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。

2011年01月

2011/1/31(月) http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tjqfd020/61152686.html

2011/2/1 (火) http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tjqfd020/61157899.html

2011/2/7 (月) http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tjqfd020/61183066.html

2011/2/8 (火) http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tjqfd020/61187489.html

2011/2/14(月) http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tjqfd020/61212204.html

2011/2/15(火) http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tjqfd020/61216206.html

2011/2/21(月) http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tjqfd020/61239766.html

2011/2/22(火) http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tjqfd020/61243701.html

Monday, January 31, 2011
Hello, everybody. You're listening to 5 minute English.
Hi! I'm David Neale.
Let's practice English together.
And I'm Vicki Glass. 
Welcome to our program.
Let's build up your English muscles.
Are you ready? Here we go.
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
Things sure have changed.
This used to be a run-down part of town.
Now it's a busy shopping mall.
 
I just arrived from Japan.
It's morning here.
But by my internal clock, it's bed time. 
 
The critics panned this movie. 
But I thought it was great.
And so did everyone I know.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Fluency takes daily practice. 流暢に話すには毎日練習する必要があります。
 
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
Oops! My cellphone is ringing.
Excuse me for a sec.
I have to take this call.
 
Why are your shoes all muddy?
Don't wear them into the house.
Take them off out there on the porch.
 
Would you turn down the lights?
You don't have to turn them off.
The switch has a dimmer.
 
cf. Dimmers are devices used to vary the brightness of a light.
By decreasing or increasing the RMS voltage and hence the mean power to the lamp
it is possible to vary the intensity of the light output.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
One steady step at a time. 一歩ずつ着実に。
 
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
Here's my credit card bill.
What's this charge here?
Did I buy something for $45?
Oh! Now I remember.
I had flowers sent to my mom.
 
This is my dog.
His name is Vince.
I don't know why I picked the name.
There's no special meaning to it.
It just came to me.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you.
Want to get better? Then, practice more.
もっとうまくなりたい?では、もっと練習しましょう。 
 
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Let's role play.
One. Now listen.
 
A: Look at that woman.
B: I have been.
A: How can she walk in those high heels?
B: I'm not looking at the shoes.
 
A: I'm off to the airport. See you later.
B: Aren't you forgetting something?
A: Oh, my gosh! My plane tickets!
B: You won't get far without these.
 
A: I need to go to the mall today.
B: What are you looking for?
A: A very-hard-to-find pair of shoes.
B: Why not look for them online?
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
No sweat, no sweet. 努力なしに欲しい物は手に入らない。
 
Friday, February 4, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
One. Now listen.
 
How did you like the Morton's?
She's beautiful.
And he seemed nice enough.
You and Sam seemed to hit it off.
He and I share a lot of interests.
 
Q: What did the man do? - Meet the Morton's for the first time.
 
I wanted to be an actor once.
But showbiz takes more than talent.   
You have to have luck.
I was never in the right place at the right time.  
 
Q: What does the man mean? - He didn't become an actor.
 
Hey, Kenny. I do need help over here.
Hey, Kenny. Didn't you hear me?
I asked you for some help. 
Come over here and help me.
Hello!
The lights are on. But he's not there.
I wonder where he went.
 
Q: Why does the woman try to speak to Kenny? - She needs assistance.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Stop making excuses and do it right away. 言い訳はやめてすぐにやりましょう。

Saturday, February 5, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
Now listen.
 
I used to eat steak and eggs for breakfast.
Then I had bread and butter for lunch.
And for dinner, more steak.
It was a high cholesterol diet.
You know bad for the heart.
But I didn't know anything about cholesterol back then.
I just ate what I liked.
Then I had a scare when I was in my forties.
My doctor gave me a good talking to.
Having some knowledge of food now, I don't eat the way I used to any longer.
Now I'm in better shape than when I was young.
 Q1: What is the man talking about? - His health and diet.
 Q2: What has changed? - His breakfast menu.
 Q3: What can be inferred about the man? - He is over 40 years old.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Mistakes do not waste time if you learn from them. 
失敗してもそれから学べば時間の無駄にはならないのです。

Sunday, February 6, 2011
Let's listen and write.
One. Now listen.
 
He's more outdoorsy than not.
Can I still change my order?
She made it as an actress.
My glasses have fogged up.
Sorry to take up your time.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Keep practicing and it'll never let you down.
練習を続ければがっかりすることは決してありません。

 
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。

Work-Life Choices (6)
 
Talk the Talk
 
S: In our current vignette, Goto Yoko and Kay Breakstone discuss the many ways to
achieve work-life balance.
Yoko had a surprising encounter with an American woman who asked her a personal question
at a party.
 
I: I had to laugh when I heard that.
The woman asked her if she was interested in American men.
I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked a similar question about Japanese men here.
This kind of question is usually intended as a harmless ice breaker.
But I could relate to Yoko's uneasiness in answering.
I usually just say, "Well, they're nice" and move on to a new topic.  
After I got married, the questions changed.
Upon hearing that I married a Japanese guy, many Japanese women expressed surprise
and asked "Why?" as if it were some sort of outlandish idea.
It's very amusing,
 
S: Kay mentioned that married with children is still the norm in the United States?
Do you agree?
 
I: Well, yes. I think it's still seen as the norm. But I think that's been changing over the years. 
This reminds me of something that really surprised me back when I was just starting my career.
I'd come to Japan to teach in a couple of public schools right after college. 
And after a year, I decided to go back to the States to live in Boston for a while.
I was floored to discover that many of my colleagues assumed the reason I was returning
to the U.S. was to get married.
At 23, marriage was the farther thing from my mind.
I guess in that area, Japan, it wasn't unusual to get married that young.
 
S: Kay noted that the key to work-life balance for her was finding the right mix of achievement
and enjoyment.
She also mentioned they challenge of drawing a line between work-life and private life. 
 
I: I think that's good advice.
But technology's making an increasingly difficult to set those kinds of boundaries.
When you use your smart phone or laptop for both work and fun, the line between
work and your private life quickly blurs.
I read an interesting article recently that discussed this issue.
The writer suggested enlisting the help of loved ones
in enforcing the boundaries between work and home.
For people who use the same computer for both work and private matters, they recommended
creating separate user accounts to create a greater distinction between work and play.
 
S: Kay also talked about her brother's approach to work-life balance.
He's a lawyer who has decreased his workload so that he can work at home
and take care of his kids.
 
I: One of my American friends is in a similar situation.
She and her husband had been working in Tokyo for several years,
but along wanted to move back to the U.S. at some point. 
When my friend got a job offer, they decided to move to the east coast
with their young daughter.
They since added a son to the growing family.
Her husband is a stay-at-home dad.
And he has found other men in their community who've made a similar choice.
I think we'll go back to work once the kids are a little older. 
But right now, it's working out very well for their family.
Her husband told me that he really enjoys it, but that staying home with the kids is
far more tiring than be expected.
He's also using the time to explore opportunities for a career change
once the kids are in school.
My friend mentioned that she's met several other families who've gotten that route.
Part of the reason is the exorbitant cost of daycare in the United States.
Many families find it's not worth it, and decide to manage as a single-income family
in exchange for spending more time with their kids.
I guess it all comes back to priorities.
Each family needs to decide what works best for their situation and go from there.
 
 
That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。

Thanks for joining us. 参加していただいてありがとうございます。

 
 
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。
 
Work-Life Choices (5)
 
This time Breakstone says her brother's a lawyer who can work easily from home.
Her sister-in-law's a sales rep who travels a lot because of a promotion.
They have two children.
And Breakstone says her brother is very good at taking care of them
finding it one of the most rewarding things he's ever done.
 
 
"What's his story"or "what's the story" is a way to ask about the background.
How did he get that way? Why does he do that?
Recently instead of the word "background" I hear people use the word "back-story."
It seems to be pretty popular these days.
But "back-story"originally isn't the same thing as "background."
A background is a real thing. A person's background.
"Back-story" originally was the part of the story made of to support what's actually in fiction.
So you go watch a movie, for example.
The back-story is the part of the story that's not actually in the movie.
But it helps the writers and actors understand what's happening in the movie.
 
What's the back-story? もともとは裏話 背景・状況
 
"Estate" used alone in English, usually it refers to somebody's possessions, all of them.
It can also include their death.
So for a lawyer, estate work is usually done when that person dies, someone has to sort out
what do they have, what do they owe and what's left.
In the U.S., there's also an estate tax, which means when you die,
and pass on your property to your heirs.
Some tax has to be paid to the government. 
Some people call this a death tax.
They're the ones that are against it. 
Estate work is not exactly the same thing as real estate.
Real estate is a property, land and houses, buildings.
Lawyers are often involved in working in real estate, also.
But if you're talking about estate work only, it means the kind of thing that happens
after a person dies.
 
