“We’re looking for a collaboration with you.”
Take a seat; I’m getting on a soapbox.
As a psychologist, I’m fascinated by words.
They’re a gateway to our cognition and it intrigues me immeasurably.
(It’s why I collect words without direct translations, like Firgun.)
When people use the incorrect word – like claiming that there’s “exponential growth” of something or using “nauseous” when they mean “nauseated” – I get a little bit of rage inside.
My current pet peeve is “collaboration”.
It means the action of working with someone to produce something; to work together to create or achieve the same thing.
But, recently, it seems to have taken on a new definition: ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐.
– “I specialise in CRM systems and am looking for forward-thinking partners. Would you be open to discussing collaboration?”
– “I believe thereโs a fantastic opportunity for collaboration. I represent xxxx, where we specialize in .NET technologies and have developed an innovative Object Detection System”
– “I specialize in website design and WordPress customization and would like to discuss potential collaboration paths with you.”
I get it.
Cold pitches and copy-paste DMs are part and parcel of business.
But for the love of Odin’s Raven, please use the right word!
Even “๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ง๐ง. ๐๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐บ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ง๐ง?” is far more sincere – and it stops me having a little rage and thinking about The Princess Bride.
