Keigo, Deadlines, and a Supervisor's Softened Request
Lin, a first-year international student at a Japanese university, receives this email from her seminar supervisor: 「来週の水曜日までに、レポートのテーマ案を一度見せに来ていただけますでしょうか。難しいようでしたら、木曜の午後でも構いません。」 Lin works at a convenience store every Wednesday from 13:00 to 19:00, and she has a chemistry exam on Thursday morning. A Japanese friend tells her the professor is 'just being polite' and that she can simply email the draft instead of visiting. Lin is unsure whether the visit is required, whether Thursday afternoon is a real alternative, and how formal her reply must be. She also notices the word 「一度」 and wonders whether sending a draft by email would satisfy the request. She must reply within 24 hours and wants to avoid both rudeness and overcommitting herself.
1. What is the supervisor actually asking Lin to do, and by when? Explain how 「〜ていただけますでしょうか」 and 「難しいようでしたら」 affect the force of the request, and what 「一度」 implies.
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The request is to visit the supervisor in person and show a draft of the report topic, with Wednesday as the target day. The deadline is not 'submit a completed report': 「テーマ案」 and 「一度」 mark it as a preliminary check.
「〜ていただけますでしょうか」 is humble keigo that lowers the speaker and softens the imposition, but in a supervisor–student relationship it does not make the action optional. The politeness signals consideration, not indifference. 「難しいようでしたら」 genuinely opens an alternative, so Thursday afternoon is a real fallback if Lin has a legitimate conflict and states it.
The verb 「見せに来る」 (come and show) makes an in-person visit the default. Emailing a draft would change the method, so Lin should ask permission rather than assume it. The practical reading: go on Wednesday if possible; if not, propose Thursday afternoon with a reason; do not treat the email option as equivalent without confirmation.
2. Write the two or three key sentences of Lin's reply in Japanese, and justify each choice in terms of register, reason, alternative, and next step.
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One workable reply:
「先生、ご連絡ありがとうございます。水曜日はアルバイトが13時から19時まで入っておりますので、午前中か木曜日の午後でしたら伺えます。テーマ案は一度メールでお送りしてもよろしいでしょうか。」
Justification:
- 「ご連絡ありがとうございます」 acknowledges the message in formal register without being stiff.
- Giving the concrete shift hours supplies a factual reason rather than a vague refusal.
- Offering Wednesday morning first, then Thursday afternoon, preserves the supervisor's preferred day and shows priority.
- The question about emailing the draft asks permission instead of assuming it, because the original verb was 「見せに来る」.
- 「伺えます」 is humble for 'visit' and keeps the visit on the table.
The reply does not say she cannot come; it narrows the choice while preserving the visit, which is the socially safe judgement.