実践ビジネス英語 Wednesday, January 8
1) Nissen says he's having trouble finding a good person to be product manager in the Fashion and Living operation. Asked what he looks for in a candidate, Nissen says he's become adept at reading body language, and that things like a candidate's approach and handshake can be the deciding factor in their interview. He and Garcia agree that first impressions are very important.
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Reading Body Language (1)
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2) read: Yes, we often use "read" to mean figure out what someone's character, their motivations, their wishes are through outward signs, such as "I can't tell if Paul is angry at me or not. He's very hard to 'read.'"
3) say: We often use "say" as Garcia does here to get someone's attention so that we can talk to them about something. You are letting them know that we are about to say something, such as "'Say,' John, do you know where the paper clips are?" or "'Say,' Victoria, do you have time for lunch today?"
4) be like looking for a needle in a haystack: A needle in a stack of hay would, of course, be very hard to spot. So this idiom refers to things that are very difficult to find. And that can be for a number of reasons, it could be a rarely, occurring thing, such as "Trying to find a hotel room at this time of year 'is like looking for a needle in a haystack.'"
5) You can also use it when you are looking within a wide area or an area filled with many things. For example, "Jason has so many papers on his desk. Finding that report 'was like looking for a needle in a haystack."
6) stay on top of one's game: Remain able to do your job as well as you can, perform to the best of your abilities. You can say things like, "He had a bad cold last week. So he wasn't completely 'on top of his game.'" or "Company X has been 'on top of its game recently, releasing three hit products."
7) look for: In this case "look for" means determine whether certain elements are present, certain characteristics, such as "This article tells you what to 'look for' when choosing a tax accountant. They should have this certification and this many years of experience."
8) We also say "look out for" to mean watch out for something, be wary of it. For example, "'Look out' for promises of very high returns when choosing an investment."
9) make the difference: Be the decisive factor in how something turns out, determine which way it goes. For example, "A good website can 'make the difference' between growth or stagnation for a company."
10) you don't get a second chance to make a first impression: This is a very common statement playing on "second chance" and "first impression." Garcia also could have said "first impressions count," meaning they matter, they have value or importance.
11) how about: Umemura uses this expression to mean what do you think about this thing we both know about, we've both experienced, such as "So, 'how about' this new product? Do you think it will sell?"
12) It can also mean "Wow!" about something. Isn't it impressive, shocking, memorable, whatever? And this too is used about things that the speaker and the listener both know about or have experienced, such as "'How about' that argument between Carl and Kevin yesterday? I was shocked." or "'How about' that seminar last week? I thought it was very disorganized."
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実践ビジネス英語 Thursday, January 9
1) Nissen criticizes an interviewee who fumbled with her belongings and had a weak handshake, but Garcia urges him to balance that against her accomplishments. Nissen says how one presents oneself is critical in their business but they understand how unnerving interviews can be. He describes his first job interview, in which the hiring manager intimidated him with a cold, unfriendly manner.
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Reading Body Language (2)
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2) was someone ever: We often use this to mean "Yes, someone or something was very much what you just said." So if I ask, "Was it a good presentation?" You might reply, "Was it ever. John single-handedly convinced the client to pick us."
3) Similar expressions pop up in many places. For example, you can stick an adjective on the end and put it in present tense, something like, "Marie got a new boss last week, and 'is she ever' happy."
4) come across: In this case "come cross" means make a certain impression, things like, "She 'came across' as bored in the meeting, always tapping her fingers." or "He 'came across' as very perceptive in the discussion."
5) track record: This refers to the past achievements, the past performance of a person or an organization. My dictionary gives two theories for its origin. Some people believe it comes from horse racing, but others say it's from track and field.
6) Things like, "She has a great 'track record' in restructuring companies." or "She has a bad 'track record' when it comes to negotiating with clients."
7) daunting prospect: Nissen uses "daunting" to mean intimidating, overwhelming. You could say, "Presenting his idea to the board of directors was a 'daunting' prospect." Or "She was quite 'daunted' by the prospect of her first overseas business trip."
