ビジネス英語ディクテーション

ただ聞こえてきたままにタイプしてアップしてるだけの地味なブログです。

2009年05月

I: Yes. That's right. ええ。そうですね。
There's one woman, in particular, who's become really popular over the past
few years in the States for her straight talking style when giving financial advice.
ひとり女性がいますよ。特にこの人はここ数年でアメリカでとても人気が出て来ています。財政的な助言を与える際、とてもはっきりと物を言うからです。
She's built a reputation for being very frank especially to investment novices and for giving
sensible advice about paying off debts first before jumping into more sophisticated investment schemes.
投資に関して素人の人には特に、とっても率直であることで彼女は評判を築きました。そして、まず先に借金を返してから、魅力的な投資計画に移りましょう、って言った具合の良心的な助言をすることなどでね。
She's a compelling television presence and I suppose many viewers feel that
if a major television network finds her trustworthy enough to host her own show,
then perhaps she's the safe for them too.
彼女は、賞賛せざるを得ないようなタレントですね。そして多くの視聴者が感じているのは、主要テレビネットワークが彼女のことを信頼して番組を任しているくらいだから、彼女は安全なんだろうな、ってことです。

S: As Rosa said it's best to take a caveat emptor approach, when it comes to investing.
It's up to the individual to do the proper research before taking the next step.
Rosaさんが言ったように、買い手責任のやり方ですね。投資することになったら。
ひとりひとりにかかってきますね。適切にリサーチして、次の段階を踏むのは。

I: That is sound advice. それは健全な助言ですね。
Also to avoid the fate of the victims of so many of the recent scandals,
it's important to diversify one's investments.
最近のスキャンダルでは多くの人が犠牲になりましたが、それを避けるためにも、投資を分散させることが大切です。
It's best not to put all your eggs in one basket.
持っている卵全部を一つのかごにいれないようにするのがいいんです。



Word Watching

<con artist>

Now instead of con artist, you might also hear schemer, grafter, swindler.
Con artists are usually people who develop very complicated schemes to try to check people
out of their money.
So perhaps that's why the word "artist" is used with it.
con artistという代わりに、schemer / grafter / swindlerとかもミミにするかもしれないですね。
con artistは、とても手の込んだ計画を練って、人から金を出させるようなヤツのことです。
だから、artistっていう語が使われているでしょう。

<economic meltdown>

financial tsunami

Now while meltdown was associated with nuclear meltdowns in the past, nowadays you can use it
to refer to all kinds of disasters or when things fall apart.
And it can also be used to describe when someone gets really upset, perhaps really angry
or just perhaps crying a lot.
You can even say that a small child is having a meltdown, meaning that they're having a tantrum:
crying uncontrollably.
昔は、meltdownというと、nuclear meltdownのことでしたが、現在では、あらゆる種類の大災害とか、何かがぶっ放された場合に使われますね。
誰かが、憤怒の中にいる場合それを言い表す際にも用いられます。おそらくは激怒しているような場合、あるいはただ、大泣きしているような場合。
ちっちゃな子がmeltdownしている、とも言えますね。この意味は、かんしゃくを起こしている/しゃくりあげながら泣いている…みたいな。

<There's no such thing as a free lunch.>

Now in addition to "There's no such thing as a free lunch.", you might also hear
"There's no such thing as a free ride."
And basically what this means is,
"If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true."
There's no such thing as a free lunch. に加えて、There's no such thing as a free ride.もあります。
そして基本的にこれがどういう意味かと言うと、「あまりにうまく出来すぎているような話は、信頼できるものではない」です。

<smell a rat>

So if you smell a rat, it means you're suspicious about something.
Something seems strange perhaps you can't trust someone or something.
Instead of that we also use "fishy" for that too.
Something that can smell fishy, it means the same thing.
smell a rat の意味は、何かに疑念を抱いている、です。
妙に思えるんです。恐らくは誰かとか何かとかを信頼できないので。
その代わりに、fishyを使ってもいいですね。
smell fishyってのも同じ意味です。うさんくさい。

<Bookkeeping>

double o, double k, double e

Now bookkeeping refers to recording the financial accounts for a company.
And it's sometimes associated with the accounting although accounting takes up the next step
and verifies and reports the information as well.
bookkeeping とは、会社の経理記録のことです。
accountingとも関連する場合もあります。もっとも次の段階が含まれますが。つまり確認・報告も含めて。

<hands off attitude>

Whether you're hands-on or hands-off, this refers to the degree of involvement in something.
And this is often used in business.
So you can describe someone as having a hands-on or hands-off management style.
If they're hands-on, they get involved in decision making at many levels.
If they're hands-off, maybe they prefer to delegate more.
何かにどれだけ関わっているかという度合いを指します。ビジネスで使いますね。
hands-on management style とか hands-off management style みたいに言います。
hands-on だと、多くの段階で意志決定に関わっている、ってことです。
hands-off だと、仕事を移譲することを好む、ってことです。


Listening Challenge

Question 1
The options are ... Now let's listen. The answer is...

Question 2
The options are... Now let's listen. The answer is...


That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


Thanks for joining us. 参加していただききありがとうございます。

S: Rosa Cortez's mother was able to spot some warning flags
when dealing with her shady investment sales person.
Rosa Cortezさんの母親は、怪しげな投資販売員と接している時に、この警告に気付いたんですね。
She was able to avoid getting caught in a scam. But others may not be so lucky.
彼女は、詐欺にひっかかるのを避けることができました。でもみんなそう幸運なわけじゃないですね。

I: Yes. And her background as a bookkeeper certainly helped in that regard.
そうです。それに彼女が簿記係をしてたことがこの場合には確かに役立ちました。
However for many people, financial planning can be daunting.
でも、多くの人にとって、財政計画は難物です。
And they may be more likely to buy into a clever sales technique at a financial planning seminar.
そして、財政計画セミナーで、抜け目のない販売テクにひっかかるかもしれないです。
I've got invitations to seminars like that over the years though some of them did seem to be from
legitimate financial planners.
そのようなセミナーの招待状を受け取ったことがあります。ここ何年もです。でもそれらのいくつかはちゃんとした財政計画をするところのようなんです。
They often provide something to draw attendees, such as the free lunch Rosa's mother was offered.
出席者を惹き付けるために、Rosaの母親が提供されたような無料のランチを提供しています。
Some offer them evening seminar with wine and cheese.
あるいは、夕方のセミナーではワインとチーズを出すとか。
And others will go as far as offering prizes, such as a free digital music player.
あるいは、デジタル音楽再生機を無料で提供することさえも。
I was recently invited to a time share investment seminar with a promise of
a 10,000-yen gift certificate.
最近、タイム・シェアの投資セミナーに招待されました。1万円分の商品券が約束されてました。
And then the U.S., my parents were offered a three-day cruise in exchange for attending
a similar seminar.
アメリカでは、3日間のクルーズに両親が。似たようなセミナーへの出席と引きかえですが。
I know that some people will go to these seminars to get the free prizes.
このようなセミナーに商品目当てで行く人があるのを知っています。
But I'd rather not go if I know I'm not interested in the product from the start.
私は行かないですね。はじめから自分の興味のない商品だってわかってたら。

S: With both honest and untrustworthy sales people using similar sales tactics, it can be difficult
for potential investors to determine whether something is truly legitimate.
正直な人も信用できないひとも、似たような販売戦術を使っているので、これから投資しようという人は、何が一体信用できるのか判断するのが難しいですね。

I: Indeed. I tend to avoid these types of open seminars unless I know the company's reputation well,
perhaps through word of mouth from reliable sources.
その通りです。このようなオープンセミナーは私は避けるように努めています。会社の評判がよいと知らない限りは。それは信頼できる筋からの口コミ情報とかで判断します。
Personally I'm very averse to the hard sell.
個人的には、押しの強い販売は大嫌いです。
And if someone tries to push me to do something, such as sign up for a financial service's package,
they're more likely to succeed in pushing me away.
例えば、財政サービスパッケージなどの商品に対して、押しの強い売り込みをかけられたら、まんまとやられることがありますからね。
I'd rather take my time and do some proper research first.
時間をとって、まず調査するでしょうね。私なら。

S: That sounds like a wise strategy.それは賢い戦略です。
Rosa also mentioned the increase in Internet related scams.
Rosaさんも言っていました。ネット関連の詐欺が増えてきていると。

I: Yes. And I'm sure we've all had our share of spam in our e-mail inboxes touting the latest
get-rich-quick schemes.
そうですね。確かに、メールの受信箱には、「一発金儲け」を謳うジャンクメールが来ますよね。
Despite the efforts of both governmental or non-governmental organizations to warn people about
this kind of fraud, there are still far too many people who fall for it.
政府組織、非政府団体などのこのような詐欺行為を警告する努力もむなしく、それにひっかかる人が大勢です。
However while the Internet has been a tool for con artists, it can also be used against them.
ネットが詐欺師の道具であるのと同時に、彼らに反駁するように利用することも可能です。
In the past, if people in the States had doubts about a particular company or individual provider,
they could check in with their local Better Business Bureau, a non-profit organization
established to protect consumers from shady operators.
昔、アメリカでは、特定の会社や個人に疑念を抱いたら、地元の商取引協議会に照会することができました。そこは非営利団体でした。消費者を怪しげな輩から護るための。
Now the BBB is still around today. 今でも、商取引協議会はあります。
And there are a number of other sources online to help
potential investors research the reliability of financial advisors and other businesses.
これから投資しようという人が、財政計画支援者やそういうビジネスの人たちの信頼性を確かめるのを支援するサービスがネット上にありますよ。
Many people use the Internet for financial planning research.
多くの人が財政計画の調査のために、ネットを使います。
And others turn to the TV for similar advice.
そしてまた似たようなサービスがテレビでもあって、そこで助言を求める人もいます。

