This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 158.
How can you stay up-to-date in business English?
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Hey there, Aubrey, what's going on today?
Oh, I was reading the news this morning.
Do you stay up to date on the latest news, Lindsay?
I try to, I read the New York times on my phone a lot.
So I think I'm pretty up to date, probably more than the average person.
Why do you ask? Are you going to quiz me?
Well, because we're learning the phrase up to date today.
No, I'm not going to quiz you. Can you imagine?
I'm like, okay. Actually, I took a class in college.
I think it was an economics class. And at the beginning of the class, the professor would ask a quiz question and it was anything about recent news.
So we had to get like a few papers. I know we for sure had New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
And we had to really study them because in order to get this quiz question right, it was the craziest thing.
What class was it? Was it related to economics class? class.
Okay. Economics. Okay. So I could see just was really into being up to date on the latest news.
I had forgotten about this until just now.
It was kind of traumatizing though. I felt like I spent so much time reading news that I didn't care about because I wasn't really interested in all the financial news, but I did learn a lot. i guess it makes sense for an economics professor i would want my economics professor to be tuned in to current events right but yeah i could see how that would be traumatizing i had a traumatizing biocognition class in college i was terrified of the professor it was so hard oh my gosh we all had our traumatizing university classes true right just a class that was so difficult or so time consuming that was just oh my gosh everyone's like can't you go out now i have to read the newspaper cover to cover cover to cover Well, this is coming up because we had a really good question from a student, Herval Neto from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
So shout out. He left this question in Spotify.
And let's go ahead and read the question.
It's about some really interesting phrases in English.
Yeah, here's the question. Thanks for the awesome job.
You've really changed my process of learning English.
That's amazing to hear that. I love that feedback.
Oh, it's so good. We love this feedback.
So I have a question. Is there any difference in using I'm updated versus I am up to date?
And then this is again from Erval Nato from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Oh, I'm so excited for this question. It's a good one.
Yes, right? I know that I think this is really native, natural phrases, but I'm excited to be able to kind of share why these are different and why one of these we don't use at all.
But first, I want to make sure that you guys hit follow here on the Business English Podcast, especially if you just kind of check every now and then, you're probably missing so many episodes.
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So I love that Erval asked this question because I feel like the phrases sound very similar, very easy to get confused between. you think yes and it does matter these are different and i am updated we really don't say right right instead we use the present perfect tense for this and we would say i have been updated which means someone has provided you with information it would feel strange to me if someone came up and says like know i'm updated on the like i would always hear i've been updated right right so that means again just to make sure our listeners got it someone has given us this information we've received it right i've been updated so it's more in the passive voice Exactly.
And this is fascinating. There are some really interesting things about English where really if you break down these phrases, it means the same thing to say I am updated or I've been updated.
But sometimes this happens where one of them is just so much more native and natural.
That's just what you'll hear. It's just what we use.
Would you agree, Lindsay, that you hear I've been updated way more often?
Yes. I like that someone else has updated me.
Did I hear that more often or up to date more often?
Oh, so up to date we'll talk about next.
But what Harval first asked about was I am updated.
And when I looked at that, I was like, no one says I am updated, right?
You don't say, okay, I'm updated. Would either, like you said, would say I'm up to date or would say I've been updated.
I totally agree that I would hear I have been updated way more than I am updated.
Don't say that. So that's the first answer, right?
Yeah. Yeah. So if someone asks you, are you up to date on the latest news?
We wouldn't respond, you know, I've been updated.
It's like you said, Lindsay, this is a very specific context where someone has caught you up on something specific.
So let's share a couple of example sentences here for when we'd say I've been updated.
Yeah. So here's a sample and then we could talk about context.
I've been updated on the change to the meeting agenda.
So we can go ahead and start. All right.
That's one. Yeah. So you can see how someone, there's been a change, right?
The meeting agenda that you were sent, there's been a change.
So someone updated you by saying like, oh, we've removed item number two, just FYI.
And then someone says like, all right, has everybody been updated?
You could say, yep, I've been updated on the change to the agenda.
So I'm all set. right I love it and then have you been updated about the deadline I could see this the context for this being I'm imagining like the President United States right if there's some kind of a natural disaster he's being updated or he you know he will be updated Exactly.
Right. It sort of means like everyone else is on the same page.
Everyone else has the information. Someone needs updated.
I mean, they don't have that information yet.
So once you share that with them, now they're updated.
Right. Like you say something that's out of date information and you could say, oh, you haven't been updated yet.
