Sample newspaper article

仕事络みの忘年会はせいぜい1回までとし、2时间以内で切り上げたい—。シチズン时计(东京)が10月に実施した意识调査で、多くの社会人が付き合いの宴会にドライな感覚を持っている実态が浮かび上がった。

調査はネットを通じ、20代以上の働く男女400人を対象に実施。ビジネス関連の忘年会で「適当」と考える回数は、1回が52.0％、0回が36.3％で、1回以下が9割近くを占めた。忘年会で帰りを気にする時刻を聞くと、ビジネスでは終電を過ぎる翌日午前の時間帯を答えた人は少数。シチズン時計の担当者は「『午前さま』という言葉はもはや死語かもしれない」との見方を示した。 (KYODO)

Words and phrases

仕事 (しごと) work

~絡(がら)み related to~

忘年会 (ぼうねんかい) year-end party

せいぜい at the most

1回 (いっかい) once

せいぜい1回(いっかい)まで once at the most

2時間 (にじかん) two hours

~以内 (~いない) within~

切(き)り上(あ)げる to wrap up

~たい want to~

切り上げたい prefer to wrap up

シチズン時計(とけい) Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.

東京 (とうきょう) Tokyo

10月 (じゅうがつ) October

実施(じっし)する to conduct, to execute

意識調査 (いしきちょうさ) attitude survey, opinion poll

多(おお)くの many

社会人 (しゃかいじん) adult

付(つ)き合(あ)い social, obligatory

宴会 (えんかい) drinking party

ドライな dry, cool

感覚 (かんかく) attitude

持(も)つ to have

実態 (じったい) the actual situation, reality

浮(う)かび上(あ)がる to emerge

ネット internet

~を通(つう)じ through~, via~

20代以上 (にじゅうだいいじょう) in their 20s and over

働(はたら)く to work

男女 (だんじょ) men and women

400人 (よんひゃくにん) 400 people

~を対象 (~たいしょう) targeting~

ビジネス business

~関連 (~かんれん) ~-related

適当 (てきとう) appropriate

考(かんが)える to consider

回数 (かいすう) number of times

~以下 (~いか) ~or less

9割 (きゅうわり) 90 percent

~近(ちか)く close to~

占(し)める account for

帰(かえ)り going back home

気(き)にする to worry about

時刻 (じこく) time

聞(き)く to ask

終電 (しゅうでん) the last train

~を過(す)ぎる past~

翌日 (よくじつ) next day

午前 (ごぜん) morning

時間帯 (じかんたい) time frame

答(こた)える to answer

人 (ひと) person

少数 (しょうすう) few

担当者 (たんとうしゃ) representative

午前(ごぜん)さま a person who comes home after midnight (slang and a pun on the homonym 御前様, a person of high rank)

言葉 (ことば) word

もはや already

死語 (しご) dead word

かもしれない could be

見方 (みかた) point of view

示(しめ)す to indicate

Quick questions

1) 調査によると、社会人の多くは付き合いの宴会にどんな感覚を持っていますか？

2) ビジネス関連の忘年会は1回以下が適当とみなした人はどのぐらいいましたか？

3) 調査の結果、死語とみなされたのはどんな日本語ですか？

Translation

At the most, have one work-related, year-end party and wrap it up within two hours. In an opinion poll conducted by Citizen Watch Co. (Tokyo) in October, it emerged that in reality many company employees hold a “dry” or unfeeling attitude toward socially obligatory drinking parties.

The survey was conducted on the internet and targeted 400 working men and women in their 20s and over. On the number of times a business-related party was “appropriate,” 52 percent of the respondents answered “one time,” 36.3 percent said “zero times,” which means close to 90 percent answered “one time or less.” When asked about the time they mind going home after those parties, very few people answered the time frame of “the morning after having missed last train.” A representative from Citizen Watch indicated a viewpoint that the word ”驳辞锄别苍-蝉补尘补” (a person who comes home past midnight) may already be extinct.”

Answers

1) According to the survey, what kind of attitude do many adults have toward obligatory round of drinks?

ドライな感覚。

A “dry” (unfeeling) attitude.

2) How many people considered “one time or less” as the appropriate amount of business-related year-end parties?

9割近く。

Close to 90 percent.

3) Based on the results of the survey, what Japanese word may already be extinct?

午前さま。

”Gozen-sama,” a person who comes home past midnight.