Why don’t you be more assertive?

2024年9月14日

A: You’re always busy.
B: That’s true. I have more and more tasks because everyone asks for my help.
A: I see. Why don’t you be more assertive and refuse some requests at least once in a while?

In this situation, what should you say ‘be more assertive’ in Japanese?

Business

B：上手じょうずに伝つたえて、たまには断ことわってみてたらどうですか？

Note: This is not a word-for-word translation.

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A word-for-word translation

B：もっと積極的せっきょくてきになって、たまには頼たのみごとを断ことわってみてはいかがでしょうか。

It’s not bad, but 積極的せっきょくてき has wide meaning and doesn’t always imply respect for others.

So, in this situation, I think, it’s easy to understand that you add 上手じょうずに and say 伝つたえる which means the exact action.