S: I've caught a few of those shows myself featuring financial gurus as guests or sometimes as
hosts of their own programs.
財政に詳しい人を出しているそういったたぐいの番組を見たことがあります。あるいはその人が番組ホストを務めてたりしてますが。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

岩本 Susan: Business Communication in Action 実践ビジネス英語

杉田敏: Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

I: Hello and welcome to the show. This is Susan Iwamoto. Let's put our communication skills to work.
こんにちは。そして番組にようこそ。スーザン・岩本です。コミュニケーションの技術を応用しましょう。

Shady Investment Seminar (6)

S: In our current vignette, Rosa Cortez's mother had an unfortunate encounter with
an investment con artist.
今回のvignetteでは、Rosa Cortezさんの母親が投資詐欺に不幸にも出会いました。
This subject has been in the news quite a bit recently.
この話題は、最近よくニュースになっています。

I: That's for sure. そうですね。確かに。
There have been a few high profile cases in the U.S. and here in Japan involving losses of
millions and even billions of dollars all because of shady investment schemes.
アメリカやここ日本でも大がかりな事件が起きています。そのすべてが怪しげな投資計画のために、数百万ドルあるいは数億ドルもの被害が出てます。
The Bernard Madoff scandal hit the news first a few months ago.
Bernard Madoffのスキャンダルが最初にニュースに出たのは数ヶ月前ですね。
And it was shocking how far-reaching it was.
これだけの広がりをみせたというのはショックでした。
Some people lost their entire fortunes.
中には財産丸ごと失った人もいます。
But it was particularly sad to hear about the many charities and even some public school districts
that lost millions in the aftermath.
特に悲しかったのは、多くの慈善団体や公立学校でもその余波で大金を失いました。
What's also scary is that Madoff had seemed to be such a trustworthy guy.
それに恐ろしいのは、Madoffが実に信頼できる人間に見えてたことです。
After all he was a former chairman of NASDAQ and that likely carried a lot of weight with
some of his investors.
仮にも、彼はNASDAQの前会長でしたし、投資家たちの金を持ち去ろうなどとは考えにくかったですから。

S: In tough economic times, people may be even more vulnerable to investment scams.
経済状況が逼迫すると、投資詐欺にひっかかりやすくなるでしょうね。

I: That's true. その通りです。
Now people are concerned about their financial futures especially retirement
even in economically stable times.
経済の安定している時でさえ、特に引退後の経済的未来について心配です。
But recession's at a new level of urgency.
でも、最近の不況は、新たな緊急の段階にあるます。
Even for those who haven't lost their jobs, the recession is a wake-up call for the need to
save for a rainy day.
仕事を失っていない人でも、この不況というのは、万が一の時のために貯蓄する警笛となりますね。

S: Many con artists play on senior citizens and scams are becoming an increasing problem
in Japan too.
多くの詐欺師がお年寄りを標的にしているのが、日本でも問題になっていますね。

I: Sure. 確かに。
And this runs the range from the infamous オレオレ calls to more sophisticated investment scams.
悪名高いオレオレ詐欺から、もっと手の込んだ投資詐欺にまで広がっています。
It's hard to know who to trust.
誰を信用すればいいか難しい出する
Local governments and police stations really do seem to be making an effort
to warn citizens about fraud.
地方政府も警察署もほんとうに努力しているようです。市民に詐欺について警告することに。
My local police station periodically uses our neighborhood PA system to issue warnings about
con artists.
私の地元の警察署は定期的に拡声器を使って、詐欺師に警戒するよう呼びかけています。

S: Have you had any experience with this yourself?
このような体験があなた自身、おありですか?

I: Actually yes, Yes. 実際にありますよ。
Strangely enough, just the other day, my mom contacted me to let me know that
she had a strange phone call from someone claiming to be from her local chamber of commerce.
奇しくも先日、母が連絡してきたんです。地元の商工会議所からという名目で妙な電話があったと私に知らせてきました。
The man said that I had a 250000 dollar prize waiting for me but that the check had been
delayed at a carrier's facilities.
そいつが言うには、私に25万ドルの償金が当たったんだけど、発送が遅れているということでした。
They asked my mother to confirm that my address was correct.
母に私の住所が合っているか尋ねました。
And she did but luckily didn't give any other information.
彼女が住所は言ったものの、それ以外の情報は与えなかったのは幸いでした。
Now the address in question was connected to a U.S. based credit card I have.
問題になっていた住所は私の持っているクレジットカードに関連したものでした。
And that made me concerned that someone was trying to gain access to my account.
そのために、私は心配になりました。私のクレジットのアカウントに誰かがアクセスしていたと思ったんです。
I contacted the credit company immediately to ask them to cancel my card and issue me a
new one just in case.
私は即座にクレジット会社に連絡して、カードをとめてもらって万一の時のために新しいのを発行してもらいました。
Luckily we were able to take care of it before any damage was done.
幸いにも、被害に遭う前に処理できました。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Shady Investment Seminar (5)

Key Expressions

Gwendolyn Gwen

It might seem strange to use the word "artist" together with a kind of criminal.
But the basic meaning of artist is a person skilled or adept at some specific thing.

escape artist / trapeze artist 空中ブランコの達人

But my favorite way to talk about a con artist is to call him a flim-flam man.

a slick advertising campaign 非常に洗練された/うまくまとまったキャンペーン

Maybe it's because I'm not in the advertising business, but for me when I hear the word
"slick", it signals that I should be careful about what might be under the surface.
It doesn't mean it's bad. But it does make me a little suspicious.

Although detail focuses on all the final important, even if it's small, all the important information.
You could probably often substitute the word "concrete" or "concretely" for "in detail".
I guess if you know all the details, you also know it very concretely.


あんな時、こんな時

What's up?
You could also say "What are you up to?"

There are all kinds of things you can say in this situation.


That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


Please join us again. また参加してくださいね。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Shady Investment Seminar (4)

Kim observes that older people can sometimes be fooled by superficially attractive investment schemes.
Cortez says that it's important to report scams to the authorities.

Kim uses the phrase "easy prey" as if they're some kind of meat for a predator to catch.
She could also have said "easy pickings or targets".

She also describes investment schemes as being superficially attractive.
You could say that in one word by saying "slick".

"A close call" is a narrow escape.
It could mean either that you barely escaped a problem
or that you barely achieved something you were trying to achieve.

Hughes uses the adjective "unwittingly".
He talks about unwitting victims.
Unwitting means unaware or not knowing.
So he's talking about people who buy a piece of land while they're unaware or while they don't
know what they're actually buying.

"Buying something sight unseen" means clearly you haven't seen it, but you buy it anyway.
There's an idiom with pretty much the same meaning.
It's buying a pig in a poke. A poke is a kind of bag or sack.
You don't know what you're getting.

cf.
buy a pig in a poke
Definition: buy something without seeing it; buying something without knowing its inherent quality


"Caveat emptor" is a Latin phrase that I think almost all English speakers are familiar with.
It means "buyer beware." ←映画 The Dark Knight で、スケアクロウもこれを言ってた。


That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


Talk to you again soon. またお話しましょうね。


LYOTO! おめでとう! 猪木からすごーく期待されてるのもうなづける。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/training/

Monday, May 25, 2009

Hi, listeners. Welcome to Five-minute English.
This is David Neale, saying hello to you.
And I'm Vicki Glass, hope you'll enjoy our program.
It's time to build up your English muscles.
Are you ready? Here we go.

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

What's that game you're playing? It looks like a shooting game.
Don't you get tired of that sort of thing?

What's slowing down the traffic today? All this needless road construction is doing it.
It's getting on my nerves.

I'm a friend of Jack Cummings. You don't need to bother him.
But could you give his this package?

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Even if you are tired, you can still practice. たとえ疲れていてもそれでも練習はできます。

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

It looks like it's clouding over. I hope it's not going to rain.
Or at least I hope it doesn't before I get home.

I'm not accusing you of lying. But I am accusing you of telling half truth. That's just as bad.

I have the at most respect for Susan. She's a brilliant woman.
I don't say that about people often.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Practice and develop your talents. 練習して自分の才能を伸ばしましょう。

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

I think I understand your plan. But it still seems a little vague.
Can you give me some more specific examples?

Don't mind criticism. If it's not true, just ignore it. If it's true, learn from it.

Dag finally got his driver's license yesterday. He was absolutely jubilant.
He had taken the driving test four times before passing.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Let English be part of your daily life. 英語を毎日の生活の一部にしましょう。

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Let's role play.

One. Now listen.

A: You look in good shape these days..
B: Thanks for noticing it. I've been exercising a lot.
A: You go jogging, don't you?
B: No. My knees won't let me. I've been swimming every day.

A: Honey, how do I look in this dress?
B: Uh huh. Sure.
A: Excuse me, you didn't even look over here!
B: Sorry. Ah...what was that you said?

A: Hello, this is Janice Cooper.
B: Hi, Janice. How have you been?
A: Me..who?
B: Me. John. Don't you recognize my voice?

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Your hard work will pay off. 頑張れば報われます。


Friday, May 29, 2009

Let's listen and answer.

One. Now listen.

1
Where have you been for the past three days?
I went over Amsterdam to visit my relatives.
Amsterdam? You have relatives in the Netherlands?
No, no. Amsterdam, New York. It's a town about 100 miles from here.

