Telephone Conversations.
N
orman
(over
the telephone):
Hello. Operator., I need 364
285 38. Thanks. Yeah... Is this 364 285 38? What ? Wrong number...
O, God!.. Hey, operator, I need 364 285 38,... yeah 38...
O.K.
Operator: I'm putting you through.
Nor: Is this 291? Could I speak to Mrs Johnson, please?.. No, I am calling from Lincoln, Florida... United States, yeah. Who is speaking? Oh, hello, Linda. Norman here.
Linda Johnson: Hello, Norman, how are you?
Nor: I'm O.K. You know, we are signing a contract with Lincoln Freight on Wednesday...
Lin: Wednesday. That is November, the twenty fifth?
Nor: Yes, that's right. November the twenty fifth. Now, look, Linda. I need information on our latest transactions on Guatemala. It's about our bank's L/Cs dated July the fourth and August the thirteenth.
Lin: Referense numbers? Terms?
Nor: Yeah. Both.
Lin: Hold on a moment, please...
Active vocabulary
operator - оператор телефонного узла
extention - добавочный номер
L/C - letter of credit – аккредитив
reference - упоминание, ссылка
hold – держать
Hold on! - подождите!
put through – соединять
wrong - неправильный, неверный
look - смотреть
Now look! — слушай
latest – последний
dated – датированный
Speech practice
Ex. I. Answer the following questions:
What number is Norman calling?
What extention does he need?
Who is putting him through?
Who is he speaking to?
Where is he telephoning from?
What is Norman doing on Wednesday. 7.?
When is he signing contract (date)?
What does he ask Linda about?
What are the dates of L/Cs?
Ex. II. Agree or disagree:
Linda is calling from Lincoln, Florida.
Norman is signing a contract with British Company.
Norman needs the information about the latest quotation and catalogues in Guatemala.
Norman needs information on the latest transactions in Guatemala.
Ex. III. Translate into English:
Мне нужен добавочный 635.
Я звоню из Нью-Йорка. Кто говорит?
3. Здесь Джон. В четверг, 26-го сентября мы подписываем контракт.
4. Мне нужна информация по аккредитиву N 267.
5. Подождите минуту, пожалуйста.
6. 1-е января 1998 года.
TEXT
Basic rules of how to use the telephone.
When an ill-mannered person is at the other end, the telephone is a real instrument of torture*. Here are some hints to consider:
-"Mr. Smith speaking". That might be acceptable greeting over a business telephone, but the only correct way to answer a home phone is "Hello".
Don't say: Do say:
Who's calling? May I ask who is calling? Please?
Who wants him? Who's calling, please?
What number is this? Is this 229 8896?
When you are on the receiving end:
- I'm afraid you have the wrong number, this is 229 8896.
If you’re settled down for along conversation, ask first if this is a convenient time for your friend talk.
-“Hold on a second, will you, please?” If it is only a second, okay-but if it is going to be a longer interruption give your caller an option:
“Someone’s at the door (or whatever) –may I call you back?”
It is particularly rude to keep the other waiting if you are the caller.
-“Okay” or “See you” or just plain old “goodbye”.
The person who placed the call is usually the one to end the conversation.
-Don’t shout or mutter*.