実践ビジネス英語 2019/2/14
14 木 Lesson21 Too Sick to Go to work (5) Too Sick to Go to Work (5)
Ueda says sick people don’t have the energy to write lengthy emails. And McMillan wonders whether taking a mental health day is acceptable. Salmans says that is largely dependent on how dedicated an employee is considered to be. And that a reliable employee is more likely to be given some slack by their boss.
slack 一休み、息抜き
unwell 気分がすぐれない
mentally tired 精神的に疲れた
McMillan says, “there are days when I feel great physically, but I’m mentally tired.”
“mental health” day メンタルヘルスデイ。心の健康デイ、ストレス疲れから体を休めて、精神的に健康な状態になるために、休養をとる
Basically, a holiday taken because we want to relax and refresh, not because we’re sick or have a task to take care of.
We also have the term “personal day.” a day that we take off when we need to handle personal affairs. You might take a personal day to take an elderly relative to the hospital or to go to your child’s school event.
as long as -, 〜しさえすれば、〜する限りは
If this, only if, Salmans is saying. We also say “so long as.”
It’s all right to leave early as long as you have a good reason. Or, you can have some ice-cream so long as you finish your dinner.
make a habit of -, 〜が習慣になる、癖になる
recharge one’s mental batteries 英気を養う、精神的に充電する
slack off 怠ける、さぼる
In the middle, Ueda says, “It might be hard to explain that to some bosses. They might think you’re just slacking off.” That we’re not doing our work, our tasks with appropriate energy and dedication. People often slack off when the boss isn’t there, for example. And a slacker is someone who avoids work, who shirks it. Things like, she always takes an hour and a half for lunch. That’s slacker.
in which case その場合には
In that situation, in that set of circumstances.
You could tell a foreign visitor, “It’s easy to get lost in Tokyo, in which case, you should go to a koban police box for directions.”
vague 漠然とした、曖昧な
conscientious and reliable 誠実で信頼できる
Salmans says, “A lot depends on how conscientious and reliable a worker you are in general.”
He uses “conscientious” to mean “careful, meticulous.”, concerned about doing things correctly. He is a conscientious driver, for example. He follows all the traffic rules and is careful of pedestrians.
conscience 良心
hardworking and dependable 勤勉で頼りになる
cut someone some slack 人を大目に見る
now and again 時折、たまに, = now and then
Every so often, not very frequently, but once in a while. We also say, “every now and again.”
Every now and again, I’d like to see a movie in a theater. You know, it’s fun to have some popcorn and a hotdog.
healthy discussion 精神的に有益な話し合い
Indeed. 確かに、全くだ
Definitely, absolutely, that is the case. A bit formal. I’d probably use it in business settings, more than casual conversation. Imagine someone says, “we’ve had an excellent first half.” You might respond, “Indeed. Our new product is selling very well.”
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a question of -, 〜の問題
Alvarez says up at the top, “It’s a question of timing as well.” It’s an issue of timing. Timing is a key factor. Let’s say, I turn down a translation job. To explain why, I say,
“It’s a question of time. I can’t finish by that deadline.” Or, someone might tell a potential supplier, “It’s a question of cost, your prices are too high for us.”
not the best way 最良のやり方ではない。
Alvarez says, “That’s not the best way of building a relationship of trust with your boss.”
Now she’s deliberately understating, you know, instead of using the opposite expression.
She means it will have the opposite effect. It will prevent building a relationship of trust with your boss. Likewise, you could say, “Waiting until the last minute is not the best way to prepare for a trip. We might forget something important or miss our train.”
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tell a white lie 罪のない嘘を言う、悪意のない 人の気持を傷つけないために言う嘘
人からもらったプレゼントがあまり気に入らなくても Thank you very much. I just love it.
反対語は black lieは使わない
悪意のある嘘
??? lie
実践ビジネス英語 2019/2/13 L21(4) Too Sick to Go to work
13 水 Lesson21 Too Sick to Go to work (4)
Salmans describes the kind of email he would write when notifying the office that he was sick.
