辦公室口語Coffee hour

Found yourself in a work situation whilst you are still learning the English you need to get by? Or maybe you have an English-speaking colleague that you would like to get closer to.

當你仍然堅持學習英語時，你是否發現雖處於工作環境，但仍需學習英語?或者你可能有一位能說一口流利英文的同事，你想靠近與其交流。

At the coffee machine

咖啡機旁聊天

Latte in hand, spreadsheets on hold: these are a few phrases you are more than likely to hear amongst your work colleagues as you relax. They’re easy to pick up and use, too.

一手拿著拿鐵咖啡，一手握著報表：這裡有幾個短語，在你放鬆的時候你可能會從同事那裡聽到。這些短語也非常容易學習和使用。

1.(to) play catch up ? to be late starting something so you make a big effort to overcome it; it doesn’t mean you have been lazy!? more often it refers to when something comes in last minute, or you are working to a tight deadline.

(to) play catch up ?開始做某件事情有點晚，使你不得不花大力氣去完成它;這並不是指你懶惰!-它經常更多的是指做某事到最後關頭了，或者你臨近截止日期，盡力追趕的意思。

e.g.“We’re playing catch-up on that commission from France.”

例如，“我們要盡力追趕法國來的任務”

Meaning: we’re working overtime to get everything ready for the commission from France.

意思是：我們在盡力加班為完成法國的任務做好充分準備。

When might you use it?

什麼時候使用這個短語呢?

To express being a bit stressed out or under pressure to deliver a project; to express the effort required to overcome something for which you are currently behind schedule. You might also use the phrase to motivate or drive your own team to complete something ? “we’re playing catch-up here, guys” ? as it can add an air of competition.

一般是表達承受著巨大的壓力或是頂著壓力去實現一項任務;可用於表達你需要努力去完成已經落後於進度的事情。你可能也用這個片語去激勵或者驅使你的團隊去完成某項任務—“同伴們，我們快實現目標啦”—它可能增加競爭的氣氛。

2.(to) pay a premium? meaning you pay a higher price for something because the quality or reputation is better

?是指你要花費更高的價格購買某物，因為它的質量或名聲更好

e.g.“We’re paying a premium for the plug from X Box, but it’s worth it”

“我們花了高價的XBox插座，但是它值。”

When might you use it?

什麼時候使用這個片語呢?

This can be used in coffee machine conversation very easily ? it just refers to a deal you’ve made where the company (or yourself) has paid a price that is above the normal market price. You might use it to gain a bit of prestige/boast about your purchase.

這可以很輕易的在閒聊時使用—它可以用於提到你剛完成的一筆交易，交易價格高於市場價格。你可能用它去吹噓你購物的物品。

uphill struggle/battle? meaning it’s a big obstacle to overcome

意思是要克服的大的障礙

If you’re in an American business you are more likely to hear ‘uphill battle’; ‘uphill struggle’ is the UK equivalent.

如果你處在美國商業環境中，你可能更多的聽到的是‘uphill battle’; ‘uphill struggle’在英國是同等的意思。

e.g.“Getting this new construction under budget is an uphill struggle, but we have to make it happen.”

“在現有預算下做好這個新工程很難，但是我們也要讓其實現。”

When might you use it?

什麼場合使用這個片語呢?

When talking about a project that is particularly difficult ? or if you want to make something sound difficult. It would also work very nicely alongside ‘playing catch-up’ ? i.e. “we’re playing catch-up on the construction project and it’s going to be an uphill struggle.”

當談論到一個工程特別困難時—或者如果你想讓某事聽起來很難的時候。這個也可以同“catch-up盡力趕上”這個片語配合的`非常好—例如：“我們在盡力追趕完成這個工程，這是個相當大的困難。”

4. (to) go up market ? to sell the brand to a wealthier audience/to begin appealing to high-end markets

把品牌出售給富人/開始去吸引高階市場

e.g.“We’ve decided to go upmarket and sell our scarves at Liberty/Macy’s/smart department store…”

“我們決定去吸引高階市場，在利伯蒂/梅西百貨/時尚百貨商店等賣我們的領帶。”

When might you use it?

什麼場合使用這個片語?

To describe an ‘upgrade’ in your business plan/a decision to increase the price and quality of a product and sell it to higher-income consumers. This is going to be very useful if you work in retail. But you can also use it in a more casual way to talk about yourself and your possessions ? i.e. “We’re looking to get a new car…thinking of going upmarket and getting something sporty.”

在商業計劃或者商業決策裡描述“提高檔次”，加價和提高質量，出售給更高收入的消費者。如果你在零售行業工作這個片語將會有用。但是你也能用更休閒的場合用它談論自己和你的資產—例如，“我們想要一輛新車….想著去一些高階的地方，看起來更耀眼一些。”

5.(to) buy into ? to support/endorse or agree with

支援或同意

This doesn’t usually get used to mean actually purchasing something ? it has become a business metaphor mostly used for when someone supports or seconds an action of a colleague/the company.

這個片語並不經常意味著真購買了某物—它變成了一個商業比喻，大多用於某人支援或者同意同事/公司的活動。

e.g. “David in finance says there are pay rises on the way. I’m definitely buying into that!”

“金融界的大衛說價格正在上揚。我完全同意!”

When might you use it?

什麼場合使用它?

When you are interested or intrigued by something which you think could be a good prospect for you/the business. You can use it for potential clients too, to indicate a level of interest in their offer ? i.e. “the plan you’re offering is definitely something we would consider buying into”

當你認為某事對你和生意而言有好的前景，你因此有興趣或者好奇的時候，就可以在潛在客戶面前用這個口語表達來暗示感興趣的程度。--例如“你提供的這個計劃確實非常好，我們考慮支援。”