- 18 金 Lesson19 Ethical Values (6)
Our current vignette describes how Alyce Collins returned a lost smartphone and turned down the owner’s offer of a reward. Opinions differ, whether she should have taken the money. What’s your position, Heather?
I’m with Alyce and Pat McMillan. To the greatest extent possible, I think good deed should not be transactional.
Do we really want to live in a world where people only help each other if they think they can get something out of it or have to pay others to be decent?
If I incur some truly significant expense or put myself at serious risk, oh, okay. incur, 損害などをうける
Maybe then I should be compensated. But even then, I think I would try to avoid it except in extreme cases. There’s enough greed in the world. Enough people who always wanna know what’s in this for me. I don’t wanna add to the avarice.
So, you wouldn’t want part of the money if you found a wallet in Tokyo?
No. I couldn’t accept it. That’s someone else’s money earned through their hard work. Hope they earned it through hard work. They would already have gone through the stress and inconvenience of losing their wallet. And then I take away from some of the relief of getting it back by helping myself to a slice of their money?
Some might say, “Well, you did help them get their money back. So shouldn’t you be compensated in a way for that service?”
Again, I’d say “no” because I think I have a moral obligation to try and help them get their money back.
If I helped a lost child find their mother and the mother tried to give me money in thanks, I would absolutely refuse it. I think it’s the same sort of thing.
The vignette also talks about how different countries have different customs.
What some see as friendly gestures or kind of business expense, others consider graft or bribery.
I was traveling once in a foreign country – let’s not stay which – and I was at a local travel agency arranging to go on a boat cruise or something. All of a sudden in walks a policeman. He didn’t say a single word, and neither did the staffer who was helping my husband and me. She just pulled an envelope out of a drawer, with nothing written on it, and handed it to the cop. He walked out and she went right back to helping us.
Another tourist we met on that trip was involved in a traffic accident. She said that three different policemen showed up almost immediately after the crash demanding bribes from her taxi driver.
I’ve heard similar stories. For example, when I was running a public relations firm in Tokyo, 広報活動
one of my clients was a new general manager for a certain country in a certain corner of the world.
He was having trouble getting his furniture through customs, and the customs officials dropped hints that a little baksheesh could perhaps speed up the whole process.
They wanted a few hundred dollars. That wasn’t too bad, but irrespective of the amount, it was against company policy to pay money under the table.
Then what happened?
The customs officials said, “All right then, we’ll go through the regular procedure and keep your stereo set, sofa and other stuff in our temporary warehouse. You’ll probably get them all by the end of the rainy season in a month or two. Oh, by the way, there’s no roof on our warehouse.” It was a catch-22. どうもがいても解決策が見つからないジレンマ［板挟み状態
What’s right, what’s fair and what’s in your best interest may be different things to different folks.
How was it resolved in the end?
You don’t want to know, Heather, I assure you.
Well, now I’m really intrigued.
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好機逸すべからず
Do not catch a good opportunity.
Opportunity seldom knocks twice.
好機は二度と訪れない
Fortune knocks at least once at every man’s gate.
幸運は全ての人の戸口に少なくとも一度は訪れる
実践ビジネス英語 2019/1/16
16 水 Lesson19 Ethical Values (4)
Ethical Values (4)
Salmans says there’s a lot of wrongdoing in business. And McMillan adds that moral behavior is often seen as unnecessary. Ueda thinks that attitude will harm companies. And Collins says universities are trying to instill more morality in the world of computer science. McMillan says they’re trying to teach the next generation how technology will affect the world.
instill 吹き込む、教え込む
corruption 汚職、腐敗
Dishonest or illegal behavior, ah, especially by powerful people. It often, overlaps with “graft.” But it isn’t necessarily the same thing. Imagine I’m a government official. I get a friend a cushy job that he is not qualified for.
That’s corruption. But it’s not graft because I didn’t get any money from it or some other, benefit.
graft 汚職、収賄
Attaining money or some other gain in a dishonorable way. Like, she was fired for graft. She was taking bribes from suppliers. Or, Company X is being investigated by the nation’s anti-graft agency.
You name it. ありとあらゆるもの。何でもかんでも。
Anything you can think of applies. For example, you name the book, he’s read it. So he’s read many many books. Or, you name the anime, she’s seen it.
Everything one can think of. どんなものでも。
You name it, we’ve got it. 当店にないものはありません
You name it, we can handle it. どんなことでも対応できます
trump より勝る、凌ぐ
frills 余計なこの、虚飾
McMillan says, “Things like human rights and preserving the environment have too often been seen as frills.” Something decorative and desirable but not necessary. A luxury or decorative item. You might say, “She likes to dress very simply. No frills.” Or, this no-frills travel package includes just airfare and accommodations.
No-frills travel package 余計なものがついていないシンプルなもの
ultimately 究極的には、結局
self-destructive 自滅的な
be defined by -, 〜によって規定される、定義される
This will determine its value or will be its key feature. Such as, last year was defined by many personnel changes
at the company. So that was like the biggest event that happened, the biggest thing involving the company.
Or, women shouldn’t be defined by their looks. They should not be their value. nShould not be determined by how attractive they are.
transparency 透明性
Openness in one’s dealings, one’s actions, not hiding things. It’s very common to hear about transparency in government. Not hiding why the government does things. vOr how deals get made.
prioritize 優先させる
nurture 育成する
stand up to outside scrutiny 外からの厳しい目に耐える
Withstand investigation. Withstand examination from the outside. Prove to be good and right under this examination. Her excuse doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. So that means if we examine her excuse, think about it,
we realize it’s not good, it’s not legitimate. Or, the company’s financial documents stood up under the audit.
