4/29 (Wed.) 〜 5/1 (Fri.)

実践ビジネス英語　　　Wednesday, April 29

Lyons meets with the H&B staff who belong to the Millennial generation to discuss how to approach that demographic. Garcia expresses frustration at how Millennials are often accused of being selfish, lazy and indecisive, and says Millennials are actually active volunteers, read newspapers on the Internet and try to be good global citizens. Umemura says Millennials are also wrongly thought to be poor communicators.

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Sizing Up the Millennials (1)

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2) get a handle on
This expression appears to have two basic meanings. The first is to understand something. Things like, "Company X never 'got a handle on' what consumers want. That's why it failed." The other is to get control of some problem, as in, "We need to 'get a handle on' this excess spending. Our costs are way too high."

3) rest on one’s laurels
Stop trying, stop working because we are satisfied with our achievement so far. And this is usually considered a bad thing to do. For example, "Sales are down because company X has 'rested on its laurels' product-wise. It hasn't adapted to the changing times."

4) be sick and tired of
Really fed up with something, really exasperated with it happening. You could say, "'I'm sick and tired of' these endless meetings. They are waste of time." Or "'I'm sick and tired of' his complaining. Everybody's working hard these days."

5) self-absorbed, lazy and indecisive
"Indecisive" people have trouble making decisions. They are marked by indecision. "Indecisive" can also mean doesn't conclude or settle something, such as, "Ultimately the negotiations were 'indecisive.' We couldn't agree on contract terms."

6) unflattering
Make something seem or look less attractive, make it look bad. Things like, "That's an 'unflattering' color. It makes him look pale." Or "There was a very 'unflattering' article about our customer service."

7) set the record straight
Clarify that this is the truth of a situation, not this other mistaken belief, such as, "A lot of people think Caron stole Paul's idea. But she didn't. We need to 'set the record straight.'" Or "Our company has been accused of exploiting employees, and it's time we 'set the record straight.'"

8) admittedly
I admit I acknowledge this truth, Garcia is saying. For example, "Sales increased last year though admittedly not as much as we expected."

9) myth
In this case, "myth" means a popular belief or idea that has developed about something, but isn't actually true. It's often said that human beings only use 10% of their brains, right? But that's a "myth." We also refer to "the myth of something." I've seen headlines like "the myth of" America's manufacturing recovery. Or "The myth of" work-life balance.

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実践ビジネス英語　　　Thursday, April 30

1) Nissen describes the mistaken impression of Millennials as too lazy to write proper English. And Lyon says Millennials are the first modern generation to have greater loan debt, poverty and unemployment than the previous two generations. He also says only 26%
of Millennials are married compared to 36% of Gen Xers and 48)% of baby boomers at the same age.

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Sizing Up the Millennials (2)

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2) blinkered
Narrow-minded, or having a very limited viewpoint, perspective. Imagine those patches put over horse's eyes, so they can only see in front of them. Those patches are called "blinkers" or "blinders." So we also say "have blinders on." That means unable or unwilling to see the true situation around someone, such as, "The board of directors 'has blinders on.' They won't admit we need major restructuring."

3) upstart
In this case an "upstart" is a new person who doesn't show the proper respect for their elders or more experienced people. New to some group, newly successful, that kind of thing. So you could say, "That 'upstart' has worked here for six months and she is contradicting 10-year veterans."

4) can't be bothered to
Won't make the effort to do something. We often use this sarcastically when there's actually not much effort involved or it's foolish not to do something, as in, "John 'can't be bothered to' double check his data. Apparently he never makes mistake."

5) open up a can of worms
If we open literally a can of worms, they'll squirm out, get all over the place, right? So this means unleash a lot of problems or a complex set of problems, such as "We 'opened a real can of worms' when we merged those two departments. Everybody is fighting over what they are responsible for, how much salary they get."

6) precede
To "precede" is to come before, and "predecessor" is someone who came before in a certain job or position. You could say, "Everyone likes our new boss more than her 'predecessor.'" The opposite expressions are "succeed" and "successor," as in, "Some jobs require you to hire your own 'successor,' the person who will replace you."

7) factoid
"Factoid" has two meanings. The one used here is a brief interesting fact, like, "I heard an interesting 'factoid' today. A famous bridge in San Francisco can move up or down by about five meters depending on the weather." It can also mean a made-up fact that's believed because it's in print.

8) chew on
Consider, ponder, think. What does this mean? What do I want to do? Such as, "This sales data has given us a lot to 'chew on.'" Or "The client is going to 'chew on' our proposal and give us an answer next week."

9) the sad truth is
McMillan says "the sad truth is" that Millennials have lower levels of wealth and personal income than boomers and Gen Xers. He also could say "the unfortunate truth" or "the sad fact." Things like, "'The unfortunate truth is' Jerry is not very good at his job." Or "'The sad fact is' we've got to let three people go next month."

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実践ビジネス英語　　　Friday, May 1

1) Nissen says the people born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s are generally considered Millennials. Lyons describes them as the first generation to grow up with things like the Internet and mobile technology. And McMillan adds that they are far more likely than older people to support gay rights. Umemura says marketers' preconceived ideas are hindering their ability to connect with Millennials.

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Sizing Up the Millennials (3)

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2) be clear about
Make sure there's no confusion or doubt, leave no confusion or doubt, such as, "Our boss 'is always clear about' what he expects us to do." Or "The client 'wasn't clear about' what services they want."

3) qualify as
Meet the requirements, the standards for something. Things like, "That doesn't 'qualify as' a business expense. So you can't take a tax deduction." Or "He took an exam to 'qualify as' a nursing care worker."

4) digital native
Someone born around or after the widespread introduction of digital technology. People like that have been exposed to digital technology nearly all their lives. Mr. Sugita and I would be called "digital immigrants."

5) tectonic
If we are talking about geology, a "tectonic" shift would mean a shift in the structure of the earth surface. Here, we mean a major change, one that has a significant impact. So you could say, "That designer is targeting teenagers now instead of professional women. That's a 'tectonic' shift in their market."

6) imaginable
McMillan also could have said "hardly conceivable," or "almost unimaginable," "almost inconceivable."

7) figure out
Find the solution to some problem, solve some mystery. Things like, "I can't 'figure out' what this paragraph means." Or "I can't 'figure out' why Abby is so irritable lately."

8) what makes someone tick
What motivates someone. What causes them to behave certain ways. Like their clock and these are the mechanisms that make them run. So you could say, "This research will help us learn 'what makes our customers' tick,' show us what motivates their buying decisions."

9) wake up to the fact
Become aware of some truth, some situation that we've previously been blind to, as in, "The company has finally 'woken up to the fact' that it needs to market through social media." Or "Jerry has finally 'woken up to the fact' that his jokes are sexist."

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