まんがで読む　徒然草　…　ほんとうに現代にも通じる話。国会議員をはじめとする政治屋たちは共感しないだろうが…。

P9-10 どれだけ権力や財産を得て、派手に暮らしたとしても　そんな時間は長く続きません。人には必ず死がやって来ます

た、確かにそうでしょうが……。

それに死ぬときは……　人は必ず一人ですから

人生は短く、いつ終わるかわからない。それに、死んでしまったら、それまでです

なのに、地位を得ることや金もうけばかりに気を取られて、ばたばたとした毎日を過ごしたり、人目に付くほどの大きな車や、肥えた馬に乗ったり、金や宝玉のかざりものを見せびらかしたり…

P32 人生には限りがあります

P72-73 限りある人生なのに……、人は流されて生きがちです。　生きている、その一瞬ごとに　なまけず、油断せず、やるべきことを　直ちに実行する　それはとても　難しいことですが－人は、それを　目指して生きるべきでしょう

P75 財産を持つということは、ぬすまれることを心配して気持ちが重くなったり、柵を立てたり見張りをしたりしなくてはなりません。それは、いろいろとしばられた生活ともいえます。

～出家という生き方を選んだ兼好法師は、財産を持たない生活こそが、何にもしばられない自由な生き方だと考えていたのかもしれません。

P97 天下の名人も初めはみんな下手だと言われたものです。

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

Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語

Hello everybody.   こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show.

This is Heather Howard.

Let's take a look at conversation at work.

Active Aging (6)

Sugita: This vignette starts with a discussion of the FIRE or Financial Independence Retire Early movement.

Lyons says that he probably won't ever fully retire. Which is something you've said yourself in our previous talk, isn't it, Heather?

Heather: It is. Like Lyons, I really enjoy my work, ah, especially translation, which I think, will be just the right kind of mental exercise to keep me sharp as I get older.

And it doesn't require a lot of physical strength. Ah, if I have a computer and an Internet connection, I'll be good to go even in my autumn years.

S: You know, the phrase "active aging" is the first entry in the Dictionary of the Future by Faith Popcorn, and it's much an important concept for the present day, too. The book says this concept "includes elements of preventive and alternative medicine, volunteerism and mentoring, entrepreneurship and consulting." I guess I'm involved in all these activities, with the possible exception of entrepreneurship. As we get older, I think it's important to have a sense of purpose or "a reason to get up in the morning," as Steve Lyons puts it.

H: Absolutely. I also want to do more volunteer work when I'm older. I'd like to do more now, actually, but with work and an almost 7-year-old daughter, I just don't have the time. Ah, but somewhere down the line, I hope I can help out with education-related activities, and perhaps animal welfare.

It's good to be reminded of preventive medicine. Ah, we assume when we're young or youngish, that, ah, good health and strength will last forever. But all know they won't. My efforts have waxed and waned over the years. But I am now once again making a conscious effort to walk more and take the stairs to eat more vegetables and cut down on the snacking. Ah, maybe this time, fear will keep me committed. The big 5 Oh is just around the bend. The clock is ticking, Heather. But seriously I do want to remain as active as I can both for my family's sake and my own. And being physically healthy helps us feel mentally strong as well. Ah, there was a time in younger days when I did a lot of swimming and weight lifting. And I loved how confident my muscles made me feel.

S: The current vignette also talked about different labels for older, elder, mature, seasoned, aging and graying people. What do you think are the best names for such people, and which ones should we avoid?

H: I saw a funny cartoon the other day. It showed a dinosaur saying, "I'm not old. I'm classic." There you go, I thought, that's what I'll start calling myself, especially when I pass 60 - just 12 more years to go - I'm classic. I like the term vintage, and seasoned, too. And don't forget "silver fox." Dinosaur is definitely out I don't like anything that belittles the experience and wisdom that older people often bring to the table. You know what a movie fan I am - well, one thing I really dislike is when films use older people just as stupid comic relief or small-minded villains.

You know, of course, just being classic doesn't guarantee that someone is a wonderful person. But I really want films and TV to be more balanced in that regard to remind viewers that people are not shoes or sweaters. They shouldn't be discarded or ignored just because they've accumulated some outward wear and tear.

Okay. Here we go.

That's all for today

Always great to see you. Bye.

20190923 ボキャブライダー Hi! I’m Maxell Powers 博物館

Collection collect集める のnoun 収集品 集めること 集めたもの 収蔵品 収集品

This museum has a large collection of art from the Edo Period.

この博物館には江戸時代に作られた美術の収蔵品がたくさんあります

Masterpiece 傑作 名作

This museum displays many of Hokusai’s masterpieces.

この博物館は北斎の傑作を数多く展示している *display 展示する

Preserve 保存する 保護する

It’s important to preserve cultural heritage.

文化遺産を保護することは大切です *cultural heritage 文化遺産

Donation 寄付

You can make a donation with your credit card.

*credit cardによる寄付ができます make a donation = donate 寄付をする

Max, it was a great collection.

Yeah. They have many masterpieces of Ukiyo-e.

To preserve them, they must need a lot of money.

Okay, we should make a donation.

Okay.

2019年9月25日 Wednesday

Chris. I insist you go first today.

Okay. Well. Hi, everyone. My name is Chris McVay. Today, we have a very challenging program. But I’m sure you relish challenges, right?

Hey, everyone. Rosa Akino here. Let’s assert ourselves today.

Can’t complain. 順調だよ Actually, I’ve just started my own real estate company.

Actually 相手がちょっと驚くような 相手の予想と少し異なったようなことを 実はですね、と話題に持ち込むフレーズ

Yes, it’s not easy, but I relish such a challenge. *relish 口に食べ物を含んでその味を楽しむ

Absolutely. 100%を意味する単語 非常に強い強調が置かれた単語

*Well, we don’t insist that you use our textbook. But we highly recommend it.

Absolutely!

Check your grammar

How have you been? 元気だったかい？

しばらく会っていなかった人に使う挨拶言葉

現在完了形のイメージは、現在に迫ってくる この文で話し手の視線は、前回会った時から現在に向かっており、その間の様子を訊ねているんです

Was it tough to persuade your wife? 奥さんを説得するのは大変だった？

*itは指す単語ではなく 受ける単語です

この形は、頭に浮かんだ状況をまずitで受け、とにかくWas it toughで文を始めてしまいます。それだけでは何が大変なのかわからないので、急いで *to persuade your wifeと説明を加えていきます

とにかくitで文を始めてしまうのがコツです

*persuade説得する

Build up your vocabulary

I insisted that it was the right thing to do.

僕はそうするのが正しい選択だと言い張ったんだ

*insist のイメージは ここからでないよ 上に立って動かない 自分の考えは変えないよ といった頑固な強い主張

*So, in Japanese, we use クレーム in the sense of complain.

日本語では、私たちはクレームをcomplain(不満を言う)という意味で使います

But English “claim” is a bit different, isn’t it? でも英語のclaimは少し違いますよね

It’s quite different actually. 実際のところ、かなり違いますね

Absolutely! そうですよ

*claimのイメージは 叫ぶ 私は正しい・私には手に入れる権利がある

She claimed that she was innocent. 彼女は自分が無実だと主張した

You should be able to claim expenses for entertaining your foreign clients.

外国人のお客さんをもとなした経費は請求できるはずだよ

*claim 経費は 当然手に入れる権利rightがあるから

Passengers on flight 203 from Istanbul may claim their baggage at carousel No.4.

Istanbulから203便でお越しのお客様は4番の回転台で荷物をお受け取りになれます

預けていた荷物の返却ですから、当然 権利right がありclaimが使われる

The leadership camp taught me to assert myself more.

そのleadership研修は、私にもっと自己を主張することを教えてくれた

*So, this word doesn’t have a negative image, right?

この語(assert)には否定的なイメージはないですよね？

Not at all. It means, you know, have the confidence to really express yourself, express your own opinion. 全くないです。意味は、そうですね…自分自身を表現する、自分自身の意見を表明する です

That’s right. So, it’s not really connected to words like “aggressive” or “stubborn” which are negative. その通りです。*aggressive 攻撃的であるとかstubborn 頑固な みたいな否定的な語とは繋がりはないですね

Express yourself in English

She insisted on going Dutch. 彼女は割り勘にしようと言い張った

The woman claimed that she had been robbed.

その女性は自分が強盗に遭ったと主張した

*had been robbed : past perfect  

claimedの時点より前に強盗に遭ったことが明確にされているわけです

It’s encouraging to see so many women asserting their rights.

たいへん多くの女性が自らの権利を主張しているのを見ると勇気づけられる

*it’s encouraging それは勇気づけられる 励ましになる と文を始めてしまう

そしてitの内容をtoで展開する

You know, I’m thinking of going for lunch after this.

Hmm. Good idea. Ah, Rosa. Maybe we could join Ohnishi sensei, huh?

Yeah! As long as it’s on you, sensei.

No. I insist on going Dutch!

Well, ah…

We’ll see you next time then.

Have a nice lunch. Enjoy! Bye.

Bye.

2019年9月24日 Tuesday

Hello, everyone. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rosa Akino. And today we will have a lovely lesson.

Hi, everyone. Chris McVay here. As usual, it’s my pleasure to accompany you on this journey of English. Let’s get started.

Lesson 117 Allow me to get this.

It’s good to be back in Hong Kong. The dim sum is amazing, as always.

This restaurant is famous for its wide selection.

We don’t have so many different kinds in my country. Oh, here’s the check.

Allow me to get this.

Oh, no, Mr. Wu, I have a daily budget for this business trip.

Please. It’s my pleasure. Now, let’s go back to the conference hall.

