2011年ESL之商务英语 21 Describing One’s Skill Level

21 Describing One’s Skill Level

GLOSSARY 1

intern 2 – a person, usually who is still a student, who works in an organization fora short period of time to learn how to do something and prepare for a futurecareer

* Last summer, Jezra was a finance intern on Wall Street and learned a lot aboutthe stock market.

cubicle 3 – a small work area within a larger office space, with a desk, computer,and telephone surrounded by four short walls that do not reach up to the ceiling

* I hate making phone calls from my cubicle, because my co-workers can heareverything I say.

basic – the minimum or standard type of something, without anything additionalor impressive

* We were going to buy the basic model of this car, but then we started addingfeatures like leather seats and a fancy stereo.

adept 4 at – very good at doing or using something

* To improve our website, we need to hire someone who is adept at Java.

up to snuff – meeting the standards or expectations for something; at asatisfactory level

* Make sure your essay is up to snuff or the teacher will give you a failing grade.

proficient 5 – very good at doing something; an expert; with an advanced level

* How many years did you have to work before you became proficient in makingfancy wedding cakes?

photocopier 6 – a machine that makes many copies of the text or images thatappear on a piece of paper

* The photocopier was working fine yesterday, but now that I need to makecopies of the agenda for today’s meeting, it won’t even turn on!

fax machine – a machine that uses phone lines to send the text or images on apiece of paper to another fax machine in a different location, where it is printedout onto a piece of paper

* I don’t have a fax machine in my home office. Can I scan the document andemail it to you instead?

expert – someone who has a lot of knowledge on a topic; someone who knowsalmost everything about something

* Beth is an expert in ancient Greek and Roman art.

one hand tied behind (one’s) back – able to do something very easily, withoutany difficulty

* Daryl has been building homes for more than 20 years, and he can almost do itwith one hand tied behind his back!

body part – one section of one’s body, such as an arm, leg, hand, or foot

* Tae-young chose to get a tattoo 7 on his back, rather than a more visible bodypart.

to master – to become very good at doing something so that one doesn’t haveany doubts about it

* It can take many years of practice to master the violin.

to get the hang of – to learn how to do something; to become familiar enoughwith something to use or do it correctly

* Cooper is a good skier 8, but it took him a while to get the hang of snowboarding.

break room – a room in an office building where workers go to eat and/or rest forshort periods of time during the day

* I wish it were quieter in the break room so we could take a quick nap beforegoing back to work.

vending 9 machine – a large machine that people put coins into to receive smallpackages of food or drinks

* The sodas 10 in this vending machine cost $1.25 each!

to know inside and out – to know something very well; to have knowledgeabout all parts or aspects of something

* Hinton grew up in New York City, so he knows the city inside and out.

to excel – to do something very well; to be a master at doing something

* Wei excelled in her graduate courses in marketing 11.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Which of these machines accepts money?

a) A photocopier.

b) A fax machine.

c) A vending machine.

2. What is the first thing Tony shows Elaine on the tour?

a) The desks where each employee works.

b) The mailboxes where each employee receives documents.

c) The cots where employees can take naps on breaks.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

basic

The word “basic,” in this podcast, means the minimum or standard type ofsomething, without anything additional: “The basic cable package offers 20channels, but you can pay extra to receive premium 12 movie channels.” The“basics” refers to the most fundamental or important principles of something:

“She learned the basics of music theory as a child, but she has forgotten a lot ofit since then.” The word “basically” is used when one is summarizing somethingor putting something in simpler terms: “A lot of ingredients go into making a goodsoup, but basically, you need meat and/or vegetables that are fresh.” Finally, thephrase “basic training” refers to the period of time when people enter the militaryand receive intense instruction to prepare them for their work: “Basic training isreally difficult, but if you can make it through the first few weeks, you’ll be fine.”

master

In this podcast, the verb “to master” means to become very good at doingsomething so that one doesn’t have any doubts about it: “If you want to masterthe art of watercolor painting, you’ll have to buy better paints and paintbrushes.”

The verb “to master” can also mean to overcome something, or to succeeddespite a challenge or difficulty: “Once Hal learned to master his impatience 13, hebecame a very successful leader.” As a noun, a “master” is a person who is incontrol of something or is an expert in something: “He is a master champion ingolf.” A “master” can also refer to the original version of something: “Please don’tgive away the master copy. Make copies of it instead.”

