礼节美语 Business Etiquette 090

Tom和Vivian是香港一家跨国公司的雇员。Vivian被升职，要调到美国奥兰多的办事处。她知道Tom是从芝加哥调到香港来的，所以向Tom征求意见。Tom谈到利弊时说：

T: On a financial note, you'll probably be able to save a lot more of your salary and have more disposable income, as rents and living costs in that area are reasonable.

V: Yes. From a financial standpoint¹ relocating makes sense, but I just want to make sure I'm not shooting² myself in the foot. Happiness is important, right?

Tom说，要说钱，奥兰多房租、生活费用很合理，reasonable, 所以Vivian会有更多可支配的收入，disposable income.

Vivian表示，如果光看钱，去奥兰多确实很合适，make sense, 但是她不愿意搬起石头砸自己的脚，I just want to make sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot. 因为开心还是很重要的。

T: Oh, absolutely. But Florida is a beautiful state with a nice climate. You'll be able to enjoy the beaches and take vacations in Miami!

V: Sounds good. It's just such a hard decision for me. I want to branch out and spread my wings, but there's so many "unknowns."

Vivian说，她想扩大发展，展开双臂，branch out and spread my wings, 但是又有太多的未知数，Unknowns.

T: Yeah, I also had mixed emotions when they first offered me this job. But I have a favorite quote³ by the poet John Berryman that helped me a lot.

V: Which is?

T: "We must travel in the direction of our fear."

V: That's a great quotation⁴. So let's say I'm leaning⁵ towards relocating. Got any practical⁶ tips?

Tom用诗人John Berryman的一句话鼓励 Vivian. "We must travel in the direction of our fear." 我们必须要面对恐惧前行。Tom还有哪些建议呢？

T: Yeah...do your homework. Get online and research where you're going. Learn about the history, geography, climate...etc. Then when you get there, you'll feel like you already know the place a bit.

V: How long did it take you to settle⁷ into your new environment?

T: I have to be honest. For the first 3 months I was pretty unhappy. I didn't like the food, couldn't figure out the subway system and, for me, Hong Kong is a noisy place. But after the four month-mark, I began to feel much better.

Do your homework? 这是英语里很常用的一种说法，意思是事先准备。Tom建议Vivian去了解一下奥兰多的情况。 Tom还说，他刚来香港的时候，也很不习惯。你记得他是什么时候开始适应的吗？没错，四个月。

V: Now how does it feel? You've been here for a full year, right?

T: My one-year anniversary⁸ is next week, and I have to say, I've never been happier.

V: Thanks for sharing your experiences with me, Tom. I really appreciate it. You helped me clarify⁹ my own feelings.

T: Glad to be of help. Don't forget to invite me to your going away party!

V: I won't!

Vivian谢谢Tom帮忙，Tom说，不要忘记请我参加你的going away party临行聚会。

 

1 standpoint   

n.立场，观点

参考例句：

• We should look at this from a historical standpoint.我们应从历史的观点看待这事。
• From my standpoint,this thing is just ridiculous.依我看来，这件事简直荒唐。

2 shooting   

n.射击，发射；猎场，狩猎场

参考例句：

• The soldiers began shooting away at the enemy positions.战士们开始朝敌人的阵地不断地射击。
• I was in the act of shooting him when I suddenly recognized him.我正要向他开枪时，突然认出了他。

3 quote   

n.引用语，语录；vt.引述，举证，报价；vi.引用

参考例句：

• I can quote what he said.我可以引用他的话。
• This is the best price I can quote you.这是我给你开出的最有利的价钱了。

4 quotation   

n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情

参考例句：

• He finished his speech with a quotation from Shakespeare.他讲话结束时引用了莎士比亚的语录。
• The quotation is omitted here.此处引文从略。

5 leaning   

n.倾向，爱好，偏爱v.（使）倾斜，屈身( lean的现在分词 )；倚；依赖；使斜靠

参考例句：

• a leaning towards comedy rather than tragedy 偏爱喜剧而不是悲剧
• Jackson is leaning over backwards to persuade his wealthy uncle. 杰克逊想尽种种办法去讨好他那个有钱的叔叔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 practical   

adj.实际的，实践的；实用的，应用的；有实际经验的

参考例句：

• He is a practical person.他是位很讲实际的人。
• Your invention is clever,but not practical.你的发明很巧，但不实用。

7 settle   

vi.安家；定居；停留；vt.使定居；安排；解决

参考例句：

• I have to settle my affairs before leaving here.离开这儿以前，我得把一些私人的事情安排妥当。
• She has decided how she should settle the matter.她已做出决定如何来了解这件事。

8 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

9 clarify   

v.澄清，阐明，使变得清晰；净化

参考例句：

• I am happy to clarify any points that are still unclear.我愿意说明任何仍然不清楚的地方。
• Can you clarify this long sentence?你能把这个长句子解释清楚吗？