Well, thanks a lot. Next time is on me. 次は、私が払いますから

Check your grammar

Let’s go back to the conference hall. 会議場に戻りましょう

私たちが～することを許して/～に賛同して

Net time is on me. 次は、私が払いますから

*on me 私が払います/おごりです

*onの基本イメージは 上に乗っている

支払いの重圧が私の上にグッと乗る

Build up your vocabulary

Allow me to get this. これは私に払わせてください

*allow 受け入れる・許容するイメージ

*to infinitiveを使った目的語説明型

We don’t allow smoking here. ここは喫煙禁止です 他動型 ～を許す

My mother allows me \3,000 a month. 母は私に月3,000円くれている 授与型

*allowance 手当・お小遣い

The facts allow no other explanation. この事実に対して他の説明はありえない

This machine allows us to make drinking water from air.

この機械を使えば空気から飲み水を作ることができますよ

So, these are quite sophisticated sentences, right? かなり洗練された文ですよね

Yes. I think so too. We could replace them with a much simpler version, for example, “The facts have no other explanation.” もっと簡単なものに言い換えられますよ

Or, you could say, “There is no other explanation.” それとか こんな風にも言えますよ

*permit 公共機関での使用にぴったり

You are not permitted to enter this government building.

この政府の建物には入場が許されていません

*permit 許可証

Express yourself in English

In my class, I don’t allow students to speak Japanese.

私のクラスでは、私は学生に日本語を話すのを許していません

*to infinitiveを使った目的語説明型 →矢印のnuance

*studentsがspeak Japaneseをする そちらの方向に向かうことを許さない

So, Chris. Is this a real story?

Well, I think most teachers of English try to stop the students speaking in their own language because it’s beneficial to speak in English.

But I have one class, a high level, top level English class where they do spend 90 minutes without speaking Japanese. So, I’m really happy with that.

Students are not permitted to eat in the library.

学生たちは図書館で物を食べるのを許可されてはいません

*to infinitiveを使った目的語説明型 permit students to…に対応する受動態の文

The law does not permit the sale of alcohol to minors.

*alcohol飲料の未成年への販売は法律で禁止されています

*the lawを主語にすれば受動態をわざわざ作る必要はない

無生物主語の文

So, what’s the antonym of “minor” ?

Well, it’s not major. It’s adult.

Yeah. That’s right.

By the way, Ohnishi sensei. What was your monthly allowance when you were a student?

Hmm. I got \3,000 a month when I was a high school student.

Huh! And what is your monthly allowance now?

Not much different.

Poor sensei.

Yeah. I pity him.

Bye.

2019年9月23日 Monday

Hey, everyone. This is Rosa Akino. I hope you enjoy today’s lesson.

Hi, guys. Chris McVay here. And as usual, Rosa’s stolen my line. But anyway, I’ll change it slightly and say, I hope you enjoy the show. Let’s get started.

Lesson 116  Let me ask you a quick question. 「許す」系の動詞 中心となるのはlet

Welcome to the London Theatre. I hope you enjoy the show!

London Theatreにようこそ。ぜひこの劇を楽しんでほしいです

Thank you. This is my first time here, so let me ask you a quick question.

ありがとう。ここは初めてなんです。ひとつ簡単な質問をさせて

*my first time の myは省略不可 This is the first time for me. もokay!

Of course. ええ、どうぞ

Where is the balcony section in this theater?

この劇場のbalcony席はどこなの？

It’s on the first floor. 1階 preposition:  on

それは1階にあるんです

Oh, aren’t we on the first floor? I can’t find it.

あら、私たちは1階にいるんじゃないの？ 見つからないわ

This is the ground floor. The first floor is right above us.

ここはground floorですよ。1階は僕たちのすぐ上にあるんです

*right above rightはすぐというnuanceをaboveに加えている

I see. American English and British English are different.

なるほど。アメリカ英語とイギリス英語は違いますね

In some cases, yes. 場合によってはそうですね

*balcony section: 劇場･映画館の 2階席

*the first floor: 英国 2階 米国 1階

*the ground floor: 英国 1階

Hey, guys. You’ll find both American English and British English in our textbook.

Check it out!

Check your grammar

I hope you enjoy the show!

× I want you enjoy the show.

理由

*hopeある状況を思い浮かべて こんなことになったらいいなぁ と願うことのできるhope

*wantの 欲する は、人やモノに欲望が向かう非常に生々しい単語

*wantで表現するならば、人を目的語にとり、次のように目的説明型となります

I want you to enjoy the show.

*hopeは状況を思い描くことのできる動詞だから節をとる

*wantは人やモノに欲望が向かいから目的語説明型となる

Build up your vocabulary

Let me ask you a quick question. ひとつ簡単な質問をさせて

*letは許すの中心verb *letが得意とする文の型は目的語説明型

…が～するのを許す ～させる

この文は動詞原形を目的語の説明語句として使い、

*me が ask you a quick questionするのを許す

→私に軽い質問をさせて

このverb let はallowのようなクッキリとした強い ゆるす ではありません

Just let me check my email. ちょっとmailをcheckさせてください

Open the door! Let me in! ドアを開けて! 中に入れてよ!

Let me know when you’ve finished. 終わったら教えてね

So, what’s the nuance of “let me know” especially the difference between “let me know” and ”tell me” ?

*let me knowのニュアンスは何ですか？ 特にlet me knowとtell meの違いは？

For me, ah, “tell me” is quite direct, a bit too strong, you know.

私には、tell me はかなり直接的ですね。少し強すぎるというか…

So, “let me know” is much more friendly. だから、let me knowははるかに友好的です

And it’s like, I want to belong to this group, you know. 

まぁこんな感じです このグループに所属したいみたいな

So, I want to share the information. で、情報を共有したいみたいな

That’s right. It’s definitely a much softer expression.

その通りです。ほんとうにはるかに柔らかい表現です

*let ある状況が展開するのを 許す

うっかりの例

*Harry let the cat out of the bag, so now everyone knows about our engagement!

Harryが秘密を漏らしてしまって、今やみんなが僕たちの婚約を知っているよ

*let the cat out of the bag うっかり秘密を漏らす

出たがりなcat(secret)をうっかり外に出してしまった

Express yourself in English

I won’t let my daughter marry such a guy. 僕は娘をそんなヤツとは結婚させはしない

*So, this “won’t” is definite “no”, isn’t it?

Yes. It’s definitely a very strong “no.”

*marry 直接目的語を伴った他動型で使います

× marry with such a guy

So, this “such a guy” contains negative nuance, right?

It definitely becomes a very negative expression, especially when it’s combined with a strong negative like, “won’t.”

That’s right. It comes out like, I won’t let my daughter marry a guy like that.

But of course, “such a” can be used in a positive way as well.

Wow! I’ve never tasted such a delicious pie. Something like that, right?

Let the dogs alone. They may bite you. その犬は放っておけよ。噛むかもしれないよ

Let me know where the meeting point is, okay? 待ち合わせ場所を教えてね、いい？

*where the meeting point is どこが待ち合わせ地点なのか→待ち合わせ場所

Hmm. I think trying not to let it show. But… I’m hungry.

Don’t worry. Your stomach let us know already.

That’s right. The stomach noises betray you.

Bye.

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

Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語

Hello everybody.   こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show.

This is Heather Howard.

Let's take a look at conversation at work.

Active Aging (5)

McMillan expresses gratitude for his friends and family.

And Grace warns against highly stressful time intensive work for older people.

Ueda mentions a name that he’s heard for baby-boomers approaching retirement.

And McMillan suggests another possible expression.

Lyons says everyone should continue growing mentally, spiritually and emotionally as they get old.

Worth mentioning: Grace says, "Another point worth mentioning is that it matters what kind of work you do."

This is very much like, worth noting, you know, they both mean that something deserves attention. It's important, influential, etc.

Ah, such as, it's worth mentioning this computer has a long battery life.

Ah, that's very useful when you're working outside the home.

Keep working past the usual retirement age: Just wanted to do a note on spelling here. 

Ah, this is something again that native speakers too often mess up.

Here we use the word "past" P-A-S-T. And that's a preposition. And it means beyond something. Like, beyond in time. You know, I stayed up past midnight. Or, in location, he didn't see the store at first. He walked right past it.

PASSED is a verb. One of its meanings is went beyond something. So, I passed(P-A-S-S-E-D) several parks on my way to the restaurant.

Unrealistic: Not realistic. Ah, separated from reality.

Such as, the sales quotas are unrealistic. There is no way we can sell this much.

Or, women often face unrealistic beauty standards. You know, they're compared with professional models who are often airbrushed, you know, and edited in the magazines.

Happy medium between:

Come across:

Perennial: A perennial, ah, can refer to a plant that lasts more than two growing seasons.

Which is, I think, obviously the image here. There's also the metaphorical meaning of lasting an indefinitely long time, ah, enduring. And in that case, it's an adjective. Like, this baseball player is a perennial favorite among the fans. People always enjoy watching him play. Or, this product is a perennial favorite among our customers.

一年草 Annual plant / yearly plant

Go for: Lyons says, "Some people might not go for that term, but I like it."

Lyons uses "go for" in the sense of like, ah, prefer.

I go for history books and biographies, for example, in my personal reading preferences.

"Go for" can also mean "choose." Ah, like, I think I'll go for a salad today. Ah, I need to eat more vegetables.

Despite the passing years: Notwithstanding, in spite of getting older.

Ah, likewise, you can say, despite the company's offer of a raise, she decided to quit.

Or, Team X won despite being two goals down at the half.

As in: McMillan is giving an example of what he said. You know, he is saying, "This is the kind of thing I'm talking about."

"As in" can also mean this is what I'm saying.

Such as, she said she wanted to explore other horizons as in she's quitting.

As in she's quitting

A as in America    spoken alphabet

B as in Brazil

C as in China

P as in psychology. Sorry. Bad joke. lol

Preferable to:

"Elderly" or "senior citizen":

Be called old or perceived as old: If we are perceived, ah, we're seen a certain way.

