Skip to main content

One-stop shop

I hate the phrase 'one-stop shop'. I don't know why but it makes me want to stab my eardrums and eyeballs with sharp scissors. It's at the top of a list of political/commerce cliches that also features 'touch base' and 'flick me an email'.

Oh well, I better get ready for work. I have some 'capacity building' to do.

Comments

Catalin said…
I agree with you on all of it, especially 'touch base' and 'capacity building.' Actually, we don't have 'flick me an email' so that sounds novel to me, but I can't help but think that the main object generally associated with that verb is boogers.

I was at an Earth Day expo today with some students. I cringed several times as earnest booth spokespeople used uselessly 'elevated' language to explain perfectly simple things. I was probably especially aware because I was with my English-learning students and I was listening with their ears. I wanted to tell people to speak plain English, but it would have just flustered them and made them feel bad and they really weren't trying to be knobs, it's just an unfortunate side-effect of a university education.
Anonymous said…
Don't forget to "green light" a few things...and "ring-fence" the rest, build a solution, drive growth and support diversification strategy...blah blah...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
bulbul said…
Never heard "flick me an email" before. But I'm there with ya as far as "touch base in concerned". One of my clients uses it in every other email and every time I read it I go /insert a guttural here/.
Unknown said…
"Shoot me an email" - now that drives me insane when people say that.
O, and also, (similarly to 'touching base') the phrase 'catch up'. "Let's catch up for a coffee". NO THANKS!

Popular posts from this blog

A conference, language policy and Aboriginal languages in Federal Parliament

The other day, I was priveleged in attending a TESOL symposium about 'Keeping Language Diversity Alive'. One of the speakers, Joseph Lo Bianco was excellent and discussed Language Policy. He gave a handout at one of his sessions that I'm going to type out in full here, because it was a real eye-opener. It's from the Official Hansard of the Federal Parliament from a debate that happened on 10/12/98. Here's how it went: Mr SNOWDON: My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware of the decision by the Northern Territory government to phase out bilingual education in Aboriginal schools? Is the Prime Minister also aware that his government funds bilingual education programs in Papua New Guinea and Vietnam? Prime Minister, given that article 26(3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children, will you take a direct approach to the Norther...

Stirring quotes from Aboriginal educators

Today I've been working on my submission for the Federal Government's Inquiry into Language Learning in Indigenous Communities.  As part of my research for my submission, I was searching for quotes from Aboriginal educators in support of bilingual education and Indigenous language education.  When I assembled the quotes, I found it pretty much heartbreaking to see the passion that is there when at the same time Indigenous language education is being denied because of the NT Government's ridiculous Compulsory Teaching in English for the First Four Hours policy.  Here's what I found today: What we want is both-way teaching in the school – not only for two hours a week but everyday there should be both-way teaching… That policy of speaking English only at the school is the wrong thing – it is not good for our children … they will forget their language  - Rembarrnga speaker Miliwanga Sandy (Beswick Community) (in Gosford 2009). I am a qualified bilingual teache...

The Oscar-winning Coda and its (mis)representation of interpreting (or, why I almost walked out of the cinema)

Ok so I'm a linguist not a movie critic but I am an avid movie-goer - part of the generation of Australians raised by Margaret and David to appreciate cinema and think critically about it. (I've even reviewed a few things on this blog: Short-doco Queen of the Desert , short film Lärr and some discussion of the brilliant Croker Island Exodus here ).  At this years Oscars, the film Coda surprised many by taking out Best Picture. It seems like few people have even had a chance to see it. Here in little ol' Katherine, we have a brilliant film society at our local Katherine 3 cinema, where each fortnight we get to watch something a bit different. In late 2021, I had the chance to see Coda there, long before it was thought of as an Oscar contender. Now that Coda is being talked about more than ever before, I wanted to share my experience of watching the film - especially because in one scene in particular, I was so angry that I genuinely considered walking out of the cinema -...