"Into the bargain" is a phrase people use to mean "furthermore" or "also" or "besides." 
There's another phrase people use with the same meaning: "to boot."
 
in addition / to boot その上 おまけに
 
The phrase "day-to-day" with hyphens in-between the words is used to mean
routine or regular.
 
sales rep = sales representative
 
If you try your hand at something, you're trying it for the first time, you're giving it a go.
 
"Traipse" is a verb that means walk or tramp around.
You could use it to say, gad around, which is possibly a bit negative,
because it means you're going around with no specific purpose.
It also basically means walk on foot.
However people do use it in a broader sense to mean travel without any specific plan
or without a specific purpose.
And I think the travels of the sales rep might look that way,
because they're not so much traveling because of the destination. 
They're traveling to do sales.
 
"Rewarding" is an adjective in English that describes something that gives you
personal satisfaction or gratification.
It makes you feel really good. 
You don't have to actually receive an award or gift to have that feeling.
 
financially rewarding 金銭的に報われる
intellectually rewarding 知的に報われる
personally rewarding 個人的なやりがいがある
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Don't forget part 6.

 
 
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。
 
Work-Life Choices (4)
 
Goto says you have to be accountable for the results of your decisions.
Breakstone says Goto's probably on the right track.
She goes on to say that her brother is a househusband and loves it.
He takes pride in showing that a man can be just as good as a woman domestically.
 
 
Here when Breakstone mentions an urgent message, she's talking about e-mail and the fact
that some people won't check their e-mail once they leave the office.
 
Goto describes a type of person as being "my-work-is-my-life-and-vice-versa."
All those words have hyphens between them.
This is a somewhat humorous way to describe somebody using a long phrase
with all the hyphens. 
The hyphens make the phrase into one block that you can use as an adjective.
So although they're talking about a serious topic, Goto's trying to enjoy the conversation
by using this slightly humorous way to talk about people who work.
And basically that's thier whole life.
 
"Burnout" is usually a negative thing.
It means you've been working too hard or doing something too intensely.
And you become tired and exhausted and you can't continue.
But there's also a phrase, "it's better to burnout than to blast or rust out."
And that's talking about sort of a different way to look at life.
You should do everything you can and experience everything you can
instead of just sitting and waiting and becoming rusty and unused.
 
Goto also talks about a broken family.
That refers to a family usually where the parents have become divorced.
The opposite would be an intact family.
 
Instead of saying "on the right path," she could have said, "you have the right idea."
 
Breakstone uses the phrase "speaking of interesting life choices," as a topic changer.
This is very common in English.
She's not completely changing the conversation into a different area.
But she is changing the focus.
 
But this isn't good for introducing a topic originally.
This is only used for kind of changing the focus.
 
It's interesting the word  househusband's only been around since the mid 50s.
And in the 80s, there was a movie called, "Mr. Mom."
It was a comedy about a guy who lost his job, who couldn't find a new one.
But his wife went out to work.
So most of the movie was about his adventures: being the mother at home.
 
To be hung up on something is to be caught by it.
Your mind is stuck there. You can't get past some kind of a problem usually.
In this case, Goto's talking about the idea that men used to have and some still have it, I think.
The housework is for women.
And men are proud to be working outside and supporting their families,
and being the breadwinner: the part of the family that's responsible for the finances.
 
Hands-on is a phrase that's used as an adjective to mean actually involved in,
actually doing the work.
So like managers are usually not so hands-on. That's not their role.
But occasionally manager is described as hands-on.
And I think in that case, it means he can do all the work.
And he's very closely involved in his subordinates' work.
 
The phrase "more power to" is kind of a slangy, informal way to say,
"Well done!" or "Good for you!"  It's a kind of encouragement.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Toodle-oo.

「オルゴォル」 朱川湊人
 
「明日の雨は。」 伊岡瞬
 
「冬の童話」 白川道
 
-------------------------------------
 
「オルゴォル」 朱川湊人 …うん、なかなかよい。
 
「明日の雨は。」 伊岡瞬 …とてもよい。
 
p16
 それに、森島には不思議でならないことがあった。
 新米の教師が、心身症の一歩手前…あるいはすでに一歩踏み入っているかもしれないというのに、周りの同僚たちの反応が冷めているように感じられてならない。心配していそうなのは花山を含めたほんの数人で、あとはさららぬ神にたたりなし、といった雰囲気である。「うちのクラスじゃなくてよかった」という表情にしか見えない。教育の現場が荒れていると聞いてはいたが、予想していたのとは違った形で歪んでいるのではないかと感じ始めていた。
 
p121
 これは、教師によるいじめではないのか。教育という名のもとには、肉体的な怪我をさせなければ、なにをしても見過ごされるのか。
 
P124-125
 とにかく、かれら(先生)は大学を出て以来、他人から叱られたりした経験がほとんどない。わずか二十二、三歳で『先生』と呼ばれる身分になる。保護者の中には、上場企業の役員や弁護士、医師などの人物もいる。ずっと年上で社会的地位のある彼ら、あるいはその身内の人間が自分には頭を下げる。しかも…複雑な事情があるらしいが…公立の小学校には一般の企業や役所のような階級制がほとんどない。校長と教頭を除けば、ごく最近になって誕生した主幹教諭制度があるが、中間管理職と呼ぶのは少し違う気がしている。教師になってから、一度も頭を下げたことはない。そう豪語する猛者もいると聞く。
 
p216
 森島が小学生のころ、そのものずばり 『バイキン』とあだ名をつけられた女子児童がいた。きっかけはたしか給食の時間に床に落ちた揚げパンを、さっと払って食べたという理由だった。親の、食べ物はそまつにしない、という教えを守っただけだった。大人から見れば、むしろ褒められる行為かもしれない。その日以来、彼女はだれにも触ってもらえなくなった。普通に会話はするのだが、彼女の身体には絶対に触れない。もしも触れた児童は、丸一日同じ扱いを受ける。これはあとで知ったのだが、給食当番のときは、ゴム手袋が強要されたらしい。ぞうきんがけ用のバケツは専用のものが決められ、ほかの人間は使わなかった。この風変わりな虐めに、担任の教師も気づかなかった。運動会の当日、組み体操で、彼女の組が全員軍手をしているのを見た校長が不審に思い、問い詰めて発覚した。彼女のノートには遺書の下書きが書いてあった。森島は積極的にかかわったわけではないが、うすうす知っていながらかばいもしなかった。いま、はじめてそのことを猛烈に反省した。
 我が身にふりかかってみなければ、他人の痛みはわからない。たしか、先週の朝礼で青木校長がそんなことを言っていた。 
 
p287
「教師は、まず勉強を教えればいいのです。それが第一義です。森島さんは音楽の先生ですね。だったら、もっと本業に本腰を入れるべきだったでしょう。この一年で、少しでも歌がうまくなった子どもが何人いましたか」 
 
「冬の童話」 白川道 …普通恋愛物は敬遠するのだけど、これはよい。映画化すべき。
 
p69
「だから、私がいつも言うでしょう。救いを求めたときに、神様が救いの手を伸べたことはない、って。神様というのは、ただ見ているだけなんです」
 
p187
「本気さ。あの日以来、俺はそらのことが忘れられなくなってしまった。もしそらが嫌でなかったら、これからは何度でも、いや毎日だっていい、会いたい」
 こんなに素直に自分の心を明かすことに、聖人は自分自身、驚いていた。でも恥ずかしくはなかった。
 
p321
「…俺は、ね。人間が持って生まれた特殊な才能に対して憧れを持ってるんだ。多くの場合、それが金という、なんの意味もないものによって潰されてしまう。それは、人々にとっても、社会にとっても大きな損失なんだよ。俺たち業界人の使命は、そういう芽を育てることにあるとも思っている」
 
p445
 私の心は震えていた。生死の境にあるこんな病のなかにいても、社長の胸にはそらへと想いしかない……。ひとりの男がこれほどまでにひとりの女性を愛せることに、私はあらためて感動していた。

Monday, January 24, 2011
Hello, everybody. You're listening to 5 minute English.
Hi! I'm David Neale.
Let's practice English together.
And I'm Vicki Glass. 
Welcome to our program.
Let's build up your English muscles.
Are you ready? Here we go.
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
Has someone been in this room?
Something doesn't seem right.
That table has been moved.
 
They're building a monorail in our town.
It'll run from downtown to the airport.
I hope it's going to relieve traffic jams.
 
