Common Business-English Words and Phrases

American idioms can frustrate any foreign user.  With American accents, the problem can be made much more difficult.  Much of the time, these phrases either make little sense if they are translated word for word or they sound so crazy that they simply cannot be believed.  Yet, when speaking or writing them, it is crucial that they be understood or the main message of the speaker or writer will be lost.

SEE ALSO: Learning English for Better Business Opportunities

An example of this would be the phrase ‘back of the envelope calculation‘.  This does NOT mean someone is pulling out an old envelope to either write a problem in arithmetic or refresh their memory of something they wrote down earlier.  Rather, it means that they are referring to what they would consider a simple problem of mental estimation instead of working out all the specifics at that time.  A similar expression would be a ‘back of the hand calculation‘.

Another example is the phrase ‘belt-tightening‘.  It does NOT mean the presenter or author is adjusting his trousers for all to see.  It means, rather, that the company must reduce their expenses to stay in business.  This could imply the payroll of the company is about to drop because layoffs are planned.

With an American accent, using the expression ‘bite the bullet‘ may take on new meaning with the current handgun debate going on in this country.  However, it does not mean that the presenter is demanding their audience members pull out their handguns, open the chamber and remove a bullet to gnosh on during the speech.  It means, instead, that a decision leading to unpleasant results has to be made; one bites the bullet and makes the decision.  It originated in the practice of giving a soldier a bullet to bite on to endure the pain of surgery without anaesthetic.

The phrase ‘cash cow‘ does not mean the company has a bovine in a pen in the parking lot that delivers free cash every Wednesday.  It means that they have a product that is selling well and it may be their main product at the moment, so no one is to change it.  It is similar to the phrase ‘golden goose‘.

‘Climbing the corporate ladder’ does not mean every employee is expected to step on a construction ladder that mysteriously sits in the company lobby in order to reach the top floors and that it is the only way to the upper echelons of the company hierarchy and the boardroom.  Instead, it means rising up to higher and higher positions in a company by working hard to earn promotions.

The phrase ‘comparing apples to oranges’ is a common one, and the only question I have is why is it only apples and oranges? Why can’t it be mini-vans and SUVs? I mean, shouldn’t we keep up with the times? This does NOT mean that someone suddenly bought a fruit stand and decided to sell the produce in front of the company lobby.  Instead, it means that the arguments being made in the boardroom involve topics that have nothing to do with each other and therefore should not be compared.

To ‘dot your ‘i’s and cross your ‘t’s‘ does NOT mean to specifically check solely for these characters in your press releases.  Rather, it means to proofread the work and then double-check it to ensure its perfection prior to release.  It can also mean to ensure a document with legal implications is done entirely properly.

To ‘drum up business‘ does not mean to hire a primitive drummer to stand in front of your corporate front door and bang on a drum to attract new customers.  The sign-wavers will do that.  What it does mean is that the sales and marketing team have to work twice as hard to increase the product lines of the company to ensure the company’s survival.

These are just a few of American business idioms that can be incredibly confusing to any one arriving in this country from abroad.  They should be learned prior to giving a public speech or authoring a presentation of any kind.

Here is some funny and a little bit over the top business jargon:

In addition to good language skills, excellent pronunciation is also a part of business success in English speaking world.  Saundz software teaches you the sounds of American English and helps you perfect your pronunciation.
 

Buy Now