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。

2013年02月

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Shopping Online and Offline (5)
 
Umemura says he tries to be rational about his purchases
and think logically about each item's merits and demerits.
Lyons says the abundance of products at online shopping channels
have given consumers so many options it's difficult to choose.
Collins agrees and describes how her local supermarket offered 10 brands
of fair trade espresso beans and she ultimately selected the one
with the best package design.
 
 
Wear sackcloth and ashes: This is to show mourning or repentance.
According to my dictionary, it comes from an ancient Hebrew custom
of wearing coarse fabric used to make sacks, sackcloth and putting ashes
on oneself to show humility for god.
Imagine someone in your office makes a huge mistake, you know,
embarrasses the company.
You might say, "He's been wearing sackcloth and ashes in the last month
as a result."
 
Value-conscious: We put "conscious" on the end of words to mean,
"someone or something pays particular attention to that thing."
For example, "budget-conscious" or "health-conscious."
The company is launching a series of low fat items
for health-conscious consumers.
Or, "Career-conscious professionals make sure their resume is always updated."
 
Be spoiled for choice: This means "having so many good choices
it's hard to choose."
Tourists in Japan are spoiled for choice when it comes to
electronics and hot spring baths, for example.
 
No fewer than: Collins is using this expression to mean,
"this large number of something."
You can say things like,
"Mary has been late no fewer than four times this week."
Or, "John said restructuring no fewer than 10 times in his speech."
 
There are only so many minutes in the day:
We often use this and other similar expressions to mean "we have limited time."
"There are only so many hours in the day" is one variation.
For example, "I recently turned down a freelance translating job
because there are only so many hours in the day."
 
And the expression "only so many" can be used with a number of words
to meant that only a limited number or amount exist.
As in "I only have so much time to finish this."
 
Go for: Collins is using this as a casual way to say, "choose."
"Go for" can also be used more of the sense of "prefer" or "like."
But these two often involve an element of choosing something.
As in: He goes for a flashy neckties.
Or, "Consumers didn't go for the new tablet computer."
 
Lyons also could have just said, "It's okay to go with your gut."
 
More often that not: Another way to say "usually."
More often that not I have lunch by myself, for example.
I like to read while I eat.
 
Wind up: Lyons also could have said,
"You end up making the best choice that way."
In other words, you ultimately do a certain thing, reach a certain situation.
For example, "I thought about resigning. But I ended up staying
at the company for another year."
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Great to see you. Bye, bye.

 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Shopping Online and Offline (4)
 
Lyons describes how he buys books online from small bookstores saying their
better selections and more knowledgeable staff are worth the higher prices.
Collins says some small retailers work to win customers' sympathy
for their battle against bigger players.
But Lyons says it will always be difficult for them to compete.
However Collins says consumer behavior in bad times is difficult
to predict and points to purchases of small luxuries as an example.
 
 
As much as the next guy: As much as anyone else, Lyons is saying.
As much as most people do.
For example, I like attractive clothes as much as the next person,
or as much as the next woman.
But I try to limit how much I spend on them.
 
Keep someone afloat: The image here is keeping a boat from sinking.
Then Lyons means it's important to keep smaller online retailers
financially solvent, to keep them surviving financially.
The company needs a new loan to keep itself afloat.
Or, she's working in extra job to stay afloat.
 
Catch flak for: Flak can mean anti-aircraft artillery.
But in this case, it's strong criticism.
The company caught a lot of flak for the CEO's huge salary, for example.
Or, John caught a lot of flak for his sexist remarks.
 
Get flak for / be criticized
 
Undercut: Lyons uses "undercut" to mean
"sell at a lower price than a competitor."
It can also mean, "diminish" or "reduce the effectiveness of something,
its value, it's strength."
For example,
"Recent job's data undercuts claims that the economy is recovering."
 
Small fry: Lyons is using the image of small or young fish to mean
"smaller companies that are less influential or important."
 
Hold one's own against: This means to do well against opposition
or competition of some kind.
You could say, "John held his own in a debate expressing his thoughts
clearly and convincingly."
 
Indulge in: Collins uses "indulge in" in the sense of giving yourself
something that's a luxury or maybe isn't healthy.
As in: I got a nice raise this year so I've decided to indulge in a new computer.
 
Splurge on: This is also to indulge, to spend money on some costly thing.
For example, I splurge on imported cheeses at a small store in my neighborhood.
 
When the going gets rough: When things get difficult, in other words.
When a situation is hard.
Collins also could have said, "When the going gets tough."
And this version also appears in the expression:
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
In other words, "When things get difficult, strong people make an effort.
They don't fall apart. They do something."
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye.

