ANMI English Tips & Tools: 2011

2011-11-26

Skype Call Recorder, Riviera for Skype

Skype Call Recorder, Riviera for Skype looks like the kind of application that could have a lot of useful purposes for not only conducting our Skype-based lessons, but also for conducting Skype-based business calls. I have yet to try the software, but I see a lot of potential.

ANMI English Tips & Tools by
アンミ英会話教室 is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

2011-07-14

A Moment of Silence

Highlights from Today's Class

When do you "pause for a moment of silence"?

I pause for a moment of silence during public commemorations of something sad. You can see people pausing for a moment of silence at Ground Zero in New York City. Many people in Japan and especially in the Tohoku region paused for a moment of silence on April 11th, May 11th, and June 11th.

I paused for a moment of silence when I visited the Nagasaki Peace Park many years ago. I also paused for a moment of silence when I visited the graves of my relatives.

See if you can catch the phrase, "paused for a moment of silence" in this CNN video:

Link: http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/education/2011/05/11/sn.0512.cnn

- pause for a moment of silence
- 黙とうをささげる
- Mokutō o sasageru

ANMI English Tips and Tools by Chip Sorensen
is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.1 Japan License.
Based on a work at anmienglishtools.blogspot.com.

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2011-05-06

ran 22.42 km http://ping.fm/ZO3en

2011-03-18

English Messages to Overseas Coworkers and Colleagues

On the 16th, I posted messages for personal contacts. The following post is more oriented towards coworkers and colleagues:

Thank you for your concerns.
Thank you for your kind words.
Thank you for your prayers.
Thank you for your messages of concern.

We are doing fine.
We are doing OK.
We are getting by OK.
Our operations are running smoothly.
Our local operations are basically getting by.

Our location here in Yokohama and Tokyo were not as seriously impacted.
Our operations here in Yokohama and Tokyo were spared the worst damage.
Our offices here in Yokohama and Tokyo were not impacted directly.

Unfortunately, we are faced with difficulties with purchasing fuel.
Unfortunately, we are faced with difficulties in dealing with rolling blackouts.
Unfortunately, we are faced with difficulties in commuting to worksites due to the rolling blackouts and limited train operations.

The aftershocks continue to cause concern.
The crisis involving the nuclear reactors remain a serious concern.
The rescue efforts are ongoing and continue to be faced with serious challenges

We hope that all survivors will be found.
We hope that the Sendai area will start making a marked recovery soon.
We anticipate that officials will be able make some significant recovery efforts.

I am sure that Japan can recover quickly from this crisis.
I believe that we can recover quickly from this crisis.
I feel confident that we will recover quickly from this crisis.

Additional Suggestions by Students (Updated Mar. 19, 2011)

Some Japanese companies have not returned to normal operations due to the current crisis.
We will overcome these difficulties. I am confident that we can do it!

Examples:

Dear [Recipient's Name],

Thank you for your kind messages. My family, friends, colleagues, and I are making due considering the situation here in the Yokohama and Tokyo areas. Our operations were not directly impacted and spared the disaster that occurred in Northern Japan. Unfortunately, we still face difficulties in purchasing fuels and some foodstuffs.

Large aftershocks continue to shake our homes and offices every now and then. Currently, most concern is focused on the nuclear reactor crisis.

I hope all survivors will be found soon, and anticipate a quick recovery from this crisis.

Thank you again for your kind words and concerns.

Sincerely yours with warmest regards,

[Your Name Here]
[Business Name]
[Contact Information]

Dear [Recipient's Name],

Thank you for your messages of concern. Fortunately, my friends, family, colleagues, and I are doing fine.

Here in the Tokyo and Yokohama areas, we are faced with difficulty in purchasing fuels, some foodstuffs, in addition to working around rolling blackouts.

Compared to the victims in the northern part of Japan, we are faring much better. Hopefully, the aftershocks will subside and officials will be able to address the nuclear reactor crisis.

My heart feels deeply saddened by the loss of life. Although we are worried about the
nuclear reactor, I am sure that our country can recover quickly.

Thank you again for your kind words and prayers.

Yours sincerely and warmest regards,

[Your Name Here]
[Business Name]
[Contact Information]

Do you have any other things you want to express? Let me know!

2011-03-16

English Messages to Friends and Family Overseas

* See update below (March 18, 2011)

I have spent the last several days sending messages back to the States to let my friends and family know that we are doing OK here in Japan. Maybe you have the same situation, too.

Here are some sample messages and phrases that you can use to share with folks overseas:

Thank you for your concern.
Thank you for your worries.
Thank you for your prayers.

We are doing fine.
We are doing OK.
We are getting by OK.

We were luckier than the folks up North.
We were lucky here in Yokohama.
We are better off here in Yokohama.

We still have to worry about buying gas.
We still have to worry about rolling blackouts.
We still have to worry about buying some foodstuffs.

The aftershocks still scare us.
We are a little worried about the nuclear reactors.
We are a little worried about the rescue efforts up north.

We hope and pray survivors will be found.
We hope and pray for a quick recovery.
We hope and pray that things will get better soon.

* This part added March 18, 2011.

I am sure that Japan can recover quickly from this crisis.
I believe that we can recover quickly from this crisis.
I feel confident that we will recover quickly from this crisis.

Examples:

Dear [Recipient's Name],

Thanks for your email. My family, friends, and I are doing OK here in
Yokohama. We were luckier than the folks up north. We still have to
worry about buying gasoline and some foodstuffs.

We still have big aftershocks that scare us every now and then, and
are worried about the nuclear reactor up north.

I hope and pray all survivors will be found soon and that our country
can recover quickly.

Thank you again for your kind words and prayers.

Love,

[Your Name Here]

Dear [Recipient's Name],

Thanks for your worries and prayers. Fortunately, my family, friends,
and I are doing OK here in Yokohama. We were much luckier than the
folks up north. It is so sad and horrible to see the effects of the
earthquake and tsunami.

Here in Yokohama, we were spared the worst damage. We still have to
worry about buying gasoline and some foodstuffs. Also, there are still
some aftershocks that scare us. The nuclear reactor up north is also
very scary.

I hope and pray all survivors will be found soon and that our country
can recover quickly.

Thank you again for your kind words and prayers.

Love,

[Your Name Here]

Dear [Recipient's Name],

Thank you for your kind words, messages, and prayers. We were very
lucky here in Yokohama. All my friends, family, and I are doing OK so
far.

It is a little hard to buy gasoline, some foodstuffs, and there are
rolling blackouts. Still, we were luckier than the folks up north!
Hopefully, the aftershocks will subside and we can feel less fear.

I hope and pray the last survivors can be found. My heart feels deeply
saddened for the loss of life. Although we are worried about the
nuclear reactor, I hope Japan can recover quickly and soon.

Thank you again for your kind words and prayers.

Love,

[Your Name Here]

I will add some more samples later. Do you have any other things you want to express? Let me know!

2011-01-01

Happy New Year 2011

2011 has arrived here in Japan! Happy New Year to all my friends, family, and people of the world!
Peace, Chip