09/09/09 (水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/09/09 (水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ Tysona's annoyed because he gots stock paying for lunch,when his host went to talk to people at another tables.His host seemed to be avoiding the waiter who brought the check.
Hughes says the guy took advantage of Tyson's good nature.

☆ "Cheapskate",cheap is very clear,something that doesn't require much money,skate is a little bit interesting.It seems to have been slang for a worn-out old horse.So if you call someone a cheapskate,they're worn out old,they don't pay for anything,they're tight with money,and you're really tired of them acting that way.

☆ Something that's eating you is irritating or bothering you,I think it's a really good way to say that you've been irritated because everybody can imagine having something is small chewing on you.

☆ Before your very eyes might be sort of an unusual sounding phrase,if you're not a native speaker."Very" can also be used to mean actual or real.It's not a very common usage these days.And this phrase is really kind of a set phrase,I think.
Magicians use this phrase sometimes,to say "You can see it happen before your very eyes.It's a magic.

☆ To be caught unwares is to be suprised.And usually,it's used with the s on unaware.

☆ Originally,to stiff someone meant you didn't pay a tip,it's slang from the late 30s,and people who'd go eat in a restaurant and not leave a tip or set to stiff the waiter.But it's expanded and it's used very often when somebody study either get stuck with a bill,they shouldn't have to pay,or doesn't get payed,for something that they should have been paid for.

☆ Heel is slang for a contemtible person,it came under the criminal word in the early 20th century.And they think heel was used because it would be the person in the lowest position and then Hughes describes that heel is no-class heel,not even low-class but no-class.He's using a very clear way to talk about how bad he thinks that person is.

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09/09/04 (金) 「実践ビジネス英語」 part-2

09/09/04 (金) 「実践ビジネス英語」 part-2

☆ spill the beans
So,if you spill the beans,that means you're telling a secret.Another expression which I really like is you let the cat out of the bag.Now,if you want to say something the opposite,which means that you won't tell the secret,you can say your lips are sealed,or that your secret is safe with me.

☆ devil's adovocate
Now playing the devil's adovocate,is very common in conversations,usually business meetings or the serious discussions in the States.And it means that you're intentionally taking the other position in a debate or discussion,so that you can explore topic more deeply,and so sometimes you will actually say the expresison,"let me play devil's adovocate for a second here".Or sometimes,though just do the action,just play devil's adovocate.

☆ titbit of information
Now titbit is a small piece of something.It can be used to describe a small piece of food,or more so.But it can also be used to describe information,titbit of information,or a titbit of gossip.And you can use titbit on its own to just indicate a small piece of information.

☆ grist for the rumor mill
Now, grist for the mill or grist to the mill literally means turning grain into flouer,through using a mill,but in a figurative sence it means something that you can be used for some benefit or advantage,so grist for the rumor mill,means that some new gossip is going to come out,you might also hear grape bine insetead of rumor bill in this situation.

☆ hair-rasing
So,something is hair-rasing,it's often raise scary,frightening,or sometimes,just thrilling or exciting.you might also hear "to make one's hair stand on end "that means the same thing as hair-rasing.

☆ come with the turf
So,"come with the turf" is a common expresion.you can also say "go with the turf" in some situation.And you might also hear "come with the terrible territory" or "goes with the territory" to mean the same thing.It means that something is expected in a particular situation,or perhaps it's unavoidable,you might also hear the expression,"par for the course"used in similar situaitons.

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09/09/04 (金) 「実践ビジネス英語」 part-1