Q: What did the man do? Go away for a few days.

2
Sometimes I get these strange hunches and they often prove to be right.
I don't believe in supernatural powers.
But it really makes me wonder.
Maybe it's a subconscious sort of thing.

Q: What does the man say about himself? He's uncertain about his hunches.

3
I can't believe this is happening.
First it starts raining when I don't have an umbrella.
Then I step in a puddle and my shoes get all wet.
Surely things can't get any worse.
But today's not my day.
So I think I'm going to quit shopping and go home right away.

Q: Why will the woman go home? She's feeling unlucky today.

That's it for today.
Five minutes of intensive practice will do wonders.
5分間の集中練習は驚くほど効果があります。

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Listen and write.

One. Now listen.

1 Why is he in such a rush?
2 Why do you look so happy?
3 Why did he go against my advice?
4 Why is it that you’ve come to hate him?
5 Why don’t you try to save electricity?

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Practice more if you want to get better. もっとうまくなりたいならもっと練習しましょう。

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Let's fill in the blanks.

One. Now listen.

1 I'm particular about food.
2 I'm good with my hands.
3 I'm not a good judge of character.
4 I don't think I'm a meticulous person.
5 I wish I could be a more decisive person.
6 I may not look it but I'm quite a cook.
7 When I work, I really work.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
We are here to root for you. あなたを応援するために私たちはここにいるのです。

「ゼニの人間学」 青木雄二

例のプロレタリア文学「蟹工船」よりもずっとわかりやすくて尚かつ良書だと思う。

「気をつけ、礼。」 重松清 

~にんじん~はほんとうに涙が出そうになる。

「テロリストのパラソル」 藤原伊織

まぁ、まぁかな。少し現実に起きていることと違うかな。現実はもっと残酷でシビア。

「中国臓器市場」 城山英巳

人間のエゴについて考えさせられた。オレは移植されてまで生き延びようなんて思わない。
例え自分の子どもでも。
資金力にまかせて健康を「買う」ってのはどうも解せない。
短い人生でも美しくありたい。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Shady Investment Seminar (3)

Because Cortez's mother taught bookkeeping, she was able to ask hard questions and drive
the sales people out of her house.
Cortez says this kind of operation is after commissions whether or not the investment is
right for the purchaser.

computer literate

The opposite of hard questions is soft questions.

To put the squeeze on someone is to put pressure on them, to try to force them to do what you want.

Sleazy is an adjective that means dishonest, corrupt, vulgar and tawdry.

In English, the word "liquid" is often used to describe investments that are easy to return back into cash.
If they're not easy to turn back into cash, they're called illiquid.
And to talk about the property of an investment, you talk about its liquidity.

A fleece is the wool part of a sheep that's taken by sheep farmers.
It also got the meaning to strip the fleece off of a sheep.
It became a verb in the 16th century and about 40 years after it became a verb,
people started using it to mean cheat, or swindle.
I suppose it's similar to the idea of cutting a fleece off a sheep, you take the valuable part.

Cortez also talks about gullible retirees.
Gullible is an adjective that means easily deceived. It's kind of negative.
You could say someone's naive.
And that indicates more a lack of experience.
Gullible is a bit more of a lack of maybe suspicion.
It's somebody who's easily deceived.

That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。

So long. さようなら。 

「ゲバラ最期の時」 戸井十月

うーん。なかなかよかった。

p138

~そのときの彼は、兵士としても医者としてもめざましい活躍をみせました。負傷した同志を助けながら、同時に、負傷した敵兵も手当てしていました。~

p168

~ゲバラは公務をこなすだけでなく、少ない休みの日には自ら率先して労働奉仕に出かけた。リーダーこそ先頭に立って体を張るというのは、カストロやゲバラの一貫した考え方だった。~

p175

~チェは日本で見たこと、日本人の働く姿に深く感動していました。"我々は、キューバ人を日本人と同じレベルにまで持っていかねばならない"と言っていましたよ。そうしなければキューバはいつまで経っても自立できないだろうと。日本人の勤労精神をキューバに持って帰りたかったのでしょう。~

p313-314

[もし我々が空想家のようだと言われるならば

救いがたい理想主義者だと言われるならば

できもしないことを考えていると言われるならば

何千回でも答えよう

そのとおりだ、と]

boy: で、どう? 娘さんは?

TJ: うん。ふつうだよ。本当はつらいのかもしれないけどね。

boy: 子どもさんが5人もいると、いろいろとあるでしょ?

TJ: うん、みんながみんな心身共にベストってことはないからね。親がそうじゃないときもあるしね。

boy: それでも、子どもさんのことはやたら信じてるでしょ?

TJ: そうだね。子どものことはとにかく楽観視してるね。

boy: 人様の子どもさんの場合はまた違うでしょ?

TJ: K子ちゃんとかその妹とかはなんだか自分の子どもに近いかもしれないね。ほぼ毎日見ているし。

boy: そう言えば、いちばん長くいた学生さんで何年くらい来たの?

TJ: 12歳~20歳までってのが最高かな。

boy: それはまた長いつきあいだね。

TJ: そうだね。だから何というか何だか他人じゃないような気もするね。

boy: K子ちゃんはもう小4なんだよね。

TJ: そうそう。小1の頃からからすると背も高くなったしね。

boy: いろんなことがあるから人生だよね。

TJ: そうそう。オレにとってはもう人生の折り返し地点をとっくの昔に過ぎてるから、後は楽だよ。

boy: 楽ってのは?

TJ: まぁ、どんなたいへんなことがあるにせよ、最悪、死ぬくらいのことだしね。

boy: あはは。そりゃそうだ。

TJ: だから、起きてしまったことに対処していくしかないのさ。

boy: 対処できてる内はまだ生きてるわけだしね。

TJ: そうそう。身体に無理がきたら、最悪はその機能が停止されるだけのことだし。

boy: 何の心配もいらない、ってこと?

TJ: そういうこったな。

boy: お父さんの死に際についてはどうだった?

TJ: たいへんだな、って思ったな。

boy: しんどそうだった、ってのが?

TJ: て、言うか、何だかな。つまり、なかなか死ねない、ってのも、たいへんかな…と。

boy: でも、いよいよっていうときが一昨年の12月で、それから4か月だから、
   そんなに苦しんだ期間が長かったとも言えないんじゃない?

TJ: 客観的にはそうだね。でも、本人にとってはやたらと長かったと思うよ。

boy: TJさんは、いつ死んでもいいんでしょ?

TJ: そうだね。できたら、気分がいちばんいいときにコロッって逝くのがいいね。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Shady Investment Seminar (2)

Cortez's mother enjoyed the seminar and brought pamphlets home to read.
Cortez says the seminar organizers visited her mother at home to give her more information:
a con man tactic in pressure sales.

To smell a rat is an idiom that means be suspicious of something.

Not a little suspicion, but really, it looks pretty bad.

Cortez uses the word "supposedly". It's built on the word "supposed".
And "supposed" usually only has two syllables.
"Supposedly" has four.
I think because of the "ly" being added to "supposed".
It's difficult to say it and hear it clearly if you don't add the extra syllable.
Occasionally though, you will hear "supposed" alone.

Cortez says, "Yes, that was the point".
That's where the problem started.
But she's also talking about why they had the seminar.
They had the seminar so that they could collect the names and addresses of older people
who had some money to invest.

Hughes uses the verb "wheedle".
"Wheedle" is one of the ways to persuade people or influence people.
It's using a kind of flattery or guile which is close to trickery.
You're trying to cajole somebody by telling them nice things to do what you want.
And the nice thing you're telling them might not be quite true.

Cortez uses the word "foolproof".
It means that even a fool could do it without having a bad result.

goofproof / idiot-proof

You can use both of those.
Saying "me asking" makes it more the verbal form of asking.
If you say "my asking", it's more the gerund form. It becomes similar to a noun.


That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


Goodbye for now. ひとまずさようなら。


去年から注目してたんだけど、テレビとかでも名前を聞くようになった。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Shady Investment Seminar (1)

Cortez is upset because some scam artists targeted her mother after a free financial planning seminar.
The invitation emphasized that nothing would be sold and there was no fee for attending.

Sue Kim could have just said "How are you today, Rosa?".
But by adding "busy Monday", it makes her sound actually rather cheerful and bustling.
She's got lots of things to do.
But everything's under control and she'll have a good productive day.

I'll probably say, "Are you sick?"

The word "unscrupulous" is kind of interesting.
Most of the time when you hear it used, it tends to mean someone who's morally not careful,
or just doesn't pay attention to morals or ethics, things like that.
They do what they want without thinking about other people.

People say, "burned" when they're angry or irritated or annoyed.
It's a fairly strong way to say that.

Shiga talks about slick operators.
An operator could be somebody who's trained to work some kind of special equipment.
But the word is also used to talk about somebody who's sort of shrewd or wily,
who's rather good at doing something, but maybe looks a little bit too good at it.
I think someone who's called an operator might not be trusted by the people around him.
And then adding the word "slick" to it, slick is a way to describe someone again
who's excellent at what they're doing, but maybe a little bit too good.
So you tend to doubt or distrust them.

The phrase "there's no such thing as a free lunch" is often used to say,
"Even things that look free, you end up paying for".
There's kind of a similar phrase. You could say "Free advice is worth what you paid for it".


That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。

Thanks for tuning in. 選局していただいてありがとうございます。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/training/

Monday, May 18, 2009

Hi, listeners. Welcome to Five-minute English.
This is David Neale, saying hello to you.
And I'm Vicki Glass, hope you'll enjoy our program.
It's time to build up your English muscles.
Are you ready? Here we go.