CULTURE NOTE

The Internship 15 ExperienceStudents and “recent graduates” (people who recently earned a diploma orfinished a course of study) can participate in internships to “obtain” (get) valuablejob experience and “network” (meet; make connections) with people in their“chosen industry” (the field one wants to work in). Many internships are “unpaid”

(the intern does not receive any money), and even the “paid” internships areusually not very well paying. Internships can also be “for credit” (giving thestudent academic credits that can be used to earn a degree, like a class) or “notfor credit,” and interns 14 usually have to write a report describing their experiencein for-credit internships.

Internship experiences “vary widely” (are very different) depending on theindustry and the organization. Some interns are disappointed when their work isprimarily photocopying 16 or getting coffee for the regular employees. But otherinterns become an “integral” (important; necessary) part of the organization. Thebest internships are generally opportunities to work on a specific project thatbenefits the organization, but that regular employees do not have enough time tocomplete on their own. Interns working on specific projects have “autonomy” (theability to make one’s own decisions), but can also “turn to” (ask for help from)employees when they need guidance or additional information.

Many businesses offer internships as a way to “vet” (review the qualifications of)potential employees. If a supervisor 17 is pleased with an intern, he or she mayencourage the intern to return to the organization after graduation by making an“attractive” (desirable; with nice benefits) job offer. The intern’s familiarity withthe organization and the “work culture” (how people interact within theorganization), makes the transition into the new job easier, and the companyknows how well qualified 18 the new employee is, because it has already workedwith him or her as an intern.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 19

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 728: DescribingOne’s Skill Level.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 728. Can you believeit?! I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center forEducational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. Why? Well, we want you to become a memberof ESL Podcast, my friend, and be able to download the Learning Guide for thisepisode, which will make your life much easier and happier.

This episode is a dialogue between Elaine and Tony, using vocabulary todescribe how good you are at doing something. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Elaine: Welcome to your first day as an intern in our company office. Let meshow you around. This is the main office area with a cubicle for each employee.

Are you pretty good with computers?

Tony: Actually, my computer knowledge is pretty basic. The only thing I’m adeptat is videogames. I’m not up to snuff on actually doing work on one.

Elaine: Okay, well you should be proficient by the end of your internship. Overthere is where we keep the photocopier and fax machine. Have you used thembefore?

Tony: I’m an expert on the copier. I can use it with one hand tied behind myback. I’m particularly good at photocopying body parts.

Elaine: Uh, great.

Tony: But the fax…I’ve only used one once and I never quite mastered it.

Elaine: I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly. And this is the breakroom. You have your standard refrigerator and vending machines.

Tony: Hey, I’m really good with vending machines. That’s one machine I knowinside and out.

Elaine: How could I have guessed that the one thing you really excel at isworking the vending machine?

[end of dialogue]

Elaine says to Tony, “Welcome to your first day as an intern in our companyoffice.” An “intern” (intern) is a person, usually a student, who works in anorganization for a short period of time – a month, two months, maybe a year – tolearn how to do something and to prepare for their future doing that kind of job.

Lots of organizations have interns; they are young students, either still in collegeor just graduated from college, that perform different jobs. Sometimes they arepaid, sometimes they are volunteer; you don’t get paid but you do getexperience. I think I need an intern here at the Center for EducationalDevelopment. You know, someone to bring my coffee in the morning – or mytea, as the case may be. Well, Elaine is welcoming – is saying hello to Tony,who is an intern. She says, “Let me show you around.” Let me give you a tour;let me tell you where everything is. She then says, “This is the main office areawith a cubicle for each employee.” A “cubicle” (cubicle) is a small work areawithin a larger office space. Typically, it has a desk, a computer, a telephone.

There are walls around it, but the walls don’t go all the way up to the ceiling.

That’s a cubicle.

Elaine then asks Tony, “Are you pretty good with computers?” Tony says,“Actually, my computer knowledge is pretty basic.” When we say our knowledgeabout something is “basic,” we mean that it isn’t very much; it’s the minimum thatyou need to know; you could be much, much better; it’s very low, very beginninglevel. “Basic” has a number of different meanings in English however; take alook at our Learning Guide for some more of those. Tony says, “The only thingI’m adept at is videogames.” “To be adept (adept) at (something)” means to beable to do something very well, to be very good at doing or using something.

“He’s adept at certain programming languages,” Java and PHP – I don’t know –something you’re good at. Tony says he’s adept at videogames, but “I’m not upto snuff on actually doing work on one.” “To be up to snuff” (snuff) means toperform at a satisfactory level, to meet someone’s expectations, to be goodenough to do something. I am up to snuff on recording 20 podcasts; I’m able to doit. I can’t do a lot of other things, but I am up to snuff on the recording partanyway.