People have this opinion about us. They interpret us this way or something. This way.

Ah, like, she's sometimes perceived as shy but she just doesn’t like to talk a lot.

Mentally, spiritually and emotionally:

Old adage: old saying 昔からある格言

Blossom: Lyons says, "Perennials that keep on blossoming and growing despite the passing years."

In addition to a flower opening up, ah, "blossom" can mean "develop", "flourish."

Ah, it is often used about young people coming into their potential.

Things like, she's really blossomed since she started playing soccer.

You know, she seems much more confident and independent now.

That's all for today.

See you next time. Bye.

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

Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語

Hello everybody.   こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show.

This is Heather Howard.

Let's take a look at conversation at work.

Active Aging (4)

McMillan says employment opportunities are increasing for older people.

And Lyons recommends staying connected with the wide community when one reaches the standard retirement age.

Ueda says people with solid long-time friendships have more empathy for others and are more trusting and cooperative.

Get behind: Give someone or something a support as if we move to stand behind them. And we also say, "be behind." For example, I'm behind you on the work flow reforms. Our current system is highly inefficient. And we need to change it.

Get behind in my work 仕事の手順が遅れている

On the positive side: This refers to the good part of some situation, the benefits.

Ah, like, on the positive side, our new office is much bigger.

Or, to use the opposite expression, ah, on the negative side, it's much farther away from the train station.

On the upside / on the downside 　プラス面　マイナス面

It's worth noting that… This point is worthy of notice, you know, it deserves attention.

Ah, it's significant enough that we should notice it, pay attention to it.

Such as, it's worth noting that we're getting more repeat customers.

Or, to use a slight variation, ah, there were several proposals worth noting at the meeting.

Wind down: Lyon says, "I plan to wind down a bit work-wise when I get older."

He means, slow something down, ah, ease off.

Often this means, gradually bring something to an end.

Like, to use the intransitive version, ah, the wedding reception wound down around 11 p.m.

And it can also mean "relax, unwind."

After a busy morning full of meetings, I wound down with a nice lunch.

Work-wise: The suffix, ah, "-wise" is often used to mean "in terms of", "with respect to."

Things like, this apartment is the best option price-wise or rent-wise.

Or, you could say, "Ah, I'm sorry this week is not great time-wise. Could we meet up next week?"

In terms of

Become isolated: Become alone. Ah, get cut off from other people.

This can be physical or mental. Like, imagine, ah, a coworker who doesn't get along with the other staff.

So, eventually you have nobody interacts with them.

You can say, "Ah, they've become pretty isolated within the office."

And this would be true even if they were sitting near other people.

Or, physically speaking, things like, ah, that temple is isolated up in the mountains. Ah, you have to hike a long narrow trail to get there.

Self-worth: Ueda says, "Good friends help us reinforce our sense of self-worth."

A feeling that we are valuable people that we deserve happiness and satisfaction.

Parental love and support is very important to children's sense of self-worth.

Ah, self-esteem is a similar term. Like, doing well in math class really boosted her self-esteem in primary school.

Self-importance 自らの重要性　うぬぼれに近い自尊心

Empathy for:

Trusting:

Cooperative:

If you like: In this case, ah, "if you like" is used to present like a way of expressing something or a way of thinking about something.

And, of course, we also use it to ask about somebody's preference, somebody's inclination, you know. Like, we can order pizza tonight, if you like.

Hit: Ah, Lyons says, "Whatever your plans are once you hit what's still considered retirement age,"

In this case, "hit" means, ah, attain or reach some big or high thing.

Ah, be careful using it about age because it often implies, "Wow! That's old."

You know, like, I would never say to a friend, "So, you hit 50 this year, huh!"

But it's safe to say things like, "Interest rates hit an all-time high today." or "The temperature hit 38 degrees yesterday.

SO, you hit  50 this year. と言ってはいけない

push

So, you're pushing 50.はどうでしょう？

Absolutely not.

I once was at a press conference. And a question to a movie star was translated that way.

I believe it was "Ah, you're pushing 50 now." And that was not what the Japanese reporter had intended to ask.

And the movie star gave her a really nasty look. I felt very sorry for her because that was not her intention.

50 the big 5 oh

So, you'll be reaching the big 5 oh. というのはどうでしょう？

That's better. And often Americans like have some fun with those birthdays and like, ah, as a joke, ah, that would be like, oh, black balloons or something. You know, that is like, okay, let's laugh at it. Let's laugh at the fact that we're getting older.

That's all for today.

Thanks for tuning in. Bye.

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

And I'm Lindsay Wells.

You're listening to business communication in simple English.

Yes. Let's learn how to communicate better in the workplace.

Hi! I'm Lindsay Wells.

Hello, I'm glad you're joining us today.

Lesson 48

Okay. Let's listen to today's business scene.

Okay. Any other questions? Yes, the lady in the middle.

I'm Scarlet Nielsen from Asia Support, an NGO in Denmark. Regarding Pakistan, what are the chances of getting a job after finishing your course?

 *Chances of becoming a manager マネージャーになる可能性

Our survey shows about two-thirds of our students get a job.

*Survey アンケート調査

 Considering the local job market, it's very encouraging.

*Considering the local job market ～を考慮に入れると

*If something is encouraging, it's very positive, it makes you feel optimistic.

Does that answer your question?

Yes. Thank you.

Well, I'm afraid our time is up. Thank you all once again for joining us. Please visit our booth in Exhibition Hall A.

*Up

In this case, "up" means "finished" or "complete." Another similar phrase is "to eat something up."

This means "to eat all of something."たいらげる

Did you catch that?

Scarlet asked whether students in Pakistan who take the online course can get a job afterwards.

Kenji replied that many students do find the job.

Does that answer your question?

Business phrase of the day

Does that answer your question?

Have I answered your question?

Similar expressions

Does that address your question?

Does that make sense? 道理に適っていますでしょうか。

Is that what you're referring to? お知りになりたかったのはこういうことですか。

Practical business phrases

どれもビジネスで使えますので、しっかり覚えましょう。

survey

We carried out a survey about customer preferences.

Two-thirds

This item must have the approval of two-thirds of the shareholders.

この項目は株主の３分の２の承認を必要とします。

Encouraging

The monthly sales in the region are pretty encouraging.

All right. Let's begin.

Okay. Any other questions? Yes, the lady in the middle.

I'm Scarlet Nielsen from Asia Support, an NGO in Denmark. Regarding Pakistan, what are the chances of getting a job after finishing your course?

Our survey shows about two-thirds of our students get a job.

Considering the local job market, it's very encouraging.

Does that answer your question?

Yes. Thank you.

Well, I'm afraid our time is up. Thank you all once again for joining us. Please visit our booth in Exhibition Hall A.

Great work, everyone.

Tips for business communication

Fifty 50 / fifteen 15

He will be back in fifty minutes. 50分後に戻ります

Ahhh. Actually I had a similar situation with a student once.

実際に、ある学生に関して一度、似たような状況がありましたよ

He had to make up a test and I told him to come at 8:50.

彼はテストを完成させなくてはいけなくて、8時50分に来るように私は彼に言ったんです

He came at 8:15 instead. 8時50分じゃなく、彼は8時15分にやって来ました

It's a good thing it wasn't the other way around.

本来は８時５０分の約束だったため、８時１５分に来ても実害はなかったからよかったですね。

(８時１５分の約束だったのに、８時５０分だと思い込んでいたりしたら厄介ですね)

Hmm. Well, you could also avoid the issue by saying the time that you want the person to call back.

相手に折り返しの電話をしてほしい時間を言うことによって、そういった問題を避けることもできますよ

So, for example, I'm sorry but he's out. ですから、例えば…すみません。彼は外出しています

Can you call back in about 50 minutes? Say, around 4 p.m.

50分位してから、折り返し電話していただけますか。そうですね…4時頃に

→具体的な時間を示す

Thanks for listening to our program.

I hope you enjoyed our lessons and that you learned some useful words and expressions this season.

Thank you all once again for joining us.

Bye for now.

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

And I'm Lindsay Wells.

You're listening to business communication in simple English.

Yes. Let's learn how to communicate better in the workplace.

Hi! I'm Lindsay Wells.

Hello, everyone. I hope you're ready to learn with us.

Lesson 47

Okay. Let's listen to today's business scene.

Now, we'd like to take questions from the floor.

*Floor 会場

Yes. The lady in the back in the purple shirt. 

*後方の紫のシャツの女性の方  *場所＋服の特徴

*The gentleman in the front with the blue tie

前方の青いネクタイの男性の方 服の上についている感じなので、tie の場合は with

Could you please give us your name? 

Yes, I'm Michelle from PW Consultants. What was the reaction of the partners in Myanmar when you brought in the auditors?

*"To bring someone in" means  "to have someone from outside your group help with a situation."

I'm glad you've brought that up. They initially rejected our idea, saying that it wasn't necessary.

 *To reject something is to refuse it. For example, if I reject a business proposal, I refuse to accept it.

So we thoroughly explained the Code of Conduct issued by the garment association in Myanmar. They showed understanding in the end.

*Code of conduct

Security code  暗証番号

Country code 国際電話をかけるときの国番号

番号 指針 ガイドライン

Dress code 服装規定

How was that?

Sophie began the Q & A session.

Michelle asked about using auditors in Myanmar.

And Sophie explained how the company handle the situation.

I'm glad you've brought that up. 

Business phrase of the day

I'm glad you've brought that up.

I'm pleased that

Thank you for bringing that up.

Similar expressions

You raise an important point.問題などを取り上げる 話題にする

I'm delighted that you pointed that out. 指摘する

Thank you for mentioning that. それについて言及していただき

Practical business phrases

Floor

Mr. Bond, the floor is all yours.

Bring in…

We need to bring in an expert to solve this problem.

Reject

I don't know why they rejected our proposal.

