Thursday, December 25, 2008

#927 Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year


Show 927 Thursday 25 December
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
love from tdes xxx

* This is the last show of 2008. We're taking a ten-day winter holiday.
The first show back will be on Monday 5th January 2009.

Thanks again for all your support in 2008 - see you next year!





music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: We Wish you a Merry Christmas
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

#926 TDES End Of Year Message


Show 926 Wednesday 24 December
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

It’s almost the last show of the year – The Daily English Show is taking a ten-day holiday. I’m not going anywhere … I’m just going to relax, do a lot of sleeping, maybe write some nengajo which I never got around to doing last year.

So today’s show is just a short announcement to say Merry Christmas, have a great New Years. And I hope you had an excellent year in 2008 and if you had crappy year then you must be happy that it’s almost over!

Thank you so much for all your support in 2008. I’ve really enjoyed reading all your emails and comments, so thank you for taking the time to get in touch and give us your feedback.

Thank you very much to the people that have been doing all the translating – you guys have been doing an amazing job. If you haven’t seen the Polish site, you should go and check that out … I love what they’ve done with all the little pictures, they even have a picture of this yellow couch. It’s very cool.

And thank you to everyone who showed their support by becoming tdes members. We have a little present for you actually. It was going to be a Christmas present but it’s a bit late for that now … so I guess it’s a end-of-year present or a new-year present. It is the first official merchandise for The Daily English Show. So it might be a collector’s item worth millions in a few years – although I highly doubt it.

Anyway, I think it’s cool … it is … jya jyan … a little white towel. This is a pretty typical present that companies in Japan give. And you get them for free if you stay at an onsen. And I love them, they’re so useful. You use them, of course, in onsen for washing yourself or putting on your head or whatever. And you can use them for whatever you like – hand towel, face towel, body towel. You can wrap them around your head if you’re a construction worker or around your neck in summer. There are many uses for this amazing towel. So I’m going to be sending them to all the tdes members next week – so if you’ve moved, please send me your new address.

So, once again, thank you for watching, and thank you for all your support in 2008. If you have a holiday over this new year then have a great holiday, if you have to work, then I hope you enjoy working and if you’re studying for a test – good luck. And I’ll see you in 2009. Bye!





music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
tracks: Silent Night, We Wish you a Merry Christmas
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

#925 I'm Sweatin', dude!, In Person, Fiji Vs NZ


Show 925 Tuesday 23 December
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today we’re studying a scene from the movie Jerry Maguire.

I don’t have this DVD but I found the clip on Crackle – I just discovered the other day that they have a whole lot of clips from movies … which is great if you want to study English from movies.

I watched this movie a while ago, so I can’t really remember it very well … but it’s something about an agent for sports stars – and it’s pretty funny. This scene is a phone conversation between the agent and the athlete – he’s a football player.

The agent asks the athlete how he’s doing. And he replies: How am I doing? I'll tell you how I’m doing. I'm sweatin’, dude! I'm sweatin’ my contract. And he goes on like that about sweating.

This meaning of the word sweat is used in North America – it’s not used in New Zealand and I’m not sure about other countries. It means worry about.

So: I'm sweatin’, dude! I'm sweatin’ my contract, means: I’m worried, dude! I’m worried about my contract.

The agent tries to reassure him that everything’s OK. He says: I hear what you’re saying.

But then Rod, the athlete, says: No, no, no. I hear that you hear what I'm saying, but do you truly hear what I'm saying?

It’s pretty funny because people do use phrases like, I hear what you’re saying and I know what you mean – when they’re not really listening to what you’re saying and they don’t know what you mean.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora this is Stick News. The Fijian government has kicked the New Zealand high commissioner out of the country. And the New Zealand government has responded by sending the Fijian high commissioner home.

According to the New Zealand Herald, last week the prime minister of Fiji threatened to expel the New Zealand high commissioner if a student visa was not granted to the son of a senior official in the president's office. The visa wasn’t granted, so the high commissioner was kicked out. New Zealand then announced Fiji’s high commissioner would be sent home.

And that was Stick News for Tuesday the 23rd of December.
Kia Ora.





