NOVAビジネス英語100復習（44a）

44a(Innovation1)

The issue

• Intelligent machines have the potential to make our workplaces safer and more efficient.
• However, many workers are worried about being replaced by machines, and many customers say that they prefer dealing with real people.

Background

• Intelligent machines that can make decisions without human input are being used in more and more industries these days.
• At a conference on robotics in the workplace, Ryan, Professor of Robotics at Stanford University, said　"Machines make things more efficient. They don't need to sleep, so we can run them twenty-four hours a day, and they make fewer mistakes than human".
• Intelligent machines are also getting better at imitating qualities such as human warmth. Some can even work out how humans feels.
• Professor Ryan believes that this will allow them to perform tasks such as interviews and negotiations in the near future.
• What jobs do you think are in danger of being replaced by intelligent machines?

In Action

• A: Mark, how do you think new advances in robotics will affect your work?
• B: I think robots may replace a lot of the people we employ on the factory floor in the near future. Robots can work in dangerous environments and thy make fewer mistakes.
• A: Aaron, do you think intelligent machines are going to have a big effect where you work?
• C: Definitely. Because computers are hooked up to the Internet and can access millions of files instantly, it'll be easier for them to assess the patient's condition and make decision on treatment. I think computers might supersede doctors in the next fifty years.
• A: Jenny, what kind of impact will new technology have in your field?
• D: Hmm. I think intelligent machines will perform sales presentation in the future. They can interact more efficiently with presentation tools and can access data quickly to answer audience questions.

Key vocabulary

• I think robots might perform employee evaluation soon. However it could be just support or aid.
• I think machines will conduct referees in sports games in the future as the support staff. However I think human misjudgement makes the game more interesting.
• I guess kitchen workers in restaurants may be replaced by robots in the next dacade. Because machines are good at repetitive work.
• I don't think computers will conduct staff training perfectly. Because training by human is more effective for human brains.

※実現度高<--- will/may/might/won't --->実現度低

Applications

• A. Computers will replace accountants in the next ten years. -> They're faster at doing calculations and make fewer mistakes.
• B. Robots may perform tasks such as garbage collection in the future. -> We'll see more and more in the cleaning industry.
• C. Machines might conduct business negotiations in the near future. -> They're already learning how to understand what people are thinking.

Useful Phrases / Words

• be getting better at ... ～がますます改良されてきている
• supersede ... ～の座を奪う
• perform ... 執り行う
• conduct ... 実施する
• human warmth ... 人の温かさ
• at imitating qualities such as ... ～といった点においての真似する質が
• work out ... 何とか解決する、いい結果が出る -> 分析できる
• misjudgement ... 誤審
• assess ... 評価、査定する
• instantly
• be hooked up to ... ～に接続されてる
• make decision on
• patient's condition
• repetitive work ... 反復作業
• as an aid to ... ～の補助として
• robotics ... ロボット工学
• affect ... ～に作用する、影響を及ぼす
• dangerous environments
• a big effect

Useful sentences in Free conversation

• The technology becomes more advanced
• Even though the technology is improved upon ...
• The goal is to make self-driving cars a reality.
• Boxercise is a low impact sport for my knee.
• Google and Apple are trying to 'break into' the automobile industry.
• Robots will assist/help/support to something ...
• Did you get a hair cut? -> No I got them all cut. (AJ)
• I'd like to use as many paid holidays as possible
• Now my knee doesn't make that sound

Unknown Phrases / Words in Free Conversation

• tendon ... 腱
• vertical <-> horizontal
• transferable skills ... 移転（譲渡）可能なスキル
• fuel type
• the head chef
• off (adj) -> not in the right place
• misaligned (adj) -> misalignment (n)
• work out (v) = understand
• paid holiday
• break into ... 割り込む、割って入る

NOVAビジネス英語100復習（３７）

37a(TroubleShooting)

Useful Sentences

• The workers worried that they could face layoffs or the company could go out of business.
• The company is finding it difficult to compete with overseas manufactures.
• The company is struggling to deal with rising production costs.
• The company has made few changes over the last decade.
• The company lost a big contact due to an inablity to increase production.
• The company has contacted to us about improving its productivity.
• I want you to visit its factory to assess how they operate. Then, prepare some recommendations.

Key Language: Investigating actions

• Has anything been done about (the bottlenecks)?
• Has anyone looked into (the time it takes to do each task)?
• Have there been any recent changes made regarding (the factory layout)?

Applications

• These machines are quite old. Has anyone looked into (upgrading them)?
• Your teak wood supplier's price seem quite high. Has anything been done about (negotiating a better contract)?
• You have a lot of people working at this station, but not so many at that one. Have there been any recent changes made regarding (staffing)?
• Things really slow down when the products reach the packaging center. Has anything been done about (the bottlenecks)?

