Not handy

'To be honest, I have here totally no sense in', zegt Bert Speelman. 'But when we see how international Wageningen becomes, than we say: go foward with the goat. From now on myself, my dear colleague Case van Ast en of course our president Mister Dijkhuizen will all talk English in these meetings.'

Het is rustig in de Gemeenschappelijke Vergadering. Een gevolg van de loomte van de naderende zomervakantie.

'Bert, one question', zegt Kees van Ast.

'Go ahead, Case', zegt Speelman.

'Why don't you have sense in it, Bert? What's wrong with English?'

'Well, it remains a foreign language for you and me. People like miss Jasmine Osorio here talk it much better than we. She can talk us completely flat if she wants to.'

'I see', zegt Van Ast. 'That is not handy. But what can you do about it?'

'Absolutely nothing, Case. If you want to be an international university...'

'...Knowledge Centre, Bert.'

'...an international Knowledge Centre, then you must speak English. So simple is it.'

'One more question, Bert', zegt Kees van Ast.

'Asking stands freely', zegt Speelman.

'How about translating the documents which we will discuss in the meeting?'

'We are not beginning from there. There is not one hair on my head that thinks of it. No one will read them totally anyway, its a lot of trouble and it costs too much money.'

'I agree', zegt Van Ast. 'We are not mad Henkie.'

01.07.2004