The preface
Visitors coming to America for the first time seem to have a common complaint: "What are the natives saying?! This isn't the English I learned in school!"
Anyone visiting or living in America is bound to encounter a confusing yet popular "inside" language used by the inhabitants: slang and idioms. This is an ever-changing, ever-evolving language which is like a code that tends to segregate non-native speakers. Street Talk 1, 2, and 3 are designed to open these seemingly closed doors quickly and help the non-native speaker integrate into American culture.
However, after learning everyday American slang and idioms, the business traveler is faced with an additional obstacle which MUST be conquered in order to transact business effectively in America.
Biz Talk 1 presents some of the most popular business slang terms and jargon which have infiltrated just about every profession and business situation. Without an understanding of this type of lingo, any non-native speaker conducting business in America is at a grave disadvantage, especially during important meetings and negations where is common to hear expressions like:
"to have the floor"
"to stonewall"
"to brainstorm"
"to table a discussion"
This is only the beginning! Biz Talk 1 not only dedicates an entire chapter to slang and jargon used in meetings and negotiations, but also focuses on the lingo used in finance, marketing, advertising, computerese, business travel, sports terms used in business, offices in general, office parties, and more!
Biz Talk 1 takes a close look at the most popular terms and expressions used in American business as well as business terms adopted into everyday speech used by virtually everyone.
This easy-to-use textbook/workbook is divided into four parts:
Dialogue: Approximately twenty new business expressions and slang terms (indicated in boldface) are presented as they may be heard in an actual conversation. A translation of the dialogue in standard English is always given on the opposite page followed by an important phonetic version of the dialogue as it would actually be spoken by a native-born American. This page will prove vital to any non-native speakers since Americans tend to rely heavily on contractions, reductions, and shortcuts in pronunciation.
Vocabulary: This section spotlights all of the slang words and expressions that were used in the dialogue and offers more examples of usage, synonyms, antonyms, and special notes.
Practice the Vocabulary: These word games include all of the new terms and idioms previously learned and will held you to test yourself on your comprehension. (The pages providing the answers to all the drills are indicated at the beginning of this section.) A Closer Look: This section offers the reader a further in-depth look at common words used in slang expressions pertaining to the chapter's category.
If you've conquered the task of learning everyday American slang, you will undoubtedly be somewhat surprised to encounter a whole new world of colorful business phrases and terms usually reserve only for the native speaker...until now!
--David Burke