Useful Phrases/Words

• struggle to ... ～しようと四苦八苦する、必死で～しようとする
• consultant
• inability ... 無能
• out of business ... 倒産して
• sources close to the company ... 会社に近い関係者（sources ≒ related to)
• margin ... マージン/利幅
• furniture retailer ... 家具小売店・小売業者
• regarding ...　～に関して、～の点で
• teak wood supplier ... チーク材供給業者
• lay off ... 一時解雇する、layoffは一時解雇
• staffing ... スタッフの配置
• bottleneck ... 障害、ネック
• assess ... 評価する
• resignation ... 退職

Useful Phrases/Words in Free Conversation

• heal the ache
• announce my promotion
• official document for resignation
• inform my boss and the department members
• muscle sprain -> my knee is sprained during body-combat
• blood circulation
• independent -> self study

---

37b(TroubleShooting)

Useful Sentences

• You raised some good points.
• The company can't handle its current production schedule, my recommendation would be for it to focus on either retail stores or businesses.
• To improve efficiency, my suggestion is to automate their data entry system.
• To help with the margins, the company should buy cheaper materials.
• ※shouldがつくと少しやんわりとした丁寧な提案になる, shouldを省くとより強い提案となる。

Key Languages: Making formal recommendations

• One advice is that you (automate data entry).
• One recommendation is that you (train more people to monitor the inventory).
• Another suggestion is that you (change the layout of the factory).

Applications

• You throw out a lot of scrap wood. Another suggestion is that you reuse it.
• The workers on the factory floor are the best people to identify problems. One recommendation is that you set up a feedback system.
• Only a few people can recalibrate the machines. One advice is that you train more people on how to do that.
• Our advice is that you renegotiate your contact with your current supplier.

Useful Phrases/Words

• considering ... ～を考慮すれば
• contact ... 連絡、窓口
• supplier ... 供給業者、仕入先
• recalibrate ... 再調整する
• factory floor ... （工場の）現場
• scrap wood ... 廃材
• throw out ... 廃棄する
• inventory ... 在庫
• automate ... 自動化する
• data entry system ... データ入力システム
• retail store ... 　小売店
• arrange ... 用意、準備をする
• self-driving cars
• control the automotive market
• construction industry ... 建築業界

NOVAビジネス英語100復習（31）

31a - Production development

Background

• A Bubbled Beverages sales in Japan are falling.
• B Healthy soft drinks are unpopular in Japan.

Examples

• Bubbled Beverages Announces New Drinks for Japan
• Bubbled Beverages has announced plans to release new drinks for Japanese market early next year in a bid to boost slumping sales there.
• A Bubbled spokesperson made the following comment.
• "Healthy soft drinks that can help lower cholesterol are now new top performers in Japan, and this trend is something that we are interested in."
• Shares in Bubbled went up 0.5% after he announcement.

Assignment

Key Considerations

• The product should appeal to the Japanese customer.
• The product should look healthy.
• The product should follow market trends.

Key Language: Outlining consideration

• (Customer tastes) need to be taken into consideration.
• We have to take (health trends) into account.
• It's necessary to factor in (market trends).
• ※I/We等で始まる場合はtake (something) into accountが自然だが、無生物主語の場合はneed to be taken into accountとかになる。

Examples

• We have to take (distribution) into account.
• People are most likely to buy the drink from a vending machine than a store.
• (= People tend to buy the drink from a vending machine rather than a store.)

Corrected Sentences

• The contract says my starting date (first day) is ....

Useful Phrases/Words

• in a bid to ... try to (※in order toに似てるがよりチャレンジングな時に使う）
• slumping　...　低迷する
• population demographics　...　人口統計
• market trends ... 市場動向
• consumer tastes …　顧客の好み
• distribution ... 流通
• the quality of ingredients ... 原料の品質
• factor in　...　take into consideration
• probability ... 可能性
• as opposed to = instead of, substitute
• demographics = types of people
• take into account (phrasal verb) -> separable
• ex) take (something) into account
• intention　...　意図、腹づもり
• take over　...　succeeded

---

31b - Product Development

Update

• The product will be cheaper than other companies' products.
• The product is designed to help lower cholesterol.
• The product targets the over-forty age group.

Key Language: Presenting advantages

• The advantage of (making the drink brown) is that (people associate brown with natural ingredients).
• One benefit of (carbonating the drink) is that (it'll differentiate it from other health drinks.

Application Sentences

• The advantage of (specifically targeting older consumers) is that (they are more interested in health).
• One benefit of (this drink over others on the market) is that (it's designed with local tastes in mind).
• The advantage of (using rice-based sweetener) is that (rice is a large part of local culture, so we're tailoring it to local tastes).

