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Hello and welcome to this Bizmates words and phrases video series for Japanese businesspeople.
And today's phrase is cut corners. It's a great idiom, cut corners.
What does it mean? We will find out.
OK, so let's do our usual test. Just off the top of your head, how much is your office rent?
OK, don't go to your PC and do research. I don't need that.
I just want, just off the top of your head, how much is your office rent?
An approximate figure. OK, great.
All right so let's look at today's phrase, cut corners. What does it mean?
OK, well let's look at an example first. So I say to Taro, and Taro maybe his my boss, OK.
And we're working on a new project or something. and I say Taro, I've got a great idea.
We can save money if we just outsource this part of the process.
It's so much easier, it'll save time, it'll save money. Just outsource it.
And Taro says, Yeah... Please don't take easy way for this project.
If you'd take the easy way, the quality goes down. OK, if you take the cheap way, the quality goes down.
Please don't take the easy way for this project. OK, I understand what it means,
but it does sound a little bit strange. Please don't take the easy way,
OK, even the easy way it just sounds a little strange. OK, so a more natural phrase would be...
If I say, Taro, we can save money if we just outsource this part of the process.
To another country, to another company. And Taro says, yeah, please don't cut corners in this project.
Oh... OK I won't, you're right. You read my mind, you knew I was cutting corners, yes.
OK, cut corners, so instead of going the long way, like this, he's cutting corners.
Yeah, OK so don't take the easy way. That's gonna reduce the quality of our work.
OK, let's look at pronunciation. Don't cutcorners in this project.
And it's cutcorners, you put them together, cutcorners. Don't cutcorners in this...
I'm sorry it's not cutcorners, but it's cucorners, in this, in this project.
Please don't cucorners in this project. Say it like one word.
Please don't cucorners in this project. You try.
One more time, please don't cucorners in this project.
OK, all right. So for homework,
tell me about a time you had to cut corners. When did you cut corners?
OK, you took the easy way, OK. Sometimes we have to because of time constraints,
because of a tight deadline, OK. So, when did you cut corners?
OK, we'll see you in the next lesson. Thank you.