Found yourself in a work situation whilst you are still learning the English you need to get by? Or maybe you have an English-speaking colleague that you would like to get closer to.

当你仍然坚持学习英语时，你是否发现虽处于工作环境，但仍需学习英语？或者你可能有一位能说一口流利英文的同事，你想靠近与其交流。

At the coffee machine

咖啡机旁聊天

Latte in hand, spreadsheets on hold: these are a few phrases you are more than likely to hear amongst your work colleagues as you relax. They’re easy to pick up and use, too.

一手拿着拿铁咖啡，一手握着报表：这里有几个短语，在你放松的时候你可能会从同事那里听到。这些短语也非常容易学习和使用。

1.(to) play catch up – to be late starting something so you make a big effort to overcome it; it doesn’t mean you have been lazy!– more often it refers to when something comes in last minute, or you are working to a tight deadline.

(to) play catch up –开始做某件事情有点晚，使你不得不花大力气去完成它；这并不是指你懒惰！-它经常更多的是指做某事到最后关头了，或者你临近截止日期，尽力追赶的意思。

e.g.“We’re playing catch-up on that commission from France.”

例如，“我们要尽力追赶法国来的任务”

Meaning: we’re working overtime¹ to get everything ready for the commission from France.

意思是：我们在尽力加班为完成法国的任务做好充分准备。

When might you use it?

什么时候使用这个短语呢？

To express being a bit stressed out or under pressure to deliver a project; to express the effort required to overcome something for which you are currently behind schedule. You might also use the phrase to motivate or drive your own team to complete something – “we’re playing catch-up here, guys” – as it can add an air of competition.

一般是表达承受着巨大的压力或是顶着压力去实现一项任务；可用于表达你需要努力去完成已经落后于进度的事情。你可能也用这个词组去激励或者驱使你的团队去完成某项任务—“同伴们，我们快实现目标啦”—它可能增加竞争的气氛。

2.(to) pay a premium²– meaning you pay a higher price for something because the quality or reputation is better

–是指你要花费更高的价格购买某物，因为它的质量或名声更好

e.g.“We’re paying a premium for the plug from X Box, but it’s worth it”

“我们花了高价的XBox插座，但是它值。”

When might you use it?

什么时候使用这个词组呢？

This can be used in coffee machine conversation very easily – it just refers to a deal you’ve made where the company (or yourself) has paid a price that is above the normal market price. You might use it to gain a bit of prestige/boast about your purchase.

这可以很轻易的在闲聊时使用—它可以用于提到你刚完成的一笔交易，交易价格高于市场价格。你可能用它去吹嘘你购物的物品。

3.an uphill struggle/battle– meaning it’s a big obstacle to overcome

意思是要克服的大的障碍

If you’re in an American business you are more likely to hear ‘uphill battle’; ‘uphill struggle’ is the UK equivalent.

如果你处在美国商业环境中，你可能更多的听到的是‘uphill battle’; ‘uphill struggle’在英国是同等的意思。

e.g.“Getting this new construction under budget is an uphill struggle, but we have to make it happen.”

“在现有预算下做好这个新工程很难，但是我们也要让其实现。”

When might you use it?

什么场合使用这个词组呢？

When talking about a project that is particularly difficult – or if you want to make something sound difficult. It would also work very nicely alongside ‘playing catch-up’ – i.e. “we’re playing catch-up on the construction project and it’s going to be an uphill struggle.”

当谈论到一个工程特别困难时—或者如果你想让某事听起来很难的时候。这个也可以同“catch-up尽力赶上”这个词组配合的非常好—例如：“我们在尽力追赶完成这个工程，这是个相当大的困难。”

4. (to) go up market – to sell the brand to a wealthier audience/to begin appealing to high-end markets

把品牌出售给富人/开始去吸引高端市场

e.g.“We’ve decided³ to go upmarket and sell our scarves at Liberty/Macy’s/smart department store…”

“我们决定去吸引高端市场，在利伯蒂/梅西百货/时尚百货商店等卖我们的领带。”

When might you use it?

什么场合使用这个词组？

To describe an ‘upgrade’ in your business plan/a decision to increase the price and quality of a product and sell it to higher-income consumers. This is going to be very useful if you work in retail⁴. But you can also use it in a more casual way to talk about yourself and your possessions – i.e. “We’re looking to get a new car…thinking of going upmarket and getting something sporty.”

在商业计划或者商业决策里描述“提高档次”，加价和提高质量，出售给更高收入的消费者。如果你在零售行业工作这个词组将会有用。但是你也能用更休闲的场合用它谈论自己和你的资产—例如，“我们想要一辆新车….想着去一些高端的地方，看起来更耀眼一些。”

5.(to) buy into – to support/endorse or agree with

支持或同意

This doesn’t usually get used to mean actually purchasing something – it has become a business metaphor⁵ mostly used for when someone supports or seconds an action of a colleague/the company.

这个词组并不经常意味着真购买了某物—它变成了一个商业比喻，大多用于某人支持或者同意同事/公司的活动。

e.g. “David in finance says there are pay rises on the way. I’m definitely buying into that!”

“金融界的大卫说价格正在上扬。我完全同意！”

When might you use it?

什么场合使用它？

When you are interested or intrigued⁶ by something which you think could be a good prospect⁷ for you/the business. You can use it for potential clients too, to indicate a level of interest in their offer – i.e. “the plan you’re offering is definitely something we would consider buying into”

当你认为某事对你和生意而言有好的前景，你因此有兴趣或者好奇的时候，就可以在潜在客户面前用这个口语表达来暗示感兴趣的程度。--例如“你提供的这个计划确实非常好，我们考虑支持。”