Japanese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 2 of 12
Work in depth
職場の会議Shokuba no kaigi
Give and take feedback, talk to clients in keigo with the in-group rule, use させていただく and the causative-passive (being made to do).
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Use honorific and humble verbs and the in-group / out-group rule with clients
- Understand when させていただく fits and when it is too much
- Say what you were made to do with the causative-passive
- Give and ask for feedback softly, and say you can't with わけにはいかない
Listen
At a software company in Tokyo, team leader Ishikawa Jun gives designer Nishida Aoi feedback, then takes a call from a client, Mr Kondo, who wants the work sooner. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Ishikawa
西田さん、ちょっといい？昨日のデザイン、見たよ。全体的にはすごくいいと思う。
Nishida-san, chotto ii? Kinō no dezain, mita yo. Zentaiteki ni wa sugoku ii to omou.
Nishida, have you got a minute? I looked at yesterday's design. Overall, I think it's really good.
Nishida
ありがとうございます。気になるところがあれば、率直に言っていただけると助かります。
Arigatō gozaimasu. Ki ni naru tokoro ga areba, sotchoku ni itte itadakeru to tasukarimasu.
Thank you. If anything bothers you, I'd be grateful if you told me frankly.
Ishikawa
じゃあ、率直に言うね。トップページの文字がちょっと小さいかなと思う。あと、ボタンの色はもう少し目立たせてもいいかもしれない。
Jā, sotchoku ni iu ne. Toppu pēji no moji ga chotto chiisai ka na to omou. Ato, botan no iro wa mō sukoshi medatasete mo ii kamo shirenai.
OK, I'll be frank. I think the text on the home page might be a bit small. And you could perhaps make the buttons stand out a little more.
Nishida
承知しました。では、今日中に修正させていただきます。
Shōchi shimashita. De wa, kyōjū ni shūsei sasete itadakimasu.
Understood. Then, with your permission, I shall make the changes today.
Ishikawa
いやいや、僕に「させていただきます」はいらないよ。「直します」で十分。…あ、ごめん、取引先から電話だ。
Iya iya, boku ni “sasete itadakimasu” wa iranai yo. “Naoshimasu” de jūbun. A, gomen, torihikisaki kara denwa da.
No, no, you don't need “sasete itadakimasu” with me. “I'll fix it” is fine. Oh, sorry, it's a client calling.
Mr Kondo
いつもお世話になっております。東西商事の近藤です。実は、納期を一週間早めていただけないでしょうか。
Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu. Tōzai Shōji no Kondō desu. Jitsu wa, nōki o isshūkan hayamete itadakenai deshō ka.
Thank you, as always, for your help. This is Kondo from Tozai Trading. The thing is, could you possibly bring the delivery date forward by a week?
Ishikawa
一週間ですか…。申し訳ございませんが、品質を落とすわけにはまいりませんので、一週間は難しいかと思います。三日でしたら、何とかできるかもしれません。
Isshūkan desu ka… Mōshiwake gozaimasen ga, hinshitsu o otosu wake ni wa mairimasen node, isshūkan wa muzukashii ka to omoimasu. Mikka deshitara, nan to ka dekiru kamo shiremasen.
A week … I'm very sorry, but we can't let the quality drop, so I think a week would be difficult. Three days might be manageable.
Mr Kondo
三日でも大変助かります。実は、弊社の部長が早めに確認したいと申しておりまして。
Mikka demo taihen tasukarimasu. Jitsu wa, heisha no buchō ga hayame ni kakunin shitai to mōshite orimashite.
Even three days would help a great deal. You see, our department head says he'd like to check it earlier.
Ishikawa
かしこまりました。担当の西田と相談しまして、本日中に新しい納期をご連絡いたします。
Kashikomarimashita. Tantō no Nishida to sōdan shimashite, honjitsuchū ni atarashii nōki o gorenraku itashimasu.
Certainly. I'll discuss it with Nishida, who is handling it, and let you know the new delivery date today.
Ishikawa
聞こえた？納期を三日早めてほしいそうなんだ。悪いけど、修正を急いでもらえる？
Kikoeta? Nōki o mikka hayamete hoshii sō na n da. Warui kedo, shūsei o isoide moraeru?
Did you hear? They want the delivery date three days earlier. Sorry, but could you hurry with the changes?
Nishida
わかりました。前回はクライアントの返事をずいぶん待たされたのに、今回は急がされるんですね。
Wakarimashita. Zenkai wa kuraianto no henji o zuibun matasareta noni, konkai wa isogasareru n desu ne.
All right. Last time they kept us waiting ages for an answer, and this time we're the ones being rushed.
Ishikawa
そうなんだよね。でも、西田さん一人に残業させるわけにはいかないから、僕も手伝うよ。
Sō na n da yo ne. Demo, Nishida-san hitori ni zangyō saseru wake ni wa ikanai kara, boku mo tetsudau yo.
I know. But I can't make you do all the overtime on your own, so I'll help too.
Understand
Keigo as a system: your side and their side
You know the three kinds of polite language from B1. (sonkeigo), honorific language, raises other people's actions: (ossharu), (irassharu). (kenjōgo), humble language, lowers your own: (mōsu), (mairu), (itasu). (teineigo) is the ordinary polite です／ます.
