鈴木：素晴らしい演説でしたね。私たちの会社も社長がいるかぎり大丈夫ですね。
加藤：いや、そんなに簡単に彼の話を信用しない方がいいですよ。彼は二枚舌を使うということですから。
Nimai-jita
(Shacho no enzetsu wo kiite)
Suzuki: Subarashii enzetsu deshita ne. Watashi-tachi no kaisha mo shacho ga iru kagiri daijobu desu ne.
Kato: lya, sonna ni kantan ni kare no hanashi wo shtnyo shinat ho ga ii desu yo. Kare wa nimai-jita wo tsukau to iu koto desu kara.
(After listening to the company president's speech)
Suzuki: That was a wonderful speech, wasn't it? As long as we have someone like him as president our company will be all right.
Kato: Hold on. I don't think it's such a smart idea to trust what he says so easily. It's like the saying goes - he's speaking with a forked tongue.
* * *
Nimai-jita means to have two tongues. It's a euphemistic way of saying to tell a lie, to say things which contradict each other, to be two-faced, double- dealing.
It is said that silence is golden. In Japan, the ability to be silent has traditionally been valued more than eloquence. Of late, however, this is changing. One sees magazine ads for schools that promise to help people give captivating speeches and for classes in how to speak more effectively in front of others.
It's quite common for company employees in Japan to gather at least once a year to hear a speech given by their president. The speech is usually delivered with lots of vim and verve and serves to boost company morale. Recently, the president of Company A gave such a speech. He talked about the company's plans for 1992. The speech was visionary and gave hope to the employees. Mr. Kato, however, knows the truth about the company's health. He's skeptical.
"Shacho wa nimai-jita wo tsukatte iru (The boss is lying)." Mr. Kato knows that in 1990 the company went overseas and bought a lot of expensive paintings that it couldn't sell off in 1991 and that the company's stock holdings have been decreasing in value.
A surprised Suzuki asks about the president he'd esteemed: "Shacho ga nimai-jita wo tsukatte iru to iu no desu ka. (Are you telling me the president is double-dealing us? ) That what he said in the speech today about the company being in good shape was all a lie?" Let me put in a good word on behalf of this presi- dent. Shacho wa nimai-jita nado tsukaitaku nakatta (The president hadn't wanted to lie). He'd wanted to tell the employees the truth about the company's condition and he'd wanted to encourage them to do their best for the company's sake. The board of directors, however, felt that if the president told the truth to the employees they would lose their desire to work.
The president: "Nimai-jita to iu no wa, hito wo damasu tame ni tsukau mono (People are two-faced when they are trying to trick someone else). I didn't trick the employees. I gave them hope. " It would be unfortunate if people became suspicious of the president after hearing someone say in Connection with the speech, "Shacho wa itsumo nimai-jita wo tsukau kara shinyo shinai ho ga ii. (The president always tells lies. He can't be trusted.)" People will begin to question his character. This president, you see, is a friend of mine and this has been a true story.