Jen: So I know you’ve been pushing the envelope on your company sales. How has that been coming along?
Jason: It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies.
Jen: Oh, that’s a challenge!

본문에서 제가 Jason에게 “회사 판매 실적의 한계를 넘어보려고 노력했잖아. 어떻게 되가니?”라고 묻자 Jason은 “It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies. 업계 최대 회사들과의 경쟁이라서 쉽지 않아"라고 합니다.

그래서 저도 "Oh, that's a challenge! 정말 어려운 도전이구나"라고 말했습니다. Now keep today’s expression ‘800-pound gorilla’ in mind and let’s hear the conversation again. 그럼 다시 한번 대화를 들어볼까요?

Jen: So I know you’ve been pushing the envelope on your company sales. How has that been coming along?
Jason: It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies.
Jen: Oh, that’s a challenge!

Today’s expression is 800-pound gorilla. If you think about a gorilla, you know that they are generally heavy animals. Keep in mind that the average adult male gorilla actually weighs between 150 to 250 pounds. So if you can imagine an 800-pound gorilla, you know it’s going be very big and strong!

고릴라는 덩치가 크고 힘도 아주 센 동물이죠. 보통 무게가 150에서 250 파운드, 킬로그램으로는 70에서 110 킬로그램 정도 나가는데요. 오늘 표현에 나오는 800파운드의 고릴라는 굉장히 크고 힘도 어마어마하겠죠?

So this expression ‘800-pound gorilla’ refers to a person, group, or organization that is so powerful and established that it dominates its environment.

‘800-pound gorilla’라는 표현은 비즈니스 영어에서 주로 쓰이는데요, 업계에서 가장 규모가 크거나 막강한 회사를 의미합니다. 위험하거나 두려운 존재를 뜻하기도 하고요.

오늘 본문에서 Jason은 자기의 회사 판매 실적을 높이고 싶지만, 큰 회사들 때문에 쉽지 않다고 합니다. 영어로 “It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies.”라고요.

이렇게 가장 크고 강력한 사람이나 회사 등을 가리킬 때 쓸 수 있는 표현이 바로 ‘800-pound gorilla’입니다. Now let’s listen to the conversation for the last time.

Jen: So I know you’ve been pushing the envelope on your company sales. How has that been coming along?
Jason: It’s not been easy because we are competing against 800-pound gorilla companies.
Jen: Oh, that’s a challenge!

Let’s review. ‘800-pound gorilla’ refers to a group or organization that is so powerful and established that it dominates its environment.