The polite Englishman, living in the Netherlands, wanting to end his written correspondence as the Dutch do by writing “met vriendelijke groeten” (which means “with friendly greetings”) unwittingly added one letter, ending his written correspondence “met vriendelijke groenten” which translates as “with friendly vegetables”. Luckily one of the recipients of this greeting alerted the Englishman to his mistake.

Jim Morris is a senior facilitator and project manager for Schouten Global. He lives and breathes culture: English by nationality, he lives in the Netherlands and works all over the world facilitating professional learning and development. His latest book The Eight Great Beacons of Cultural Awareness (a practical guide that will strengthen your cultural awareness) is available as e-book here.