April 29, 2025

From Flops to Fame: How a Copier Glitch Landed Us an Investor

17 minutes

Fluent Fiction - Afrikaans: From Flops to Fame: How a Copier Glitch Landed Us an Investor
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/af/episode/2025-04-29-22-34-00-af

Story Transcript:

Af: Arno stap in die startup-inkubator, sy kop vol idees en hande gevul met dokumente.
En: Arno walks into the startup incubator, his head full of ideas and hands filled with documents.

Af: Hy is opgewonde, maar ook bietjie senuagtig.
En: He's excited but also a little nervous.

Af: Sy klein onderneming het groot potensiaal.
En: His small enterprise has great potential.

Af: Versigtig swaai hy die glasdeur oop, die klank van besige entrepreneurs vul die lug.
En: Carefully, he swings open the glass door, the sound of busy entrepreneurs filling the air.

Af: Reeds is daar gesprekke oor nuwe produkte en vennotskappe, en die bureaustoele knars op die laminaatvloer.
En: There are already conversations about new products and partnerships, and the office chairs creak on the laminate floor.

Af: Liezl, sy kollega, sit reeds by haar lessenaar, oog op 'n skerm, haar vingers vlieg oor die sleutelbord.
En: Liezl, his colleague, is already seated at her desk, eyes on a screen, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

Af: Sy is altyd vol entoesiasme.
En: She's always full of enthusiasm.

Af: "Arno! Ons moet iets groot doen om mense se aandag te trek," sê sy, sonder om op te kyk.
En: "Arno! We need to do something big to grab people's attention," she says without looking up.

Af: Arno knik, maar daar is 'n skaduwee van twyfel in sy oë.
En: Arno nods, but there is a shadow of doubt in his eyes.

Af: "Ek weet jy is nie 'n groot aanhanger van sosialemedia nie, maar dis 'n noodsaaklike hulpmiddel," dring sy aan.
En: "I know you're not a big fan of social media, but it's a necessary tool," she insists.

Af: Marius, die gemaklike kantoorbestuurder, loer oor sy leesbril.
En: Marius, the easygoing office manager, peers over his reading glasses.

Af: "Julle kinders en julle sosialemedia," spot hy voor hy weer in sy daaglikse roetine verdiep.
En: "You kids and your social media," he jokes before diving back into his daily routine.

Af: Arno sug.
En: Arno sighs.

Af: Hy is skepties oor Liezl se voorstel, maar hy weet sy bedoel goed.
En: He's skeptical about Liezl's suggestion, but he knows she means well.

Af: Sy werk hard en dit lyk of dit haar seermaak dat hy nie heeltemal saamstem nie.
En: She works hard, and it seems to hurt her that he doesn't fully agree.

Af: "Goed," sê hy uiteindelik, meer vir haar as vir homself.
En: "Okay," he finally says, more for her than for himself.

Af: "Laat ons 'n poging waag."
En: "Let's give it a shot."

Af: Die volgende dag is dit 'n besige oggend.
En: The next day is a busy morning.

Af: Die herfs-sonlig straal deur die kantoorvensters en skep 'n rustige atmosfeer.
En: The autumn sunlight streams through the office windows, creating a calm atmosphere.

Af: Arno probeer 'n paar dokumente in die kopieermasjien in lê om belangrike promosie plakkate te maak.
En: Arno tries to load some documents into the copier to make important promotional posters.

Af: Nes hy onsuksesvol probeer om die masjien te laat werk, sluip Liezl nader, haar foon gereed.
En: Just as he unsuccessfully attempts to get the machine working, Liezl sneaks up, phone ready.

Af: Sy neem per ongeluk 'n video van Arno se gesig vol frustrasie, terwyl die toestel 'n baie ontydige foutboodskap flits.
En: She accidentally takes a video of Arno's face full of frustration as the device flashes a very untimely error message.

Af: Liezl lag en plaas die video op hul maatskappy se sosiale mediabladsy, half as grap.
En: Liezl laughs and posts the video on their company’s social media page, half as a joke.

Af: Sy verwag niks groot nie.
En: She doesn't expect anything big.

Af: Maar iets onverwags gebeur.
En: But something unexpected happens.

Af: Internetgebruikers oor die hele wêreld geniet Arno se natuurlike reaksie.
En: Internet users all over the world enjoy Arno's natural reaction.

Af: Die video gaan binne ure viral.
En: The video goes viral within hours.

Af: Skielik is almal in die inkubator se groot kantoor opgewonde.
En: Suddenly, everyone in the incubator's large office is excited.

Af: Arno is skaam, maar nuuskierig om te sien wat gebeur verder.
En: Arno is embarrassed but curious to see what happens next.

Af: Die volgende dag ontvang die startup 'n e-pos van 'n groot belegger wat die humor en gemaklikheid van hul benadering waardeer het.
En: The following day, the startup receives an email from a major investor who appreciated the humor and ease of their approach.

Af: Hy wil 'n ontmoeting reël om potensieel te belê in die idee.
En: He wants to arrange a meeting to potentially invest in the idea.

Af: Arno is oorstelp.
En: Arno is overjoyed.

Af: Hy kyk na Liezl met waardering.
En: He looks at Liezl with appreciation.

Af: Dalk was sy reg.
En: Maybe she was right.

Af: Sosialemedia is dalk nie so onbetroubaar soos wat hy gedink het nie.
En: Social media might not be as unreliable as he thought.

Af: Hy besluit om sy mening te verander en daardie onkonvensionele werkswyse te omhels.
En: He decides to change his opinion and embrace that unconventional way of working.

Af: Die atmosfeer in die inkubator is ligter as voordat, die donker herfsbome buite 'n kontrasterende agtergrond teen die lewenskrag binne.
En: The atmosphere in the incubator is lighter than before, the dark autumn trees outside a contrasting backdrop to the vitality inside.

Af: Marius kyk verlig na Arno.
En: Marius looks at Arno with relief.

Af: "Solank die kopieermasjien nog werk..." sê Marius glimlaggend terwyl Arno sy kop skud en lag.
En: "As long as the copier still works..." says Marius, smiling as Arno shakes his head and laughs.

Af: Uiteindelik het Arno sy vooroordele oorwin.
En: In the end, Arno overcame his prejudices.

Af: Vir hom is dit 'n les in die krag van nuwe idees.
En: For him, it's a lesson in the power of new ideas.

Af: Liezl het haar punt bewys: soms moet 'n mens buite die boks dink.
En: Liezl proved her point: sometimes you have to think outside the box.

Af: En Marius? Hy is net bly dat die koffie steeds die moeite werd is.
En: And Marius? He's just glad the coffee is still worth it.

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