TDES Niseko Snow Report
at Niseko Yurt Village


On Saturday night Samurai Bar opened.
Samurai Bar is inside a yurt.
In the bar there is a fire and, of course, a Samurai. His name is Sam.



Word of the Day

Today’s word is person.
I’m sure you know what a person is, but do you know what the idiom in person means?

In today’s conversation, the agent says: Maybe the best thing is that we get together in person.
if you do sth in person, you do somewhere and do it yourself, instead of doing it by letter, asking sb else to do it, etc



conversations with sarah
#576 I hear that you hear what I'm saying

* Watch this scene here.

Step 1: Repeat Jerry’s lines.
Step 2: Read Jerry’s lines and talk to Rod.

Jerry Rod? Rod, Rod. Jerry Maguire. How you doing?

Rod Jerry Maguire. How am I doing? I'll tell you how I’m doing. I'm sweatin’, dude! I'm sweatin’ my contract. I'm sweatin’ Bob Sugar calling me, telling me I'm missing the big endorsements by being with you. That's how I'm doin’. I'm sweatin’. You hear what I'm saying?

Jerry Listen, I hear what you're saying and that’s why I’m calling.

Rod No, no, no. I hear that you hear what I'm saying. But do you truly hear what I'm saying?

Jerry Hey, maybe, ah, the best thing is that we get together in person. Rod, I’m sorry, would you mind holding? I’ve just got someone …

Rod Hold on, didn’t you tell my wife more personal attention? Did you not tell my wife more personal attention?



links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

nsr start
artist: Zeropage
album: Ambient Pills Update
track: Is It Real?
from: Switzerland
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

WOD start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Game Toy
from: EVREUX, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: We Wish you a Merrry Christmas
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Monday, December 22, 2008

#924 Billeigh From Melbourne, Australia, Shiatsu Massage, Kiwi Spammer


Show 924 Monday 22 December
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today’s guest is Billeigh. She’s from Melbourne, Australia and she’s currently living here in Niseko. She has a few jobs and one of them is working as a massage therapist at a place called Niseko Massage.

We interviewed her in the room she works in. It’s such a nice little room and it smells so good. I wish we could somehow capture the smell on camera. We could have talked for hours because she has so many interesting stories to tell.

I started out by asking her: How long have you been in Japan?

I came here in March and I stayed for about six weeks. I stayed here in Niseko doing massage and then I went down to Kyoto for a week and to Tokyo for a week. And then I went home for two months. And then I returned to work here over the summer and the summer was really beautiful. And then I went on another holiday to Cuba and I have just returned two weeks ago, to work the winter season.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today a 26-year-old Kiwi spammer has been fined 100 thousand dollars.

Last year spamming became illegal in New Zealand. The first person has just been charged under the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007. The New Zealand Herald reported Lance Atkinson admitted the spamming charges and was sentenced to pay $100,000 and costs of $7666. The other two members of the spam gang have denied the charges. The Internal Affairs' anti-spam compliance unit said the three men were part of a network which sent more than two million spam messages to New Zealand computers last year. The convicted spammer still faces charges in the United States.

And that was Stick News for Monday the 22nd of December.
Kia Ora.





conversations with sarah
#576 What bought you to Niseko?


Step 1: Repeat Sarah’s lines.
Step 2: Read Sarah’s lines and talk to Billeigh.

Sarah What kind of massage do you do?

Billeigh I do mostly shiatsu. Ah, I’ve been working with shiatsu for about five years now. But I started off just working with natural intuitive massage and I’ve also done Thai massage and Tibetan massage. So I blend all types of massage in together.

Sarah What is shiatsu?

Billeigh Shiatsu is Japanese massage. It’s finger pressure. So we use pressure points, we use the thumbs, we use the elbows, ah, all fingers, forearms. Some people even use their feet. But it’s normally performed on the ground, on the floor, on a futon. But in this studio, we work on a bed and that works well, as well. I mix it with oil massage. Normally shiatsu should just be strictly with clothes on and you work over top of the clothes, but … most, most clients that come here, they want a full body oil massage. So I blend all different types of massage, different styles of massage.

Sarah How long have you been doing massage?

