2/19 (Wed.) 〜 2/22 (Fri.)

実践ビジネス英語　　　Wednesday, February 19

1) Umemura tells Breakstone and Lyons that his productivity has leveled off and asks their advice on how to improve it. Breakstone says his experience is a common one and recommends being careful about what he eats and when. She mentions a number of foods including fish and dark chocolate that have been shown to boost productivity. Lyons tells Umemura that he tries to do too much at once.

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Be More Productive (1)

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2) Do you have a moment to spare?: Umemura is asking if they have a few extra minutes or a little time more than they need. You could also say something like, "I made the train with 'ten minutes to spare,' so you got on the ] train ten minutes before it left."

3) What's on your mind?: "What's occupying your thoughts?" Or "What's worrying you?" Breakstone is asking. If I say, "The 2020 Olympics have been on my mind a lot lately," then I've been thinking about them a lot. "Have a lot on one's mind" is also very common. It means someone has many things to think about or worry about, such as, "James 'has a lot on his mind' with the new product launch."

4) plateau: Umemura is using "plateau" as a verb to mean stop increasing and level off, remain at the same level. You'll hear things like, "Our sales have 'plateaued' for the last three quarters." Or "Oil prices have 'plateaued' for the last few weeks.

5) It can also be a noun. Umemura could have said, "My productivity has hit a 'plateau.'"

6) lay off: In this case, "lay off" means stop doing or using something. There's a nuance here that it's something bad, you know, or that we're doing it too much. "He should 'lay off' fried foods, for example. Or "She should 'lay off' her spending.

7) We also use it to mean leave someone alone, as in stop pressuring them, criticizing, teasing, whatever. Let's say, a supervisor keeps criticizing an employee about a mistake over and over. You might think, "'Lay off,' already. You've made your point."

8) dissolute: This is a formal old-fashioned word. Breakstone is using it as a joke. It means indulging too much in sensual ] pleasures or vices, living in an immoral, immoderate way. The noun would be “dissolution.”

9) from what I know of: Based on my knowledge of something, Lyons means, from the information I have. You can also say things like "from what I hear, see, read" or "from what I've heard, seen, read," things like "'From what I hear' he is a very innovative designer." Or "'From what I've read' on
> social
> media, this product is very hot right now.

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実践ビジネス英語　　　Thursday, February 20

1) Lyons says multitasking temporarily lowers one's IQ and hinder short-term memory. He recommends eliminating distractions, such as social media, setting specific time frames to accomplish tasks and then focusing on them one by one in order of priority. Breakstone suggests that Umemura track his work flow for a week in order to determine the time of day in which he is most productive.

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Be More Productive (2)

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2) temporary drop in IQ: "IQ" stands for intelligence quotient, and it's a measure of a person's intelligence level. It's always written like this in upper case.

3) on one's plate: The things on our plate are what we have to do, to deal with, such as, "I can meet any time this week. I don't have a lot 'on my plate' right now."

4) We also use the expression "have a full plate," which means your work schedule is packed. You can't do any more. So you could say, "I 'have a full plate' all this month. Could we meet next month?"

5) prioritize: This can mean one of two things. Lyons means decide on the order of importance among different things. Let's say I have three translation jobs to do. I would prioritize, decide what order to do them in based on things like deadline and the amount of research involved. Another meaning is to give priority to one particular thing, such as, "The company has decided to 'prioritize' cost cutting next fiscal year."

6) all over the place: In many different places, everywhere. This can refer to actual physical location, such as "The conference room was a mess, papers and bento boxes "all over the place.'" Or "I searched 'all over the place' for an affordable attractive briefcase."

7) We also use it about things like data, statements, information that vary considerably, such as "This report is 'all over the place.' It covers way too many topics." Or "That company's track record is 'all over the place.' Huge successes contrasted with major failures.

8) set a time frame for: A time frame is the period of time for some particular action or task. For example, "The company has announced a five-year 'time frame' for its restructuring." Or "We can't possibly finish this project in that short a 'time frame.'"

9) think of oneself as: View yourself a certain way, consider yourself to be something, Umemura means. "See oneself as" is another way to say this. And they're often used in negative constructs as well, such as "I've never 'seen myself as' a leader." Or "He doesn’t think of 'himself as' a role model but he is.

10) morning person: A "morning person" is most alert and effective in the mornings. The opposite is an "evening person," someone at their best in the evenings. Likewise a person who gets up early in the morning is an early bird. A night owl is someone who usually stays up late, who's most active at late hours.

11) track someone's work flow: "Track" has a great many uses. Breakstone means follow something, observe its progress, its movements. A somewhat similar meaning is "be in an alignment with something," follow the same general course," such as "Company X's stock price tends to 'track' the
overall market."

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実践ビジネス英語　　　Friday, February 21

1) Breakstone says taking regular breaks can improve one's productivity, and Lyons adds that breaks are especially important for people who do all their work in front of a computer. Breakstone says she's learned to control her competitiveness over the years, which sometimes makes her mix up her priorities. As an example, she describes how
she used to be obsessed with improving her performance at the gym.

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Be More Productive (3)

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2) be more of: Lyons means these particular characteristics are stronger than something else. This is more true than something else, such as, "'I'm more of' an extravert than an introvert." Or "Cellphones 'are more of' a necessity now than a convenience."

3) every so often: Every once in a while, things like, "'Every so often' I get a massage to relieve stress." Or "I should delete all emails 'every so often.'"

4) push back: Breakstone is using the image of moving away from a desk, you know, physically getting away from our work. We also use the verb "push" to mean pressure someone to do something, urge them to do as if we were physically pushing them in that direction. For example, "He's been 'pushing' his boss for a raise." Or "They've been 'pushing' him to quit."

5) take a breather: This means take a short break or rest from something as if we were pausing to catch our breath. Let's say, you've been working on a report for two hours. You might tell a coworker, "I think I'll 'take a breather,' get some coffee."

6) get back to: In this case, "get back to" means return to some subject or task that was being dealt with earlier, as in "I'll 'get back to' this project next week. I need to finish this translation first."

7) over the course of one's career: "Over the course of" means “over the progression,"
the duration of a certain period, things like, "I got a lot done 'over the course of the day.'" Or "We'll be meeting with several clients 'over the course of the trip.'"

8) ingrained: Breakstone is using "ingrained" to mean deep-rooted, firmly fixed in something, as if competitiveness is part of the grain, the fiber of her personality. You could also say things like, "Cellphones have become 'ingrained' in modern society." Or "Corruption is 'ingrained' in that country's government."

9) We also have the expression "go against the grain," which means "in opposition
to someone's natural inclination or their preference." Something like, "He is very independent, so asking for help 'goes against the grain.'"

10) misjudge: Judge wrongly, judge incorrectly. "I 'misjudged' how long it would take to get there," for example. Or "I think everyone has 'misjudged' him. He is not arrogant. He is just shy."

11) And of course, we put "mis" on many words to indicate that something is done wrongly, incorrectly. "Misspell," you could say, "I 'misspelled' 'grammar' with an "e" at the end." Or "misinterpret," "She 'misinterpreted' his comments and thought he was asking for a loan."

【原稿チェック： Cecile, Hiromi, Sei Shimura】
【ディクテーション： Sanae】