美國人都這麼說--會議慣用語

　　在會議中說英文是否常感覺卡卡的呢？本期英文教室為您帶來課本裡學不到、學校不會教的母語人士慣用語，適時的加入會議討論中，一定能讓你的英文聽起來超有感！

　　Do you often feel stuck when speaking English in meetings? This issue of English classroom for you to learn from the textbook, the school will not teach the idioms of native speakers, timely participation in the meeting discussion, will make your English sound super sense!

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會議慣用語補給站　Supply station

1. the whole nine yards（全部／全力以赴）

If you want to manage this project, I’ll be with you the whole nine yards.（若你負責管理這個專案，我將全程陪你一起完成。）

The market is very competitive. To win the bid, we need to go the whole nine yards.（這個市場很競爭。我們要全力以赴才能贏得標案。）

2. lay all the cards on the table（打開天窗說亮話）

Let’s lay all our cards on the table. We accept this price, as long as you are willing to offer a 5-year warranty. It’s beneficial for both parties.（打開天窗說亮話吧，我們願意接受此報價，但請提供5年保固。這是我們雙方最大的利益。）

3. from scratch（從無到有）

We started our business in 1937. Almost everything in this company was built from scratch.（我們集團成立於1937年，公司的一切都是從無到有。）

4. in the interests of time（基於時間上的考量／為了節省時間）

In the interests of time, I’d like to briefly highlight a few things in order to move on to the next item.（為了節省時間，我想簡短強調幾個重點，以利進行下一個討論。）

5. cut to the chase （切入主題）

I know you’re busy and can’t talk right now, therefore I’ll cut to the chase. （我知道你現在很忙無法多談，我會馬上切入主題。）

6. work hand in hand （攜手合作）

We will work hand in hand on this important project. （我們將攜手合作完成專案。）

情境範例　Sample Dialogue

公司內部會議正在進行中…...

Sabrina: Let’s cut to the chase. Further to the conversation from our last meeting; if you’d like to manage this project from your end, we will be glad to assist you whenever needed.（我們馬上進入主題。延續上次會議的結論，若你們單位開始著手管理此專案，我們很願意隨時提供協助。）

Mark: We appreciate it! Just a quick side note here regarding the meeting we had with the clients last Friday. They weren’t convinced at first, but they have laid all their cards on the table and are willing to lower the price after we offered a 5-year warranty for free. There’s big chance that we’ll get a contract.（謝謝你！快速跟大家說明一下，我們上周五拜訪客戶時，他們本來並沒有被說服，但當我們願意提供5年免費保固，他們也誠意回應，願意調降價格。我們有很大的機會贏得合約。）

Sabrina: Great news! Following up from here; we’ll start the 2^nd stage of the proposal from scratch and get it done by the end of this week.（真是個好消息！接下來，我們會從頭開始整理第二階段的提案，預計在本周五前完成。）

Mark: We should celebrate our achievement.（我們應該一起去慶功。）

Sabrina: We’re not there yet, but getting there. We’ll work hand in hand and go the whole nine yards. In the interests of time, do you mind getting the contract ready while we’re working on the proposal?（我們還沒達成目標，但相距不遠了。大家一起攜手並進，全力以赴。基於時間考量，當我們在處理第二階 段提案的同時，你們單位是否能將合約準備好？）

Mark: You’re absolutely right. We’re on it.（完全同意，我們馬上著手進行。）

註：以上英文教學由EIE美語提供，英文課程諮詢請洽：EIE Institute Belle Yin（Tel: (02) 8773-6828 Ext. 368；Email: belle@eie.com.tw）#