Jason: Look Jen, everything is fine just the way they are. You don’t need to rock the boat and mess things up.
Jen: I didn’t mean to rock the boat. I was just giving you a few suggestions that might improve your company.

본문에서 Jason이 “Look Jen, everything is fine just the way they are. You don’t need to rock the boat and mess things up. 이것 봐 젠. 모든 게 잘돼 가고 있으니까 괜한 평지풍파 일으킬 필요가 없어.” 라고 하자 제가 “I didn’t mean to rock the boat. 그러려고 한 건 아니야. I was just giving you a few suggestions that might improve your company. 너희 회사 개선방안을 몇 가지 내놓은 것뿐이란 말이야.” 라고 했습니다.

Now keep today’s expression ‘rock the boat’ in mind and let’s hear the conversation again. 그럼 다시 한번 대화를 들어볼까요?

Jason: Look Jen, everything is fine just the way they are. You don’t need to rock the boat and mess things up.
Jen: I didn’t mean to rock the boat. I was just giving you a few suggestions that might improve your company.

Today’s expression is rock the boat. Rock the boat means to say or do something that causes disturbance or problem, especially if you try to change a situation, which most people do not want to change. ‘Rock’은 명사로는 ‘바위나 돌’을 뜻하고요. 동사로는 ‘뒤흔들다, 요동치다, 동요시키다’라는 의미가 있습니다. 그리고 ‘boat’은 작은 돛단배에서부터 대형 선박에 이르기까지 모든 배를 뜻하고요.

Say that you’re on a small canoe boat with a friend. If your friend starts rocking the boat side to side, it’s definitely going to cause a disturbance won’t it? Plus, I guarantee you’re not going to be happy about it. Just like that, if someone disturbs a stable situation you can tell that friend to stop rocking the boat.

가만히 있는 배를 흔들어대면 방향을 잃고 불안정해질 수 있죠. 결국, 크게 동요를 일으키게 될 거고요. 이처럼 rock the boat는 말이나 행동으로 평온한 상황을 뒤흔들어 놓거나 관례나 규칙을 깨는 경우에 쓰는 표현입니다. 가만히 두면 아무 탈이 없는 걸 벌집 쑤시듯 괜히 건드려 놔서 혼란을 일으키는 거죠.

다시 말해 안전하고 평안한 상황을 쓸데없이 시끄럽게 만든다는 얘깁니다. 한국말에 평지풍파를 일으키다 라는 표현과 비슷하다고 보시면 되겠네요. 오늘 본문에서 Jason이 제게 지금 모든 일이 잘돼 가고 있으니까 평지풍파 일으킬 필요가 없다고 “You don’t need to rock the boat and mess things up.” 이라고 단호하게 말했죠.

이제 예문을 들으시면 오늘 표현이 훨씬 쉽게 이해되실 겁니다. “Don’t rock the boat right before elections.”라고 하면 “선거 직전에 괜히 평지풍파 일으키지 마세요.” 라는 뜻입니다. Now you know what today’s expression means right? Then we will listen to the conversation for the very last time.

Jason: Look Jen, everything is fine just the way they are. You don’t need to rock the boat and mess things up.
Jen: I didn’t mean to rock the boat. I was just giving you a few suggestions that might improve your company.

Let’s review. Rock the boat means to say or do something that causes disturbance or problem. ROCK THE BOAT.