Billeigh Well, in 1997, I went to Israel and I had my wallet stolen and I had no money.
So I went for a walk along the beach. And I thought, “These people might need a beach massage”. So I went up to somebody and I said, “I’m offering massage, would you like a back, shoulder, head, neck massage here on the beach?”. And he said, “Yes”. And then more people who were at the beach saw that I was giving a massage. And they said, “How much? Can I be next?”. And they were very excited. So I started massaging like that. And I made a lot of money in the first week. That continued to pay for my travel. I then went to Jordan and Egypt. And then I met another girl who then paid for my flight to go back with her to England. And then I continued to do it in England and went to Edinburgh and just worked on the street, in festivals. Just put my sleeping bag and a sarong out and, and people would come and we would do it for donation. And it just feels like a natural thing for me. My hands, I looked down at my hands about, maybe six or seven years ago, and thought, “What am I going to do with my life?”. And it was there, I have … this natural talent.

Sarah What brought you to Niseko? Do you snowboard?

Billeigh I do snowboard, yeah, but, ah, the main reason why I came here was because I was in India and I wanted to go to Pakistan and there were problems with … political problems. So … and I felt not to go there any more. I looked in my passport and I had a lady’s card, who … her a business card, and I had massaged her about three years previous. And I emailed her, I knew she was working here in Hokkaido, in Niseko. And she said, “Yes, there’s work here, come.” So I booked an aeroplane … flight from India. And I arrived here and started working straight away. I met my boss and he welcomed me into the village. And I love it here. I’d heard so much about Hokkaido and heard that it was just one of the most beautiful places in the world so I’m really, really grateful to be here.

Sarah How did you learn Spanish?

Billeigh In the year 2000, I really desperately wanted to go to South America. And you can’t go to South America without learning Spanish so I went to a language school and I studied about eight lessons only – just basic Spanish. And then I went there and I just had to learn it by speaking. So when I speak Spanish, people who want to understand me, will understand me. But people who I don’t need to speak with, they won’t understand me, and that’s OK, because I don’t need to speak with them. But it’s, it’s great, it’s really nice, speaking Spanish, I really enjoy speaking another language.



links

today's news
also here
news from when they were charged, back in October
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

cws start
artist: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Silent Night
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

#923 Shochu Mikan


Show 923 Sunday 21 December 2008
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Sunday Kitchen #121 Shochu Mikan


One of my favourite things about winter, is mandarins.
The other day we bought a box of mandarins so I thought I might make a little drink.
I put three mandarins in the blender and added three cubes of ice and some shochu.
Mmm it was delicious.




note

mandarins are called mikan in Japan

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: We Wish you a Merry Christmas
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

#922 Seven Days Of Christmas


Show 922 Saturday 20 December
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Seven Days of Christmas


On the first day of Christmas my boss gave me a calendar, which was incredibly ugly.

On the second day of Christmas my neighbour gave me two bottles of wine and a calendar which was incredibly ugly.

On the third day of Christmas my brother gave me three DVDs, two bottles of wine and a calendar which was incredibly ugly.

On the fourth day of Christmas my aunty gave me four pairs of socks, three DVDs, two bottles of wine and a calendar which was incredibly ugly.

On the fifth day of Christmas my mother gave me five pens, four pairs of socks, three DVDs, two bottles of wine and a calendar which was incredibly ugly.

On the sixth day of Christmas my sister gave me six bars of chocolate, five pens, four pairs of socks, three DVDs, two bottles of wine and a calendar which was incredibly ugly.

On the seventh day of Christmas my boyfriend gave me seven kisses, six bars of chocolate, five pens, four pairs of socks, three DVDs, two bottles of wine and a calendar which was incredibly ugly.




music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: We Wish you a Merry Christmas
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Friday, December 19, 2008

#921 The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Nosy In-laws, Naked First Lady


Show 921 Friday 19 December
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today we’re going to study a song called: The Twelve Days of Christmas

I think this is a good song to study because of the repetition.
I’m not a huge fan of the original song – probably because the lyrics don’t really mean much to me.

A partridge in a pear tree.

A partridge is a kind of bird, I don’t think there are any partridges in New Zealand – or maybe I’ve just never seen one.

