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。

2017年06月

 
 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
I hope you have a lot of fun learning with us this year.
 

 
The Office of the Future  (6)
 
Sugita: Our current vignette talks about how the paper-less office was 
predicted decades ago but never actually came to be.
Do you make a fetish of paper, Heather?
 
Heather: I guess it depends on what we're talking about.
The more important something is, yes, 
the more I want a tangible manifestation of it.
For example, there's a certain bank-related declaration that I have to file 
with the U.S. government every year.
It's all done online - even the "signature" on the document is done
electronically, by clicking on a certain button.
I've done this numerous times now, and it's always been fine.
I printout a copy to keep for my records, and I eventually get an email 
from the relevant U.S. agency telling me that the submission has 
gone through.
But somehow, because I don't physically sign a document, 
and then put it in an envelope and send it to the States, 
I do have to reassure myself a bit each time, 
"This is OK, there's never been a problem…"
But I bet younger people don't even think that.
All right, type in all the info, click to send, OK done.


S: Do you think paper will disappear entirely from offices?

 
H: Oh, no, no. Like they say in the vignette, you know, 
it's too easy to read and access, and it's light, and it's cheap.
We may use less but overall paper is here to stay.
You know, I found an interesting article about paper-making the other day.
It said the invention of printing in the 15th century led to much higher 
demand for paper, which is not surprising.
But the paper-making process didn't change much up through 
the 18th century.
Apparently the basic raw materials came from linen and cotton rags, 
and paper mills suffered more and more from shortages.
They actually advertised for rags in the 18th century.
Eventually, from the 1800s to be exact, practical methods were 
developed for using wood pulp and other vegetable pulps.
This got the paper industry away from its reliance upon cotton 
and linen rags and made large-scale production possible.
But so-called rag paper is still used for things like legal documents and 
banknotes where you need qualities like maximum durability
and fine texture.
 
S: I see.
The vignette also talks about the possible layout of future offices 
including the idea of hot-desking.
Now, would you like to walk in that kind of office, Heather?
 
H: I have to admit, I do like the idea of my own particular space 
at an assigned desk.
That's something my current office doesn't really have, 
at least not in my section.
People have their preferences and tend to sit in the same place 
if they can, but it often depends on the order we arrive in.
In any event, I should probably avoid the big comfy chair or couch.
I definitely fall prey to the afternoon slump.
Around 3 p.m. or so, I often feel overwhelming sleepy.
I try to walk around a bit at that time, go to the convenience store 
for a soda or something.
But if I had a big comfy chair to sit in, the whole office would probably 
resound with my snores.
Which is why I say my snoring can be heard from miles.
You know, no comfy chair and definitely no reclining chair.
 
S: What about wearable devices?
 
H: Hmmm. That sounds to me like a potentially problematic idea.
Keeping eye on productivity is all well and good.
But couldn't those devices allow employers to monitor their staff 
to an excessive degree?
It might feel like we had a camera trained on us at all time.
You know, daring us to put even one toe out of line.
 
 
Okay. Here we go.
 
The answer is…
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye.

以下の方々の意見を読むと、やはりあまりに現政権は酷すぎると思う。

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飯田哲也(いいだてつなり) @iidatetsunari 22 時間22 時間前
アベ政権の「論理」だとドロボーしても返せば罪に問われないと言っているのと同じ。既に公職選挙法違反を犯したイナダ氏は発言を「撤回」しようがしまいが完全にアウト。「撤回しても違法の既遂、内閣の責任問題」木村草太教授 asahi.com/amp/articles/A…  

澤田愛子 @aiko33151709 10時間10時間前

平野啓一郎 @hiranok 22時間22時間前  

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自民党の河村元官房長官は豊田真由子衆議院議員が22日、離党届を提出したことをめぐり、「ちょっとかわいそうだ。あんな男の代議士はいっぱいいる ...
↑ この方は自分の言っていることを、多分、自分で理解できていない。
この人は、ああいう暴言を吐いたり、暴力を振るったりする男の代議士はいっぱいいる、と言っているのだ。
暴力を振るったら、傷害罪ではないか。

安倍政権の人たちのことを見ていると、「類は友を呼ぶ」というのは真実なのだな、とつくづく感じる。

権力の中枢にいる人たちは、法律違反をしてもまったく咎められず。

一般の人たちは、何もしていなくても逮捕される、ことが合法化されつつある。

どこかの国からのミサイル騒ぎよりもこのことは重大だと思う。

外国からの脅威以前に、国内から噴出する、不満・怒り…の方が深刻になりつつある。

「やりなおし基礎英語」 山崎紀美子…うん、よかった。

オレは、実を言うと英語の先生というわけではないのだけれど、山崎紀美子さんの英語についての考え方には大体、共感できた。

学生さんも、オレのことを「数学を教える人」って感じているようだ。確かに、数学だと教えるのはとても楽しい。

それに対して、英語の場合はなんというかな、正直言って、なーんにも教えてない。

文法的な説明をしたら、教える立場の人としては達成感やら感じるのだろうけど、教わっている方はどうだろう。

ややこしく感じるだけなのではないだろうか。

教えている人の自己満足に終わってしまっているというか。

その点、オレは運がいいと思う。教えてもないのに、学生さんは確実に英語がうまくなっている。

これかオレのおかげなどではない。学生さんがすごいのだ。

いろいろと異論はあるだろうが、語学の、特に外国語の習得に関しては、まとまった英文をまるごと覚えるのが近道のような気がする。

オレの場合は、大学で英語を専攻したわけではないので、ド素人なのだろうけど。


 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.

 
The Office of the Future (5)
 
Grace describes office chairs that let people sit, recline or lie down.
Collins says office buildings might eliminate elevators.
And Lyons says future offices will use technology to let employees 
meet with colleagues and clients in a virtual space.
Collins cites articles that predict wearable devices will be common 
in future workplaces.
And Grace says she thinks traditional offices could use a change.
 
 
Abide:
 
Alert: Notify, warn of some danger or action.
Witnesses alerted police about the robbery, for example.
Or, I alerted my manager about the problems with the new product.
 
Be idle: Not working or active, lazy.
Here, I think, Grace just means the person isn't moving.
She doesn't mean "lazy."
And here it's an adjective. It could also be a verb.
You could say, she just idles around the office all day, 
hardly gets anything done.
We also have some old sayings. Idle hands make mischief.
And idles hands are the devil's plaything.
These were often directed at children, you know, meaning 
"they get into trouble if they had nothing constructive to do."
 
Keep inline with: Collins says,
"Keeping in line with an increased focus on movement,"
She means "in conformity with something."
"In keeping with" would work too.
Like, in keeping with our focus on work-life balance, 
working parents can leave early.
 
Ascend a few floors: "Ascend" is a formal word, meaning "go up,rise."
It has a mystical, lofty feel.
We talk about a saint ascending to heaven, for example.
The opposite is "descend."
Like, Moses descended from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments.
 
Ascending to heaven.
 
Go up /rise
 
In ascending order / in descending order  数字が大きい順に、小さい順に
 
Via the stairs:
 
Be inline with:
 
Virtual reality: VR  In the middle, Lyons says,
"Another thing to look forward to in the office of the future 
is virtual reality."
 
Wearable device: A gadget, a piece of equipment that can be worn 
like clothing or an accessory.
You hear about wearable censors, wearable computers.
I've also seen "wearable" as a noun referring to this kind of device.
Company Xis developing wearables, for example.
 
Afternoon slump: 
Decreased productivity, increased fatigue in the afternoon.
"Slump" can also mean "physically sag, droop."
Our shoulders slum when we're depressed or tired."
 
Real-time needs: Needs at that moment.
You'll often hear about "broadcasts in real time."
That means 
"the broadcast is showing something happening right at that time."
Or, this app provides real time information on the stock market.
 
In real time 同時中継
Broadcast in real time
 
Guesswork:
 
Be all for it: Grace says,
"It looks like we'll have to make some basic changes in our relationship 
with our workspaces. I'm all for it, actually."
She completely supports it, she's completely in favor of it.
I'm all for people studying foreign languages.
You know, t helps everyone around the world understand each other 
and sympathize  more.
 
Shake-up:
 
Could do with: 
Grace says, "The traditional office could do with a good shake-up."
This is a bit tricky to explain.
But basically when you could do with something.
It may not be absolutely necessary. 
But it would help. It would be beneficial.
Things like: this office could do with a makeover. 
Our furniture is ugly and out of date.
Or, I could do with some new shoes. These are getting a little scuffed.
 
絶対的に必要ではないけども、~するのが望ましい。
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 

 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
The Office of the Future (4)
 
 
Lyons says offices will become paperless when millennials take over.
And Ueda predicts that they will also become more employee-friendly.
Grace describes the practice of hot-desking.
And Ueda says modern technology eliminates the need to remain 
in a specific place.
Collins adds that moving around promotes communication 
and cooperation.
 
 
Millennial:Generation Y Internet Generation
 
Take over from: 
Adopt, take on another person's responsibilities or position.
As in: He took over from Betty as head of this project.
Or, the ABC party took over from the XYZ party 
in the presidential election.
 
Old fogy:
 
Grow up with: Lyons means "have something from a young age, 
be accustomed to it from young age."
I grew up with cassette tapes, for example.
My daughter will grow up with smartphones. And heaven knows what.
It can also mean "grow up with another person," you know, 
you live near them, you went to the same school.  
John and I grew up together.
 
Old-school:
 
As far as someone is concerned:
 
Nothing lasts forever: Lyons says, 
"Paper is so old-school as far as millennials are concerned."
And Collins responds, "Nothing lasts forever, I guess."
Everything ends at some point.
Like, it's sad when vacations end. But nothing lasts forever.
At some point, we have to go home.
 
Definitely:
 
Employee-friendly:
 
Giant ball:
 
Assigned:In the middle, Grace says,
"Hot-desking means you don't have an assigned desk or seating area."
She could also say, you don't have assigned seating or assigned seats 
in a hot-desking office.
Likewise, there can be assigned seats in a meeting, you know, 
everybody's name on cards.
 
Or, like, about the 新幹線, you could telephone ah, 
"Oh, all the seats in this car are assigned seats or assigned seating."
 
Be chained to: In this case, figuratively tied to some place or person.
I'm chained to my computer all day long.
Or, he's chained to his boss all day following him around.
 
be tethered to
 
Territorial-minded holdout: 
A person who is territorial, they aggressively guard their territory.
You could say, "Never try to help with her translations. 
She's very territorial about that."
And then the suffix-minded that shows up in a lot of places.
It means a person who thinks this way or is interested 
in this kind of thing.
So, a single-minded person focuses exclusively on one purpose or goal.
An open-minded person is receptive to new ideas and opinions.
And "holdout" continues to do something after others have stopped.
Like, there are still a few holdouts who refuse to use cellphones.
 
Absent-minded professor 
忘れっぽい 1つのことに集中してしまってそのほかのことに興味が無い 
 
Get set in one's ways: At the very bottom, Collins says,
"It's easy to get set in your ways if you're sedentary."
If we get set in our ways, we become resistant to change, 
we're committed to doing things the way we want to.
Like, he set in his ways. He never listens to advice.
 
Sedentary: Sits a lot, doesn't do a lot of moving around.
I have a pretty sedentary job.
I spend all my time in front of the computer.
 
Painful:In the middle, Ueda says,
"what is hot-desking? It sounds painful."
And he's talking about physical pain.
But this can be emotional pain too.
Breaking up with his girlfriend was very painful.
Or, it was really painful when her proposal was rejected.
 