So, an audit was held and the financial documents were shown to be properly prepared and accurate.
n the wake of - 〜を受けて、結果として
Collins says, “In the wake of fake news and other troubles at tech companies,” This expression uses the images of a ship passing. Leaving waves behind itself. And it means following something, as a result of something. And it’s usually about some kind of negative event. Or an event that stirs up a situation that makes waves. Such as, the restaurant closed in the wake of the sanitation scandal.
technologist 技術者、科学技術者
morality 倫理、道徳
self-driving car 自動運転車 =autonomous vehicle
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That’s what you get when - 〜する時にそういうことが起きる
Up at the top, Salmans says, “That’s what you get when maximizing profit trumps everything else.”
That’s the result of this. Ah, that’s what happens. Imagine no one will help a co-worker finish his report.
You might say, “Well, that’s what you get when you’re so rude to everyone.” He was so rude to everyone no one wants to help him. Or, I might say to myself, “I’m so out of shape. Well, that’s what you get when you don’t exercise.”
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money laundering 〔不正・違法な手段で手に入れた金をある金融機関に預け入れて、そこから他の金融機関へ送金することにより出所を隠すこと。〕
wrong doingの例として
bribes, corruption, graft, excessive entertainment, money laundering
money laundering
実践ビジネス英語 2019/1/17
17 木 Lesson19 Ethical Values (5)
McMillan says technology is partly responsible for deteriorating ethics making it far easier to cheat and plagiarize.
Ueda gives more weight to how widespread bad behavior is including among famous athletes and business executives. Collins says peer pressure can be effective in stopping an unethical behavior.
figure out 〜と理解する
Up at the top, McMillan says, “It’s not difficult to figure out that the erosion in ethics has been fueled at least partly by advances in technology.” When we figure something out, we find the solution to a problem, we solve a mystery.
You might say, “I can’t figure out what the sentence means.” Or, I can’t figure out why Abby’s so nervous lately.
erosion 衰え、低下, erode動詞
This can refer to rock and other things, wearing away under the impact of wind, sand, water. The verb is “erode.” McMillan is using this image metaphorically. And he means something being gradually ruined or destroyed. Like, trust has eroded between management and labor. Or, the NPO protested the erosion of international agreements.
be fueled by - 〜によって加速される
advances in technology テクノロジーの進歩
plagiarizing 盗用すること、盗作する
Stealing, ah, someone else’s writing and passing it off as their own. The verb is “plagiarize.” The noun is “plagiarism.” I knew a reporter actually who got in trouble for plagiarizing another journalist’s articles.
widespread 蔓延した、広く行き渡った
a bigger factor is the way bad behavior is widespread and blatant
blatant あからさまな、目に余る
Obvious and offensive. Things like, the company blatantly favored men in its hiring practices, up to use the adverb.
Or, he says that was his idea? That’s a blatant lie. It was mine.
role model for -, 〜の手本となる人物、役割モデル
Performance-enhancing drug 運動能力向上薬
Drugs that artificially improve a person’s physical performance. Give the more stamina, more strength, whatever.
The athletes pledged not to use performance-enhancing drugs. Or, she was convicted of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
exec (= executive) ホワイトカラーの管理職
cook the books 帳簿をごまかす
This is fraudulent accounting practices, inflating sales, hiding losses, whatever. To make a company or organization look more successful or hide wrongdoing. There’s also a favorite term of mine, creative accounting, which is of course a contradiction in terms. Accounting is not supposed to be creative in any way.
cook 料理する、でっち上げる
We also say, “cook up a lie.” Same idea. Making up a false story.
rot 腐敗、堕落。 動詞も
McMillan says, “The rot starts when people start believing that nothing is out of bounds, when success is at stake.”
Here “rot” is corruption, moral decay, uses the image of rotting wood or food, something like that.
You might say, “The rot runs deep in that country’s government. There’s a lot of corruption.”
rotten 腐った、a rotten apple
Nothing is out of bounds when success is at stake. 成功がかかっている時は、何をやってもいい。
out of bounds, OB コース外のペレー禁止地域、
Out of bounds means off limits, not permitted. If a player is out of the designated area, their actions don’t count.
Like that would have been 一本 throw but they are both out of bounds.
In the non sporting world, you might say personal questions are out of bounds in a job interview. You can’t ask about sexual orientation, or plans to have children, for example.
スポーツ以外では、逸脱するとか、出すぎて
“at stake” means ready to be won or lost. you know, on the line.
This is what we’re trying to get what we want and we might not. For example, his job is at stake. He’s got to meet his sales quota of this month.
dress rehearsal for real life 実生活のためのドレスリハーサル、舞台稽古
A dress rehearsal is a full rehearsal with everybody in costume, and you also do like lights and the the other stage
elements. Usually one of the final rehearsals before you actually go before an audience.
There are no dress rehearsals for parenthood, you might say.
peer pressure 仲間からの圧力、同僚からの
feel in one’s gut 直感的に感じる
gut feeling 直感 勘
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cheat on a test 試験でカンニングをする
three-quarters of American high school students are admitted that they had cheated on the test.
cheat in an examination
カンニングは和製英語
cunning ずるい、
cheat at the cards トランプでいかさまをする
cheat on one’s wife 妻を裏切って浮気をする
名詞でcheat ずるいやつ、詐欺師