A rushed packing decision leaves an employee with the wrong folders ready for a customer. The delivery driver is due soon, and admitting the mistake means asking for help.
01Read the Arabic story
عِنْدَمَا اِعْتَرَفْتُ بِخَطَئِي فِي الْعَمَلِ
كُنْتُ أَعْمَلُ فِي مَتْجَرٍ لِلْأَدَوَاتِ الْمَكْتَبِيَّةِ. فِي صَبَاحِ يَوْمِ الْاِثْنَيْنِ، طَلَبَ عَمِيلٌ اثْنَيْنِ وَثَلَاثِينَ مِلَفًّا أَزْرَقَ لِدَوْرَةٍ تَدْرِيبِيَّةٍ. أَرَادَ اسْتِلَامَهَا قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ، فَأَسْرَعْتُ إِلَى الْمَخْزَنِ وَبَدَأْتُ تَجْهِيزَ الطَّلَبِ. كَانَ هَذَا أَوَّلَ طَلَبٍ كَبِيرٍ أَتَوَلَّاهُ وَحْدِي، وَلِذَلِكَ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُثْبِتَ أَنَّنِي أَسْتَطِيعُ إِنْجَازَهُ بِسُرْعَةٍ وَمِنْ دُونِ مُسَاعَدَةٍ.
أَخَذْتُ الْمِلَفَّاتِ مِنْ صُنْدُوقٍ عَلَيْهِ وَرَقَةٌ زَرْقَاءُ، وَلَمْ أَفْتَحِ الْأَغْلِفَةَ لِأَتَأَكَّدَ مِنَ اللَّوْنِ. بَعْدَ أَنْ أَغْلَقْتُ صُنْدُوقَ التَّوْصِيلِ، لَاحَظْتُ مِلَفًّا بَاقِيًا فَوْقَ الطَّاوِلَةِ. كَانَ أَخْضَرَ! فَتَحْتُ الصُّنْدُوقَ، فَوَجَدْتُ أَنَّنِي وَضَعْتُ فِيهِ الْمِلَفَّاتِ الْخَضْرَاءَ كُلَّهَا. نَظَرْتُ إِلَى السَّاعَةِ؛ كَانَ سَائِقُ التَّوْصِيلِ سَيَصِلُ بَعْدَ أَرْبَعِينَ دَقِيقَةً فَقَطْ.
خِفْتُ أَنْ يَظُنَّ الْمُشْرِفُ أَنَّنِي لَا أُحْسِنُ الْعَمَلَ. فَكَّرْتُ فِي لَوْمِ مَنْ وَضَعَ الْوَرَقَةَ عَلَى الصُّنْدُوقِ، لَكِنَّنِي تَذَكَّرْتُ أَنَّ فَحْصَ الْبِضَاعَةِ مَسْؤُولِيَّتِي. ذَهَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَقُلْتُ: «أَنَا اِخْتَرْتُ اللَّوْنَ الْخَطَأَ، وَأَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مُسَاعَدَةٍ لِتَصْحِيحِ الطَّلَبِ». سَأَلَنِي عَنِ الْعَدَدِ وَالْوَقْتِ الْبَاقِي، ثُمَّ طَلَبَ مِنْ زَمِيلِي أَنْ يَعْمَلَ مَعِي.
أَخْرَجْنَا الْمِلَفَّاتِ الْخَضْرَاءَ، وَوَضَعْنَا الزَّرْقَاءَ مَكَانَهَا. كُنْتُ أَعُدُّهَا، وَكَانَ زَمِيلِي يُرَاجِعُ اللَّوْنَ وَالْحَالَةَ. أَجَّلْنَا اسْتِرَاحَتَنَا الْقَصِيرَةَ، وَانْتَهَيْنَا قَبْلَ وُصُولِ السَّائِقِ بِعَشْرِ دَقَائِقَ. بَعْدَ أَنْ غَادَرَ السَّائِقُ، شَكَرْتُ زَمِيلِي وَأَعَدْتُ الْمِلَفَّاتِ الْأُخْرَى إِلَى مَكَانِهَا. ثُمَّ اسْتَبْدَلْنَا الْوَرَقَةَ بِبِطَاقَةٍ وَاضِحَةٍ تَحْمِلُ اسْمَ اللَّوْنِ وَرَقْمَ الصِّنْفِ.