 
 
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
And I'm Brandon Stowell.
 
Right. We'll be learning useful phrases that will sharpen your professional image.
 
Okay, then.
 
Let's kick things off.
 
Hi, I'm Brandon Stowell. 
 
A new day. A new lesson. Are you up for the challenge?
 
I associate this phrase with tornados and severe thunderstorms.
I grew up in the mid-west in America where during the summer months
there are quite a few disastrous storms.
But once the storm has moved over our area.
The weather man often say, "Don't worry everyone. The worst is behind us."
The worst is behind us.
 
Are you ready?
 
Challenges: It's a necessary part of life to try and do something
that we may indeed fail at.
But to which we give our complete energies.
So it is in life, so it is in business.
Just remember Henry Ford's words when taking on a challenge :
whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
 
 
See you next time.

 
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
And I'm Brandon Stowell.
 
Right. We'll be learning useful phrases that will sharpen your professional image.
 
Okay, then.
 
Let's kick things off.
 
Hi, I'm Brandon Stowell. 
 
We have to change the order. Wow!
 
Avoiding this phrase is the best case scenario.
But like Eriko said, your company's needs supersede this rule,
companies try and maintain as friendly our relationship with each other
as possible or necessary.
So instead of cancelling, it might be wiser to place the minimum order
just so you can maintain a good relationship.
In the long run, you would've kept a good client.
 
 
See you next time.

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Shopping Online and Offline (3)
 
Lyons says shoppers who use multiple shopping channels spent 20%
more than people who bought just in stores during the recent holiday season.
Collins says big retailers' lower prices, free shipping or easy-to-use apps
are a significant threat to  smaller operations but that smaller operations
do have ways to fight back.
Lyons adds that some consumers intentionally patronize small businesses.
 
 
Game-changing: We use this to refer to something that completely alters
a situation, what  people in that situation have to deal with,
how they have to act.
The introduction of online music sales was a game-changing development
for the music industry, for example.
Or the introduction of online music sales was a game changer
for the music industry.
 
We also say, "a whole new ballgame", which refers to a completely
different situation.
The Internet has made raising kids a whole new ballgame for parents.
 
I understand: Lyons is saying my grasp of the situation is,
from what I've been told or learned, this is the situation.
If I went to a job interview, for example, the interviewer might say,
"I understand you've lived in Japan for over 20 years now?"
 
Major player: In this case, "players" means a person or organization
actively involved in a particular sphere.
Umemura's talking about business world.
It's also very common to hear about key political players.
 
Key political player 大物政治家
 
Pose a threat to: "Pose" is used in a  number of situations to mean
"present", "put forward."
Pose a question, for example.
Imagine your company's marketing efforts have been unsuccessful lately.
Someone might say, "Our difficulties posed a question.
What do we need to change about our marketing style?"
 
Pose a question
 
Have a few tricks up one's sleeve: This means that special techniques,
methods, ways of handling something.
Another expression using "tricks" is "tricks of the trade",
which is the particular skills or knowledge involved in a certain profession.
Newspaper reporters are often assigned to a regional bureau
to learn the tricks of the trade, for example.
 
Freebie: This is something you get for free.
I just read about U.S. stores offering freebies to customers on black Friday,
for example.
People who came to the stores could receive free things raging
from coffee and pastries to gift certificate and video games.
 
Give away
 
Conscientious: Lyons is using this word about consumers
who act in accordance with principle, conscience.
This meaning also appears in the term, conscientious objector,
which is someone who refuses to perform military service based
on their personal principles.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye.

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Shopping Online and Offline (2)
 
Collins says widely available digital data plans and in-store  wireless
connections helped many people combine online and offline shopping
during the past holiday season.
She and Lyons also mention various ways retailers are dealing
with consumers' change behavior such as giving tablet computers
to their clerks so that they search online inventory
and offering special deals to both online and in-store shoppers.
 
 
Thanks to: Collins is using this expression to indicate how someone
or something is responsible for a good thing.
However it can also be used in a negative way to identify someone
or something's fault.
For example, "I tripped and fell thanks to all the computer cords on the floor."
 
There's also the expression "no thanks to",
which means someone or something didn't contribute, or was a hindrance.
Like,
"I finally found a computer I wanted no thanks to the store's lousy service."
 
No doubt about that: He uses this to express agreement,
to say that something is certainly true.
Lyons also could have said, "without a doubt."
 
That's for sure.
 
