原汁原味商务英语播客第116课:商讨问题(3)

 　　We' ve looked before at how to set up an appointment on the phone with someone you already know, but what about if you haven’t met the person or established a relationship with them yet?

　　我们之前已经说了如何用电话约见我们知道的人，但是如果是和一个我们未曾谋面的，还没有确定关系的人呢？

　　In today' s Business English Podcast, we' ll be looking at how to make contact with a prospective¹ client² and, on the opposite end of the line, we' ll examine language you can use to politely decline³ a request for information or a meeting.

　　在今天的商务英语播客中，我们将会知道如何和一个潜在的客户联系，在电话的另一头，我们还会检测到你是不能有礼貌地邀请，并且能够在交谈中降低商业意图。

　　We' ve already met Mario from Viva Fashions in previous episodes⁴. Now Mario wants to meet with the head buyer for a chain of American stores owned by DeBourg Brands but, at this point, he doesn' t even know the buyer' s name.

　　在之前的播客里我们已经看到了万岁时装的马里奥。现在马里奥想见的是美国连锁店的主要买家，这个连锁店归狄本阁?布兰德所有。不过重要的是，他还不知道最大买家的名字。

　　Mario is going to "cold call" the company and see if he can reach the buyer. First, he needs a name, and then he needs to try to speak to the buyer to make an appointment.

　　马里奥试图通过陌生电话联系买家。首先，他需要知道名字，然后他要试着跟买家说约见面。

　　Listening Questions – First Call:

　　1.What techniques does Mario use to get information from Joan?

　　2.Why do you think Joan agrees to help Mario?

　　Listening Questions – Second Call:

　　1.Why does Mario keep saying "thank you" instead of "please" after making a request?

　　2. What language does Mario use when stating the reason for his call, and why?

　　3. Throughout the conversation, Mario uses informal language to minimize⁵ his request. Can you spot a few examples?

1 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

2 client   

n.委托人，当事人，顾客

参考例句：

• She can't come to the telephone;she's serving a client.她不能来接电话，她正在接待一位顾客。
• The lawyer produced a clever defence of his client.律师机智地为委托人辩护。

3 decline   

n.衰微，跌落，下降；vt.使降低，婉谢；vi.下降，衰落，偏斜

参考例句：

• I must decline to show favour to any of the candidates.我必须拒绝偏袒任何一位候选人。
• The birthrate is on the decline.出生率在下降。

4 episodes   

插曲，片断( episode的名词复数 )； 一集

参考例句：

• The novel deals with the romantic episodes of her early life. 小说叙述了她早期生活的浪漫插曲。
• Three episodes have been telescoped into a single programme. 把叁集的内容压缩成了一个节目。

5 minimize   

vt.使减（缩）小到最低，极力贬低，最低估计

参考例句：

• To minimize the risk of burglary,install a good alarm system.安装可靠的报警设备以减低被盗的风险。
• To minimize the public expenditure of this country.把该国的财政支出减少到最低限度。