Corrected Sentences

• As there are already a lot of teas on the market, we decided to carbonate our drinks.
• The advantage of (doing that) is that it'll differentiate us from similar products.
• ※I recommend we should develop... は冗長。We should develop ... か　I recommend developing ...のほうが自然

Useful Phrases/Words

• cholesterol　...　コレステロール
• carbonate = add bubbles, make a drink fuzzy(シューシュー音たてて泡立てる）
• natural ingredients ... 天然成分
• associate *** with　... "***を連想する
• in mind　...　～を考慮して、念頭に置いて
• sweetener　...　甘味料
• sugar cane　...　さとうきび
• differentiate　...　差別化する
• assume ... みなす
• tailor = adapt
• the product is aimed at　...　～に狙いを定める
• shares ... 株

NOVAビジネス英語100復習（30）

30a - Evaluating People

Responsibilities

• Job Title: Project Manager
• coordinating with onsite engineers（現行エンジニアのまとめ）
• liaising between departments（部署間の連携）
• working with customers（顧客対応）

Requirements

• degree in construction engineering（建築工学学士号）
• 5-10 year's experience（5-10年の実務経験）
• strong interpersonal skills（強力な対人関係のスキル）

Key Language: Rating

※各スキルで5点満点の採点をする場合

• I gave (him) a (five) for (work experience).
• In terms of (education), (he) was a (three).

Useful Words/Phrases

• coordinate with …　まとめる
• liaise between …　連携する
• work with …　対応をする
• anxiety …　心配事、不安、悩み→anxious(adj)
• strained my knee …　膝を損傷した（使いすぎて痛めた）→ache (adj)
• data-based/opinion-based rating（評価）
• quantitative / qualitative
• academic career

---

30b - Evaluating People

Key Language: Comparing

• I think (she) was the most (articulate).
• For me, (Ryan) seemed the most (decisive).

Useful Sentences

• He has seven year's experience at Bandai where he did well as a Project Manager.
• He led a team of thirty people and completed a couple of projects while there.
• I'd go with Ryan because he was the most decisive. I gave him a four for leadership skills.
• Kelly seemed the most articulate. In terms of interpersonal skills, I only gave Ryan a two.
• I agree to some extent, but we're looking to hire a person who can lead.

Useful Words/Phrases

• Interpersonal Skills → articulate, personable
• education →　educated
• leadership skills →　confident, decisive
• problem solving → creative
• work experience → experienced
• articulate　…　はきはきとした
• decisive　…　断固とした
• educated　…　教育を受けた
• personable …　愛想がよい
• civil engineering …　土木工学
• a couple of　…　２～３の
• more　→　2 things
• most →　three or more things

NOVAビジネス英語100復習（23）

23a - Interview1

Key Language: Describing previous experience

• I was responsible for (supervising junior office staff).
• I was in charge of (tracking the office budget).

Applications

• A: What were your responsibilities in your last job?
• B: I was responsible for coordinating meetings.
• C: What relevant experience do you have?
• D: I was in charge of tracking expenses in my last job.

Corrected sentences by teachers

• I have had experience with ..
• my team members are only three persons.
• I share them with all staff ...
• I go on overseas business trip ..

Useful sentences

• the chance/opportunity will increase.
• I decided to replace him in order to work smoothly.
• I have experiences with three of these responsibilities.
• I was team leader for/of the account department.
• my main responsibilities were ...

Useful Words/Phrases

• team oriented …　チーム指向の　-> you prefer working in a team.
• organized -> meet deadlines, keep schedule, organize myself + team
• tracking expenses …　支出を把握する　-> ex) keep receipts
• supervise … 指導する
• coordinate …　調整する　　
• legal executive assistant　…　法務部重役補佐
• preparing presentations and reports

---

23b - Interview2

Key Languages: Describing strengths and weaknesses

Describing strength

• I've been told I'm good at (adapting to new situations).
• I've been told I'm good at (staying calm under pressure).
• I've been told I'm good at (motivating others).
• I've been told I'm good at (multitasking even when I extremely busy).
• I've been told I'm good at (finding the best solutions to problems).
• ※この表現の利点は①be elegance, ②other persons agree with my strengths

Describing weaknesses

• I have trouble (speaking in front of large groups), so I (joined a public speaking club).
• I have trouble (giving my opinions in meetings), so I (joined a debating club).
• I have trouble (prioritizing tasks), so I (bought a digital organizer).
• I have trouble (delegating other office staff), so I (took a management course).
• I have trouble (managing my time effectively), so I (started setting time goals for tasks).

Applications

• I've been told I'm good at making presentations. I was in charge of presenting new products in my last project.
• I sometimes have trouble managing big projects, so I give myself extra time. Specifically I came in an hour early every day to prioritize the day's task.

Corrected sentences by teachers

• It's good for decreasing stress.
• I sweat a lot.
• I got/had a massage(n).　⇔　I got my knee massaged(v).
• solutions to problems compared to my other team member
• I'm able to prioritize tasks in order to meet deadlines　（canよりbe able toが望ましい）

Useful Words/Phrases

• the first round of interviews
• attendance　...　出席
• adapt …　適応させる
• start (***ing/infinitive)
• trouble (***ing)　
• human resources manager

ProFile 3 Student's Pack | Oxford University Press

最近の英語学習は英会話喫茶が中心で良い先生も見つかったので、マンネリ感が拭えないNOVAを退会しようと久しぶりに登校。スタッフさんが親身になっていろいろ相談乗ってくれて、今の自分に1番あっててマンネリ化を打破できる良い教材として紹介してくれたのがこれ。少しレベル高そうだけど新鮮でかつ実践的なので面白そう。

ProFile 3 Student's Pack | Oxford University Press

elt.oup.com