Is the printer plugged in?
I'm sitting here waiting for it to start.
Why is nothing happening?
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Never waste your free time. 空き時間を決して無駄にしてはいけません。
 
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
Put down your computer game.
Let's go outside and play catch.
It's a glorious day today.
 
My brother loves trains.
He has ever since he was a boy.
He takes lots of pictures of them.
 
Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
I know a good Italian place.
We could go there if you like.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Nothing will change unless you take action. 行動を起こさなければ何も変わりません。 
 
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
You're giving a speech today.
So why aren't you nervous?
You act as though it was nothing speaking in front of all those people.
I'd have butterflies in my stomach.
 
Why do you seem upset?
Did I say something wrong?
What did I say?
I take it back.
But I don't know what it was.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you.
They say continuity is power. And that goes for English too.
継続は力なり、と言いますが、それは英語にもあてはまります。 
 
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Let's role play.
One. Now listen.
 
A: I wonder if there's a restroom here. 
B: There's no time for that. Our train is here.
A: It doesn't leave for 10 minutes.
B: Oh! In that case, maybe I'll go with you.
 
A: This pasta is fantastic.
B: You like it? I'm glad to hear it.
A: What's the recipe?
B: I'll print it out for you later.
 
A: I'm trying to cook a souffle.
B: Isn't it in the oven yet?
A: No. I'm still mixing the ingredients.
B: Good. I'll talk you through it.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Daily practice brings better English skills.
毎日練習すれば英語力はアップするのです。
 
Friday, January 28, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
One. Now listen.

You like collecting things, don't you?
What makes you say that?
Your house is full of dolls and figurines.
I got most of that stuff from my mother.
 
Q: What does the woman mean? - She's not a collector, but her mother was.
 
I notice that you've set up a website.
I stumbled across it last night.
Why didn't you tell me about it?
It's really well-put together.
Did you design it yourself?
 
Q: What did the woman notice? - A website.
 
This is a model of the Wright Flyer. 
It's not an exact replica of course.
The original would have been made of wood and canvas.
But we use plastic and vinyl materials.
The engines are also designed more safely than original.
 
Q: What is the man talking about? - A model of an airplane.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Improvements result from daily effort. 日々努力するから上達するのです。

Saturday, January 29, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
Now listen.
 
Next I'd like to briefly outline the reasons why our department is recommending this change
in investment strategy.
The blue line on the graph shows the projective performance of our current stock portfolio
over the next 3 years.
The red line indicates our forecast of how our proposed investments will perform
during the same 3-year period.
As anyone can see, the blue line goes down while the red line goes up.
You'll find a more detailed analysis in the materials we've handed out.
 Q1: Who is most likely speaking? - A business consultant.
 Q2: What does the graph indicate? - The investment strategy must change.
 Q3: What has just been done? -  Papers have been distributed.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Nothing will happen if you just sit there doing nothing.
そこに座っているだけで何もしなければ何も起きません。

Sunday, January 30, 2011
Let's listen and write.
One. Now listen.
 
What he said sticks in my craw.
A week's work went to nothing.
Let's give it one last try.
That's what I'm worried about.
Tomorrow is another day.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Never waste your time practicing half-heartedly.
いい加減に練習して時間を無駄死にしてはいけません。

 
 
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。
 
Work-Life Choices (3)
 
This time you'll hear Breakstone say that the best work-life balance for her is the right mix of
achievement and enjoyment. 
Goto says she respects Breakstone's balance
and asks what balance she would recommend for Goto.
Breakstone replies that Goto is the best judge and that she has control over her own life.
 
 
Breakstone uses the word "optimum" to talk about work-life balance.
"Optimum" is similar to "maximum."
But "optimum" really focuses more on the best.
Whereas "maximum" focuses more on the volume, the top amount as much as possible.
 
"Fun and games" is a phrase people use sometimes in opposition to being serious
and working hard. 
So Goto really doesn't understand what Breakstone means by enjoyment.
She's saying just having fun. There's no depth to it.
I think that's why she's asking.
 
Although the phrase "fun and games" is often used slightly negatively when you think
something should be deeper and not just frivolous.
 
"Mushy" is an adjective that you can use to talk about food, for example.
The first foods that babies eat are usually mushy.
Once people become adults, they usually don't like food that's mushy.
Mushy is sort of a negative way to talk about food.
And then you can take that idea and apply it to the way people act or the way people are feeling.
If they're not sort of clear and rational or logical, you can call them rather mushy.
 
Breakstone also uses the phrase "touchy-feely."
"Touchy-feely" is similar to mushy.
It means overly emotional or a little too close.
You can use these two words positively.
You can say, you know someone touched me , or I could feel what they were feeling. 
It can talk about a kind of sympathy.
But in this case, she's afraid she went too far while she was thinking out loud.
And her conversation didn't quite fit in the office environment.
And the conversation that they were having.
 
ST sensitivity training 触れあって感じ合うような
 
There's a couple of other phrases similar to this where you put the sound [e] on the end
of the words: there's... touchy-feely.
Another one people use sometimes is artsy-fartsy to describe things or people who are acting
rather sophisticated and as if they understand art very clearly.
But usually they're just trying to show they're better than other people.
 
cf.
arty-farty or  ( US ) artsy-fartsy
adj
informal  artistic in a pretentious way
 
Goto talks about weighing priorities.
"Weigh" basically means find out how heavy something is. 
In English, we tend to use the verb.
Although I think in Japanese, a noun form is often used.
Weighing priorities might sound a little strange, because priorities don't have weight.
However the word "weight" is often used quite widely
to talk about the seriousness of something.
So if you're weighing your priorities, you're finding out which one is heaviest,
which is most important.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
So long for now.

 
イメージ 1
 
 
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。
 
Work-Life Choices (2)
 
Breakstone observes that single workers often lose out in corporate benefits.
For example, married people get benefits to help support a spouse. But singles don't.
Goto wonders if singles have more time and energy to devote to work.
Breakstone says it really depends on the individual and his/her work-life balance.
 
 
Breakstone uses the phrase "the flip side" to talk about another aspect of the problem.
The flip side comes from old records. You'd usually have an A-side and a B-side.
So to play the other side, you had to flip it over.
And that way, it became called a flip side.
 
Siblings is a word you can use in English to talk about brothers and sisters.
And that way you only have to use one word instead of the full phrase.
Sometimes people even shorten it down to sibs.
I certainly do that 'cause I have a bunch of them.
 
Breakstone chooses to talk about her parents here.
I suppose it's because the general topic is single women who are working.
But she could have said, "his/her parents," or she could have said, "the parents."
Using "her" in general examples in English is a little bit unusual.
And so it's rather noticeable.
And this sentence, this idea that Breakstone's talking about of course
also applies to single guys.
 
Breakstone also describes the parents as being alive and well.
This is a phrase people often use, when, for example,
they haven't seen someone for a long time. 
They haven't had any news about them.
They're not really talking about whether they're dead or alive.
They're just saying, "yeah, they're fine."
 
alive and kicking
 
To put something in a different light or also very common see something in a different light 
means understand it differently: put it in a different context.
 
Breakstone talks about the right work-life balance.
This isn't generally a correct balance. This is a specific correct balance for each person.
 
Goto talks about Breakstone's idea about everybody having their own priorities in different
light is ringing true.
That rings true.
She could have said, "that sounds true."
But substituting "sounds" for "rings", although has the same meaning, sounds weaker.
I think it's because when bells ring, they ring loudly and clearly.
So something that rings true is strong and clear.
Something that sounds true actually brings a little bit of doubt,
because you're not saying it is true: it sounds true.
 
Goto also talks about a happy medium.
Happy medium is also known as a golden mean.
It's something that everybody can agree on.
 
golden mean / equilibrium
 
Another kind of interesting way to talk about a happy medium is to call it
a goldilocks something. 
Goldilocks is a name of a girl in a fairly tale that most kids in the U.S. have heard.
For example, in marketing, you can talk about goldilocks pricing.
And that means it's just right: it's not too expensive: it's not too cheap.
 
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Goodbye.

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。

Work-Life Choices (1)

Goto's a little upset because a noisy coworker asked about her marriage situation.
Breakstone says she understands that single women often feel marked in the
workplace thinking they have to live up to the "married with children" standard.


Goto talks about being embarrassed by an innocent question.
You could also call this a personal question.
She'll talk about it next.
But personal questions are questions that come too close to your personal life.
You think she don't really wanna share with outsiders or at least not with people who are
really close to you.
And everybody understands that idea.
But the problem with personal questions is that individuals have different rules, I guess
you could say about what's a personal question.
But even more than that, I think different cultures to find personal questions differently.
So when you're talking to somebody who's not from your own culture,
it's much easier to make a mistake.
To ask what you think is an innocent question and embarrass them.

