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(dāng)你仍然堅(jiān)持學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)時(shí)，你是否發(fā)現(xiàn)雖處于工作環(huán)境，但仍需學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)?或者你可能有一位能說(shuō)一口流利英文的同事，你想靠近與其交流。
At the coffee machine
咖啡機(jī)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(bào)表：這里有幾個(gè)短語(yǔ)，在你放松的時(shí)候你可能會(huì)從同事那里聽(tīng)到。這些短語(yǔ)也非常容易學(xué)習(xí)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(kāi)始做某件事情有點(diǎn)晚，使你不得不花大力氣去完成它;這并不是指你懶惰!-它經(jīng)常更多的是指做某事到最后關(guān)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(guó)來(lái)的任務(wù)”
Meaning: we’re working overtime to get everything ready for the commission from France.
意思是：我們?cè)诒M力加班為完成法國(guó)的任務(wù)做好充分準(zhǔn)備。
When might you use it?
什么時(shí)候使用這個(gè)短語(yǔ)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(dá)承受著巨大的壓力或是頂著壓力去實(shí)現(xiàn)一項(xiàng)任務(wù);可用于表達(dá)你需要努力去完成已經(jīng)落后于進(jìn)度的事情。你可能也用這個(gè)詞組去激勵(lì)或者驅(qū)使你的團(tuán)隊(duì)去完成某項(xiàng)任務(wù)—“同伴們，我們快實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)啦”—它可能增加競(jìng)爭(zhēng)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(fèi)更高的價(jià)格購(gòu)買某物，因?yàn)樗馁|(zhì)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(jià)的XBox插座，但是它值。”
When might you use it?
什么時(shí)候使用這個(gè)詞組呢?
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.
這可以很輕易的在閑聊時(shí)使用—它可以用于提到你剛完成的一筆交易，交易價(jià)格高于市場(chǎng)價(jià)格。你可能用它去吹噓你購(gòu)物的物品。
3.an 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(guó)商業(yè)環(huán)境中，你可能更多的聽(tīng)到的是‘uphill battle’; ‘uphill struggle’在英國(guó)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(xiàn)有預(yù)算下做好這個(gè)新工程很難，但是我們也要讓其實(shí)現(xiàn)。”
When might you use it?
什么場(chǎng)合使用這個(gè)詞組呢?
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(dāng)談?wù)摰揭粋€(gè)工程特別困難時(shí)—或者如果你想讓某事聽(tīng)起來(lái)很難的時(shí)候。這個(gè)也可以同“catch-up盡力趕上”這個(gè)詞組配合的非常好—例如：“我們?cè)诒M力追趕完成這個(gè)工程，這是個(gè)相當(dāng)大的困難。”