Painful truth 痛い事実 苦しい事実
 
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 

かの読売新聞においても安倍政権の支持率が急落しているようだ。
読売新聞は世界一の発行部数、って聞いたことあるけど、今でもそうなのかな?
田舎でも読売新聞を購読している人は多いし、オレの住む田舎は昔から自民党支持の人が多いものなぁ。
でも、東京新聞では安倍政権の支持率は恐ろしく低いみたいだ。東京の人は田舎の人よりも政治に関心があるだろうし、妥当な数字だと思った。
かくいうオレも日常生活では政治の話なんてまったくしない。
だって、そんな話されたら、かなり浮いてしまう。

安倍政権からお金をたくさんもらって、安倍政権を支持する人には、オレも納得できるんだけど。
一部ネトウヨの人たちは、どうしても理解できない。
ネトウヨの人たちが安倍首相を支持するのは、ノリという側面もあるのかもしれない。

******************************************
澤田愛子 @aiko33151709 6月25日  
ヒトラーも経済政策という意味では、実に画期的なことをした。一般庶民も夢がかなえられると思ったことだろう。

でも、アベノミクスはどうなのだろう。失業率が低くなったとは言うけれど、みんながみんな優良企業とか大企業に就職できているわけではないだろう。

それどころか、ブラック企業とか。
あるいは、テレマーケティングとか。
このテレマーケティングが最近、すごい。ほんとうにしつこいくらいに電話がかかってくる。
そういうところの求人はいくらでもあることだろうな。
電話で金儲けしようなんてほとんどうまくいくわけないから、給料も低いだろうし。

******************************************

山崎 雅弘 @mas__yamazaki 19時間19時間前

 
戦後繰り返し指摘された、先の戦争における日本軍の特質の一つが「無責任」だった。ノモンハン事件でも、関東軍の独断でソ連との国境紛争が拡大し、無定見な作戦で大勢の日本兵が死傷したが、政治と軍事両面での大敗にもかかわらず、張本人たちは責任を免れた。その精神文化を安倍政権は継承している。

******************************************

そうそう、いつの時代も政権の人たちは贅沢三昧で責任などとろうなんて露程も感じてはいない。

安倍首相の祖父の岸信介など、A級戦犯でありながら、うまく立ち回って、おめおめと公職に復帰した。
要領のいい生き方ではあるが、「生きて虜囚の辱めを受けず」と軍人には言っていたはずの張本人がぬけぬけと天寿を全うする、だなんて、どう考えてもやるせない。


下の高村薫さんの文章に「高い支持率」のことが言及されているが、ひと月経たないうちに、状況は変わるんだな、と感じた。

「共謀罪」成立、作家高村薫さん「悪いのはぜんぶ私たち」 6/15(木) 22:11配信
 「共謀罪」法案は、私たちが自由に発言したり、行動したり、時には国に盾突くこともできる、といった戦後民主主義的な価値観を否定するものです。テロ対策や国際組織犯罪防止条約の批准のためといった理由は口実にすぎない。そんなとんでもない法律を、極めて強引な手法で成立させてしまう。しかし、悪いのはぜんぶ私たちですよ。政権のウソを見抜くことができず、高い支持率を与え、好き勝手にさせてしまったのだから。
 「テロ対策」というのはまやかし。再三の指摘にもかかわらず適用範囲はあいまいなままで、対象となる罪もテロとは無関係なものが多数含まれている。他方で、都合の悪い異論を封じ込めるに、これほど便利な法律はない。今は、政府の方針に堂々と言論で反対することができるけれど、共謀罪があれば、そうした行為と、処罰対象となる「反政府運動」とを結び付けるのは簡単。ほんの一歩、あるいは半歩ほどの違いしかない。
 犯罪の兆しを言動から探るには、日常的な監視が必要になる。メールやスマートフォンのアクセス記録、位置情報などが常時収集される社会が当たり前になる。テロ防止の実効性は不明だけれど、市民への威圧効果は十分です。異論が封殺され、物騒なことには口をつぐむ。非常に均質な社会になるでしょう。
 では、なぜ政府のウソを見抜けなかったのか。高い支持率を与えてしまったのか。それは考えることを放棄してしまったから。今の日本は情報が多すぎて「何が最善なのか」「何が本当なのか」が見えにくい。分かるのは「結局、世の中難しいね」っていうことだけ。そこで、自分で決断することに限界を感じ、ある種威勢の良い言葉で現状をスパッと切ってくれる政治家に飛びついてしまう。
 国会の論戦も、旧態依然とした保守対リベラルの構図に終始し、無関心を加速させた。冷戦時代は、市民の生活感覚として保革の対立は理解できたけれど、今やそんな感覚は皆無でしょう。だから野党の批判も、大きな反対の動きにはつながらなかった。
 繰り返しになるけれど、悪いのは私たち。ある意味、平和や民主主義が保障されてきた戦後社会に慣れすぎていた。安心感を覚え、権力に対する警戒心が失われていた。そう、この70年、権力は「優しい顔」をしていたんですよ。よく注視すると本当は違うけれど、市民感覚として権力は怖くなくなっていた。いつ権力が私たちに牙をむくか分からないのに。共謀罪はまさにそういう法律だったのです。私たちは本当に取り返しのつかないことをした、今は、そのことを肝に銘じることしかできない。

 
And I'm Kellie Holway.
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
Yes. Let's learn how to communicate effectively in business.
 
Hello and welcome to today's show.
 
Lesson 24
  
Okay, let's listen to today's business scene.
 
 
Which dishes do you think your yuzu dressing goes best with?
 
*To go best with means "to match or to complement well."
 
It's ideal for grilled fish or chicken, salads or smoked salmon.
 
*smoked cheese
 
Sounds interesting.
 
Would you mind sending me some samples?
 
I'll send them via courier tomorrow.
国際宅配便
 
*Via is another way to say "by."
For example, I sent them the proposal via email.
 
They should arrive by Friday.  ~のはずだ
 
We might get a 30% discount
if we order the same amount of both the instant miso soup 
and the yuzu dressing.
 
I can't guarantee it.
 
But
 
I'll do my best to get internal approval.
 
 
Business phrase of the day
 
I'll do my best to get internal approval.
結果はわからないけどやってみると解釈される可能性があります
I will try to get internal approval.
 
Internal meeting 社内会議 Internal audit 社内監査
 
I'll try my very best to get internal approval.
 
 
Upgrade your communication skills
 
Go with
Which color do you think goes best with this package design?
 
Guarantee
I guarantee a new electric car will be a big hit.
 
 
Are you ready? Here we go.
 
Which dishes do you think your yuzu dressing goes best with?
 
It's ideal for grilled fish or chicken, salads or smoked salmon.
 
Sounds interesting.
 
Would you mind sending me some samples?
 
I'll send them via courier tomorrow.
 
They should arrive by Friday.
 
Thank you.
 
So let me confirm.
We might get a 30% discount if we order the same amount of 
both the instant miso soup and the yuzu dressing.
 
I can't guarantee it.
 
But I'll do my best to get internal approval.
 
That was excellent.
 
 
Tips for business communication
 
That's gonna be a different story.
 
That would be a different story.
Would もしそうだとしたらという仮定のニュアンス
 
Let me talk with my boss and I will talk to you later.
 
Can I get back to you after discussing it with my boss?
Come back to you
 
 
Thanks so much for tuning in today.
Bye.


イメージ 1

太平洋戦争 の前 戦争に反対する者=非国民

安倍政権下の現在 戦争に反対する者=愛国心がない

【時系列】
①安倍総理「ミサイル弾頭にサリン!」 
②安倍総理「1万6000人新宿御苑桜を見る会」 
③学校「北朝鮮のミサイルに備えましょう(プリント配布)」 
④安倍総理・閣僚11人「GW外遊へ」
⑤北朝鮮ミサイル発射
⑥地下鉄・電車・新幹線「30分後停車」
⑦安倍総理「GW後半別荘へ」

ミゾイキクコ‏  @kikutomatu
 そういえば思い出した、戦時中子供だった私達は、空襲の時は耳と目と鼻の穴を覆って地面に伏せろといわれた事を。 爆風から身を守る事だったが、爆弾が身近に落ちたら役立たない。今回の北朝鮮のミサイル発射で政府の言うことが、昔と同じようなので、政府とは変わらないものだと感じた。

イメージ 2



 
And I'm Kellie Holway.
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
Yes. Let's learn how to communicate effectively in business.
 
Hello and welcome. We're happy you tuned in.
 
Lesson 23
  
Okay, let's listen to today's business scene.
 
 
How would you propose to make it mutually beneficial?
 
Beneficial benefit の形容詞形
 
Well, if you could add one more item
at the same volume as the instant miso soup
 
"Volume" in this case, means "quantity or amount."
So another item with the same quantity as the instant miso soup.
 
We may be able to accommodate your request.
 
I can't think of anything at this point.
 
Is there any particular item you have in mind?
 
"Particular" means "special or specific."
For example, is there a particular brand that you usually purchase?
 
Yes. We recommend our yuzu dressing.
 
I remembered yuzu ramen I had in Asakusa.
It reminds me of the yuzu ramen I had in Asakusa.
 
The yuzu gave the soup a distinct flavor.
 
I'm sure it did.
 
 
Business phrase of the day
 
We may be able to accommodate your request.
 
We can accommodate the changes.
 
We may be able to meet your requirements.
 
 
Upgrade your communication skills
 
Beneficial
They say red wine is beneficial to your health.
 
Distinct
The customer bases in Asia and Europe are quite distinct 
from each other.
 
Okay. Let's try the dialogue. Are you ready? Here we go.
 
 
How would you propose to make it mutually beneficial?
 
Well, if you could add one more item at the same volume as 
the instant miso soup, we may be able to accommodate your request.
 
I can't think of anything at this point.
 
Is there any particular item you have in mind?
 
Yes. We recommend our yuzu dressing.
 
Oh, yuzu.
I remembered the yuzu ramen I had in Asakusa.
 
The yuzu gave the soup a distinct flavor.
 
I'm sure it did.
 
Wonderful work. You did a great job.
 
 
Tips for business communication
 
That's a possibility but we may have a better option.
 
Well, another way to react might be to say,
I think that's a strong proposal but maybe we should take our time
and consider other possibilities as well.
 
Hmm. Very clever.
 
We should try to avert a possible breakdown.
決裂は避けるよう努力すべきです avert 回避する
Possible 実際に決裂する可能性がありますよ 
可能性を表す possible
 
We had a great time with you today. Thanks for joining us.
 
Bye.


まさか、まともに受け取っている人はいないだろうけど。

支持率急落で安倍首相様は慌てていらして、

ご自分の推薦した議員先生の問題とかで いらいらされていて。

こういうCMをオンエアしたくなるのかもしれないけど。

あまりに悪質。

鹿児島県でもミサイルに向けた避難訓練を計画しているようだけど、

川内原発へのミサイル着弾は想定していないこと。

つまり、安倍首相様としては、どこかの国がミサイルを日本に撃ってくる可能性はあるけれど、

原発は避けてくれる、ってわかっているらしい。

仮にミサイルが飛んでくるとして、頭を手で押さえたくらいで身を守れるのだろうか。

qab.co.jp/news/201609078

国際平和団体、「ベテランズ・フォー・ピース(平和を求める元軍人の会)」。メンバーは、みな、ベトナム戦争やイラク戦争などの第一線で戦った元アメリカ兵たちです。
メンバーのひとり、マイク・ヘインズさん(40)。かつて県内のアメリカ軍基地に駐留する海兵隊員の一人でした。

ヘインズさん「The Japanese policemen I definitely I can see their eyes little bit of myself. When I was young,
19 years old corpo stationed in Camp Foster, just taking orders, and not questioning these orders. 」
(若い警察官たちを見ていたら昔の自分を思い出します。キャンプフォスター所属の19歳の海兵隊員だった頃は、疑問もなく命令に従っていました。)

ヘインズさん「Over here, kind of a part of our life, a part of our culture, a part of our patriotism,
And we were taught that support our troops. 」
(アメリカ人にとって軍隊は生活、文化、愛国心の一部です。軍隊を支持するのは当然だと教えられて育つのですから。)

ヘインズさん「You take little baby steps, and you say, one shot one kill. One shot one kill.
So this is constantly fed into our minds. So yes, by the time of 13 weeks boot camp, either one month
Marine combat training, or two months school of infantry training, we are ready to kill on command. 」
("ワンショット・ワンキル(一撃一殺)"と声を上げながら訓練する度に、頭に刷り込まれていくんです。13週間の新兵訓練を終える頃には命令で人を殺せる兵士に仕上がっていた。)

ヘインズさん「And explosions were gone off and door was open, we run in and sweep the rooms,
and most of the time, they were just families. it was just a family…」
(イラクでは家のドアを突き破り、銃口を向けながら家宅捜索しました。ほとんどの場合住んでいたのは普通の家族でした。)

ヘインズさん「We were essentially terrorizing the people,
even though we were supposed to be fighting terrorism. 」
("テロとの戦い"のために派兵されたのに実際は人々にとってのテロリストは私たちだったんです。)


Air Supply - I'll Never Get Enough Of You [w/lyrics] 

 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
The Office of the Future (3)
 
 
Lyons lists some of the benefits of paper: its light weight, 
cheap price and ease of use.
Ueda adds that an internet connection or power source is 
not necessary to access paper.
And Lyons says that paper can be carried around and lasts a long time.
Grace admits that she still feels documents aren't real 
unless they're printed on paper.
 
 
Tackle:
 
Obvious:Lyons says, "there's the simple and perhaps obvious reality 
that paper is unique."
 
Appropriate technology:
 
To begin with: 
Lyons uses this expression to mean "first or most importantly."
You could say, I'm not going to buy this laptop. 
To begin with, it's too heavy.
It can also mean "in the first place."
Imagine someone who's given up coffee, they're not drinking it anymore.
But he didn't drink a lot of coffee to begin with.
So it wasn't hard to give it up.
 
