実践ビジネス英語ディクテーション (3/3,4)

こんにちは。NHKラジオ「実践ビジネス英語」”Talk the Talk”のディクテーションです。
Lesson 22のテーマは、‘Casual Dress Revolution’（カジュアルドレス革命）でした。Vignetteでは、アメリカのあらゆる業種の会社で服装規定が緩和されるようになりつつあること、職場にふさわしい服装の基準などが話題になりました。“What you wear means business.”（着ているもので本気度がわかる）という表現が印象的でした。
“Talk the Talk”では、飾らないプロフェッショナル・ルックがモットーというHeatherさんが、服装のマナーについて語られます。「ボーイフレンドやガールフレンドのご両親に初めて会う時に着て行けるかどうか」は日本でもよく耳にする基準ですね。最後に紹介されたコラムニストのエピソードには、胸のすく思いがします（笑）。

Casual Dress Revolution（S: 杉田敏先生　H: Heather Howardさん）

S: Our current vignette starts off talking about A&A’s new dress code.
Does your office have anything like that, Heather?

H: No, not at all.
We’re highly diverse bunch when it comes to clothes, especially among the women.
We range from a few people who are considered our “fashion leaders”―always very stylishly dressed―to people on the other end of the spectrum, like me.
My fashion philosophy these days is, “Hey, this fits!”
I pretty much wear jeans and sweaters every day.
Of course, that’s in the office, just interacting with other staffers at the paper.
When I have a visitor, or go out to meet someone, I make more of an effort.

S: So, what are your fashion guidelines at times like that?

H: Keep it professional and keep it simple would be my motto.
A good rule of thumb might be “would I feel comfortable wearing this to a first meeting with a boyfriend or girlfriend’s parents?”
So not too big or not too flashy with the accessories, for example, and not too many of them.
When I was a girl, my mother used to advise me, “When in doubt, take something away.”
So, usually one or two focal points of an outfit are enough.
Like, nice earrings and an interesting pattern on a skirt, or a colorful scarf and a bracelet.
Not standout earrings, big necklace, brightly-colored blouse, patterned skirt.

S: Well, as mentioned in the vignette, there are different standards for different industries, of course.

H: Oh, certainly.
A banker should always be thinking, look responsible.
Look like an island of calm in all storms at sea.
But someone in interior design or fashion would want to emphasize creativity, individual style, so daring is probably a better look for them.
But even then I think you can be bold or unique without being overdone.

S: What do you think about the financial company’s ultra-strict rules?

H: They do sound over the top at first hearing, but I can understand the company wanting to avoid certain faux pas.
There are a lot of people out there, for example, who could use advice about how much perfume to put on.
I have sat on the train just dying at times because the person next to me had on so much; my eyes were watering and my nose was running.

S: The vignette also mentions how standards have changed over the years.
It’s hard to believe pants were once scandalous for women, isn’t it?

H: It is. I’ve mentioned the etiquette columnist that I admire in the States?
She once got a letter from a reader, who was complaining about that very thing.
He didn’t like the pantsuits being worn by some of his female employees.
He called them “close to indecent.”
Then he mentioned that some others were wearing nice skirts and blouses, and asked how he could encourage others to do the same.
Pretty sexist, right?
His concern should be how well they do their jobs, not whether their fashion choices meet his personal preferences.
The columnist answered, “Appoint the women in skirt to executive positions, where they can serve as role models for the others.”
She wasn’t trying to get women out of pants.
She was just tongue-in-cheek trying to get him to treat his female employees like employees, not decorations in his office.

最後までお読みくださり、ありがとうございました♪