Okay, everyone. Follow me.

Now, we'd like to take questions from the floor.

Yes. The lady in the back in the purple shirt. 

Could you please give us your name?

Yes, I'm Michelle from PW Consultants. What was the reaction of the partners in Myanmar when you brought in the auditors?

I'm glad you've brought that up. They initially rejected our idea, saying that it wasn't necessary.

So we thoroughly explained the Code of Conduct issued by the garment association in Myanmar. They showed understanding in the end.

Nice job. Keep up the good work.

Tips for business communication

Yeah, I'd like to call this a me-show question.

Yeah. This kind of question can be really difficult to understand even for a native speaker like me.

Sometimes I have to say to the asker, "Sorry, but what was the question?

Me-show question

Thank you for your insightful presentation. 洞察に満ちたプレゼンをありがとうございます。

Hmm. Well, first of all, if you don't have a real question, be clear.

You can say something like: I have a comment, not a question.

Or, This is more of a comment. どちらかと言うとコメントです

Second, remember that time is limited.

Other people probably want to ask questions too.

So try to keep your comment short.

That's all for today. See you again.

Bye.

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

Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語

Hello everybody.   こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show.

This is Heather Howard.

Let's take a look at conversation at work.

Active Aging (3)

McMillan describes the amount of money that experts recommend saving so as to retire by age 65 and have the same kind of lifestyle.

And Lyons comments about how bored he would be if he only gardened and played golf.

Grace says people who keep working into their 70s and later are healthier and have stronger social connections.

Ueda recommends replacing the concept of retirement with a third act of life.

Personal-finance expert:

In line with:

Feel passionate about: Lyons says that many experts believe continuing to do work that you feel passionate about is a good way to increase longevity.

When you feel passionate about something, we feel strong dedication to it and enthusiasm.

And people feel that it's something that needs to be done. You know, it's important to do it.

He's passionate about recycling, for example. About reducing his carbon footprint.

Or, she's passionate about supporting local businesses. She does most of her shopping in her own neighborhood.

Carbon footprint 二酸化炭素排出量

Longevity: Lyons is talking about the length of someone's life.

Scientists are always researching how to increase longevity, for example.

And longevity can also refer to a long life, living a long time.

Like, she attributes her longevity to low stress and a vegetarian diet.

Quality of life: How good the different elements of one's life are.

Financially, in terms of human connections, etc. etc.

And having community connections is very important to one's quality of life. You know, having friends nearby that we can meet and talk to.

Weed the garden: Lyons is talking about actually removing unwanted weeds, you know, from a garden.

But we also use the phrasal verb "weed out" to mean locate and remove elements that we don't want that are undesirable.

Ah, this software weeds out spam emails.

Or, market surveys help us weed out unpopular products.

Weed 雑草　verb garden 庭の雑草を抜く　weed out phrasal verb　何かを除去する　取り除く

Play the occasional round of golf:

Sense of well-being and purpose:

*Work into one's 70s and beyond: Beyond, past, further than.

You could also say, ah, I can't spend beyond $500.

Or, the company has decided to expand beyond tablet computers and get into mobile phones.

Stay socially connected:

When you get right down to it: Ueda says, "When you get down to it, it's a question of mindset."

Mindset: This refers to the way our minds are set.

In other words, the attitudes or personality that determines how we respond to things, how we interpret the situation.

He has a very optimistic mindset, for example. He always believes that things will work out.

Or, she has a very suspicious mindset. She doesn't trust anybody.

Third act of life: This would be the final stage of life if we divide it up into youth, middle age and being elderly.

And obviously we're using the image of a stage play, you know, which is divided up into sections called acts.

We also use "acts" about films too. There's no intermission. There's no lowering of a curtain.

But if we say, "the third act of a film," you know, we're talking about the final section of the story. When it's all rounded up and ended.

Sense of fulfillment and meaning: Fulfilment is the state of being happy and satisfied, often because we're using our abilities or we're doing something meaningful.

He gets a lot of fulfilment from volunteer work, for example

*I mean: Lyons says, "I mean I'd be out of my skull if all I had to do was weed the garden and play golf."

We sometimes use this expression to justify or explain what we just said.

Things like, I don't like logo. I mean the font is hard to read and the colors are way too bright.

つまり

Be bored out of one's skull 退屈でたまらない

*skull/mind/brains

Be bored to death　死ぬ程退屈する

That's all for today.

See you next time. Bye.

20190916 ボキャブライダー Hi! I’m Maxell Powers いろいろな変

Strange 変

Odd 奇妙な 風変わりな 何かが普通とは違う時に使えます

I had an odd dream. 変な夢見たんだけど

It’s odd of him to plan a party for us.

彼が私たちのためにpartyを計画するなんてちょっとおかしい

It’s odd of somebody to do…

Funny 面白い funny story 笑える面白い話

Funny ha-ha   funny strange

妙な ちょっと説明しづらいんだけどなんか変という場合にも使えます

It feels funny on my tongue. 舌の上で変な感じがする

なんか変わった食感がする 口の中で変な感じがする

Curious人に対して使うと→好奇心の強い

物事に対して→好奇心をそそるような 不思議な

A curious thing happened yesterday. 昨日妙なことが起こった

Mysterious 不可思議な 謎めいた

mysterious smile 謎めいた笑顔 mysterious look 謎めいた外見

I was very attracted to her because she’s very mysterious.

彼女が謎めいているので、私はとても惹かれた *attract惹きつける

2019年9月16日 Monday

Hey, everyone. This is Rosa Akino. Ready for another great exciting lesson?

Hi, everyone. Chris McVay here. I’m sure our listeners will be delighted with this lesson as always. Let’s go.

Lesson 111 Do you think you persuaded them to accept our conditions?

Hi, Pam. How did the meeting with the Japanese company go?

Pretty well, I think. We spent a long time preparing for it, so we were able to put forward some powerful arguments.

*prettyはveryと同種の単語 veryよりもちょっと弱い 非常に砕けた単語

*put forward 前に出す→提示する

So, do you think you persuaded them to accept our conditions?

Well, they were tough negotiations, but in the end I believe they will agree to most of them.

Well done. I’m sure the boss will be delighted.

*delighted  delight 上からlight光が落ちてくるようなハッとするような喜び

I believe most of our listeners will agree. The textbook is pretty awesome.

Check your grammar

How did the meeting with the Japanese company go?

あの日本企業との商談はどうだった？

*how 様子・方法・程度を表すwh語 どのように

*go 進んでいる

どんな風に進みましたか？→どうでしたか？

We were able to put forward some powerful arguments.

私たちは説得力のある主張をいくつか提示できました

*can は潜在 canの できる はそうした力を潜在的に持っている

*we could put forward やろうと思えば提示する力がありました

My granddad could fix any kind of machine.

私のおじいさんはどんな機械でも、やろうと思えば 直すことができた

The washing machine is okay now. My grandpa was able to fix it.

洗濯機はもう大丈夫。おじいさんが直してくれたから

過去の 実際にできた にはwas/were able to を優先する

Build up your vocabulary

Do you think you persuaded them to accept our conditions?

彼らにこちらの条件を受け入れるよう説得できたと思いますか？

*to infinitiveを用いた目的語説明型

Don’t let him persuade you into lending him money.

彼にお金を貸すように説得されちゃだめだよ

*into ～の中へ

you を説得しlending him money彼にお金を貸す という状況の中へ入れる

You don’t have to accept – nobody’s forcing you.

受け入れることはないよ－誰も無理強いしているわけじゃないから

So, could you explain the feel of “force”?

Well, I’m sure you all remember “May the force be with you.”

So, basically, the “force” is kind of like an image of breaking down a door that’s locked. The door won’t open. So, you force it open.

Really strong pressure, right? – Right.

My boss has stopped ordering me to work late. 私の上司は私に残業を命じるのをやめた

*order 命じる 権威や力の裏づけが感じられる

Express yourself in English

You’ll never persuade your parents to agree to that.

ご両親を説得してそれに同意させることは決してできないだろうね

*agreeは提案などsomethingの場合はto  /  somebodyの場合はwith

I wasn’t going to go to the party, but Akane talked me into it.

*talk somebody into～ は persuade somebody into～ よりはるかによく使われる

私はpartyに行くつもりでなかったが、Akaneが私をそうするように説得した

My parents forced me to apologize. 両親は私に無理矢理謝らせた

*force 強制力

Well, talking about “force,” I’ll never forget that when I was in primary school, the teachers tried their best to force me to use my right hand. But now I’m still proudly left-handed.

Hmm. You know that’s weird. Nobody ever forced me to use my right hand.

That’s because you’re right-handed, huh?

Oh…

Bye.

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

Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語

Hello everybody.   こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show.

This is Heather Howard.

Let's take a look at conversation at work.

Active Aging (2)

McMillan says the old rules regarding retirement were created for an era when most people were engaged in manual labor.

Grace points out that the average life expectancy is much higher now and says 80 percent of Americans today live paycheck to paycheck.

Lyons cites a number of reasons for Americans' difficulty saving including long periods of unemployment and increasing student debt.

Be designed for: Designed for this purpose or need, you know, with this purpose or person, whatever, in mind. These smartphones were designed for elderly people, for example, with easy-to-see buttons. Or, to use a variation, this software was designed to teach math to children.

Release from bondage: Here "bondage" is being under someone's control like a serf or slave. History books will often say things like, millions of people were kept in bondage during the days of slavery.

Liberation from: To be relieved from something. Ah, released from it. To use the verb form, thanks goodness, we've been liberated from those daily meetings. Ah, they're a big waste of time.

Workforce: The people engaged in some job activity or who are available as workers.  People leave school, they graduate from high school or college and join the workforce. Or, the company is planning to cut its workforce by 5% next year.