There's also the expression, "give someone the benefit of the doubt,"
which means to think well of someone when the evidence is not clear
one way or the other.
Imagine a friend doesn't return your email right away.
Instead of getting upset at their insensitivity, you give them
the benefit of the doubt and think, "Well, they're probably very busy."
 
Two-pronged approach: Originally, a "prong" is a thin, a pointed  projection.
For example, we also refer to the prongs on a fork.
 
Out of stock: This means a store has used up its inventory of a certain item.
It doesn't have any left.
The opposite would be to have something in stock.
 
There's also the expression, "take stock of," which we use to mean
appraise a situation, asses the resources and possibilities it contains.
Many people take stock of their lives around the new year, for example.
They look at what they've achieved, where they wanna go in the future.
 
Handy: Something is handy, it's useful or convenient.
We also have the expression, "come in handy,"
which is to be useful or convenient, prove useful or convenient.
For example, "One smartphone app that really comes in handy for me is
my personal finance app. It lets me record and categorize all my spending."
 
Fight the crowds: We often use "fight" this way to mean "contend with."
Struggle to conquer or endure some difficult thing.
"Fight traffic" is particularly a common usage, for example.
You might say,
"Let's leave early so we don't have to fight the rush hour traffic."
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Great to see you. Bye, bye.

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Shopping Online and Offline (1)
 
The H & B staff discuss the disappearing boundary between in-store
and online shopping.
With Lyons mentioning a survey that shows 25% of consumers
now use a mobile device to compare prices while shopping.
Collins says young people are particularly active in using mobile devices
to get the best deals.
And Lyons comments that retailers are also trying to find
the most effective ways to combine traditional and online shopping.
 
 
Right before someone's eyes: Umemura also could have said,
"The boundary is disappearing right in font of us."
This change is taking place right now, in other words, or as we watch.
Imagine your company introduces a bunch of new green measures
to reduce its environmental impact.
You might say to a coworker,
"The company is going green right before our eyes."
 
Head out: This is another way to say, "depart" or "start a trip of some kind."
Let's say one of your colleagues has an appointment.
If he gets up from his desk with his briefcase, you could ask,
"Are you heading out now?", meaning, "Are you going now?"
 
Compare prices: We also have the expressions, "comparison shopping",
and "comparison shop."
This is comparing the prices and quality of different merchandize
to get the best deal.
People comparison shop for electronics, vacation packages
and current insurance , for example.
 
Be armed with: When we're armed with something,
it gives us strength, an advantage, protection.
It can refer to tangible things, like mobile phones or coupons
or intangible, such as information.
Say you have to make a proposal during a meeting, you might
enter the meeting armed with lots of data to back up your position.
 
A breed apart from: We use "a breed apart" to refer to
groups of people that are different.
They stand out from others in the way they act or think, etc.
As if they were a different breed of animal.
I just read an article that said foodies are a breed apart.
They spend more time and effort than others on making
or making really good food, in other words. 食い道楽・食通
 
A new breed of young people 新人類
 
More bang for the buck: According to my idiom dictionary,
"more bang for the buck" originally referred to military spending on fire power.
Today it's a more general phrase about getting more value for
the money spent, a better return on investment.
So you might say, "This computer costs more.
But all the extra features mean you get more bang for your buck."
 
Myself included: Collins also could have said, "including me."
You know the meaning is the same.
And you could put in other words as well.
Our boss said, "Everyone has to do overtime. Himself included," for example.
 
Seamless: Collins is referring to something that's smooth,
that doesn't have awkward transitions or interruptions.
Like clothing that doesn't have any seams in it.
Let's say, "My company introduces a new computer system."
If everyone uses it easily and there aren't any technical problems,
we could say, "We made a seamless transition to the new system."
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Thanks for listening. Take care.

 
 
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
And I'm Brandon Stowell.
 
Right. We'll be learning useful phrases that will sharpen your professional image.
 
Okay, then.
 
Let's kick things off.
 
Hi, I'm Brandon Stowell. 
 
How do you confront someone about a late payment?
We'll show you how.
 
Are you ready?
 
See you next time.

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

 

Welcometo business communication in simple English.

 

And I'mBrandon Stowell.

 

Right.We'll be learning useful phrases that will sharpen your professional image.

 

Okay,then.

 

Let'skick things off.

 

Hello,everyone.

 
Hi, I'm Brandon Stowell. 

Pleasedto be with you today.

 

To err ishuman. Today we'll talk about what to do when there is an error.

 

I findthis phrase can be taken less personally when multiple fixes are necessary.

Forexample, "Bob, we need to fix the font, the color and reorder the slides 

before the presentation."
 

