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Where Did That Expression Come From?

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Services for Real Estate Pros with Ward County Notary Services 607851

Being I often deal with people whose second language is English this comic got me thinking that one should NOT use figurative language when dealing with people who may not know/understand our slang.

As a Notary Public I need to adhere to the State of North Dakota's strict policies when it comes Notarizing a foreign document. Those strict policies are meant to keep me out of legal trouble and also protect everyone involved with the document I am notarizing.

Admittedly this is NOT something I paid close attention to as a Real Estate professional. In retrospect I should have. I never did get myself in a jam in this way but I could have as I did work with foreign Buyers on occasion.

Keeping in mind that until very recently hundreds of thousands of people poured over our Southern border I assume Real Estate professionals are dealing with more people who either know English as a second language or do not know English at all. That being said I caution you to be sure you have a good interpreter attending all meeting when you are working with someone who you do not understand clearly.

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Do you enjoy the cartoons written by my son (Timmothy N. Timm) which I use as a springboard to write my daily posts? His strip, Titus & Philemon, has run in two newspapers for years as well as being printed in my blog every day. Titus & Philemon (pronounced Phi - Lee -Man) are guinea pigs. Their owner is Joe. Timmothy has never repeated a joke/comic strip in the 12 years he has been writing it. He has never copied another strip, such as Peanuts or Garfield. You can follow Timmothy on FB as Titus & Philemon and you can also check him out on Instagram as Instagram.com/titus and philemon/ .For Timmothy's website type timmtimmothy.com into your browser. I tried to put it in a link here but it refuses to work. Do NOT put anything in front of timmtimmothy.com or it will not work. 

Comments(4)

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Will Hamm
Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO
"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Hello Bob and I have hire people if I have foreign people that do not know much English and I could not understand them.  I got referrals in the pass from people because of that.

 

Jun 16, 2025 10:12 AM
Bob "RealMan" Timm

I had a similar situation Will Hamm with the local Philopena population here BUT they all spoke English. They were very loyal, the entire community.

Jun 16, 2025 10:31 AM
Lew Corcoran
Better Living Real Estate, LLC - East Bridgewater, MA
Expert guidance. Exceptional results.

Thanks for sharing this insightful post, Bob "RealMan" Timm. I really appreciate you highlighting the importance of clear communication, especially when working with clients from different language backgrounds. Your point about using plain language and having a good interpreter on hand is a great reminder for all of us in real estate. 😊

Jun 16, 2025 06:37 PM
Bob "RealMan" Timm

Thank you Lew Corcoran . When dealing with languages we don't understand we are leaving ourselves wide open for a law suit.

Jun 16, 2025 07:03 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Real Estate Broker

Good morning, Bob... while I'm reasonably fluent in several languages, I do not do business in those languages. I am not trained in the language of real estate and law in anything by English. The liability is more than I want to undertake.

Jun 17, 2025 04:59 AM
Bob "RealMan" Timm

Liability is the key here Nina Hollander, Broker . Just curious, how is your French? 😊

Jun 17, 2025 07:43 AM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

If I had a lead that was only fluent in a language other than English, I'd refer them to someone who spoke their language!

Jun 17, 2025 06:05 AM
Bob "RealMan" Timm

When this situation came up for me there was always a bilingual relative there to help out Kat Palmiotti . If their had not been I would have done as you suggested.

Jun 17, 2025 07:42 AM