So long, chaps

This is a true story – it did not happen to me, but it has been confirmed by multiple sources. Names have been omitted to protect the innocent and guilty.

A reasonably well-known J-E translator got a temp assignment working in-house at a Japanese company for about 6 months. Great translator, but a bit of a…character, shall we say. Never wore anything remotely business-like. Always wore a brown bomber jacket regardless of weather, big bushy beard etc.

Every day at 5pm on the dot, he would stand up, salute the office with a ‘So long, chaps’, spin around and walk out.

Every day. For six months.

At the end of the six months, the project is finished and the office holds a little farewell party for him. Beverages are imbibed, as tends to be the case, and near the end of the evening, one of the managers finally works up the courage to walk over to him and say “We really liked your work, but did you have to call us “Japs” every day?”