Are youready?

 

Icouldn't agree with you more, Eriko.

Mistakesdo happen.

And beingneutral is a great policy.

I'd liketo also point out that particularly when working on projects in teams 

orgroups, it might be difficult to tell who made the mistake.

I onceapproached someone I thought had made an error to find out 

that another teammember had completed that part of the project.

Then itbecame my error in judgment.

That'swhy it's important to be neutral.

 

See younext time.

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Silly Questions, Smart Answers (6)
 
Talk the talk
 
S: Now in our current vignette, the H & B staff discuss the Western custom
of saying "Bless you" after someone sneezes.
And Kay Breakstone recalls a culture shock she experienced
during a visit to Japan a few years ago,  when no one responded to
her sneeze during a business meeting.
Did you ever feel the same way, Heather?
 
H: I did during my first days in Japan.
It's so commonplace in the United States to say "Bless you" or "Gesundheit"
that when it didn't happen here, my initial gut reaction was to feel
ignored and hurt.
But even then my brain would remind my gut that it was ridiculous
to feel that way in a country that doesn't have the same custom.
And now I've been here so long, it doesn't affect me at all.
I also experienced culture shock in a reverse fashion,
when Japanese people would do things that Americans would largely not.
Pointing at documents with the middle finger, for example,
which in Japan doesn't have the crass connotation.
It does in the United States.
Another was opening umbrellas inside, which in America is said to bring bad luck.
I can be a little superstitious and I still remember thinking,
"Oh no, don't do that" the first time I saw a Japanese acquaintance
open an umbrella inside a building.
 
S: Breakstone later describes a business meeting
during which an H & B supplier chewed gum.
This certainly is very unprofessional behavior, isn't it?
 
H: Absolutely.
But I have an even worse story, actually, involving a meeting
many years ago, where orange juice was served.
It was rather pulpy orange juice.
And one of my then colleagues actually started picking the pulp
out of his teeth during the meeting right in front of a potential client.
I still remember our boss stopping in mid conversation.
His mouth hanging open in shock when he saw what this man was doing.
Ultimately we didn't get the account.
And I can't help feeling that the orange juice debacle
was at least partly responsible.
 
S: The conversation eventually turns to the H & B staff's pet peeves,
such as having one's food stolen from communal refrigerators
and getting cornered at an event  by a nonstop talker.
Now what are some of your work related pet peeves, Heather?
 
H: One of my biggest annoyances is people who don't respect
other people's space.
For example, I once sat next to a man who had stacks and stacks of papers
on his desk, and he was constantly letting them slump over onto mine.
And not just moment terror, he would let the paper sit like that
with no effort to tie them up.
I think he was very absorbed in his work and didn't mean it as a personal slight.
But it still made me feel like he was thinking you're not important enough
for me to care whether I inconvenience you.
 
S: Did you ever take the bull by the horns and ask him to keep his desk tidier?
 
H: No, I didn't I was younger then. And he had a somewhat
pugnacious personality.
So I was a touch afraid of him, to tell the truth.
I usually just pushed the papers back in place when he wasn't there.
And he never said anything to me about that, which reinforces my brief
that he was oblivious to the whole thing.
 
 
That's all for today.

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Silly Questions, Smart Answers (5)
 
Breakstone recommends that Umemura tell the coworker who interrupts him
that he needs to concentrate and to email him  with anything pressing.
Umemura says he'll try this direct approach but worries about
getting a reputation as a complainer.
Collins doubts that will happen but says chronic complainers do annoy her.
Nissen describes such a man in his department who only seems happy
when he is whining.
 
 
I see your point: I recognize the validity of what you're saying,
Breakstone means.
And you can use this even when you're not in total agreement
with someone's thinking.
For example, "I see your point about the need to limit government's spending.
But I think it's more important to stimulate the economy out of this recession."
 
Take the bull by the horns: This means to deal with a problem directly, head on.
As if you're grabbing a bull by the horns on a  tag.
For example, "She took the bull by the horns and asked for a raise outright."
 
Bite the bullet 弾丸を噛む 正面から立ち向かう 現実から目をそらせない
 
Offending person: "Offending" is an adjective that refers to something
that causes trouble, distress or injury.
Imagine a TV ad that's criticized for being sexist.
The company might remove the offending ad after complaints from a public.
 
No pain, no gain: This means there's no progress, no achievement
without hard effort or suffering.
It's been especially common regarding exercise, as in:
"Come on. Five more sit-ups. No pain, no gain."
But you could also say something like:
"This has been a really difficult project. But I've learned a lot. No pain, no gain."
 
