EC152_Guide.pdf

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 152

TOPICS

Topics: Ask an American: Tattoos; to cover up (something), talk versus say

versus speak, pronouncing certain consonants in the middle of words

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GLOSSARY

buzz – a low humming sound; a low humming noise like that made by an insect

* Do you think that buzz is the sound of a small airplane?

tattoo parlor – a business where people can go to get a tattoo, a permanent

marking with ink on the skin

* We looked at the designs in the books at the tattoo parlor to decide which tattoo

to get.

tough guys – men who are physically strong; men who are able to endure or

tolerate a lot of pain

* Len said that his friends were tough guys, but I don’t think so since they were

tired after only 10 minutes of moving boxes.

broken heart – feeling of being very sad because of losing something important;

feeling very sad as a result of ending a romantic relationship

* When Dirk’s wife died, he walked around with a broken heart.

to commemorate – to remember someone or something important; to show

respect for someone or something

* This celebration is to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the opening of

our store.

newborn – recently born, usually a child or an animal

* This newborn puppy is so cute! It’s so small, it can fit in the palm of my hand.

angst – a strong feeling of being afraid of something that may happen in the

future; a strong feeling of not wanting something to happen in the future

* Delilah was feeling so much angst before her big test that she was making

herself ill.

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English as a Second Language Podcast

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 152

to put (something) out there – to make a suggestion and invite other people to

give their opinion; to take an action that invites other people to react

* This may be a strange idea, but let me just put it out there. What do you think

about paining our house pink?

to hop in/into (somewhere) – to go to a place briefly on an unplanned visit

* Let’s hop into Jim’s Bar on our way to the concert for a drink.

intricate – very complicated; very detailed

* The pattern you want for the new garden is too intricate. I don’t think we can

find and plant all of the flowers you want to create that pattern.

to cover up – to try to prevent other people from finding out about a serious

mistake or crime; to conceal; to wear a loose piece of clothing over a swimsuit or

exercise outfit so others cannot see one’s body

* To cover up the records showing that Eva had stolen $1 million from her

company, she tried to destroy the computer system.

to speak – to talk; to discuss

* To avoid problems at the meeting, let’s agree that I will speak first and you will

speak after I’m finished.

to say – to speak, often used to report someone’s exact words; to give a

command

* What did your wife say when you told her that you wanted to buy a motorcycle?

to talk – to speak; to discuss

* It’s important that we talk about where we want to go on vacation next month so

we can start planning.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ENGLISH CAFÉ – 152

WHAT INSIDERS KNOW

Reality Tattoo TV Shows

Reality TV shows have become very popular in the United States. Many of the

shows follow a group of people to see how they “interact” (relate) with each

other. One “sub-genre” (smaller category) of reality TV shows is a kind of show

that focuses on a business and the people who work there.

Since getting tattoos have become more “mainstream” (normal; common), there

are reality shows about tattoo parlors. Miami Ink and L.A. Ink are shows about

tattoo parlors in those cities, and Inked is “set in” (located in) Las Vegas. Each

show has a slightly different focus. Miami Ink, for example, focuses each

episode on one “client” (customer), telling that client’s story. The show follows

that client as they select a design and talk about why they chose that design.

They may also talk about the experience of getting the tattoo and what happens

afterwards.

Other shows or individual episodes also focus on the owners and/or employees

of the tattoo parlor. Some shows like to focus on the conflict between

employees, “highlighting” (showing as important) the personalities of those

people.

The show not only follows the employees as they work, but also “delve” (go

deeply) into their private lives. They follow the people through personal

relationships with boyfriends and girlfriends, as they deal with financial problems,

and make decisions about their own lives and the lives of their families.

One recent controversy about reality shows is how “accurately” (truly) they show

what happens in real life. One “complaint” (statement about something being

wrong) is that the shows are actually “scripted” (the actors reading their words

from a written page), rather than being “spontaneous” (not prepared in advance).