In Wikipedia it says: Partridges are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Partridges are ground-nesting seed-eaters.

There are many parodies of the song – that you might enjoy – and because of the repetition I think it’s a good way to learn new vocabulary.

There is one by a model called Janice Dickinson – and if you watch that one you can learn the word: fledgling.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a fledgling modelling agency.

fledgling
a person, an organization or a system that is new and without experience

And if you listen to the parody by boymongoose, you can learn the words: insufficient and dowry.

Insufficient means not enough and a dowry is money or property that a bride gives to her new husband when they get married.

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a totally insufficient dowry.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today the first lady of France has been awarded 40 thousand Euros in damages after a company sold a bag featuring a photo of her naked.

Carla is a 40-year-old former model. According to Wikipedia, in the 1990s, she was among the 20 highest-paid fashion models. In February this year, she married the President of France. Since then a clothing company produced 10,000 bags featuring a photo of the first lady naked. The photo was taken in 1993. Carla sued the company and they’ve now been ordered to pay her damages. Reuters reported the founder and manager of the company said he would appeal because 40,000 Euros seemed expensive for "a small blunder."

And that was Stick News for Friday the 19th of December.
Kia Ora.





tdes Niseko Snow Report
in Kutchan


Today’s snow report comes to you from … looking out my window late at night. You can’t see any snow because it’s too dark.
This is the car park.
And these are the lights at the entrance to the car park.



Word of the Day

Today’s word is nosy.
It can be spelt with or without an e.

adj. (informal) showing too much curiosity about other people’s affairs

One of the lines in (one of) the parodies I mentioned today is: two nosy in-laws.

In-laws are your relatives by marriage, especially the parents of your husband or wife.

Do you have nosy in-laws, or nosy workmates or schoolmates?

I found an article online called: How to Cope With In-laws During the Holidays.

This is what it says:
Tolerate nosy in-laws by answering only the questions you feel comfortable talking about. Avoiding dangerous topics can help, but plan ahead with your spouse so they can take over if you start feeling uncomfortable.



friday joke

* I found this joke here.


What’s the difference between outlaws and in-laws?
Outlaws are wanted.



conversations with sarah
#575 How can you tell, though?


Step 1: Repeat Taka’s lines.
Step 2: Read Taka’s lines and talk to Sarah.

Taka What’s the difference between being nosy and being interested?

Sarah Yeah, that’s a good question - I guess it’s a matter of opinion.

Taka Yeah, true.

Sarah I think it could be something to do with what the person plans to do with the information, or why they want to know.

Taka What do you mean?

Sarah Well, if they want to know just because they want to pass the information on as gossip – then that’s nosy, but if they want to know because they care about you and they hope that you’re doing well and if you’re not, they want to help you … then that’s genuine interest.

Taka How can you tell, though?

Sarah I think it’s usually pretty obvious.



links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures
parody photo

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

nsr start
artist: Zeropage
album: Ambient Pills Update
track: Is It Real?
from: Switzerland
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

nsr bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Bass Vibes
artist site
YouTube channel

WOD start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Game Toy
from: EVREUX, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

friday joke start
artist: AdHoc
album: Toutes directions
track: Sumbala
from: Annecy, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

nsr/qa bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: We Wish you a Merry Christmas
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

#920 Words That Sound The Same, Kanpei’s Earth Marathon, Beat Up, Siblings


Show 920 Thursday 18 December
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

The video I recommend today is by: theworldofmozz.

He’s pretty funny and I think this video is a good one for language students because the humour is based on the fact that some words sound the same.

In this book they talk about the fact that two words can sound like another two words because they join together when you say them.

I’ll read you some examples they give:

pets enter, pet centre
stopped aching, stop taking
ice cream, I scream
known aim, no name
called Annie, call Danny
clocks tops, Clock stops
missed a night, Mr Knight

In the Acadia Report today, people at Acadia University were asked: Is it better to have brothers and sisters or to be an only child?

What do you think? Leave a comment if you feel like it and tell us what you think.



The Acadia Report
from Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia
study English at Acadia University in Canada

I have many brothers … many sisters and two brothers. I have four sisters and two brothers.
I think it’s better to have sisters and brothers. I don’t know if I would like being alone. But a person who is an only child might tell you different.

