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cover of episode Should we use jargon?

Should we use jargon?

2024/12/16
logo of podcast Learning English For Work

Learning English For Work

AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
A
Anna Maloney
A
Anne Curzan
J
John Fiset
P
Pippa
Topics
Anna Maloney: 我认为‘stakeholder’这个词已经变成了行业术语,而且它正在逐渐造成损害。大多数情况下,当人们提到‘stakeholder’时,他们通常指的是自己。例如,当有人说‘我们需要考虑关键利益相关者’时,实际上他们是在说‘我不想回到办公室工作’。 我撰写这个专栏已经九个月了,读者们非常喜欢它,他们既是最大的使用者,也是最大的批评者。这很有意思,因为我们都喜欢批判它,但实际上我们每天都在使用它。 Pippa: 我们在这个系列节目中讨论过很多我们觉得很烦人的行业术语,但我们自己也经常使用它们。有时候,你会听到有人抱怨某个行业术语,然后他们又用一堆行业术语来解释他们不喜欢的原因。所以,行业术语无处不在,已经成为我们日常工作语言的一部分。 此外,商业术语的一个常见缺点是含糊不清,难以理解其确切含义。一些评论者说,即使他们已经退休了,阅读这些例子仍然会让他们感到压力很大。也许我们不喜欢这些语言的部分原因是,它们会让我们想起工作以及与工作相关的压力。 John Fiset: 我认为一些公司使用的行业术语是故意难以理解的。它们被用来掩盖真实意图,例如用‘公司规模缩减’或‘调整规模’来代替‘解雇’,从而减少痛苦和负面含义。很多这些术语是为了掩盖决策背后的真实意图,并让说话者显得更聪明。 Anne Curzan: 我们经常发现新的工作词汇很烦人,但随着时间的推移,它们会变得正常。例如,‘finalise’这个词在20世纪60年代后期被认为是官僚主义的行业术语,受到了严厉批评。但随着时间的推移,这种批评减少了,现在人们已经不觉得它是什么行业术语了。然而,‘incentivize’这个词仍然听起来很像行业术语。 我认为,对商业术语的批评可能也反映了人们对商业在社会中作用的更深层次的担忧。有些人担心企业文化和商业在社会中扮演着过大的角色。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter explores the prevalence and annoyance of jargon in the workplace. It highlights a study showing that people who complain about jargon also use it frequently, suggesting its ingrained nature in professional communication.
  • Many find workplace jargon annoying.
  • People who complain about jargon often use it themselves.
  • Jargon is pervasive in workplace communication.

Shownotes Transcript

Lots of people find jargon annoying. Is it useful in the workplace? Pippa and Phil talk about when to use jargon and when to avoid it, with help from journalist Anna Maloney, Anne Curzan from the University of Michigan and John Fiset from St Mary's University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Listen to Business Daily on jargon here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct5znh

Find a full transcript for this episode and more programmes to help you with your English at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/business-jargon/241216

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