I think in this case, it's not just that she felt the woman was close to her
but the whole situation still feels very immediate in her mind.
She's still kind of upset by the situation.
Goto says that the woman asked if Goto was seeing anyone.
You can use the verb "see" to mean "dating" or "going out with."

Been inebriated: if you're inebriated, you're drunk.
In this case, Goto said a bit inebriated.
So she probably wasn't too badly drunk, but she was certainly enough under the influence
to lose her inhibitions.
She could easily ask a question that she might not have asked if she hadn't had a drink or two.
If you're only a bit inebriated, you could say you're tipsy.
It's a little bit drunk, not so much.
You can also be inebriated by other things.
So if something has affected you as if you'd had some alcohol,
you could also say, "you're inebriated."

be intoxicated / tipsy / under the influence
sober

Goto say, "she was ill at ease."
This is a fairly common phrase you can use to say you're uncomfortable.
"Ill" can also mean "sick."
You know you have some sort of disease or bodily dysfunction.
But "ill" is often used to mean badly or uncomfortably when it's put together with other things.

The best advice I've heard for this kind of a situation where someone asks you
a personal question or I think any time someone says something to you that makes you
a bit uncomfortable, and you don't feel like you can tell them to not do things like that
is to act cheerful and stupid.
So when the slightly inebriated lady came up and said,
"Well, are you interested in American men?"
What Goto could have done is laugh and say,
"Ah ha ha ha ... Isn't everybody?" Something like that.
She doesn't have to answer the question.

"Stick in your nose into other people's affairs or other people's business"
is a way to be meddling or butting in.
Putting yourself in a place where you shouldn't be.
Sometimes if people are angry about it they might look at you and say, "Butt out!"

To be stigmatized is to be characterized or marked or branded and usually for a negative reason.
So in this case, Breakstone's saying that single women are often seen in the workplace
a little bit negatively.
"Stigma" is the noun form. And "stigmata" or "stigmas", you can use either one- is the plural.

If you fall in line with something, you align yourself with a way of thinking or a group of people
and their way of thinking.
It's a way to say, "you agree with something."
But I think it also carries the idea that either it's not the best thing to do
or that you're doing it
because you should not so much because you also strongly support that idea or a group.



That's all for today.

Thanks for tuning in.

「42歳からのルール」 田中和彦

「錦繍」 宮本輝

「砂の王国」 荻原浩

-------------------------------------

「42歳からのルール」 田中和彦 …なかなかよい本だ。

p18
「どんなに辛い経験も、大きな挫折さえも、決して無駄にはならない」
 これは僕自身が、今までの人生を振り返っての実感だ。
 ただ、若い頃はそういう風には、なかなか考えられなかった。ままならない日々を恨めしく思ったり、長いトンネルの中で、済んだことを悔やんだりしていた。
「そんな経験があったから、今の自分が存在するのだ」と心の底から思えるようになったのは、四〇代も半ばを過ぎてからだ。
 どう考えてもマイナスの経験や失敗なのに、それらのほうが確実に自分の糧になっていたし、成功体験よりも数多くの失敗のほうが、人を成長させる気がした。
 失敗して失うものより、失敗して得るものが多いとわかったときから、「守り」ではなく、「挑戦する」生き方に変わったのだ。

「錦繍」 宮本輝 …なかなか読みが応えあった。

p152
男の浮気というやつは、もう、しようのない本能のようなものです。男はそういうふうに出来ているのです。何と勝手な言い草かと女性は憤慨するでしょうが、本当にそうなのだから、仕方がありません。愛する美しい妻があっても、男は機会にさえ恵まれたら、あるいはそのときの成り行きによっても他の女と寝ることが出来るでしょう。しかし妻に対する愛情が、それでどうこうなるというわけではありません。いや、そう断定してしまうことは出来ません。いまの文章は訂正します。そのままその女に溺れて、家庭を捨てる男もいます。

「砂の王国」 荻原浩 …これもなかなかよい。

上巻
p11
 どんな宗教であれ、どんな宗派であれ、言っていることは皆もっともだ。異論を挟む余地を与えない正論。後出しジャンケン。

p19 ホームレスになった主人公の反省…
 私はこれまで自分が食べ残した食い物の数々を思い出していた。
 居酒屋で食い切れないことがわかっているくせに注文してしまう、テーブル一面の酒の肴。
 客に完食させないことがサービスだと心得ているような温泉宿の夕食。
 子供の頃、どうしても食べられなかった給食のカリフラワー入りのシチュー。
 食事を用意して自分の遅い帰りを待っていた美奈子に、今日は接待で食ってきたから、そう言って下げさせた夕食。
 あれらをすべて取り戻せたら、いまの自分の何ヶ月分の食事になるだろう。もしかしたら一年分以上かもしれない。

p41
 同じ星座や同じ血液型の運勢が、テレビ番組や雑誌ごとにまったく違うのはなぜだ。
 占星術は太陽系の惑星の動きが判断要素になっているという。では、冥王星が惑星から除外されてしまったいまでも成立しているのはなぜだ。
 タロットカードやトランプ占いは、「カードをよく切って、もう一度やってみてくれ」と言われたらどうするつもりだろう。予言が事実だとしたら、何度やっても同じカードが出るはずだ。
 四柱推命だろうか、生年月日で人の運勢が決まるという占いがある。同じ年の同じ日に生まれた人間が同じ運命を辿るのだとしたら、双子はどうなる。まったく同時にトラブルに遭い、同時に幸運が訪れ、同じ時期に死ぬのか? 王貞治には幼い頃に亡くなった双子の姉がいたんだぞ。
 この世には、事故や災害や戦争やテロで、一時に何百、何千、何万と人間が死ぬケースがある。手相も星座も生年月日も厄年も違い、あらゆる占いによって異なる運不運、幸と不幸を予言されていたであろう人間たちが、あっさり同じ運命を辿ってしまうのはなぜだ。それを予知できた人間の話は聞いたことがない。

p128
 宗教はどうだろう。憑りつかれたら、抜け出しにくくなるところは依存症とよく似ている。そういえば「宗教はアヘンである」と言ったやつもいたっけ。

p327
 なにしろ龍斎の予言は絶対にはずれない。
 はずれない予言しかしないからだ。
「人との出会い」もそうだ。「久しぶり」と言ったって、何十年ぶりの邂逅と言っているわけではなく、数ヶ月ぶりに会う友人、知人でも、久しぶりといえば久しぶりだ。しかも、いい出会いになるかどうかは「あなた次第」。チャンスが巡ってこなかったとしても、それは「細やかに心を配っていなかった」本人の責任。

下巻
p27
 どんな人間でも、語る言葉はある。一冊の本ができるほど。

p39
 どんな宗教も初めから畏怖され、敬われていたわけではないだろう。古くからの宗教の創世期は美化されて語られることが多いが、たぶん初期には、数少ない信者の自分がいないとダメ、自分たちが助けてやろう、そうした庇護欲求をよりどころにしていたに違いないと思うのだ。

p205
 考えてみれば、日本はおかしな国だ。宗教は日々の生活の方便。手段であって、目的じゃない。だから平和なのかもしれない。だからこそ新興宗教につけいる余地がある。

Monday, January 17, 2011
Hello, everybody. You're listening to 5 minute English.
Hi! I'm David Neale.
Let's practice English together.
And I'm Vicki Glass. 
Welcome to our program.
Let's build up your English muscles.
Are you ready? Here we go.
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
I bought a box of doughnuts.
Take any one you like.
There are 12 different kinds.
 
What's that on the wall?
It looks like a certificate.
Is that your college diploma?
 
Where is Mr. Stanley?
I haven't seen him in days.
Is he on vacation?

Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Don't idle away your time. 時間を無駄に使ってはいけません。
 
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
Drive slowly here.
There's a mud puddle.
I don't want to get the car dirty.
 
The printer needs ink.
We are out of magenta.
And the yellow is getting low.
 
The cheeseburgers here are fantastic.
They may be the best in the world.
I'm not kidding.
 
Here's a message for you today.
It's your passion that counts. 大切なのはあなたの情熱なのです。
 
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
Look at this.
I've found a coin.
But it's not money.
It looks like a token.
It must be from a game parlor.
 
What's that under the sofa?
It looks like a wallet.
It's mine.
I lost that a year ago.
I thought it was gone forever.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you.
Intensive practive brings improvement. 集中して練習するから上達するのです。
 
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Let's role play.
One. Now listen.
 