I think it’s better to have brothers and sisters because you always have a big family during the holidays and people to enjoy it with and people to joke around with.

Um I think it’s better to have brothers. A young brother more than an older brother because um, you can kind of beat the younger brother up a bit and get what you want from him.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, this is Stick News. Yesterday a 59-year-old Japanese comedian started running and sailing around the world. He’s calling the journey an “earth marathon” and plans to be finished in two years.

Kanpei Hazama is a Japanese comedian who likes running. According to his website he has competed in dozens of marathons and long distance runs. Last year he completed the Honalulu marathon in 4 hours and 46 minutes. Now, he’s running around the world. He’s planning to run 20,000 km and sail 16,000 km. He’s calling his trip an Earth Marathon and will keep fans updated on his progress on his website.

And that was Stick News for Thursday the 18th of December.
Kia Ora.





TDES Niseko Snow Report
in Kutchan


I filmed this standing in front of the gym yesterday.
It sounds like rain, but it’s actually melting snow.

This is the gym by the way. And I took that photo standing on this bridge.
And this is the little park on the other side of the bridge.
A colourful slide.
It was eight and a half degrees.



Word of the Day

Today’s word is beat.

There are many phrasal verbs using the word beat, for example: beat up.

In The Acadia Report today the guy said that it was good to have a younger brother because:
you can kind of beat the younger brother up a bit and get what you want from him.

I think he was joking, of course, but what does it mean to beat somebody up?

to hit or kick sb hard, many times

For example: He was badly beaten up by a gang of thugs.

Beat-up or beaten-up is also an informal adjective which means: old or damaged.



conversations with sarah
#574 Do you have any brothers or sisters?

Step 1: Repeat Jake’s lines.
Step 2: Read Jake’s lines and talk to Sarah.

Jake Do you have any brothers or sisters?

Sarah Yeah, I have two sisters.

Jake Really? Any brothers?

Sarah No, just sisters.

Jake Are they older or younger?

Sarah One older and one younger.

Jake So you’re in the middle?

Sarah Yeah. How about you?

Jake I’m an only child.



links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

The Acadia Report start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Concerto
from: EVREUX, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

nsr start
artist: Zeropage
album: Ambient Pills Update
track: Is It Real?
from: Switzerland
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

WOD start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Game Toy
from: EVREUX, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

nsr/qa bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: We Wish you a Merry Christmas
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

#919 Forgettable Success, Dress The Snowman, Light Bulbs, Efficient


Show 919 Wednesday 17 December
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today’s mistake comes from a link that someone sent me to a site – they asked me to talk about it on the show. They said that someone had posted the link on Facebook because they said it was funny site. And I think it’s pretty funny too.

It’s a business - based in Singapore I think - that offers translation and interpreting services.

And on this particular page they explain how professional they are and how great their language skills are. I think this is the funniest sentence: We will be happy to discuss with you how we can help you to make your own event a foggetable success.

Firstly, forgettable is spelt wrong.

And it should be unforgettable. If an event is forgettable then it’s not very good. So that’s pretty funny and the whole thing is rather amusing because they’re selling translation services and they’re saying how wonderful they are, but their level of English doesn’t quite match up to what they claim to be.



click here

I was looking around to see if I could find any good Christmas sites, and I came across a page called: Dress The Snowman.
I think this page is brilliant for using as an activity in a class if you’re a language teacher. Or you can try it with friends or family at home.
You need two computers set up so that you can’t see the other person’s screen. Then one person dresses the snowman and then explains to the other person what he looks like. For example: He’s wearing a black hat. He’s holding a cup of coffee in his left hand and a rake in his right hand. Then if the person doesn’t understand or needs to clarify, they can ask questions to check, like:

Did you say the coffee was in the right hand?
No, the left hand.
Oh, OK, left hand.


Then when you think you’ve finished, check the other person’s screen and you can see if your communication was successful.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today light bulb lovers in New Zealand are celebrating after the new government announced it won’t be phasing out incandescent light bulbs.