Join the workforce 就労人口　労働人口に加わる　社会に出て働き始める　国家単位の労働人口

The company will cut its workforce by 5% next year. 全従業員の5%をカットする

企業単位の従業員数 全従業員　国家単位の労働人口

We also have the term "labor force." But I think that one will be applied to society in general.

I don't think it refers to a company's labor force.

Manual labor:

Retire the concept of retirement: Up at the top, Grace says, "It might be time to retire the concept of retirement."

She means stop using something, put it aside often because it's old or outdated.

Ah, you might say, ah, it's time to retire this computer. It's crashing a lot. You know, it doesn't have enough memory anyway.

Or, we should retire that joke. You know, it's sexist and insulting.

Social Security Act:

Average life expectancy:

Outdated: Out of dated, outmoded. No longer appropriate, ah, for technology or ways of thinking. Ah, like tape recorders are certainly outdated now.

Or, he has very outdated ideas about how men and women should dress in the office.

*A long stretch of: long stretches of unemployment, the housing crash

長期間にわたる何々  長く続く何々

Lyons is talking about a long consecutive period. Like, her business didn't make a profit for a long stretch of time. But this can also refer to an actual, you know, physically long row of something. Like, oh! there's a long stretch of cherry trees along the river. It's just beautiful in the spring.

Housing crash:

Mounting:

*Harsh reality: McMillan says, "That's the harsh reality for many people these days."

The unpleasant truth. The situation that cannot be denied.

You could also say, "The harsh reality is that marine pollution is getting worse."

Or, the harsh reality is that we have to close this store.

Marine pollution 海洋汚染

Set aside:

Lose the habit of: Grace says, "People seem to have lost the habit of saving money."

They no longer do something regularly or often. We also say, "fall out of the habit of" or "get out of the habit of." He's lost the habit of exercising in the morning, for example. Or, she's fallen out of the habit of doublechecking her work.

Fall out of the habit / get out of the habit / kick the habit 習慣を止める

That's all for today.

Thanks for tuning in. Bye.

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

Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語

Hello everybody.   こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show.

This is Heather Howard.

Let's take a look at conversation at work.

Active Aging (1)

Ueda asks Lyons if he’s heard of the FIRE movement, which he says is very popular among young members of the tech industry.

Grace says it involves cutting back dramatically on spending or also putting together a portfolio of investments.

Lyons remarks that such a plan would be difficult given New York’s high cost of living.

And McMillan says the rules have changed regarding retirement.

*given = considering ～のことを考えると

Ignite interest: Obviously, Ueda uses "ignite" here deliberately because of the acronym FIRE.

Ignite can mean, of course, actually start a fire. Or, spark a metaphorical blaze. And so, I'd say we use it about strong emotions, movements. You know, things that can be linked to burning in a way. Like, her racist remarks ignited a storm of criticism from the public. Or, reports of animal abuse ignited a movement to protect them.

Racist remarks 人種差別的な発言

Financial independence, retire early: Lyons hears the term "FIRE" and says, Oh, right- that's the acronym for "financial independence, retire early," isn't it?

All the rage among:

Lay aside: Ueda could also say "put aside" or "set aside."

Ah, in other words, reserve money for a later use.

Like, I'm putting aside money every month for a vacation.

"Lay aside",  "set aside" etc. can also mean leave something to deal with it later.

You might say, "I have to finish this translation first. So, I'll set the other one aside until tomorrow."

*Calculate compound interest over: I admit this one I had to look up. "Compound interest" is applied to both the principal amount and the included interest.

We also use "compound" as a verb. Ah, one meaning is to make a situation or a problem even worse. Like, imagine a coworker makes a big mistake. And then they compound the problem by not apologizing. So, not only did they make a mistake now maybe the boss is angry because they're not taking the responsibility.

Compound problem by not apologizing. 苦難の度合いを強める

Say:

Cut back radically on: Grace says, to be "firing" means cutting back radically on your expenses.

Cutting back dramatically on them, ah, in a very noticeable way.

He's cut back radically on his sugar intake, for example.

Or, she's cut back radically on her smartphone use.

Put together:

Portfolio of investments:

Generate: Produce. Ah, bring into existence. A generator creates electricity, creates power.

Likewise, we can say, "The corporate tax cuts have generated a lot of debate."

Or, the company's paternity leave program has generated a lot of goodwill among employees.

Rational:

Well-thought-out: We also have the expression "think thorough," ah, which is the same idea of thinking about, you know, considering every part of some process or project.

*Given: When one considers this, ah, based on this.

You could say, "Ah, given our booming sales, we're going to open another outlet."

Or, given the long commute, I couldn't accept the job.

Sky-high: Extremely high, you know as if something is touching the sky.

I was once shocked by the sky-high prices at a designer boutique.  Like, $3000 for a blouse, you know. Or, the company's expectations, ah, for its new tablet computer are sky-high. You know, they expect enormous sales.  

Sky's the limit. 天井知らずだ 青天井だ

Cost of living:

Minimalist lifestyle:

Move inland:

Watch one's nickels and dimes: 5cent / 10cent

Lyons is talking about carefully monitoring and restraining how much we spent.

We also use "nickel and dime" as a phrasal verb, ah, has a few different meanings.

Ah, one of them is to charge a lot of small fees that add up to a large amount.

Like, the convention center is trying to nickel and dime us into paying a fortune.

Not be for someone: Lyons says, "I'm afraid that's not for me."

It doesn't suit me, he's saying. You know, I don't wanna do that.

Likewise, you could say, "Ah, freelance work is not for Marilyn. You know, she wants a more stable income. "

Or, personally speaking, ah, horror movies are not for me. I don't like to be scared.

*Acronym

Radar = radio detecting and ranging

Laser = light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation

NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization

That's all for today.

Have a great day. Bye.

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

And I'm Lindsay Wells.

You're listening to business communication in simple English.

Yes. Let's learn how to communicate better in the workplace.

Hi! I'm Lindsay Wells.

Hello, are you ready for today's lesson? I know I am.

Lesson 46

Okay. Let's listen to today's business scene.

Now, I'd like to hand over to Kenji for our final point.

Thank you, Sophie. Our third point is education. In Pakistan, we provide young adults who can't go to university with online classes.

*Provide with:

If I provide A with B it means that I give B to A.

It's not a present though. B is something that A needs.

For example, I might provide my client with a copy of a contract.

*Hmm. Thank you.

*Young adult.

*Hmm.

Well, we usually mean someone between the ages of about 18 and 25.

However the age limit can vary a little depending on who you ask.

Our aim is to increase their chances of getting jobs in the future. If you visit the CSR section of our website, you'll find more detailed information.

*visit … website webを見る

*detailed information 詳細な より詳しい 情報

To sum up, we support local communities in Asia through fair pay, equal opportunities for women and education. Thank you for listening.

*To sum up means to summarize or conclude.

*through 以下 公正な賃金・女性に対する機会均等・教育

Did you understand that?

Kenji began his part of the presentation.

He explained Shibuya Clothing's education program in Pakistan.

I'd like to hand over to Kenji.

Business phrase of the day

I'd like to hand over to Kenji.

I handed over my duties to my successor. 私の仕事を後任に引き継ぎました

*handover period 引き継ぎ期間

Similar expressions

Brigitte will take over and talk about the final point.

In a minute, Mario will take you through the legal protections. 法的な保護

I'd like to ask Susan to tell you about credit risks.

Practical business phrases

Provide A with B

The project is designed to provide local people with clean water.

このprojectは、地元の人々に綺麗な水を提供できるよう設計されています

Detailed

A detailed analysis can be downloaded from the Intranet. 社員用ネットワーク

詳細な分析

Sum up

Geraldine will present the main points and I'll sum up. 私がまとめます

I hope you're ready. Let's go.

Now, I'd like to hand over to Kenji for our final point.

Thank you, Sophie. Our third point is education. In Pakistan, we provide young adults who can't go to university with online classes.

Our aim is to increase their chances of getting jobs in the future. If you visit the CSR section of our website, you'll find more detailed information.

To sum up, we support local communities in Asia through fair pay, equal opportunities for women and education. Thank you for listening.

That was excellent.

Tips for business communication

Hmm. I think changing presenters can be a great thing. Especially if the two presenters have different areas of expertise. Then the audience can benefit from each presenter's specific knowledge.

Hmm. Exactly.

For example, when talking about a new car, perhaps the designer could talk about the car's design and the engineer could talk about its technical specifications.

Hmm hmm.  That's true.

Thank you for tuning in.

I hope you learned something new today. And please join us again.

Bye.

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

And I'm Lindsay Wells.

You're listening to business communication in simple English.

Yes. Let's learn how to communicate better in the workplace.

Hi! I'm Lindsay Wells.

Hi, everybody. Welcome to our program.

Lesson 45

Okay. Let's listen to today's business scene.

Moving on, let's look at the second point, equal opportunities for women. In Myanmar, the government is leading reforms to enhance gender equality.

*To enhance something means to make something stronger or expanded.

Shibuya Clothing is collaborating with a couple of international non-profit organizations to make it work.

Do you mean you're trying to enhance gender equality at your local partner's offices?

No, we are initiating this activity in local communities across different regions in Myanmar. The biggest challenge is the unequal treatment of women. The diagram on this slide shows how the scheme works.

*A challenge is something difficult that you need to overcome. For example, for many foreigners who come to live in Japan, learning Japanese can be a challenge.

Did you get it?

Sophie talked about how Shibuya Clothing is trying to increase gender equality in Myanmar. She then clarified where the company's activity is taking place.

Moving on, let's look at the second point.

Business phrase of the day

Moving on, let's look at the second point.

Let's move on to the second point.

Similar expressions

That leads me to my second point.

This is a perfect transition to the next point. *transition 繋ぎ目 移行

Let me turn to my next point: an analysis of the pros and cons.

