Karim brings a prepared reference and an urgent deadline to his former supervisor. Two confident claims leave the supervisor searching for a way to help without signing what he cannot support.
01Read the Arabic story
رِسَالَةُ تَوْصِيَةٍ لَمْ أَسْتَطِعْ تَوْقِيعَهَا
وَضَعَ كَرِيمٌ رِسَالَةَ تَوْصِيَةٍ عَلَى مَكْتَبِي، ثُمَّ أَخْرَجَ قَلَمًا مِنْ جَيْبِهِ. كُنْتُ مُشْرِفَهُ فِي شَرِكَةٍ سَابِقَةٍ، وَقَدْ عَمِلْنَا مَعًا ثَلَاثَ سَنَوَاتٍ. قَالَ إِنَّ مَوْعِدَ التَّقَدُّمِ لِلْوَظِيفَةِ الْجَدِيدَةِ يَنْتَهِي مَسَاءً، وَإِنَّهُ كَتَبَ الرِّسَالَةَ لِيُوَفِّرَ وَقْتِي. كُنْتُ أَعْرِفُ أَنَّهُ يَبْحَثُ عَنْ عَمَلٍ مُنْذُ أَشْهُرٍ، فَقَرَأْتُ السُّطُورَ الْأُولَى وَأَنَا أُرِيدُ مُسَاعَدَتَهُ.
وَجَدْتُ فِي الرِّسَالَةِ أَنَّهُ أَدَارَ مَشْرُوعًا كَبِيرًا وَحْدَهُ، وَأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَتَأَخَّرْ عَنْ تَسْلِيمِ أَيِّ تَقْرِيرٍ. تَذَكَّرْتُ مَهَارَتَهُ فِي التَّوَاصُلِ مَعَ الْعُمَلَاءِ، لَكِنَّ إِدَارَةَ الْمَشْرُوعِ كَانَتْ مَسْؤُولِيَّةَ فَرِيقٍ. كَمَا تَذَكَّرْتُ تَقْرِيرَيْنِ أَكْمَلْتُهُمَا بَعْدَ تَأَخُّرِهِ. رَسَمْتُ خَطًّا تَحْتَ الْعِبَارَتَيْنِ، وَقُلْتُ إِنَّنِي لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ تَوْقِيعَ النَّصِّ بِهَذِهِ الصِّيغَةِ.
سَحَبَ كَرِيمٌ الْقَلَمَ وَقَالَ إِنَّ هَذِهِ عِبَارَاتٌ مُعْتَادَةٌ فِي رَسَائِلِ التَّوْصِيَةِ، وَإِنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْعَمَلِ يَتَوَقَّعُونَ بَعْضَ الْمُبَالَغَةِ. سَأَلَنِي إِنْ كُنْتُ سَأَذْكُرُ أَخْطَاءَهُ أَيْضًا. أَجَبْتُ أَنَّنِي لَمْ أَقْتَرِحْ ذَلِكَ، وَأَنَّ مَا أَكْتُبُهُ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَكُونَ شَيْئًا شَهِدْتُهُ. بَقِيَ وَاقِفًا أَمَامَ الْمَكْتَبِ، بَيْنَمَا فَتَحْتُ مِلَفَّ الْمَشْرُوعِ الْقَدِيمَ عَلَى الْحَاسُوبِ.
اقْتَرَحْتُ رِسَالَةً أَقْصَرَ تَشْرَحُ دَوْرَهُ فِي تَنْسِيقِ اجْتِمَاعَاتِ الْعُمَلَاءِ وَحَلِّ مُشْكِلَةٍ أَخَّرَتْ طَلَبًا مُهِمًّا. قَرَأَ الْمُسَوَّدَةَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّهَا أَقَلُّ حَمَاسًا مِنَ النَّصِّ الْأَوَّلِ. وَافَقْتُهُ، لَكِنَّنِي أَشَرْتُ إِلَى رِسَالَةِ شُكْرٍ أَرْسَلَهَا أَحَدُ الْعُمَلَاءِ بَعْدَ تَدَخُّلِهِ. سَأَلَ إِنْ كَانَ يُمْكِنُنَا إِضَافَةُ تَفْصِيلٍ عَنِ الْحَلِّ بَدَلًا مِنْ وَصْفِهِ بِأَنَّهُ مُوَظَّفٌ مُمْتَازٌ.
