- I got a new job of a famous customer.
My first impression was that "Mr. Suzuki" quit his job at Secom and started working for Takashimaya. (Mr. Suzuki worked at Secom. Takashimaya, a famous company, was a customer of Secom. So, Mr. Suzuki "got a new job" at the company that used to be his "famous customer.")
I have heard many Japanese use the words job, famous, and customer in this way.
First, lets use different words:
1. job → contract
2. famous → well-known; big; large; Fortune 500; top; leading; world renown
3. customer → (international) company
Now, let's look at Taro's new sentence:
- I won a new contract with a well-known international company.
This is what Taro wanted to say. He did not change jobs--he got some new work from a client. How do you get more work from a client? By signing a contract.
Taro got a new contract. But actually, he tried very hard to get that new contract. His company had to compete with other companies. It is like a race or sports event. The company that gets the new contract is the winner! So, Taro won a new contract with the customer.
Of course, Takashimaya is a famous company, but famous can be for good things and bad things. Sony corporation used to be famous for its Sony Walkman. But last year, Sony was famous for bad batteries in computers that caught fire! Everybody knows Sony, IBM, Mercedes, and Prada. So, if the company is so "famous" just say the company's name. If the company is well known in many countries, Taro can also say that the company is an international company.
Taro is my student, so I can call him my customer. But if I do work for an organization with many people, I don't usually call the company my customer--I usually use the word client instead. Taro didn't win a contract with one person. Taro's company won the contract from another company.
Can you understand this change in vocabulary?
"I got a new job of a famous customer."
↓
"I won a new contract with a well-known international company."
↓
"I won a new contract with a well-known international company."
Be careful with this vocabulary:
Chip
- got: I got a new computer on my birthday.
- job: I will quit my job at Daiei and get a new job at Sumitomo Trust.
- famous: The Titanic was a famous ship because it it sunk in the ocean, killing many people.
- customer: Mrs. Suzuki is our best customer because she buys so many expensive flowers every day!
Chip
