この会社は英語の使い方に注意した方が良い。

Everybody should be careful about spelling. In this modern world, with spell-checking provided for free on the web, there really aren't excuses for spelling mistakes.

Take this one for example:

× Our confectionary is famous for turts with pure natural ingredient, Camembert.
◯ Our confectionery is famous for tarts with pure natural Camembert.

The funny thing is that "turts" looks and sounds very close to "turds".

● turd 【名】〈卑〉（一塊の）糞、くそ、くそ野郎、げす (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Some might ask "why can't we say 'a pure natural ingredient, Camembert'?"

The reason is that if you say that, it sounds a bit like the only pure natural ingredient is the Camembert. That means the other ingredients are artificial and impure. That's no good for a food product.

If you are purely and naturally bad at spelling, use a spell checker! It's easy!

「tell、talk、speak、say」の違い (part 5)

A few weeks ago, I was talking about the difference between "say", "speak", "talk", and "tell". It was a series, and I told readers some tips on how to avoid mixing them up.

A few days ago, I said that I had been to Europe. If you find yourself in Amsterdam, I recommend going to this pastry shop called Patisserie Kuyt. They had some great pastries, like this rasberry and pistachio tart.

As for the series I was speaking about above, here are the links to the four parts I wrote:

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2011/03/telltalkspeaksay-part-1.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2011/03/telltalkspeaksay-part-2.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2011/03/telltalkspeaksay-part-3.html
http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2011/03/telltalkspeaksay-part-4.html

Speak up if you have any questions!

● speak up and say so 思い切ってはっきりとそう言う (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

このドイツ人は日本語の使い方に注意した方が良い。

One of my stops in Europe was Berlin. It was a great city! The food was delicious and affordable, and the people were very friendly. There was so much art activity going on, as well.

● affordable【形】手頃な［良心的な・手の届く・無理なく買える］価格

While I was walking around East Berlin, I found this guy. Check out his tshirt! I wonder if he has any idea what it means. Maybe he does and thinks its funny or cool, but maybe he doesn't.

The point is that you shouldn't wear foreign words on your clothing or bags unless you know the meaning. I still chuckle when I remember the 65 or 70-year-old woman I saw in a night market in Taiwan wearing a tshirt that said "porn star".

● pornstar【名】ポルノ女優、AV女優 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Make sure you aren't accidentally expressing something you don't mean!

「先々週」は英語でどう言う？

Sorry for the long break between posts. The week before last I was attending a conference at the National University of Ireland.

the week before last - 先々週

It has a really old campus, full of buildings like the one in this picture.

After the conference, I visited people in Europe. The Monday before last I flew from Dublin to Berlin, and three days later I went to Amsterdam. It was a pleasant trip, filled with wonderful people, nice food, and stimulating music.

I've been back in Tokyo for a week, but it has been a little difficult because of jetlag.

I hope my sleep schedule will be back to normal next week, but it will be fine by the week after next for sure.

the week after next - さらい週

「cherry blossom」の使い方

The cherry blossoms were really nice while they lasted. The season is over now, but there is one phrase that I hear every year that people should be careful about.

× The cherry blossom trees were really nice this year.
◯ The blossoms on the cherry trees were really nice this year.

It always happens that someone tells me: "but, there is no fruit with the cherry blossoms!"

Checking Wikipedia, we can find that flowering cherry trees are called Prunus serrulata. The fruit comes from a type called Prunus avium.

● flowering【名】開花｛かいか｝、開花期｛かいかき｝、花の形をしたもの、花飾りをつけること、花飾り (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

この店とカシオも英語の使い方に注意した方が良い。「color」の使い方について

As I passed by this shop, the English on the sign caught my eye.

● catch someone's eye 〔思いがけない物などが〕（人）の目に留まる［触れる］、（人）の目を引く［捕らえる・奪う］、（人）の注意｛ちゅうい｝を引く◆複数形eyesが用いられることもある。(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

It says:

× G-Shock in white colour
◯ G-Shock in white

Usually, when we talk about the color of something, we don't use the word "color" after the name of the color. For instance,

× I have a black color bag.
◯ I have a black bag.

We use the word "color" in the question, though.

◯ What color is your bag?

Retail shops use English mostly because it looks cool, I've been told. Just the presence of the Roman alphabet makes something look cool, so whether it is correct or not is not important. That's the excuse I've heard.

Roman alphabet ローマ字 (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Maybe it's just because I teach English, but I think the coolest thing would be correct English. That is especially true when it comes to an international company like Casio.

ブリヂストン美術館は英語の使い方に注意した方が良い。

I often pass by the Bridgestone Museum of Art. It's near our school at Nihonbashi Station. Their current exhibition is called:

△ Why is it masterwork?
◯ Why is it a masterpiece?

●  masterpiece 【名】名作、最高傑作、絶品、名人芸  (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

The problem is a common one for students.

× I had a lot of works today.
◯ I had a lot of work today.

"Work" as we usually think about it, meaning going to the office and so on, is an uncountable noun. "Work" does have a countable version which is usually used for artistic creations like paintings.

Since the exhibition is talking about art, I think the countable version is more correct, though it's hard for me to say it's wrong. I can say, though, that "masterpiece" is much more common than "masterwork". That's the word I would suggest that you remember.

I studied painting in university, but I never produced a masterpiece. Doing so must be a lot of work. Now I need to get to work on something else, so until next time...

● get to work on （～に）着手する、（～を）始める、（～に）取り掛かる (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

税務署は英語の使いかたに注意した方が良い。

Last month the deadline for filing tax returns came. 

● file a tax return〔税務署に〕申告書｛しんこくしょ｝を提出｛ていしゅつ｝する、確定｛かくてい｝［納税｛のうぜい｝］申告｛しんこく｝をする (definition from Eijiro on the Web)

When it was time for me to pay the taxes I owed, I went to a particular counter on the first floor of the tax office.

● tax office 税務署

I had paid, and then I needed to wait for them to give me a receipt. While I was waiting, I saw this poster on the wall. It says:

× PC good pay! Mobile good pay! ATM good pay!
◯ Paying by PC? OK! Cell phone? OK! ATM? OK!
◯ Paying by PC? Easy! Cell phone? Easy! ATM? Easy!

I'm not sure what to say about their mistake. Maybe the first point is that "pay" is a verb, while "good" is an adjective.

The second point is that they are a large organization, so they definitely have the budget to check this kind of thing with a professional editor. Someone is making a management mistake.

The third mistake might be marketing. Does this drawing of a foreign guy make you excited about paying your taxes?

I didn't pay with any of those methods, but for me paying at the counter was easy enough.