Explore every episode of the podcast Talking on the Job

It’s almost opening day! Vanessa and Angela make plans for the grand opening party.

Angela and Vanessa are organizing the grand opening party. But they’re having a hard time remembering words they want to use and keep getting interrupted and distracted during their meeting. Luckily Conor, your host and English language mentor, shows up with some handy expressions they, and you, can use to buy some time.

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/40tbNdS

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

There are many more ways Babbel can help you and your team develop Business English skills! Learn more about Babbel for Business here: https://hubs.ly/Q028srlg0

Mira and Angela are planning Café Damascus's grand opening. Will they be prepared?

A lot could go wrong on the day of the grand opening of Mira's new café. So she's on the phone with Angela, the event planner, discussing how to plan ahead for terrible weather or unexpected guests.

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/46XVAQo

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

Mira and Vanessa face some challenges understanding the instructions for a new piece of equipment.

Vanessa’s first task at the café is to set up the new espresso machine. But the manual is in Italian, which she doesn’t speak! Martin, the technician, sent an email with instructions, but his English is full of idioms and colloquial expressions. They’ll have to work together to figure it out, and get the new machine up and running.

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/48dONmS

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

Mira has to hire someone to help her in the café. She interviews an excellent candidate.

The time has come for Mira to hire a new employee for her café. She’s found someone with the right skills and experience, but she encounters an unexpected obstacle. So she’ll have to find out whether or not this potential candidate is suitable for the job.

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/3OIK1G7

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

Mira heads to the café to make sure the construction is on track.

After meeting with her accountant, Mira has to convince Giovanni, the contractor, to speed up construction, and finish on time for opening in June. She’ll have to use her argument skills to make her point.

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/44Fgwdv

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

Mira and her accountant discuss the pros and cons of their plan for opening the café.

There’s been a construction delay, so Mira meets with Muza, the accountant, to weigh her options for adjusting the timeline and the budget. They’ll use many different ways to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of different options and ideas.

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/3XHgbos

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

Mira and the contractor have to work out a problem using negotiation skills!

There are some problems with the wiring at the café building site, and the contractor wants to delay construction. On top of that, the mosaics will have to be reinstalled! Mira and Giovanni must work together to find a solution that takes the construction timeline, the budget, and everyone’s safety into consideration.

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/3XGhe89

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

Mira has a meeting at the café building site. How will she deal with all the noise?

It’s a cold, wet day and Mira is meeting with Liana, her coffee supplier, at the café. But with so much construction noise going on, they are having a tough time understanding each other. Conor, our English language mentor, is back to point out some of the techniques they use to communicate in a noisy environment and avoid misunderstandings. Listen and find out what they are!

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/3XM8rBm

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

Find out how Mira starts building her business by giving clear instructions!

Mira is meeting with a contractor to let him know how she wants her new café to look, and what she needs him to do. But they are encountering some communication problems. Luckily Conor, our English language mentor, shows up just in time with some tips for giving instructions! Discover what they are, and how Mira uses them to make herself heard.

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/44BaquD

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

It’s the grand opening of Mira’s café! Find out why she decided to start her own business, and how she made it all happen.

Mira has the opportunity to get some publicity for her new business by speaking to a journalist, who is eager to hear all about it. But will the journalist really understand everything Mira has to say well enough to write a great article? Luckily Conor is here to help Mira tell her story; and to point out some of the strategies the journalist uses to listen and ask effective questions.

If you want to read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/44eMbTe

We’d love to know what you think of the series. Take our short survey here: https://bit.ly/3OuNCHP

Follow Mira as she tries to open her own café! Conor, our host and English language mentor, will be there too, pointing out handy tips and helpful phrases for using English in the workplace.

In every episode, Mira will encounter tricky situations while trying to start her business. She’ll have to work with many different kinds of people to get the job done. Find out how she uses her English skills to solve problems along the way!

You can check out new episodes every two weeks.

