2010年ESL之商务英语 08 Blowing the Whistle at Work

08 Blowing the Whistle at Work

GLOSSARY 1

ramification 2 – implication; consequence; something additional that results fromone’s actions, especially when one cannot know exactly what it will be ahead oftime* The decision to quit your job could have serious ramifications 3 for your futurecareer.

to blow the whistle – to share information about something wrong or bad thatan individual, corporation, or organization is doing, because one hopes to end it* Who blew the whistle on Enron?

no two ways about it – very clear; without any uncertainty 4; able to happen inonly one way* There are no two ways about it: if you break up with Margot, she’ll never speakto you again.

to step up – to come forward; to voluntarily do or participate in somethingwithout being forced to do it* If you step up and tell the police what you’ve done, you’ll probably get a lessserious punishment than if you wait until you’ve been arrested.

on the line – at risk; in danger; with the possibility of being lost or damaged* My job is on the line! If this presentation isn’t perfect, I’ll be fired for sure.

to get out – for information to become public; for information to become knownby many people; for a secret to be broken* Sequita would be so embarrassed if any of this information got out.

to live with – to put up with something; to be able to tolerate something; to beable to continue living one’s normal life if something is true* I don’t think I could live with myself if I accidentally killed someone in a caraccident because I was driving while drunk.

to protect (one’s) interests – to meet one’s own needs and fulfill 5 one’s ownwishes; to take care of oneself* The bankers seem very helpful, but they aren’t really here to protect ourinterests, so we need to read all the documents very carefully before signing.

anonymous 6 – without one’s name being known; with an unknown name oridentity* This anonymous poem is beautiful. I wish I knew who wrote it.

to blow up – to become a major problem, usually affecting many people; tobecome an uncontrollable situation* When a government scandal 7 blows up, voters become angry and manypoliticians lose their jobs.

to be in knee-deep – to be heavily involved in something* I’m knee-deep in paperwork, so I need to work late tonight.

to put (one’s) money where (one’s) mouth is – to finally do what one has beensaying should be done; to stop just talking about something and begin acting 8 onit* If you think getting a college education is so important, why don’t you put yourmoney where your mouth is and go back to school?

to go public – to share information with many people, especially with the media;to stop keeping something a secret* What made you decide to go public with that story? Most people would havetried to keep it a secret.

to let the chips fall where they may – to do something or to let somethinghappen, no matter what positive or negative things might result from it* Even though they knew the housing market was falling, they decided 9 to buy thehome and let the chips fall where they may.

hasty 10 – quick, fast, or rushed, especially when making a decision* Whenever I make a hasty decision, I usually regret it the next day.

to sleep on it – to think about something overnight; to not make a final decisionuntil the next morning, after one has had some time to think about it morecarefully* Don’t make a decision right now. Go home, sleep on it, and call me againtomorrow morning.

with (someone) – in agreement with another person; willing to support anotherperson; willing to join another person in doing something* We’re going to protest against the mayor’s decision. Are you with us or againstus?

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. What does Becky mean when she says, “we are putting our jobs on the line”?

a) They might lose their jobs.

b) They’re applying for new jobs.

c) They are doing something that isn’t part of their job.

2. What does Saeed mean when he says, “we’ll be in knee-deep”?

a) They’ll be heavily involved in whatever happens.

b) They’ll be able to change their minds later.

c) They’ll need to get down on their knees and pray.

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to get outThe phrase “to get out,” in this podcast, means for secret information to becomepublic and known by many people: “When the information got out, the companyspent a lot of time trying to figure out who was sharing corporate 11 secrets.” Thephrase “to get out of (somewhere)” means to leave a place, usually quickly: “Idon’t feel comfortable in this bar. Let’s get out of here!” The phrase “to get(someone) out” means to help a person leave or escape: “Don’t worry, we’ll getyou out of here!” The phrase “to get out of doing (something)” means to find away to avoid doing something one is supposed to do: “How did you get out ofwriting that report?” Finally, the phrase “to get out of (something)” can mean tostop doing a certain type of work: “In 1993, he got out of banking 12 and became amusician.”

to blow upIn this podcast, the phrase “to blow up” means to become a major problem,usually affecting many people, or to become an uncontrollable situation:

“Everyone was disappointed when the peace talks blew up and the warresumed.” The phrase “to blow up” also means to explode: “When the bombblew up, many people were killed.” The phrase “to blow (something) up” meansto fill something with air or a gas: “How many balloons do we need to blow up forthe party?” Finally, the phrase “to blow up at (someone)” means to become veryangry at someone and yell 13 at him or her: “I’m sorry I blew up at you yesterday. Iwas just really upset about what had happened.”