Even though the controversy continues, these shows about tattoos parlors

continue to be popular with viewers.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 152

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 152.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast’s English Café episode 152. I’m

your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational

Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download a Learning Guide for this

episode, an 8 to 10 page guide we provide for all of our current episodes that will

help you improve your English even faster. While you’re there take a look at our

ESL Podcast Store, which has additional courses in business and personal

English, and our ESL Podcast Blog, where we provide even more help in

improving your English.

This Café is another one of our “Ask an American” episodes, where we listen to

native speakers talking at normal speed and try to explain what it is they that are

saying. It gives you a chance to hear other voices, other than mine. This Café is

going to focus on “tattoos,” marks that people make on their skin, why tattoos are

popular in the United States, and what are the reasons that people get tattoos.

As always, we’ll also answer a few of your questions. Let’s get started.

Getting tattooed, or getting tattoos – you can use either expression: to get

tattooed, or to get a tattoo. A “tattoo” is when they put ink on your skin, and it

stays there permanently. “Ink” is what you would normally find in a pen, but this

is a special kind of ink, usually with many different colors.

It used to be that tattoos were popular only among prisoners, gang members,

perhaps sailors (people in the armed services at sea), what you might call “tough

guys,” men who were considered tough, men who were considered very

masculine and perhaps a little dangerous. Now, however, tattoos have become

very popular. One out of every five Americans now has a tattoo; that’s 20

percent of the population, according to one recent survey.

Why are these tattoos becoming so popular; what are the reasons why people

get a tattoo on themselves? The reasons may not have changed over the years,

even though tattoos are now more popular. We’re going to start by listening to

one person who works at a tattoo shop, what we might call a “tattoo parlor”

(parlor), a place where you can get a tattoo. He’s going to describe some of the

typical reasons why people get a tattoo. We’ll listen, and then go back and

explain what he says.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 152

[start of recording]

It could be a broken heart; it could be a newborn kid. It could be just one of, you

know, let your mom know that – that you love her, you know, like the old

heart/mom thing. Sometimes it’s just to get out some of that teen angst on your

arm. You know, whatever imagery they get tattooed, whatever story they’re

telling through their tattoos is something that they want to commemorate, that

they want to honor, that they want to communicate with the rest of the world.

You know, it’s a – it’s a way of putting a message out there.

[end of recording]

Because this interview was done at a tattoo shop, you can actually hear the

sound of the machine that puts the tattoo onto your skin. We would call that

sound a “buzz” (buzz); it’s sort of a “zzzz” sound.

The gentleman here says that there are many reasons why people get tattoos.

He begins by saying, “It could be a broken heart,” meaning that your girlfriend left

you, or your boyfriend left you. When you have a romantic disappointment, we

say you have a “broken heart.” “It could be a broken heart; it could be a newborn

kid,” that is, if you have a child very recently, some people may celebrate that by

putting a tattoo of the child’s name, for example.

He says, “It could be just one of, you know, let your mom know that – that you

love her.” Of course, in American English you hear this expression, “you know,”

a lot when people are thinking of what to say next. So, another reason would be

to let your mother know that you love her, “like the old heart/mom thing,” he says.

A very traditional tattoo was to put a heart on your arm and your mother’s name

or just “Mom” in the heart to show that you loved your mother.

He continues that sometimes the reason is just to get that teen angst out on your

arm. “Teen” means teenager; “angst” (angst) here means a sort of anger, when

you are mad at the world, when you are mad at everything. Something that

many teenagers go through. He says that getting a tattoo is a way to get that

teenage angst out. To “get something out,” here, means to get rid of it, and you

get it out – you get rid of it on your arm; you put that angst – that anger on your

arm. It’s sort of a type of almost therapy, you might say.

He says, “whatever imagery (whatever picture people get), whatever story they

are trying to tell through their tattoo is something they want to commemorate.”

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

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