8. Useful Tips on Problem Areas
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8. Useful tips on problem areas "Will" versus "Going to..." Will is used when we would like to do something in the future but have not made any definite plans yet. I will visit France on my holiday this year...but I haven't booked a hotel. ‘Will’ is also used to ask for things or talk about things at the moment when we decide to do so. It is hot today. Will you open the window, please? ‘Going to’ is used when we have arranged plans. I am going to visit France on the 5th of May! I am going to stay at the Hotel de Paris, I have booked the room! English Language Idioms "Get back to me on that!" We often use the phrase "get back to someone" when we want to say "answer later with the requested information" Some English Examples: Example 1 Speaker A: Do you know the specifications of the newly designed turbine? Speaker B: Not at the moment. I'll get back to you on that by Monday, if that will be alright for you. Example 2 (In an email to Orlando to someone you know) I need to know if we can start on the work order, so can you make sure that Mr Jones gets back to me with the "OK" as soon as possible? Thanks! English Language Idioms (Getting the preposition right) "by my own????" This is a typical mistake by many learners of English. If you want to say that you will do something, yourself, without help from others, you can say: on my own by myself They have the same meaning, but on my own tends to be slightly more "formal" or "polite." Some English Examples: I had to do the entire project on my own; everyone else was working on other projects, so they couldn't help me. Because Joseph has been trained in writing English emails, he was able to correspond with Orlando by himself (without help), and the problem was quickly solved. Be Careful! "I have a date with my boss" (oops...!) Date usually is romantic in nature (don't confuse this with "date" as in the date of 2 February 2003). It is better to say: I have a meeting with my boss. OR I have an appointment with my boss. English Idioms What does the speaker mean in the following example: ‘I’ve prepared my CV, it was really good. I left it behind - I didn’t get the job.’ To leave something behind means to "not bring it with you, either intentionally or unintentionally." Some examples: I couldn't get on the plane to America because I left my passport behind. (Preparing for a meeting) You can leave your laptop computers behind because we have already have some arranged for you to use during the meeting. Common English Abbreviations What does "CV" mean? It means: Curriculum Vitae This is a list of qualifications, previous employment, and any other information (special honours, professional organisations you are a member of, etc) that should accompany (etwas begleiten) your cover letter when applying for a new a new position in a new company or often even in the same company. Practical Grammar - The basics! NOUNS, VERBS, ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS In a recent press release, the following sentence appeared, which we have modified into a language exercise for you. Should the writer say "new" or "newly?" With the very newly/new installed Teleperm XP instrumentation and control (I&C) equipment, the plant can now be operated simply by pressing one "button". The answer is "newly" because ADVERBS in English usually end in "-ly". Please review the table provided below to see more about what a NOUN, ADJECTIVE, VERB or ADVERB does. ADJECTIVES “modify/describe“ NOUNS ADVERBS “modify/describe“ ADJECTIVES, VERBS and other ADVERBS See this example from the sentence below and pay attention to the the word-order. very newly installed equipment adverb adverb adjective noun ADJECTIVES answer the question, "What kind of...?" What kind of apple? A GREEN apple. ADVERBS in English often take "ly" at the end, such as in happily, exactly and quickly. (Remember - ADVERBS answer the question, "How...?" How green is the apple? A VERY green apple. How do we work? We work QUICKLY.) Naturally, there are exceptions, such as "friendly" which is an ADJECTIVE Some examples (of "ly" ADVERBS): We will gladly give you the information you requested by next Monday. Siemens has been working diligently to get more business in other markets than the A-market. Often, at the end of chidren's stories, you see the following phrase: "...and they lived happily ever after." Dealing with other cultures in business. Business Cards & The Japanese Be careful when you give a business card to a Japansese business partner or customer. In Western cultures, business cards are normally passed out rather quickly and without concern to "form," but the Japanese have a "set" way of handing business cards (called "meishi" in Japanese) to one another: • Face the person to whom you are handing your business card • The Japanese will often use both hands when giving or receiving a business card • Look at the card, don't just stick it directly in your pocket These simple rules will make your Japanese partners very pleased. They are likely taught to expect that Westerners will not have the same "meishi" culture, but naturally, you can always make your business relations smoother and better by trying in small ways to "honour" your partner's business culture. Be Careful! Please give me a break! A Chinese man began working in America some years ago. He had made friends with a female colleague who liked to write emails back and forth. One day, he was very busy, and wanted to tell his colleague that he did not have the time to write friendly emails at that moment. What he wanted to write was • I'm in the middle of something right now. I'll write you later on. or if he wanted to be even nicer, • I'm really sorry, Mary, but I'm caught in the middle of an important project. Is it alright if I write you back later on? However, what the Chinese man very innocently wrote was Please give me a break, which has the basic meaing of "Leave me the hell alone you crazy woman!" ...not what he wanted to write! Why did he make this mistake? Because we often say in English, I'm taking a break when we want to smoke a cigarette or have a coffee, or Let's take a break when we want to take a pause from a meeting. But "Give me a break" is an idiom in English, which means "leave me alone" or "you are talking crazy". Culture Note Driving tips in the US Although the driving rules in America are very similar to continental Europe, there are some distinct differences that I thought may be useful to anyone travelling to the US on business. Here are a couple driving tips you should know about: • Parking - In my opinion, parking rules are generally stricter in America than in China. For example, you must never park on the sidewalk (pavement) in the US. Any place where you cannot park is generally painted red, but you should also be cautious if you see it painted yellow. So be careful where you park your car; otherwise, it may be towed away by a tow truck. • Finding your way - All signs which tell you which direction you are going (such as, which town or city is next) on the highway (motorway) or major roads are green (for comparison, in Europe, they are blue). Distance between towns is nearly always given in miles. • Right turn on red light - In the US, it is normally acceptable to turn right at a red light unless otherwise indicated. That means that after you stop at the red light, and you notice that no cars are coming from the left, you are allowed to turn right if it is safe to do so (you do not need to wait for a green light). • 4-way intersections (all with a STOP SIGN) - Generally,the driver who arrives first at the intersection has "the right-of-way" (can go first). If you arrive at the same time, the driver "on the right" has the right-of-way, but look for people to "motion you" to go ahead with their hand, which is a common way of people to decide who can go first. • Don't park in front of a fire hydrant - There are often fire hydrants on the sides and corners of streets in America. Be careful NOT to park within aproximately 5 metres of a hydrant to avoid having your car towed. Culture Note Beginning and Ending Emails - No kind regards??? I have recently been asked this question: "My American colleague did not say "sincerely" or "kind regards" at the end of his email. Is he angry with me?" The answer is probably NO. It is common in US business email communications not to end with "Sincerely" or "Regards." It does not mean they are angry or unhappy. Colloquial (Everyday Spoken) English That would be tricky. You may very often hear your American and British colleagues say the word tricky. What does it mean? Tricky in English means "difficult" or "confusing". Some examples: Finding our house is very tricky. It might be better if I show you on a map. Translating words between Chinese and English is often tricky because there may not be a direct translation.