実践ビジネス英語 ディクテーション (aired 11/29,30)

こんにちは。実践ビジネス英語Talk the Talkコーナーのディクテーションです。番組の11月後半のテーマは、‘Virtual Thanksgiving Day’（バーチャル感謝祭）でした。“Talk the talk”では、Heatherさんが大のギョーザ好きであることが判明します・・・。本日は、かもめの単語帳つきです。

（S: 杉田敏先生　H: Heather Howardさん）

Virtual Thanksgiving Day

S: Now, in our current vignette, members of H&B staff talk about their plans for Thanksgiving. One thing they discuss is how to avoid binging on lavish holiday spreads. Is this something you encountered while living in the States, Heather?

H: Not really. I’ve never had a very large extended family, and my parents split up when I was eight years old. So most of the Thanksgivings I spent with family, it was just my mother and me.
And a full Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings would’ve been a huge amount of work to prepare for just two people. So, luckily, perhaps, I was almost never exposed to that much food on Thanksgiving.
My mother and I would usually do one of two things; we’d either go out dinner at a restaurant, which didn’t always involve traditional holiday fare, or we’d buy a smoked ham from a particular brand that we liked and eat that at home. I’m actually not a big fan of turkey.

S: Really? Which traditional Thanksgiving food do you like the best?

H: The two that are probably the most fattening, unfortunately: mashed potatoes with gravy and pumpkin pie.

S: Hmm. There’re plenty of chances to overeat on festive occasions in Japan, too ― company parties, for example, and when we’re relaxing at home around New Year’s. Do you take any steps to prevent overeating then?

H: I do. My willpower doesn’t always hold out, but I try. One personal trick of mine is to drink a fair amount of diet soda. It fills up my stomach, and holding the bottle keeps my hands occupied.
I found I‘m a lot less likely to be constantly reaching for the sembei or whatever, if I’m holding onto a bottle.
Pearson recommends sipping one’s wine at a measured pace, but I personally try to avoid alcohol when I don’t want to overeat. Alcohol loosens our inhibitions, and I know I’ve often thought, “Oh, come on, it’s a special occation, live a little!” after a couple of glasses of wine or beer.

S: So, what are your danger foods in Japan?

H: Well, besides the aforementioned sembei, I can scarf down plenty of yakisoba and sushi. Oh, and I stay far away from gyoza, if I need to watch my weight. If gyoza wasn’t fattening, I would eat it all day long.

S: The conversation eventually turns to how digital connections are in some ways strengthening human relationships. Have you found that’s true with your family?

H: Certainly. Especially since my daughter was born, digital connections have been invaluable. We make Internet video calls, for example, so that my mother and father can see my daughter and she can see them.
We’ve been speaking on the phone even more frequently since her birth, so it’s a good thing that calls are free.
I’ve also been using a video sharing network to keep my parents connected with my daughter. I put up videos of her doing funny things or achieving milestones like rolling over and my parents have got a lot of pleasure out of them.
I was a little concerned at first about exposing her too much on the Internet. But luckily, I can limit who has access to the videos, so that makes me feel more secure.

S: And how about friends?

H: Actually, digital technology allowed me to have a very pleasant experience with someone who wasn’t a friend until recently. A certain woman and I were pretty antagonistic toward each other in high school, but we ended up getting connected on a social media network.
And then, not too long ago, we had a very friendly chat online about where we’d been, what we’d done since high school. It was a nice feeling as if we were erasing all the childish trauma of the past.

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かもめの単語帳

If gyoza wasn’t fattening, I would eat it all day long.
（ギョーザを食べても太らないのなら、一日中食べているでしょう）

（一般的に）ギョーザは太るもとになるという事実（Heatherさんの主観も入っているようです）に反する仮定なので「仮定法」を使っています。現在の事実に反する仮定なので、if節の動詞（例文ではbe動詞）は過去形（wasn't）、後の節では助動詞の過去形（would）が使われています。実際は、gyoza is fattening, so she can’t eat it all day long なんですね。
Well, I’d think if gyoza wasn’t fattening, that ‘gyoza’ wouldn’t be so enticing to her….

最後までお読みくださり、ありがとうございました♪