Elaine says, “Okay, well you should be proficient by the end of your internship.”

Your “internship” is the time that you are an intern. “To be proficient” (proficient)means to be good at something, to be very good at it. You might be an expert oryou might just have a lot of knowledge, but you are very good at what you do.

We often talk about proficiency 21 in languages, being able to speak them andunderstand them and so forth 22. Elaine says, “Over there is where we keep (wherewe have) the photocopier and the fax machine.” A “photocopier,” morecommonly called a “copying machine” or just a “copier,” is a machine thatproduces an image on a piece of paper from what you give it. So it sort of takesthe image and reproduces it onto a piece of paper; that’s a copying machine. A“fax machine” is a machine that uses phone lines to send images of paper toanother machine – another fax or fax machine. Fax machines are becoming lessand less common now, with the Internet and email.

Tony says, “I’m an expert on the copier.” “To be an expert” means to besomeone who knows almost everything about something. You could be anexpert on ancient Greek art or an expert on how to fix your car. Tony is anexpert on copying machines. He says, “I can use it with one hand tied behind myback.” The expression “to have one hand tied behind your back” means you cando something very easily, without any difficulty. To tie your hand would be totake a piece of rope or string so that you couldn’t move your hand. If you tied itbehind your back, you could only do something with one hand – with one arm.

The idea is that you’re so good you don’t need both arms – both hands to do it.

Tony, again, is making a little bit of a joke here. He says, “I’m particularly good at(I’m very good at) photocopying body parts.” A “body part” is a part of your body:

your arm, your leg, your hand, and so forth. Sometimes in offices as a jokepeople will take pictures of their head or other parts of their body and give themto someone as a joke. So Tony is an intern who’s making a joke. Elaine is notreally happy with this joke; she says, “Uh, great.” She doesn’t really mean“great,” she says it in a way that makes us understand that she doesn’t reallythink the joke is very funny.

Tony says, “But the fax…I’ve only used one once and I never quite mastered it.”

“To master (something)” is to become very good at something; it’s to become anexpert. Elaine says, “I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly.” “To get thehang (hang) of (something)” means to learn how to do something, to learn how todo something correctly. She says, “this is the break room.” A “break room” is aroom in an office where you can go to eat, to relax. Many employees get a break– a 15 minute break every morning and every afternoon in addition to their, say,30 minute lunch break, and this is where you can go in the building. It usuallyhas chairs and tables, sometimes machines that sell things: candy and soda,coffee, etc. Elaine says, “You have your standard refrigerator (your normalrefrigerator) and vending machines.” We just explained a “vending machine,” it’sa machine that you put money into and it gives you food or drink or other things.

Tony says, “Hey, I’m really good with vending machines.” I know how to usethem very well; again, another joke. He says, “That’s one machine I know insideand out.” “To know (something) inside and out” means to know it very well, tohave knowledge of all the different parts of something. Elaine says, “How could Ihave guessed that the one thing you really excel at is working the vendingmachine?” The first part of this question, “how could I have guessed,” means itshould have been obvious. It’s a kind of a strange expression, but what she’ssaying is it is obvious, knowing you – or knowing what I do about you, that in thiscase you really excel at working with the vending machine. “To excel” (excel), asa verb, means to do something very well, to become a master at doingsomething. We have the adjective “excellent,” which is related. Elaine says thatTony really excels at working the vending machine, meaning using the vendingmachine.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Elaine: Welcome to your first day as an intern in our company office. Let meshow you around. This is the main office area with a cubicle for each employee.

Are you pretty good with computers?

Tony: Actually, my computer knowledge is pretty basic. The only thing I’m adeptat is videogames. I’m not up to snuff on actually doing work on one.

Elaine: Okay, well you should be proficient by the end of your internship. Overthere is where we keep the photocopier and fax machine. Have you used thembefore?

Tony: I’m an expert on the copier. I can use it with one hand tied behind myback. I’m particularly good at photocopying body parts.

Elaine: Uh, great.

Tony: But the fax…I’ve only used one once and I never quite mastered it.

Elaine: I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly. And this is the breakroom. We have your standard refrigerator and vending machines.

Tony: Hey, I’m really good with vending machines. That’s one machine I knowinside and out.

Elaine: How could I have guessed that the one thing you really excel at isworking the vending machine?

[end of dialogue]

We want to thank our master scriptwriter, a true expert, Dr. Lucy Tse, for thisscript.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2011 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.