According to Wikipedia, more than 40 countries have announced plans relating to the banning of incandescent light bulbs.
They want people to use new kinds of light bulbs which use less energy.
The former New Zealand government, led by the Labour Party, announced incandescent light bulbs would be phased out.
But the National Party didn’t like the plan. They said it was an example of a “nanny state” controlling people’s lives.
National won the election last month and now they’ve announced they’re stopping the plans to phase out incandescent light bulbs. They say New Zealanders will now be free to buy the light bulbs for as long as they want.

And that was Stick News for Wednesday the 17th of December.
Kia Ora.





TDES Niseko Snow Report
at MSK JR Apartment

I like living on the fourth floor. I can see interesting things when I look out the window.
Like this machine clearing snow.

One day I looked out the window and saw a truck with a crane on the back of it.

Another day I saw some appliances sitting on some blue tarpaulin.
They looked like they were having a picnic. It’s not the right season for a hanami so I thought it must’ve been a bonenkai.



Word of the Day

Today’s word is efficient.
adj.
doing sth well and thoroughly with no waste of time, money or energy

Lot’s of countries are banning incandescent light bulbs because they want people to use new kinds of light bulbs which use less energy. They’re energy-efficient light bulbs.

In Wikipedia it says: Modern energy-efficient appliances … use significantly less energy than older appliances.



conversations with sarah
#573 Is Christmas a religious holiday in New Zealand?

Step 1: Repeat Bobby’s lines.
Step 2: Read Bobby’s lines and talk to Sarah.

Bobby Is Christmas a religious holiday in New Zealand?

Sarah Yeah, for some people, but not for most people.

Bobby So it’s just commercial?

Sarah Yeah, commercial, or a family get-together … I think the family thing is more important than the presents for most people.

Bobby How about in Japan?

Sarah In Japan it’s pretty much just commercial. Department stores and shops celebrate Christmas – they put on a great show with lights and decorations … but not that many people actually do.

Bobby Most people have to work, don’t they?

Sarah Yeah, it’s not a public holiday.



links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

click here start
artist: #NarNaoud#
album: Green Vision
track: Oriental Standing
from: Gironde, France
artist at Jamendo
album at Jamendo
artist site

nsr start
artist: Zeropage
album: Ambient Pills Update
track: Is It Real?
from: Switzerland
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

WOD start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Game Toy
from: EVREUX, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

nsr/qa bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: We Wish you a Merry Christmas
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

#918 Nepalese Food – Swaadilo, Santa Says F Word, You Got ID? Indeed


Show 918 Tuesday 16 December
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.


I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

In the snow report today, we had a chat with Bhum. He’s from Nepal and he’s been in Japan for three years. He’s a rafting guide in summer and in winter he works in a Nepalese restaurant that’s just about to open. We had a quick look at it today and it looks great – I like how they’ve decorated it with prayer flags and beautiful pictures of eyes. I asked him about the pictures of the eyes and I also asked him to teach me a few words of Nepalese. I’m going to try and remember this one for when I go and eat there. Swaadilo means delicious.

In the conversation today we’re doing a scene from the movie Scent of a Woman.

This is the situation. A police officer has just stopped a man driving a car, because he was speeding. And the officer asks for his driver’s licence and registration and … well there’s two men in the car and the younger man, in the passenger seat, hands over the registration, and the officer can see that they’re test driving the car. And so he’s surprised that would be speeding when they don’t even own the car. So the officer says: What are you test-driving this baby?
This baby means this car. So, he’s saying: Are you test-driving this car? And the what at the start of that sentence just emphasizes his surprise at the fact that they’re test driving the car.

The man says he left his licence at the dealers, so the officer asks him for ID.
He says: You got ID?
This is just a shorter way of saying: Have you got ID?

In the same way, you can shorten questions like: Have you got the time? You got the time? Got the time?



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, in Stick News today members of the audience at Christmas concert in New Zealand said they were shocked when they heard Santa say the F word.

Last week the Auckland Symphony Orchestra held a free family Christmas concert at the Auckland Town Hall. According to the New Zealand Herald, a woman in the audience said it was an "absolutely lovely occasion" - until Santa swore. She said she was absolutely certain Santa said the f word. "It annoyed me. It soured a very nice occasion. People took exception to it. It was very inappropriate." In his defense, Santa claimed he was saying "thank you" in Norwegian. The organizers would not reveal Santa's identity, but they said he was an 84-year-old father of one of the orchestra members and grandfather of several elves and fairies at the concert.