Rahim has trouble understanding an excited Mason at the company BBQ.
Mason is using lots of idiomatic and colloquial language. Let’s see if they can find a way to understand each other before their big karaoke performance! Listen to find out and read along with the transcript here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e10

Key vocabulary:
to be lit - exciting and fun
to burn the midnight oil - working late into the night
to pick someone’s brain - getting helpful information from someone
to pencil in - making an unconfirmed appointment
to talk shop - talking about work/your job
to blow off steam - releasing tension/destressing
to tear it up - performing with energy and passion

Rahim wants to help Mason with his task, but he has some conditions.
Let’s see what advice Conor has for working out a fair deal with a colleague.
If you wanna read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e9

Key vocabulary:
make a deal - agree on terms of an agreement
to lay out conditions - to list conditions
schedule - timetable
unreasonable - undoable
deadline - finish date
error - mistake

Rahim feels his company can do more to protect the environment.
During a coffee break he meets senior manager, Julie. This is his chance to talk about making some changes.
Will Julie agree with Rahim? Listen to find out and read along with the transcript here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e8

Key vocabulary:
compostable - can break down into non-toxic, natural elements
sustainability - balancing the planet, people, and profit
convenient - easy to use
company mission - why a company exists
values - what a company believes
superior - boss
alternative suggestion - another idea

Mason emailed some confidential information to the wrong people.
He didn’t read the instructions carefully and now Sabine needs to show him how to do better next time. If you wanna read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e7

Key vocabulary:
etiquette - rules & behaviour
to cc - to send a copy of an email
sensitive information - data that should be protected
secret - confidential
empathy - understand and share someone’s feelings
ethical wall - a virtual barrier that protects information

It’s Mason’s first day and Rahim is responsible for his onboarding.
But Mason seems to know a lot already. Can Rahim teach him something new without it being too boring for Mason? If you wanna read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e6

Key vocabulary:
onboarding - introductory training for new employees
workflow - a detailed plan of a process
report generation - creating reports
to do your homework - to research something
desired outcome - goal
to come aboard - to join

Mason realises that he is interviewing for a completely different job!
Can Sabine think on her feet and lead a successful interview? Also, if you wanna read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e5

Key vocabulary:
To be good with numbers - skilled in mathematics
R&D department - research and development department
Mix-up - a misunderstanding
to think on your feet - react spontaneously
Situational questions - questions about hypothetical situations
Behavioural questions - questions about past behaviour

Sabine leads her first online job interview but it doesn’t start off well!
The trainee candidate, Mason, is really nervous. Can Sabine put him at ease and lead a successful interview? Also, if you wanna read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e4

Key vocabulary:

on mute - your computer microphone is turned off
to put sb. at ease - to help someone feel relaxed
to be nervous - feeling unsure or worried
remote interview - online or virtual interview
traineeship - a trainee position

Rahim needs to complain about a poor hotel conference experience.
The finger food was stale and the equipment was faulty. Can Rahim negotiate some compensation for his company? Also, if you wanna read along, you can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e3

Learn more in the Babbel lesson - “Business English: Competencies - Course 8: Negotiation”.

You can follow this link to the book mentioned in the podcast - “Getting to Yes!” by Roger Fisher and William Ury: https://bit.ly/book-getting-to-yes

Key vocabulary:
dongle - a portable internet modem
canapés - bite-sized snacks
discount - a deduction from the usual cost
faulty - having faults or defects

Rahim is challenged with international colleagues not showing up for meetings.
Rahim needs Conor’s help to present some suggestions on how to work asynchronously in a glocal company without sacrificing cross-team collaboration. And don’t just listen, read along! You can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e2

Key vocabulary:

glocal - having both local and global considerations
asynchronous - not happening at the same time
remote work/working remotely - work outside of a traditional office environment
cross-team collaboration - employees from different teams work towards the same goal

Additional links:
TED talk on remote work: https://bit.ly/3l8MKbS
TED talk on being connected, but alone: https://bit.ly/3nsRtZ1

Rahim is giving a presentation on 3D printing, when suddenly his mind goes blank.
Can Rahim make use of Conor’s advice to get unstuck? Let’s find out! And don’t just listen, read along! You can find the transcript for this episode here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e1

Key vocabulary:

outsource - to pay another company to do the work for you
prototype - the first example of something
paraphrase - to repeat something using different words

Follow and learn from Rahim and Sabine’s challenges using business English at work.
Our business English mentor, Conor, is ready to provide tips and tricks on how to overcome some tricky workplace challenges! And don’t just listen, read along! You can find the transcript for this podcast here: https://bit.ly/talking-on-the-job-s1e0