GEA PHE Systems North America is the name of a company in York, Pennsylvania, USA, which was purchased and developed by GEA several years ago. The York branch at “GEA Drive”, with its 135 employees from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, France, Italy, Morocco, Malaysia, India, Hungary, and Lithuania has developed into a melting pot of different nationalities. The various cultures, languages, and traditions truly enrich the city of York, and especially the company itself.
As a result, a broad mix of languages and accents can be heard. Celebrations include Oktoberfest and Jersey-Day, and discussions about sports include soccer, the European Soccer Championship, baseball, cricket, and the Superbowl of American Football. “Recently, I had lunch with a German, an Indian, and two Mexicans at a Thai Restaurant,” explains Lutz Wolf, who has been with GEA for two years and is now Executive Director for GEA PHE Systems North America, Inc. “You hear German jokes and cursing in Spanish, someone with a Southern accent makes fun of the Yankees, or the weather is discussed in Malay. Sometimes words get mixed up or people start talking to their colleagues in languages that are completely foreign to them.”
“It happened during one of our management team meetings,” Lutz Wolf tells us. “Our marketing director was making a point during one of our purchasing reorganizations, prompting the purchasing director into a lively discussion. As it turned out though, he had essentially the same opinion. One of our colleagues wanted to end the discussion and said: 'Gentlemen, this is basically the same in green!' Immediately, the discussion ended while all the non-German speakers looked puzzled. A few minutes passed before it was understood that the German saying 'Das ist doch das Gleiche in gruen' cannot by translated word by word.” It goes without saying that we understand each other anyway, and little slips like this just add to the general amusement.
As different as the many countries and traditions may be, everyone jokes about and with one another – but always with a chuckle and an open mind as well as a respectful attitude.
