Saying I’m Sorry in the Workplace

Having lived in Taiwan for 10 years, I found that the phrase “I’m sorry to hear that” caused much confusion, especially with non-English speakers.

A coworker shared something bad that happened to her recently.

I said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She replied, “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“I’m sorry to hear that” doesn’t always mean an admission of fault. In the scenario above, I wanted to let my coworker know that I felt her pain.

“I’m sorry to hear that” is a general but polite response to bad news.

Phrases don’t always translate directly across cultures.

在台灣住了10年後，我發現 “I’m sorry to hear that” 引起了很多誤會，尤其是對於非英語發言者。

一位同事分享了最近發生在她身上的一件壞事。

我說：“I’m sorry to hear that.”

她回答說：“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“I’m sorry,” 並不總是意味著承認錯誤。 在上述情況下，我只是想讓同事知道我感到她的痛苦。

“I’m sorry to hear that,” 是對壞消息的普遍但有禮貌的回應。

短語並不總是直接跨文化翻譯。