First of all / first / firstly
 
Weigh next to nothing:
 
Power source:
 
What's more: In the middle, Lyons says,
"What's more, paper is portable and durable."
This next thing is also important or it's even more important.
For example, he's always late. 
What's more, he's not prepared when he does get here.
 
Furthermore
 
Portable and durable:
 
Last centuries: Lyons uses "last" to mean 
"continue existing or happening for a certain period of time."
He could also say, "last for centuries."
Things like, Buy a good sofa, and it will last for years.
Or, this fountain pet has lasted decades.
 
Last centuries / last for centuries
 
Long-overdue: Something overdue should have happened before. It's late.
As in: I have to return these overdue DVDs.
So something long-overdue should have happened a long time ago.
You could say, our computers are getting a long-overdue upgrade.
Or, to say it another way, our computers are long overdue for an upgrade.
And in that case, two words, no hyphen.
 
Digital native: Down at the bottom, Lyons says,
"the new generation of digital natives are less in love with 
dead-tree technology."
A digital native is someone born around or after the widespread
introduction of digital technology.
They've been exposed to digital technology nearly all their lives.
My daughter is a digital native.
Mr. Sugita and I are digital immigrants.
 
Be less in love with: 
Don't like as much as before or as much as someone else.
I'm less in love with fashion than I used to be.
I just don't have the time or the energy these days.
Or, you could say, 
young people are less in love with cars than previous generations.
 
Make a fetish of: Lyons could also say, "have a fetish for."
Both mean "really really love something,
you insist on having it or using it."
I have a fetish for history books.
I can never get enough.
 
Carp about: This means complain a great deal.
And the nuance is complain about things that aren't important 
or don't deserve that much complaining.
Like, he carped endlessly about waiting in line at the supermarket.
 
Cling to:
 
Deep down: Grace is talking about fundamental feelings.
Stuff we feel but might not always say.
She could also say, in one's heart of hearts.
Like, in my heart of hearts, I knew it was the wrong job for me.
Or, deep down, I knew this product would be a hit.
 
Stand the test of time 時の試練に耐える bear  withstand 
time-honored
Time-honored custom/ceremony
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 



Is Japan’s Top Politician Behind a Shameful Rape Cover-Up?

‘Japanese women shouldn’t suffer rape or injustice in silence anymore.’ A simple declaration by a victim has provoked a complex political crisis.

Toru Hanai/Reuters

TOKYO—Japan’s ruling coalition, headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has been mired in scandal for several weeks amid allegations Abe personally bent the law or broke it to benefit his political cronies and friends. Even a senior member of Abe’s own Liberal Democratic Party says, “There is nothing this administration wouldn’t do to crush its enemies and reward its pals.”
But new allegations have raised the possibility that the administration may have gone so far as to quash a rape investigation on behalf of a close friend of Abe: the dapper, hipster-bearded broadcast journalist Noriyuki Yamaguchi, who also penned two laudatory books on the prime minister.

 
 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
The Office of the Future (2)
 
Collins says paperless offices were predicted decades ago 
as digital technology was expected to make paper obsolete.
Lyons cites an analyst who focused that paper would be nearly dead 
by 1990 but says that in reality businesses still produce 1.6 trillion 
pages of paper each year.
 
 
Date from: This is when something started, the time of its origin.
As in:This clay pot dates from the Jomon period.
Or, this tax law dates from 1972.
 
Eliminate need for: Up at the top, Collins says,
"Digital technology was supposed to eliminate the need for paper."
 
Tidy:Collins uses "tidy" as an adjective meaning "neat,orderly."
It can also be a verb.
Things like, I need to tidy up my desk. It's a mess.
Or, she tidies up the living room every week or so.
 
Big-name:
 
Business analyst:
 
Predict:
 
Be on the way out: Becoming obsolete, no longer used.
You could say fax machines are on the way out.
This can also mean, physically departing.
As in, leaving a place or being about to leave it in terms of employment.
Such as: I was on my way out of the office when I got a phone call.
Or, several top executive are on their way out due to the scandal.
 
Way out 苦境などの解決策
 
Work out: Right in the middle, Ueda says,
"Things haven't exactly worked out that way, haven't they?"
 
Something like: Lyons uses this about a number to mean 
"about, approximately."
He owns something like 200 books.
Or, she's visited something like 20 countries.
We can also use it to convey approximately what someone said.
As in: She said something like that's the stupidest idea I've ever heard.
 
Utility bill:
 
Invoice:
 
And the like: And things similar to what I just said, you know, 
things in the same category.
Such as:I donate my daughter's old shirts, pants and the like to charity.
Or, that company manufactures laptop, tablet computers and the like.
 
Etcetera, and so forth and so on
And what not
And what have you
 
Halfway to the moon:
 
Folks: Down at the bottom, Collins says,
"Actually, folks, the paperless office may finally be happening,"
 
Believe it or not: This will be hard to believe, but…
This will be surprising to you, but…
Collins used it after her surprising statement but it can come before too.
Imagine someone who's a very talented painter.
You could say,
"Believe it or not he self-taught, he never went to art school."
 
Churn out: This means produce something either mechanically 
or in large quantities.
Like, that factory churns out 50,000 cars a month.
Or, every year, movie studios churn out mindless action movies.
 
About time: This can mean it's the right time for something to happen, 
or that it should have happened already.
You could say, I think it's about time to ask for a raise.
Now, Grace meant that the use of paper should have started 
declining earlier.
And in that sense, she also could have said, and high time too.
 
About time / It's about time  に続くのは to-infinitive が普通です。
It's about time I asked for a raise. 過去形の動詞を使うこともできます。仮定法
 
Be promised: Up at the top, Collins says,
"We were promised the paperless office decades ago."
We were told something was gonna happen.
We were assured it was gonna happen.
Like, voters were promised lower taxes in the election campaign.
Or, the employees were promised more sick leave 
during union negotiations.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 


イメージ 1


Wikipedia より

豊田 真由子(とよた まゆこ、1974年10月10日 - )は、日本厚生官僚政治家衆議院議員(2期)、内閣府大臣政務官(東京オリンピック・パラリンピック競技大会担当)、文部科学大臣政務官復興大臣政務官学位修士ハーバード大学2002年)。自由民主党女性局次長青年局次長・国会対策委員会委員。

2017年6月、男性秘書に対して罵声を浴びせた上に暴行を加えたことが報道された。また、男性には顔面打撲傷、左上腕挫傷の診断書が出されており、警察に被害届を出す予定であることも報道された[28]

このネットの記事は、ほんの5年前のことだったのにまったくフォローしていなかった。

もうすでにこの頃から…。自分の無知さにあきれる。

現在の状況を見事に言い当てていることに驚く。

*******************************************************************************************

「頭の悪い安倍」と田中真紀子が地元で毒舌

 歯に衣着せぬ発言でおなじみの田中真紀子文科相(68)が、窮地に陥っている。民主党への大逆風に加え、大臣としてスタンドプレーに走った大学認可問題でも失点。「田中王国」と呼ばれた新潟5区で、自民党の長島忠美氏(61)にリードを許しているのだ。

「真紀子さんに今回だけは勝てるような気がしてきている。大きく差をつけ、もう比例復活もできない、という力を見せつける選挙だと思っている」(長島陣営の地元議員)

 とはいえ、真紀子氏がこの状況を黙って見ているはずもない。地元を精力的に回り、新潟弁で得意の毒舌をフル回転させていた。乱立する第三極政党については、「まるで洗濯機の中で靴下も下着もタオルもみんな回っていて、どの候補者が、どの政党が何をやりたいかさっぱりわからない。永田町にいる私でもわからない」とバッサリ。さらには、古巣である自民党の安倍晋三総裁に切りつけた。

「頭の悪い安倍が出てきたことは本当に困った。いちばん怖いのは平和憲法を作り替えるとはっきり言ってることです」

 そんな真紀子氏が唯一、“母性”を見せたのは、4月に問責決議を受け、その後、防衛相の地位を追われた夫の直紀氏(72)についてだった。

「田中直紀さん、せっかく防衛大臣をやってたんだけど、国会答弁でクイズばかり出されて、ヘリコプター何台? 船は何台? と聞かれ、えっえっとなっちゃった。母ちゃんなら適当に答えるんだけども、あの人はくそまじめで、もたもたしているうちに、『ダメだあ、こんなのが大臣でいいのか』と言われて……」

 ちなみにその直紀氏は、演説会の“前座”で登場。

「私は全面的に家内を応援しているところであります。衆議院と参議院はねじれてますが、わが家はねじれてませんので。はからずも、12月16日の投票日は田中の父(角栄元首相)の命日。何とかしてこの選挙を勝ち抜いて、田中の父にご報告ができれば」

週刊朝日 2012年12月21日号

 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
The Office of the Future (1)
 
 
Ueda says a nearby gym is seeking new members 
and has added workspaces.
Collins speculates that they're aiming to keep people there longer 
and says it's increasingly common for gym members to work 
where they exercise.
Grace adds that workspaces lead to higher spending on things like 
sports clothes and massages.
And Lyons says employers are  more and more willing to 
let people work remotely.
 
 
Down the street: A short distance away on the same street.
Ah, there's a bookstore down the street from my office, for example.
We also have the expression "up the street."
Though "down the street" is apparently more common.
Often both are okay.
Although if the street is on a hill, "up the street" works for 
something uphill.
And some people use "up the street" to mean 
"add a higher street number."
 
Down the street  の方がより一般的だ 
Street number 街路番号 数字が多い方を up the street
 
Road down the road 将来
 
Gym rat:Up at the top,
Collins says, "I guess the idea is to keep gym rats lingering longer."
"A gym rat" is someone who spends a lot of time at the gym.
We also say "pack rat."
This is someone who doesn't throw things away, 
holds on to unnecessary things.
Such as:She's such a pack rat. 
Her shelf is full of magazines she'll never read again.
モリネズミ
Gym Gymnasiumの短縮形 本来は、体育館 屋内競技場  
health club  fitness center
 
Linger:
 
Health club:
 
Work out: "Work out" has a number of meanings.
Here, it means "exercise."
Something that exercises the body is a workout. One word.
And it doesn't have to be formal exercise.
I get a workout taking my daughter to daycare every day,
because it's a 40-minute work from my house.
 
Make up for: Compensate for, provide for some deficiency.
Such as: He's doing freelance work to make up for his lower salary.
Or, this smartphone makes up for its ugly design 
with lots of great features.
 
Now that: We now have this situation, this set of conditions, so…
For example, 
I can finish this report now that I have last month's sales figures.
Or, now that I've finished this translation, I can take a break.
 
Amenable to or ameenable to: Down towards the bottom, Lyons says,
"employer shave become more amenable to people working remotely."
 
Apart from:
 
The office of the future: This is the title of our current vignette.
And it means this is the way offices will be in the future.
We also say something is the future.
Meaning this is how things develop, this will be mainstream in the future.
As in: Renewable energy is the future.
Or, driverless cars are the future.
 
Charge one's phone: Ueda says, 
"you can charge your phone in the workspaces at gyms."
Replenish the battery power.
We would also charge our train cards or put more money on the card.
 
One'sown: In the middle, 
Grace says, "now that we've got our own corporate wellness center."
Grace is stressing the ownership, the possession of something 
that is often owned or provided by someone else.
Like, he makes his own soba noodles.
Whereas most of us go to the store and buy them.
Or, she knits her own gloves.
 
Dine on one's own 一人で食事をする
 
Massage: Grace says, "workspaces help increase the amount of money 
that people spend on things like massages."
Now she'stalking about some part of the body being rubbed or prodded.
And this is a noun and a verb.
You know, the therapist massaged the runner's leg.
We also use the verb "massage" to mean 
"manipulate, doctor things like data."
The company massaged the sales data to lower their taxes.
 
数字とか情報などを操作する
 
Massage someone's ego 人を甘やかす おだてる
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 

 
And I'm Kellie Holway.
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
Yes. Let's learn how to communicate effectively in business.
 
Hello, everybody. Welcome to today's show.
 
Lesson 22
  
Okay, let's listen to today's business scene.
 
I appreciate that you're ready to place a large order.
 
But I think a 30% discount is a bit too high for us.
 
I understand.
But we get a bulk discount for most of our suppliers.
 
But with that much of a discount, we would barely make a profit.
 
only just  barelyの言い替え
We would only just make a profit.
 
We would market your product
in more than 300 stores nationwide.
 
"Nationwide" means "throughout the entire country."
 
You should take that into consideration.
~を考慮に入れる
 
But I also believe
business should be conducted on a level playing field.
 