A: Would you like to go to a restaurant?
B: Sometimes it's nice to eat out.
A: Ah... It was a yes or no question.
B: I guess I'm not so hungry now.
 
A: Have you been drinking?
B: Yes. How did you know?
A: I can smell it on your breath.
B: I had to entertain some clients.
 
A: I have this pain in my shoulder.
B: How bad is it?
A: It hurts when I twist like this.
B: So don't twist it like that.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Keep practicing to get better results. よりよい結果を出すために練習を続けましょう。
 
Friday, January 21, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
One. Now listen.

Listen. Do you hear that?
It sounds like a cellphone or something.
I think it's coming from your bag.
I just remembered. I have my husband's cellphone in my bag.
 Q: What will the woman most likely do next? - Answer her husband's phone?
Don is an interesting guy. Things happen around him.
I mean interesting things. He attracts fascinating people.
And he's always pursuing some new adventure.
 Q: How can Don best be described? - Interesting to be around.
Hi! Mike! How have you been? It's good to see you after so long.
Say, are you still looking for an apartment?
A friend of mine is moving out of his place.
It's a nice studio near the subway station.
Why don't you check it out?
 Q: What does the woman offer to do? - Help Mike find a place to live.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
The road ahead will be bumpy. But don't let it beat you.
これから後の道は険しいでしょうが、へこたれてはいけません。

Saturday, January 22, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
Now listen.
 
Hello Mr. Wilson .
It’s been quite a while since your last check-up here.
Open your mouth please.
Tell me if this hurts. Okay?
Hmmm. It looks like you’ve got a couple of new cavities.
I’ll have to fill them.
It looks like you haven’t been very careful with your teeth.
Are you sure you’ve been brushing?
And flossing too?
It may not seem important at the time.
But you have to do it every day.
If you want to keep your teeth healthy, that is.
I’d like to take some X-rays for a precise idea of the damage.
Q1: Where does the talk take place? – At a dental clinic.
Q2: What does the man say about Mr. Wilson? – He hasn’t been brushing.
Q3: What will most likely happen next? – X-rays will be taken.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Daily practice results in better English. 毎日練習すれば英語は上達します。

Sunday, January 23, 2011
Let's listen and write.
One. Now listen.
 
I'll take it into consideration.
His latest novel is selling like hotcakes.
You sound like you have the sniffles.
My skin dries out in this weather.
I guess the jig is up.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
You can't go backward, only forward. 後戻りは出来ません。前進あるのみです。

 
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。

Work in China (6)
 
Talk the Talk
 
S: In our current vignette, Goto Yoko and her colleagues at Great Lakes
discuss job opportunities for ambitious young graduates.
Many are looking beyond U.S. borders to jumpstart their careers.
 
I: That's right.
While Tony Hughes's son, Brian, chose something closer to home after finishing his MBA,
an increasing number of people his age have been pursuing opportunities in Asia,
particularly in China.
I've come across several articles in the last few months following this trend.
 
S: Paul Pearson noted that the number of ASIA bound MBA graduates has increased
from 5 to 10 percent in the last 5 years alone.
 
I: Yes.
Given the tough job market in the States over the past couple of years,
it's easy to see the appeal of finding a challenging new job overseas.
Having overtaken Japan as the world's second largest economy last year,
China is seen as the land of opportunity for many international businesspeople.
However the markers' dream of one billion potential customers is very difficult to achieve. 
As Paul noted, this isn't stopping people from moving there
even without knowledge of the language or culture.
This reminds me of a young American woman I met in Tokyo a while back.
She had just moved to Japan after having spent several years in a major city in China.
After graduating from college in the States, she decided to make her fortune in China
and moved there to start a business selling freshly baked American style cookies.
Despite minimal Chinese language skills, she got her business off the ground
within a first month through a mix of hard work and gumption.
Although I don't think she cornered the cookie market,
she gained a lot of valuable business experience.
I was thoroughly impressed with her drive and determination.
 
cf. gumption
initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness: With his gumption he'll make a success of himself.
 
S: According to Tony, that's the kind of initiative that makes Western businesspeople
attractive to Chinese employers.
 
I: Yes. And well, having an MBA and several years of experience are highly valued. 
I think job seekers who've just finished their undergraduate degrees have great potential as well.
I must admit I'm biased given that's the way I started my own international career here in Japan.
If you really want to work in a particular country, I feel that you should try to get there
in any way possible and start building a network in that country,
along with studying the language and culture.
This may mean taking on less than grammars, job at first.
But once you get your foot in the door, the possibilities are endless,
Of course not everyone shares my opinion.
 
S: What do you mean?
 
I: A few years ago, I gave that particular piece of advice during a presentation to a group of
American undergraduate students on a study tour of Japan.
Apparently they had gotten the exact opposite advice that morning from an American expat
working for a Japanese subsidiary of a major American company.
He had told them that the best way to build an international career is to pay your dues
at an American corporation and look for opportunities to be sent overseas.  
Frankly both methods are fine.
It just depends on what you want from your career.
In my case, I was eager to live in Japan right away and wasn't ready to put in several years
with a company in the U.S. with no guarantee of being sent abroad.
 
S: Goto Yoko mentioned the possibility of a brain drain particularly if these job seekers decide
to stay in Asia.
 
I: I think that's possible but not likely.
Well there are people like me who decide to make their home overseas.
But are many more who view it as just another step in their careers.
In their cases, it's important to have a clear idea what they want to achieve.
And to make sure that their newly acquired skills in China will be marketable
when they return to their home countries.
 
 
That's all for today.では今日はここまでにしましょう。

Thanks for joining us. 参加していただいてありがとうございます。

 
 
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。
 
Work in China (5)
 
Goto worries that there may be a brain drain as top U.S. talent goes abroad.
Hughes finds this alarming.
Pearson says he prefers to see the big picture:
A globalized business world rather than national brain drains.
He thinks that some of the business whizzes will return to the U.S. with good experience.
 
 
"Brain drain" is a phrase that was coined in the early 60s probably to talk about people
generally from developing countries who went to more developed countries
for a good education, for a better education.
And then often they stayed where they studied.
They didn't go back to their countries and bring back their knowledge and experience.
"Brain drain" is a very popular way to talk about this.
A couple of other ways you could use more formally are human capital flight
or large scale emigration, which is even more general.
 
cf. Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain",
is the large-scale emigration of individuals with technical skills or knowledge.
 
"The best and the brightest" is a phrase you hear fairly often actually in the U.S. to refer to
top level people who are very smart and very active and who usually have very good educations
and good positions.
It was used as a book title in the 70s to talk about President Kennedy's foreign policy wonks.
These days you might call them wonks, which refers to people who go very deeply into some
sort of a topic deeper than almost anybody else wants to go.
 
I was looking at this phrase(good old U.S. of A.), because I didn't really know how to describe
it to people to understand why it's different from U.S.A. for example.
One style manual said it's an archaic form and you really shouldn't use it.
They didn't want it in their documents. That sounds reasonable to me.
I think that's a pretty good explanation of it. It is a little archaic.
But I think many Americans would use it if they want to speak from a very strong sort of
patriotic, old-fashioned, nostalgic feeling for the country.
 
Pearson uses the phrase "strictly national terms" to talk about the scope of thinking about
brain drain.
If you limit your thinking only to each country separately then, yes, there might be a brain drain.
 
To miss out on something is to lose an opportunity in the U.S. anyway.
In the U.K., they also use the phrase "miss out something."
And that means you fail to include it.
You don't put it in a list or in a category where it should have been.
 
Pearson talks about business whizzes.
A whizz is a person who's very good at something.
And it's spelled W-H-I-Z-Z.
And you can also spell it with one Z.
 
foreign shores  外国  these shores 自国
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Don't forget part 6.

 
 
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。
 
Work in China (4)
 
Hughes says that Chinese businesses like Western hires, because they are
more accustomed to taking the initiative.
Pearson sees it is a win-win situation.
American grads can advance their careers quickly and Asian companies
become internationalized.
Hughes mentions Western hirees.
A hiree is a person who's hired.
The suffix "ee" at first and even nowadays is usually used to refer to the passive
recipient of an action.
So a hiree is someone who's hired.
The word doesn't refer to what they do to become hired.
It refers to the fact that they have been hired.
So other words like "trainee", "employee" and "retiree"
 are followed that same pattern.
Occasionally you'll see it used for people who take the action, for example, an escapee.
 
campus recruiting : Those are often called "job fairs."
 
"A win-win situation" is a situation where everybody wins.
It's often used to describe negotiations where it goes very well so that both sides get
what they want.
It seems to come from game theory.
In some games, everyone can win.
But in other games, there is a winner and a loser.
Besides a win-win situation, you could also describe other situations as a win-lose situation
where one side wins and the other side loses.
Or even a lose-lose situation which I suppose is the worst of all because everybody loses.
 