Who is on “your side” depends on who you're talking to. Inside the company, your boss gets honorifics. But with a client, everyone in your company is on the inside (, uchi) and the client is outside (, soto). So you drop (san) and use humble verbs even for your boss: (buchō no Tanaka wa gaishutsu shite orimasu), Tanaka, our manager, is out. That's why Ishikawa says (tantō no Nishida), and why Mr Kondo uses the humble (mōshite orimasu) for what his own boss said.
Your own company is (heisha); the other company is (onsha) when you speak and (kisha) in writing.
| Plain | Honorific (their actions) | Humble (your side) |
|---|---|---|
| (iu) | (ossharu) | (mōsu), (mōshiageru) |
| / (iku / kuru) | (irassharu) | (mairu), (ukagau) |
| (iru) | (irassharu) | (oru) |
| (suru) | (nasaru) | (itasu) |
| (miru) | (goran ni naru) | (haiken suru) |
| (taberu) | (meshiagaru) | (itadaku) |
| (matsu) | (omachi ni naru) | (omachi suru) |
させていただく, and being made to do things
～させていただく (-sasete itadaku) is the causative + (itadaku): literally “to receive permission to do”. It is very humble, and business Japanese uses it a lot: (honjitsu wa kyūgyō sasete itadakimasu), we are closed today. Many people feel it is overused, though, especially where nobody gave permission, or within your own team. Often an ordinary humble verb is enough: (shūsei itashimasu), or simply (naoshimasu), I'll fix it.
The causative-passive means being made to do something, usually against your will. Make the causative, then make it passive: (mataseru) → (mataserareru). U-verbs usually shorten this to ～される: (matasareru), to be kept waiting; (isogasareru), to be rushed. Verbs ending in す don't shorten: (hanasaserareru).
| Verb | Causative | Causative-passive |
|---|---|---|
| (matsu) | (mataseru) | (matasareru) |
| (nomu) | (nomaseru) | (nomasareru) |
| (hanasu) | (hanasaseru) | (hanasaserareru) |
| (taberu) | (tabesaseru) | (tabesaserareru) |
| (suru) | (saseru) | (saserareru) |
| (kuru) | (kosaseru) | (kosaserareru) |
- 毎日残業させられています。Mainichi zangyō saserarete imasu.I'm made to work overtime every day.
- 駅で三十分も待たされました。Eki de sanjuppun mo matasaremashita.I was kept waiting at the station for a whole thirty minutes.
Feedback, and “I can't possibly”
Feedback in Japanese is usually softened: ～かなと思う (ka na to omou), I think maybe …; ～てもいいかもしれない (-te mo ii kamo shirenai), you could perhaps …; and to ask for something, ～ていただけると助かります (-te itadakeru to tasukarimasu), it would really help me if you could …
～わけにはいかない (wake ni wa ikanai) after the dictionary form means you can't do something because it wouldn't be right, not because it's physically impossible: (hinshitsu o otosu wake ni wa ikanai), we can't let the quality drop. After a negative it means “have to”: (ikanai wake ni wa ikanai), I can't not go. To a client, make it humble: (wake ni wa mairimasen).
- 文字がちょっと小さいかなと思います。Moji ga chotto chiisai ka na to omoimasu.I think the text might be a little small.
- 明日までに送っていただけると助かります。Ashita made ni okutte itadakeru to tasukarimasu.It would really help me if you could send it by tomorrow.
More in the grammar: Keigo: honorific and humble language · The causative and causative-passive
New words
- 全体的にzentaiteki nioverall, on the whole · ぜんたいてきに
- 率直にsotchoku nifrankly, openly · そっちょくに
- 目立つmedatsuto stand out · めだつ; causative: (medataseru), to make … stand out
- 承知しましたshōchi shimashitaunderstood, certainly (humble) · しょうちしました; to a boss or a client; (kashikomarimashita) is even more formal
- 修正shūseicorrection, revision, changes · しゅうせい; (shūsei suru), to revise
- ～させていただく-sasete itadakuto (humbly) do, with your permission · very humble; don't overuse it
- 取引先torihikisakiclient, business partner · とりひきさき
- 納期nōkidelivery date, deadline · のうき
- 早めるhayameruto bring forward, to make earlier · はやめる
- 品質hinshitsuquality · ひんしつ
- ～わけにはいかないwake ni wa ikanaican't (because it wouldn't be right) · humble: (wake ni wa mairimasen)
- 弊社heishaour company (humble) · へいしゃ; the other company: (onsha); (buchō), department head
- 相談するsōdan suruto talk over, to consult · そうだんする; ～と相談する (to sōdan suru), to talk it over with …
- 待たされるmatasareruto be kept waiting · またされる; causative-passive of (matsu)
Practise
1.A client phones. Your manager, Mr Tanaka, is out of the office. What do you say?
2.Which form means “to be kept waiting”?
3.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.We can't let the quality drop.
4.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.What is the humble form of (miru), for looking at a client's documents?
6.You want to suggest, softly, that a colleague's text could be a little bigger. What do you say?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
率直に言っていただけると助かります。
Sotchoku ni itte itadakeru to tasukarimasu.
I'd be grateful if you told me frankly.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.