Give it a try: Umemura also could have said, "I'll give it a go."
He means do something experimentally and see how it works out
or how he likes it.
 
We also say, "give something a try" or "give something a go."
Umemura could have said, "All right. I'll give the direct approach a try."
Or, "I gave yoga a go last year."
 
Be labeled as: To be described or classified in a certain way.
You can also be labeled a something without the "as."
For example, "I don't want to be labeled as lazy."
Or, "I don't want to be labeled a slacker."
 
Kvetch about: This is a Yiddish word meaning to complain, gripe.
"He is always kvetching about his work hours," for example.
Or, "She kvetches every day about how long her commute is."
 
Find fault with: To find things that are wrong with something or someone.
For example, "She found fault with everything at the conventions:
the speeches, the food, the accommodations.
 
If someone or something is at fault, then they're responsible,
they're the cause of some trouble or problem.
For example, "Police are investigating which driver was
at fault in the accident."
Or, "She missed the deadline.
But it was her computer that was at fault. It crashed.
And she had to get it repaired."
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Thanks for listening. Bye, bye.

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Silly Questions, Smart Answers (4)
 
Nissen asks how he can escape nonstop talkers at events.
And Collins says she shakes such people's hands,
thanks them for the conversation and says she needs to talk to a colleague.
Umemura asks how to deal with a coworker who constantly interrupts his work.
Breakstone suggests wearing headphones.
But Collins says that would cut Umemura off from others in the office.
 
 
Break away from: Escape, separate, get away from, in other words.
You might say, "She's hoping to break away from accounting
and get into marketing."
Or, "The United States broke away from Great Britain in 18th century."
 
We've all been there: We've all had that experience.
We've all gotten trapped by someone like that.
 
Be buttonholed by: This means made to stop and talk to someone.
As if they grabbed you by your outerwear.
For example, "He buttonholed me as I was heading out for lunch
and talk about a new supervisor for 20 minutes."
 
Windbag: nonstop talker, chatterbox, blabbermouth, motormouth.
He likes to hear the sound of his own voice.
 
It's been a pleasure talking to you.
 
Make a graceful exit: Something that's graceful is elegant,
smooth in its movement, manner, form.
You can also make a graceful answer to a question.
 
Consummate: Perfect, highly skilled, of the highest degree.
"He is a consummate negotiator," for example.
Or, "She is a consummate team player."
 
Bright: Umemura is using "bright" to mean, "intelligent", "clever."
We also refer to a bright idea, which means a clever idea or plan.
And this can be used seriously or sarcastically.
As in, "My computers all messed up, because I had the bright idea
of trying to fix it myself."
 
I think I'm a bright person.    ○
I think I'm a brilliant person. △
 
That's a tough one: We often use a something one to mean hard,
easy, complicated, whatever example of something.
So if I was given the 2-page article to edit, I might say,
"Wow! That's a long one."
Or, in response to a good job, we often say, "lol! That's a good one!"
 
Have a nice one. よい一日を。
 
Be forced to: Collins is basically saying,
"I have to disagree with you. My opinion requires me to disagree."
As in: "I'm forced to admit I don't think this is a good proposal."
 
Be the answer: Collins doesn't think that wearing headphones is the solution,
the remedy to Umemura's problem.
For example, "Some people think austerity measures are the answer to
European economic walls."
Other people think stimulus measures are the answer.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Take care.

 
 
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
And I'm Brandon Stowell.
 
Right. We'll be learning useful phrases that will sharpen your professional image.
 
Okay, then.
 
Let's kick things off.
 
Hi, I'm Brandon Stowell. 
 
This sounds a bit like scolding a child.
But with an even tone becomes a cautionary phrase for the workplace.
 
Are you ready?
 
The sentence portion "I'm not in a position to approve" can be
part of a larger strategy which Eriko has touched on.
At my old company, final sales decisions were never in the hands of
the sales staff.
But since management can't be everywhere at once,
we were given a breadth of negotiation power.
We could approve sales contracts above a certain amount.
But when the sales figures spill below our approval threshold,
we would say, "Sorry, but I'm not in a position to approve that."
Most times, to get the deal done, the other party would renegotiate sales
back up so that I could approve it right then and there.
 
See you next time.

 
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
And I'm Brandon Stowell.
 
Right. We'll be learning useful phrases that will sharpen your professional image.
 
Okay, then.
 
Let's kick things off.
 
Hi, I'm Brandon Stowell. 
 
Are you ready?
 