*turn to the right 右に曲がる

Practical business phrases

Enhance:

This new product will definitely enhance our reputation.

Collaborate with

We'll collaborate with the consultant on the next project.

Challenge  

We're ready to meet the challenges lying ahead.

*lie ahead 前に横たわる→前途にある

All right. Let's get started.

Moving on, let's look at the second point, equal opportunities for women. In Myanmar, the government is leading reforms to enhance gender equality.

Shibuya Clothing is collaborating with a couple of international non-profit organizations to make it work.

Do you mean you're trying to enhance gender equality at your local partner's offices?

No, we are initiating this activity in local communities across different regions in Myanmar. The biggest challenge is the unequal treatment of women. The diagram on this slide shows how the scheme works.

Great effort.

Tips for business communication

Do you have any questions so far?

Well, one thing that I'd like to do is summarize the point that I just finished before moving on. It's like having a mini conclusion for each main point.

Yes. So I repeat the two or three most important ideas or pieces of information

from that part of the presentation.

Thanks for joining us. See you next time.

Bye.

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

Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語

Hello everybody.   こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show.

This is Heather Howard.

Let's take a look at conversation at work.

Coping With Student Loan Woes (6)

Sugita: This time around, the vignette talks about an announcement by Alex & Alex that it will launch a new package of student loan benefits.

That should be highly appealing as many people in the states have crippling student debt obligations these days.

Ah, Heather, you've talked about your debt load from your college days. How did you deal with it, if I may ask?

Heather: Sometimes I feel like I had no debt at all, compared to the amounts I hear about these days. I graduated from college with about $10,000 in outstanding student loans. As I recall, there was a selection of repayment plans, of different lengths, and I chose the longest one. I opted for a 10-year plan, and every month, for 10 years, I went down to the post office and got a money order to mail to the Unites States. I was very fortunate to receive some scholarship money when I went to college, ah, including one scholarship that was specifically aimed at reducing the burden of student loans. Recipients had to have a job and participate in some kind of volunteer activity, and in return they could receive up to $2,500 a year. Again, as I recall, that scholarship alone saved me $7,500 in loans. What about you, Mr. Sugita, did you have any student debt when you graduated?

S: Well, I worked my way through college in Japan, so I didn't have any student loans. When I was admitted to the Ohio State University for a postgraduate program, I was quiet fortunate to get a waiver of tuition in addition to a generous fellowship. I couldn't believe it at first. To make sure, I remember going to my dictionary and looking up the word "waiver."

Heather: I would have too. I can see myself asking the admission's office just to be clear before I sign anything I don't have to pay, right? That's an area where you'd wanna be sure.

S: Why do you think college education has become so expensive in the U.S.? Some people point to factors like the salaries of teaching staff and administrators.

H: I just read a long article about this in an American magazine, and one of the factors it pointed to was lower state funding to public universities. Over the past three decades, it said, many state legislatures have been spending a decreasing amount per student on higher education. The easiest way to compensate for this lost revenue was to partly transfer the costs to students and bring in wealthier students.

And this competition over high-paying kids eventually spread into big long-term operating expenses, such as non-teaching staff. Ah, the article also said that most global rankings of universities prioritize how much research is published by members of the faculty. This isn't related to whether students are learning. But administrators reportedly pay attention to those rankings in the competition for students. So, they encourage faculty to focus on research and pay star professors accordingly.

That's all for today

Thanks for tuning in. Bye.

20190909 ボキャブライダー Hi! I’m Maxell Powers 文法

Tense 時制 present tense 現在時制 past tense 過去形 過去時制

The past tense of cut is cut. *cutの過去形はcutです

What kind of animals do you like? I like dog.

Minami, use the plural.

Plural 複数形 複数形の  I like dogs. – Great!

What is the plural of mouse? *mouseのpluralは何？ Mice

Conjunction 接続詞 and / but

These two sentences can be combined by using a conjunction.

この２つの文は接続詞を使ってくっつけられます combine 結合する

Preposition 前置詞 pre前 position 置くこと *at / to / from

Should I put the preposition “in” before this word?

この単語の前に前置詞のinをつけるべきですか？

2019年9月11日 Wednesday

Hello, everyone. This is Rosa Akino. Wow! That was some extra information this morning.

Hi, everyone. Chris McVay here. Maybe more than we needed, you know. – Definitely.

But anyway. Shall we get started? – Let’s go.

Lesson 108 Tell me why you cried.

He had a nice relationship with the boy.

*relationship つながりを示すconnectiveされた状況

The boy was like a son to the old man. He was so proud of the boy.

*be proud of ～を誇りに思う

Ohhh. You’re getting sentimental in your old age.

*get ～になる 動きを表すgetが変化に繋がっている  

*sentimental 感傷的な 進行形で使って、感傷的になってきた

The textbook will teach you the spirit of English.

Check your grammar

The actor who played the old man died many years ago.

あの老人を演じた俳優は何年も前に亡くなりました

*the actor 先行詞 それを説明するwho以下の節ではplayedの主語が欠けており、

*the actorとwho played the old manの位置が日本語では入れ替わってしまうことに注意

英語と日本語では多くの場合、位置が逆になってしまいます。

それが英語を上手に話すことのできない大きな原因のひとつ

しっかり英語語順に沿って理解し、口から出すようにしてください

The man taught him the spirit of karate.

あの男が彼に空手の精神を教え込んだんだ

英語は配置の言葉 配置の意味がある言葉です

授与型 動詞の後ろに目的語が2つ

この型で使われれば、どんな動詞でも「～に…をあげる・くれる」という意味

Build up your vocabulary

Tell me why you cried. どうして泣いたのか私に教えて

*tell この動詞はメッセージに焦点があります

メッセージを相手に伝える ということ

英語で占い師はfortune-tellerと言います 未来のあなたはこうなります とメッセージを渡してくれるから

Don’t tell anyone your password. 誰にも君のパスワードを言ってはいけません

So, can other verbs like “speak”, “say”, “talk” take this form?

他の動詞speak, say, talkなどはこの型をとれますか？

You mean, like, ah, don’t speak anyone your password?

つまり、don’t speak anyone your passwordと言えるかということですか？

Chris. I have no idea what you just said. Chrisさん、あなたの立った今言われたことわからないです

So, the answer is “No!” ですから、答えは Noです

We told you to have the car checked before buying it.

買う前に車をcheckしてもらえって言ったよね

*youがto以下の行動に移るよう指示した ということ

*can + tell わかる

Can’t you tell that they are just using you?

彼らがあなたを利用しているだけだということがわからないの？

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the good guys from the bad.

時として、いい人と悪い人を見分けるのは難しい

*tell A from B AとBを見分ける 区別する

*can tell 伝えることができる=分かっている

Express yourself in English

My teacher told my parents that I needed to pay more attention in class.

私の先生は両親に、私はもっと授業で集中する必要があると言った

リポート文の形 told my parentsの内容補told以下で展開

*pay attention 注意を払う・注意してちゃんと聞く more もっと

Have you told your parents the good news about your promotion yet?

ご両親に君の昇進についてのいいnewsをもう話した？ *promotion昇進

*tellを使った授与型の文 メッセージを伝えるtellならではの形

*yetがあるのとないのとでは…ニュアンスの違い

So, is it possible to say this sentence without “yet”?

yetなしでもこの文を言うのは可能手ですか？

Sure. いいですよ

So, what kind of nuance does it add to the sentence?

そうしたら、このyetがこの文に付け加えているニュアンスはどのようなものですか？

For me, it(yet) places emphasis on the time gap, like from the moment the person heard about the promotion till the present moment. 私にとってこのyetは時間の開き強調を置いています。つまり、この人物が昇進のことを聞いた瞬間から現在の瞬間まで(の時間の)開きです

That’s right. If you say it without the “yet”, it focuses more the fact of “Did you tell your parents or not?”. その通りです。yetなしでこの文章を言うと、どちらかというと、両親に言ったかどうかにより焦点が置かれるんです

Hmm. Exactly. うん まさしくそうですね

How can you tell organic foods from non-organic?

自然食品とそうじゃないものの違いはどうやったらわかるのでしょうか？

*can tell A from Bの形 AとBを区別

You know, you can tell yummy food and yucky food?

Really? No… - Yeah, yeah. Tell us how?

Oh, just eat it.

Oh. Okay. Gocha!

Ahhh. Listeners. I’m so sorry.

Bye.

2019年9月10日 Tuesday

Hey, everyone. Rosa Akino here. Say, Chris. What day of the week is it today?

Oh. Wednesday. – No. It’s Tuesday.

Chris McVay here, everyone. So, you guys, do you mind if I join you? – Sure. -

Okay. Let’s get going.

Lesson 107 What did you say?

Oh, hi Nadia. Of course not. Take a seat. How are things?

*things 漠然とその場の状況を表す

その状況はどのように進んでいるんですか？→調子はどう？

Well, actually, I have some news. I’m quitting.

*quit辞めて自由になるというニュアンス プロセスの途中 進行形

I’m leaving the company. 止める決心をしている そして今はプロセスの途中 進行形

You know, guys, the textbook is one of the key parts of ラジオ英会話.

Yeah. It will be hard to do anything without it.

Check your grammar

しっかりと全文覚えてくださいね それが英会話の力を伸ばします

Do you mind if I join you? – Of course not.

あなたの隣に座っていい？ － もちろんいいよ

Do you mind if…? 相手の許可を求める言い回し

*mind 気にする 嫌だと思う 許可を与える場合は No / Of course not.

The current situation here leaves me no other choice.

