, even when they weren't personally responsible.

6. Apologies are important for building trust, and Japanese students were more willing to trust an applicant for a job who apologized for filing an incorrect tax return.

7. Americans tend to associate apologies with personal responsibility because they focus on individual actions, while in Japan and other East Asian countries, apologies acknowledge unfortunate events without assigning blame.

8. Executives need to understand these cultural differences to use apologies effectively in negotiations, resolving conflicts, and rebuilding trust.

9. The differences in understanding apologies are just one part of a broader disconnect between Eastern and Western cultures that is often overlooked in the rush for globalization.

10. Managers should pay attention to other cultural nuances that may be easily misunderstood to ensure effective communication.

A. Find the words/phrases from the text for the following meanings. The first letter has been given.

a. t……........ to have difficulty saying something clearly or correctly

trip over

b. e………… showing too much emotion

effusive

c. b………… became annoyed or offended

bristled

d. i………... accustomed to do something

inured

e. c……….. the fact of being responsible

culpability

f. a…..... ... a statement saying that you strongly believe something to be true

assertion

g. a…....... to say or believe that something is the result of a particular thing

attribute

h. s……… connected with the meaning of words and sentences

semantic

i. n……… a very slight difference in meaning

nuances

B. Match the first halves in column A with their endings in column B to make complete sentences.

a. Americans didn’t show- iv. sympathy to Akio Toyoda’s effusive apologies.

b. People are accustomed- iii. to an apology in Hong Kong.

c. Japanese use an apology- v. to repair their damaged relationship.

d. American participants seemed - i. less interested in a second research.

e. Researchers found- ii. similar patterns in East Asian countries.

C. Answer the following questions.

a. Why did Japan become annoyed with the US submarine commander?

Japan became annoyed with the US submarine commander because he didn’t immediately apologise after colliding with and sinking a Japanese fishing boat off Hawaii in 2001.

b. How do Americans and Japanese perceive an apology?

Americans perceive an apology as an admission of wrongdoing, while Japanese see an apology as a way to show eagerness to fix a relationship, without necessarily accepting blame (with no necessary implication of culpability).

c. What, according to the survey, is the average result of an apology in Japanese and American students?

According to the survey, Japanese students recalled issuing an average of 11.05 apologies in the previous week, whereas US students recalled issuing just 4.51 apologies.

d. What was displayed in a video show?

The video showed an applicant for an accounting job apologizing for having deliberately filed an incorrect tax return for a prior client.

e. Who were the respondents of the second study?

The respondents of the second study were undergraduates from both the US and Japan.

f. How can the executives apply an apology?

The executives can apply an apology as a tool for facilitating negotiations, resolving conflicts, and repairing trust by understanding the cultural nuances associated with apologies in different countries. They need to recognize that apologies may be perceived differently based on the cultural context and adjust their approach accordingly.

Grammar I

Present Continuous Tense

Structure: subject + auxiliary be + present participle (-ing)

The present continuous is used to talk about:

- activities at the moment of speaking

- future plans or arrangements

Signal Words:

- now

- tonight

- at the moment

- at present

- right now

- Look!

- Listen!

nowadays and these days - present simple

B. Use the correct form of the verbs in brackets to complete the sentences.

a. Be quiet! The baby ……….. (sleep).

The baby is sleeping.

b. It ……….. (rain) cats and dogs here in the Monsoon season.

It rains cats and dogs here in the Monsoon season.

c. John is busy. He …………. (work) at the moment.

He is working at the moment.

d. Please keep quiet, I ..................... (listen) to the radio. You know I ................. (listen) to the news in the mornings.

I am listening to the radio. I listen to the news in the mornings.

e. What time ............. the first bus ................. (leave) for Kathmandu?

What time does the first bus leave for Kathmandu?

f. I usually .................. (not wear) a scarf, but today I .............. (wear) one because it's unusually cold.

I usually do not wear a scarf, but today I am wearing one because it's unusually cold.

g. She …………… (travel) to Dhangadhi next weekend.

She is travelling to Dhangadhi next weekend.

h. Pasang is in the classroom at the moment. He …….. (study)History.

He is studying History.

i. These days most people ….(write) emails instead of writing letters.

These days most people write emails instead of writing letters.

j. What sort of clothes ............ teenagers ................(wear) nowadays?

What sort of clothes do teenagers wear nowadays?

k. What ............ you ................. (do) tonight? Would you like to come and watch the game?

What are you doing tonight?

l. You look worried. What ..............you…............. (think) of?

What are you thinking of?

m. She usually drives a taxi. But today, she is …………. (drive) a lorry.

But today, she is driving a lorry.

n. These kids (not do) what I've asked them to do.

These kids are not doing what I've asked them to do.

Writing I

B. The pie charts below show the information about household expenditure in Nepal in 2004 and 2011. Write an interpretation of the charts making comparisons where necessary.

The pie charts show differences in Nepalese household spending in four categories in 2004 and 2011.

According to the data, food had the largest percentage in the chart in 2004 and 2011, which accounted for 59% and 61.5 % respectively. There was a rise with a minor increase of 1.5%. The second most spent sector of the expenditure in 2004 was non food items with 28.7 %, but surprisingly it reduced to 22.2 % of the whole expense in 2011. In both 2004 and 2011, education and housing represented the lowest and second-lowest spending categories, respectively. There was a slight increase by 1.5 % and 2.5 % in the expenditures on housing and education, and made up 11% and 9.5% respectively.

Overall, food and non food items remained the largest categories in both years, with housing and education remaining the smallest. The change to the household budget share of non food was particularly noticeable.