CULTURE NOTEIn 1989, the U.S. government “enacted” (made into law) the WhistleblowerProtection Act. This “Act” (law) was created to protect government workers whoreport “misconduct” (bad, inappropriate behavior). “Official” (authority; leader) or“agency” (department) misconduct might include “gross” (serious; severe)mismanagement or “misuse” (inappropriate use) of government “funds” (money).

The law was created because some government workers had been complainingthat they were being punished for having blown the whistle on their agency. Forexample, if they shared information about agency misconduct, they might be toldthat they had done a good thing, but then a few weeks or months later they mightnot receive a “promotion” (a move to a better job with more responsibility andbetter pay) or they might even be “fired” (lose their job). This was a strong“disincentive” (something that makes one not want to do something) againstblowing the whistle on agency misconduct.

“Theoretically” (in theory, but not necessarily in reality), government workersshould now feel more comfortable blowing the whistle on official misconduct oragency misconduct, because according to the Whistleblower Protection Act theywon’t have to “suffer” (feel pain from) negative consequences. However, it canbe hard to “enforce” (make sure a law is followed) the Act. Agency officials mightargue that their “personnel” (related to human resources) decisions are unrelatedto the whistleblower’s actions. For example, they might say that a whistleblowerwas fired because he or she wasn’t doing the job very well, even though he orshe was really fired in “retaliation” (revenge). It can be very difficult or impossibleto prove the reason why someone has been fired.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 572: Blowing theWhistle at Work.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 14 572. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Support this podcast by either donating to our site orby becoming an ESL Podcast member. If you become a member, you are ableto download all of the Learning Guides for our episodes 15. These are 8- to 10-page special guides we provide for all of our current episodes that will help youimprove your English even faster.

This dialogue is between Becky and Saeed; it’s about blowing the whistle. “Toblow the whistle” is to tell someone about something that is wrong in yourcompany or organization. If someone is doing something illegal like stealing, toblow the whistle would be to tell your boss or to tell the police. Let’s get started[start of dialogue]

Becky: What are we going to do?

Saeed: I don’t know. I need time to think about the ramifications of blowing thewhistle.

Becky: There are no two ways about it. If we step up and do the right thing, weare putting our jobs on the line.

Saeed: But we can’t keep quiet about this. If it gets out, and we knew about it allalong, we’ll get into even more trouble. And plus, think of how many peoplewould be hurt if we kept our mouths shut. Could we live with that?

Becky: Maybe there is a way for us to protect our interests and still do the rightthing. Maybe we could be anonymous whistleblowers.

Saeed: Don’t count on being able to remain anonymous. When this thing blowsup, we’ll be in knee-deep. There’s only one thing to do.

Becky: What?

Saeed: I have to put my money where my mouth is and go public with what weknow. I’ll just have to let the chips fall where they may.

Becky: Don’t be too hasty. Let’s sleep on it and talk about it tomorrow.

Saeed: You can do that if you want to, but I’ve made up my mind. The questionis: Are you with me?

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Becky saying to Saeed, “What are we going to do?”

Saeed says, “I don’t know. I need time to think about the ramifications of blowingthe whistle.” “Ramifications” are consequences, implications, something that willhappen because you do something, especially when you’re not exactly sure whatwill happen if you do something: the consequences of your actions. To blow thewhistle means to share information about something wrong or bad that someoneis doing because you want to stop it; you’re either telling someone in yourcompany – the president or your boss – about something that people are doingwrong, or you’re perhaps telling the government that your company ororganization is doing something wrong or illegal.

Becky says, “There are no two ways about it.” This an idiom that means there isno doubt, it’s very clear; this can happen in only one way, there are no differentoptions for us. There’s only one thing we can do, that’s the meaning of there areno two ways about it. She says, “If we step up and do the right thing, we areputting our jobs on the line.” She saying that this is what will happen, there is noother choice for us. “If we step up,” that is, if we volunteer to do or to participatein this action – if we come forward, which is another phrasal verb that means thesame thing – if we go to the boss or to the government, “we are putting our jobson the line.” Something that is “on the line” is something that is at risk, in danger,there’s a possibility that you could lose it. To say your job is on the line meansdepending on what I do I could lose my job very soon.

Saeed says, “But we can’t keep quiet about this (we can’t not tell anyone). If itgets out, and we knew about it all along, we’ll get into even more trouble.” Noticethe very popular word “get” in English; there are all sorts of phrasal verbs – twowordverbs that use the verb “get.” This one is “get out.” “To get out” means forinformation – secret or private information to become public, to become knownby many people. There are other meanings of this expression also, and thoseare in the Learning Guide.