أَضَفْنَا التَّفْصِيلَ، فَوَقَّعْتُ الرِّسَالَةَ الْجَدِيدَةَ وَأَعَدْتُ إِلَيْهِ الْوَرَقَتَيْنِ. لَمْ يَطْلُبْ مِنِّي تَوْقِيعَ الْأُولَى مَرَّةً أُخْرَى، لَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَقُلْ إِنَّهُ رَاضٍ تَمَامًا. عِنْدَ الْبَابِ، سَأَلَ إِنْ كُنْتُ سَأَرُدُّ عَلَى اتِّصَالِ الشَّرِكَةِ، فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ. بَعْدَ خُرُوجِهِ، بَقِيَ مَكَانُ الْقَلَمِ فَارِغًا عَلَى الْمَكْتَبِ. لَمْ أَعْرِفْ هَلْ سَتَكْفِي الرِّسَالَةُ، وَلَا هَلْ سَيَدْعُونِي إِلَى الْقَهْوَةِ كَمَا كَانَ يَفْعَلُ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Karim placed a reference letter on my desk, then took a pen from his pocket. I had supervised him at a previous company, where we had worked together for three years. He said the deadline for applying for the new job was that evening and that he had written the letter to save me time. I knew he had been looking for work for months, so I read the opening lines wanting to help.
The letter said that he had managed a large project alone and had never submitted a report late. I remembered his skill in communicating with clients, but managing the project had been a team responsibility. I also remembered two reports I had completed after his delay. I underlined the two statements and said I could not sign the text in that form.
Karim took back the pen and said these were standard phrases in reference letters and that employers expected some exaggeration. He asked whether I would mention his mistakes too. I replied that I had not suggested that, and that what I wrote needed to be something I had witnessed. He remained standing in front of the desk while I opened the old project file on the computer.
I suggested a shorter letter explaining his role in coordinating client meetings and solving a problem that had delayed an important order. He read the draft, then said it was less enthusiastic than the first text. I agreed, but pointed to a thank-you message a client had sent after his intervention. He asked whether we could add a detail about the solution instead of describing him as an excellent employee.
We added the detail, and I signed the new letter and returned both sheets to him. He did not ask me to sign the first one again, but did not say he was completely satisfied. At the door, he asked whether I would answer a call from the company. I said yes. After he left, the place where the pen had been remained empty on the desk. I did not know whether the letter would be enough, or whether he would invite me for coffee as he used to.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| رِسَالَةَ تَوْصِيَةٍ | a reference letter |
| مُشْرِفَهُ | his supervisor |
| لِيُوَفِّرَ وَقْتِي | to save me time |
| مَسْؤُولِيَّةَ فَرِيقٍ | a team responsibility |
| بِهَذِهِ الصِّيغَةِ | in this form |
| الْمُبَالَغَةِ | exaggeration |
| شَهِدْتُهُ | I witnessed it |
| تَنْسِيقِ اجْتِمَاعَاتِ الْعُمَلَاءِ | coordinating client meetings |
| الْمُسَوَّدَةَ | the draft |
| بَعْدَ تَدَخُّلِهِ | after his intervention |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Compare the prepared claims with observed events, and notice what the final exchange leaves uncertain.
What to remember
- The narrator can support Karim’s observed contributions without endorsing claims of perfect performance.
- A concrete example makes the revised letter useful, but neither a job offer nor an easy friendship is guaranteed.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Relative Ma in Arabic: What You Want and What They Said
مَا أَكْتُبُهُ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَكُونَ شَيْئًا شَهِدْتُهُ
Identify relative ma as the content the narrator is willing to write, rather than a direct question.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ يَطْلُبْ مِنِّي تَوْقِيعَ الْأُولَى مَرَّةً أُخْرَى
Notice how lam marks the absence of a repeated request after the revision.