He includes statements about getting sick despite his efforts not to that he thought he’d recover after a good night’s sleep but didn’t and apologizing for his unexpected absence. The other staff explain why they think such an email would not be advisable.
A lot depends on -, 〜によるところが大きい
This has a significant effect on what happens, on the outcome. You could say, A lot depends on this market survey. If the signs are favorable, we’ll release the product. Or, will there be job cuts? A lot of depends on who the new company president is.
rest and recover 休んで回復する、 頭韻を踏んでます r,r
This is just what it sounds like, take a rest. And regain one’s health, mental or physical health.
You might say, “Well, that was a stressful meeting. Let’s get some coffee. We’ll take a break to rest and recover.” rest and recreate, rest and relax
And the originally military term, “R & R” is also used in regular civilian life. You say, “Get some R & R.” Yeah, I’m gonna take next week off for a little R & R. rest and relaxation
rest and recuperation, rotation, rehabilitation
prevent germs from spreading 病原菌の拡散を防ぐ
Salmans could also have said, “prevent the spread of germs.”
And likewise, a company can also try to prevent rumors from spreading. To prevent rumors from spreading, for example, only 3 people attended the meeting.
overdo やり過ぎる
Around the middle, Alvarez says, “Don’t you think that could be overdoing it a bit?”
sign off 締めくくる
In this situation, “sign off” means “finish a communication.” in this case, email. I might also use this like, imagine I’m chatting through social media with a friend. And it’s getting late.
So I say, “You know what, Karen, I think I’ll sign off now. I’d better get to bed.”
sign off line 締めくくりの言葉、
sign off line, sign off phrase Water Cronkite “And that’s the way it is.” そういうものだ、それが現実だニュースアンカーとして有名な人
And “sign off on” means “approve something” like a person with authority signs their name to authorize it. The stockholders signed off on the merger at the general meeting.
apologize for -, 〜について詫びる
Express apologies for this thing.
In an airport, you might hear something like:
“Ladies and gentlemen, boarding will be slightly delayed. We apologize for this inconvenience.”
Or, you might say to someone, “I apologize for this misunderstanding. I thought we were meeting next week.”
unexpected absence from the office 予期せず、会社を休むこと
lay it on thick 大げさに言う
McMillan says, “I think that might be laying it on a bit thick, Chuck.”
It might be saying something in an exaggerated, over-the-top way. Things like, praise, excuses, blame. We also have the expression “lay it on with a trowel” The image is using a tool for spreading things like cement or plaster. So we’re laying it on with a trowel. Imagine a job interview, and the interviewee says,
“It is the dream of my life to work at this company. I can’t imagine any greater achievement.”
The interviewer would probably think, “That’s laying it on a bit thick.”
Period. それだけだ、以上。もうおしまい。これ以上何も言わない。これ以上言うな！
This uses the image of the period at the end of a sentence. And it means “there’s nothing more to be said.” This is the way it is. No further discussion.
And that can be good as well as bad. Things like, he’s the best salesman in the company. Period. Or, the president likes this product? So we’re gonna sell it. Period!
play hooky from school 学校をサボる
be suspicious 不審に思う
Doubt something is right, true. Think, maybe something is fishy here.
Someone might say, “I’m suspicious about his resume. I think he’s exaggerating his experience and skills.”
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despite -, 〜にもかかわらず
Salmans says, “I’d send an email saying despite my efforts to stay healthy, I woke up feeling sick.” In spite of, notwithstanding, You know.
So we did something. Or these circumstances existed. But X still happened.
For example, she decided to quit despite the company’s offer of a raise.
Or, team X won the match despite being two goals down at the half.
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err on the side of, 〜すぎて間違える
I’d err on the side of being a bit formal.
間違っとしても少しフォーマルな方がいい。
err on the side of caution
慎重過ぎるぐらい慎重になる、注意し過ぎるぐらい注意する、用心し過ぎるくらい用心する
lay it on a bit thick
has overdone it on the perfume/ stink
truant
close to / intimate