Pearson uses simply the word "talent" to refer to "talented people."
 
"Wild, Wild East" is a phrase that means in the east there are more opportunities.
It's a kind of a frontier even for Westerners going there.
It's based on U.S. history where the west was called "the Wild West."
It was U.S. frontier that it was somewhat lawless.
But when you double the "wild," the "Wild, Wild West,"
you're referring to a TV show from the 60s in the U.S.,
which was also made into a movie a few years ago, I believe.
It was quite popular. I don't think I watched it originally.
I probably saw the afternoon reruns when I was a kid.
 
A "startup" is a company that's recently been organized.
They're often run by entrepreneurs who are trying to do something new and exciting.
 
Pearson talks about the best talent gravitating to some place.
The basic meaning of "gravitate" is to be moved or is to move in responsive gravity.
"Gravity" is causing your movement.
I don't usually hear it used that way to tell the truth.
In general English, it tends to be used to mean something similar to be attracted by.
Or you could say an irresistible force is moving you or whatever is gravitating.
Sometimes it also includes the idea that natural inclination is moving you in that direction.
 
Pearson talks about "young go-getters."
A go-getter is a person who's a self-starter, someone who goes and gets what he/she wants.
It's a person with a lot of initiative.
And usually go-getters are pretty highly valued in companies, because they make things happen.
 
"Go East, young man or woman" is another phrase that's based on U.S. history.
The west because it was unsettled offered many opportunities for all kinds of people.
There's a famous phrase, "Go West, young man" a kind of advice for young people.
And actually the phrase was a bit longer, "Go West, young man and grow up with the country."
It's been attributed to a couple of people but nobody is really quite sure exactly
where it originated. 
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Talk to you again soon.

Monday, January 10, 2011
Hello, everybody. You're listening to 5 minute English.
Hi! I'm David Neale.
Let's practice English together.
And I'm Vicki Glass. 
Welcome to our program.
Let's build up your English muscles.
Are you ready? Here we go.
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
I wish you'd sit up straight.
Slumping like that will hurt your back.
10 years from now, you'll understand.
 
We can watch this movie on my laptop.
But the TV set is better.
It's a little herky-jerky on the computer.
 
I saw you at the mall yesterday.
Why didn't I say "hi" ?
You were talking on your cellphone. 
 
cf. herky-jerky
Spasmodic, irregular, and unpredictable, as in movement or manner.

Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
 
Spare no effort to make your dreams come true.
夢を実現するために努力を惜しんではいけません。
 
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
I'm sorry I was late.
Traffic was atrocious.
It took me 30 minutes to travel a mile.
 
Will you stop fidgeting, please?
You're making me nervous.
Learn to sit still for a minute.
 
I need a short break.
I have to stretch my legs.
They get stiff if I sit too long.
 
Here's a message for you today.
Practice is a friend who will never fail you. 練習はあなたの期待を決して裏切らない友達なのです。
 
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
Cheer up, Kenny.
So you had a bad day.
We all do now and then.
Maybe it's not as bad as you think.
Always think about tomorrow.
 
This is a great movie.
I don't mean it's a classic.
It's just fun to watch.
It's part horror.
But there are a lot of laughs too.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you.
Never give up. I know you can do it. 諦めるな。あなたなら出来る。
 
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Let's role play.
One. Now listen.
 
A: Let's take the kids to the aquarium.
B: We did that last year.
A: But they have a fabulous exhibit.
B: All right. I don't mind checking it out.
 
A: Have you ever been to London?
B: I will this spring.
A: Will it be your first trip to England?
B: Yes. And I'm really looking forward to it.
 
A: I see that you're working on your laptop.
B: Yes. Don't trip on a...
A: Oops! I just tripped.
B: Electrical cord.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Laziness is one of the biggest enemies. 怠けることが最大の敵の一つなのです。
 
Friday, January 14, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
One. Now listen.

Would you drive the kids to soccer today?
I thought you were going to do it.
I had to reschedule my hair appointment for today.
All right. I think I can manage it.
 
Q: What can be inferred abut the man and woman? - They have several children.
 
You lived in Sweden for a while, didn't you?
I'd love to hear all you know.
It could help me do an upcoming business trip.
Can I buy you lunch sometime?
 
Q: What will the woman do? - Travel to Sweden.
 
Pop corn. Check. Soda pop. Check.
A nice seat in the middle of the row and nobody sitting in front of me.
I've been dying to see this movie.
Oh, no. A lady with big hair just sat right in front of me.
I can't see a thing.
 
Q: Where is the man? - In a theater.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Five minutes of practice is far more effective than you think.
5分間の練習は思っている以上にずっと効果があるのです。

Saturday, January 15, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
Now listen.
 
This sporting goods store where I work is huge.
They keep everything you can imagine on hand.
It doesn't cost much to run the place.
That's because all of their inventory is on the store shelves not in a separate warehouse.
And the huge stock attracts customers.
People go for variety.
So the store has a wide variety of things to choose from.
And the prices are competitive.
They're opening more and more of these emporiums all over the country.
They're especially popular where land is cheap.
You don't see a lot of them downtown.
 
Q1: Who's the woman? - A store employee.
Q2: What would most likely be found at the store? - A tennis racket.
Q3: In what way is the store chain expanding? - Countrywide.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Nothing can be accomplished without passion. 情熱がなければ何も成し遂げられません。

Sunday, January 16, 2011
Let's listen and write.
One. Now listen.
 
That kind of bluster doesn't work on me.
Don't be so antsy.
He's having a run of bad luck.
She didn't give him an inch.
I didn't mean it that way.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Quit dilly-dallying and start practicing. ぐずぐずするのはやめて練習を始めましょう。

 
年明けから風邪気味。昨夜は熱っぽかったので、早めに就寝。
今朝も熱っぽさは抜けず、でも何とかdictationできてよかった。
全部やり終えるとやはりスッキリする。頭がガンガンしてるのは治らないけど。あはは。
 
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。
 
Work in China (3)
 
Hughes observes that many grads from foreign countries feel rapport to return to their home
countries which are growing rapidly.
Goto asks about language and cultural skills.
Pearson says the U.S. grads learn quickly and that the companies they go to want to get the
know-how the young Westerners bring.
 
Pearson talks about "creature comforts."
This is a phrase you can use whenever you're referring to all the things that make you happy
and comfortable.
It refers more to bodily comfort and ease.
But it can include anything that really makes you feel good.
Also you can describe a person who likes things like that as a creature of comfort.
 
So that would be like a maybe a Cadillac compared to any cheap little car
that's good for transportation but doesn't feel like sitting on a good sofa in your living room.
 
Pearson talks about "young recruits to Chinese companies."
A recruit is a new employee.
The word comes from the military and it talks about the people who are attracted to sign up
or enlist in the military.
You could also call them "rookies." That's another word people often use.
But in the U.S., they're not called "freshmen" like they are here in Japan.
 
Trojan horse (Greek gift)
 
Pearson uses the adjective "punishing" from the verb "punish" to talk about something that's
extremely difficult or tiring or dangerous.
It doesn't really refer to something that's actual punishment that you receive from
someone else for doing something wrong or bad.
 
Hughes uses the word "emigrate" to talk about people leaving their country.
It's spelled E-M at the beginning.
There's a companion word I guess you could call it "immigrate" with I-M-M at the beginning.
"Emigrate" is to go out from somewhere and "immigrate" is to come into somewhere.
So depending on a speaker's point of view, the speaker could choose either word:
"immigrate","emigrate."
It might be difficult to hear the difference.
I don't know that people always pronounce them very clearly.
 
Hughes describes the way recent grads chose jobs in the U.S. as being automatic.
This means, "I didn't think about it." They just did it.
You could have said, "naturally" or "without thinking" even.
 
"The Far East" is a phrase that's been used in the Western Hemisphere since
about the 19th century in geopolitical discussions.
It seems to have started with the meaning of lands to the east of British India.
I'm sure this happens in all languages.
The way people refer to different parts of the world often depends on what's happening
in global politics.
 
the Near East 近東 / the Middle East 中東
 
Sometimes people say, "you should avoid using this phrase (Good question.)", because
it implies that other questions are not so good.
 
Another problem with it is that people sometimes use it when they don't know the answer
to the question.
And they're stalling for time to find some way to try to reply.
 
cf. stall for time 時間稼ぎをする
 
Sounds like "know-how" is a word that's used quite often in Japanese as well.
Of course, it means the knowledge and skills you need to do something correctly.
Other words you can use are "expertise," which is somewhat more formal.
Or you could even say, "proficiency."
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Goodbye.

