Found yourself in a work situation whilst you are still learning the English you need to get by? Or maybe you have an English-speaking colleague that you would like to get closer to.
當你仍然堅持學習英語時，你是否發現雖處于工作環境，但仍需學習英語?或者你可能有一位能說一口流利英文的同事，你想靠近與其交流。
At the coffee machine
咖啡機旁聊天
Latte in hand, spreadsheets on hold: these are a few phrases you are more than likely to hear amongst your work colleagues as you relax. They’re easy to pick up and use, too.
一手拿著拿鐵咖啡，一手握著報表：這里有幾個短語，在你放松的時候你可能會從同事那里聽到。這些短語也非常容易學習和使用。
1.(to) play catch up – to be late starting something so you make a big effort to overcome it; it doesn’t mean you have been lazy!– more often it refers to when something comes in last minute, or you are working to a tight deadline.
(to) play catch up –開始做某件事情有點晚，使你不得不花大力氣去完成它;這并不是指你懶惰!-它經常更多的是指做某事到最后關頭了，或者你臨近截止日期，盡力追趕的意思。
e.g.“We’re playing catch-up on that commission from France.”
例如，“我們要盡力追趕法國來的任務”
Meaning: we’re working overtime to get everything ready for the commission from France.
意思是：我們在盡力加班為完成法國的任務做好充分準備。
When might you use it?
什么時候使用這個短語呢?
To express being a bit stressed out or under pressure to deliver a project; to express the effort required to overcome something for which you are currently behind schedule. You might also use the phrase to motivate or drive your own team to complete something – “we’re playing catch-up here, guys” – as it can add an air of competition.
一般是表達承受著巨大的壓力或是頂著壓力去實現一項任務;可用于表達你需要努力去完成已經落后于進度的事情。你可能也用這個詞組去激勵或者驅使你的團隊去完成某項任務—“同伴們，我們快實現目標啦”—它可能增加競爭的氣氛。
2.(to) pay a premium– meaning you pay a higher price for something because the quality or reputation is better
–是指你要花費更高的價格購買某物，因為它的質量或名聲更好
e.g.“We’re paying a premium for the plug from X Box, but it’s worth it”
“我們花了高價的XBox插座，但是它值。”
When might you use it?
什么時候使用這個詞組呢?
This can be used in coffee machine conversation very easily – it just refers to a deal you’ve made where the company (or yourself) has paid a price that is above the normal market price. You might use it to gain a bit of prestige/boast about your purchase.
這可以很輕易的在閑聊時使用—它可以用于提到你剛完成的一筆交易，交易價格高于市場價格。你可能用它去吹噓你購物的物品。
3.an uphill struggle/battle– meaning it’s a big obstacle to overcome
意思是要克服的大的障礙
If you’re in an American business you are more likely to hear ‘uphill battle’; ‘uphill struggle’ is the UK equivalent.
如果你處在美國商業環境中，你可能更多的聽到的是‘uphill battle’; ‘uphill struggle’在英國是同等的意思。
e.g.“Getting this new construction under budget is an uphill struggle, but we have to make it happen.”
“在現有預算下做好這個新工程很難，但是我們也要讓其實現。”
When might you use it?
什么場合使用這個詞組呢?
When talking about a project that is particularly difficult – or if you want to make something sound difficult. It would also work very nicely alongside ‘playing catch-up’ – i.e. “we’re playing catch-up on the construction project and it’s going to be an uphill struggle.”
當談論到一個工程特別困難時—或者如果你想讓某事聽起來很難的時候。這個也可以同“catch-up盡力趕上”這個詞組配合的非常好—例如：“我們在盡力追趕完成這個工程，這是個相當大的困難。”