09/09/04 (金) 「実践ビジネス英語」 part-1

S:Uh,Suzan,we've been discussing gossip in the workplace.Some people may view it as harmless but at some companies is it can be cause for termination as in the case of the company,Shiga Hiroshi mentioned.How do you feel about this,Suzan,do you gossip at work?
I:Hey who doesn't?But to be honest,I have done my sure of gossiping at work.But I'm uncomfortable with melicious gossip.I tend to be the type of gossip who is speculates on possible management decisions and strategy,particulally,when I've worked for organaizations that weren'T is transparent.The case Shiga Hiroshi and Tony Hughes were talking aboutremainded me of a case that received national attention in the U.S.,just two years ago.And about 4 civil servants,in a small town in New Hampshire.The four employees were fired for gossiping about an alleged affair involving their boss,their administrator.All four were fired at first and there was an outocry in the town protesting the decision.One or two were offered jobs back.But in the end,4 women sued the town and won a total of over 300,000 dollars in the settlement.
S:Perheps the town could have saved a lot of money if they had taken a lees radical approach to the problem.
I:Yes,and Jay Tyson said,this kind of problem can often be solved either through in-house disciplinary measures or by creating an environment in which open communication is encouraged.But gossip based on false rumors can be serious problem,but gossip that turns out to be true,can be equally harmful,it remains at the rumor level.
S:How so.
I:Well,if the rumor are true,but no one brings the matter to be open,but the problem may just get worse.When I was in a high school,there was a teacher who was a subject of many rumors among the students,there are whispers that he had been involved in inappropriate relationships with some of the girls in the school,and though he did seem a little creepy to me,I didn't think there was any real truth to the rumors.Several years later,I found that same teacher had not only been fired from my school,for an inappropritate behavior with female students,but he then got fired again,from a school in the different state for the same reason.It's a shame the truth didn't come out sooner.
I often wondered if the other teachers had any idea this was going on.It also remains me of a somewhat similar situation at a company some of my friends worked for a few years ago.
S:What happened ?
I:Well,they told me that there was a senior manager who was nortorious for sexual harrassing women at work.Unfortunately,none of the women were brave enough to come forwawd,as the manager had a lot of power in the company.I don't know for sure, but I soppose they were worried about effect on their careers if they accused him of sexual harassment.It was frustrating to hear about.Because,if no one ever confronted him about his behaivior,he would be sure to continue.And that manager has since been promoted.I can only hope his senior will know his ways.
S:Jay Tyson emphasized the need for managers to be aware of gossip and back-channel comunication.Managers need to stop rumors from getting out of control,and affecting employee morale.
I:Exactly.And that's why it's so important to keeep the lines of communication open at work.Pick up just about any business periodical from the past few months.and you're sure to find the article about the need for candor and open honest comunication in the workplace.Particulally,in these uncertain times,it's natural for employees to speculate on the company's future,if there are reasons to believe there were may be lay-offs,for example.
If senior management keeps a tight lid on information,it's not surprising that employees would try to fill in the blcanks themselves.This can be to an atmosphere of distressed and we're sure they have a deorimental impact on employyee morale.
S:Of course,in some cases,managers have a good reason to hold off on sharing information about potential layoffs.
I:Sure,but they need to consider the consequences of their ready sense.It's not always possilbe to lay all of one's cards on a table,but in more cases than that.honestly is the best policy.
I 've encountered this myself with some of my collegues in the past.My comments on an issue were misinterpreted and unbeknownst to me,they were been discussed among this colleages.
S:What happeed?
I:Well,luckily,it wasn't too serious of an issue.It just had to do with my stance for particular project.One of my coleages had read too much into what I had said.And eventually,another colleage mentioned it to me.The issue itself wasn't such a big deal.But what concerned me was that my colleage hadn't come to me directly,to clarify my comments,I had a talk with them among with my other collegaes,telling them that if they ever had any doubts about how I thought about something.They should ask me directly,instead of trying to guess.That seemed to do the trick,though it has made me more concious of how I phrase things in conversation and particulally e-mail.Tone can be easily misinterpreted.How about you,though,Sugita-san?Have you had problems with the gossip in places you worked in the past?
S:If gossip is saying something,usually negative about a person,when they are not there,it has existed in every society,from ancient times.I quoted an old Edo period joke,which appeares on page 60 of the text,And you'll make it a kick about it.
I:Well,it sounds like as though gossip has been common everywhere.I think a lot of gossip is essentially harmless,and can foster employee bounding sometimes.Again,this is if it's not based on a common foundness for melicious rumor mongering.
I think chatting about one's bosses,or about company decisions can give employees the feeling of being in the same boat,and can help build relationships.As long as it's not mean-spiritited to ,a little gossip is n't necessarily a problem.I don't think it's reasonable to think that any employer can put a complete stop to gossip in the workplace.But encouraging open communication can nip rumors in the bud.If more information is shared in up-front way,there may be less of a need for employees to gossip about it.

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09/09/03 (木) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/09/03 (木) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ jealous
"Jealous is very similar to envious in meaning.But the noun forms are very different.
Jelaous became jealousy.Envious is envy.

☆ backstabbing
Not only can backstabbing be self-destructive well,maybe not for your whole self,but for your career.But it's also considered cowardly.Because you're not directly taking on your,your perceived enemies.You're hiding it.

☆ dispel
I think people do sort of get a reputation for being a troubleshooter more informally,rather than formally in a company hierachy.

☆ eliminate
I think "I was made redundant" tends to be used a bit more in British English than U.S. English but North Americans understand it.