And that was Stick News for Tuesday 16th of December.
Kia Ora.





TDES Niseko Snow Report

at Niseko Yurt Village

Are these pictures from Nepal?
Yes, these … all pictures are from Nepal.

Can you tell me about the eyes?
This eye is the peace of eye, the light of Asia, Lord Gautama Buddha, his eyes he looks all over the world, peace of eyes.

How about the flags?
These colourful flags are, how you say, is like praying flags, is usually used by, ah, Sherpas and Mongolian tribe when they do something before they go somewhere else … to make a prayer.

Can you tell me how to say hello in Nepalese?
We speak same, we say hello as well, but we say, hey k chha, or something like that, with friends.

How do you say delicious?
Delicious is swaadilo or you can say meethoza.

How about thank you?
Dhanyabaad.



Word of the Day


Today’s word is indeed.

used to emphasize a positive statement or answer

A lot of the examples here say: especially British English, so maybe they don’t use it much in North America. How about you do you use indeed much?

Here’s an example: Do you like The Daily English Show? Yes, I do. I like it very much indeed.

In today’s conversation, when the police officer asks the man for ID, he answers: You bet. Indeed. Which means: yes, I do.



conversations with sarah
#572 Where's your licence?


Step 1: Repeat Gore’s lines.
Step 2: Read Gore’s lines and talk to Slade.

Gore Licence and registration. What are you test-driving this baby?

Slade Doesn't she purr, though?

Gore At 70 miles an hour?

Slade You should hear her at 125.

Gore Where's your licence?

Slade At the dealer's. They give it back to you when you return the car.

Gore You got ID?

Slade You bet. Indeed.



links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

Learn Nepalese video
* hello, thank you

Learn Nepalese video

* delicious

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

nsr start
artist: Zeropage
album: Ambient Pills Update
track: Is It Real?
from: Switzerland
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

WOD start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Game Toy
from: EVREUX, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Style Funk
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Monday, December 15, 2008

#917 Niseko Patrol – Derek’s New Job, Bush Shoe Attack


Show 917 Monday 15 December
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today’s guest is Derek. I think this is the first time we’ve had a guest back on the show for a second interview – Derek was the guest on show 737. But I wanted to interview him again because he has a new job so I thought it would be interesting to hear about that.
He also has a new dog, it’s a very cute little puppy but right after the interview I accidentally stood on its foot with my new, massive heavy boots and it looked so sad and I still feel bad about that so I’m sorry puppy …

The first thing I asked Derek was: What’s your new job title?

I’m the, ah, community liaison officer for the, ah, anzen, or safety center in the middle of Hirafu, right next to the Seicomart.



STICK NEWS


Kia Ora, in Stick News today the president of the United States of America has been attacked by a shoe.

George Bush is the president of the United States of America. In 2003, he decided to invade Iraq and asked the world to help him. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. On Sunday evening during a press conference in Iraq, a journalist threw his shoes at President Bush. He yelled: "This is a farewell ... you dog!" The president survived the attack and said, "So what if the guy threw his shoe at me?"

And that was Stick News for Monday the 15th of December.
Kia Ora.






conversations with sarah
#571 Have you had any trouble so far?

Step 1: Repeat Sarah’s lines.
Step 2: Read Sarah’s lines and talk to Derek.

Sarah What does your job involve?

Derek Um, lots of things. Helping people, ah, find where buses are. Um, lost items like wallets and cameras. Um, renting cars, where restaurants are … and then also patrolling the village at night, for, ah, just to make sure everything’s going smoothly and everyone’s having a good time.

Sarah How many staff work here?

Derek Um, we’ve three staff on, from 9 o’clock in the morning until, ah, 2am. And as well four police officers are on a rotational basis coming in through here and basing themselves out of here.

Sarah Have you had any trouble so far?

Derek Um, no, nothing, nothing trouble … we’ve had a couple of, ah, with the icy weather we’ve had a couple of, ah, slips and falls on the, ah, the snow. But nothing so far.

