第966期:外企里开会常用的两句话 – for the record; off the record

今天要讲的这两句话在外企很常用,尤其在开会或正式谈话的场合,很正式,很business like.

  • for the record

If you say that what you are going to say next is for the record, you mean that you are saying it publicly and officially and you want it to be written down and remembered. (Collins Dictionary)

For the record 这句话不好翻译,上面这个英文解释也不是很全面。

先来看一个例句吧,然后我再讲我对这句话的理解:

For the record, it was she who approached me about such a deal, not the other way around.

需要说明一下,是她来找我谈这个deal的,不是我找的她。

For the record一般都是这样用作插入语的,要根据上下文和语气具体翻译。上面个例句中我把它翻译成了“需要说明一下”,也可以译作“别忘了”。意思是澄清一个事实,希望大家了解或明白一点事实。倒不一定非要听话人记录下来,只是希望大家记住for the record后面要说的内容。

再看个例句:

I’d like to say—for the record—that at no time have I ever accepted a bribe from anyone.

我只想说,希望大家记住,我从没收过任何人的贿赂。

外企开会时经常有歪果仁喜欢说 for the record,其实就是想引起大家的注意,仔细听他接下来要说的话。

  • off the record

这句话在影视剧和媒体上更常见,从字面也能猜出意思来,off the record,不要作为record.

简单地解释,off the record就是not for publication,非公开信息。

If something that you say is off the record, you do not intend it to be considered as official, or published with your name attached to it. (Collins Dictionary)

如果你接受记者采访,或者在正式场合谈话,你特别强调 all this is off the record,那么你说的这部分内容就只是内部私下谈话,记者不能公开,也不能在媒体上quote you as saying…

外企开会时也经常有人喜欢说 off the record,然后说一些不希望公开的话。这时候,off the record的意思类似“咱们关起门来私下里说啊”,“我随便一说啊,别外传”,有点像 just between us的意思,或者古汉语里的“姑妄言之,姑妄听之”的口气。

看个例句:

I will give you the information regarding what really happened, but strictly off the record.

我可以给你一些关于真相的信息,但不要外传。(只是咱们私下里说,不要公开。)

今天讲的这两句话也经常用在email中,希望你学会使用。