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

Somebody ate all the daughnuts. It was you, wasn't it? Who else was in the kitchen all day?

Remember that the camera was broken? I took it to the shop this morning.
They said reparing it will cost as much as a new one.

The lawn needs weeding again. The weed seems to grow faster than the grass.
I wish there was an easy way to get rid of them.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Practice whenever and wherever you can. できるときにはいつでもどこでも練習しましょう。

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

I haven't seen Tracy all afternoon. I know she was here in the morning. Where could she have gone?

I love the carpet and drapes in this room.
Did you pick the colors out yourself? Or did you hire a professional designer?

There was a fashionable show on TV. I don't think I'll ever understand the world of fashion.
All the outfits looked like Halloween costumes.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Practice today, tomorrow and the next day. 今日も明日もその次の日も練習しましょう。

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

You don't exercise enough these days. It's a beautiful day. Let's go jogging together.

I had a bad accident yesterday. When I was riding my bike, I fell and hit my head.
It was such a hard bump, that I saw stars.

This is one of my favorite actors. But he doesn't belong in an action movie.
He's better suited to comedies.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Your English will never get better just by wishing. 願っているだけでは英語は決して上達しません。

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Let's role play.

One. Now listen.

Well, I guess I should be going.
Going? Sit down. I'll heat up some water.
That's nice of you. But it's getting late.
What do you want? Coffee? Tea? Something stronger?

Tom, a woman named Elizabeth is here to see you.
You didn't tell her I'm here, did you?
No, I just asked her to wait a moment.
Good. Say that I'm out.

Be sure to order the fresh salmon. It's delicious.
Actually, I was going to ask for the beef stew.
Hmmm. I've never tried that before.
Well, you get the salmon and we can share.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Don't be afraid of failure. 失敗を恐れてはいけません。

Friday, May 22, 2009

Let's listen and answer.

One. Now listen.

My camera. It's gone. I wonder what happened.
Do you want to make a police report?
I'm not sure that it was stolen. Maybe I put it down somewhere.
Where do you last remember seeing it?

Question: What's the man's problem? His camera is missing.

I'll have to apologize for the broken vase, Meg.
The kids knocked it over while we were playing with the dog. But I was there too.
So there was no getting around my share of the responsibility.

Question: Who knocked over the vase? The kids.

My grandfather retired about 10 years ago. He ran a furniture store downtown for many years.
He still visits the place now and then. He gives them advice and encouragement.
And of course he tells stories about the good old days.

Question: What was her grandfather's job? Store manager.

That's it for today.
Failure is a necessary stepping stone to success. 失敗は成功するために必要な足がかりなのです。


Saturday, May 23, 2009

Listen and write.

One. Now listen.

1 Which is correct?
2 Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
3 Which wine do you prefer, this one or that one?
4 Which train should I take?
5 Which way does this window face?

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
No daily practice, no better English. 毎日練習しなければ英語は上達しません。

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Let's fill in the blanks.

One. Now listen.

1 I've gained some weight.
2 I'm not exercising enough lately.
3 I have to get rid of this spare tire.
4 I'm on a diet now.
5 You shouldn't go on crash diets.
6 They say everything in moderation.
7 Eat less and exercise more.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Better English doesn't come to you if you skip practice.練習をサボっていたら英語は上達しません。

「いま、会いにゆきます」 市川拓司

…今頃、読んだ。映画版の方がよかった。

「宇宙 地球 生命 脳 100億年の旅2」 立花隆

…ほんとうに立花隆の本にはハズレがない。

「人間万事塞翁が丙午」 青島幸男

…なかなかよい。

「太陽の坐る場所」 辻村深月

…これもまぁまぁよかった。

「夢見る黄金地球儀」 海堂尊

…さすが。もっと気の利いたタイトルをつけたらいいのに。すごい!海堂は。天才だ。

スピーシーズ4 新種覚醒

原題:Species: The Awakening/2007年/アメリカ/99分

自分がエイリアンと人間のDNAを配合したハイブリッド生命体だと知らずに育ったヒロインが、
やがて自らの恐るべき本性を知るのだが? SFホラーの人気シリーズ第4弾!

これ、見逃してた。久々に手に汗握る映画だった。得した気分だ。
この際、ストーリーのことはおいておこう。あはは。

S: Jay Tyson mentioned the fitness benefits.
And research showing that cycling to work may increase your productivity as well.
Jay Tysonさんは、健康上の利点のことを言っていました。
そして、職場に自転車でいくことで生産性も高まるかもという研究のことも。

I: Well, that's right. I think it's a great way to reduce stress.
そうですね。その通りです。ストレスを軽減するよい方法です。
Even if you only bike in good weather, a nice, breathy ride sure beats being
crammed into a rush hour train or getting stuck in a traffic jam.
いい天気のときだけ自転車に乗ったとしても、すてきなそよ風に吹かれて自転車で行くことは、ラッシュアワーの電車にもまれたり、交通渋滞でうごけなくなっているより、ずっといいでしょうしね。


Word Watching

So if you're full of vim and vigor, it means you're full of energy or enthusiasm.
Now what's interesting about this phrase is that you often hear the word "vigor" used by itself.
You know someone approaches a new job with renewed vigor, with renewed energy.
But you don't hear "vim" used on its own.
vimとvigorでいっぱいというのは、エネルギーと熱意で満ちている、という意味です。
この表現で興味深いのは、vigorという語が単独で使われるのは耳にするものの。
つまり、with renewed vigorみたいな感じで、新しい仕事にアプローチするみたいなのりで。
でも、vimは単独では耳にしないですね。


Chicago Land
So the Greater Chicago area is the area including Chicago, the city itself plus the suburbs,
the towns and maybe other cities that are affected by it or influenced by it.
Greater Chicago area は、Chicagoその都市も、周辺部を含んでいます。シカゴの影響を受けている地域も含めます。

Now the word "guy" in its singular form always means a man.
But if you use it in its plural form, "guys" can refer to men or women
or a mixed group of men and women.
Now this is used very casually, and it's used often in American English.
In fact, I use it all the time, even when I'm talking to a group, women friends, I might say,
"Hey, what are you guys doing tonight?"
guyは単数形だと「男」とう意味です。
でも、複数形にすると、女性も含みます。男性・女性をひっくるめるんです。
とても普通に使われています。アメリカ英語では特にね。
実際、私はよく使っていますよ。グループのみんなに話しかけたり、女性の友だちに話しかけるときにね。
「ねぇ、あなたたち、何を今夜はするつもりなの?」

Now you often hear "defensive driving" or "driving defensively", when referring to driving a car.
But of course, riding defensively is very important for cyclists whether they're riding a bicycle
or motorcycle.
So if you're hearing this more and more, if you hear "ride defensively",
it will always refer to a bicycle or motorcycle.
車を運転する際に、これらの表現をよく耳にします。
ride defensively という場合には、自転車やバイクのことですね。

Now the word "no-no" might sound a little childish at first.
But it's actually used in normal adult conservations.
It refers to something that you shouldn't do.
So if we think about do's and don'ts, a "no-no" is a definite don't.
幼児語のように聞こえますが、実際には大人の会話でも使います。
やったらいけないことですね。

Now this is a fairly common structure: an adverb plus speaking.
Speaking is just used for emphasis.
So you might also hear "generally speaking".
You could just say, "Generally" or "Ergonomically".
"Technically speaking" means to be precise.
"Theoretically speaking" means that you're just talking about some concept or theory.
強調のために、speakingをつけたりします。
generally speaking は generallyだけでもいいんです。
technically speaking は、「厳密に言えば」
theoretically speaking は、「何かの概念や理論を話そうとしている場合」です。

Now physician is another way of saying a doctor or a medical doctor.
You could say, "The surgeons are physicians".
But of course, not all physicians are surgeons.
医者のことです。
外科医は医者といえますが、医者が全員外科医であるとは言えないですね。

GP general practitioner


Listening Challenge

Question 1
The options are ... Now let's listen. The answer is...

Question 2
The options are... Now let's listen. The answer is...


That's all for today.

Thanks for joining us.

