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。”

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(kāi)始去吸引高端市場(chǎng)

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

“我們決定去吸引高端市場(chǎng)，在利伯蒂/梅西百貨/時(shí)尚百貨商店等賣我們的領(lǐng)帶。”

When might you use it?

什么場(chǎng)合使用這個(gè)詞組?

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(yè)計(jì)劃或者商業(yè)決策里描述“提高檔次”，加價(jià)和提高質(zhì)量，出售給更高收入的消費(fèi)者。如果你在零售行業(yè)工作這個(gè)詞組將會(huì)有用。但是你也能用更休閑的場(chǎng)合用它談?wù)撟约汉湍愕馁Y產(chǎn)—例如，“我們想要一輛新車….想著去一些高端的地方，看起來(lái)更耀眼一些。”

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

支持或同意

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(gè)詞組并不經(jīng)常意味著真購(gòu)買了某物—它變成了一個(gè)商業(yè)比喻，大多用于某人支持或者同意同事/公司的活動(dòng)。

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(wèi)說(shuō)價(jià)格正在上揚(yáng)。我完全同意!”

When might you use it?

什么場(chǎng)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(dāng)你認(rèn)為某事對(duì)你和生意而言有好的前景，你因此有興趣或者好奇的時(shí)候，就可以在潛在客戶面前用這個(gè)口語(yǔ)表達(dá)來(lái)暗示感興趣的程度。--例如“你提供的這個(gè)計(jì)劃確實(shí)非常好，我們考慮支持。”