実践ビジネス英語 Wednesday, January 22
1) Umemura says a great many people are sick with the flu, and Lyons cites statistics illustrating how serious the health problem, the flu, is around the United States. Garcia assures Umemura that it's not too late to get a flue shot. And Umemura says he'll make an appointment although he hates needles. Lyons says getting a shot will save him trouble later on.
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Flu Season (1)
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2) come down with the flu: To "come down with" something is to contract some illness, usually an infectious condition like the flu or measles. I wouldn't say "come down with" a knee injury, things like, "I'm going home early today. I think I'm 'coming down with' a cold." or "My son's whole class has 'come down with' chicken pox."
3) you know it's...: We often use this construction to say, "This is a defining characteristic of something, a clear sign of it." And like Lyons, it's often used humorously. "'You know, it's ‘summer when your makeup sweats off in five minutes."
4) threat: Umemura had no idea the flu posed such a danger, in other words. You could also say something like, "Compay X's new hybrid car is a huge 'threat' to our sales."
5) leave something until: Not do something until a certain time, put it off until a certain time. For example, "She ‘left the report until‘ the last minute and had to stay up all night to finish." or "This project isn't urgent. I can ‘leave it until‘ next week."
6) there's no time like the present: This means we shold do somethig now. And it can be for many reasons, such as the circumstances are particularly right. For example, "With all the holiday sales, 'there's no time like the present' to buy new clothes."
It's now or never. などとも言う。
7) We also use it when something important should be done or started immediately. "'There's no time like the present' to start saving for retirement." or it can just be, "Why wait? Seize the moment," such as "Let's go to that art exhibit today. 'There's no time like the present.'"
If not now, when? などとも言う。
8) needle: Umemura is using the noun "needle" to refer to those sharp pointy, awful things. But we also have the verb "needle" which can mean prod or goad someone to do something. Here, too, the image is poking someone with a sharp object, "Come on! Do it! Do it! Do it!" And there is a nuance of being a bit annoying, being very persistent about it, such as, "He's been 'needling' our boss for a raise for months."
9) "Needle," the verb, can also mean "tease," "torment," such as, "Tyler is always 'needling' Alex about the big sunglasses she wears."
10) roll up one's sleeve: Lyons means literally "roll up one's sleeve," but we also say "roll up one's sleeves" to mean prepare to do some work, get down to some task. And the image is "rolling up our sleeves" so they don't get wet or dirty, so we are preparing to make some serious effort, like, "Okay, everybody, let's 'roll up our sleeves' and get this presentation finished by Friday." or, "I decided to 'roll up my sleeves 'and finally organized? my desk."
11) down the road: Later on, in the future. Lyons also could have said "down the line," such as "I might change jobs sometime 'down the line' but not right now."
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実践ビジネス英語 Thursday, January 23
1) Garcia describes how she used to avoid flu shots because of the potential side effects but changed her mind after getting very sick. She goes on to say that most American adults and children don't get flu shots. Lyons praises her for getting shots and says the constantly busy schedule at their company doesn't allow for people getting sick. He advises Umemura to wash his hands well to avoid catching the flu.
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Flu Season (2)
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2) runny nose: Forgive the image, but this is when mucus keeps flowing out of your nose. We also use "runny" for other cases where liquid is flowing out of things like "runny eggs." That's the yolk not staying together, it's flowing out. If your nose is all stuffed up, blocked, you can say, "I have a stuffy nose."
3) a doozy of: This means a remarkable example of something, something that makes you go "Whoa!" such as "Karen's report said we were ten million dollars in the red instead of ten million dollars in the black. That was 'a doozy of' a mistake." Or "He got 'a doozy of' a raise, 20% more a year."
4) lay someone low: If something "lays us low," it makes us very ill or sad. Think of being knocked down hard and unable to get up for a while. For example, "I was 'laid low' with the measles for a week." or "She was really 'laid low' by her dog's death."
5) dreaded influenza: Something that's "dreaded" is feared greatly or it's anticipated with distaste or reluctance. There's also the verb. For example, "A loner would 'dread' having to work in a group." And a noun, "He has a real 'dread' of public speaking."
6) no-brainer: Something so simple and obvious, no one should have to think about what to do, in other words. We don't really have to use our brain to figure it out. Imagine your company is looking for a new supplier. You could say, "This is a 'no-brainer.' Supplier X has the best products and the best price."
7) an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: This means taking small steps, actions to prevent a problem is much easier than dealing with the problem after it actually occurs. Like Garcia, we use it with actual illness and injury. Things like, "It's important to get a yearly medical checkup. 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.'" You could also say this about backing up computer files. It's less trouble to back up regularly than to replace an entire lost folder as I recently learned.
8) wash one's hands: You'll also hear the metaphorical expression, "wash one's hands of something." This comes from the Christian Bible, and it refers to Pontius Pilate renouncing responsibility for the death of Christ. And so we use it now to mean renounce involvement or responsibility for something. Let's say, you are a part of a project but your suggestions are never listened to, so you drop out. You say, "If they are not going to consider my ideas, I’ll 'wash my hands' of it."
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実践ビジネス英語 Friday, January 24
1) Lyons recommends washing one's hands for at least 20 seconds. Garcia describes how many people don't keep their hands clean and cites research showing that hospital workers only practice hand hygiene 30% of the time they are dealing with patients. She says some hospitals use sensors and cameras to check whether staffers are washing their hands, and Lyons says staffers who do wash properly get material rewards.
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Flu Season (3)
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2) make sure: Be absolutely certain to do something or that a certain situation exists, such as "'Make sure' to to put your ticket and your passport in your bag." Or "I called to 'make sure' they had a eservation."
3) get into the habit of: When we "get into the habit of" something, we make it a habit, we make ourselves do it regularly or becomes a habit something we do regularly, such as "She's ' gotten into the habit of' running before work every day." or "She's 'gotten into the habit of' interrupting people."
4) encouragement: "Encouragement" spurs someone on. It makes you feel you can or should do something. It's also common to hear the adjective "encouraging," which refers to something that gives us confidence, bravery or hope, things like, "This quarter sales are very 'encouraging.' Things may finally be turning around."
5) hand hygiene: "Hygiene" is what we do to keep clean to protect our health, and we put lots of different terms in front of "hygiene." "Dental hygiene" refers to things like brushing and flossing, for example. We also say "personal hygiene," which is keeping our own bodies clean.
6) you'd think: We often use this expression to mean "It seems like this would be the case but the situation is actually different," things like, "'You'd think' Julie would understand how to use the software by now. But she is still struggling with it."
7) conscientious: Garcia is using this word to mean careful, meticulous, thoughtful. "She is a very 'conscientious' translator," for example. She works hard to make sure her translations are accurate and the nuance is just right. It can also refer to people who act in accordance with principle, conscience. For example, "A 'conscientious' objector is someone who refuses military service based on their personal principles."
8) intensive-care room: In this case "intensive" means involving a high degree of something or requiring a high degree of it. You'll also hear terms like "labor-intensive" and "capital-intensive."
Intensive Care Unit = ICU
9) go to the extreme of: Go so far as to do this, to take this extreme action. Imagine an office where many of the staff are regularly late. You might say, "Our boss 'went to the extreme' of threatening to fire the next person who was late." I've also heard that some shopaholics 'go to the extreme' of freezing their credit card in a block of ice."
【原稿チェック： Kodo Ogata, Hiromi, Cecile】
【ディクテーション： Sanae】
