I´d like to penetrate you

If you think today´s title is offensive, imagine receiving an email from your new colleague that begins with that statement. The Corpbanca engagement team didn´t have to imagine such a thing happening to them yesterday, thanks to me. After surviving my first big meeting, which was a somewhat frightening experience, I returned to my desk to send out a few emails. One of these emails was addressed to some people I had not yet met, so rather than just rattling off things that I needed them to do, I began politely with an introduction...or so I thought.

I cc´d my manager so that he was in the loop on what I was asking them to do, and he quickly shot back a response saying thank you. Directly copying our subsequent emails into this post is the best way to recant the sequence of events that followed:

From: Beckham, Cameron (CL - Santiago)
Sent: martes, 18 de octubre de 2011 16:04
To: De Chazal, Guido (CL - Santiago)
Subject: RE: Corpbanca EQCR
Guido,

Do you want me to CC you on things? I figured at first it would be helpful so that people catch the link from you to me. Let me know if you would like me to continue this practice and if anything I say sounds weird. I´m open to feedback – both on grammatical things and the proper way to address people, as I have noticed that they are friendlier than I´m used to in emails.


Thanks,


Cameron


From: De Chazal, Guido (CL - Santiago)

Sent: martes, 18 de octubre de 2011 16:10
To: Beckham, Cameron (CL - Santiago)
Subject: RE: Corpbanca EQCR

Hi Cameron,

Thanks for your email. Yes, please CC me on your communications with the SEC registrants. As for grammar tips, if you want to “introduce yourself” you would say “quiero presentarme como…” instead of “quisiera introducirme” as “introducir” could be misunderstood as you wanting to penetrate an object with another. Other than that, your emails have been very polite and with the proper tone and message.

Regards,

Guido de Chazal

Well...good thing I got that tip. I guess it would be worse to introduce myself that way to someone in a social setting. Or maybe not. If I learned anything yesterday, it is never trust Google Translate as the authority on proper grammar.