3/4 (Wed.) 〜 3/7(Fri.)

実践ビジネス英語　　　Wednesday, March 4

1) Lyons tells the H&B staff that his parents don’t like living in Akron, Ohio, anymore due to their experience with some con men there. He says they are considering moving to Latin America and are now traveling there to get a firsthand look at the countries they are most interested in. Garcia and Collins say many baby boomers are drawn to Latin America by the lower cost of living.

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Golden Years in Latin America (1)

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2) sour on
Come to dislike something you once liked or were at least neutral about, such as, "They 'soured on' that job candidate when he demanded a huge salary." Or "He 'soured on' fish since he got food poisoning that time." We also use "sour" on its own as a verb. Things like, "Their outrageous demand 'soured' the negotiations." Or "Her arrogant attitude 'soured' her relationship with her boss."

3) con man
This is short for "confidence man," which no one ever says, and it's a person who tricks you into believing some scam to steal money from you. We also say "con artist." And "con" can be a verb, meaning swindle, trick, such as, "They 'conned' an elderly lady into giving them $100,000." Or "She 'conned' me into writing a report for her."

4) as we speak
Right now, at this very moment. Imagine someone asks, "Have you finished that report?" You could reply, "I'm writing the last page 'as we speak.' I'll be done in 15 minutes."

5) go further
Last longer because you are not spending as much or using as much of something. We also say "make something go further." Use certain tactics to spend less or use less of something. "I buy a lot of things at a 100 yen shop to make my money 'go further.'" Or "Everyone used less electricity to make the power supply 'go further.'"

6) get a firsthand look at
Observe themselves, see it in person. Something "firsthand" comes from personal direct experience. So you could say, "She lived in England. So she has 'firsthand' experience of the culture there." Or "He has 'firsthand' experience in the field of medical equipment."

7) on one's short list
A "short list" is a limited list of important things or people, very often the final candidates for an award or position or something. Things like, "We have three candidates 'on our short list' for the job." And it can be a verb too. Such as, "We've 'shortlisted' three candidates for the job."

8) be torn between
Have trouble deciding between two different things. For example, "He 'is torn between' working for a big, prestigious company and having more autonomy at a small one."

9) penny-pinching pensioner
A "pensioner" is someone living on a pension. We also say such people "live on a fixed income." So they are quite vulnerable to price changes, for example.

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実践ビジネス英語　　　Thursday, March 5

1) Garcia recommends carefully researching the countries in Latin America before moving there. And Lyons says his parents are studying Spanish and the area's history. Pearson praises their efforts and criticizes arrogant foreigners who don't bother to learn local languages or interact with local people. Lyons says his parents intend to live in their chosen country for six months to see how they like it.

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Golden Years in Latin America (2)

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2) well in advance
Or "well ahead of time," a good while before something, in other words. You could say, "You need to book a hotel room 'well in advance.'" Or "He always starts his research 'well ahead of time.'"

3) be buzzed about
Be excited about, happy about. Kind of a "Yeah! This is great!" feeling. You could say, "She 'is really buzzed about' her new job at the movie studio."

4) bone up on
This means to study or review some subject. I covered an environmental conference one year, so beforehand, I "boned up on" the key issues in that area.

5) be above
Pearson uses this in a negative sense, when a person feels they are too good, too lofty to do something. Likewise, these people think learning the local language is beneath them.

We also say, "not above something," when a person is willing to do something that others might consider bad or degrading. They are not too good or too lofty. And this can be a good thing or a bad thing, such as, "She 'is not above' lying to get what she wants." Or "He is a top manager but he 'is not above' doing overtime when the company needs it."

6) take the plunge
Like jumping off a cliff or something. This means taking a risk, doing something risky. For example, "She decided to 'take the plunge' and go freelance." Or "I've decided to 'take the plunge' and try paragliding."

7) take things one step at a time
Or "take things step by step." Go slowly, carefully, don't rush in headlong. Let's say, you want to start your own business. Before you just quit your job and open an office, you'd "take things step by step," research the market, check on the tax laws and so on.

8) of choice
The one they choose, the one they like. For example, "XYZ computers are the computers 'of choice' for graphic designers." Or "XYZ is the fashion brand 'of choice' for top businessmen."

9) get the lay of the land
This can mean ascertain the features of land of some geographical area, as in "I walked around our new neighborhood at lunch to 'get the lay of the land.'" But it can also mean ascertain the situation or the organization somewhere. Someone once told me, "Don't criticize a coworker until you 'get the lay of the land.'" In other words, until you know the different relationships in the office, until you know who is going to talk to who, who supports who.

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実践ビジネス英語　　Friday, March 6

1) Garcia says Costa Rica has more American residents per capita than any other country outside the United States. And Lyons says the WHO rates Costa Rica above the U.S. in terms of health care. Umemura tells the group that an increasing number of Japanese people are also spending time in other countries. And Lyons says retiring now is far different than it was 60 years ago.

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Golden Years in Latin America (3)

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2) world-class
Among the best in the world. Paris has many "world-class" museums, for example. You can see "world-class" operas and plays in New York.

3) believe it or not
This will be hard to believe, but... This will be surprising to you, but... Garcia used it before her surprising statement but it can come after. Imagine someone who speaks excellent English, so good, people think he lived in the States or Britain. You could say, "He's never been overseas, 'believe it or not.'"

4) per capita
This comes from Latin. It means "per person." We read about statistics like the number of cars "per capita" in a certain country, or the annual amount of beer consumed per capita.

5) Who knew?
"Who would have guessed?" is another way to say this. We mean, that's a surprising fact or situation. That isn't something I suspected. Let's say a colleague speaks fluent Italian. She never mentioned it in the office, so you say, "'Who knew?' That's great."

6) be taken aback
This means to be shocked, astonished. Imagine a person moving backward in strong reaction to something. For example, "He 'was taken aback' by the extremely low salary offer." Or "She 'was taken aback' by the inflated prices."

7) affordable
Within a range that someone can reasonably pay. We also have the verb "afford," which can mean have enough money, have the financial resources to do something, like, "John can 'afford' a better car since he got a raise." It can also mean, be able to do something without disadvantage or risk to yourself, as in, "I can't 'afford' to be late again. My boss is already mad at me."

8) spend one's autumn years
One's later years, golden years. I've heard twilight years as well. I'd like to spend my autumn years in Italy if that were possible.

9) proposition
Here "proposition" is a possibility and offer for someone to consider. "She found the 'proposition' of changing companies quite exciting," for example. Or "Voters rejected the 'proposition' of a 5% tax increase."

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