Let me let me let you know what's going on.
Right. Right. Really interesting. So the information, I think the key point is the information with I've been updated or to be updated is coming to you.
Like you're not doing anything to go get it.
Would you agree? Exactly. Absolutely. Right.
You can't research something online and then go to say to somebody, I've been updated on the news in this place.
No. Right. That's not what that means. It means someone else shared information with you to update you. totally so that's the key line i think we want to draw here now should we go into the other one that he mentioned yes exactly the second phrase harval mentioned up to date there are two ways we say that and they have the exact same meaning but this nice to know both of them just to switch things up so you don't have to only use one oh for sure don't always use one of anything right don't be repetitive in your english Right, paraphrase, use different ways of saying things.
Please do. And for you guys, for our listeners, you're at the right level to do this.
That's why you listen to All Ears English for different ways to say things and connect.
So number one here, so up to date, right again, being aware of the current situation, being aware of information, what are some samples?
Yeah, so you might say, before we begin, is everyone up to date on the plan?
And you can see how this has the same meaning as saying before we begin, is everyone updated on the plan?
So you have options here, right? You can say, is everyone updated or is everyone up to date?
Yes, that's true. Or is he up to date on the rule changes?
So it's kind of just more about the first one to be updated is, again, passive.
And someone else has done that for you to you.
They've given you the information versus up to date.
We actually don't know. whether I went out and got the information or whether someone gave it to me.
Right, Aubrey? Exactly. It just means aware of the current situation or aware of information.
You're exactly right, Lindsay, that it has nothing to do with how you became aware of that information.
You might have researched online. You might have asked a colleague.
Someone might have brought it to you. This is just saying, I'm aware.
I'm up to date. Exactly. So I could ask you, Aubrey, are you up to date on the latest English slang?
Yes, I'd be like, yes, because I have teenagers and they use it constantly.
And maybe you've been updated recently by your kids on the latest English slang because they're teenagers.
Exactly. They like to update me on which ones I should not be using because I'm too old.
I know I've mentioned that. teenagers do this a lot they have slang that are like only young people can use this i think at that age the eye roll comes in right come on mom i just have to own it that's like i'll just use them to be funny jessica and i were talking about this on the ielts energy podcast sometimes we'll intentionally use slang that's really just for young kids just to annoy our kids Right.
I'm sure they don't want you to use old slang, but they also don't want you to use the slang they're using.
So you're kind of stuck, right? That wouldn't be cool either.
Then it wouldn't be cool anymore. It's like, no matter what, you just can't be cool as a parent.
They just don't allow it. That's so funny.
All right. Well, let's give our listeners another way to say the same thing that I actually like better personally.
I think this one has more character. Okay.
This one is up to speed. It means the same thing to say you're up to speed, but that's interesting, Lindsay.
I hadn't thought about that one might just be a little more fun or have more character.
It does. It is a little more modern sounding.
Yeah, as we say in All Ears English, it's a little more zippy, right?
Our listeners who listen to probably just because the word speed is there, right?
Just because it's cool. It's fun. It's like it feels I don't know, it's just more interesting to me.
I don't know why, right? I get Oh, any samples for this one?
Yeah, you might say, is everyone here up to speed on where we're at with this project?
And that is a little more zippy. I'm with you.
Zippy, right? Or for example, I'm up to speed about what happened last weekend.
And now we can open a conversation about what happened, right?
So this could open a conversation and you could let people know you're aware.
It could fall into different parts of the conversation, right, Aubrey?
Yeah, for sure. And I like both of these more than saying I've been updated, right?
I'm up to speed about what happened. It's so, so much zippier than I've been updated about what happened.
It's much more formal. It's very professional.
You could absolutely use it in a meeting or a conference.
Yes. But if you're chatting with Brent coworkers at the water cooler, opt for one of these instead.
Oh my gosh, that's such a good point. Because when you say, there's something institutional to me about I've been updated.
There's something systematic. That's why I pointed to like the president has a huge staff.
He's being updated daily, the briefings, maybe an executive.
