Barry召集公司同事开会，有个坏消息要宣布。
Barry: Well, folks...I'm afraid I have some bad news. Our lawyers told me this morning that we are being sued.
Chris: Sued? Who's suing us?
Susan: And on what grounds?
B: An Australian man named John Smith alleged that his microwave exploded while he was using it last year. Mr. Smith suffered injuries and he wants compensation.
C: How much compensation does he want?
B: His lawyers are asking for two million dollars.
S: Two million! That's insane!
Barry说，公司被告了，We are being sued. sued is spelled s-u-e-d, sued, 是控告、起诉的意思。Susan问，起诉罪名是什么，on what grounds? grounds，在这里是理由、根据的意思。
Barry说，原告是一个澳大利亚人，被微波炉炸伤，索赔两百万美元，Susan觉得，That's insane! 这简直是疯了!
C: This is how the game is played. They ask for millions but it's usually a negotiating tactic.
B: Yeah, Chris is probably right. The figure of two million dollars is a place to begin bargaining from. They are probably hoping to settle the case quickly.
S: But Barry, we don't manufacture microwave ovens! How in the world are we responsible for an accident like this?
B: We might not manufacture microwaves, but our company does make a heat-sensing component that is part of many microwaves. Maybe Chris can shed some light on this, Chris?
Chris说，对方要价两百万只是一种谈判策略，
a negotiating tactic。Barry也觉得对方希望settle the case quickly，尽快了结案子。可是，公司不生产微波炉，为什么要为微波炉爆炸赔钱呢？Barry请Chris给大家解释一下，shed some light on this. Chris说，
C: If I'm not mistaken, you're referring to our company's sensor chips. They are small chips that help control how heat is regulated.
S: So our chip made the microwave blow up?
C: Not exactly. The chip might have malfunctioned, but I doubt it. We test those products very rigorously and our quality control is strong. I don't think we are responsible for the explosion.
S: I don't believe the sensor could cause an explosion. We are innocent! This lawsuit is totally without merit!
原来，他们公司生产的sensor chip感应芯片是微波炉的感热部件。不过Chris说，公司质检很严格，所以芯片应该和微波炉爆炸无关。这么说，This lawsuit is totally without merit, 这桩诉讼完全就是无理取闹。那么，公司要如何应对这桩官司呢？我们下次继续听。 |