In a conference call...

In my previous company, we were developing an application for a Japanese client. One day, we were supposed to call up our coordinator at onsite. My team leader asked me to go ahead and place the call while he would join me a few minutes later.

I placed the call, and after a few rings, someone began speaking in Japanese.

I was stumped, since I was expecting our coordinator to pick up the call. But then I realized it could be a common number, and that the person speaking right now was probably a receptionist. I waited for him to finish, after which I thought of asking him to transfer the call.

But he didn’t. He continued speaking.

After a few minutes of this, I said, slowly in English, “Hello. Can I please speak to <coordinator name>?”

No response. Receptionist keeps speaking.

I try again, but this time, just repeat the name of the coordinator, in case he did not get what I was speaking.

Still the same.

Finally, I call up my team leader and tell him that someone is just speaking on and on in Japanese.

He said, “Keep the receiver down. Its voice mail”.