It's really... someone comes to you and so there has to be a structure in place that you are just there and people are helping you and in a way it has a bit more of that institutional feeling so if you go to the water cooler and you say i've been updated on this they might say oh well you're so important and special even though you're just at my level right right and if you look back at the examples we used you can really see that right it was much more natural for me to say the examples like i've been updated on the change to the agenda the president has been updated on this change whereas these others right i'm up to date on the plan for happy hour later yeah i'm up to speed on what we did last weekend that is so interesting that's you know that's what we like to get into on this show is that tiny nuance can actually really affect your relationships at work because if you say i've been updated know people will give you the benefit of the doubt but ultimately it is setting a vibe and a tone that people are coming to you with the updates and maybe not exactly the vibe you want to give right it's just a little too formal we talk about this a lot in our business english course about we're just not that formal yeah in business english A lot of the time, right?
And there are, this is the type of vocabulary that really creates that line that, you know, this one to say I've been updated is so much more formal.
And like you said, systemic and these others are informal.
These are what you want to use with coworkers.
Exactly. Informal, semi-formal and formal English.
That's what we talk about in all of our business English curriculum, all of our courses, this podcast.
So good. Yeah, absolutely. Yes. Excludes clearance.
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Exclusions apply. See details online. okay aubrey so should we do a role play yeah let's do it okay so in this role play you and i are discussing an upcoming conference that we are both planning to attend i'll start us out here we go have you been updated about the venue change no i hadn't heard anything i guess there was flooding at the conference center so they had to change the location Oh, wow.
I'm glad you told me. If you hadn't brought me up to speed, I'd have shown up at the wrong place.
Yeah. We're also supposed to keep HR up to date with our travel plans.
They've arranged a hotel discount we can take advantage of.
I just want to call out one thing that's really interesting for our listeners at their level.
I love how we use the past perfect. I hadn't heard anything instead of I haven't heard anything.
Interesting. That's true. And that's often with these role plays.
I just write it the way I would say. But it feels natural.
It feels super natural to me. I mean, we could go in.
Maybe we should go into this another day on business English.
Like, why? Why did I say you could say I haven't heard anything? yeah both would work it's interesting how we choose one or the other and i feel like we go back and forth sometimes right right totally interesting we'll get into that another day guys make sure you hit follow now on business english if you like the idea of looking at grammar in the business context for relationship building yeah but let's get back to the point here for this role play All right.
So I first said, have you been updated about the venue change?
And I love what we were saying because now that I'm thinking about this role play, you and I are coworkers that clearly know each other well.
I used this phrase here just in order to use all the ones we're teaching in this role play, but it would be much more natural to me.
I definitely would opt for instead, are you up to speed on the venue change or not? know are you up to date on the venue change because if you and i know each other well it would feel too formal for me to say have you been updated about the venue change yeah i agree i don't think it's as bad as you yourself saying i've been updated about this right different because it's more like yeah has anyone shared with you this information so it works but it is still quite formal yeah there's an important line and this is the time to learn that to understand those lines going beyond just the words yeah yeah for sure what else did we do here aubry and you said if you hadn't brought me up to speed i'd have shown up at the wrong place and again we've got these interesting tenses here you can't just use present tense all the time right it's right yeah that's a good point that business grammar is it can be tricky yeah i love it and then the last one you said we're also supposed to keep hr up to date with our travel plans so to keep someone up to date we didn't talk quite as much about keep someone up to date but also a really nice chunk that our listeners can use absolutely right just to share with them the current information this is often used for something that changes often so it's like okay i got to keep you up to date on this because it might be different today than it was yesterday yeah oh i feel like we uncovered some important stuff here around english at work and very subtle differences aubrey what's the takeaway today yeah right something as simple as saying i'm up to date instead of i'm updated can make a difference when it comes to sounding really native and natural and knowing which one's a little more formal what's more informal it really can make a difference when you're connecting with co-workers right and also understanding different uses of expressions can put you can imply that you're at different levels so it's not a bad thing right sometimes we are like organizations do have hierarchies that's normal but just to be aware of how your word choice is distinguishing that is really key i think absolutely yes oh i feel like this is such good information i love when we're able to really share details that you could never find in a textbook or like older business english courses this is the way we really talk today in the business world super interesting guys if you love our style hit follow right here on all earth english and then go and check out our other podcast all ears english it's also another fantastic way to get into everyday english we cover Lots of things.
We have guests on that show. We do it all.
Yes. I love all the guests. We've had quite a few guests lately.
So if you're not following that podcast, you're missing a lot.
It's really cool. We're ramping up our guests.
I interviewed someone from a journalist from The Economist recently, someone from Stanford School of Business, Harvard School of Business, a really cool stuff.
Interesting people coming on the show. Good stuff.
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All right, Aubrey, I'll talk to you very soon.
Have a good one. Awesome. See you next time.
Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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