أفضل الممارسات البيئية 73 – التعابير الإنجليزية: العمل هو الحرب (1)

Business and war. War and business. It’s no accident that many business strategies and management techniques were first developed in the military. Actually, it’s quite natural that we think about business competition in terms of war. Companies fight each other for market share. We strategize about how to win the battle. You try to attack my market position, and I defend it. Business is full of such war idioms. Though it’s not the only way we think about business, it is certainly the main way we talk about it. Therefore, to communicate effectively in a business environment, we need to learn these war idioms.

في حوار اليوم, the management at Luminex, a producer of LCD TVs, is discussing how to respond to a attack on their market position by a competitor, Meyers. Traditionally, Meyers has been strong in the premium (high value) market and Luminex has been strong in the mid-range market. Recently, ومع ذلك, Meyers has tried to take mid-range market share from Luminex.

Pay attention to the war idioms that the meeting participants use as you listen. Don’t worry if they don’t make sense to you the first time you listen. After you’ve heard the idioms explained in the debrief, go back and listen again, and the dialog should be much clearer.

أسئلة الاستماع

1) The first two speakers talk aboutalways being on the defensive” و “taking way too much flak.What do they mean and what do they propose doing?
2) How does Jane’s point of view differ from the first two speakers?

Premium Members PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3

أفضل الممارسات البيئية 72 – الاتصال الهاتفي: رسائل البريد الصوتي

When you call someone but they aren’t there, often their voicemailpicks upor answers the phone. Then you have to leave a message. Anyone who uses the phone in their job has to deal with voicemail.

Have you ever started to leave a message on someone’s voicemail, then when you heard thebeepsound, you didn’t know what to say? When you’re speaking a foreign language, talking without preparation can be challenging, especially when you cannot see or hear the person you’re talking to. But with a little practice, you’ll be a voicemail pro.

That’s what we’ll be studying in this Business English lessonstandard phrases and language for voicemail messages, so that next time you here thatbeepyou’ll know exactly what to say.

First we’ll hear a bad example. Justin Thomas works for a shipping broker called Trivesco. Brokers aremiddlemen” – in this case Justin is anewbuildingsbroker, which means he helps people buy and sell new ships. Justin is calling Sylvie Peterson, a manager at the shipbuilding company Schmidt and Larsen. In the second example we hear Justin’s colleague, Mark Rand, leave a more professional message.

أسئلة الاستماع (Good Message)

1) What is Mark Rand hoping to talk to Sylvie about?
2) When will he be available to take Sylvie’s call?
3) How does Mark put a positive finish on the message?

Premium Members: Study Notes | Online Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

أفضل الممارسات البيئية 71 – الاندماجات: مكتب القيل والقال والخطاب المبلغ عنه

This is the second in a two-part Business English Podcast lesson that follows some of the internal discussions that take place in a company going through a merger.

Today’s episode focuses on casual office conversation and gossip. Office gossip is a type of informal conversation in which we tell secrets or rumors about other people or other departments. Gossip is often called water cooler chitchat, since the water cooler is where colleagues meet by chance and discuss things that are happening in the office. You might also want to review some of our previous shows on socializing for more language to use in these types of conversations.

For the listening today, we rejoin Jack at the guitar manufacturer headquarters, after his short but difficult chat with his boss Jim. Jack is in the cafeteria when a co-worker meets him there by chance.

أسئلة الاستماع

1) What did Frances hear from Joanna?
2) Who did Michelle take off with?
3) Where does Frances tell Jack she has to go?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3

أفضل الممارسات البيئية 70 – الاندماجات: الأخبار السيئة العاجلة

هذا هو الجزء الأول من سلسلة اللغة الإنجليزية للأعمال المكونة من ثلاثة أجزاء والتي تستكشف استخدام العديد من تقنيات اللغة المختلفة في سياق عملية الدمج. حلقة اليوم تركز على الغموض, لغة دبلوماسية وأسئلة استقصائية. تم تقديم لغة غامضة ودبلوماسية في البث الصوتي أفضل الممارسات البيئية 24, أفضل الممارسات البيئية 51 و أفضل الممارسات البيئية 52, لذلك قد ترغب في مراجعة تلك لتحديث ذاكرتك.

بالاضافة, سنغطي الأسئلة التحقيقية, الذي نظرنا إليه لأول مرة أفضل الممارسات البيئية 64. التحقيق هو الاستكشاف أو التحقيق, لذلك يتم استخدام الأسئلة الاستقصائية لجمع معلومات أكثر تفصيلاً واستهدافًا. ويجب أن أشير أيضًا إلى وجود ممارستين للتحدث في نهاية هذا البودكاست – حلقة مليئة بالإثارة بالفعل.

لهذه السلسلة, قمنا مرة أخرى بزيارة الشركة المصنعة للجيتار في الولايات المتحدة, التي لديها مصنع إنتاج في كوستاريكا. في هذه الحلقة, اكتشفنا أن الشركة تندمج مع شركة تصنيع غيتار أكبر. الدمج هو الانضمام معًا. عندما تنضم شركتان معا, نحن نسمي هذا أ “الاندماج.”

يريد الملاك الجدد خفض التكاليف, وهو ما قد يعني قطع الوظائف. لذا, سؤال مهم في ذهن صديقنا القديم جاك هو – الذي سيتم طرده? ننضم إلى جاك ورئيسه جيم, الذي يلتقي بجاك بالصدفة في ردهة مقر الشركة.

أسئلة الاستماع:

1. مع من سيلتقي جاك بعد محادثته مع جيم؟?
2. ما هي المدينة التي قد ينتقل إليها مصنع كوستاريكا؟?
3. لماذا يريد الملاك الجدد نقل المصنع خارج كوستاريكا؟?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3

أفضل الممارسات البيئية 69 – هاتف انجليزي: ترك رسالة

This lesson has been updated in anew series: BEP 69A Redux & BEP 69B Redux.

الناس مشغولون. When you telephone people, they often aren’t there to take your call, so you need to leave a message. And almost everyone has to answer the telephone and take a message sometimes. Doing so professionally leaves a good impression on your customers, colleagues and boss.

Today we will hear a bad example and a good example of taking and leaving a telephone message.

Justin Thomas is with Trivesco, a major shipyard, or maker of ships. He is calling Sylvie Peterson at Daneline, a shipping company. Sylvie is a sales and purchase (S&ص) broker. A broker is a middleman or negotiator. Sylvie specializes in negotiating the purchase of “newbuildings” or newly built ships. Amy, the receptionist, answers the phone.

أسئلة الاستماع

مثالا سيئا
1) Does Amy answer the phone professionally?
2) Is Justin prepared?

مثال جيد
1) How does Amy answer the phone?
2) What is Mark calling about?
3) How does Amy make sure that she has got Mark’s correct phone number?

Premium Members: PDF Transcript

Download: Podcast MP3