Part Ⅰ Situational Dialogues

Practice 1

Task 2: Simulated situational conversation.

Jane: I've agreed on price，quality and quantity． The next thing I'd like to bring up for discussion is packing．

Mike: Yes, As this is the first time we have done business with you, we'd like to hear what you say concerning the matter of packing.

Jane: Very well. Different articles require different packing. As for shirts, we use a polythene wrapper for each, ready for window display.

Mike: Good. As you will probably know, your shirts will be in competition with many others in our market. Wrapping that catches the eye will certainly help us push the sales.

Jane: Yes, of course.

Mike: Therefore, the wrapping should be attractive as well as of good quality. You must have thought of that, I'm sure.

Jane: You can rest assured that our packing will be on a par with that of other competitors, if not better.

Mike: I'm glad to hear that. And what about the protective packing during transit?

Jane: That will be packed in dozen to one carton, gross weight around 20 kilos.

Mike: Good! What type?

Jane: Cardboard cartons, with stenciled shipping marks.

Mike: I see．Alright. We agree to cardboard cartons for outer packing.

Task 2: Simulated situational conversation.

Lucy: Can you ship this batch of cottons within five or six weeks?

Mr.Wang: What kinds of cotton are they? May I see your list? Ah, machine prints.

Lucy: Yes, mainly prints. There are a few plain as well. Here they are.

Mr.Wang: I see. And the quantities?

Lucy: 200 rolls of each. Make it 200 rolls for each sample.

Mr.Wang: How many rolls altogether?

Lucy: Twenty prints and five plain. That makes 5,000 rolls in all.

Mr.Wang: Six weeks, did you say?

Lucy: Yes, five to six weeks.

Mr.Wang: We could manage the plain rolls in six weeks. The prints might be put off to eight weeks.

Lucy: Eight weeks? We can't wait that long.

Mr.Wang: That's the best we can do just now, I'm afraid.

Lucy: Couldn't you make it seven weeks for the prints?

Mr.Wang: What about taking the prints in two shipments, two thousand rolls in seven weeks, and the remainder a week later?

Lucy: That might be acceptable. I shall have to cable our Beijing office to get their approval. You can definitely supply in the time you've given me, I suppose.

Mr.Wang: Yes, I'll see that you get those deliveries. Shipping by “S.S.American” as usual, is that all right?

Lucy: That's right.

Practice 3

Task 2: Simulated situational conversation.

A: If you have nothing special to point out, we'll have the sales contract made out tomorrow.

B: Good.

A: By the way, the contract should be written in both English and Chinese, and both versions should be equally valid.

B: Of course. Each of us keeps one original and two copies.

A: Then I'll come along tomorrow to put my signature on it.

B: That's fine.

(The next day)

A: Here it is. I should say it's all right this time.

B: Perfect.

A: Now shall we sign it?

B: Of course. This is what we've been waiting for.

A: I truly believe we'll have a further cooperation in the future.

B: So do I.

A: By the way, I hope you can deliver the goods duly since any delay in shipment would cause us no small difficulty.

B: You may rest assured that shipment will be made within the time limit stipulated in the contract.

A: Why not go and have dinner together? Just to celebrate our successful cooperation. There is a very nice restaurant near our company.

B: That would be fine.

Part Ⅲ Workplace Practice

Ⅰ. Complete the following dialogue.

Mr.Huang: What kind of packing do you plan to use for this consignment of goods?

David: Cartons. Is that okay?

Mr.Huang: I'm concerned about the possibility of jolting, squeezing and collision that may take place when these cases are moved about.

David: Well. What I can tell you is that we've got an excellent record on making deliveries to our customers. Besides, all our cartons are lined with shock proof cardboard and are wrapped up with polyethylene sheets.

Mr.Huang: In that case, I guess I can rest assured.

David: Well, I guess you can say that. The safety of packing is something we always pay a lot of attention to.

Mr.Huang: You're right. But wouldn't it be safer to use wooden cases?

David: We surely can if you want us to, but the charge will be much higher.

Mr.Huang: It wouldn't be worth the trouble in that case, would it? Let's still use cartons.

David: Sure, no problem. As I said, cartons are good enough for goods like this. You don't have to worry about it.

Ⅱ. Translate the following dialogue into English.

Jack: Mr.Anderson, how are you going to ship the goods?

Bruce: Oh, we usually send that kind of quantity in part shipments.

Jack: I am afraid part shipment is not an option for us. The goods are seasonal, so they must be shipped all at once.

Bruce: Oh… We thought part shipment would be fine. It is very difficult to book so much shipping space on the same ship.

Jack: If the goods can't arrive on time, we will miss the Christmas season!

Bruce: We understand that. Unfortunately, shipping space is quite scarce right now.

Jack: If you can't get hold of a direct vessel, could you please ship it by air?

Bruce: Air freight costs more and will affect your retail price.

Jack: In that case, we may agree to have our goods transshipped.

Bruce: Transshipment is a good solution! We'll contact our shipping company and arrange for transshipment via London.

Jack: Thank you. I'd appreciate it if you could guarantee the date of shipment.

Bruce: Of course! By all means.

Ⅲ. Make a short speech (3 minutes).

Good morning，everyone. Welcome to our department. When concluding a deal, a contract should be signed between two parties, and certain preparation should be made. Evaluation of the country of a potential partner is the first step in implementing profitable import or export plans. Second, it is vital to learn as much as possible about potential partners or clients before doing business with them. The relevant information may be obtained by writing to the references provided by the counterpart or by employing a consulting firm. Third, negotiation requires specialized skills, communication ability, team spirit, etc. If you expect your negotiation team to be successful, qualified negotiators must be carefully chosen. They should be familiar with international trading process, experienced in dealing with foreign customers and quick in making wise decisions.

Ⅳ. Make a workplace interpretation (3 minutes).

Tom: 我们把合同草案带过来了，请您过目。

Mike: All right. I don't think there is any problem.

Tom: 你对合同的英文措词有什么意见?

Mike: The wordings are really idiomatic. I'm very satisfied with it.

Tom: 对一些需要解决的问题我们基本达成了协议。

Mike: Both of our parties have made a great effort.

Tom: 是的，该是我们签合同的时候了。

Mike: I've been looking forward to this moment.

Tom: 现在请确认后签名。

Mike: Done. Congratulations.

Tom: 我们双方都有两份合同。一份中文的。一份英文的。你们保留这两份吧。

Mike: Thank you very much. I think the contract will bear fruit in no time, and I hope our continuing cooperation and further extension of our trade relations.

Tom: 这也是我所想的。让我们为谈判的成功，为我们未来的合作成功干杯!

Mike: Cheers!