A few months ago, I joined a local government committee meeting as an outside expert.The meeting made me think about something I had never thought of before: the words we use every day can have a different meaning to other people. ※1
At committee meetings, experts, business owners, and local residents come together to share ideas for improving local government. Government staff sit in and listen to the discussion, then later draft a report based on it. Since committee members receive only a small payment, the work is practically voluntary.
At this meeting, the draft report used words like “target generation” and “strategy.” These words come up all the time in business and planning. I read through them without stopping. To me, they sounded completely normal. You choose a target group, and you build a strategy to reach them.
※2
Then one of the resident members spoke up. She said these words made her feel uncomfortable. She pointed out that “target” and “strategy” both come from military language — words used to talk about war. For a report meant to help the community, she felt these words felt out of place.
※3，4
At first, this surprised me. I use these words all the time, and I never stop to think about where they come from. But her comment stuck with me. It showed me something important: words that sound totally normal in one setting can feel very different to someone from outside that world. What sounds like simple business talk to people like me can still carry different meanings for others.
※5
It was just a small moment in a long meeting. But it stayed with me afterward. Words are never as neutral as we think, once we get used to them. It may take someone from outside your world to point out what your words really mean.
※6,7
【注釈】
※1 the meeting made me think…
無生物主語を使った表現です。Iを主語にすると、I came to think about something…through the meeting.のような形になると思います。
※2 come up
come upには色々な意味がありますが、ここではappearの意味で使っています。
※3 point out
「～を指摘する」という意味でよく使います。
※4 out of place.
「場違いの」という意味です。out ofが「外へ」とか「離れて」というニュアンスがあるので、理解しやすい表現です。out of the question（問題外、不可能）も良く使う表現です。
※5 （無生物主語） stuck with …
無生物主語を使った表現です。主語を I にすると、I was surprised at her comment.
となります。「日本語（的発想） → 英語」で考えている限り無生物表現を使った表現は思いつきにくいので、（日本人は英語的発想を）意識して表現の幅を広げていく必要があると思います。
※6 get used to
「～に慣れる」という意味で頻出です。
※7 it takes … to
無生物主語を使った表現です。直訳すると、「言葉の本当の意味を指摘してもらえる外部の人が必要だ」という意味ですが、趣旨は「（自分の世界では）見落としがちな言葉の本当の意味について、外部の視点から指摘されて初めて気づかされることがある。」という意味となります。
it takes … to は非常に便利な表現で、以下のような日常場面でも良く使われます。
It takes me a few minutes to walk to the station.（駅まで歩いて数分かかります。）
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