The President insisted:

The president pressed on:

The chairman pressed on:

The president insisted:

The president insisted:

The president insisted:

—Understand, Mr Polimiop. Such a situation is intolerable.

— Do understand, Mr. Polimiop. This is not a sustainable situation.

“Understand, Polimiop. That sort of situation is intolerable.

Understand, Mr. Polimiop. This situation is unacceptable.

—Please understand, Mr. Polimiop. This sort of situation is intolerable.

“You have to understand, Mr. Polimiop. We can’t keep putting up with this.

From the start, this lady has demonstrated exceptional talent at professional disruption;

From the start, that girl has shown an exceptional talent for workplace misconduct;

From the beginning, that woman has exhibited an exceptional talent for professional ineptitude.

From the start, that young lady has displayed exceptional talent as a professional bungler.

From the beginning, that young lady has shown an uncanny talent for professional mishaps;

Since she started, that girl has shown an exceptional talent for professional incompetence;

she loftily ignores office hours,

she specializes in ignoring her scheduled work hours,

She haughtily ignores her work schedule,

She ignores to the utmost the timetable for completing her duties,

she arrogantly ignores her work schedule,

she regularly blows off her shifts,

coming and going without consideration of the time;

comes and goes as she likes with no mind to the clock,

comes when she likes and leaves with no regard for the clock,

comes as she pleases, or goes without caring what hour it is,

comes and goes as she pleases with zero regard for the clock,

coming and going as she pleases regardless of the time,

unceasingly jokes with her colleagues;

constantly jokes around with her coworkers,

endlessly goofs around with her coworkers,

endlessly jokes around with her colleagues,

constantly joking with her coworkers,

mocks the clients;

makes fun of the customers,

mocks the clients,

makes fun of the customers,

making fun of the clients,

gossips; chats; wanders aimlessly through the corridors;

gossips, chats, wanders aimlessly through the halls …

gossips, prattles, wanders aimlessly up and down the halls,

endlessly gossips, chatters, aimlessly roams the halls,

gossips, chats, wanders aimlessly around the corridors,

gossiping, chatting, wandering aimlessly through the halls,

spends her time on a vast multitude of activities, except for work.

fills her time with anything at all besides work.

and fills her time with a multitude of projects, none of which relate to her work.

fills her time with a great amount of things besides work.

spends her time doing all sorts of tasks, except work-related ones.

spending her time on anything and everything other than work—

I should almost say fortunately, because when she does touch anything it seems that she wholeheartedly ordains a heap of calamities,

I might almost call that a good thing, since whatever she touches seems to leave behind a pile of problems to fix—

And I must say, I am almost grateful for this; because when she touches anything, she seems to enthusiastically generate a plethora of catastrophes,

I would almost say—fortunately for that, for when she touches something, she seems to work at accumulating disasters,

I should almost say “fortunately,” because whenever she touches something, she seems to wholeheartedly accumulate catastrophes,

thankfully, I should almost say, as whenever she takes something on she seems to see disaster as her duty,

mixes the files, breaks the typewriter, loses documents, gets stains on important papers, etc …

scrambled files, broken typewriters, lost documents, stained papers, and so on …

scrambling the files, jamming the typewriters, losing documents, staining important papers, and on and on . . .

mixing up files, breaking the typewriters, losing documents, stain important papers, and the like.

mix up files, break the typewriters, lose documents, stain important papers, etc.

mixing up the files, breaking the typewriters, losing documents, spilling coffee on important papers, and so on …

I would say further that the attitude of this lady is totally unsuitable in a serious office:

I would add that her personal conduct is not remotely appropriate to a serious workplace:

And let me further add, that the demeanor of this woman is completely inappropriate for a professional office setting;

I should add that the comportment of this young lady is totally inappropriate for a dignified office:

May I add that the attitude of that young lady is totally unbecoming of a serious workplace:

“I should add that this girl’s attitude is completely inappropriate for a serious workplace:

she smokes more than an old locomotive,

she smokes more than an aging locomotive,

she smokes like a furnace,

She smokes more than a freight train,

she smokes like a chimney,

she smokes more than an old train,

she paints her face like a prostitute,

makes herself up like a prostitute,

she paints her face like a strumpet,

wears makeup like a whore,

makes her face up like a harlot,

paints her face like a lady of the evening,

sits on the tables where she shamelessly parades her thighs from a scandalous miniskirt,

sits on the tables—where she shamelessly displays her thighs in an attention-getting miniskirt—

she sits on the tables, where she shamelessly shows off her thighs beneath a salacious miniskirt,

sits on the tables, where she flagrantly displays here legs with the help of a shocking minikkirt,

sits on tables, where she shamelessly shows off her thighs with her licentious mini-skirt,

sits on the tables, where she shamelessly shows off her legs in an outrageous miniskirt,

tells anecdotes which would make a soldier blush …

tells stories that would make an infantryman blush …

she tells stories that would make Attila the Hun blush . . .

and tells stories that would make a front-line soldier blush with shame.

tells stories that would make a longshoreman blush …

tells stories that would make a sailor blush …

This sort of scandal has to stop. And immediately!

