An assistant’s attendance record conflicts with a colleague’s account. Comparing clocks reveals an error, but deciding how far that discovery reaches requires more care.
01Read the Arabic story
سَاعَةٌ جَعَلَتِ الْجَمِيعَ يَبْدُونَ مُتَأَخِّرِينَ
خِلَالَ أُسْبُوعٍ وَاحِدٍ، شَكَا الْمُشْرِفُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ مِنْ تَأَخُّرِ الْمُوَظَّفِينَ. كُنْتُ أَعْمَلُ مُسَاعِدًا فِي الْمَكْتَبِ، وَأُسَجِّلُ أَوْقَاتَ الْوُصُولِ حَسَبَ السَّاعَةِ الْمُعَلَّقَةِ فَوْقَ الْبَابِ. قَالَ الْمُشْرِفُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ بَدَؤُوا يَسْتَهِينُونَ بِالْمَوَاعِيدِ، لَكِنَّ زَمِيلَتِي أَصَرَّتْ عَلَى أَنَّهَا وَصَلَتْ قَبْلَ بَدْءِ الْعَمَلِ. لَمْ أَكُنْ مُتَأَكِّدًا مِمَّنْ أُصَدِّقُ، فَسِجِلِّي وَكَلَامُهَا لَا يَتَّفِقَانِ.
فِي الصَّبَاحِ التَّالِي، وَضَعْتُ هَاتِفِي بِجَانِبِ الْحَاسُوبِ لِأُقَارِنَ الْوَقْتَ عَلَى شَاشَتَيْهِمَا. كَانَا يَعْرِضَانِ الثَّامِنَةَ تَمَامًا، بَيْنَمَا تَقَدَّمَتْ سَاعَةُ الْحَائِطِ عَلَيْهِمَا بِثَمَانِي دَقَائِقَ. رَاجَعْتُ الْجَدْوَلَ الْمُعْلَنَ، فَوَجَدْتُ أَنَّ الْعَمَلَ يَبْدَأُ فِي الثَّامِنَةِ، وَلَيْسَ قَبْلَهَا. ثُمَّ تَحَقَّقْتُ مِنْ أَنَّ الْهَاتِفَ وَالْحَاسُوبَ يَضْبِطَانِ الْوَقْتَ تِلْقَائِيًّا. وَكَانَ هَذَا الْإِعْدَادُ ظَاهِرًا فِي كِلَيْهِمَا، وَلَمْ أَكْتَفِ بِاتِّفَاقِهِمَا وَحْدَهُ.
سَأَلْتُ مَسْؤُولَ الصِّيَانَةِ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ. أَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ غَيَّرَ بَطَّارِيَّتَهَا يَوْمَ الْأَحَدِ، وَضَبَطَهَا وَفْقَ سَاعَةِ يَدٍ قَدِيمَةٍ. كَانَ ذَلِكَ يُفَسِّرُ بِدَايَةَ الْمُشْكِلَةِ، لَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ دَلِيلًا عَلَى أَنَّ كُلَّ تَأَخُّرٍ سَابِقٍ كَانَ وَهْمًا. فَقَبْلَ الْأَحَدِ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَدَيْنَا قِيَاسٌ مُسْتَقِلٌّ، وَأَدْرَكْتُ أَنَّنِي سَأُكَرِّرُ خَطَأَ الْمُشْرِفِ إِنْ عَمَّمْتُ النَّتِيجَةَ.
عَرَضْتُ الْمُقَارَنَةَ عَلَى الْمُشْرِفِ، وَطَلَبْتُ مُرَاجَعَةَ التَّنْبِيهَاتِ الصَّادِرَةِ مُنْذُ تَغْيِيرِ الْبَطَّارِيَّةِ. بَعْدَ تَصْحِيحِ الْأَوْقَاتِ، اتَّضَحَ أَنَّ مُعْظَمَ الْمُوَظَّفِينَ وَصَلُوا فِي الْمَوْعِدِ. وَاحِدٌ فَقَطْ ظَلَّ مُتَأَخِّرًا بِعَشْرِ دَقَائِقَ، فَشَرَحَ ظُرُوفَهُ بِنَفْسِهِ. لَمْ أُرِدْ أَنْ أَجْعَلَ السَّاعَةَ عُذْرًا لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَلَا أَنْ يَبْقَى السِّجِلُّ الْخَاطِئُ حُجَّةً ضِدَّ الْجَمِيعِ.