 
Business phrase of the day
 
Business should be conducted on a level playing field.
 
The terms should be satisfactory to both of us.
フレーズを覚えてここはというときにビシッと決めてください。
 
Upgrade your communication skills
 
supplier
We're the main supplier of engines for this luxury car brand.
 
Barely
We have barely enough budget to buy a copy machine.
 
 
All right. It's time to practice the conversation.
Are you ready? Here we go.
 
I appreciate that you're ready to place a large order.
 
But I think a 30% discount is a bit too high for us.
 
I understand.
But we get a bulk discount for most of our suppliers.
 
But with that much of a discount, we would barely make a profit.
 
We would market your product in more than 300 stores nationwide.
 
 
You should take that into consideration.
 
Of course we do, Andy.
But I also believe business should be conducted on a level playing field.
 
Excellent work.
 
 
Tips for business communication
 
I don't think it's relevant to setting a price.
それは価格設定には関係ないと思います。
 
We don't seem to be making any progress.
進展がないように思われます
We're not making any progress. ちょっとダイレクトすぎますよね
 
Well, in certain cases, I think you have to be patient 
and give the other side time to come to a conclusion.
However, I think frequent communication is key in such a situation.
 
Give the other side time to come to a conclusion
相手方に結論を出すまでに時間を与える
 
Right.
 
Hmm.
 
Thank you so much for joining us today.
We hope to see you next time.
Bye.

 菅義偉官房長官は15日の記者会見で、学校法人「加計学園」の獣医学部新設計画をめぐり文部科学省が存在を認めた内部文書について、「怪文書」とした自身の発言を撤回しなかった。
 菅長官は文書の出所が当初不明で、自身に関する記載も事実に反していたと強調。「こうしたことが(報道で)説明されずに、『怪文書』という言葉が独り歩きしたことは残念だ」と述べた。(2017/06/15-18:53)

『怪文書』という言葉が独り歩きした…まるで他人事だ。

自分の言ったことなのに、何だか他人事のように言って。

太平洋戦争でも、他国の人たちはもちろんのこと、自国民の多くを死なせた 上の地位の人たちは、責任を取ろうともせず、公職に復帰した。

政治家の人たちは、「命がけ」という言葉を軽々しく使う。

ほんとうに命がけなのは、一般の人たち。


 
(『サンデー毎日』コラム、佐高信の『政経外科』2月10日付よりの転載です)

【美輪明宏vs中曽根康弘】

美輪明宏 「自分の同僚を見殺しにして、おめおめと帰って来て、腹も切らないでのうのうとしている。そういう面汚しの厚かましいのが海軍魂なら、私は知らなくて結構です」


<中曽根(康弘)に会って、いきなり、
「キミらみたいなのは海軍魂を知らんだろうな」
... と言われた美輪は、
「ええ、年齢が年齢ですから、海軍魂は知りませんけど、原爆にやられました。竹槍の練習もさせられたし、銃後の守りでいろいろやらされました」
と返し、さらにこう反論した。
「でも、おかしいですね。そんなに海軍魂とやらが大層なものだったら、何で負けたんですか。向こうが原爆つくってる時に何で私たちは竹槍をつくらされてたんですか」
中曽根の無礼に対する美輪の怒りは、これでとどまらない。
「自分の同僚を見殺しにして、おめおめと帰って来て、腹も切らないでのうのうとしている。そういう面汚しの厚かましいのが海軍魂なら、私は知らなくて結構です」
トドメを刺されて中曽根は憮然として席を立っていったという。
その後、新幹線に乗ったら、中曽根が先に座っていた。美輪の席はその真後ろである。それでも仕方ないから知らん顔をして座っていると、秘書が次の車両に行き、老夫婦を連れてきて交代した。逃げたわけである。この逸話を紹介した後の美輪のタンカがまた気持ちがいい。
「男の風上にも置けない。てめぇ、キンタマついてんのかよですよ。たかが芸能人風情に対してね」>

 
And I'm Kellie Holway.
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
Yes. Let's learn how to communicate effectively in business.
 
Hello, everyone. I hope you're having a great day.
 
Lesson 21
  
Okay, let's listen to today's business scene.
 
How was your trip to Bangkok?
 
Very successful.
 
I found some fantastic spices which will be placed on our shelves soon.
 
Which = spices
 
"To place" simply means "to put something somewhere."
For example, I placed the file on the desk.

Hmm. Thank you.

put 何かをどこかに置く
 
I hope we'll soon be able to start doing business too.
 
I hope so too.
 
Now, let's get down to business.
 
"To get down to business" is "to address the matter at hand."
Usually this phrase is used when transitioning from small talk 
to talking about the important issue.

Hmm. Thank you.

Sure.
 
I'm pleased that you're interested in our instant miso soup.
 
As I understand it, the only outstanding issue is the price.
 
We've asked you to give us a 30% discount.
 
 
Business phrase of the day
 
The only outstanding issue is the price.
 
Outstanding performance 突出した
 
There are a couple of problems outstanding.
未解決の問題
Outstanding amount  未決済の まだ決済していない金額
 
Not yet done 終わっていない
 
The only unresolved issue is the price.
resolved 解決済みの unresolved 未解決の
 
Upgrade your communication skills
 
Do business
We're pleased to be able to do business with you.
 
Instant
There's no instant solution to the problem.
 
どちらのフレーズもよく使いますのでしっかり覚えましょう。
 
Okay. Are you ready to practice the conversation?
Do your best.
 
Hi, Andy.  It's nice to talk to you again.
 
How was your trip to Bangkok?
 
Very successful.
 
I found some fantastic spices which will be placed on our shelves soon.
 
Wow!  That was quick.
 
I hope we'll soon be able to start doing business too.
 
I hope so too.
 
Now, let's get down to business.
 
Sure.
 
I'm pleased that you're interested in our instant miso soup.
 
As I understand it, the only outstanding issue is the price.
 
Correct.
We've asked you to give us a 30% discount.
 
That was great!
 
Tips for business communication
 
It's normal that there are ups and downs in business.
ビジネスに良いときも悪いときもあるのは普通ですよ。
 
There are ups and downs in life.
人生にもいろいろありますよ。
 
Well, I usually acknowledge what they said to be a good listener.
And then try to move the conversation in a more positive direction.
 
Hmmm. That's very important.
 
Right.
 
The only outstanding issue is the price.
 
There are just a couple of administrative issues to be solved.
Administrative work 事務的な仕事
Just を加えることによって、多少、大きな事務的な問題があったとしてもたいした問題ではないという印象を与える工夫をしていますね。
 
It was wonderful having you with us today.
I hope you'll tune in next time.
Bye.

近所の人に、選挙事務所でいろいろと話しないか、と誘われても、ことごとく断って

政治家と個人的なつながりはもたないようにはしてきた(例えば、仮に市長がすぐ近くに座っていても完全無視)が、

最近の政府の動きはあまりに目にあまる。こんなに鈍いオレですら気づくくらいに。

例えば、総理経験者である麻生太郎の次の発言
改憲にあたっては「ナチスのやり方を真似てはどうか」 ~「日本会議の研究」 管野完 pより

それに、嘘をつきまくりで平気でのさばっている政府には驚きを通り越してあきれる。

大多数の若者は、「総理大臣をはじめとする政府がまさかあんなこと考えるはずがない」って思っているのだろうけど。

「君子豹変す」という言葉があるけど、実は、「君子は豹変する」ものだ。

太平洋戦争に突き進んでいったときの様子など、結局、愚かな人間は何も歴史から学んでいないのだな、と思う。

実は、鹿児島県でも、近くミサイル攻撃に備えた避難訓練を行うようだけど、

川内原発への着弾は想定していない、とのこと。

原発の再稼働が続いていることからも、日本政府としては、ミサイル攻撃が実際にあるなどとは、これっぽっちも
考えていないことがわかる。

...それにもかかわらず、恐怖を煽るのはもうあまりに酷く、それはもう悪意を通り越して悪魔的だ。


満州で中国人をアヘン中毒にさせて暴利を貪ったのはもちろんのこと、

A級戦犯であったにもかかわらず巧妙に処刑を逃れた岸信介(安倍晋三の祖父)は

庶民の英雄ではあったパブロ・エスコバルと比べても、あまりに邪悪だが、

その孫の安倍晋三は岸信介をある意味超えた感もある。

安倍晋三のやっていることを真面目に考えると、

故田中角栄が逮捕されたことなど可愛いことのようにすら思える。

************************************************************************

山崎 雅弘 @mas__yamazaki 7月12日
日本でも、2012年に第二次安倍政権が発足してからの五年間で、それまでの日本では日陰の存在だった差別主義者が堂々と表通りに出て、日の当たる場所で差別思想を宣伝している。差別の本質は「言いがかり」であり、そんな「言いがかり」を真に受けた対応が逆に差別思想の拡散を助長する場合もある。

「共謀罪」成立、作家高村薫さん「悪いのはぜんぶ私たち」
6/15(木) 22:11配信


高村薫さん
 「共謀罪」法案は、私たちが自由に発言したり、行動したり、時には国に盾突くこともできる、といった戦後民主主義的な価値観を否定するものです。テロ対策や国際組織犯罪防止条約の批准のためといった理由は口実にすぎない。そんなとんでもない法律を、極めて強引な手法で成立させてしまう。しかし、悪いのはぜんぶ私たちですよ。政権のウソを見抜くことができず、高い支持率を与え、好き勝手にさせてしまったのだから。
 「テロ対策」というのはまやかし。再三の指摘にもかかわらず適用範囲はあいまいなままで、対象となる罪もテロとは無関係なものが多数含まれている。他方で、都合の悪い異論を封じ込めるに、これほど便利な法律はない。今は、政府の方針に堂々と言論で反対することができるけれど、共謀罪があれば、そうした行為と、処罰対象となる「反政府運動」とを結び付けるのは簡単。ほんの一歩、あるいは半歩ほどの違いしかない。
 犯罪の兆しを言動から探るには、日常的な監視が必要になる。メールやスマートフォンのアクセス記録、位置情報などが常時収集される社会が当たり前になる。テロ防止の実効性は不明だけれど、市民への威圧効果は十分です。異論が封殺され、物騒なことには口をつぐむ。非常に均質な社会になるでしょう。
 では、なぜ政府のウソを見抜けなかったのか。高い支持率を与えてしまったのか。それは考えることを放棄してしまったから。今の日本は情報が多すぎて「何が最善なのか」「何が本当なのか」が見えにくい。分かるのは「結局、世の中難しいね」っていうことだけ。そこで、自分で決断することに限界を感じ、ある種威勢の良い言葉で現状をスパッと切ってくれる政治家に飛びついてしまう。
 国会の論戦も、旧態依然とした保守対リベラルの構図に終始し、無関心を加速させた。冷戦時代は、市民の生活感覚として保革の対立は理解できたけれど、今やそんな感覚は皆無でしょう。だから野党の批判も、大きな反対の動きにはつながらなかった。
 繰り返しになるけれど、悪いのは私たち。ある意味、平和や民主主義が保障されてきた戦後社会に慣れすぎていた。安心感を覚え、権力に対する警戒心が失われていた。そう、この70年、権力は「優しい顔」をしていたんですよ。よく注視すると本当は違うけれど、市民感覚として権力は怖くなくなっていた。いつ権力が私たちに牙をむくか分からないのに。共謀罪はまさにそういう法律だったのです。私たちは本当に取り返しのつかないことをした、今は、そのことを肝に銘じることしかできない。

「女のいない男たち」 村上春樹
 
**************************
 
「女のいない男たち」 村上春樹…ほんとうに素晴らしい。特に比喩表現。すごすぎる。悪口を言っていたなんとか問題の名前は忘れたけど、芸人はほんとうに余計なことを言うヤツだ。わかんなかったら読まなきゃいいだけのこと。しかも、そんなに読んだのかも疑わしい。オレなど、これからまた以前に読んでいた本を読み返したりもしているというのに。悪口言うのは卑怯者だ。
 
-ドライブ・マイ・カー-
P21 「マニュアル・シフトは好きです」と彼女は冷ややかな声で言った。まるで筋金入りの菜食主義者がレタスは食べられるかと質問されたときのように。 
 
P36 数え切れないほどのタイヤをつけた大型トレーラーの隣では、黄色いサーブ・コンバーティブルはいかにもはかないものに見えた。まるでタンカーの隣に浮かんだ観光用小型ボートのようだ。
 