I: Yes, that's right. Actually I was really impressed when I visited Portland, Oregon a few years ago.
ええ、その通りです。実際、私はとても感動しました。オレゴン州のポートランドを数年前に訪れた際に。
Now that's the city that really seems to be making an effort to support cyclists.
そこの都市こそ、自転車に乗る人を支持する努力をしているのです。
Most, if not all, the local buses had a bike rack attached to the font of the bus.
すべてとは言えないですが、多くの地元のバスには、前の方に付属の自転車用のラックがあります。
And a local light rail system has designated areas in each train car for bikes.
そして、地元のオレゴンの軽鉄道では、自転車向けの電車に指定の自転車スペースを持っています。
So nearly every time I took the train, there were at least one or two people on board with
their bicycles.
だから、ほとんど自転車に乗る時には毎回ですが、少なくとも1人か2人は自転車ごと電車に乗る人がいました。
And having a hard time imagining this on trains in Tokyo or Osaka though.
東京・大阪にそのような列車があるだなんて想像しにくいですけど。
I wonder if some of the smaller cities in Japan would be open to this on local trains.
日本の小都市だと地元の列車に対してこういう試みができるかも、って思いますが。

S: No, I haven't seen bikes on trains. But I've seen a few collapsible bikes in building corridors.
Maybe that's the answer.
電車に自転車を持ち込むのは目にしたことないですね。ビルの廊下に折りたたみ式自転車があるのを見たことはありますが…。おそらくはそれが答ですね。
It's not unusual in Japan for people to bike to work if they live close by,
職場の近くに住んでたら、自転車で通うには日本ではめずらしいことではないですね。
And many people ride their bikes to the station before continuing their commute by train.
そして多くの人が自転車で駅に行ってから、電車での通勤に切り替えます。
However in smaller cities, or in the country side, many people drive to work.
しかし、小さな都市とか田舎では、多くの人が車で通勤しますね。

I: Yes, sometimes it's just a matter of what's most convenient, I suppose.
そうですね。要するに何がいちばん便利か、っていうことでしょうね。
That's the case in the States, too. それはアメリカでも同様です。
Many of the larger U.S. cities have good mass transit options for residents.
多くのアメリカの大都市では、住民向けの素晴らしい大量公共輸送機関がよりどりみどりです。
But unfortunately for many people living in the suburbs, or smaller cities and towns,
the most common option is to drive to work.
でも、残念なことに、多くの郊外や小さな町に住む人にとっての通勤の手段の大部分が車です。
When I lived in a small city in Louisiana, we had no local public buses or trains.
ルイジアナ州の小都市に住んでいたときには、地元に公共バスや列車がありませんでした。
And seeing dead cats or dogs on the ride of the road from time to time made me reluctant
to bike long distances along major roads there.
そして、自転車で乗っている時に、時折、死んだ犬や猫を目にしていたもので、長い距離を自転車で行く気にはならなかったですね。
I had commuted by bike in Japan in the past though.
でも、日本では自転車で通勤したことはありましたけどね。過去に。

S: How long was your commute? 通勤時間はどのくらいでしたか?

I: Well, the first few years I lived in Japan, I had a couple of jobs that were less than 10 minutes
away by bike later I took a new job that was a ninety minute commute each way.
日本に暮らした最初の数年は、自転車で10分もかからないところに仕事をもっていました。
その後、新しい仕事に就いて、そのときには、毎日90分通勤時間がかかりました。
So I had to stick to the train until I was able to move within walking distance of my office
the following year.
だから、電車通勤でしたね。それは翌年、歩いていけるところにある会社に移るまではそうでした。
When I moved again, a few years later, I was about 30 minutes away by bike, which is reasonable.
But I decided it was a little too far.
数年後、またまた転居しました。自転車で約30分のところでした。これはよかったですね。
でも、少し遠すぎるな、ってことになりました。

S: Why? どうしてですか?

I: Well, to be honest, I had similar concerns to what Shiga Hiroshi mentioned.
正直に言って、志賀洋さんが言っていたのと似た懸念があったんです。
It seemed inconvenient to carry a brief case.
ブリーフ・ケースを持って行くのが不便なように思えました。
And yet I didn't want to ride with a backpack due to the reasons Jay mentions.
そして他方、バックパックはで自転車で行くのはいやでした。Jayさんが言っていた理由から。
After taking time in the morning to make myself presentable for work,
I didn't want to arrive in the office so sweaty mess from the trip, especially in the summer.
仕事場にふさわしいかっこうして行くのに朝、時間がかかりますし、特に夏には汗びっしょりで会社に行きたくはなかったですし。
And this is something I often wonder about bike commuters.
そして、このことがよく自転車通勤者について懸念をもつところです。
If your office has showers or has a business casual dress code, things may be easier.
会社にシャワーがあるとか、カジュアルな服装でいいなら、問題は簡単です。
But if you're expected to show up to work in a suit, sometimes a thirty to forty minute bike ride
isn't that attractive.
でも、スーツで職場に行かないといけないとしたら、30分、40分の自転車通勤は魅力的とは言えないですね。
Now I know that sounds a bit superficial considering the importance of energy conservation.
このことが浅薄なのはわかってます。エネルギーを大切にする重要性を鑑みるとね。
But I wonder if more people would be willing to bike if they knew they had a place to clean up and
get changed before starting their day.
でも、一日を始めるのにシャワーですっきりして着替える場所があれば、より多くの人が自転車で通勤すると思いますよ。
Well, of course there are a lot of benefits to riding to work other than just energy conservation.
エネルギーを大切にする以外にも、自転車で職場に行くことの利点はたくさんあります。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

岩本 Susan: Business Communication in Action 実践ビジネス英語

杉田敏: Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

I: Hello and welcome to the show. This is Susan Iwamoto. Let's put our communication skills to work.
こんにちは。そして番組にようこそ。スーザン・岩本です。コミュニケーションの技術を応用しましょう。

Bicycling to Work (6)

S: In our current vignette, we've been talking about bicycling to work.
今週のビニエットでは、自転車で職場に行く話をしてきています。

I: A very healthy habit indeed. とても身体にいい習慣ですね。

S: How about you, Susan? Do you ever bike to work?
Susanさんはどうですか。今までに自転車で職場に行かれたことはありますか?

I: Well, I have in the past. ええ、過去にはあります。
But these days, I tend to stick to the train and my own two feet.
でも最近は、電車や徒歩てすね。もっぱら。
My work takes me all over Japan.私の仕事の関係で、日本中を旅します。
So like many people here, depend on local trains and subways as well as the bullet train
from most of my commuting means.
だから、ここの多くの人と同様、地元の電車や地下鉄に頼っています。それから新幹線もですね。通勤の必要性からですが。
But you know, now that I think about it, I do live less than 10 km away from the NHK studio,
so maybe I should be biking here.
でも、ご存じのように、考えてみると、NHKのスタジオから10kmより短い所に住んでいますから、ここまで自転車で来ることを考えてもいいですね。
How about you, Sugita san? 杉田さんはどうですか?
Have you ever commuted by bike in the past?
過去に自転車で通勤・通学したことは?

S: When I was a graduate student in Columbus, Ohio, I used to ride a bike for one full year,
going to two separate campuses.
オハイオ州、コロンバスで、大学院生だったときには、丸一年自転車で通いました。二つのキャンパスにね。
It was probably a half hour ride one way every day.
毎日、片道30分だったでしょうね。
And I was in my best physical condition at that time.
その時の体調は最高でしたね。

I: I'll bet. Well, you know most of my bike commuting has been here in Japan.
そうでしょうね。私の自転車通勤はここ日本でですね。
When I worked in Boston, I took the local street car, or occasionally walked
when the weather was nice.
ボストンで働いていたときはも、地元の路面電車を利用してました。時折、天候がよい場合には徒歩でした。
I was lucky that my route home, which took about 45 minutes to walk, took me through
the public gardens which is a beautiful park, right in the middle of the city.
ラッキーだったのは、帰宅路が、徒歩で約45分でしたが、公共の庭園を歩いて行きました。そこがまた綺麗なところでした。町のど真ん中にありました。
It's a great place for a stroll. てくてく歩くのにうってつけの場所でした。
And I really liked to walk home early in the evening when I was in a rush.
夕方早くに、歩いて帰宅するのはほんとうにお気に入りでした。ラッシュにまきこまれるような時にね。

S: Did Boston have a lot of bike paths for commuters? 
ボストンには、自転車通行路がたくさんありましたか?

I: Well, at the time I lived there, there weren't dedicated bike paths on most streets.
そうですね。私がそこなに住んでいた時には、大部分の道路が自転車通行路には供与されてなかったですね。
But there was a great biking and jogging path that ran along Charles River.
でも、Charles川沿いに、素晴らしい、自転車とジョギング用の小径がありました。
That came in handy for a lot of bike commuters, in addition to those who just wanted
to get some exercise.
多くの自転車通勤する人にとってとても役立ちましたよ。それに加えて、ただ単に運動したいと思っている人にも。

S: Jay Tyson mentioned using designated bicycle path in Chicago for his commute to Great Lakes.
Jay Tysonさんが行ってました。シカゴで自転車指定路を通ってGreat Lakesに通勤していると。
I've heard that many cities in the U.S. are making similar moves to create the bike friendly
environment for commuters.
多くのアメリカの都市が似たような動きをしていると読みました。つまり、通勤する人にとって自転車に優しい環境を創出するために。

I: Yes, they are. But I think it's still slow going in many places.
そうですね。でも、多くの場所でそういった動きは以前としてゆっくりしています。
My sister lives in Manhattan and commutes by bike a few times a week
once the weather warms up a bit.
妹がマンハッタンに住んでいてます。そして気候が暖かくなったら、週に数回は自転車で通勤しています。
She lives in Northern Manhattan and works right in the middle of Central Park.
彼女は、マンハッタンの北部に住んでいて、仕事場は、セントラルパークのど真ん中です。
And she takes a long bike path along the Hudson River for the majority of her commute.
通勤の大部分は、ハドソン川沿いの長い自転車通行路を通っています。
I don't know if she'd be so willing to bike if she has to ride through traffic the whole way.
ずっと交通量の多いところを自転車で乗っていかなくちゃならなかったら、そんな気にもならないだろうな、って思いますが。
Now it can still be that dangerous if the drivers don't take notice of bicyclists.
車の運転手が自転車に注意をしてなかったら、危ないですし。
Tony Hughes mentioned that biking can take the same amount of time as driving in some cases.
Tony Hughesさんが言いました。ある地域では、車で行くのと自転車を使うのと時間は同じだと。
And my sisters found that it takes about the same time to bike.
whereas does by subway to get to her workplace.
そして妹たちは発見したんです。職場に地下鉄で行くのと、自転車で行くのとでは時間は同じだと。

S: Melinda Kinkaid mentioned that some cities allow citizens to bring their bikes on board local transport.
Melinda Kinkaidさんは、言いました。地元の公共機関に自転車ごと乗ることを許可している都市があることを。

N先生

おはようございます。

今日、娘(あずみ)は休ませます。

身体は何ともないのですが、

本人の意図した時刻に起床できなかったために、その後続いて生じる準備等もうまくいかず、

その間に兄・姉たちが先に学校へ出発するやらで、様々な事象が重なり、

本人は「行こう」という意志こそあったものの、

途中で足が前に進みづらくなるやらで、結局、本日は「休む」という結果にあいなりました。

2009年5月15日

TJ

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Key Expressions

typical

paternalistic 父親的温情主義  paternal
home union company outing

The word "typical" is often used in English when an individual displays behavior that you think
is typical of a group of people.
And usually you don't like that behavior.
So, for example, if you go into a fast food store, and the workers there are overworked and
underpaid and they treat you a little bit rudely, you might turn to your friend and roll your eyes
and say, "Typical".

designated

DH designated hitter designated driver
Who's the designated driver?

no-no
"No-no" is really kind of a child's word.
Little kids, babies learn the word "no" pretty early on.
And then when you wanna tell them to stop doing something, you can tell them, "That's a no-no".

