H: Nissen says his previous boss encouraged him to be open and claimed to always be available but that turned out not to be true. He says he began to burn out and to feel completely unmotivated. Nissen also describes a high-stress workplace where he did not feel secure and there was constant pressure to produce more.
Grace asks about his job responsibilities.
cultural fit
文化的適合、企業文化に馴染むこと
H: We often hear about corporate culture, the fundamental values and atmosphere of a company. Cultural fit would be how well suited someone is to a company, to those values and the atmosphere. Imagine a very competitive company, where employees are encouraged to be rivals. You might say “Kevin is very competitive too, so that company is a good cultural fit for him.”
speak one’s mind
自分の思うままを言う、本音を語る
H: Honestly express what we’re thinking even if it might not be popular or there’s a risk to us. “He just joined the company so he’s reluctant to speak his mind,” for example. Or “The boss wants everyone to speak their mind. He won’t get angry, he promises.”
S: 言いたいことを言う、自分の意見を言うといったニュアンスですね。speak one’s pieceとも言います。
unannounced
事前の連絡をしないで、予告なしに
H: McMillan asks “Did you actually walk into his office unannounced?”
Without prior notice or warning. Such as “She came to my desk unannounced and I couldn’t talk because I was very busy.” Or “Investigators arrived unannounced and searched the entire company.”
S: 受付に行って相手に来たことを知らせるというのがannounceという動詞ですね。そういうことをせずに事前の通知もなしにというのがunannouncedとなります。
naive
考えが単純な、世間知らずの、うぶな
S: 日本語では純粋で飾り気がない意味が強いんですが、英語の場合には考えが足りないとかですね、世間知らずなという意味で使います。
in retrospect
今にして思えば、振り返ってみると
H: Looking back after the fact. Considering something after it happened. Like, “In retrospect I should’ve been better prepared for the meeting.” Or “In retrospect the company shouldn’t have expanded so quickly.”
fit in
馴染む、適応する、うまくはまる
H: Harmonize well with one’s surroundings. You can use this about things as well as people. “That building doesn’t fit in with this neighborhood. It’s too modern.”
get to the point where
何々の段階に達する、何々にまでなる
H: Reach the level, the degree where this is happening. Nissen could also say reach the point where. For example, “She’s really stressed out. It’s reached the point where she’s snapping at people.”
S: snap at people、人々に噛み付く、怒るということですね。
do more with less
より少ない労力・財源でより多くのことをする
H: Down towards the bottom, Nissen said “Directives to do more with less had driven me to near the breaking point.”
drive someone to
人を何々に追い込む
H: Nissen is using this in a negative sense. He means force someone, compel them to a bad action or a bad situation. There’s also the adjective driven, which can mean strongly motivated, work very hard to succeed or achieve something. You could say “He’s really driven. He never leaves the office before 8 pm.”
S: drivenというのはやる気のあるという意味の形容詞として使いますね。それから-drivenというのもよく目にします。コンピューターの分野ですとmenu-drivenとかtext-drivenのような形で使われます。それからcustomer-driven marketと言えば顧客主導型市場という意味ですね。何々-drivenというのはその前の語が主導権、強制力、推進力などを持っていることを示します。
near the breaking point
極限近くに、限界に近い
H: The mental point where we can’t take it anymore, where we give up, or we lose control of our emotions. Things like “He’s near the breaking point due to the constant criticism from his boss.” Or “That sales person was so rude I was near my breaking point”
S: ストレスや我慢の限界点といった意味で使いますね。
H: And when we lose that control, when we pass the breaking point, in English we often say “That’s it.” Like “That is the point where I can take no more.”
one’s door is always open
H: Nissen says “My boss said that his door was always open.” He was always available especially a boss or the official would say this. A manager can tell her staff “If there is anything you want to talk about, come see me. My door is always open.” It can also mean that an employee can always return. You might tell a departing employee “We’ll miss you, Helen. But remember, our door is always open. We’d love to work with you again.”
S: one’s door is always open. そうした方針のことをopen-door policyと言いますね。