Mason: Hey Rahim! This party is lit! What a week though. I really need to blow off some steam! I was burning the midnight oil last night trying to get the end of month reports finished and I also had this late call with our office in New York … anyway … listen to me talking shop at a party, sorry…

Oh by the way… do we wanna pencil in a lunch date for next week? I’d love to pick your brain about the upcoming workshops I’ve signed up for. They all sound super interesting, but I’m now…

Rahim: Woah, wait, what was that about steam? And midnight… what? I am so lost! I always found Mason quite easy to understand when we talked about work. But now he’s using words and phrases that I have never heard before. I know he’s excited and maybe he’s already had a cocktail or two, but I’m a bit lost!

Conor: Welcome to today’s episode of Talking on the job. My name is Conor and, as always, I’m your host and business English mentor. I’m here to help you deal with some common challenges that you might face in the workplace. And we’ll be doing all of this in English! A fitting title for today’s episode would be, Talking Shop.

Mason has just used a few phrases and idioms that Rahim doesn’t understand. He’s excited and wants to use creative language to express himself. It’s the company BBQ, so it’s a less formal setting than back at the office. The problem with using this type of language is that Rahim is not used to hearing this style of English. Mason shouldn’t assume that Rahim will understand all of these words and phrases. It’s just like when we are planning to give a presentation, we need to consider who our audience is and make sure we use understandable language. So what can Rahim do? It might sound simple, but Rahim could just ask Mason to explain what he means. Let’s see how they get on…

Rahim: Eh, woah, Mason, sorry to interrupt, but, can you go back a bit and help me understand some of the words and phrases you just used?!

Mason: Oh boy, sorry, eh what didn’t you get? Can you remind me what I said?

Rahim: Err… you started off saying the party was… err… lit?

Mason: Oh yeah, eh… if something is “lit” then it is really exciting and fun. I’ve never really thought about why we use “lit” this way… Maybe it comes from the word light or maybe the word illuminated… err… oh yeah and then I said that I needed to blow off some steam, right? Cause I had such a busy week?

Rahim: Yeah, what was that about?

Mason: Oh, that’s another way to say that I needed to relax and release the stress of the week.

Rahim: Ah yeah, that makes sense. When I’ve had a stressful week I like to blow off steam by playing sports, it really helps. Ok, but what about burning something … eh…

Mason: Oil! Yeah, burning the midnight oil comes from a time when we didn’t have electricity and if you wanted to work after dark, you needed to use an oil lamp! Cool ey?

Rahim: That’s so interesting! This is so different from how we usually talk around the office! Like when you said you shouldn’t be talking shop at the party, did you mean you shouldn’t be talking about work?

Mason: Yeah, you got it! Was there anything else I said that you didn’t get?

Rahim: Eh, what was that thing about the pencil?

Mason: Oh, right, I asked if we could pencil in a lunch date. It basically just means to make a plan that can easily be changed later.

Rahim: Well, thanks for explaining all that. I’d love to teach you a few Arabic idioms sometime if you’re interested, we have some really cool ones!

Mason: Awesome, I bet there are some great ones, thanks!

Conor: Give it up for Sabine and Tom!

Next up, singing a K-pop song, are Jacqueline, Mason and Rahim! Are you there?

Rahim: Ok, I think we’re on next, are you ready? Jacqueline, are you ready?

Jacqueline: Ah, Rahim, there you are. I wonder if we could have a quick chat about the conference next week?

Rahim: Yeah, sure, but we’re on next! So let's sing our song and we can talk shop after that, yeah?

Jacqueline: Oh, right! Sounds like a plan!

Mason: Ah, thanks so much for doing karaoke with us, we are gonna tear it up! Woooohhoooooo!

Jacqueline: Eh, we’re going to do what? Tear it up?

Rahim: Don’t worry, we can ask him later, come on!

Rahim & Mason: Korean neun chögoja. English neun zämi-iter…

Conor: Yes! Oh I love this part! Daa, da, da da… Oh here it builds again, here we go! …

Oh, hi, eh ehm ehm… Well, it seems that Mason is very, eh, very excited when he’s in the party mood? Not unlike myself.

The language Mason used is quite different to the language we heard in previous episodes. It’s freer and uses images or comparisons to describe something in a more creative way. You can of course use this language in a work environment, but as I said earlier, just make sure your audience understands this style of English.

So, how do you feel about socializing with colleagues? Do you get nervous that you won’t understand something or you’ll say the wrong thing?

Well, just remember that asking someone to explain something is the best way to understand them. It is also a great way to find out more about the person. And you never know, you might end up singing a song with them at the next company party.

Oh, by the way, this was the last episode of season one, we hope you enjoyed it. If you want to continue improving your English, don’t forget to check out our Babbel courses. We even have a special section for Business English. Happy learning!