فِي الظُّهْرِ، أَكَّدَ الْعَمِيلُ أَنَّهُ اسْتَلَمَ طَلَبَهُ الصَّحِيحَ. قَالَ لِي الْمُشْرِفُ: «الْخَطَأُ أَخَذَ مِنَّا وَقْتًا، وَلَكِنَّ إِخْبَارَكَ لَنَا مُبَكِّرًا أَعْطَانَا فُرْصَةً لِإِصْلَاحِهِ». لَمْ أَشْعُرْ بِالْفَخْرِ بِخَطَئِي، بَلْ بِأَنَّنِي لَمْ أُخْفِهِ. وَفِي الطَّلَبِ التَّالِي، فَحَصْتُ الْمِلَفَّ الْأَوَّلَ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَبْدَأَ التَّغْلِيفَ، وَتَرَكْتُ وَقْتًا لِمُرَاجَعَةِ الْعَدَدِ وَاللَّوْنِ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى.
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I worked in an office-supplies shop. On Monday morning, a customer ordered thirty-two blue folders for a training course. He wanted to receive them before noon, so I hurried to the storeroom and began preparing the order. This was the first large order I was handling alone, so I wanted to prove that I could complete it quickly and without help.
I took the folders from a box with a blue piece of paper on it and did not open the wrappers to check the colour. After closing the delivery box, I noticed a folder left on the table. It was green! I opened the box and found that I had put all the green folders inside it. I looked at the clock: the delivery driver would arrive in just forty minutes.
I was afraid the supervisor would think I could not do the job properly. I considered blaming whoever had put the paper on the box, but remembered that checking the goods was my responsibility. I went to him and said, “I chose the wrong colour, and I need help correcting the order.” He asked me about the quantity and the time remaining, then asked my colleague to work with me.
We took out the green folders and put the blue ones in their place. I counted them while my colleague checked the colour and condition. We postponed our short break and finished ten minutes before the driver arrived. After the driver left, I thanked my colleague and returned the other folders to their place. Then we replaced the paper with a clear label carrying the colour name and product number.
At noon, the customer confirmed that he had received his correct order. The supervisor told me, “The mistake cost us time, but telling us early gave us a chance to fix it.” I did not feel proud of my mistake, but of not hiding it. For the next order, I checked the first folder before starting to wrap the items and allowed time to check the quantity and colour again.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| أَتَوَلَّاهُ | I handle it |
| إِنْجَازَهُ | completing it |
| الْأَغْلِفَةَ | the wrappers |
| الْمُشْرِفُ | the supervisor |
| لَوْمِ | blaming |
| مَسْؤُولِيَّتِي | my responsibility |
| أَجَّلْنَا | we postponed |
| اسْتَبْدَلْنَا | we replaced |
| رَقْمَ الصِّنْفِ | the product number |
| التَّغْلِيفَ | wrapping; packing |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story when you need a clue. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- A misleading label contributes to the error, but the narrator accepts responsibility for checking the goods.
- Early reporting, teamwork and a clearer label resolve the immediate problem and improve the next order.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
What I Did Yesterday in Arabic: 6 Simple Past-Tense Sentences
فَتَحْتُ الصُّنْدُوقَ
Notice the first-person past form when the narrator explains his own actions.
Colors in Arabic: 10 Color Words with Simple Examples
الْمِلَفَّاتِ الْخَضْرَاءَ
Follow the contrast between the requested blue folders and the green ones selected.