☆ all too often
Occationally,you hear the opposite phrase,"all too seledom".But I think "all too often" is more common.

☆ Can I have the OK……?
You could also use "green light" in this sentence.
Can I have the green light to buy the camera?

☆ Would it be possible ……?
It makes it much easier for the person to say,"No".And that makes it more formal,a bit more polite and a bit more of a remote question.

☆ May I have your permission……?
You could also start this question with "can".
Can I have your permission to go to the convention at Las Vegas?
All three questions are pretty much the same,but theri focuses are a little bit different.Probably the most common form would be "Can I have your permission?",using "can".
"May I have your permission?",I think,tends to be avoided among adults,because often in the U.S.,you don't want to focus on hierachical differences between people,when it's nessesary,of course,everyone is aware of those relationships.
Maybe children might be taught to say "May I?" instead of "Can I?"
And "Do I have your permission"sounds like You've already asked but you need the answer now,to meet some dealine or because of some time limit.

☆ There are many ways you could ask.Here is a good example.

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09/09/02 (水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/09/02 (水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ The group moves on from gossip and morale per se to managers who threaten subordinates with the bad economy and possible job loss.
Shiga says he thinks management based on fear is worse than useless.
Kim points out that employees can be as bad as their managers.

☆ This time,Kim used the expression "not-to-subtle".You can use "not-so"with hyphens and put some other adjective on there to kind of focus on and even emphasize that adjective.So "not-to-subtle".You could say, "not-so-clean".You could say "not-so-whatever".Because it's the opposite,it actually ends up intensifying the adjective that it's used together with.

☆ The phrase "slippery slope"is often used in English.Some people use it to say, "If you take that first step,you're gonna slide all the way down to bottom.There is no way to stop it.But it's used a little more specifically in logic,in debate.It's oten a fallacy,it's called logical fallacy,the slippery slope.Because in logic and debate,you need to be able to prove that each step along the way,from the top of the slippery slope to the bottom.You know,to the result, is proved.You have to prove each step along the way.But many people try to get passed all of that,just by saying "It's a slopepry slope,you put one foot there,you're the at the bottom.and they skip all the middle part.

☆ Kim uses the phrase,"Employees aren't above line".I think it's always used in the negative like this to say that they don't even draw the line on lying at lying about something.They don't feel they're better than people who lie.
I don't think I've ever heard it positively.They are above line.Although you could use it that way.I'm sure everybody would understand it.Probably you would hear the opposite also expressed as a negative,it would be something like I wouldn't lower myself to lying about a subject like that.

☆ "Natter"is an interesting word.Bacically it's the same thing as chatter or chat,talk sort of aimleessly but enjoyablely.But in the 70s,a formal Vice President used "natter" in the phrase that became really famous.He had a bad relationship with the media,and in one of his speeches,he called them "nattering nabobs of negativety.That phrase became really famous,you still hear it sometimes in the U.S.,so nattering means chattering,sort of uselessly talking.

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芋ほり

とある自然保護センターで、体験芋ほりのプログラムに参加してきました。
朝どたばたして行ったので、最初、気分がおちつきませんでしたが、よい体験だったといえましょう。会費300円のすいとんもおいしかったし。^^
その後、とある公民館の発表会に行って、盆栽とか書画とか見て、その後、服を買いに行きました。
秋の服は、アイロンをあてないといけないような服しかもっていなかったので。

でも、服は一枚ふやすと、5枚処分するぐらいの気合いを持ってないと、ワードローブがすぐ膨張しますよね～。気をつけよう。

映画「明日の記憶」は録画しました。明日からちょびちょびみます。

09/08/28 (金) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/08/28 (金) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ Shiga believes a lot of office gossip is a sort of harmless preview of real news.Hughes obeserves that it's hard to know who spread malicious gossip.
Tyson can accept some gossip if it reinforces the shared values.

☆ Shiga talks about "workplace busybudies".Busybudy,if you don't actually know what it means,could have a good interpretation,I suppose.Someone who's active and taking care of things,but a busybody is actually kind of an negative thing to call somebody,because it means they're porking their noses into other people's business when they shouldn't doing that.
Similar sayings are nosy parker or buttinsky.Both of those are kind of slangy.You could also call a busybody,a meddler.

☆ A"He said,she said" situation is a situation where there is no proof.It doesn't have to be male and female having a disagreement.It just needs to be 2 people,who are telling 2 different stories about the same event.It's used sometimes in court."He said,she said" actually used to be testimony in direct conflict.And I suppose you could still use that when you're speaking much more formally.

