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"I Was Just Thinking" — What Talented Engineer Mr. Li Learned from the Silence in the Workplace

Introduction

Outside the window, a cold winter rain was falling. Mr. Li, working at an IT company in Tokyo, was glued to his monitor, wrestling with bugs in a complexly intertwined program.

Around him, only the sound of keyboards clacking echoed. Mr. Li's brain was running at full speed. He had entered a state of extreme concentration, where the solution seemed just within reach but remained elusive.

However, when he happened to look up, Mr. Li noticed a strange discomfort. The colleague sitting next to him was hunching his back as if trying to avoid him. Team members having a meeting a few steps away were glancing at him, lowering their voices with somewhat tense expressions.

"...Did I do something wrong?"

Mr. Li's Japanese is perfect. He uses honorifics correctly, and his work speed is the fastest in the team. Yet, the more he concentrated, the more the surrounding atmosphere seemed to freeze down to minus 20 degrees.

An invisible "dissonance" that words (7%) could not convey. Actually, the true identity of this was in a single, momentary "sound" that Mr. Li was emitting unconsciously.

In this article, through Mr. Li's experience, we will talk about the pitfalls of "paralanguage (sounds other than words)" that many learners fall into, and how to overcome them.

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"Mr. Li, do you hate this job?"

1. A Shocking Revelation

That evening, Mr. Li was called over by Mr. Sato, a senior colleague he trusted. "Mr. Li, do you have a moment?" When they entered the meeting room, Mr. Sato began to speak with a serious expression, though he seemed to find it a bit difficult to say.

"Mr. Li... did something unpleasant happen during your work earlier? Because you kept clicking your tongue, going 'Tsk, Tsk', everyone is scared that you might be dissatisfied with the current project."

Mr. Li felt a shock as if he had been struck by lightning. "Eh...? I wasn't clicking my tongue. I was just thinking hard about the cause of the bug."

For Mr. Li, it wasn't "anger." Rather, it was a sign of "Total Concentration."

2. Memories of Home and the Meaning of "Sound"

Mr. Li remembered. He recalled his father, who was a mathematics teacher in his hometown in China. When his father solved difficult problems, he would always make a small "Tsk, Tsk" sound with his tongue. For Mr. Li as a child, that sound was a symbol of reliability, meaning "Dad is thinking seriously."

However, this is Japan. When the culture changes, the meaning of the same sound "code" becomes the exact opposite.

Scene	Mr. Li's Intention (Greater China Code)	Surrounding Perception (Japanese Code)
Discovering a program bug	"(Tsk) I see, it's here..." (= Discovery / Concentration)	"(Tsk) Don't be ridiculous, what a pain." (= Intense Irritation)
Hearing instructions for spec changes	"(Tsk) Hmm, I need to change the structure." (= Contemplation / Understanding)	"(Tsk) Give me a break." (= Dissatisfaction / Defiance)
Realizing one's own mistake	"(Tsk) Oh no, I did it." (= Reflection / Regret)	"(Tsk) Tsk, shut up." (= Snapping Back / Reverse Anger)

3. Overlap with Emmeline's Story

I told Mr. Li a certain episode. It is the story of Emmeline, an 11-year-old girl from Rwanda, found in JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) materials. She also came to Japan admiring it after watching Japanese anime, but because of the "tongue clicking that comes out when thinking" during class, she was misunderstood by her classmates as a "scary girl" and became isolated.

"Mr. Li, your intelligence is wonderful. But that 'sound' is carrying a message different from your 'heart.' This is not a problem with your ability, but a 'translation error'."

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A New View After "Translating" Sounds

Mr. Li made a resolution. Fixing a long-standing habit is not easy, but to deliver his true feelings to the team, he started training to "translate" the sounds.

Step 1: Replacing the Sound (Paraphrasing Practice)

The moment a tongue click was about to come out, Mr. Li physically closed his mouth and tried to produce a "Japanese sound" instead.

[Mr. Li Before]
Boss: "Can you fix this part?"
Mr. Li: "(Tsk)... Yes, I'll try."
(Boss's inner voice: Eh, does he hate it that much?)

[Mr. Li Now]
Boss: "Can you fix this part?"
Mr. Li: "(Exhales 'Phew')... I see. Let me see, I'll try."
(Boss's inner voice: Oh, he's thinking about it positively!)

Step 2: Magic Words "Naruhodo" and "Hmm"

Mr. Li was particularly conscious of the following 5 phrases.

1. "Ah, I see (Naruhodo)": Replaces the "Tsk" of surprise or agreement.
2. "Let me see... (So desu ne)": Replaces the "Tsk" of starting to think.
3. "Hmm, that's difficult": Replaces the "Tsk" of confusion.
4. "My apologies! (Shitsurei shimashita)": Replaces the "Tsk" when making a mistake.
5. "Oh no / Oops (Acha-)": Replaces the "Tsk" of talking to oneself.

Step 3: Coming Out to the Team

Mr. Li mustered his courage and spoke to everyone at the morning assembly. "Everyone, the reason I was clicking my tongue during work until now was not because I was angry. In my hometown, it is a habit that comes out when 'thinking.' But I learned that it is rude in Japan. I am currently practicing to fix it. If the sound comes out, please think 'Ah, Mr. Li is thinking hard right now!'"

With this single statement, the atmosphere in the office changed dramatically. His colleagues accepted it with laughter, saying, "Oh, so that was it!"

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Comparison: NG Patterns vs. OK Patterns

Let's check the "translation" of sounds in scenes common in the workplace.

Scene	NG Pattern (Invites Misunderstanding)	OK Pattern (Builds Trust)
When unable to answer a question immediately	(Silent tongue click) → Sounds like "Don't make me answer"	"Hmm, let me see... (pause for a few seconds)" → Conveys "Thinking sincerely"
When a mistake is pointed out	(Tsk) "I'm sorry" → Sounds like "Shut up"	"Wow, you're right. I'm sorry!" → Conveys "Honestly admitting it"
Deciphering difficult code	(Rapid tongue clicking) → Looks like "Explosive irritation"	(While exhaling deeply) "I see..." → Looks like "Challenging a difficult problem"
When agreeing with someone	(Tsk) "That's right" → Looks like "Reluctantly admitting"	"Ah! That's right" → Looks like "Truly convinced"

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Summary

Mr. Li is now working with a smile as a central member of the team. Colleagues who once kept their distance now have high expectations, saying, "When Mr. Li's 'Hmm' comes out, it's a sign that a great idea is coming."

Finally, to you reading this article right now. If you feel that you are "being treated coldly for some reason" at your workplace, please try listening to your own "breathing" and "sounds" once.

• Understand that Japanese tongue clicking is "100% negative."
• Rewrite "Tsk" to "Hmm" or "I see."
• Place words on the "exhaled breath," not the inhaled breath.

Why not play the wonderful melody of your thoughts with Japanese "sounds"? Cultural walls can be broken down starting from just a little "sound of breathing."

Actions You Can Take Today

• Post a note saying "Close Mouth" on your desk
• Practice saying "Let me see (So desu ne)" to yourself before starting to think
• Try talking to a trusted colleague about your habit as a "cultural difference"

Next, it is your turn. In tomorrow's meeting, why not start by exhaling deeply and saying "I see"?