資料について説明する｜English Upgrader＋｜【公式】TOEIC Program

ビジネストークテンプレート

Masao:: Ms. Wayne, these are the materials regarding the three pieces of property we recommend. I've put together all the information in each of the three files as you requested.
Ms. Wayne:: I appreciate it. Would you mind explaining them to me a little?
Masao:: Certainly. First of all, as you can see, on the cover of each file, there is a photograph of the building as well as its address and age, followed by the map of the area and some more photos of the building and its neighborhood. I included as many photos as we had, but I strongly suggest you see the properties with your own eyes a few times at different times of the day before you make a decision.
Ms. Wayne:: Good suggestion.
Masao:: Then, on the next page, there is some more basic information about the building and the land it stands on, such as area, value, property tax rate, etc. On the following page, there is further data on value, which is a record of prices for the past decade. I've put them in a graph and added explanatory comments where a sudden rise or fall was observed.
Ms. Wayne:: That's very helpful. What about the current status of the buildings? Do you have any idea when we could finalize the deal?
Masao:: Yes. About midway through the file you'll find very detailed information on the current owner of each building and a probable date of transferring ownership. And at the end of each file, there is information about the structure of each building and the results of site investigation conducted before construction. By the way, you'll find that ground data on Building C is missing, but as you may know, that area is known as having the most solid foundation in this city, so I wouldn't worry.
Ms. Wayne:: Thank you. We'll take a good look at these files.
Masao:: I look forward to hearing from you. You can contact me any time if you have any questions or concerns.

解説

Would you mind explaining them to me a little?: Would you mind...ing...?は「よろしければ～していただけませんか」という意味で、Could you...?よりも丁寧な言い回しです。Would you mind if...?と言うと「～しても構いませんか？」という意味になり、Would you mind if I borrowed your pen?（ペンをお借りしてもいいですか？）のように使います。
First of all, as you can see, on the cover of each file, there is a photograph of the building as well as its address and age, followed by the map of the area and some more photos of the building and its neighborhood.: 特にビジネスシーンにおいては、物事を説明する際は順序立てて話すことが求められます。first (of all)（第一に）、to begin with（まず）、secondly（第二に）、then（それから）、next（次に）、moving on to...（～に移ると）、followed by...（その後に～が続いて）、finally（最後に）などの言葉を使い、順を追って説明していくと効果的です。
Do you have any idea when we could finalize the deal?: Do you have any idea...?は直訳すると「～について何か考えはありますか？」という意味で、この場合は大まかな予想時期を尋ねています。Can you give me a general idea when we could finalize the deal?（いつ取引をまとめられそうか、大まかな時期を教えてもらえますか？）、When can we expect to finalize the deal?（取引はいつまとめられそうですか？）などと言い換えることもできます。finalize the dealは「取引をまとめる」「商談を成立させる」という意味で、close the dealと言ってもOKです。
About midway through the file you'll find very detailed information on the current owner of each building and a probable date of transferring ownership.: midway through the fileは「ファイルの中ほど」という意味で、midwayをhalfwayと言い換えることもできます。これに対し、「ファイルの冒頭」はthe beginning of the file、「ファイルの最後」はthe end of the file、「3ページ目」はon the third pageまたはon page 3、「ファイルの～ページ目あたり」はabout...pages into the fileのように言い表すことができます。
By the way, you'll find that ground data on Building C is missing, but as you may know, that area is known as having the most solid foundation in this city, so I wouldn't worry.: by the wayは「ちなみに」という意味で、似た表現にfor your information（ご参考までに）、(just) for the record（念のため申し上げると）などがあります。I wouldn't worry.は「私なら心配しません」という意味で、Don't worry.（心配しないでください）よりも相手の立場に立って考えているという印象になります。

ライター伊東　裕子　
Yuko Ito

プロフィール
愛媛県出身。早稲田大学卒業後、月刊誌『English Journal』（アルク）の編集に携わった後、フルブライト奨学生としてボストン大学院プリント・ジャーナリズム学科修士課程にて学ぶ。帰国後、米系経済通信社で英文記者職を経て、英文誌『Mini World』編集長に就任。2003年中経出版にて雑誌『English Zone』を創刊。2009年株式会社グローパルを設立、雑誌『English Plus』（成美堂出版）監修、『オタリーマン』シリーズ他のマンガ企画、書籍・デジタルコンテンツの制作＆プロデュースを行っている。
http://www.glopal.co.jp/