最近、よくみかける英語本に、英語が会社の公用語になる、
というタイトルのものが多いです。
今回は、「英語が会社の公用語になる日」工藤 紘美 (著)
を読みました。
著者の方は通訳翻訳会社を経営されていますが脚本家でもあります。
そのため、本著はドラマのシナリオを読むように、読み進めることが
できました。
ある製造業の創業者がある日、娘(MBA経由外資コンサル)に社長を譲ります。
娘は会社のグローバル化のために英語を公用語にします。
会社の若手社員は英語を勉強せざるを得なくなります。
そこでいろいろと通訳仕込みの勉強法が紹介されます。
一方、ベテラン社員の中には反発するものもあり、娘(新社長)は悩みます。
そんな話です。
小説のハゲタカで、ミカドホテルを継いだ松平貴子を何となく思い出しました。
■NHKラジオ 実践ビジネス英語 2011/05/11 Lesson 3 Smart Job Interviewing (4)
http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business2/index.html
■前回の復習です
trite
oft-repeated claim
downright
alleged
norm
■意味を考えてみよう。今日取り上げる単語が含まれています
Employers start talking about remuneration when they feel
a candidate is suited for the job and they're considering
making an offer.
I'm sure everyone remembers the woman in her late 40s
who wore all that flashy jewelry.
Then there was the guy in his 50s who erred on the side of
being too modest about his accomplishments.
He was self-deprecating to the point where I wondered
whether he wanted us to hire him at all.
Let's put the shoe on the other foot for a bit.
──────────────────────────────────────
remuneration, 報酬
──────────────────────────────────────
Someone's remuneration is the amount of money that
they are paid for the work that they do. [FORMAL]
ex) the continuing marked increase in the remuneration
of the company's directors.
──────────────────────────────────────
flashy jewelry, 派手なアクセサリー、けばけばしい宝飾品
──────────────────────────────────────
If you describe a person or thing as flashy, you mean
they are smart and noticeable, but in a rather vulgar way.
[INFORMAL]
noticeable 目立つ
vulgar 下品な
ex) a flashy sports car
──────────────────────────────────────
err on the side of, ...しすぎて失敗する、必要以上に...である
──────────────────────────────────────
If you err on the side of caution, for example, you decide
to act in a cautious way, rather than take risks.
ex) They may be wise to err on the side of caution.
err = make a mistake
to err in human = 人間が間違うのは自然なことである
──────────────────────────────────────
self-deprecating, 卑下した、謙遜した
──────────────────────────────────────
If you describe someone's behaviour as self-deprecating,
you mean that they criticize themselves or represent
themselves as foolish in a light-hearted way.
──────────────────────────────────────
put the shoe on the other foot, 立場を逆にする
──────────────────────────────────────
the boot is on the other foot, the shoe is on the other foot
If you say that the boot is on the other foot, you mean
that a situation has been reversed completely, so that
the people who were previously in a better position
are now in a worse one, while the people who were
previously in a worse position are now in a better one.
ex) The fact is, I'm in the job. You may have assisted
along the way, but as far as I know you're not in a
position to remove me. The boot is now on the other foot.
──────────────────────────────────────
その他にも、次も押さえておきたい。[誌面の都合上省略] ★は重要表現
──────────────────────────────────────
rule of thumb, (経験から)一般的に言えること、経験則、一般則
talk dollars and cents, お金の話をする
to the point where, (...する)段階にまで、(...する)ほど
must-ask, 尋ねなければならない
■もう一度読んでみよう
Employers start talking about remuneration when they feel
a candidate is suited for the job and they're considering
making an offer.
I'm sure everyone remembers the woman in her late 40s
who wore all that flashy jewelry.
Then there was the guy in his 50s who erred on the side of
being too modest about his accomplishments.
He was self-deprecating to the point where I wondered
whether he wanted us to hire him at all.
Let's put the shoe on the other foot for a bit.
■前回の復習の答えです
trite, ありふれた、陳腐な
oft-repeated claim, しばしば繰り返される主張
downright, まったく、とんでもなく、紛れもなく
alleged, 申し立てられた、...であるとされている
norm, 標準、基準、普通のこと、当たり前のこと