「往復書簡」 湊かなえ
 
「憚りながら」 後藤忠政
 
「大人たちはなぜ、子どもの殺意に気づかなかったか?」 草薙厚子
 
-------------------------------------
 
「往復書簡」 湊かなえ …うん、まぁまぁ。
 
「憚りながら」 後藤忠政 …これ、おもしろい。ヤクザと政財界との結びつきの一端がわかる。
オレはヤクザは大嫌いなんだけど、この元ヤクザの人の考え方の一部に共鳴してしまったのは認める。
p148
 マスコミってのは、人を傷つける仕事なんだ。サツでもないのに、人を追い詰めて、追い詰めて、最後には命まで取っちゃうんだからな。ヤクザでも、仇でもない限り、そんなことはしない。それで散々人を傷つけといて、会社を倒産させといて、その記事が間違ってたら、数行で「すみません」なんて謝る。テレビだと番組の最後に「お詫びして、訂正します」ってこれだけだ。そんなもんで済むのかよって、いつも思ってるよ、俺は。だからマスコミには、うんと気をつけて欲しいんだよ。
p199
 バブルが弾けて、元に戻るかと思ったら、戻らなかったな。一回崩れた価値観は、並大抵のことじゃ戻らん。それでもバブル以前の価値観を大切にしていた人たちは、一生懸命働いたんだけど、その後の「失われた十年」とかいう時代で皆、疲れ切ったんだ。
 小泉(元首相)なんかが、「構造改革」と言ってテコ入れしようとしたけど、ダメだった。皆、小泉に一瞬、期待したものの、実はこれがとんでもない勘違い野郎で、逆に弱肉強食になって、国民に「痛み」ばっかり押しつけて(日本を)ボロボロにしちゃったんだ。それからさらに「失われた二十年」とか言われて、皆、もう諦めちゃったんだよ。
p202
 石原(慎太郎・東京都知事)は普段、偉そうなことばかり言ってるのに、手前んところのじいちゃん、ばあちゃんを、群馬の山奥にこっそり捨ててたんだ。おまけに、その捨てられたじいちゃん、ばあちゃんを預かって、生活保護や年金を喰いモノにする「貧困ビジネス」とかいうような輩もいるってんだから、信じられんよ。
p263
「先生が一生懸命やってくれてるのも分かる。患者を1日でも長く生かすことが医者の本分だというのも分かる。でも身内の論理は違うぞ。先生の言う『やるべきこと』をやっている間、ウチの兄貴はもがき苦しんでるんだ。この兄貴の苦しみ、それとそれを見る身内の辛さはどうしてくれるんだ。ましてや俺はこの兄貴と約束した。死ぬ時には苦しませずに逝かせてやると。先生が、医者としての論理に立ってものを言ってるのは分かる。けれど、身内には身内の『思い』があるんだよ。そこを何とか理解して欲しいんだ」
p263-264
 俺は兄貴が死ぬ前にも、肝臓癌で死んだ仲間をたくさん見てきた。ただ身内が馬鹿で、本人が苦しんでるのに、医者に「楽に死なせてやってくれ」と言えなくて、死ぬ間際まで苦しみ抜いて、遺体で帰ってきた時には、下唇がちょん切れてなくなったりして、グダグダな顔して帰ってきた奴がいっぱいいたんだ。肝臓癌の末期っていうのはそれぐらい苦しい。無意識に自分の下唇を噛み切っちゃうぐらいにな。これまで、そういう仲間の死に顔を見るたびに、「これは酷過ぎるんじゃないか。なぜもっと楽に死なせてやらなかったんだ」って、そいつらの身内に何回も言ったし、喧嘩になったこともあった。だから、ウチの兄貴だけには、そういう苦しみを味わわせたくないと思ってたんだ。
 そういう経験をした立場から言えば、今の日本では、まだまだ「尊厳死」に対する理解が遅れてるな。欧米なんかでは、生きてる時に一筆書いとけば、無駄な~もっとも、医者にとっては無駄ではないんだろうが~延命治療を拒否して、爽やかに死なせてくれる国が大半なんだろ? けど、日本ではまだ、本人や身内の気持ちより、法律論のほうが圧倒的に優先されている。
 人の気持ちや思いは、杓子定規に法律論で量る問題じゃないと思うんだがな。医者のほうもまだ、患者が苦しもうが、身内がそれを見て、どれほど辛い気持ちになっていようが、「1日でも長く患者を生かすのが医者の使命」と思ってる人のほうが多いしな。「医者の使命」も結構なことだが、じゃあ患者本人や家族の「尊厳」はどうしてくれるんだよって話だ。
p291
 世間では「ヤクザ=人間のクズ」みたいな言い方をする人もいるが、じゃあ、逆に「堅気の方々はそんなにご立派なんですか?」と聞きたいよ。親が子どもを殺したり、子どもが親を殺したり、弱い者を寄ってたかって苛めたり、と。人としての最低限のルールも守れないような人間が増えた堅気の社会が、そんなにご立派なんですか? ってな。電車やバスの中で、年寄りが立ってるのに、優先席に座って、他人様の前で平気でメシ食ったり、化粧したりっていう恥知らずの者が増えた堅気の社会が、そんなにご立派なんですか? という話だ。少なくとも俺は、日本人として最低限わきまえるべき「恥」は知ってるよ。そもそも、こんなこと、ヤクザやってた俺に言われるなよって話だな(笑)。
p313-314
…島田紳助とかいうお笑い芸人が、自分が司会やってる番組(日本テレビ系『行列の出来る法律相談所』)を使って、カンボジアに学校を建てるんだとか言ってたじゃないか。あれほど、見ていて気分が悪くなる番組もなかったな。
「チャリティー・オークション」だとか言って、自分やタレントが描いた下手な絵を500万だか、200万だかバカ高い値段で売りつけて。もちろん買うほうは善意で買ったんだろうが、売上が1億円を超えたとかいって自慢してな。本来、慈善事業やボランティアなんてものは、人知れずやるもんじゃないのか。ああいうふうに自分の「善意」をみせびらかす奴のことをチンピラにもなれない小物、「小チンピラ」って言うんだよ。
 その小チンピラが見せびらかす、押しつけがましい、見てるこちらが恥ずかしくなるような「善意」を、公共の電波を使ってタレ流すテレビ局も、テレビ局だ。
 つい最近、カンボジア政府の高官と会う機会があったんだが、あの番組については露骨に不愉快な顔をしてたな。「自分たちの国が貧しいことを、笑いものにされてるようだ」って。
 
 
「大人たちはなぜ、子どもの殺意に気づかなかったか?」 草薙厚子 …新聞でわからなかったことが詳しく書いてあるのがよい。
 

Monday, January 3, 2011
Hello, everybody. You're listening to 5 minute English.
Hi! I'm David Neale.
Let's practice English together.
And I'm Vicki Glass. 
Welcome to our program.
Let's build up your English muscles.
Are you ready? Here we go.
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
I haven't met the Suzuki's in years.
But we keep in touch online.
We also exchange New Year's cards.
 
What's your New Year's resolution?
I've just made one.
It's to keep the resolutions I made last year.
 
Don't close that door.
I need the ventilation.
I'm doing my nails.
 

Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Keep up the good work and your wish will come true.
その調子で頑張ればあなたの願いは叶います。
 
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
I need some cash.
Is there any ATM around here?
Ah! There's one in that store.
 
Have you ever been on TV?
I never have.
I wonder what that would be like.
 
Hi, Michelle.
How are you?
A belated Happy New Year!
Sorry I didn't reply to your card.
 
Here's a message for you today.
It's simple. Practice and you'll improve.
簡単なことです。練習すればうまくなるのです。 
 
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Let's read out loud.
One. Now listen.
 
Give me a call on Thursday.
I need to know if you're coming Saturday.
Don't forget.
You forgot last time.
And it fouled up my schedule.
 
Gary has an imposing presence.
He's more than 6 feet tall.
He used to be a rugby player.
But don't be intimidated.
You'll find that he's really a sweetheart.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you.
Failure is part of the path through success.
失敗は成功への道のりの一部なのです。
 
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Let's role play.
One. Now listen.
 
A: Ouch! I just cut my arm.
B: Where? Is it breeding?
A: Here. Inside my elbow.
B: That? It's not even a scratch.
 
A: Oh, no! I just lost all my data.
B: Maybe not. Let me see.
A: I did something and poof it's gone.
B: I think I can get it back for you.
 
