商務禮節美語第183期:下崗,解僱 laid off(下)

Paul和Sara夫婦倆人跟老朋友Jesse和Miika 一起吃飯，Jesse剛失業，打算回去完成碩士學位。

P: But that's gonna take you at least two years to finish!

J: ActuAlly, I can do it in 10 months by online correspondence course.

M: You ance learning. It used to be sort of dodgy, but in the last couple of years even the big-name schools are getting in on the act.

Jesse說，通過網上教學，online correspondence course十個月就能拿到碩士文憑。Miika說，遠程教學原來好象不可靠dodgy，但是最近幾年，Even the big-name schools are getting in on the act. 就連很多名牌大學都加入了進來。 Big-name schools名牌學校。get in on the act. 加入進來。

S: Yeah. I've done some research into online distance learning myself. I'm thinking I should get a nursing degree. All the career-guidance web sites say nursing is a field that's definitely growing. They say millions more qualified nurses are going to be needed over the next 20 years.

Sara說，她正在考慮去學護理，因爲nursing is a field that's definitely growing. 護理絕對是一個正在成長的領域。今後二十年需要數百萬合格的護理人員。

P: But just getting by on Miika's income isn't going to be enough, no?

J: No, you're right. I'm going to bite the bullet and take a part-time job with Miika's dad. In tough times, pride is not a virtue.

S: Especially when you have a family to feed. Paul and I worry everyday that his firm might get into trouble.

光靠Miika一個人的收入肯定不夠。To get by是勉強過日子的意思。Jesse準備bite the bullet忍辱負重，去給老丈人打工，因爲in tough times, pride is not a virtue. 困難時期，驕傲可不是什麼優點。

S: Well, I'm not worried about you. I think you both have exactly the right attitude and have made exactly the right plans to make it through these troubles.

J: Yeah! I'm pretty optimistic about things.

P: What's that saying? Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

M: That's the one!

S: Let's do this again next month

J: It's a date!

分手前，Sara說Jesse和Miika一定能渡過難關，make it through these troubles. Paul補充說，What's that saying? 那句話是怎麼說的來着？Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger殺你不死者會讓你變得更強壯，類似中文裏說的，大難不死必有後福。Sara建議下個月再聚。Jesse說It's a date. 一言爲定。