この会社の今の状況だと、他に選択肢はないわ

*leaveを使った授与型の文 誰々に何々を残す ということ

*no other choice他の選択肢は何も残されていない

無生物主語

*日本語 「私は今の状況で他の選択肢を持っていません」と人を主語にするのが普通

*英語ではthe current situationで文を始めることに何の違和感もない

Build up your vocabulary

What did you say? あなたは何と言ったのですか？

*sayのイメージは 言葉を言う sayの焦点は 言葉 にあります

ここでは愛の発言を受けて、何を言ったのですか？ と言葉を訊ねている

Say thank you. ありがとうって言いなさいよ

*thank youという言葉を言え ということ

I have to say that I’m surprised by your reaction.

君の反応には驚かされたと言わざるを得ないな

*that以下の言葉を言わざるを得ない

The sign says you can’t swim here. この標識には遊泳禁止って書いてあるよ

*the sign看板が言葉を言っている

*let’s say 仮に何々としよう say 例えば

Let’s say… I talk with the boss and see what he thinks about your proposal.

仮に僕がボスに話をして彼が君の提案をどう考えているのか見てみるとしようか

Why don’t you come around to my place, say,… at 8:30?

私のところに来ない 例えば8時30分は？

*say 仮に～としよう 例えば

But these expressions are basically proposals, right

でも、この2つの表現は基本的には提案ですよね？

That’s exactly right. まさしくその通りです

Pretty much. そうですね

So, you have to be very careful how you say them.

だから、どういう風に言うか注意しなくちゃいけません

So, could you repeat number 4 and number 5 for us, please?

4番と5番を繰り返していただけますか？

Sure. Let’s say… I talk with the boss and see what he thinks about your proposal.

いいですよ。

So, you notice Chris took time when he said, Let’s say….

ですので、お気づきでしょう。ChrisさんはLet’s sayと言った時、時間をとりました

So, same thing with the other sentence. それで同じ事がもう1つの文章にも当てはまります

Why don’t you come around to my place, say,… at 8:30?

So, without the pause, without that deliberate pause, it wouldn’t make sense. Right?

ですから、間を取らないと、意識的に間を取らないと、意味をなさないですよね

Hmm you’re thinking…say,…around 8:30?

あなたは考えているです、うーんと 8時30分頃は…どうでしょう？

Express yourself in English

She’s saying that our plan sounds terrible.

彼女はね、僕たちの計画はひどいって言っているよ

*sayの内容はoverlapping の形で使われています

*our plan=terrible に聞こえる ということ

*Some claim that climate change doesn’t exist, but the facts say otherwise.

気候変動なんて存在しないと主張する人もいるが、事実は異なったことを言っている

何人いるかはっきりしないが、～と主張する人もいる

*say otherwise別のことを言っている

the facts say that climate change exists. 事実は言っている 気候変動は存在する、と

Let’s say you put aside \20,000 a month. You’ll have enough to buy a new laptop by next year.

彼に君が1ヶ月に2万円貯めたとしようか 来年までには新しいlaptopを買うのに十分なお金が貯まるよ

So, could you explain the context of this sentence?

Well, you know, students always are saying they don’t have enough money.

But they really want a new laptop. So, they’ll have to do it step by step, put aside \20,000 a month. And by next year, they’ll have enough money.

So, as you can see like we mentioned before, this is a proposal. Let’s say you…

Hey, guys. I have an idea. -Right?-

Let’s say…we go ahead and say goodbye now. Then we can go and have a drink.

Hey, that’s about the best proposal you’ve made.

Oh. Exactly.

See you guys, tomorrow.

Bye.

2019年9月9日 Monday

Chris, I’m going first. - Okay. No! I want to go first. – No! I’m going first.

Listen. Ladies first.

Hey, everyone. This is Rosa Akino. Now you can go.

Thank you. Chris McVay here. We’ve got lots to chat about and even to discuss today.

So, we’d better get a move on.

Lesson 106  We weren’t chatting. We were arguing.

It’s kind of a long story, but we have different opinions about the company.

*kind of 明確な表現を避けるときに使う

Oh, really? I heard a lot of laughing, so I thought you were chatting.

*hear 向こうから感覚がやってくる感じ

You know, there are no different opinions about our textbook.

That’s right. Everyone thinks it’s amazing.

Check your grammar

I saw you and Aileen having a long chat by the coffee machine today. 今日、君とAileenがcoffee メーカーのところで長々とおしゃべりしているのを見かけました

*seeを用いた目的語説明型の文

知覚構文と呼ばれることもあります

*you and Aileenをhaving a long chat以下が説明し、

you and Aileenがhavingしているところを見たという形

頻度の高い重要な形 文を来るごと覚えて自分のものしてしまいましょう

*byは そば を表す前置詞 by the coffee machine coffeeメーカーのそばで

What were you arguing about? 何について言い争っていたんだい？

*aboutの後ろ、何について言い争っていたのか、その対象を訊ねています

Women can argue and laugh at the same time.

女性というものは言い争うことも笑うことも同時にできるのよ

*women womanのpluralはthe などの限定詞がついていない「裸」のplural

一般の～ を表す最もpopularな形

Build up your vocabulary

We weren’t chatting. We were arguing.

おしゃべりをしていたのではなく、言い争っていたのです

*chat おしゃべりをする friendly で気軽な会話

*argue 論争・主張する

*discuss × discuss about 正しくはaboutなしで、他動型で使います

I need to discuss this matter with my family.

この件に関しては家族と話をしなくてはなりません

So, why is “discuss” always used in the transitive construction.

なぜ、discussは常に他動型で用いられるのでしょうか？

It’s kind of like attacks. So, there’s a direct contact with whatever it’s discussing.

ある種のattackの質感です。だから、discussしているものが何であれ、それと直接的な接触があるのです

Okay. And actually, you know the very verb “discuss” implies sharing a variety of ideas.

そうですね。そして、実際のところ、まさしくこの動詞discussが意味は、様々なアイデアを共有するということです

So, the notion of about is already included in it.

だから、aboutの考え方がもうすでにdiscussに含まれているのです

We are now negotiating very hard for better working conditions.

私たちはよりよい労働条件を求めて激しく交渉中です

So, “negotiate” sounds like a verbal tag of war, right?

*negotiateは、言葉の綱引きのような響きがありますよね

Yeah. I think that’s a good description. The image to-and-fro pulling both sides, right?

そうですね。いい説明だと思います。イメージは両端をあちこちへ引っ張る感じ

That’s right. And each side trying to get the best situation for them.

その通りです。そして各々の側が自分らにとって一番いい状況を取れるよう頑張っている

Exactly. まさしくその通りです

Express yourself in English

The two brothers often argued about the most ridiculous things.

その２人の兄弟はしばしば最もバカげたことで口論になった

*argue 言い表す talk about / argue about / chat about

Today, we need to discuss arrangements for the upcoming conference.

今日私たちは、来たるべき会議の準備について話し合う必要があります

*arrangement 準備・手配 upcoming 近づきつつある

My boss always remains calm when she negotiates.

私のボスは交渉するとき平静を保っている

*remain my boss=calmの状態に留まる

*remainはformalな感触のverb

Hey, Chris. Let’s stop arguing about trivial things.

Okay. That’s a good idea. But, this is my chocolate. Not yours. So, hands off. Okay?

No. This chocolate is mine.

No. It’s mine. I’m telling you.

Hey, hey, hey. You guys! You need to stop arguing about the most ridiculous things.

Yeah. Okay.

And anyway. That chocolate is mine!

Huh!

See you guys, tomorrow.

Bye.

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

Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語

Hello everybody.   こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show.

This is Heather Howard.

Let's take a look at conversation at work.

Coping With Student Loan Woes (5)

Grace says the solution to the student-debt problem is not clear and recommends that young people take courses in personal-finance.

Ueda agrees saying it’s dangerous to make uninformed financial decisions and that financial literacy is just as important as reading literacy.

McMillan and Collins agree that financial decisions are difficult in any event.

Choice: Here, "choice" is an adjective. And it means the best, ah, select.

Something chosen out of various options is the best.

We also use "prime" the same way.

Like, people who have studied overseas often get prime overseas assignments.

Quality 極上の 質の良い

Getting back to: Grace says, "Getting back to the basic problem of student debt,"

Take a personal-finance course:

Make a lot of sense: The logic, ah, the reasoning behind something is strong.

The logic or reasoning holds up.

Things like, it makes sense to have extra disaster supplies on hand.

You never know when you'll need them and how much.

Have a solid grasp of:

Critical survival skill: A vital skill that allows us to survive, to get through.

And we can use this about actual physical survival skills. Like, learning how to start a fire, ah, use a compass, make a shelter. That sort of thing.

But Grace is talking about skills that help us get through modern life. Like, computer literacy is certainly a vital survival skill these days. I should ask the 20 some things in my office to teach me more.

*Truer words were never spoken. まさしくその通りです

Young adult: You'll often see this abbreviated as YA too.

Ah, like, ah, an article we talk about YA novels. Novels written for young adults.

Default:

Millennial:

The way I see it:

Financial literacy:

Magic bullet: McMillan says, "Having good personal-finance skills is important, of course, it's not a magic bullet."

Count one's pennies: Monitor one's spending very carefully and be very careful about how much we spent.

You might say, I want to go to Hawaii next year. So, I'm counting my pennies these days.

Or, we have to count pennies right now. Our department has a very tight budget.

Run a  tight ship: Conduct some operation in an efficient, well-managed way.

On everything, you can use this about everything from a business to a home.

Ah, the image is of a well-maintained boat. You know, with tightly pulled ropes.

My mother ran a very tight ship. Homework done early and always tidy up your toys.

No kidding.

Keep on top of: Remain fully informed or in control of the situation. Things like, he reads a lot of newspapers to keep on top of national events. Or, I use a smartphone app to keep on top of my calories and exercise.

Far from: Grace says, "the solution is far from clear."

"Not at all" or "hardly" would also work in these situations.

English also has the stand alone expression "far from it."

Ah, imagine someone asks you, "How was the book? Ah, was it boring?"

You reply, "Oh, far from it. It was very exciting and provocative."

