实用英语：用错这些商务词会让你显得low

屈联西

Using the right word can matter. Using the wrong word can matter even more. I once lost a potential gig because I used "who" instead of "whom" in a proposal letter.


　　选词正确至关重要，然而用错了词，就更不能忽视了。笔者曾经错失了一个潜在的演出机会，原因是我在提案里把 “whom”而误用成 “who”了。


　　Even just one incorrectly used word--especially when you're trying to make a great impression--can ruin everything. Is that unfair? Yes... but it does happen.


　　即使只是单单一个误用的词语——尤其当你正尽力给他人留下良好印象的时候——也会毁了所有的东西。这听起来不是很公平对吗？是的，但事实就是这样。


　　To make sure that doesn't happen to you, I've collected some of the most common incorrectly used words from other posts into one epic post.


　　为了避免同类的事情发生在大家的身上，笔者在别的文章里收集了一些最常见的误用词汇，整理到这里来了。


　　Here we go.


　　接下来请看。


　　Good and well


　　good和well


　　Good is an adjective that describes something; if you did a good job, then you do good work. Well is an adverb that describes how something was done; you can do your job well.


　　good是形容词，用于修饰某件物品或事情，如果你的工作出色，那就是do good work. Well是副词，用于修饰某件事情的完成程度，你可以很出色地工作，就是用well。


　　If and whether


　　if和whether


　　If and whether are often interchangeable. If a yes/no condition is involved, then feel free to use either: "I wonder whether Jim will finish the project on time?" or "I wonder if Jim will finish the project on time?" (Whether sounds a little more formal in this case, so consider your audience and how you wish to be perceived.)


　　if和whether常常互换使用。如果条件是yes/no的，那么两个词都可以使用：I wonder whether/if Jim will finish the project on time?(我想知道Jim能否按时完成任务？)在这种情况下，whether听起来更正式点，所以你得考虑到听众以及你想达到的效果。


　　And always use if when you introduce a condition. "If you hit your monthly target, I'll increase your bonus," is correct; the condition is hitting the target and the bonus is the result. "Whether you are able to hit your monthly target is totally up to you," does not introduce a condition (unless you want the employee to infer that your thinly veiled threat is a condition of ongoing employment).


　　如果想描述一个条件的时候，使用if。“If you hit your monthly target, I’ll increase your bonus.”（如果你达到了月度销售目标，我就增加你的奖金。）这种用法是正确的。条件就是达到销售目标，增加奖金是结果。“Whether you are able to hit your monthly target is totally up to you.”（无论你能否达到月度销售目标，这完全取决于你自己。）这就不是一个表示条件的句子（除非你希望员工从中领会到这是一个关乎职业前景的潜在条件）。


　　Imply and infer


　　imply和infer


　　The speaker or writer implies, which means to suggest. The listener or reader infers,which means to deduce, whether correctly or not.


　　演讲者或作家 “implies”，意味着暗示。听众或读者 “infers”，意味着去推断，无论方式正确与否。


　　So I might imply you're going to receive a raise. And you might infer that a pay increase is imminent.


　　所以我可能会暗示（imply）你快要加工资了，而你就会推测（infer）加工资是即将到来的。


　　Insure and ensure


　　insure和ensure


　　This one's easy. Insure refers to insurance. Ensure means to make sure.


　　这个很简单，insure指代保险，ensure意为确保。


　　So if you promise an order will ship on time, ensure that it actually happens. Unless, of course, you plan to arrange for compensation if the package is damaged or lost -- then feel free to insure away.


　　所以如果你承诺某个订单能如期船运，得确保(ensure)万无一失。出发，你打算为包裹的耗损或遗失投保险（insure），那就去吧。


　　Irregardless and regardless


　　irregardless和regardless


　　Irregardless appears in some dictionaries because it's widely used to mean "without regard to" or "without respect to," which is also what regardless means.


　　irregardless在某些词典里收录，其中是因为它普遍被当作“毫不关心”或“毫不尊重”的意思，也就是regardless的意思。


　　So just say regardless is acceptable.


　　所以使用regardless就可以了。


　　Mute and moot


　　mute和moot


　　Think of mute like the button on your remote; it means unspoken or unable to speak. In the U.S., moot refers to something that is of no practical importance; a moot point is one that could be hypothetical or even academic. In British English, moot can also mean debatable or open to debate.


　　把mute看作遥控器上的按钮，因为它的意思是无言的或无法发声的。在美式英语里，moot意为某件毫无实际意义的事情，moot point(争论未决的问题)可能是假设性或甚至学术性的问题。在英式英语里，moot也可以意为存在争议的或开放讨论的。


　　Number and amount


　　number和amount


　　Use number when you can count what you refer to: "The number of subscribers who opted out increased last month." Amount refers to a quantity of something that can