This sort of outrageous nonsense has got to stop. And I mean now!

This scandal must end. And immediately!

That kind of scandalous behavior must cease. And at once!

This is ridiculous! It has to stop now!

We have already decided that. Why is it still going on?

We’ve already decided as much. So why is it still going on?

The matter has already been decided. Why does it still continue?

We had already come to that decision. Why is it still going on?

We’d already decided that. Why is it still going on?”

Mr Polimiop steadied himself:

Mr. Polimiop gave it his best:

Mr. Polimiop gathered his courage:

Mr. Polimiop summoned his strength:

Mr. Polimiop gathered his strength:

Mr. Polimiop spoke with effort:

Well, Mr President, unfortunately the matter is not so simple …

— Well…Mr. President … I’m afraid the matter isn’t all that simple …

Uh, Mr. Chairman, unfortunately the situation is not that simple . . .

Now, Mr. President, unfortunately the matter isn’t a very simple one.

—Well, Mr. President, unfortunately the situation is not as simple as that.

“Well, Mr. President, unfortunately the matter isn’t that simple …

I have nothing direct from the source.

I don’t have anything from the horse’s mouth, mind you,

I don’t have a proper source for this.

My knowledge is not at all first-hand,

I know nothing first-hand.

I don’t know anything firsthand.

But the word is going around, which makes a precipitous decision difficult.

but there are rumors going around that might stand in the way of a quick decision.

But rumors are circulating that hinder a rapid resolution.

but there are persistsent rumors which hinder a quick decision.

But there are rumors which make it hard to make a quick decision.

But there are rumors going around that make a quick decision difficult.

They say, that she constantly keeps upon herself a portrait of a senior executive of our own firm.

It’s said that she … always has on her person a picture of one of the company’s CEOs.

People say that she consistently carries a portrait of a member of our own company’s senior leadership team with her.

It is said that she keeps with her at all times a portrait of a high-ranking official of our company,

It is said that she always carries with her a picture of one of the higher-ups in our own firm.

They say she always carries a picture on her of an executive in our company.

I am not able to say which.

Which one, I wasn’t able to ascertain.

I could not ascertain who.

but I can’t be certain whom.

I never found out who.

Couldn’t find out which one.

But it is a persistent rumour that said portrait is tattooed upon her.

But—again, according to rumor—the picture in question is … a tattoo.

The scuttlebutt always has it that she had the portrait tattooed.

But according to these chatterboxes, the portrait is tatooed.

According to the grapevine, she has that picture tattooed.

All grapevine of course but she may even have it tattooed.”

—What an outrageous idea! Tatooed! Tattooed where?

— What a ridiculous notion! A tattoo? A tattoo … where?

Scandalous! A tattoo! And where is this tattoo?

Such mockery! Tatooed, tatooed where?

—What a ridiculous idea! Tattooed? Tattooed where?

“What a ridiculous idea! Tattooed! Tattoeed where?”

The director appeared more sheepish than before:

The director’s expression grew yet more perturbed:

The manager looked more flustered than ever:

The director seemed more consterned than ever:

The director more than ever seemed utterly embarrassed:

More than ever the director looked completely bewildered.

Excuse me Mr President. But I have to tell all.

— Begging your pardon, Mr. President … But I must be frank …

Apologies, Mr. Chairman. But I have to come clean.

Sorry Mr. President, but I should diclose everything.

—Excuse me, Mr. President, but I must reveal everything.

“Forgive me, Mr. President. But I must tell you everything.

I am very embarrassed.

It’s really rather embarrassing …

I’m very troubled.

I am quite uncomfortable:

This is very awkward for me.

It’s rather shocking.

Tattooed … yes … They say … on her posterior.

The tattoo is … well … supposedly … on her bottom.

A tattoo . . . yes . . . rumor is . . . on her derriere.

tatooed, it seems on her backside.

Tattooed … yes … it is said … on her derrière.

Tattooed… yes… they say… on her backside.”