Plan ahead: McMillan says, "It can be tough to plan ahead."

To plan in advance, to plan for the future. We plan ahead about all sorts of things. Like, my daughter's birthday is still a month away. But I'm trying to plan ahead to think about the party and her presents and everything now.

Consensus: Collins says, "There's no consensus among experts about the best investment and retirement-savings strategies."

Consensus is the general opinion, the agreement among a certain group.

We couldn't reach a consensus on when to have the party.

Or, the consensus in the office is we should delay the product launch.

That's all for today.

We hope you had fun. Bye.

…世襲議員の多くは、東京のエスカレーター式の学校に通って、受験勉強という競争を避けて育っている。彼らには地方で育った経験がなく、選挙時だけ地元に「出張」するという優雅な選挙態勢を敷くことが可能だ。

　小・中・高・大学とエスカレーター式に成蹊学園を上がっていた安倍(晋三首相)に、受験勉強のストレスや挫折などといった経験はないだろう。

  …首相（当時　麻生太郎）は、彼ら（ハローワークに相談に来た人々）には選びたくても選ぶ仕事すらない、という現実に気づいていないのだろう。それこそが、失業の恐怖や無職の不安、さらには将来に対する絶望を一切味わったことのない典型的な二世議員の言葉に他ならない。

  …（麻生太郎）は都心の名門校に通うどころか、自分のために学校まで作ってもらったのだ。

　これは、麻生の人生において象徴的な出来事だ。常に周囲が麻生に合わせてくれる「オーダーメード」の人生は、この後もずっと続いていく。

　…自らの子弟を大臣秘書官という要職に就ける議員は少なくない。将来の世襲のために政治の勉強をさせてあげよう、という親心なのだろう。

　だが、その給料が国費から支給されることなどはもちろんお構いなしだ。採用条件に、頭脳も経験も一切問われない。ただ一点、自らの血を享ける肉親でさえあればいい。そうした意味では安倍（晋三）は文句なしに有資格者である。

　外務大臣秘書官としての安倍（晋三）の日常は、事務所の他の秘書たちによって支えられてきた。安倍本人が、責任の伴う事務作業をする必要はない。華々しい外交の舞台で外務大臣である父（安倍晋太郎）のお供をすればいいだけの話だ。

…実際、安倍は時間つぶしに漫画を読んだり、ゲームをしたりしていた。お坊ちゃまということで、それを叱る秘書などもちろんいない。残業もなければ、難しい資料の山を読み込む必要もない。なぜなら、教育係の秘書が書類を持ち帰り、翌朝には万事そろえて届けてくれるから。これで胆力のある政治家に育てと期待するのが、土台無理なのかもしれない。

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

Business Communication in Action  実践ビジネス英語

Hello everybody.   こんにちは。みなさん。

Hello and welcome to the show.

This is Heather Howard.

Let's take a look at conversation at work.

Coping With Student Loan Woes (4)

Ueda envisions how the burden of paying off student-debt can affect other areas of life such as being able to purchase a car or home or start one’s own business.

Collins recommends that students consider study-abroad programs partly because experience studying overseas can be an advantage in one’s career potentially bringing a higher salary.

Be affected by: Be influenced by something. Be altered by it. Things like, she never lets her hiring decisions be affected by her personal feelings.

We also use "be affected by" to mean "moved emotionally or distressed by something."

For example, she was deeply affected by his speech on global poverty.

Potential income:

*Pose a threat to: McMillan says, "The student-debt problem poses a real threat to this country's social stability." Here, ah, "pose" means "present, ah, put forward." We use it in a lot of situations like, pose a question. John posed some interesting questions at the sales conference, for example. Or, oh, pose a problem. That's another common one, like, this production delay poses a real problem. Ah, can we make our announce to launch date?

Pause 立ち止まる

Increased inequality:

Spend a big chunk of one's paycheck on: A big chunk is a large piece or amount of something. Ah, and it can be a physical thing or non-physical thing, like, I spend a big chunk of my day answering emails. Or, rent takes up a big chunk of my income.

Paycheck 給与小切手

*the unbanked 銀行口座を持っていない人たち

Credit rating: The assessment of how likely we are to pay back debts. You know, and it determines whether we can get future loans and credit cards and such. You know, I remember  my mother, ah, telling me when I went to college, "Always pay back your credit card bill on time so you'll have a good credit card rating."

*negative list  ブラックリスト

Knock-on effect on: When one action or event, you know, causes subsequent events, like a string of dominos, knocking each other over. And we also say the domino effect. Losing our top employees had a real domino effect, for example. Production slowed down and that resulted in lower sales.

Domino effect ドミノ効果

Public purse: Public resources, public money. Ah, we also say the public coffers. Things like, the massive tax cuts are a big drain on the public curse. Or, improvements in infrastructure should come from public coffers.

Public Coffers?

Alternative for: Collins says, "One alternative for students is to consider study-abroad programs."

Limited financial resources: Financial resources that only go so far. So, not a lot of financial resources. Ah, it's also common to hear "limited means." And this refers to a small income, you know, small financial resources. His family has limited means. So he decided to go to a community college.

Plus: Ah, in this case, plus means "in addition, also." Imagine you are choosing a new apartment. And you like this neighborhood because it's quiet and safe. You tell a friend, "Plus, all the fast trains stop there. So I can get to work quickly."

Marketability:

Statistics show: Collins says, "Statistics show that students who study abroad for a meaningful period of time make as much as 20 percent more money during their careers."

When statistics show something, they illustrate it, they demonstrate the point. Ah, statistics show that voters want lower taxes. Or, statistics show that the job market is improving.

We also say things like, surveys show, ah, research shows, opinion polls show and so on.

統計数字という意味で通常は複数形を用います

統計学という意味では単数扱い

That's all for today.

Have good day. Bye.

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

And I'm Lindsay Wells.

You're listening to business communication in simple English.

Yes. Let's learn how to communicate better in the workplace.

Hi! I'm Lindsay Wells.

Hi, everybody. Are you ready to learn some business English with us?

Lesson 44

Okay. Let's listen to today's business scene.

Let's start with fair pay. First, how many of you have been to Myanmar? Let's see a show of hands.

*Hmm. Well, you could also say, "Could those who have been to Myanmar please raise their hands?"

Or, please raise your hand if you've been to Myanmar.

You could even say, "How many of you have been to Myanmar while raising your own hand?"

Thank you That's just 5. Okay.

Well, I haven't been there yet, but I'm going there next month.

Oh, that's good to know. Now, Myanmar has become a manufacturing base for the garment industry.

*manufacturing base 生産拠点

*production base

And you may have read that some companies there pay unfair wages.

*Unfair wages 不当に安い賃金

We hire auditors to check whether our local partners pay reasonable salaries 

and whether they do so on time.

*Reasonable:

When we say something is reasonable, we mean that it's fair or appropriate.

Could you understand?

Sophie asked the audience whether they have been to Myanmar.

Then she talked about what Shibuya Clothing was doing to protect workers in that country.

Business phrase of the day

Let's start with fair pay.

Let's start off with some current topics. 最近の話題から始めましょう

Let's start off with beer. とりあえずビール!

Similar expressions

I'd like to kick off my presentation with an overview of the Asian market.

First of all, let me talk about global warming.

要点が3つの場合　first of all

firstly / secondly / finally

To begin with, I'd like to ask you two questions.

=to start with

Practical business phrases

Show of hands

Shall we take votes by a show of hands?

Wage

The wage increase is on the agenda for the board meeting.

Reasonable:

That client's request sounds reasonable.

All right, everyone. Follow me.

Let's start with fair pay. First, how many of you have been to Myanmar? Let's see a show of hands.

Thank you That's just 5. Okay.

Well, I haven't been there yet, but I'm going there next month.

Oh, that's good to know. Now, Myanmar has become a manufacturing base for the garment industry.

And you may have read that some companies there pay unfair wages.

We hire auditors to check whether our local partners pay reasonable salaries 

and whether they do so on time.

That was great.

Tips for business communication

Well, one technique that I like is telling a short interesting story.

That's a great way to grab an audience's attention and introduce them to your topic.

Well, also a powerful or amusing picture or even a video clip can make an immediate impact on your listeners.

When a speaker uses one of these techniques, I'm usually hooked right away.

Hum huh.

Thanks for listening. And we hope to see you again next time.

Bye.

「ちょっと今から仕事やめてくる」　北川恵海より

P103 「いや、おかしいで？　新入社員がミスしてそこまで詰め寄るって、普通とちゃうよ」

P110 「隆にとって、会社辞めることと、死ぬことは、どっちのほうが簡単なわけ？」

鬱病･引きこもり…いろいろと批判されることもあるけれど、心にエネルギーがなくなってくると、誰でもこういう状態になる、ということが理解されていない。

今、そうじゃない－健康だと思っている－人は、ただただ、恵まれている、あるいは運がいいだけ。

仕事と命とどちらが大事？　と問われれば、大部分の人が「命」と答えるだろう。

しかし、そういう当たり前の判断ですら、できなくなるのが 鬱病 という状態。

何らかのきっかけで、生きる意味がなくなったと思い込んでしまうと、誰でも死を選ぼうとするだろう。

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

And I'm Lindsay Wells.

You're listening to business communication in simple English.

Yes. Let's learn how to communicate better in the workplace.

Hi! I'm Lindsay Wells.

Hello, everyone. Welcome to today's program.

Lesson 43

Okay. Let's listen to today's business scene.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Kenji Yamaguchi. I head the CSR team at Shibuya Clothing in Tokyo.

*"To head a group" means "to lead it."

It's a great honor to be invited here.

*When we say that something is an honor, we mean that it makes us feel proud. For example, it was truly an honor to work with you. Means, I'm proud that I could work with you.

We're going to cover three points today: fair pay, equal opportunities for women and education

*fair 公正な 公平な