Hi everyone! This is Jennifer Yoo with ENGLISH WITH YOO! 안녕하세요 English with Yoo!의 Jennifer Yoo입니다.
오늘의 표현은 800-pound gorilla 입니다.
Today, we are going to learn a fun expression. Before we find out what it means, let’s listen to today’s conversation. 그럼 오늘의 대화를 들어보면서 ‘800-pound gorilla’가 무슨 뜻인지 알아보겠습니다. 잘 들어보세요. Listen carefully.
800-pound gorilla
Jen: So I know you’ve been pushing the envelope on your company sales. How has that been coming along?
Jason: It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies.
Jen: Oh, that’s a challenge!
본문에서 제가 Jason에게 “So I know you’ve been pushing the envelope on your company sales. How has that been coming along? 회사 판매 실적의 한계를 넘어보려고 노력했잖아…어떻게 되가니?”라고 묻자 Jason은 “It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies. 업계 최대 회사들과의 경쟁이라서 쉽지 않아”라고 합니다. 그래서 저도 “Oh, that’s a challenge! 정말 어려운 도전이구나” 라고 말했습니다.
Now keep today’s expression ‘800-pound gorilla’ in mind and let’s hear the conversation again. 그럼 다시 한번 대화를 들어볼까요?
800-pound gorilla
Jen: So I know you’ve been pushing the envelope on your company sales. How has that been coming along?
Jason: It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies.
Jen: Oh, that’s a challenge!
Today’s expression is 800-pound gorilla. If you think about a gorilla, you know that they are generally heavy animals. The average adult male gorilla actually weights between 150 to 250 pounds. But if you imagine an 800-pound gorilla, you know it’s going be very big and strong! I’m sure I won’t be able to mess with that big of a gorilla!
So this American English expression ‘800-pound gorilla’ refers to a person, group, or organization that is so powerful and established that it dominates its environment. It can act without regard to rules or rights of others.
고릴라는 덩치가 크고 힘도 아주 센 동물이죠. 보통 무게가 150에서 250 파운드, 킬로그램으로는 70에서 110 킬로그램 정도 나가는데요. 오늘 표현에 나오는 800파운드의 고릴라는 굉장히 크고 힘도 어마어마하겠죠? ‘800-pound gorilla’라는 표현은 비즈니스 영어에서 주로 쓰이는데요, 업계에서 가장 규모가 크거나 막강한 회사를 의미합니다. 위험하거나 두려운 존재를 뜻하기도 하고요.
In today’s conversation Jason tells me that his company is competing against 800-pound gorillas. This means that he is competing against large and established companies. 오늘 본문에서 Jason은 자기의 회사 판매 실적을 높이고 싶지만, 큰 회사들 때문에 쉽지 않다고 합니다. 영어로 “It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies.”라고요. 이렇게 가장 크고 강력한 사람이나 회사 등을 가리킬 때 쓸 수 있는 표현이 바로 ‘800-pound gorilla’입니다.
그럼 예문을 통해 오늘의 표현을 더 배워보겠습니다. “Don’t mess with Jack; he’s like an 800-pound gorilla!”라는 문장을 해석하면 “Jack한테 함부로 굴지 마. 그는 아주 강력해! ” 라는 뜻입니다. Here is another example sentence. “These companies act like 800-pound gorillas. They make up their own rules and they do whatever they want.”는 “이 회사들은 가장 규모가 크고 막강한 것처럼 행동해. 마음대로 자기들만의 규칙을 만들거든.”로 해석할 수 있습니다. ‘800-pound gorilla’, 이 표현 잘 기억하시고요. 오늘의 대화를 마지막으로 들어보겠습니다. Now that you know what today’s expression means, let’s listen to the conversation for the last time.
800-pound gorilla
Jen: So I know you’ve been pushing the envelope on your company sales. How has that been coming along?
Jason: It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies.
Jen: Oh, that’s a challenge!
Let’s review what we have learned today. ‘800-pound gorilla’ refers to a person, group, or organization that is so powerful and established that it dominates its environment. It can act without regard to rules or rights of others. 800-POUND GORILLA. Now try using this expression on your own. 지금까지 ENGLISH WITH YOO에 Jennifer Yoo입니다. Until next time, bye bye!