Saeed says, “If it gets out (if this news about this bad thing is publicized – ifpeople find out about it), we’ll get into even more trouble.” Notice “into,” thepreposition, connected with “get.” “To get into trouble” means to be in trouble, togo from not being in trouble to being in trouble. Saeed says, “And plus (meaningin addition), think of how many people would be hurt if we kept our mouths shut.”

“To keep your mouth shut” means not to tell anyone, not to say anything toanyone else, to be quiet. This is something I have a great deal of difficulty doing:

keeping my mouth shut. My wife tells me this almost every day! Saeed isworried that people will get hurt if they don’t tell someone; he says, “Could welive with that?” “To live with” means to be able to tolerate something. It’s aphrasal verb meaning to put up with something, to be able to continue living yourlife.

Becky says, “Maybe there is a way for us to protect our interests and still do theright thing.” “To protect your interests” means you are taking care of yourself,you are making sure you don’t get hurt. She wants to protect herself, but shealso wants to do the right thing. She says then, “Maybe we could be anonymouswhistleblowers.” “To be anonymous” means that no one knows your name, thatno one knows who you are. So, you write a note to a girl you like but you don’tput your name on the note; the note is anonymous. I’m not sure why you woulddo that; it seems kind of stupid to me. You, of course, would want the girl toknow your name. But, I suppose maybe you want to provide some mysteryabout your identity – it’s possible!

Back to the story, Saeed says, “Don’t count on being able to remain anonymous.”

“Don’t count on” means don’t rely upon, don’t depend upon, it’s not for certain.

Saeed says, “When this thing blows up, we’ll be in knee-deep.” “To blow up”

here means to become a major problem, to be a situation that will affect manydifferent people in a bad way. “To blow up” has other meanings in English as aphrasal verb; those are in that Learning Guide we talked about earlier. So,Saeed is saying, “When this thing blows up (when people find out about it and itbecomes a big problem), we’ll be in knee-deep.” “To be in knee (knee) -deep”

means to be heavily involved in something, you are very much involved in it.

Often, it’s a bad thing, but you could also say “I’m knee-deep in work this week,” Ihave so much work I can barely 16 think, I’m heavily involved in it.

Saeed says, “There’s only one thing to do.” Becky asks, “What?” He says, “Ihave to put my money where my mouth is and go public with what we know.”

This is an expression: “to put your money where your mouth is,” it means to stoptalking about something and actually do it; not just to say you’re going to run a marathon, but actually to practice and run the marathon. We use it whensomeone has finally decided to do something that they’ve been talking about. Italso is used sometimes when you give advice to someone, and you need toactually do something as part of that advice: “I’m going to help you find a job.” Ipromise you something; I’m going to put my money where my mouth is, I’mactually going to call some people to find you a job. “To go public” means toshare information with many people, especially the newspapers or the televisionnews programs.

Saeed says, “I’ll just have to let the chips fall where they may.” This expression,“to let the chips (chips) fall where they may,” means to do something eventhough something bad might be a result of your action, to do something and notthink about the positive or negative ramifications, or consequences, of youraction.

Becky, however, says, “Don’t be too hasty” (hasty). That means don’t be sorushed, don’t do it quickly, think about this decision. She says, “Let’s sleep on itand talk about it tomorrow.” “To sleep on it” means to think about somethingovernight; to go home, to fall asleep, continue thinking about it, and the next dayyou make your decision. Saeed says, “You can do that if you want to, but I’vemade up my mind (I’ve decided). The question is: Are you with me?” meaningare you going to help me; support me; agree with me.

Let’s listen to the dialogue now at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Becky: What are we going to do?

Saeed: I don’t know. I need time to think about the ramifications of blowing thewhistle.

Becky: There are no two ways about it. If we step up and do the right thing, weare putting our jobs on the line.

Saeed: But we can’t keep quiet about this. If it gets out, and we knew about it allalong, we’ll get into even more trouble. And plus, think of how many peoplewould be hurt if we kept our mouths shut. Could we live with that?

Becky: Maybe there is a way for us to protect our interests and still do the rightthing. Maybe we could be anonymous whistleblowers.

Saeed: Don’t count on being able to remain anonymous. When this thing blowsup, we’ll be in knee-deep. There’s only one thing to do.

Becky: What?

Saeed: I have to put my money where my mouth is and go public with what weknow. I’ll just have to let the chips fall where they may.

Becky: Don’t be too hasty. Let’s sleep on it and talk about it tomorrow.

Saeed: You can do that if you want to, but I’ve made up my mind. The questionis: Are you with me?

[end of dialogue]

The writer of this podcast dialogue is not anonymous; it’s our own Dr. Lucy Tse.

Thank you, Lucy.

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

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.