A: Did you say something?
B: No. I didn't say a word.
A: I thought you said, "Ralf" or something.
B: I was just clearing my throat.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
You're not trying hard enough. 頑張りが足りませんよ。
 
Friday, January 7, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
One. Now listen.
 
Hey, quiet everybody.
It's time for the countdown to the New Year.
Okay. Ready?
5 4 3 2 1... Happy New Year!
 
Q: When does the conversation begin? - In December.
 
What's the matter with the toaster?
Some bread is stuck inside.
I'll fish it out with this fork.
I wonder if that's safe.
I'd better unplug it first.
 
Q: What is the man trying to do? - Bake toast.
 
What's happened to this family?
Here we are at the dinner table. 
And each person is staring at a cellphone.
In the old days people used to talk.
But now we push little buttons on a handheld device.
 
Q: When is the woman most likely talking? - Evening.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Practice now and don't hesitate. 今練習しましょう。躊躇ってはいけません。

Saturday, January 8, 2011
Let's listen and answer.
Now listen.
 
In life there's a time for thought.
And there's a time for action.
It's the same in football.
This is no time to be sitting on our hands.
We have to stop bickering.
We have to stop contemplating our navels.
And we have to get our lazy butts in gear.
This game is our last chance.
If we win, we play in the Championship.
If we lose, we scratch our heads and wonder what was wrong with us.
Which would you rather be doing at this time tomorrow?
Now get out there and fight. 
 
 Q1: When does the talk most likely take place? - Just before a game.
 Q2: What does the man imply about the listeners? - They've been lazy.
 Q3: What have they been doing? - Fighting among themselves.
 
cf. contemplating our navels 哲学瞑想に耽る
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Believe in yourself and never give up. 自分を信じて決して諦めないでください。

Sunday, January 9, 2011
Let's listen and write.
One. Now listen.
 
Something will come of it.
He's so full of himself.
That's not to my liking.
She's a very reserved person.
I hate to do a halfway job.
 
Let's check. Let's try.
Here's a message for you today.
Nothing ventured, nothing learned. 思い切ってやってみなければ、何も身に付きません。

一昨年からお年玉をあげてる。予算(全額)は2万円。
 
奥さんにも5千だけあげた。自分のためだけに使える、って理由で喜んでた。
 
というわけで、こどもたちには、3000円ずつ。(5人きょうだいなので)
 
「デジタルハイビジョンを買ったから、来年、君たちにはお年玉なしだから」って予告してたので、
あまりみんな期待してる様子じゃなかった。
 
で、「今年は一人にチョコレート1個だけはあげる」って言っておいた。
 
結果、チョコレートの箱を開けると、茶封筒にお金が入っているのを発見する仕組みにした。
 
「ええええ。どうやって、こんなことできるの?」
 
…なんのことはない。裏側からカッターナイフで切って、あとで接着しただけのこと。

「猫を抱いて象と泳ぐ」 小川 洋子

「アントキノイノチ」 さだまさし

「SOSの猿」 伊坂幸太郎 

「きみ去りしのち」 重松清

「カッコウの卵は誰のもの」 東野圭吾

「勝ち負けから降りる生き方」 二神能基

「本当の国語力」が驚きほど伸びる本 福嶋隆史

「英文法の謎を解く」 副島隆彦

「ホームページにオフィスを作る」 野口悠紀雄

「超 整理法3」 野口悠紀雄

「マドンナ・ヴェルデ」 海堂尊

「図書館内乱」 有川浩

「あずみ (1)~(48)」 小山ゆう

「1Q84 BOOK 3」 村上春樹

「チルドレン」 伊坂幸太郎

「三匹のおっさん」 有川浩

「新参者」 東野圭吾

「悪党」 薬丸岳

「アヒルと鴨のコインロッカー」 伊坂幸太郎

「図書館戦争」 有川浩

「フリーター、家を買う。」 有川浩

「ラブコメ今昔」 有川浩

「不毛地帯 (一)~(四)」 山崎豊子

「40 翼ふたたび」 石田衣良

「Another」 綾辻行人

「阪急電車」 有川浩

「送り火」 重松清

「美丘」 石田衣良

「夜の桃」 石田衣良

「REVERSE」 石田衣良

「他力」 五木寛之 

「シューカツ!」 石田衣良

「養老孟司の<逆さメガネ>」

「社会人の勉強の技術」 高島徹治 … クズ本

「兎の眼」 灰谷健次郎

「6TEEN」 石田衣良

「9.11 生死を分けた102分」 ジム・ドワイヤー & ケヴィン・フリン

「私の仕事」 緒方貞子

「その日のまえに」 重松清

「凍土の密約」 今野敏

「学校裏サイト」 下田博次 … クズ本
 
「38口径の告発」 今野敏

「植物図鑑」 有川浩

「あるキング」 伊坂幸太郎
 
「生きるヒント2」 五木寛之

「生きるヒント3」 五木寛之
 
「アイズ」  鈴木光司 
 
「チッチと子」  石田衣良
 
「WILL」 本多孝好
 
「ひまわり事件」 荻原浩
 
「ありえない恋」 小手鞠るい
 
「デパートへ行こう」 真保裕一
 
「あした咲く蕾」 朱川湊人
 
「ストロベリー・ブルー」 香坂直

「FINE DAYS」 本多孝好

「MOMENT」 本多孝好

「世界一わかりやすい速読の教科書」 斉藤英治
「座右の銘」 意義ある人生のために
 
「かたみ歌」 朱川湊人 … うん、よかったよ。
 
「赤々煉恋」 朱川湊人 … うん、これも。
 
「花まんま」 朱川湊人 … はい、これも。
 
「キュリー夫人」 …すごすぎる!
 
「十五少年漂流記」 …子どもの頃読んでおくべき本。
 
「日本むかしばなし」…これも。
 
一瞬で伝える「わかりやすさ」の技術 … 斎藤孝 ~なかなかよい~
 
「悪」と戦う … 高橋源一郎 ~文章はうまいと思う~
 
「キケン」 有川浩
 
「ぼくの好きなキヨシロー」 泉谷しげる 加奈崎芳太郎
 
「告白」 湊かなえ
 
「I LOVE YOU」  石田衣良 市川拓司 本多孝好
 
「ニート・ニート・ニート」 三羽省吾
 
「殺気」 雫井脩介
 
「F」 鷺沢萌 
 
「1ポンドの悲しみ」 石田衣良 
 
「英語屋さん -ソニー創業者・井深大に仕えた四年半-」 浦出善文
 
「夜を守る」 石田衣良
 
「初陣」 今野敏
 
「小学五年生」 重松清
 
「マークスの山」 高村薫
 
「20世紀少年」 第1巻~第22巻 浦沢直樹
 
「21世紀少年」 上・下
 
PLUTO ①~⑧ … 浦沢直樹 手塚治虫
 
「吸涙鬼」 市川拓司 
 
「ぼくの父さんは、自殺した。」 今西乃子 
 
「学習力は丸暗記でつける」 多湖輝
 
「学校が学習塾にのみまれる日」 前屋毅
 
「教育格差」 和田秀樹
 
「禁断」 今野敏 
 
「夜行観覧車」 湊かなえ
 
「モンスター」 百田尚樹
 
「風の中のマリア」 百田尚樹
 
「影法師」 百田尚樹
 
「バイバイ、ブラックバード」 伊坂幸太郎 
 
「わが友 本多宗一郎」 井深大
 
「死神ブログ」 窪依凛
 
「模倣犯」上・下 宮部みゆき
 
「理由」 宮部みゆき
 
「小暮写眞館」 宮部みゆき
 
「沈黙のアイドル」 赤川次郎
 
「永遠の0」 百田尚樹
 
「202人の子どもたち 子どもの詩 2004-2009」
 
「教室の亡霊」 内田康夫
 
「オー!ファーザー」 伊坂幸太郎
 
「ガール」 奥田英朗
 
「Box!」 百田尚樹
 
「ブレイズメス1990」 海堂尊
 
「ゴールデンスランバー」 伊坂幸太郎
 
「聖夜の贈り物」 百田尚樹
 
「欲情」 梟森南瞑
 
「告解者」 大門剛明
 
「交渉人・籠城」 五十嵐貴久
 
「輝跡」 柴田よしき
 
「KAGEROU」  齋藤智裕
 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

そして…ぶっちぎりのベストは…「あずみ」 小山ゆう   傑作中の傑作!
次点  
「20世紀少年」 第1巻~第22巻  「21世紀少年」 上・下 浦沢直樹 
 
次点の次点
 
「モンスター」/「風の中のマリア」/「影法師」/「永遠の0」/「聖夜の贈り物」/「Box!」 百田尚樹
 

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