Jen: Hey, I heard that your company is hiring.
Jason: Yes they are. They are looking to hire people who can think outside the box.
Jen: Oh, that’s good to know.

본문에서 제가 Jason에게 “Hey, I heard that your company is hiring. 너희 회사에서 직원 뽑는다고 들었어.”라고 하자, Jason이 “Yes they are. They are looking to hire people who can think outside the box. 맞아, 창의적인 사고를 할 수 있는 사람을 찾고 있어.” 라고 대답합니다.

그러자 저도 “Oh, that’s good to know. 아, 알아두면 좋겠네” 라고 말합니다. Now keep today’s expression ‘think outside the box’ in mind and let’s hear the conversation again. 그럼 다시 한번 대화를 들어볼까요?

Jen: Hey, I heard that your company is hiring.
Jason: Yes they are. They are looking to hire people who can think outside the box.
Jen: Oh, that’s good to know.

Today’s phrase is think outside the box. To think outside the box means to think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional or expected ideas. This expression often refers to creative thinking.

Think outside the box 를 직역하면 ‘상자 밖을 생각하라’. 즉 ‘창의적인 사고를 하라’. ‘고정관념에서 벗어나라’ 라는 의미입니다. 오늘 표현에서의 box는 기존 관념의 ‘틀’, 'outside the box'는 그런 기존의 틀에서 벗어나라는 말이 되겠죠.

In today’s conversation, Jason tells me that his company is looking to hire people who can think outside the box.

본문에서 Jason이 ‘우리 회사는 고정관념에서 벗어나 창의적으로 생각할 수 있는 사람을 고용하고 있다’고 말합니다. “They are looking to hire people who can think outside the box.”라고요.

이렇게 틀에 박히지 않은 새로운 시각, 또는 창의적인 사고를 하는 것을 바로 ‘think outside the box’라고 합니다.

Now let me give you an example sentence. “You need to think outside the box in order to come up with new ideas.”는 “새로운 아이디어를 찾아내려면, 새로운 관점으로 생각해 봐야 한다.” 라고 해석할 수 있습니다.

‘Think outside the box’, 이 표현 잘 익혀두시고요. 오늘의 대화를 마지막으로 들어보겠습니다. Now that you know what today’s expression means, let’s listen to the conversation for the last time.

Jen: Hey, I heard that your company is hiring.
Jason: Yes they are. They are looking to hire people who can think outside the box.
Jen: Oh, that’s good to know.

Let’s review what we have learned today. Think outside the box means to think in a creative and new way. ‘창의적인 사고를 하라’. ‘고정관념에서 벗어나라’. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. Now try using this expression on your own.