あんな時、こんな時

Are you not trying to make fun of me?
It also makes the speaker sound sort of cold and maybe offended.

Ask not what America will do for you.
It's a pattern that's not used very much.
And it either sounds quite formal or in this case, it tends to be used for emphasis and it might
put pressure on a listener to accept with the speaker saying.


There are all kinds of ways you can apologize for what you said. Here's one of them.



That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


Thanks for joining us. 参加していただききありがとうございます。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Tyson says he worked out a good route for bicycling to work, and adds that you don't have to
ride the whole route if you leave your bike at a commuter rail station.
Kinkaid observes that in some areas, you can bring your bike with you on the train.

Having all the angles covered means you're on top of a problem, you're ready for whatever might come.
A similar phrase is "to have all the bases covered."

The phrase is also used alone. You can say, "Oh, I learned it by trial and error."

Instead of "No kidding.", he could have said, "That's no joke." or "Right."
or "Almost anything like that that means you agree".

door to door

Tyson talks about people using their bikes to get to the local commuter rail station.
I think bikes are not too much trouble, because there's usually a lot of parking space around
commuter stations.
So it's easy to leave your bike there.
But a lot of communities promote a thing called "park and ride", which means they want you
to drive to the train and then take the train into the city instead of driving your car all the way.

collapsible bike 折りたたみ式自転車

That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


Talk to you again soon. またお話しましょう。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/training/

Monday, May 11, 2009

Hi, listeners. Welcome to Five-minute English.
This is David Neale, saying hello to you.
And I'm Vicki Glass, hope you'll enjoy our program.
It's time to build up your English muscles.
Are you ready? Here we go.

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

Okay, let's get started. This is going to be a long day.
The sooner we begin, the sooner we'll fishish.

Do your homework right away. This is the time and this is the place.
If you put it off, you'll regret it.

Worrying gets you nowhere. What's done is done. Don't give it another thought.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
You have more spare time than you think. 思っている以上に空き時間はあるものです。

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

1
You yawnd again. Did you stay up late to finish the report?
Let me get you a cup of coffee.

2
I love my new computer. It's so much faster than the old one.
No more waiting for files to open.

3
Thanks for coming all the way here. Come on in and take a load off your feet.
I won't keep you long.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Spend your spare time practicing English. 空き時間を使って英語の練習をしましょう。


Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

1
Will Mr. Connor be at the party tonight? If so, let's introduce him to Gilbert.
I'm sure those two will hit it off together.

2
That's a nice painting on the wall. Where did it come from?
You didn't paint it yourself, did you?

3
Excuse me, how do I get to the library?
I know it's on this street. But I'm not sure of the address.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Practice any time you can. 出来るときはいつでも練習しましょう。


Thursday, May 14, 2009

Let's role play.

One. Now listen.

1
Hey, stop that. Are you trying to pay for lunch?
This one is on me.
No way. Come on. You don't have to treat me.
I insist. You treated me last time, remember?

2
What did you do at school today, Timmy?
Nothing.
Nothing. You must have learned something. What was it?
I don't know.

3
What time should I call you on Thursday?
Any time is okay.
You said that last time and then seemed surprised when I called.
Okay, make it some time in the early time in the afternoon then.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Be sure to practice after this program. この番組の後で必ず練習しましょう。


Friday, May 15, 2009

Let's listen and answer.

One. Now listen.

What kind of coffee would you like?
Whatever you're making is fine with me.
I can make a cafe latte or Viennese coffee or...
As long as it's hot and it has coffee in it, I'll drink it.

Q: What do we know about the man? He's not choosy.

My daughter says she felt sick yesterday morning.
Then I reminded her of her plans to go to the pool with friends.
Her symptoms seem to magically disappear.

Q: What can we infer about the woman's daughter? She was eager to go swimming.

This picture was taken at my high school graduation.
These are all my buddies and my girlfriend.
I miss them very much.
This was the last moment we ever gathered in the same place.
Maybe it will be fun to organize a reunion.

Q: What is the man doing? Reminiscing.

That's it for today.
Now you know how much you can practice in five minutes. 5分間でどれくらい練習できるかもうわかりますよね。

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Listen and write.

One. Now listen.

1 Who's in favor? Can I see a show of hands?
2 Who was the last person to take a bath?
3 Who told you the rumor was true?
4 Whose turn is it? Not mine.
5 Who are you trying to get in touch with?

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Gradual improvement comes with daily practice. 毎日練習すれば少しずつ上達していきます。


Sunday, May 17, 2009

Let's fill in the blanks.

One. Now listen.

1 You must be kidding.
2 Don't tell a transparent lie.
3 I've run out of patience with your lies.
4 She was crying crocodile tears.
5 What he said was a downright lie.
6 Lying won't do you any good.
7 I think everybody is a liar to a certain extent.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Ask youself what you have to do now. 今何をしなくてはいけないか自分自身にきいてみましょう。

「花が咲こうと咲くまいと生きていることが花なんだ」 アントニオ猪木

…やっぱり猪木はすごい!

p115より

 二〇〇一年の年の瀬、当時の俺の事務所に泥棒が入ったことがある。

 確か三〇〇万円近くの現金が盗まれ、ニュースにもなったけれども、俺はそのとき、このように答えたと思う。

「盗った人が、それで少しでも懐が温かくなるならいいんじゃないですか」


「そして世界は狂いはじめた」 古舘伊知郎

…古館は猪木ファンなのでよい。


「死因不明社会」 海堂尊

…下手なミステリーより余程恐ろしい内容。


「医学のたまご」 海堂尊

…何で、こんなに感動的な物語なのに、こんなへんてこなタイトル!

 映画「スタンド・バイ・ミー」を彷彿とさせる。


 曾根崎理恵の息子が出てきた。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Bicycling to Work (3)

The group talks about how to ride to work safely.
They say you need a bike in good condition, a helmet and careful attention to traffic rules.
Shiga asks how Tyson brings his materials to the office on the bike.

Up to scratch means ready to go, in good condition.
It comes from sports, especially prize fighting, where a scratch was the line that the boxers had to
step up to before they could start the match.
Start from scratch is very similar. It's also a line.
In this case, it was a line for the beginning of a race.

Hughes talks about my local guy.
People in English use the word "my" meaning the one I use.
Of course, he's not his local guy.
You could talk about my mechanic, my gardener, my library even.
It just means the one that's nearby, the one that you use a lot.

That we will, Tony. → We will do that, Tony.

I was wondering if they're the same hand signals in Japan and the U.S.
And they do seem to be about the same.

In the U.S., they talk about defensive driving and of course defensive bike-riding.
Basically it means be extra careful.
Don't be so aggressive and offensive when you're driving. But be defensive. Protect yourself.

Tyson describes the traffic as thick.
He could also have said "heavy" with exactly the same meaning.

Nowadays in the U.S., the kind of bag that you carry on your back with shoulder straps is usually
called a backpack.
You could also call it a rucksack or a knapsack as well.
But they sound a little more old-fashioned.
And it sounds like people who take, you know, day hikes in the mountains.


That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


So long. さようなら。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Bicycling to Work (2)

Hughes comments on the popularity of last year's bike-to-work week.
Tyson talks about how it reflects well on the companies that encourage their employees
to commute by bike.

Hughes talks about the greater Chicago area.
He's talking about the area where many people travel into the city for all kinds of reasons,
especially for work.
But by saying the greater Chicago area, it also means people who don't live in Cook County,
which is the county where Chicago is located.

Shiga uses the word "novice" to mean "beginner".
A novice is used when you're talking about someone who's new to a field or an activity.
You could say "beginner" as well.

If you're up for something, it means you're interested in it, you're excited about it,
you want to try it.

And please notice in the situation, you can't use the verb "challenge".
You can't challenge cycling to work.

corny 陳腐な

Kinkaid also describes some bike commuters as would-be.
That means people who are planning on it and want to do it.
There is a similar word. Well, actually it's a phrase. But it tends to be written as a word: wannabe.
And in that case, it also describes people who want to do something.
But it tends to include the idea of "envy"
A wannabe journalist, for example, they want to do that, they're trying to do that.
But they're also maybe a little bit envious of people who are already there.

Tyson uses the word "belabor", "belaboring".
It has "labor" in the center of it.
To belabor something is to work on it, work on it, work over it too much.


