Jack is an old friend of mine and he is a professional traveller. He works for a tourist company, travels around the world stays in different hotels. While in the hotel, Jack should form an opinion about the location, surroundings and the services there. He pays attention to every detail and writes reports about all this to his office in Poland. Thanks to the internet, the people in the office instantly get his reports and recommend or don’t recommend the hotel to their customers. Jack also runs a blog for travellers where he posts photos and videos, and shares his impressions and experience with his readers.
Though Jack writes mostly in English, sometimes he has to work with ads, posts and comments in Polish. When that happens, he comes to me for help. In fact, Jack is very good at languages, which is one of his essential professional skills, but Polish has always been a problem for him. He says that the West Slavic languages are the most difficult ones and they should be learned in early childhood. An adult without any Slavic roots has no chance to learn them and that is why Jack has never really tried. I can’t say I agree with such a categorical statement, but it’s his personal opinion.
Every time, when I help Jack to understand the tricky Polish texts, he shares a lot of information about his job. Officially, Jack’s position is "travel advisor" and he insists that his job is very stressful and demanding! Indeed, he has to fly a lot. And though he usually feels OK on board a plane, frequent flights are very tiresome. He said that when he travelled to Australia last month, he had awful jet lag and was unable to work for two days after his arrival back in Europe.
There is another thing that makes Jack feel unhappy with his job. That thing is that a few years ago Jack got married and now the couple have a baby son. Jack feels that he would like to spend more time at home. His frequent trips do not bring him as much joy as they used to and he is considering quitting his dream job.
Last time I saw him, Jack was talking about starting his own business. He mentioned that, before he was employed in tourism, he had wanted to be a photographer. Photography has always had a special place in his heart. While a small boy, Jack enjoyed taking photos of nature and pets. And as a teenager, he participated in different contests and was awarded a few prizes.
‘People still say I have a unique vision and the photos I take are somehow special. They are probably just flattering, but why not give myself a second chance? What do you think?’ Jack asked me, obviously looking for encouragement.
‘To tell the truth, I can’t see anything wrong with it,’ I answered. ‘You can set up your own photo studio and I’ll be your first client. But…’ here I pulled out my phone and pointed to a list of professional photography courses on the screen, ‘a professional photography certificate will make it easier. Certificates always attract clients and when you have none...’
‘Right,’ Jack nodded in agreement, ‘Taking a course is a good idea.’ And we both leaned over the screen studying the suggested options.
– True), не соответствует (
– False) или об этом в тексте не сказано, то есть на основании текста нельзя дать ни положительного, ни отрицательного ответа (
– Not stated).