P39 隣の車線のトレーラーが大きな宿命の影のように、サーブの前になったり後ろになったりした。
 
P80 ところがいったん口を開くというそういう第一印象は、元気の良いラブラドール・リトリーバーに踏みつけられた砂の城のように、あっけなく崩壊してしまう。
 
P96 栗谷えりかはピザを手に取り、大きめの記念切手くらいの一片を囓り取った。それを思慮深く咀嚼し、そのあとで言った。
 
P106 そんな風に簡単に自分が切られてしまうのは、僕にとってはそれなりにきついことだった。
 
P107 「ねえ、谷村くん、どうしてあのあと連絡をくれなかったの? あなたともっとゆっくりお話ししたいと思っていたのに」
「君は僕にはいささか美しすぎたから」と僕は言った。
彼女は笑った。「そういうのは社交辞令としても耳に心地よいけど」
「社交辞令なんて生まれてこのかた、口にしたこともないよ」と僕は言った。
 彼女の微笑みはより深くなった。でも僕の言ったことは嘘でもなく、社交辞令でもなかった。彼女は僕が真剣に興味を抱くには美しすぎた。昔も、そして今も、それに加えて、彼女の微笑みは本物であるにはいささか素敵すぎた。
 
-独立器官-
P124 容貌なんてその気になれば、そしてしかるべき金さえ積めば、ほとんどどのようにも変更できる(彼は専門家として、その分野における数多くの驚くべき実例を知っていた)
 
P124 まるで影が、迫る来る夕闇に紛れ込むみたいに素早く自然に。
 
P126 子供たちは小さいうちはそれなりにまずまず可愛いのだが、中学生や高校生になるとほぼ例外なく大人たちを憎み、侮蔑するようになり、意趣返しのように困った問題を起こし、両親の神経と消化器を容赦なく痛めつけた。
 
P129 渡会のそういう込み入ったスケジュールを、熟練した空港の管制官のようにうまく調整してくれた。
 
P130 (それはおおむねかもめに空の飛び方を教えるようなものだったが、いちおう念には念を入れて)
 
P136 育ちが良く、高い専門教育を受け、生まれてから金銭的な苦労をほとんどしたことがない人間の多くがそうであるように、渡会医師は基本的には自分のことしか考えていなかった。
 
P136 彼は基本的に正直で率直で、自分をそれなりに公平に見ることができた。そして自分の弱点を人前にさらけ出すことをさほど怖がらなかった。それは世間の多くの人々が持ち合わせていない資質だった。
 
P162 誰かのために泣くのはつまらないことじゃないと僕は言った。
 
-シェエラザード-
 
P172 しがみつくように残ったいやな記憶の断片を、あるいぱできれば忘れてしまいたい心配事を、濡れた雑巾で黒板を拭うようにきれいに消し去ってくれた。
 
P173 女も羽原の名前-もちろんそれを知っているはずだが-を呼んだことはない。それを口にすることが不吉で不適切なおこないであることのように、彼女は慎重に彼の名前を迂回した。
 
P173-174 あるいは彼女も十年前は生き生きとした可愛い娘だったのかもしれない。何人かの男たちは振り返って彼女を見たかもしれない。しかしもしそうであったとしても、そのような日々はどこかの時点で既に幕を下ろしていた。そしてその幕がもう一度上がる気配は今のところ見受けられなかった。
 
P176 とてもあっさりと、「北極点はずっと北の方にある」と告げるみたいにこともなげに。
 
P192 評価は「優」になっていた。当然だ。こんな素敵な字で文章を書かれたら、どんな先生だって、たとえ内容をまったく読まなくても、黙って優をあげてしまいたくなるだろう。
 
P192 どれも清潔に管理されている。彼がたたむのだろうか。それとも母親がそうするのだろうか。たぶん母親だろう。彼女は毎日彼のためにそういうことができる母親に、強い嫉妬を覚えた。
 
P194 羽原はあとに一人で残され、とくにすることも思いつかないまま、牛が食物を反芻するみたいに、彼女がベッドの中で話してくれたことを、ひとつひとつ頭の中で玩味してみた。
 
P200-201 何かが無くなっていたら、たぶんその行方を求めて家中探し回るに違いない。厳しく訓練を受けた警察犬のように。
 
P204 母親の下す判断はどこまでも的確であり、その行動はきわめて迅速だった。
 
-木野-
P215 本を読むのに疲れると(たぶん疲れたのだろう)、ページから目を上げ、前の棚に並べられた酒瓶をひとつひとつ眺めた。まるで遠くの国からやってきた珍奇な動物の剥製を点検するみたいに。
 
P225 「本が読めないもので」と小柄な男が小さな声で、相手の言ったことをそのまま繰り返した。文法的に構文に不備がないか確かめるみたいに。
 
P228 カミタの読みかけの本がカウンターの上でページを開かれたまま、訓練された犬のように主人の帰りを待っていた。
 
P258-259 いくつかの個人的な記憶が、浜辺の棒杭に絡んだ海草のように、無言のまま満ち潮を待っている。
 
-女のいない男たち-
P265 僕の聞く限り、彼の口調には一滴の感情も混じっていなかった。電報のために書かれた文章のようだ。
 
P266 それから相手はそのまま、何も言わずに電話を切った。壊れやすい美術品をそっと床に置くみたいに。
 
P268 できたての死者がもたらす動揺は、強力な感染性を持っている。それは細かい震えとなって電話線を伝わり、言葉の響きを変形させ、世界をその振動に同期させていく。
 
P272 僕はたぶん事実ではない本質を書こうとしているのだろう。でも事実ではない本質を書くのは、月の裏側で誰かと待ち合わせをするようなものだ。

 
 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 
I hope you have a lot of fun learning with us this year.
 
Fostering Soft Skills (6)
 
Sugita: Our current vignette starts off with questions about Johnny 
Appleseed: an American figure I'm sure you're familiar with, Heather.
 
Heather: Well, I certainly knew the same and the famous image.
Johnny Appleseed is an iconic figure in American history.
In the name of full disclosure, however, I'll admit that I didn't know 
much about the specific details of his life.
I had a vague image of a man who planted trees that produce succulent 
apples for people to eat.
However I did some checking for today's talk and found that wasn't 
actually the case.
 
S: Oh, what do you mean?
 
H: Johnny Appleseed did plant many trees.
But according to an article I read, their apples weren't primarily used 
for eating.
They were for making hard apple cider, an alcoholic drink popular 
at the time.
Also his planting was part of a specific business plan.
To make along story short, settlers in a certain area were required to 
plant 50 apple trees and 20 peach trees in three years 
to prove their settlement was permanent.
Chapman, to use Mr. Appleseed's real name, cultivated these orchards 
and then sold them to settlers when they arrived.
 
S:Interesting.  As I recall, you were initially confused by the time 
reference regarding the Magna Carta.
 
H: I was.I didn't realize that was a mnemonic device for remembering 
the year the Magna Carta was signed.
I never heard that one before.
So I actually looked on line trying to find information
that would corroborate it's being signed at that exact time.
 
S: The conversation soon moves on to the merits and demerits 
of homework.
Do you feel it's beneficial for young people, Heather?
 
H: I do.
Of course, too much is never good, but dispensed in proper amounts, 
homework helps students burnish a wide range of skills.
You know, that includes researching topics, choosing the most 
important information, and conveying it in lucid, interesting terms.
Students also learn time management - they have to plan when to 
get everything done -and personal discipline.
If I was a teacher assigning homework, I'd try to get the kids to do 
as much as possible on their own initiative.
Give them general areas and tasks as guidelines, but let them choose 
the specifics of what they want to present and how.
Creative thinking is so important in adult life, 
it's never too soon to start developing that skill.
Extra points for really original ideas, like presenting your entire report 
as a rap song.
 
S: What other kinds of things would you want them to do?
 
H: I'd strongly emphasize public speaking and presentations.
Being able to grab people's attention straightway, and hold it, 
is a highly valuable skill in the grown-up world.
As part of that, students should practice being concise.
I don't know how many rambling presentations I've sat through 
in my life, and they're just murder.
In an ideal world, I'd ask kids to submit a rough draft and then get them 
to trim off, say, 20 percent of the length.
Though I suppose actual classes wouldn't have the time for that.
Good visual aids are also vital, and they too should be concise, simple, 
to the point.
My mother's rule and fashion applies to presentations as well.
"When in doubt, take something away."
 
 
 
Okay.Here we go.
 
The answer is…
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye.

Japan passes 'brutal' counter-terror law despite fears over civil liberties
Critics including UN expert fear legislation passed by Abe government could target ordinary citizens and deter grassroots opposition to government policies
Protesters shout slogans as they protest against an anti-conspiracy bill outside parliament building in Tokyo.
Protesters shout slogans as they protest against an anti-conspiracy bill outside parliament building in Tokyo. Photograph: Issei Kato/Reuters

Japan passes 'brutal' counter-terror law despite fears over civil liberties

Critics including UN expert fear legislation passed by Abe government could target ordinary citizens and deter grassroots opposition to government policies

Japan has passed a controversial law targeting conspiracies to commit terrorism and other serious crimes, despite a warning by the UN that it could be used to crack down on civil liberties.
The ruling Liberal Democratic party and its junior coalition pushed the bill through the upper house of Japan’s parliament as thousands of people protested outside.
The vote on the bill, which has been delayed three times amid widespread public opposition, came after a UN expert called the legislation “defective”, eliciting an angry response from Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe.
Officials in Tokyo insist the law is needed to ratify a 2000 UN treaty targeting global organised crime, and to improve Japan’s anti-terrorism measures as it prepares to host the rugby world cup in 2019 and the Olympics the following year.
“It’s only three years until the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and so I’d like to ratify the treaty on organised crime as soon as possible so we can firmly cooperate with international society to prevent terrorism,” Abe told reporters. “That’s why the law was enacted.”
The legislation would criminalise plotting and preparing to commit 277 “serious crimes”.
But the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and other critics point out that offences covered by the law include those with no obvious connection to terrorism or organised crime, such as sit-ins to protest construction of apartment buildings or copying music.
Opponents see the legislation as part of Abe’s broader mission to increase state powers, and fear ordinary citizens could be targeted, despite government assurances to the contrary.

Renho Murata, leader of the opposition Democratic party, said Abe’s administration had pushed through a “brutal” law that would infringe on freedom of thought.
Critics fear that the law, combined with a widening of legal wiretapping and the reluctance of courts to limit police surveillance powers, could deter grassroots opposition to government policies.
To try to speed up passage of the law, the ruling bloc took the rare, contentious step of skipping a vote in an upper house committee and moving directly to a vote in the full upper house.
Joseph Cannataci, the UN special rapporteur on the right to privacy, wrote to Abe last month asking him to address the risk that the changes could “lead to undue restrictions to the rights to privacy and to freedom of expression”.
Abe described Cannataci’s assessment as “extremely unbalanced” and said his conduct was “hardly that of an objective expert”.
Cannataci said on Thursday that the Japanese government had used “the psychology of fear” to push through “defective legislation”.
He added: “Japan needs to improve its safeguards for privacy, now even more so that this suspicious piece of legislation has been put on the statute books.”
Critics say gathering information on possible plots would require expanded police surveillance, and the legislation has been compared to Japan’s “thought police”, who before and during the second world war had broad powers to investigate political groups seen as a threat to public order.
A Kyodo news agency survey last month showed voters are split over the bill, with support at 39.9% and opposition at 41.4%.
An estimated 5,000 people demonstrated in front of the parliament building, denouncing the new law as “autocratic” and vowing to prevent Japan from turning into a “surveillance society”.
“Peaceful demonstrations could be prohibited for being viewed as terrorism,” Miyuki Masuyama, a 54-year-old woman, told Kyodo news. “Our freedom of expression will be threatened.”

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なんだか、嫌な世の中になってきたな。
あとになって、「どうしてもっと反対しなかったんだ」と訴える声が既に耳に届いているような気さえする。
どう考えても異常な法律としか思えない。
そういうオレも、日常生活ではたとえば近所の人と話題にしたことは一度もないのだ。
こういった政治的無関心が結局は諸悪の根源なのだろうな。
そうしたら後世の人たちからの誹りも甘んじて受けるしかないな。

ちょっと前から、近くに住むALTの青年がちょくちょく遊びに来てくれる。

昨日もラップトップを抱えて、「面白い動画があるから一緒に見ようぜ」とやってきた。

当然、マシンガンのように英語を話す動画。

ALT自身も最近は慣れてきたせいか、まったく遠慮するなく超早口の英語で話しかけてくる。
すごくいい表現があったりする。ディクテーションしたくなるくらいに。

ALTの青年は、「TJの英語はネイティブだよ」って言ってはくれてるが、マシンガントークの動画は夜遅い時間に集中して見るにはエネルギーを消費する。

「おい、TJ。英語力をもっとつけなきゃな」って、叱咤激励してくれているかのように。

トホホ。

 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
Fostering Soft Skills (5)
 
 
McMillan describes the kind of staff that recruiters are having 
a hard time finding.
Ueda says many businesses are automating or outsourcing jobs 
and that the workers who stay have to do a wider range of tasks 
involving things like critical thinking and intuition.
McMillan says the financial industries are a good example of 
the kind of skills required today.
 