8) shudder at: Nissen means the thought of something is frightening or upsetting. In this case, the memory of a terrible job interview. I "shudder at" the memory of my first newspaper article. I wrote that a women's marathon had been completed in two minutes 25 seconds instead of two hours 25 minutes.
9) monotone: The prefix "mono" means one, single, so a "monotone" is a single unchanging tone of voice. "Mono" also appears in words like "monopoly," "monogamy," and one of my favorites "monosyllabic." This means expressing something in words of only one syllable or expressing it very tersely. I once interviewed a "monosyllabic" actor. No matter what I asked, he replied, "Yes," "No" or "I don't remember."
10) talk about: We use "talk about" to mean that's a striking example of something. You could say, "'Talk about' unprepared, Mary didn't even have the pages of her report in the right order."
11) skip the pleasantries and get to the point: Omit, bypass the polite, pleasant social remarks and get to the key element, the most important element of something. We use "pleasantries" in both speaking and writing. For example, I might start an email with, "I hope this email finds you well." That would be a "pleasantry."
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実践ビジネス英語 Friday, January 10
1) Umemura says he's sometimes bewildered by body language and other nonverbal interaction in the United States. He recalls one incident in a Boston subway station in which a woman abruptly told him not to stand so close to her. Umemura says that since then he's become aware of the need to keep the right distance from people, but Nissen warns that too much distance can seem unfriendly.
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Reading Body Language (3)
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2) welcome: Nissen uses this to mean accept or receive something gladly. A company might say, "We 'welcome' feedback, good or bad, from our customers." It's also very common to say, "Someone is 'welcome' to..," meaning they are freely or cordially permitted to do something. Imagine one of your colleagues doesn't have a pen, you could say, "Oh, you're 'welcome' to use this one."
3) someone's body language says: The interviewer's body language was conveying this meaning, this message. For example, not answering an email promptly says, you are not important to the other person. Or "He still hasn't answered my message from three days ago. To me, that says he is not interested in our proposal."
4) cross one's arms: We also say "cross one's fingers," which means wish for a positive outcome or please may something go the way I wanted to, things like, "They announce the overseas assignments tomorrow. So I'm 'crossing my fingers' for Paris." or "I'm making my proposal to the boss today. So 'cross your fingers' for me."
5) very clear: Another way to say this would be "crystal clear." Crystal is see-though, so it's perfectly clear, perfectly obvious what's inside it. For example, "Our boss made it 'crystal clear' he would not tolerate lateness."
6) On the other side, we have the expression "clear as mud," meaning not clea at all. You could say, "These instructions are as 'clear as mud.' I can't understand them at all."
7) snap: Umemura means speak curtly and angrily to someone. If someone bumped into me and I said, "Hey! Watch it." That would be "snapping" at them.
8) We also use "snap" to mean lose one's self-control, to have it give way under some strain. Imagin the person next to you at work is cracking his knuckles all day long. You keep quiet for a while, but you might finally "snap" and say, "Would you please stop that? It's really annoying!"
9) keep a proper distance: Umemura uses "proper" to mean in keeping with social or moral rules. In Japan, for example, the "proper" way to hand someone a business card is with both hands.
10) We also say "keep one's distance." And this can mean avoid physical proximity and limit interaction or involvement, such as "'Keep your distance' from Virginia. She often bad-mouths people to our boss." or "Consumers have 'kept their distance' from company X's products since the recall scandal."
11) I understand where you're coming from: "Where someone's coming from" refers to the reasons, the experience behind their opinions or their actions. Nissen is saying, I understand why you feel the need to keep a sufficient distance from people. Imagine someone who turns down a lucrative job offer because it would involve a lot of overtime. You could say, "'I understand where you're coming from.' You wouldn't have any free time."
【原稿チェック： Hiroko, Hiromi, Kodo Ogata, Cecile】
【ディクテーション： Sanae】