Eriko's right.
Giving bad news is unsavory, but necessary.
When I first entered the business world, I was fresh, happy
and a little over-zealous at times.
What I didn't want  was for someone to carry a negative impression of me.
I was a people pleaser and so I always got someone else to pass along bad news.
Well, what I also wanted to be beside being liked, was well-rounded
or able to manage any situation.
And this meant incorporating "I hate to be the one to tell you this"
into my vocabulary.
With practice, you'll find it useful as well.
 
 
See you next time.

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Silly Questions, Smart Answers (3)
 
Nissen and Collins agree chewing gum in never acceptable in a business setting
Umemura asks what he should do about the fact that his food keeps
disappearing from the company's refrigerator.
Breakstone recommends ignoring it the first time  and labeling one's food
and putting it at the back of the fridge if it happens again.
If the problem still continues, she would then speak to the office manager.
 
 
I must admit: Collins also could have said, "I have to admit."
I must confess the following. I must reveal the following.
As in: I have to admit I'm not finished with the report yet.
Or, I must admit I'm not crazy about John's idea.
 
Be stunned: To be shocked, amazed, astonished.
For example, I was stunned by the cost of a  first class ticket
from Tokyo to New York.
 
Talk about having no class: In this case, "class" means
refinement, dignity, elegance.
There's also the expression, "in a class by itself",
which uses "class" in the sense of rank or category.
If someone or something is in a class by themselves or itself,
they're the best or they're far beyond others in some way.
So you might say, "Paul is in a class by himself as a negotiator.
His skills are remarkable."
Or, "When it comes to being  careless, Helen is in a class by herself."
 
Pet peeve: "Pet peeve" is something that annoys a particular person.
So my pet peeves might not bother other people, but they get on my nerves.
For example, one of my pet peeves is people who stand right
in front of the ticket gate at the station.
"Move to the side. Let other people get through."
 
Peeve is a noun here. But it can also be a verb.
If someone is peeved, they're annoyed or irritated.
For example, he gets really peeved when people play their music
too loudly on a train.
 
Innocent mistake: Breakstone also could have said,
"Someone may have made an honest mistake."
In other words, the person didn't mean to do something bad.
They genuinely made an error.
As in: She didn't mean to park in the handicapped space.
It was an honest mistake.
 
Bring something to the attention of someone:
This is to make someone aware of something.
An office manager might say during a meeting,
"It's been brought to my attention that the new software has a lot of bugs.
We'll get that fixed."
 
We also have the expression, "Call someone's attention to something",
which is, "direct their notice, their attention toward something."
If you were giving a presentation, you could say,
"Let me call your attention to the sales figures on the right?"
 
While we're on the subject of: Let me speak of something else
on the same subject we're discussing, Nissen means.
Imagine, you and your colleagues are talking about new computers
in your office.
One of you could say, "While we're on the subject of computers.
Is anyone going to buy the new tablet computer?"
 
Nonstop talker: Someone who talks without stopping, in other words,
without pausing.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Thanks for listening. See you next time.

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Silly Questions, Smart Answers (2)
 
Nissen recommends saying "Bless you!" if someone next to you sneezes
during a meeting, but says it's probably not necessary
if the person is at the other end of the room.
Umemura then asks what gift he should take if invited to his boss's home.
And Collins suggests asking his host.
Breakstone describes the distaste she felt when one of H & B suppliers
chewed gum during a meeting.
 
 
A sudden shiver: A similar word to "shiver" is "shudder",
which is often used in the expression, "shudder to think."
We use this to mean the thought of something as frightening or upsetting.
A few months ago, I realized my visa  was just about to expire.
Luckily I got the paperwork done before the deadline.
But I shuddered to think what would have happened
if I hadn't remembered in time.
 
I shudder to think.
 
Rule of thumb: This refers to a general rule or principle
that can be used in certain situations.
The image is measuring roughly with your thumb.
You know not precisely with a ruler or other device.
 
Another expression using thumb is: twiddle one's thumbs, which is
to do nothing or have nothing to do while we wait  for something to happen.
It uses the image of idly rotating our thumbs around each other.
Imagine you have a meeting but you're kept waiting
in a conference room for 20 minutes.
You could complain later, "We sat there twiddling our thumbs for 20 minutes."
 
Discreet: Nissen uses the adjective here.
The noun would be "discretion."
"Discretion" appears in the saying, "Discretion is the better part of valor."
This means it's better to be sensible, careful than just brave.
Imagine you're angry at a supervisor and you wanna tell him just how you feel.
A colleague might say, "Don't. Discretion is the better part of valor.
You could ruin your relationship with the supervisor or jeopardize your job."
 