Sarah When do you expect it to get busy?

Derek Um, as soon as the, as the customers arrive, as soon as all the visitors start coming in, it starts to get pretty busy, around Christmas and then New Years of course is always a big day. So we’re, ah, looking forward to that.

Sarah How did you get this job?

Derek Um, somebody recommended me for it, they ah, they’d, ah, heard that, ah, they were looking for somebody and thought I’d be a good fit, so, ah … I know a lot of people in town, I’ve been here for a while. So, it’s been good. I’m really, ah, happy to do it and happy to be of, ah, service to the town.

Sarah Have you done anything like this before?

Derek Um, yeah, I was, ah, actually was, ah, in police collage back in Canada to be a patrol officer and, ah, um, yeah, it’s just something that sort of comes naturally to me, I guess.

Sarah Is there much difference between the Canadian and the Japanese police forces?

Derek Um, no, I mean, I think they both go about their jobs the same way, the Japanese police are, ah, much more thorough. And this has been a really good opportunity for them to sort of bridge between the foreign community … The biggest problem for the police here is they don’t quite understand some of our customs and culture. Like getting drunk and wrestling in the street is not really a Japanese, ah, hobby. But it’s sort of, ah, one of our past times in the snow, so sometimes it’s good to have somebody to kind of explain – they’re fighting, they’re playing. So, that’s what I’m doing.

Sarah Is there any kind of behaviour that you’d like to try and stop this season?

Derek Um, yeah, I think it’s important that we have in the town, just sort of a feeling of, there actually is somebody, sort of, watching. And, kind of, ah, to help everybody get along. I mean, it’s one percent, we’ve had problems with one percent of the sort of the visitors that come here. And they can ruin it for a whole place, a whole bar, just by being, um, you know, getting drunk and acting out of control. So hopefully if people know that there’s, there’s a resource they can use, hopefully we’ll be able to eliminate that one percent, or quiet it down. And everyone can have a really good time, every time they come here.

Sarah What will happen if there is any trouble?

Derek Um, normally what happens is I’m kind of the first line of defence and basically, if you get to the point where you’re still not listening to me. I say, well there’s other … you know, we’re either going to deal with this now or you can have the police deal with it. And, ah, a lot of foreigners don’t know that in Japan you can be detained for up to 23, 24 days without any, um, ah, lawyers. And usually be held in jail. Most of the time if there’s any, um, court costs they’re borne by the defendant. Um, you can be exported, you can lose your passport rights. So these kinds of things, if people knew a little bit more, they might be a little bit more careful. But as I said it’s usually, it’s, you know, one to two percent of the … the vast majority of the people that come here are good customers. Only one or two people, visitors that come here, cause a little bit of problems and hopefully this year we’ll nip ‘em in the bud.



notes

out of control idiom to be or become impossible to manage or to control

eliminate v. completely remove or get rid of

detained
detain verb to keep sb in an official place, such as a police station, a prison or a hospital, and prevent them from leaving

exported - he meant deported
deport verb to force sb to leave a country, usually because they have broken the law or have no legal right to be there

nip 'em in the bud
nip sth in the bud idiom to stop sth when it has just begun because you can see that problems will come from it

links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

cws start
artist: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Style Funk
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

#916 Dango Snowman


Show 916 Sunday 14 December 2008
Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Sunday Kitchen #120 Dango Snowman

To continue with the Christmas-themed food, I thought I’d try making a snowman out of dango.
Dango is incredibly easy to make – you just mix some rice flour and some water and make it into balls.
Then put the balls into boiling water and boil them until they float to the top and then scoop them out.
The tricky part was assembling the snowman.
I stuck the balls together with toothpicks.
It kept sliding over on the plate, so I decided to try putting some kinako on the plate.
I used a chestnut for a hat.
It was still sliding over so I leaned it against a cup.
I poked in some sweet black beans for eyes.
And a pine nut for a nose.
I cut some dried mango into the shape of a mouth.
Finally I gave him some arms.
Hmmm, a bit of a weird looking snowman.
But it tasted good.





music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: We Wish you a Merry Christmas
artist site
YouTube channel

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.