3/07/2011

Baby Steps

人気ブログランキングへ


E: Emery R: Ruriko K: Kazuya

In the classroom.

E: We go now to the next question. What is Sue's motto in
life?
Ruriko leafed through the pages of her book until she came
across the answer.
R: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
E: That's right. Well, a motto or tenet is a brief statement
expressing a principle, goal or ideal. Going back to Sue's
motto, can you share your thoughts about it?

After a few seconds of silence.

R: It means ‘you can't expect to achieve anything,
if you never take any risks.’
E: Capital answer Ruriko!
K: Or to put it in other words, ‘if you don't put effort
into something, you won't gain anything. ‘
E: Yeah, that's correct.
K: I can relate to that. As you know, I am a boxing instructor
and I say this line to my students time and again.
R: That takes a lot of discipline.
K: You bet. Though achieving something does not happen
overnight.
E: Agree. There is actually no easy road to success.
How about you Ruriko, any examples?

Ruriko pondered for a while.

R: My friend took the risk of being transferred to
a foreign country for business a year ago. He told me
that he gained a lot of business experiences and got to
practice his English a lot.
K: Wow, he is a risk taker.
R: Though he admitted it was not that easy.
E: Some experiences are like passing through an eye of
a needle. The important thing is we can have baby steps
in achieving our goals.
K: Right. So Ruriko, will you give traveling to an English
speaking country a try?
R: Oh well, that's one of my goals in the future. For now,
I am going to make baby steps in my English class.
OK Emery, give us additional homework please?
K: Why us? (hands resting on his hips)
R: (surprised at what she said) Oh no, I mean give me additional
homework Emery.
E: You almost forgot Kazuya is a boxing instructor. Ha ha.





●Vocabulary

★baby steps 小さな前進、わずかな進歩
★motto モットー、座右の銘
★leaf through (本などのページを)素早くめくる、
~をパラパラめくって目を通す
★ventured 思い切って~する、危険を冒して~をする
★tenet(宗教や政治の基本的な)教義、信条
★principle 主義、信条、理念
★ideal 理想、理念
★capital 素晴らしい、優れている
★put it in another way 別の表現/形に言い換える
★relate(人や物同士を)結び付ける、関連付ける
★time and again 何回も、何度も何度も、繰り返し繰り返し
★discipline(鍛錬によって得られる)自制(克己)心
★does not happen overnight 一晩で(簡単に)できるものではない
★no easy road to success 成功への道は険しい
★ponder じっくり考える、思案する
★risk taker 危険を冒す人、リスクを負う人
★passing through an eye of a needle 極めて困難なことをすること





"小さな前進"

E: エメリー R: ルリコ K: カズヤ

クラスルームにて。

E: じゃあ次の質問ね。スーの人生における座右の銘は何?

ルリコは答えを見つけるまでテキストのページに目を通した。

R: 「冒険しなければ何も得られない。」
E: その通り。座右の銘または信条というのは、主義や目標、
理念を表した簡潔に言及したもののこと。スーのモットー
に話を戻すわね、それについての2人の考えはどう?

数秒間、沈黙した後。

R: それって「思い切ってやってみなけらば、何も成し得ない」
ってことよね。
E: 素晴らしい答えね、ルリコ!
K: もしくは言い換えると、「努力しなければ、何も得ることは
できない」ってこと。
E: ええ、その通り。
K: それよくわかるよ。知っての通り、僕はボクシングのインスト
ラクターをしていて生徒にこの台詞を何度となく言ってる
からね。
R: それってかなりの自制を要するわね。
K: もちろん。簡単できるものじゃないけどね。
E: 賛成。実際、成功への道は険しいってこと。あなたはどう、
ルリコ? 何か例はある?

ルリコはしばらく考え込む。

R: 友達が、一年前海外転勤するっていうリスクを負うことに
なったの。 彼、たくさんのビジネス経験を得て、英語も死ぬ
ほど練習したって言ってたわ。
K: ワオ、彼、危険を冒すね。
R: そんなに簡単なことではないって認めてたけど。
E: 極めて困難な経験ってあるわよね。重要なことは、目標に
向かって少しずつ前進することよ。
K: そうそう。じゃあ、ルリコ、英語圏の国へ旅行に行ってみる?
R: ええ、そうね。それ将来の目標のひとつだもの。でも
とりあえずは、英語クラスでの前進ね。はい、じゃエメリー、
私たちに追加の宿題を出して。
K: えっ、なんで僕たちなの?(手を腰に当てて)
R:(自分の行ったことに驚き)あー違うの、私に追加の宿題を
出してってこと、エメリー。
E: カズヤがボクシングのインストラクターってこと忘れるところ
だったわね。
  ハハハ。




人気ブログランキングへ

3/06/2011

CEO

人気ブログランキングへ

Before I came to Japan, I had the luxury of driving a car 車 to work everyday.
I didn't need to use the public transportation nor walk under the sweltering heat of the sun during summers.
Yes, I had my own set of wheels: I was very mobile.
Thus, it became a huge problem when I arrived in Japan.
I felt very helpless.

I had to learn how to take the public transportation.
If not, I would be at my friends' mercy for a ride to a place where I need to go.
Since the latter seemed to be not a good idea, I learned and walked 走る人 through rain 雨 or shine 晴れ.

We were given the ability to adapt.
Our adaptability skills would help us cope up with some bad situations we might find ourselves in.
Have you had the need to adapt to a situation recently?

I found this example...
Japan Airlines' CEO, Haruka Nishimatsu, was featured in a video clip showing how well he adapts to the bad situation his company is in.
The clip showed how he shared the burden and hardship of his fellow employees.



He was heavily compared to the American CEOs who filed for bankruptcy a while back and received a lot of criticism because of their extravagant lifestyles. Check this out.





Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj7ZHrYL28M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iiN-eiJXqw

人気ブログランキングへ

3/05/2011

Telephone Conversation in English

人気ブログランキングへ

One of the greatest inventions of the industrial revolution is the telephone.
Communication has never been this easier since the introduction of this marvelous device in our lives.
Gone are the days that we have to rely on pigeons to deliver messages... or even men on horses.
All we have to do is dial the number and we are connected to the person we wish to speak to.

However, for some non-English speakers using the phone sometimes can be a nightmare.
When some people are put in the spot to speak English, they only have two options. First option is to do their best to get their message across.
The other one is to just hang up.

In my more than three years of working in Japan, I have had my share of hang ups and determined people who try to convene their messages.
I applaud the latter.

So this is my idea to help out the others who haven't had the courage to try yet... Watch the video from podEnglish and learn some phrases useful in telephone conversation situations.



I hope next time you would try to speak in English.
Try and give us a call at 048-649-6588... you can use the words and expressions you just learned.



Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-W6dXfm7YE




人気ブログランキングへ