Feel free to: This expression is used to mean "someone is allowed
to do something that they don't or shouldn't hesitate to do it."
When I translate things, people often tell me, "Feel free to change
the order of the sentences if that would be natural in English."
 
A while back: A while ago, Breakstone means.
You can use "back" this way with other terms as well.
I met Susan a few years back, for example.
Or, he left the company about three weeks back.
 
Put someone off: When something puts us off, it repels us, it repulses us.
Think of something that makes you want to step away.
You might say, "Customers were put off by the new computer's high price."
 
There's the adjective "off-putting."
I once dealt with a salesman who stood very close to me when he spoke.
You know it was very off-putting. You know it made me quite uncomfortable.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Thanks for listening. Bye, bye.

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Silly Questions, Smart Answers (1)
 
Umemura asks whether he should say, "Bless you!" if someone sneezes
during a meeting. And why Americans say this to begin with?
Collins says there are a number of theories as to the expression's origin
including an ancient belief that sneezing could expel the soul from the body.
Breakstone recalls experiencing culture shock when no one responded
to a sneeze during a meeting in Japan some years ago.
 
 
Bring up: In this case, "bring up" means introduce into conversation
or discussion.
As in: "Our boss brought up a subject of budget cuts at today's meeting."
 
Likewise the phrasal verb "come up" can mean arise in discussion
or conversation.
"The subject of budget cuts came up at today's meeting", for example.
 
There's no such things as: This particular thing doesn't exist, Nissen is saying.
You could say, "There's no such thing as a free-risk investment," for example.
 
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
 
Here goes: Umemura uses this expression to mean,
"Alright. I'm going to do something."
There's also the term, "Here we go again", which means
something is happening  again, usually a bad thing.
Imagine your printer is chewing up its paper for the third time this week.
You might say, "Oh, no! Here we go again."
 
God bless you.
 
Sneeze: A common expression using "sneeze" is "nothing to be sneezed at"
or "not to be sneezed at."
This means something is not to be ignored or dismissed.
If I had a chance to save 100000 yen on some purchase, I'd probably take it.
100000 yen is nothing to be sneezed at.
 
Force of habit: This refers to doing something without thinking
because we're used to doing it.
For example, "I changed one of my online passwords the other day.
But I often put in the wrong one when I access that page. Force of habit. "
 
Autopilot
 
Soul: Collins is referring to the idea of a person's spiritual or immortal being.
We also say, someone is the soul of, which means they are the epitome,
the personification of some moral virtue.
They possess a great deal of  this virtue.
As in: He is the soul of kindness. Or, she is the soul of generosity.
 
Take someone back to: Make someone think of something in the past,
you know, remind them of  something in the past.
Imagine you're working with new first-year employees at your company,
you might tell a friend:
"Ah, working with these kids takes me back to my younger days."
 
A real live: This means an actual and sometimes physically pleasant thing.
A friend of mine met a real life French baron in college.
I've never met an actual aristocrat.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Great to see you. Bye, bye.

 
 
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
And I'm Brandon Stowell.
 
Right. We'll be learning useful phrases that will sharpen your professional image.
 
Okay, then.
 
Let's kick things off.
 
Hi, I'm Brandon Stowell. Good day.
 
Today, we'll look at finding your way around all of your office's red tape.
 
This might be a phrase to carry in your pocket every day.
Maybe you missed something when you submitted a proposal
or application before.
Maybe the wording of the document was tricky.
But don't worry.
Simply follow up with, "What are the requirements, exactly?"
 
 
Are you ready?
 
 
Ah... it. What is "it"?
Lots of things need to be approved like construction, demolition, laws.
Even our daily work sometimes needs to be looked over and approved.
My experience with this phrase occurs every 6 month
when my company plans work schedules.
I have to request time-off over that period to guarantee myself
some vacation time.
 
Once submitted, I take a follow-up every week asking my boss,
"Has it been approved yet?"
 
Oh, it's really cold outside. I wish I could go on holiday to a tropical island.
 
Oh, I'm planning to go to South East Asia.
 
Really? On holiday?
But you said you need to get your schedule approved.
Has it been approved?
 
Oh, not yet. But oh, I can't wait for the beaches.
 
Oh, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
 
Thanks.
 
 
See you next time.

 
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
And I'm Brandon Stowell.
 
Right. We'll be learning useful phrases that will sharpen your professional image.
 
Okay, then.
 
Let's kick things off.
 
Hello, everyone.
 
Hi, I'm Brandon Stowell. Howdy?
 