That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


Goodbye for now. ひとまずさようなら。

「クライマーズ・ハイ」

…まぁ、まぁ…かな。「沈まぬ太陽」に期待しよう。


「マイ・ドッグ・スキップ MY DOG SKIP」

…これもまぁ、まぁ。


「西の魔女が死んだ」

…シャーリー・マクレーンの娘がどうして日本語がわかるのかな、って思ったら、日本に住んでたんだ!!


「ナニー・マクフィーの魔法のステッキ (Nanny McPhee)」

…これはすごーくいい映画だった。めちゃくちゃ感動した。

「元気があれば何でもできる! アントニオ猪木」 アントニオ猪木

…本当に元気が出てきた。 p 164 - 165

私の危機的状況というのは、まず第一に命があるかないかだ。

どんなひどいことがあっても、とにかく生きのびていれば問題ない。

二番目には飯が食えるか食えないかだ。

三番目というのはない。

何とか生きて、飯が食えていれば、あとはどんな苦労があっても大した問題じゃない。



「力説 長州力という男」 長州力×金沢克彦

…実はアマレスでオリンピックに出場してた長州力

猪木のことを語る場面

- 猪木さんは道場には来てたんですか?
  
  そりゃ来てたね。猪木さん、シュート強かったよ。

- 強かったですか?

  極められないよね。抑えるのはほかの普通の選手と一緒で簡単だけど、極めらんないよ。身体が柔らかいし。



「格闘家は女々しい奴が9割」 真樹日佐夫

極真空手のことが多いかと思ったら、案外とプロレスラーの話もよく出てきて意外だった。

猪木とウィリー戦の話に熱がこもってた。



「1976年のアントニオ猪木」 柳澤健

…いちおう、読んでおいた。 あはは。

 木村光一さんの「闘魂戦記」「闘魂転生」を読めば、この本の粗がたくさんみつかる。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。


Bicycling to Work (1)

Tyson arrives at work energized from his bicycle ride.
He says it makes him more productive and is a lot cheaper than driving.
Shiga informs the group that May is National Bike Month.


Kinkaid uses the phrase, "vim and vigor".
You can also add a third word to it to make a longer phrase: just bursting with energy
and talk about, "vim, vigor and vitality".

Tyson talks about taking time off for illness.
That's a good way to say it in a sentence.
Often just refer to that idea, people might say, "take sick leave" or "take some sick days".

Frazzled is a word that means worn out at the edges or frayed.
And it's also used for people when they feel kind of worn out at the edges or frayed
usually because they're too busy or they had too many small annoyances one after the other.

Tyson talks about finding the best route[ruut] from his house.
Other people might say the best route[raut].
That word's pronounced both ways in many situations.
Occasionally one version is more common than the other.
So you'd say what route[raut] do airlines fly, for example.
You don't usually say route[ruut] in that situation.
Although if you did, I think people probably wouldn't really notice it.

Tyson also talks about major traffic arteries.
Artery is used to talk about roads.
And it means very large, usually heavily traveled roads: major roads in a city or some region.

artery 動脈 vein 静脈

To be on your toes is to be alert or to be ready.
But if you also add the verb "step": step on your toes, if someone steps on your toes,
or you step on someone's toes, you've given an offense.
And usually it's because you've gone too far, you've encroached on their rights or their feelings,
you've gone too far.


That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


I'm glad you could join us.参加していただいて嬉しく思います。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business1/index.html


Welcome to business communication in simple English. 入門ビジネス英語へようこそ

Hi, this is Ed Smith.

And I'm Kei Fujimoto.

In this course, you can learn how to adjust your communication style to fit all kinds of
situations in business.

Yes.

Okay, let's get started.

Hello, This is Ed. Welcome back.

Fine, thanks.

In the May issue, we're learning about pro-active listening.
And this week, we're learning about how to survive a training session.
Okay let's start today's lesson: Obtaining focused reputation and clarification.
Giving and asking for feedback.



Vocabulary

The first word is concept.
A concept is an idea or a theme.

In.
To be in means to be popular.

Key.
Key means important as in today's key expressions.

Outrageously.
Outrageously is another way of saying "extremely".

Breakthrough.
A breakthrough means a discovery or a new technology.

Now let's listen to the skit.

Enrique is explaining the important points for selling their new product.



Today's key expressions.

I think I get your drift.

The point today is giving feedback to the speaker to let them know that you understand.

I get means I understand.
And your drift is a casual way of saying your general meaning.

Katsunori is saying that he understands the general concept.

Right. Giving feedback and understanding is absolutely required in conversations with Americans,
especially in business.

Please remember it.




Now let's look at today's key expressions in action.

The first one is: There are few details I don't understand. But I think I get your drift.

The next one is: I think I get your drift. You're saying we need more staff, right?

And the last one: I think I got the drift of Ms. ' memo. She wants us to keep track of all her expenses.


Other useful phrases.

So just to confirm, your question is.

Right. It means let me paraphrase your question to avoid misunderstanding.

So just to confirm, you question is why we're using old software, right?

Okay, the next phrase is, The whole is greater than the some of its parts.

Yes.
For example, when a team works together, the end result is more than each person works individually.

Right. This expression is related to the concept of synergy.
Synergy comes from a Greek word meaning working together.

That's right.

And the last one is, The what of it?

Yes, this is asking for a focused reputation or simple way of saying:
Please repeat the word in-between [the] and [a].
In the skit, Shin-ichiro miss the word "beauty", so "beauty" is replaced by "what".

Here's another example for you.
Let's meet at a quarter to five in the hotel lobby?

Meet when in the hotel lobby?

A quarter to five.


So Kei, just to confirm, we're going to Studio Park Cafe after work, right?

Going to where after work?

Studio Park Cafe, you know the NHK cafeteria.

All right. I forgot about that.





Intercultural notes.

Today's topic is the verb "appeal".

Right. From what I've noticed, the word "appeal" is used among Japanese to mean to advertise,
to emphasize or call attention to.

Then can you give me an example of how appeal is used by native English speakers?

I sure can.

How about this one? Regarding size, a large size appeals to American consumers.

Appeal is used to mean something is attractive.

The way Japanese use the word "appeal" is mentioned in the textbook.
Please take a look at it later.


Review Quiz.

Listen to the questions. And choose the best response from choices A through D.
If you have the textbook, please open it to page 23. And mark the answer in your book..

Are you ready? A B C D ....

One... The answer is....
Two... The answer is....
Three... The answer is....
Four... The answer is....

Well, it looks like we're running out of time. Are you ready to survive a training session?

I hope you enjoyed the lesson. See you next time. Good bye.

Good bye.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business1/index.html


Welcome to business communication in simple English. 入門ビジネス英語へようこそ

Hi, this is Ed Smith.

And I'm Kei Fujimoto.

In this course, you can learn how to adjust your communication style to fit all kinds of
situations in business.

Yes.

Okay, let's get started.

Hello, This is Ed. Welcome back.

Fine, thanks.

In the May issue, we're learning about pro-active listening.
And this week, we're learning about how to survive a training session.
Okay let's start today's lesson: Obtaining focused reputation and clarification.
Giving and asking for feedback.



Vocabulary

The first word is concept.
A concept is an idea or a theme.

In.
To be in means to be popular.

Key.
Key means important as in today's key expressions.

Outrageously.
Outrageously is another way of saying "extremely".

Breakthrough.
A breakthrough means a discovery or a new technology.

Now let's listen to the skit.

Enrique is explaining the important points for selling their new product.



Today's key expressions.

I think I get your drift.

The point today is giving feedback to the speaker to let them know that you understand.

I get means I understand.
And your drift is a casual way of saying your general meaning.

Katsunori is saying that he understands the general concept.

Right. Giving feedback and understanding is absolutely required in conversations with Americans,
especially in business.

Please remember it.




Now let's look at today's key expressions in action.

The first one is: There are few details I don't understand. But I think I get your drift.

The next one is: I think I get drift. You're saying we need more staff.

And the last one: I think I got the drift of Ms. ' memo. She wants us to keep track of all her expenses.


Other useful phrases.

So just to confirm, your question is.

Right. It means let me paraphrase your question to avoid misunderstanding.

So just to confirm, you question is why we're using old software, right?

Okay, the next phrase is, The whole is greater than the some of its parts.

Yes. For example, when a team works together, the end result is more than each person individually.

Right. This expression is related to the concept of synergy.
Synergy comes from a Greek word meaning working together.

That's right.

And the last one is, The what of it?

Yes, this is asking for a focused reputation or simple way of saying:
Please repeat the word in-between [the] and [a].
In the skit, Shin-ichiro miss the word "beauty", so "beauty" is replaced by "what".

Here's another example for you.
Let's meet at a quarter to five in the hotel lobby?

Meet when in the hotel lobby?

A quarter to five.

So Kei, just to confirm, we're going to Studio Park Cafe after work, right?

Going to where after work?

Studio Park Cafe, you know the NHK cafeteria.

Oh, right. I forgot about that.





Intercultural notes.

Today's topic is the verb "appeal".

Right. From what I've noticed, the word "appeal" is used among Japanese to mean to advertise,
to emphasize or call attention to.

Then can you give me an example of how appeal is used by native English speakers?

I sure can.

How about this one? Regarding size, a large size appeals to American consumers.

Appeal is used to mean something attractive.

The way Japanese use the word "appeal" is mentioned in the textbook.
Please take a look at it later.


Review Quiz.

Listen to the questions. And choose the best response from choices A through D.
If you have the textbook, please open it to page 23. And mark the answer in your book..

Are you ready? A B C D ....

One... The answer is....
Two... The answer is....
Three... The answer is....
Four... The answer is....

Well, it looks like we're running out of time. Are you ready to survive a training session?

