4/15 (Wed.) 〜 4/17 (Fri.)

実践ビジネス英語　　　Wednesday, April 15

1) McMillan introduces Sandra Graham, a product noise consultant from London, who has come to New York on behalf of the Noise Reduction Society. McMillan and Nissen praise her group's efforts to spread the word about the importance of quiet products and find ways to lessen noise pollution. Umemura says he was very surprised how noisy New York streets are when he came to the city.

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A Quiet Environment (1)

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2) What brings you to New York?
Why did you come here? What is your reason for coming here? I often use this when meeting other foreigners in Japan, at parties and such, I ask, "So what brought you to Japan?" And you could go the other way, too. Say, Mr. Sugita tells me he is going to Europe. I could say, "Ah! And what is taking you to Europe this time?" What is your reason for going there?

3) on behalf of
I've always used “on behalf of.” I have to admit I haven’t heard the other one.

"On behalf of" is "as a representative of" or "to serve the interests of. "It often appears in speeches, things like, "'On behalf of' company X, I would like to thank all our suppliers.” Or you could say, "Mary spoke up 'on Tom’s behalf,' defending him to our boss.

4) endeavor
Sandra Graham describes what the Noise Reduction Society does and McMillan says that’s a laudable endeavor. He uses "endeavor" as a noun, but it can also be a verb. A more formal way of saying "try." Things like, "I'll 'endeavor' to finish the report by Monday." Or "The company is 'endeavoring' to break into the smartphone market. I'd this more in writing than speaking, I think.

5) I'll second that.
I agree with that assertion, that statement. This comes from the practice of someone making a proposal and then another person seconding it, so it can be put to a vote. You can also say "I second that," or more informally "I second." So if someone said, "I think we should drop that product." You could reply, "'I second that.' Our customers just aren’t interested."

6) a cacophony of
A jumble of loud, unpleasant sounds. Things like, "The meeting degenerated into 'a cacophony of' shouting and cursing."

7) peace and quiet
These two words are very often used together, meaning calm, quiet atmosphere, such as "I think I'll skip the party. I need some ‘peace and quiet' after this busy day." Or "I'm so glad the construction has finished. Now we get some 'peace and quiet' around here."

8) incredibly
Umemura means extremely, but we also use this when we are amazed that something happened. Things like, "'Incredibly,' we made the deadline." Or "'Incredibly,' he'd never read our employee handbook."

9) take the time to
At the very beginning, McMillan says to everyone, "Thanks for 'taking the time to' join this working dinner." Thank you for using some of your time to do something. This can also mean spend the time to do something important. Things like, "He didn't 'take the time to' confirm his data." Or "It's important to 'take the time to' exercise."

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実践ビジネス英語　　　Thursday, April 16

1) Nissen describes how the loud music and endless chatting by the barber bothered him during the recent haircut. While Graham accounts how the taxi driver who took her to the hotel was also playing loud music and singing along. She tells the group how her organization runs a national helpline offering free advice about how to deal with noise pollution in various situations.
　

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A Quiet Environment (2)

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2) What was it that bothered you?
Umemura also could have said, "What was it that got on your nerves, annoyed you, irritated you?" Loud music leaking out of earphones that really "gets on my nerves."

3) piped-in music
Music doesn't actually come through pipes. It comes through wires and such, but this expression uses the image of pipes to be brought in, conveyed. And, of course, you can use it literally, things like, "50% of their natural gas is 'piped in' form a neighboring country.

4) endless chitchat
"Chitchat" is idle, unimportant conversation. I'd say this word is mostly used in a derogatory or humorous way. Things like, "There's too much 'chitchat' in the office recently. People aren’t concentrating on their work." Or "I like to 'chitchat' about my favorite movies on this online forum."

5) have the same luck
Have the same experience, the same outcome whether good or bad. We also say "I wish you better luck than I had." In other words, something didn't go well for me or didn't go as well as I wanted. I hope you do better. Imagine your boss turns down your request for a vacation, and a colleague is going to make a similar request. So you say, "I wish you better luck than I had."

6) ear-splitting volume
So loud, it felt like her ear drums would split. We also say "side-splitting." This means so funny, made us laugh so hard, we thought our sides would split.

7) given your line of work
A "line of work" is the type of work someone does, their occupation. My "line of work" is journalism. Mr. Sugita's is public relations.

What's your line of work? = どんなお仕事をしていらっしゃいますか？

8) It's all grist for the mill
"Grist for the mill" are things we can use to our advantage, to benefit us in some way. "Grist" is the amount of grain that can be grounded in a mill. You might say, "Our boss wants to drop this product and the poor sales figures are 'grist for the mill.'" It supports his assertions that this product should be gotten rid of.

9) lend someone a sympathetic ear
Listen sympathetically to someone's problems or concerns. We also say "lend someone a shoulder to cry on," console them when they are sad, listen to their woes. For example, "She is a great friend, always 'lends me a shoulder to cry on.'"

10) as it were
So to speak, you can express it this way. We often use this term with puns like Graham does. For example, "Air-conditioner sales have heated up 'as it were' in the hot weather."

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実践ビジネス英語　　　Friday, April 17

1) Graham says her group has spoken to emergency-service providers about making sirens less disruptive, helping other drivers and pedestrians ascertain more clearly where the vehicles are. She goes on to say that customers today want products that are well-made and function properly, but in a quiet manner. Umemura asks how she defines quiet and Graham says her society is always considering that question.

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A Quiet Environment (3)

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2) emergency-service provider
We use "provider" about many different businesses and organizations that provide some kind of service. There are cable TV providers, cellphone providers and healthcare providers.

3) vehicle siren
Here, "siren" is the loud wail coming from ambulances, police cars that sort of thing. It can also refer to something irresistible, incredibly tempting. This usage comes from nymphs in Greek mythology who lured sailors to their death with their beautiful singing. So today, a "siren call" means the lure, the appeal of some highly attractive thing. I'm trying to resist the "siren call" of my smartphone and not use it all day long.

4) less disruptive and more focused
A "disruptive" thing interferes with normal activity or process. It doesn't let something continue in a normal way. Things like, "It's very 'disruptive' when Carl keeps interrupting." And in this vignette, "focused" means more clear about where it is, where it's going. It can also mean concentrated on something, keeping one's attention on that, as in, "She is 'focused on' her career right now.
She is not thinking about marriage."

5) get a clearer idea of
Understand something more accurately. Ascertain more accurately what's going on. For example, "Our survey 'has given us a clearer idea of' our customers' needs." Or "This new data 'has given us a clearer idea of' economic situation."

6) to-do list
This is pretty simple. It's a list of things we need to do. You could say, "My 'to-do list' today includes going to the bank and getting a new pair of shoes."

7) among other things
This is one item on a longer list. Things like, "'Among other things,' company X manufactures tractors and cranes." Or "We've had many complaints about the new product. People say the battery runs out too fast 'among other things.'"

8) sonic surroundings
"Sonic" refers to sound waves. We often say "supersonic speed," meaning literally faster than sound or extremely fast, such as, "Many thanks to Jeremy, he compiled this report at 'supersonic speed.'" Or "She talks at 'supersonic speed.' Sometimes I can barely understand her."

9) definition
Umemura means what is the meaning of the word "quiet" to you? What does that word mean to you? "Define" can also mean describe or show something clearly and completely, such as "This report 'defines' our goals for the next fiscal year quite well."

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