陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作。他有个问题要请教美国同事Amy。
(Office ambience)
C：Hi Amy. 你有一点儿时间吗？我有个问题想问你。
A：Sure, I need a little break.
C：我听说最近从美国西岸调过来的几个同事在要求什么”business casual”, 什么是”business casual” 啊？
A：Business casual is the term given to dressing down at work.
C：Dressing down?
A：Yes. If you usually wear a suit and tie to work, dressing down means wearing a sport jacket and tie. If you normally wear a sport jacket and tie, to dress down, you leave off either the jacket or the tie.
C：我们不是周一到周五都应该穿西装打领带。为什么又要休闲呢？
A：It’s an American phenomenon that started on the west coast of the US years ago. Some people believe that they are more productive when they are dressed in comfortable relaxed clothing.
C：那你觉得穿着舒适休闲会提高工作效率吗？
A：Personally I do not feel as confident or professional when I dress down. I believe that I lose some of my credibility.
C：我们的新老板会不会考虑放松我们的着装要求呢？
A：Well, I have heard a rumor that he might, but only once a week – on Friday.
C：哦，怪不得我听大家都在说casual Friday, 休闲星期五呢！
******
MC：第二天，陈豪在饭厅里遇到了Amy.
A：Hi Chen Hao. Did you hear the news about Casual Friday? The boss has agreed to try it for three months to see how it works.
C：这么说以后星期五我们愿意穿什么就穿什么喽？
A：Not at all. True business casual means dressing down just one notch from business professional. You don’t have to wear a suit and tie, but it doesn’t mean that your old jeans and a T-shirt are acceptable.
C：怎么还那么多讲究啊？
A：Yes, this is business casual. Think of it as a merger of professional and casual clothing. Professional clothing is tailored, consists of suits and ties, dark to medium colors and fine fabrics.
C：职业性装束要求穿西装、打领带。那休闲服装呢？
A：Casual clothing is loose, relaxed, and made of softer fabrics and includes things like jeans, shorts, T-shirts and tennis shoes.
C：Business casual就是介于二者之间喽？换句话说，我不用穿西装，但是也不能穿T-恤衫和球鞋上班了。
A：That’s right. We need to combine the business credible look with the comfortable creative look.
C：看来我要出去买衣服了！