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Background situation: In a drama I'm watching, the main character is a women who wants to marry, quit her job and become a housewife. The guy she's interested in doesn't want to get married. Another guy WANTS his wife to be a housewife and asks her to marry him - although they haven't even dated. Main girl is at a bar telling her friends about guy #2's proposal.

Her friends point out that guy #2 meets all her criteria, including the "high bar" of being okay with her housewife dreams. She's hesitating because she doesn't love guy #2. One friend says that "仕事早いくせに そういうとこ全然 はっきりしないよね," and comments that main girl is only hesitating because of guy #1. Her other friend says to her "営業しなさい｡ 営業｡"

Obviously, 営業 usually means sales or management, but in this case (even though her working ability was just mentioned) it seems to be referencing more to her love life. Is her friend telling her to "manage" her love life? If so, is more of a "be practical/ business-like in your love life" or a "manage the men in your love life" kind of statement?

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  • I've never heard 営業 used to refer to a love life, but more context would help. Are they all at work during this discussion?
    – Jimmy
    Feb 15, 2017 at 22:50
  • The are at a bar, and the friends have been encouraging her to marry the guy that asked her. She wants to eventually quit her job and be a housewife, and the guy she likes doesn't want to get married, So her friends are encouraging her to marry they guy that fits what she wants, even if she doesn't particularly love him yet.
    – Harukogirl
    Feb 16, 2017 at 6:34

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I can't specify in which meaning the friend is referring from the dialogue. However, not specifically in this context, by 営業 usually can mean 'sales promotion/promoters', so I guess she means like 'advertise yourself as a woman' by 営業 there.

In more slangish context, especially 営業 referring ones love life can remind one of 枕営業 (literally translation: pillow sales) this means to get laid/ sleep around for buisiness. Sorry my Chinese.

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  • Hum...neither of these make a ton of sense in the context, though I can certainly see why they would make sense as a translation in other contexts. Thanks, though.
    – Harukogirl
    Feb 16, 2017 at 6:35
  • Sorry for not being so much assistance of you. But I want you to know that there are many many figurative expressions in Japanese language. BTW, is the drama perhaps '奪い愛 冬'？
    – user19858
    Feb 16, 2017 at 8:26
  • Thanks for trying! Yeah, I know. I'm translating the drama and I just feel so stuck on that one sentence. I know translation is an imperfect art, and I'm not always 100% right, but very rarely am I at a complete loss for what something means AT ALL. The drama is actually 突然ですが、明日結婚します
    – Harukogirl
    Feb 16, 2017 at 8:52
  • I see. I have to check the plot later. There seems to be comics available too. If you want a exact translation on that sentence, 'Go flirting on him! Flirt! Would suit the situation I suppose.
    – user19858
    Feb 16, 2017 at 9:56
  • I own the comics (it's why I decided to translate the drama) - but unfortunately the "conversing at a bar with female friends" scenes were NOT in the manga and were added to the drama. I think, based on the tone and the context, i'm going to go with "Be practical."
    – Harukogirl
    Feb 17, 2017 at 3:06

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