Right. We'll teach you language skills to help you get someone's attention
at work.
 
I'd use this sentence in two ways.
"I was wondering if we could talk" was used to talk with a colleague
about something serious.
In my case, what a poor job they did on a project.
The second way, I said, "I was wondering if we could just talk",
meaning, "I wanted to chat with that person to get to know him or her better."
 
Are you ready?
 
Oh, I have a very similar story.
An interesting point about this phrase is everyone including native speakers
usually understands the phrases to carry a negative image.
I must admit I did too.
Until one day my boss came up to me after lunch and said with a grave face,
"Do you have a minute?"
I was a bit scared right up until moments later, he took me aside,
extended his hand, and said, "Congratulations! You've been promoted."
Now like Eriko, I reserve any fear of this phrase, it might be a happy message.
 
Ah, Eriko, do you have a minute?
 
Oh, I'm really sorry. I have to go. I'm already late for this party. Bye, Brandon.
 
Oh, bye, Eriko.
 
Okay, everyone.
See you next time.
 

現在、中1のK子ちゃんは、小6のとき、英検準1級に合格した。
 
K子ちゃんの先輩で中3のYちゃんも、すごい。
 
この前、英検2級に合格したばかりだというのに、
 
先日、準1級にも挑戦。
 
わずかに合格点に届いていない感じだったが、上々の出来。
 
次はきっと合格すると思う。
 
何しろ、このYちゃん、英語の発音が半端なく、うまい。
 
 

 
 
 
Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語 
 
Hello everyone.   こんにちは。みなさん。
 
Hello and welcome to the show.
This is Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
Going Email-Free (6)
 
Talk the talk
 
S: Now in our current vignette, Steve Lyons describes how he deliberately
left his smartphone in his hotel room during a recent vacation.
He did this so he couldn't constantly check his email during the day.
An endeavor he says was quote almost as tough as giving up smoking unquote.
It would probably be just as hard for you, wouldn't it, Heather?
 
H: True. I am pretty addicted to my smartphone.
I've accidentally left my smartphone at home a few times,
and each time it put a real crimp in my day.
I found myself constantly reaching for it in my purse, for one reason
or another, and getting irritated because it wasn't there.
Not only could I not check my email or call people whenever I wanted, I couldn't
use my e-book app, which lets me choose from dozens of books to read.
Or browse through the several newspaper apps that keep me up to date
on world news.
On top of that, I couldn't play any games I have on my smartphone,
access social media networks, or use the map function
to locate restaurants or stores.
It really is amazing what an integral part of my life has become.
 
S: Lyons goes on to say that after his vacation,
he decided to go email free on the weekends.
Is that something you think you could try?
 
H: I have to admit that would probably be difficult for me.
Like a great many people, email and text messaging have largely
replaced telephone calls in my daily routine.
They're generally what my friends, family and colleagues
and I use to set up appointments and ask each other questions,
so I'd probably leave people hanging if I went two whole days
without answering my phone, as it were.
Also at the moment, my weekends are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Those are the days I have off.
But most other people are working and likely to send messages.
So I can't vanish on those days.
I do try not to check my mail constantly though on any day.
And certainly not when I'm interacting with other people.
 
S: The vignette eventually turns to the H & B staff's various rules
for using email including reading emails aloud to make sure
they express what we want them to.
 
H: I do that all the time.
It's interesting how the simple act of reading an email aloud can let us
know when a certain expression is too aggressive or too casual, for example.
Just looking at it often doesn't have the same effect.
And I definitely agree with the no text speak rule.
I'm not a big fun of it overall.
And it really surprises me that people would use text speak
in a business context.
If nothing else doesn't that run the risk of  appearing childish,
which is definitely not how we want to appear in front of people
who could praise us to a superior or recommend us for a job someday.
 
S: Lyons also recommends not sending the same email multiple times
if you don't get a reply.
Instead we should send a different email or call the person, he says.
 
H: And I recommend taking our time with those measures as well.
Email's so quick and simple to use that it's drastically reduced our patience
for getting a reply.
We've come to expect nearly immediate responses.
So if I find myself thinking, "Hmmm. I haven't heard back from Mr. X. "
My personal rule is to wait another 24 hours
if I can before contacting that person again.
I've been amazed that how often the reply ended up arriving
within those 24 hours.
It's probably because people have similar senses of time.
And Mr. X likely thinks around the same time,
"Oh, I haven't gotten back to Heather yet. I'd better do that now."
It really has proved to be an excellent rule:
one that saved me from appearing too anxious and pushy on many occasions.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
Thanks for listening. Bye, bye.

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