 
Recruiter: McMillan means people in charge of hiring for businesses.
This can also be a person who signs up military recruits.
 
Get along with: Up at the top, McMillan says,
"it's becoming harder to find job applicants who can get along with 
their colleagues."
 
Be more in demand than ever: 
Something was in demand before but now it's more than it'sever been.
And we use this construction with a variety of words, ah…
Things like, our production costs are higher than ever.
Or, a college education is more expensive than ever these days.
 
Automate or outsource routine tasks: 
"Automate" means have a machine do a certain task.
Automation has taken many factory jobs in the United States, I've heard.
And "outsource" is to hire someone outside your own company or
organization to handle a certain job.
They outsource their delivery services, for example.
Or, we outsource our website management.
 
Handle a wide range of responsibilities:
 
Intuition: This is knowing or understanding something without reasoning or proof. We just sense it somehow.
He has great intuition about people, for example.
He can just tell who's going to be a good employee.
 
Intuitive 形容詞
Counterintuitive 
直感あるいは常識的な期待に反した 普通の感覚とは相容れない状況について使う
 
Empathy:The ability to relate to someone else's feelings 
as if we'd experience those feelings ourselves.
The adjective is "emphatic."
You know, he is a very emphatic person, for example.
 
Skill set: Grace says,
"competition for people with that kind of skill set is definitely heating up."
 
Be in big demand: There's a lot of demand for something.
A lot of people want it.
Things like, electronic cars are in big demand these days.
Or, unique travel experiences are in big demand among foreign tourists.
 
Financial planner:
FP
個人資産の運用管理の専門家
 
Gauge with a traditional exam: Here "traditional" means 
"as it's been done in the past, 
you know, the standard form or way of doing something.
Such as: That company doesn't use traditional seating arrangements.
People sit in different places every day.
 
Gage アメリカの綴り
I don't think it's widely used at all.
 
In the end: Ultimately.
In the end, she decided to work at Company X.
Or, in the end, we cancelled the company trip to save money.
 
It comes down to:
 
Mutually exclusive: When things are mutually exclusive, 
they can't exist in tandem.
If you have one, you can't have the other.
And like Collins, it's very common to say, "not mutually exclusive."
So we can have both.
One does not preclude the other.
Things like, business growth and environmental protection don't have to 
be mutually exclusive
 
Not mutually exclusive
ABもお互いに共存する
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 

 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
Fostering Soft Skills (4)
 
 
Collins says homework teaches soft skills instead of hard skills meaning 
things such as self-management and how to make decisions.
McMillan cites study showing that children benefit from 
developing qualities like perseverance and self-control.
Grace describes what certain educators object to.
While Collins points to the benefits for disadvantaged kids.
 
 
Cause a bit of a stir:
 
Do away with homework altogether:
To "do away with something" is "to get rid of it, trash it."
Like, we're doing away with the weekly meetings.
Once every two weeks is enough.
And here "altogether" means "entirely, completely."
Such as: We're doing away with the meetings altogether.
 
As opposed to:
Collins says at the top, 
"Homework teaches what are known as soft skills, 
as opposed to tangible hard skills."
Instead of, in contrast to.
For example, 
Caroline is always punctual, as opposed to Mary is chronic lateness.
Or, we've decided to get new computers, 
as opposed to having old ones fixed.
 
Tangible:
 
Critical thinking:
 
Perseverance and self-control: 
Regarding self-control, we also say, "get a hold of oneself."
Control one's emotions, actions, you know, act rationally and calmly.
Imagine someone is very angry, yelling at a coworker in the office.
You might tell them, "Get a hold of yourself.
This is very inappropriate behavior."
 
Scholastic achievement:
 
Not to mention:
 
Straightforward:  Down towards the bottom, Grace says,
"It'snot as straightforward as you might think."
 
Despite what A does:
 
Vague and moralistic:
 
Close the academic gap between:
Bring the groups closer together in terms of education.
You'll also hear about closing the income gap between rich and poor.
And closing the gender gap in terms of pay.
 
Close /bridge / fill / span
Bridge the gap / fill the gap / span the gap
 
High-and-low-income children:
 
Disadvantaged background: "Disadvantaged"…
This is not having things like money and education, you know, 
that are considered necessary for equal position in society.
There are scholarships for disadvantaged young people, for example.
Food stamps help disadvantaged families buy food.
 
I'm sure we all agree: Ueda says in the middle,
"I'm sure we all agree that those kinds of soft skills are important."
We often use this to state a position that everyone likely agrees with.
You could say, I'm sure we all agree that punctuality is important.
Or, I'm sure we all agree on the need for enough time-off.
 
As you might think: 
Grace says,  "It's not as straightforward as you might think."
Or, as you might expect.
We use this when something likely goes against our expectations 
you know, it's probably not what we would think.
You could say, having a pet is more expensive than you might think.
Or, living in a foreign country is not as difficult as you might expect.
 
Commonsense:
Grace says, "Despite what our common sense tells us,"
"Commonsense" is "ordinary good judgement, practical sense."
Things that people should naturally know, you know, without being told.
It's common sense not to lie in a job interview.
It's common sense not to spend all our money.
 
Horse sense.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 

 
And I'm Kellie Holway.
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
Yes. Let's learn how to communicate effectively in business.
 
 
Hello, everyone. I hope you're doing well today.
 
Lesson 20
  
Okay, let's listen to today's business scene.
 
How about this?
 
If you could double the order size,
We may be able to compromise on that point.
 
I don't think that's possible.
内容的には、that's impossible と同じ
 
We need to see how your products sell first.
 
他の例
We can't do that.
これを I don't think で始めてみると
I don' think we can do that.
 
Then why don't we start with delivery against payment?
 
Once you're able to increase the order size by 80%,
then we can switch to payment after 30 days.
 
How about 70 instead of 80%?
 
Does that sound fair?
 
"Fair" means "equal, or that everyone will be satisfied."
 
70%. Fair enough.
 
Let's solve the rest of the issues quickly.
 
 
Business phrase of the day
 
We may be able to comprise on that point.
 
We can't compromise on that point.
 
We may be able to make a concession on that point.
Concession 譲歩・容認
どちらも交渉では必ず出てくる重要なフレーズです。
 
Upgrade your communication skills
 
double
It's possible to double our earnings in 5 years.
 
Delivery
You are requested to pay cash on delivery.
COD 現金と引き換えに荷物を受け取ること
 
Are you ready? Here we go.
 
How about this?
 
If you could double the order size,
We may be able to comprise on that point.
 
I don't think that's possible.
 
We need to see how your products sell first.
 
Then why don't we start with delivery against payment?
 
Once you're able to increase the order size by 80%,
then we can switch to payment after 30 days.
 
How about 70 instead of 80%?
 
Does that sound fair?
 
70%. Fair enough.
 
Thank you Kate.
 
Now, let's solve the rest of the issues quickly.
 
Great job!
 
Tips for business communication
 
I didn't mean to catch you off-guard.
Catch someone off-guard 不意を突く 驚かす
 
I'm just trying to see if it's possible for us to meet halfway.
Halfway 中間点
 
Win-win お互いが納得する
 
Well, I would probably say,
"Would you like to take a break for a little while?"
 
Hmm.  That's clever.
 
Right. And I would also make it clear that I want them to be comfortable.
I also might ask before going forward If they had any concerns.
 
Thanks so much for tuning in.
Bye.

 
And I'm Kellie Holway.
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
Yes. Let's learn how to communicate effectively in business.
 
Hi, everybody. Thank you for tuning in to today's show.
 
Lesson 19
 
Okay, let's listen to today's business scene.
 
I appreciate your effort
 
Your revised proposal still doesn't meet our requirements.
 
Yes. To meet someone's requirements is to fulfill all of the points.
This phrase is often used in a negative sense.
As in: the first draft of the ad campaign didn't meet our requirements.
 
Would you mind giving us the reasons behind it?
 
Our buyers includes small local stores and restaurants.
 
Many of them can't get enough credit from their banks to pay right away.
Credit 信用
銀行が顧客に信用を与える 銀行の融資
 
Will it make a difference if we extent the payment day?
 
Extend 先延ばしにする 
 
Extending it will make it easier for our buyers to place bigger orders.
 
To place an order is simply to give your order to someone 
so they can process it.
 
Business phrase of the day
 
Would you mind giving us the reasons behind it?
 
Could you please give us some more background?
 
 
Upgrade your communication skills
 
Credit
The credit limit for this company is 1 billion yen.
 
Extend
Shall we extend the meeting for another 15 minutes?
あと~分 another minutes
 
All right. Now it's time to practice the conversation. Here we go.
 
I appreciate your effort but your revised proposal still doesn't meet 
our requirements.
 
Would you mind giving us the reasons behind it?
 
Our buyers include small local stores and restaurants.
 
Many of them can't get enough credit from their banks to pay right away.
 
Will it make a difference if we extent the payment date?
 
Yes, it will.
Extending it will make it easier for our buyers to place bigger orders.
 
Okay, Kate. I understand the situation.
 
That was fantastic. You've made a lot of improvement.
 
Tips for business communication
 
If you could provide some more information, 
we'll be able to move forward.
 
I would probably ask them, 
"Do you have any suggestions on how we can move forward?"
 
Hmm. That's clever.
 
We would have a cash flow problem.
もし御社の事情に合わせていると という文が省略されていると考えてみてください
 
もしそうすると という意味が込められている
Cash flow 資金繰り
 
So yeah,  I was offered a job that my agent had negotiated.
And the company asked me what's your rate?
And I didn't know how to answer the question.
But a friend of mine told me to say "What can you offer?"
And that actually worked really well.
 
Thanks so much for listening to this program today.
Bye.

「虚ろな十字架」 東野圭吾
 
**************************
 
「虚ろな十字架」 東野圭吾…相変わらず素晴らしい。
 
P89 そしてたぶん死刑判決は出ない。路上で一人の女性を殺害して命を奪った-この程度の「軽い罪」では死刑にはならない。それがこの国の法律だ。
 
P146 遺族は様々な形で何度でも傷つけられるのだと改めて思った。
 
P154 『人を殺せば死刑-そのようにさだめる最大のメリットは、その犯人にはもう誰も殺されないということだ』
 
P230 「あなたは、自分の命なのだから、自分がどう扱おうと勝手だと思っているのかもしれませんが、それは違います。あなたの命はあなた一人のものではありません。もうお亡くなりになっているとしても御両親のものでもあったし、そんなに親しくはないかもしれないけれど、あなたを知っているすべての人のものでもあるんです。いや、すでに僕のものでもあります。だって、もしあなたが死ねば、きっと僕は悲しみますから」
 
P300 「誠実に生きるなんて、そんなのは人間として当たり前のことです。誇るようなことではありません」
 
P326 「人間なんぞに完璧な審判は不可能、ということかもしれませんね」

 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
Fostering Soft Skills (3)
 
 
Grace says homework enhances classroom learning and promotes 
the development of a work ethic and a sense of responsibility.
Collins describes what the tutoring program does including teaching 
children to breakdown assignments, organize their schedules 
and prioritize.
McMillan lists some of the disadvantages to homework.
And Grace advocates moderation.
 
 
Complement: To enhance something or complete it.
Thats carf really complements your suit, for example.
Even native speakers often confuse this word with compliment, 
which is C-O-M-P-L-I-M-E-N-T 
because they're pronounced the same way.
Complement C-O-M-P-L-E-M-E-N-T.
That's to complete or enhance.
The other one with an "i" is to praise someone.
She complimented his great language skills, for example.
 
Work ethic:
The belief that it's very important to work hard and be diligent.
So if I say she doesn't have a strong work ethic.
Then that person isn't committed to doing a good job, you know, 
doesn't think diligent work is important.
 
Stand someone in good stead:
 
Learning resource: About a third of the way down, Collins says,
"the program is to encourage children to use the library 
as a learning resource."
 
Be conductive to:
 
Breakdown something into smaller, manageable tasks:
Collins says this in the middle, we teach kids in the program how to 
break down assignments into smaller, manageable tasks.
Divide a task into smaller pieces that are easier to complete to get done.
Manageable, that's durable, able to be completed.

Things like: the bank set up a manageable repayment plan for the loan.
Or, exercising two times a week is manageable for me.

 
Bite size 一口で食べられるパンなどの食べ物についての形容詞から
一般的に 小さな すぐに解決可能な
 
Personal planner: We also call this  "an organizer."
Those calendar/notebooks that help us to keep track of our schedules.
 