I hope you enjoyed the lesson. See you next time. Good bye.

Good bye.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business1/index.html


Welcome to business communication in simple English. 入門ビジネス英語へようこそ

Hi, this is Ed Smith.

And I'm Kei Fujimoto.

In this course, you can learn how to adjust your communication style to fit all kinds of
situations in business.

Yes.

Okay, let's get started.

Hello, This is Ed. Thanks for joining us again.

In the May issue, we will be learning about pro-active listening.よく聞き積極的に話す

Pro-active listening is asking questions to check and confirm information while you're listening.
You call it pro-active because you need to be active while you listen.
自ら積極的な聞き手になって、話の内容を確実に自分のものにする。

That's right. And this week's theme is Surviving a Training Session.

Interacting and controlling speakers with feedback.

Okay, let's get started.

Vocabulary

Mobility.
Mobility means being able to carry something easily. 携帯性能・モバイル性

Clunky.
Clunky means inconveniently large. 不格好で大きい

History.
History means in the past and not relevant anymore. 過去のもの

Equivalent.
Equivalent means equal or same in value. 同等の・相当する

In fact.
In fact means actually or as a matter of fact. 実際は

paxさんお勧めの 越前敏弥の「日本人なら必ず誤訳する英文」 の中では、
in factが「実際は」という意味じゃなくて、「それどころか」の意味で使われてる例文が載っかってます。

cf.
I tried various techniques of provocation to make my father go to hospital.

My sisters treated him respectfully, though, trying to get the point across.

In fact, they used to employ a strategy of keeping quiet.

わたしはさまざまな方法で挑発して、父を病院へ行かせようとした。しかし、姉たちは父を丁重に扱いつつ、思いを伝えようとした。それどころか、だまりこむ戦略をとることもよくあった。

He’s very wise. In fact he’s almost a genius.

彼はとても頭がいい。それどころか、天才だと言っていいほどだ。



Now let's listen to the skit. Try noticing how today's vocabulary is being used.



Did you notice how Shin-ichiro and Katsunori were interrupting to ask questions?



Today's key expressions.

Enrique, wait a minute. Slow down.

Today's keypoint is how to interrupt and take part in a conversation.

This expression has two functions.
First: Shin-ichiro is interrupting by saying "Enrique, wait a minute."
He's getting Enrique to stop talking so that Shin-ichiro can say something.
This is called turn-taking.

What's the second function?

Second: Shin-ichiro gives Enrique specific feedback to control Enrique's way of speaking.
To make it easier to understand him, Shin-ichiro is saying, "Slow down."

Right. When you want to get someone's attention, you can say their name.
This can be useful during teleconferences, because you can't see the other person's face.

This expression may sound direct.
But please remember: meetings tend to move very fast, so it's important to interrupt and confirm.


Now let's look at the key expressions in action.

The first one is,

The next one is,

And the last one is,


Other useful phrases.

Okay, the first one is,

This sentence can be turned around like this: We provide forty features to achieve mobility.
But putting the objective "to achieve mobility" at the beginning in the sentence emphasizes its importance.

The next one is,
This means: Can you repeat what you just said again?
Remember to use it right after you've missed something.

Okay, the last one is,
"Won't quit" is an idiom that means to work hard for a long time.
In business, it refers to tools or machines.

Do you have any other example, Ed?

How about this one?
I know our listeners won't quit on us.

Oh we hope so.


Intercultural notes.

Today's topic is the saying, "Better safe than sorry."
It means that if you're not sure about something,
it's better to check now than be sorry about it later.

How is this connected to business?

Well, in business, it's always important to be pro-active.
Checking information, confirming you understand by repeating information and giving feedback
to let others know you understand are all part of being safe so that you won't be sorry later.

Exactly. Pro-active listening is a fundamental business skill.


Review Quiz.

Listen to the questions. And choose the best response from choices A through D.
If you have the textbook, please open it to page 17.

Are you ready? A B C D ....

One... The answer is....
Two... The answer is....
Three... The answer is....
Four... The answer is....

Was it easier to pick up Enrique's fast way of talking this time?

Well, for me it seems difficult to interrupt. But I'll try whenever I'm on a meeting.

Go for it, Kei.

Yes, thank you.

So everyone. Good bye.

Good bye.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/training/

Monday, May 4, 2009

Hi, listeners. Welcome to Five-minute English.
This is David Neale, saying hello to you.
And I'm Vicki Glass, hope you'll enjoy our program.
It's time to build up your English muscles.
Are you ready? Here we go.

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

You look exhausted. Did you work overtime again? You should go easy on yourself.

The sun is right in my eyes. I can hardly see. I should have brought my dark glasses.

You like this tie? It's a little flashy, isn't it? You should get a more conservative one.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Take full advantage of your spare time. 空き時間をフルに活用しましょう。

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

It's been raining this week. I wonder when it will stop. I'm sick and tired of this damp weather.

Sorry, we're late. We got stuck in a traffic jam. It took us more than an hour to get here.

I didn't know you were studying Russian. Let's hear a little bit of it.
How do you say, ahmmm "pleased to meet you."


Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Practice English in your spare time. 空き時間に英語のトレーニングをしましょう。


Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Let's read out loud.

One. Now listen.

Today has been a hectic day. I've had back to back meetings all day. Wednesdays are always like that.

What's gotten into Jack? I just said hello to him and he looked huffy. I guess he was in a bad mood.

Why do children like to play with stickers? I could never figure that out.
I never played with them when I was a child.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Never give up on what you really want to do. 本当にやりたいことを決してあきらめてはいけません。

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Let's role play.

One. Now listen.

We'd better not take the express way today.
Why not?
I was just listeing to the radio traffic report.
I see. And they said traffic was congested?

How do you like your new stereo system?
It's fantastic. It has great sound.
I'd like to hear it sometime.
Why don't you come over to my place on Friday?

The waiter seems to be taking his time.
Do you think so? We just ordered five mintues ago.
Has it only been five mintues?
Yes. You must be pretty hungry.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Keep practicing to make your dream come true. 夢を叶えるために練習を続けましょう。

Friday, May 8, 2009

Let's listen and answer.

One. Now listen.

1
Here's the podium and microphone.
We'll both use the same one?
That's right. You'll stand there behind the curtain while I introduce you.
Okay. Then I come out, wave, bow and step up to the mike.

Q: What is the woman preparing to do? Give a speech.

2
I was happy to learn that my hotel said they provided a free breakfast.
But in fact it was just a couple of muffins and instant coffee.
I went to a nearby cafe instead.

Q: What can we infer about the man? He was disappointed.

3
Please take your seat. Thanks for coming to the interview today.
I've viewed your application and resume. They were quite impressive.
Let's start with some direct questions.
Why do you think you're the best person for this job?

Q: What's the situation? Job interview.

That's it for today.
You'll never reached the goal without effort. 努力しなければ目標には決して到達しません。

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Listen and write.

One. Now listen.

1 Where are we having the after-party?
2 Where does his bold thinking come from?
3 Where did you get that news from?
4 Where have you been all day?
5 Where would you like to go after this?

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
You can build up confidence by practicing every day. 毎日練習すれば自信がついてきます。

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Let's fill in the blanks.

1 Sarah is an outspoken person.
2 Bob is aggressive but in a good way.
3 That newcomer has an attitude problem.
4 He's all talk and no action.
5 He's stubborn and will never listen to anybody.
6 She always does what she says.
7 Our manager has no doubt these days.

Let's check. Let's try.

That's it for today.
Don't worry be more positive. くよくよせず、もっと前向きに。

「螺鈿迷宮」 海堂尊

…こんなわけのわからないタイトルの本なんか一生読まなかったろうな。著者が海堂じゃなかったら。

海堂のストーリーテリングは秀逸!

p339

「さて、天馬君、ここで質問だ。君の大切な人が包丁で刺し殺された。当然、犯人は憎い。犯人を殺したいと思うだろ?」

ここから先の展開とか、ほんと面白い。

http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html

Business Communication in action 実践ビジネス英語

Hello, everybody.こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show. This is Chris Matsushita. Let's take a look at conversation at work.
こんにちは。番組にようこそ。クリス松下です。実践的な会話を見てみましょう。

Bicycling to Work (3)

The group talks about how to ride to work safely.
They say you need a bike in good condition, a helmet and careful attention to traffic rules.
Shiga asks how Tyson brings his materials to the office on the bike.

Up to scratch means ready to go, in good condition.
It comes from sports, especially prize fighting, where a scratch was the line that the boxers had to
step up to before they could start the match.
Start from scratch is very similar. It's also a line.
In this case, it was a line for the beginning of a race.

Hughes talks about my local guy.
People in English use the word "my" meaning the one I use.
Of course, he's not his local guy.
You could talk about my mechanic, my gardener, my library even.
It just means the one that's nearby, the one that you use a lot.

That we will, Tony. → We will do that, Tony.

I was wondering if they're the same hand signals in Japan and the U.S.
And they do seem to be about the same.

In the U.S., they talk about defensive driving and of course defensive bike-riding.
Basically it means be extra careful.
Don't be so aggressive and offensive when you're driving. But be defensive. Protect yourself.

Tyson describes the traffic as thick.
He could also have said "heavy" with exactly the same meaning.

Nowadays in the U.S., the kind of bag that you carry on your back with shoulder straps is usually
called a backpack.
You could also call it a rucksack or a knapsack as well.
But they sound a little more old-fashioned.
And it sounds like people who take, you know, day hikes in the mountains.


That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。


So long. さようなら。

↑このページのトップヘ