صَحَّحَ الْمُشْرِفُ التَّنْبِيهَاتِ غَيْرَ الْمُسْتَحَقَّةِ، وَاعْتَذَرَ لِأَصْحَابِهَا. وَاتَّفَقْنَا عَلَى مُرَاجَعَةِ السَّاعَةِ بَعْدَ كُلِّ صِيَانَةٍ، وَعَلَى إِعْلَانِ أَيِّ تَغْيِيرٍ فِي الْجَدْوَلِ كِتَابِيًّا. فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي، نَظَرَ الْمُشْرِفُ إِلَى الْبَابِ حِينَ دَخَلَ أَحَدُ الْمُوَظَّفِينَ، ثُمَّ أَخْرَجَ هَاتِفَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ. لَمْ أَعْرِفْ مَا كَانَ سَيَقُولُهُ، لَكِنَّنِي لَاحَظْتُ هَذِهِ الْوَقْفَةَ الْقَصِيرَةَ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Over a single week, the supervisor complained three times about employees arriving late. I worked as an assistant in the office and recorded arrival times according to the clock hanging above the door. The supervisor said people had begun taking punctuality lightly, but my colleague insisted she had arrived before work began. I was unsure whom to believe, as my record and her account did not agree.
The following morning, I placed my phone beside the computer to compare the times on their screens. Both showed exactly eight, while the wall clock was eight minutes ahead. I checked the posted schedule and found that work began at eight, not earlier. I then verified that the phone and computer set their times automatically. The setting was visible on both, and I did not rely only on their agreement.
I asked the maintenance worker about the clock. He told me he had changed its battery on Sunday and set it using an old wristwatch. This explained when the problem began, but it was not evidence that every earlier instance of lateness had been imaginary. We had no independent measurement from before Sunday, and I realised I would repeat the supervisor’s mistake if I generalised the result.
I showed the comparison to the supervisor and requested a review of the warnings issued since the battery change. Once the times were corrected, it became clear that most employees had arrived on time. Only one was still ten minutes late, and he explained his circumstances himself. I did not want to make the clock an excuse for everything or let the faulty record remain an argument against everyone.
The supervisor corrected the unjustified warnings and apologised to those who had received them. We agreed to check the clock after every maintenance visit and announce any schedule change in writing. The next day, the supervisor looked towards the door as an employee entered, then took out his phone before speaking. I did not know what he had been about to say, but I noticed that brief pause.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| يَسْتَهِينُونَ بِالْمَوَاعِيدِ | take punctuality lightly |
| الْمُعْلَنَ | posted; announced |
| تِلْقَائِيًّا | automatically |
| بِاتِّفَاقِهِمَا | on their agreement |
| مَسْؤُولَ الصِّيَانَةِ | the maintenance worker |
| وَهْمًا | an illusion |
| قِيَاسٌ مُسْتَقِلٌّ | an independent measurement |
| عَمَّمْتُ النَّتِيجَةَ | I generalised the result |
| التَّنْبِيهَاتِ | the warnings |
| غَيْرَ الْمُسْتَحَقَّةِ | unjustified |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Distinguish the evidence from the conclusions it can support. Open the English support if you need help with a question.
What to remember
- An error in a shared reference can make several records agree and still be wrong.
- Correcting most warnings does not prove that every past arrival was on time.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Purpose Li in Arabic: How to Say “In Order To”
لِأُقَارِنَ الْوَقْتَ
Read the purpose of placing the two devices together before checking their settings.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ دَلِيلًا
Follow the contrast between an explanation for the recent problem and proof about every earlier case.