☆ I think in general English,"hearsay" is sort of a kindler,gentler version of gossip for rumor.

☆ Catty is an adjective that's been used since the late 19th century to mean something that's spiteful or not just directly,clearly spiteful,but kind of sneaky sly kind of spitefulness.
Ocassionaly,when someone makes a catty comment,you might hear other people respond with sort of a meow,saying "Boy,that was catty.Dont you think it should be a little nicer?"

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09/08/27 (木) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/08/27 (木) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ Hughes notes that gossip is often negative and spread like wildfire through organizations.Kim talks about another company with gossip trouble.
Tyson believes that maintaining an open healthy workplase discourges rumor-mongering.

☆ Hughes talks about a person but then he refers to a person as "they",this is becoming more and more common in English,because many people don't want to say,"he or she""he or she","he or she".It's irritating,but we don't have a neutural pronoun to refer to a person who could be male or female,some people even go through far as to say something like "they are not there to defend themself".I've also heard "they're not there to defend themself".

☆ Kim talks about "backstabbing"."Backstabbing" is a kind of betrayal,but it's used especially for someone who pretends to be a friend.Or a false friend who then goes on to betray you.
They act like a friend because they want to use you.

☆ Kim talks about the "guilty parties".Party is very often used in Enlgish to refer to individuals.

☆ Tyson uses a phrase "in house" .He could've said "internal"in this context,I think they are pretty much interchangeable.He also talks about rumor-mongering.Monger is an old,old English word that means seller or dealer or promoter,it's very similar to the word "peddler".Nowadays in modern English though,you don't hear it too often.It's here in rumor-mongering,it's used in war-mongering and another fairly common one is fish-monger.

☆ Shiga says "there's no smoke without fire",usually I hear this proberb,stated as "there's smoke there is fire".But everyone will recognize it even if he changes it slightly like Shiga did.

☆ I think it's refering mostly in phychological,your phychological system more than your physical system.


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ばたばた

中国語の教室と英語の教室の両方の代表になってしまい、お金の計算をしたりして、ばたばたとすごしています。代表が二箇所っていうのは、ちょっときついわ。当番制だからしかたないけど。
昨日は、英会話の授業の後、人にボールペンを貸して、そのままにしていたのを取りにその人達が行っている喫茶店に行って、ついでにお茶も飲んできました。150円ぐらいのボールペンを取りにいって、350円散財してしまった。^^;

英会話ももっとレベルの高い所に移りたいのだけれど、とりあえず代表をしている来年の3月までは移るのは無理そうです。第一、レベルの高い教室で安いとこ情報をまだキャッチしていません。

今日は近所でお祭りがありました。たいした規模の祭りではないけれど、やっぱり秋祭りは風情があって、いいですね。

毎日「ビジ英」一日分、「ニュースで英会話」二日分、「中国語」一日分をやるのが、ノルマですが、今日はクリアできませんでした。明日はがんばろう。

09/08/26 (水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/08/26 (水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ Shiga's suprised to learn that people in another Chicago company were let go for gossiping.Tyson says he is against any workplace gossip,he feels it's responsibility to keep track of gossip at Great Lakses.Because it can hurt morale and overall perfomance.

☆ "Bizarre"is spelled b-i-g-a-r-r-e in this case,and it means very unconventional.Something that's maybe even difficult to understand because it's so strange and unusual.

☆ Hughes chose to use a phrase "the story behind the story" to mean the background.Recently,however,though I often hear people substituting backstory for the background.Background is factual,it's what led up to the main event that you're talking about.Backstory,however,comes from a thearter or movies and it's the fictional background to some movie or thearter.Acters often need to know more about their characters and fictional backgrounds and that's been called "backstory".
Recently though,it's been creeping into all kinds of people's language as a substitute for background.

☆ Including me.

☆ A set-to is often short but very energetic fight or debate.Originally,it was used to talk about a "bout" in a boxing match.

☆ Juicy originally refer to fruit,especially that had a lot of liquid in it,a lot of juice.Nowadays it's used in quite a few other situations to mean things like sensational in this case.
It could also be colorful and rich and detail,it can also mean rewarding,especially something that's financially rewarding.

☆ Fracas is another English word for a fight.In this case,it tends to be sort of a blow or a noisy argument.

☆ If you're down on somthing ,it usually means you're against it,it doesn't have anything to do with feeling depressed.

☆ Tyson used the term "back-channel".In general English,it's usually used to talk about some kind of secret or unofficial means of communication and it tends to be used in political or deplomatic contexts.

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