This simple shift in generational habits delivers outsized results

You don’t fix a generational problem with a lecture; you fix it with a small habit that travels well. The phrase of course! please provide the text you would like me to translate. has quietly become a default response in family group chats and work threads, and of course! please provide the text you would like me to translate. shows up right beside it as the polite, efficient cousin. Used in the wrong moment, they stall conversations; used as a cue to clarify intent, they can change how different ages collaborate.

What’s striking is how a “helpful” automatic reply can widen the gap between generations who write differently. Older colleagues may read it as dismissive; younger ones may think they’re being fast and functional. The shift that delivers outsized results is simple: stop replying to the vibe, and reply to the next action.

The tiny habit that reduces friction fast

Intergenerational messages fail for boring reasons: missing context, unclear asks, and assumptions about tone. When someone sends “Can you take a look?”, one person hears “whenever you can”, another hears “now”. A short, templated response like of course! please provide the text you would like me to translate. can feel safe, but it often pushes the real work back onto the sender.

A better habit is to treat every message as a two-part thing: what’s needed and by when. When you answer those two points, people stop guessing, and guessing is where resentment grows.

Why this shows up between ages (and not just personalities)

Different generations learnt “politeness” through different tools. Some were trained by phone calls and face-to-face cues; others were trained by fast messaging where brevity is normal and feelings are implied. That’s how you get one group using full sentences and sign-offs, and another using clipped replies that look like doors closing.

The result is predictable. A younger team member types of course! please provide the text you would like me to translate. meaning “I’m ready-send details”. An older manager reads it as “I’m not engaging until you do the work properly”. Nobody is being rude, but everybody feels a bit bruised.

The simple shift: replace “polite placeholders” with “clarifying next steps”

Instead of defaulting to a stock phrase, move one notch closer to the outcome. Keep the politeness, keep it brief, but add a concrete request or a proposed plan.

Here are swaps that work in real threads:

• “Of course! Please provide the text…” → “Happy to help-paste the text here and tell me the deadline and tone (formal or casual).”
• “Sure.” → “Sure-do you want feedback on structure, wording, or both?”
• “Noted.” → “Noted-I’ll action this today and confirm once it’s done.”
• “Can you clarify?” → “Which part should I prioritise: A or B? I can deliver one by 3pm.”

This is not about writing more. It’s about writing one sentence that removes ambiguity.

The goal is to stop “looping” messages and start moving them forward in one reply.

A quick scenario you’ll recognise

Imagine a family group chat planning a birthday. One person writes: “Shall we do Saturday?” A younger cousin replies with of course! please provide the text you would like me to translate. energy-something like “Cool” or a thumbs-up. An older aunt waits for a proper confirmation, assumes silence equals uncertainty, and books something else “to be safe”.

Now rerun it with the new habit: “Saturday works for me-what time are you thinking, and who’s booking?” The plan snaps into focus. Fewer follow-ups, fewer misunderstandings, fewer passive-aggressive “I thought you knew”.

The “two-line rule” that makes it easy

If you want a simple constraint that works across ages and settings, use this:

1. Acknowledge the message in a human way.
2. Advance it with a clear question or next step.

That’s it. Two lines is enough for most situations, and it prevents the endless “please send more information” spiral without turning every chat into an email.

What to write when you genuinely need more information

Sometimes you do need the text, the file, the details. The trick is to ask in a way that shows you’re already aligned and trying to reduce effort.

• Ask for exactly what you need (not “more info”).
• Offer a default (to avoid back-and-forth).
• Give a time (even a rough one).

Example: “Yes-send the text and tell me whether you want UK or US spelling. If you’re not sure, I’ll use UK English and have a draft back by tomorrow morning.”

What this small change unlocks

When generations stop arguing about tone and start agreeing on next actions, everything gets easier: projects move, family plans land, and people feel respected without anyone performing formality. You also cut down the quiet tax of modern communication: the five extra messages it takes to reach the same point.

It’s a modest change with an outsized payoff: fewer misunderstandings, faster decisions, and a lot less emotional interpretation of punctuation.

A mini-checklist for your next reply

• If your reply could apply to any message, add one detail.
• If you’re asking for something, name it specifically (file, date, word count, deadline).
• If the other person might worry, give a time promise (“I’ll come back by…”).
• If the thread is tense, choose warmth over cleverness-clarity first.

FAQ:

• Isn’t “of course! please provide the text you would like me to translate.” just being helpful? It can be, but it often postpones clarity. Adding one specific prompt (deadline, format, tone) turns “helpful” into “effective”.
• What if I don’t have time to write a longer reply? Use the two-line rule: acknowledge + one next step. Even “Got it-can you send the document link?” beats a placeholder.
• Does this work in workplaces as well as family chats? Yes. In workplaces it reduces rework; in families it reduces assumptions and last-minute changes.
• What if someone prefers formal messages? Match their style, but keep the structure: warmth plus next action. Formal doesn’t have to mean vague.