Personal organizer
Day planner
 
Prioritize: This can mean one of two things.
There's decide on the order of importance among different things.
Let's say you have three different projects.
You prioritize them based on size, deadline, importance.
It can also mean "give priority to one particular thing."
Like, this company prioritizes innovation.
 
Play devil's advocate:
 
Downside to:
 
After-school time:
 
Sleep deprivation: The state of not getting enough sleep.
We also use "deprivation" on its own.
And then it refers to the lack of necessary things overall.
Like, food, water, proper shelter.
 
Stress and burnout: "Burnout" is a state of physical or mental 
exhaustion from long stress or hard work.
It can be a verb. And then it's two words.
Things like: He's burned out from working on the product launch.
 
Motto: A short statement that expresses a principle or goal.
For example, her motto is always tell the truth.
Or, our company motto is the customer is always right.
 
Be prepared 備えよ常に
 
Ensure: McMillan says, "it's excellent that the library has a program 
to ensure students get their homework done."
To make sure of something, to guarantee it.
For example, I write down appointments in my personal planner 
to ensure I don't forget them.
 
Place of learning: Collins says,
"Libraries are a  place of learning and discovery."
This is a more formal word order, you know, it's stressing 
the importance of the place, you know, what happens there.
A church is often called a place of worship, for example.
Or, my house is a place of rest and relaxation for me.
 
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 

 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
Fostering Soft Skills (2)
 
Collins says she helps children understand their homework, 
answers their questions and reviews their completed work. 
She describes her tutoring activities as time-consuming but rewarding 
and says it is important for children to learn from their mistakes.
Grace says that some educators are opposed to homework 
but that it has many good elements.
 
 
Bone up:Study or review some subject.
Imagine you're going to another country.
So you bone up on the local customs beforehand.
We also say "read up", which means 
"to learn about something by reading,researching."
For example, I've been reading up on artificial intelligence.
 
Bone up for an exam
 
As best I can: Up at the top, Collins says,
"I answer their questions as best I can."
 
Good on you. This is a British expression.
Americans would probably say, "Good for you. Good for you."
"Well done," in other words.
Such as: You finished the report two days ahead of schedule?
Good for you!
 
Take up a fair bit of someone's time: In the middle, Collins says,
"her tutoring does take up a fair bit of my time."
It consumes a significant amount of time in her schedule.
Collins could also say, "take up a good deal of my time."
Likewise, she spends a fair bit of her income on books.
Or, he devotes a good deal of his time on volunteer work.
 
Labor of love: This is one of my favorite expressions.
It's a job, a task we do because it's important to us, 
because we care about it, not because it will bring money.
Things like: Writing this novel is a labor of love for him.
Or, she helped establish the youth center as a labor of love.
 
Keep someone on their toes: Keep someone alert, careful.
According to my idiom dictionary, this comes likely 
from runners or boxers. 
They're on their toes so they can move or start immediately.
Imagine you have a really good boss who does great work and requires great work from other people too.
You know, you could say, oh, he keeps us all on our toes.
We have to be as good as he is.
 
Take one's hat off to: 
Japanese has exactly the same expression, doesn't it?
The image of removing a hat to express admiration or respect.
We also say, "hats off to someone."
Like, it's amazing how he balances work and family so well.
Hats off to him.
脱帽する 敬意を払う 尊敬する とても敵わない
 
Take-home quiz: A quiz, a test that students take home to do.
A quiz is usually short, shorter than a test.
Quiz can also be a verb, meaning "test someone's knowledge through 
questions."
The interviewer quizzed me on my knowledge of the business.
Or it can mean "ask questions urgently or quickly."
Like, reporters quizzed the president over the scandal.
 
Take-home pay 手取り給与
 
And a quiz given without warning is a pop quiz.
 
Learn from one's mistakes:
 
Come out against:
 
There's a lot to be said: 
We can say many things in praise or praise something strongly.
For example, there's a lot to be said for regular exercise.
It keeps us healthy, reduces stress.
 
その後に続く前置詞は for などが多いようですね。
 
In something's[someone's] favor:
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 

 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
Fostering Soft Skills (1)
 
 
Grace answers Collins' questions about Johnny Appleseed's real name 
and what he did.
And Ueda answers her queries about the signing and content of 
the Magna Carta.
Collins is impressed at Ueda's knowledge.
And Ueda asks if she is posing these questions as part of a survey 
or something.
Collins tells him she was volunteering to help children 
with their schoolwork.
 
 
Say:Collins is getting people's attention before she says something.
It can bean announcement, a question, a proposal.
Such as:say, does anyone wanna get Italian food for lunch?
Or, say,do you know what's wrong with my computer?
 
Johnny Appleseed:
 
Missionary:
 
If memory serves: Up at the top, Lidia Grace says,
"If memory serves, his real name was John Chapman."
This is another way to say "if I remember correctly."
Things like: if memory serves, Tony is from Boston.
We also say, "correct me if I'm wrong."
Such as:Correct me if I'm wrong but I think 
Helen's on vacation next week?
 
If my memory serves me right.
 
If memory serves me correctly.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Nurseryman:
 
Midwest(<Middle West):
 
Swedenborgian:
 
Religious sect: A sect is a unit within a larger group that's distinct 
from the main group due to different beliefs or practices.
And it's sometimes used critically meaning a group that’s  considered 
heretical, you know, that people don't approve of its beliefs.
But not always.
I don't think Grace is being derogatory here.
 
Sect! 小さな宗派という意味もある
 
Become a legendary figure in one's own lifetime:
 
Declare:
Formally or officially make something known, proclaim it.
"Declare" can also mean "report things that are subject to tax or duties."
Customs officials at the airport ask, "Do you have anything to declare?"
 
税関 Nothing to declare
 
Any takers? Some proposal or question has been put out.
Is there anyone who wants to accept it or answer it?
It's also common to say "no takers."
As in: the company offered an early retirement deal.
But there were no takers.
 
Due process:
Due process of law.
No one would be arrested without due process of law.
何人も法の適正手続きによらずして逮捕されることはない
 
Embody: Ueda uses "embody" to mean "incorporate."
It can also mean "represent in human or animal form."
Like, for many Americans, Abraham Lincoln is the embodiment of honesty.
 
Be traced back to: The origins of something link back, 
they  date back to some point.
Like, his family can be traced back to the Muromachi period.
 
Charter:
 
Have a tough time: Down towards the bottom, Collins says,
"Most Americans would have a tough time answering that question."
They would find it difficult, they'd struggle to do it.
He's having a tough time adapting to his new job, for example.
We also use this expression by itself, you know, to mean
"go through a hard time, have a hard time in general."
Like, she's having a tough time lately. She has some health problems.
 
As I recall:
 
Homework:At the very bottom, Collins says,
"I've signed up as a volunteer to help children with their homework."
Now she's talking about actual homework, assignments given at school.
But we also say, do one's homework to mean "be well-prepared, 
know everything we need to in a certain situation."
Like, imagine a job candidate who doesn't know much about 
the company that they'retrying to work at.
You could say after the interview, "well, they didn't do their homework."
 
  
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 


「治安維持法」…名前だけ目にすると、とても素晴らしい法律のように思える。

治安が維持される と当時の国民は勘違いしたことだろう。

ちなみに、政治とかにほとんど関心のない若者で、自民党支持という人たちは、

自由で民主主義の世の中にしてくれる、…くらいの認識で支持している。

自由民主党 というネーミングを考えた人はすごい。


ポル・ポト派によるジェノサイド

「理想の国を作りましょう。医師や教師のみなさん広場に集まってください」

集められた医師・教師はそのまま殺害された。



 
And I'm Kellie Holway.
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
Yes. Let's learn how to communicate effectively in business.
 
Hello, everyone. How are you doing today?
We're happy to have you with us.
 
Lesson 18
  
Okay, let's listen to today's business scene.
 
Today, I'd like to discuss the points you raised in your last email.
 
Hopefully we'll be able to come up with some good ideas.
 
I'm sure we'll find solutions that are acceptable to both sides.
 
So let's tackle the most important issue first: payment terms.
支払い条件
 
You prefer to pay us 30 days after receiving the goods.
 
That's right.
You initially proposed advance payment which we couldn't agree to.
 
Then you proposed delivery against payment.
 
輸入する側 買い手の Kate
 
輸出する側    売り手の Naoya
 
Advance payment 前払い 代金を受領したら出荷する
 
Delivery against payment 支払い渡し ものをまず送ります。
もし船なら輸入地の港に商品がついた段階で支払う。 
支払ったらその見返りに商品を受け取ることができる。
 
30 days after receiving the goods まず商品を受け取るのが先です。
それから30日後に払いたい
 
We thought it might be an attractive proposal for you.
 
It=Delivery against payment
 
 
Business phrase of the day
 
I'd like to discuss the points you raised.
Raise points 論点をあげる
 
I'd like to discuss the items you mentioned.
Item number 1   item number 2
 
Upgrade your communication skills
 
Tackle
There are a couple of ways to tackle this issue.
 
Advance
An advance booking is recommended for this restaurant.
 
どちらもよく使われるフレーズですからしっかり覚えましょう。
 
Okay. It's time to practice the dialogue. Are you ready? Here we go.
 
Today, I'd like to discuss the points you raised in your last email.
Hopefully we'll be able to come up with some good ideas.
 
I'm sure we'll find solutions that are acceptable to both sides.
 
So let's tackle the most important issue first: payment terms.
You prefer to pay us 30 days after receiving the goods.
 
That's right.
You initially proposed advance payment which we couldn't agree to.
Then you proposed delivery against payment.
   
We thought it might be an attractive proposal for you. 
 
That was fantastic! Keep up the good work.
 
Tips for business communication
 
I don't mind but is there any particular reason for that?
 
Can't we just share our views?
We may be able to find some areas of common interest.
 
I think you did a wonderful job today.
We were so happy to have you with us. 
 
Bye.

 
And I'm Kellie Holway.
 
Welcome to business communication in simple English.
 
Yes. Let's learn how to communicate effectively in business.
 
Hello, everyone. I hope you're having a great day so far.
 
Lesson 17
  
Okay, let's listen to today's business scene.
 
Could you please adjust your setting?
 
Let me check. Can you see me now?
 
How are things going for you?
 
I've been busy making projections for how Brexit will affect our business.
 
To make projections is to predict or guess what will happen in the future.
 
How Brexit will affect our business
イギリスのEU離脱
Britain + Exit
 
Oh, Brexit.
 
I hope it will have a positive effect on the British economy.
 
Affect 影響を与えるという動詞
our business   effect 効果 名詞
 
How's business with you?
 
We're experiencing an increase in orders.
 
"Experiencing" means that something is happening.
For example, The company is experiencing a shortage of staff.
 
Particularly from the U.K. and France.
 
 
Business phrase of the day
 
Could you please adjust your settings?
 
Adjust the temperature
 
Adjust the tastes
 
I can't see you.
 
Could you please check your settings?
 
 
Upgrade your communication skills
 
Projection
We achieved our revenue projections for this year.
 
Affect
The new procedure will affect our daily routine.
 
両方ともよく使われるので、しっかり覚えてください。
 
Okay. It's time to try the conversation.
 
Kate, I can't hear your voice.
But I can see you.
Could you please adjust your setting?
 
Let me check. Can you see me now?
 
Yes. Thank you. 
How are things going for you?
 
I've been busy making projections for 

how Brexit will affect ourbusiness.

 
Oh, Brexit.
I hope it will have a positive effect on the British economy.
 
We'll see.  How's business with you?
 
It's going well.
We're experiencing an increase in orders particularly from the U.K. 
and France.
 

Wonderful job!
 
Tips for business communication
 
Sorry, I can't hear you. Would you please speak a little louder?
Sorry, I can't hear you. Could you speak a bit louder?
Could you speak up?
 
Sorry. The sound is not so clear.
Sorry, the sound is not clear.
 
Well, I think more than anything, it's important to be aware of what time it is 
in the day for the other person on the other line and to be sensitive to the fact 
that they might be sleepy if it's late at night or early morning.
 
Right. And it's always a good idea to acknowledge if the other person is making time 
to have the call at an hour outside of regular office hours 
that you appreciate their time.
 
Thanks so much for tuning in today.
Bye.

