商務禮節美語第169期:考慮搬遷(下)

Tom和Vivian是香港一家跨國公司的僱員。Vivian被升職，要調到美國奧蘭多的辦事處。她知道Tom是從芝加哥調到香港來的，所以向Tom徵求意見。Tom談到利弊時說：

T: On a financial note, you'll probably be able to save a lot more of your salary and have more disposable income, as rents and living costs in that area are reasonable.

V: Yes. From a financial standpoint relocating makes sense, but I just want to make sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot. Happiness is important, right?

Tom說，要說錢，奧蘭多房租、生活費用很合理，reasonable, 所以Vivian會有更多可支配的收入，disposable income.

Vivian表示，如果光看錢，去奧蘭多確實很合適，make sense, 但是她不願意搬起石頭砸自己的腳，I just want to make sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot. 因爲開心還是很重要的。

T: Oh, absolutely. But Florida is a beautiful state with a nice climate. You'll be able to enjoy the beaches and take vacations in Miami!

V: Sounds good. It's just such a hard decision for me. I want to branch out and spread my wings, but there's so many "unknowns."

Vivian說，她想擴大發展，展開雙臂，branch out and spread my wings, 但是又有太多的未知數，Unknowns.

T: Yeah, I also had mixed emotions when they first offered me this job. But I have a favorite quote by the poet John Berryman that helped me a lot.

V: Which is?

T: "We must travel in the direction of our fear."

V: That's a great quotation. So let's say I'm leaning towards relocating. Got any practical tips?

Tom用詩人John Berryman的一句話鼓勵 Vivian. "We must travel in the direction of our fear." 我們必須要面對恐懼前行。Tom還有哪些建議呢？

T: your homework. Get online and research where you're going. Learn about the history, geography, . Then when you get there, you'll feel like you already know the place a bit.

V: How long did it take you to settle into your new environment?

T: I have to be honest. For the first 3 months I was pretty unhappy. I didn't like the food, couldn't figure out the subway system and, for me, Hong Kong is a noisy place. But after the four month-mark, I began to feel much better.

Do your homework? 這是英語裏很常用的一種說法，意思是事先準備。Tom建議Vivian去了解一下奧蘭多的情況。 Tom還說，他剛來香港的時候，也很不習慣。你記得他是什麼時候開始適應的嗎？沒錯，四個月。

V: Now how does it feel? You've been here for a full year, right?

T: My one-year anniversary is next week, and I have to say, I've never been happier.

V: Thanks for sharing your experiences with me, Tom. I really appreciate it. You helped me clarify my own feelings.

T: Glad to be of help. Don't forget to invite me to your going away party!

V: I won't!

Vivian謝謝Tom幫忙，Tom說，不要忘記請我參加你的going away party臨行聚會。