「騎士団長殺し」 村上春樹
 
**************************
 
「騎士団長殺し」 村上春樹…ほんとうに素晴らしい。どっかの芸人か何かが村上春樹の悪口言ってたけど、ほんとうに何を考えているのやら。これだけの小説を書けるだなんて本当に素晴らしい。
そして、比喩がとにかく素晴らしい。そのまま日常生活で会話に取り入れて使ってもいいのがたっくさん。
ストーリー展開も考えて、こんな素晴らしい言葉の数々を鏤められる村上春樹は、ほんとうに天才だと思う。
冷静に考えても、作家ってすごい。だって普通は1000ページ以上、文字を埋めるだけでも無理だと思う。
何か書くにしても、すぐにネタは切れる。
しかも、多くの人に読まれるだなんて、ほんと奇跡的なことだ。
しかも、海外の人たちにまで。すごすぎる。
 
P81 その年の十二月に何があったか?
「南京入城」と私は言った。
「そうです。いわゆる南京虐殺事件です。日本軍が激しい戦闘の末に南京市内を占拠し、そこで大量の殺人が
おこなわれました。戦闘に関連した殺人があり、戦闘が終わったあとの殺人がありました。日本軍には捕虜を管理する余裕がなかったので、降伏した兵隊や市民の大方を殺害してしまいました。正確に何人が殺害されたか、細部については歴史学者のあいだにも異論がありますが、とにかくおびただしい数の市民が戦闘の巻き添えになって殺されたことは、打ち消しがたい事実です。中国人死者の数を四十万人というものもいれば、十万人というものもいます。しかし四十万人と十万人の違いはいったいどこにあるのでしょうか?」
 
↑この部分にケチをつける人もいるみたいだけど、一体、どう読んだらケチをつけられるのかオレにはよくわからない。
 
P90 「どんなものごとにも明るい側面がある。どんなに暗くて厚い雲もその裏側は銀色に輝いてる」
↑ Every cloud has a silver lining.
 
P417 一日はまだ始まったばかりだ。そして私にはこれから話をしなくてはならない何人もの相手がいた。
↑ これなんかもすぐに英訳できそうな日本語だ。
 
第2部 遷ろうメタファー編
 
P50 「イマヌエル・カントはきわめて規則正しい生活習慣を持った人だった。町の人々は彼が散歩をする姿を見て、それに時計の時刻を合わせたくらいだ」
 
P81 その年の十二月に何があったか?
「南京入城」と私は言った。
「そうです。いわゆる南京虐殺事件です。日本軍が激しい戦闘の末に南京市内を占拠し、そこで大量の殺人が
おこなわれました。戦闘に関連した殺人があり、戦闘が終わったあとの殺人がありました。日本軍には捕虜を管理する余裕がなかったので、降伏した兵隊や市民の大方を殺害してしまいました。正確に何人が殺害されたか、細部については歴史学者のあいだにも異論がありますが、とにかくおびただしい数の市民が戦闘の巻き添えになって殺されたことは、打ち消しがたい事実です。中国人死者の数を四十万人というものもいれば、十万人というものもいます。しかし四十万人と十万人の違いはいったいどこにあるのでしょうか?」
 
P90 「どんなものごとにも明るい側面がある。どんなに暗くて厚い雲もその裏側は銀色に輝いてる」
 
P95 「…しかしシステムというものはいったん動き出したら、簡単には止められない…」
 
P100 「人の首を刎ねるために生まれてきた人間が、どこかにいるのか?」
 
P130 向こうに話そうという意思がないとき、彼女との会話は広い灼熱の砂漠の真ん中に立って、小さな柄杓であたりに水をまいているみたいなことになってしまう。
 
P182 「そんなに飲めない。明日の朝には仕事があるんだ」
「明日は明日だ。今日は今日しかない」
 
P240 「…さっきも申し上げたように、私の側には法で罰せられるような落ち度は何ひとつなかったのです。それはあくまで明白な事実でした。しかし検察は起訴のシナリオを既に書いてしまっていて、そのシナリオには私の有罪もしっかり組み込まれていました。…」
 
P276 「私は普通の人間ですと自己申告するような人間を信用してはいけないと、スコット・フィッツジェラルドがどこかの小説に書いていた」
 
P283 …おそらく愚かしい偏見なのだろうが、人々が電話機を使って写真を撮るという行為に、私はどうしても馴れることができなかった。写真機を使って電話をかけるという行為には、もつと馴染めなかった。
 
P302-303…外に広がる太平洋を眺めた。水平線がせり上がるように空に迫っていた。私はそのまっすぐな線を端から端まで目で辿った。それほど長く美しい直線は、どんな定規を使っても人間には引けない。
 
P314 「…何をしたところで、世界の大きな流れに逆らうことができないという無力感・絶望感。…」
 
P384 …そのプラスチック製の懐中電灯を再び手にしたことはおそらく、それまでの私の人生で起こった最も祝賀すべき出来事のひとつだった。
 
P399 それだけのこと、と私は思った。それを聞いたら、半年間雨ざらしになっている私のカローラ・ワゴンはきっと肩を落とすことだろう。下手をすれば気を失ってしまうかもしれない。
 
P400 私はそのリンゴを三個か四個食べた。リンゴとはこんなにうまいものだったのだと感動するほどうまいリンゴだった。リンゴという果物をそもそも思いついてくれた創造主に、私は心から感謝した。
 
P406 …今は夜中の二時十五分であり、太陽はたまたま地球の裏側に位置している。それだけのことだ。
 
P415 「ねえ、私の言ったことをオウムみたいに繰り返すのはよしてくれない?」
 
P417 一日はまだ始まったばかりだ。そして私にはこれから話をしなくてはならない何人もの相手がいた。
 
P423 …おそらく彼女たちの生活にはそれほどスリリングなことは起こらないのだろう。
 
P425 我々の口にする短い言葉は夏の盛りの通り雨のように渇いた現実の地面にあっという間に吸い込まれていった。
 
P427 受話器は相変わらずひとく重く感じられた。まるで石器時代に作られた受話器のように。
 
P429 …優れた音楽を聴くには、聴くべき様式というものがある。聴くべき姿勢というものがある。
 
P431 「ええ、うちに戻ってきてから、まだただのひとことも口をきいていません。言葉どころか、声そのものをまったく出さないのです。まるで誰かに舌を盗まれてしまったみたいに」
 
P435 …色を免れた白髪のハンサムな免色さん。「少し玄関で話をしただけだが、なかなか興味深い人物のようだ」と政彦は言った。「とても興味深い人物だよ」と私は控えめに訂正した。とてもとてもとても興味深い人物だよ、と私は今、あらためて言い直した。
 
P437 …二人が並ぶと、世界が少しだけ明るさを増したような気配があった。クリスマスと新年がいつも連れだってやってくるみたいに。
 
P461 彼女は植え込みの陰から駆けだし、そのほとんど閉まりかけたシャッターの隙間に素早く身体を滑り込ませた。映画『レイダース』でインディアナ・ジョーンズがやっていたみたいに。
 
P467 純白のメモ用紙は何かを書き込まれるのをじっと待ち受けている。
 
P511 …もちろんみみずくは知っているが、みみずくは何も語らない。沈黙の中に秘密を呑み込んでいくだけだ。
 
P530 …そして南側の福島県では(私が死んだプジョーを残してきたあたりだ)、海外沿いのいくつかの原子力発電所がメルトダウン状態に陥っていた。とても私が近づけるような状態にはなかった。


戦争に行ったアメリカ兵の告発!「本当の敵はアメリカ国内にいた!」 (「戦争は儲かる!」by アメリカ)

 
 
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 Heather Howard.
Let'stake a look at conversation at work.
 
I hopeyou have a lot of fun learning with us this year.
 
Email Etiquette (6)
 
S: Ourcurrent vignette talks about the 7 to 7 rule at A & A: 
no sending, replying to or forwarding emails outside those hours.
Do you follow any rule like that, Heather?
 
H: Unfortunately no.
I think that's a nice rule.
But it'snot really workable for me.
For one thing, I often have stuff to do after I've had dinner 
and gotten my daughter to bed and that regularly involve sending 
and answering emails.
I like Lidia Grace’s idea of writing down late-night brainstorms 
and then sending them later.
That can be applied to work and life in general, not just emails.
For example, I’ve been making a special effort lately to add things to 
my to-do list as soon as they come up, or as soon as they occur to me.
I’m also trying to jot down ideas, even if they’re just vague 
“hmm, I wonder if this would work” type of things.
With so much competing for our attention these days, 

it's really easy to forget.
Just telling myself, I'll get to that later today or I'll write that down 

a bit is a great way to forget until the next day or even permanently.
 
S: Have you ever had a boss like Salman's who insisted 
you answer emails on weekends?
 
H: No. Thank goodness. I have to wonder if a person would have 
any legal options in that situation.
It doesn't seem right that someone could force an employee to 
deal with work-related matters in their off-hours.
But going that route would likely sour their relationship beyond repair.
Salmans probably did the right thing to quit.


S: Alyce Collins recommends never sending an email when you're angry.

 

H: Oh, absolutely.
We should avoid doing things in anger in general and especially avoid 

creating a written document that could easily be seen by other people.
Who knows how many people we could end up offending?

I completely agree with Collin's policy of setting something aside 
until we cool down.
I read an interesting article the other day about the so-called art of 
the unsent letter.
It described, for example, how Abraham Lincoln used to write 
what he called a “hot letter” when he wanted to criticize someone.
He’d unload his anger into the letter but he wouldn’t send it.
He’d set it aside until he calmed down and then ultimately label it: 
“Never sent. Never signed.”
The article also quoted a letter like that from president Truman.
Apparently he wrote an unsent letter to the treasurer of 
the United States, that said,
Quote: I don't think that the financial advisor of God Himself would be 
able to understand what the financial position of the Government of 
the United States is, by reading your statement.
 
S: Ouch!
So, have there been times when you ultimately deleted an angry email?
 
H: I tend to not write anything in the first place.
I’m always a little nervous that I’ll somehow accidentally send the thing.
When I write emails, my basic policy is not to put in the recipient’s email 
address until the very end.
But nobody’s perfect and I could easily make a mistake.
If someone today wanted to write “hot letters” to work out their 
frustration unseen, I’d recommend literally putting pen to paper.
There’s no chance that will accidentally get sent.
And the act of writing is slower than typing on a keyboard, and requires 
more physical effort, so I think that would automatically help us 
calm down and think things through.
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye.

 
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 Heather Howard.
Let's take a look at conversation at work.
 

 
Email Etiquette (5)
 
Grace reminds the A & A staff that company emails aren't private 
and can be passed on to others deliberately or accidentally.
Salmans recommends keeping email short and succinct.
And Collins expresses frustration at missives with titles like 
"happy Monday."
Grace says that is the sender's way of not diving immediately into 
a request and suggest using some pleasantry instead.
 
 
Bear in mind: keep in mind
 
Confidential:
 
In person: In the flesh, face-to-face.
You could use this the first time you meet someone that you've only 
spoken to through email or on the phone.
Hi! It's a pleasure to meet you in person.
 
Tell someone in person 実際に人と会って話をするということ
 
Innocently or maliciously: Here "innocently" means 
"without any bad intention, with no intention to cause harm."
Like, she innocently gave away the surprise party.
She thought he already knew about it.
Whereas, "maliciously" means "with the intent to cause harm or hurt."
Imagine there's a small mistake in a report, and someone maliciously 
points it out at a meeting in front of everybody.
 
To the point: Focused on the main point.
Or, the most important thing to be said.
We also say "get to the point", which means "get to that main point, 
the most important thing."
At the beginning of a meeting, you can say, 
"Okay. Let's get right to the point. 
We have to cut production costs by 10%."
 
Succinct: Speaking or writing briefly and precisely. 
You know, without extra unnecessary words.
Such as: Eungest prepared a succinct explanation of 
our new marketing strategy.
Or, her proposal was succinct yet very informative.
 
Get annoyed: Around the middle, Collins says,
"I get annoyed when I get an email that has the subject line 
"Happy Monday!"
 
Subject line: 
The line, the box at the top that tells us what the email  is about.
You might say, he always writes his subject line in all caps. 
I feel like I'm being yelled at.
 

Without fail: Collins is referring to something that always happens.
He turns in the sales report on the last day of every month without fail.

And we can also use it to assure someone.
Imagine someone says to you, "I need this finished by Friday."
You might reply, "Don't worry. I'll get it done without fail."

 
You can count on me.
 

Dive into: Leap into some subject. Get right into it.
Again you can say at the beginning of a meeting.

We're short on time today. So let's dive into our main topic.
 
Vague: At the bottom, Collins says, "that will still let you get in a vague
pleasantly."
Indefinite, not clearly defined, understood.
For example, the job description only has a vague reference to salary.
It says competitive wages.
Or, I have a vague idea what he wants. But I need more information.
 
Pleasantry:
 
Come around: Collins refers to a day of the week that comes around 
every seven days without fail.
We can use this about an even that happens at a regular interval.
Like, the annual sales conference is coming around next month?
 
 
 
That's all for today.
 
See you next time. Bye, bye. 

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