III. Conversation practice

1. Watch Unit 4. Talking about Work of Video Conference.

Unit 4. Talking about Work.

Isabelle Pelletier, Pablo Gonzalez.

• Isabelle: Where are you based, Pablo?

• Pablo: In Buenos Aires.

• Isabelle: And do you travel a lot?

• Pablo: Yes, we have offices in Santiago, Bogotá, Mexico City and Rio, and I usually visit them about once a month.

• Isabelle: That’s a lot of traveling.

• Waiter: A wine, madam?

• Isabelle: Yes, please. Red. …Thank you. … So, what are your main markets, then?

• Pablo: Brazil and Argentina. Mexico is also quite important.

• Isabelle: How often do you come to Europe?

• Pablo: Just once a year for the sales conference. But I travel to New York two or three times a year.

• Isabelle: Daniel Conway is based in New York, isn’t he?

• Pablo: That’s right. He’s responsible for Transglobal’s marketing. We meet regularly to discuss the marketing strategy for Latin America.

• Isabelle: He has an interesting job.

• Pablo: Yes, and he works very hard. He often stays in the office until nine or ten in the evening.

• Isabelle: Difficult for his family.

• Pablo: He isn’t married - or perhaps he is - to his job. … Ah, these are excellent! Excuse me.

* * *

Daniel Conway, Isabelle Pelletier

• Daniel: Hi, Isabelle.

• Isabelle: Hello, Daniel.

• Daniel: Are you enjoying your first sales conference?

• Isabelle: Yes, very much. But there are so many new faces. I can’t remember the names.

• Daniel: You know, I have the same problem. And I’ve worked here for seven years! No, seriously - who would you like to meet?

• Isabelle: Isn’t that the company president, Charles Millbank, talking to Bob Davis?

• Daniel: Yes, that’s right. He works in New York in the head office.

• Isabelle: So, you see him quite often?

• Daniel: Oh, yes. Every day.

• Isabelle: What’s he like?

• Daniel: I like him a lot. He’s very good with people. His son works for me in the publicity department.

• Isabelle: Really? How many staff do you have?

• Daniel: Fifteen. But there’s enough work for twenty five.

• Isabelle: What exactly do you do?

• Daniel: Well, I have regular meetings with all the area managers - like you and Pablo - and we discuss global marketing, but also the local market needs.

• Isabelle: So, you and I will have regular meetings?

• Daniel: Four times a year.

• Isabelle: What exactly are you working on at the moment?

• Daniel: We are preparing the marketing strategy for the next year.

* * *

Daniel Conway, Isabelle Pelletier

• Daniel: Where were you before you joined Transglobal?

• Isabelle: I worked with Dulong Communications. Do you know them?

• Daniel: No, I don’t.

• Isabelle: They are very small. They produce telecom systems, mainly for the domestic market in France.

• Daniel: And what exactly did you do?

• Isabelle: I was in the export office. My job was to make new contacts in other EU countries, create new business opportunities for the company.

• Daniel: And why did you move?

• Isabelle: Well, I was there for four years, and it was the time for a change. And I wanted more responsibility. So, here I am. … Ann Richards is very nice.

• Daniel: Yeah, she’s great. And she is very efficient.

• Isabelle: She’s deputy sales manager in the UK, isn’t she?

• Daniel: That’s right. At the moment she’s helping Bob to organize the sales conference… Do you know Bob? He’s the one with the mobile phone.

• Isabelle: Yes, yes, I do. And does she have her own market?

• Daniel: Yes, she’s responsible for Scandinavia. And she also organizes the product launches in the U.K. Now, who is here from Japan? Do you know Ron Jacobs?

• Isabelle: No, I don’t think so.

• Daniel: He is over there, with the blue tie. He works in Tokyo.

• Isabelle: What does he do?

• Daniel: Ron’s in charge of the R and D. He heads the team that’s developing our latest XR 29 system. I’ll introduce you to him later. Actually, tomorrow evening I’m dining with him and Pablo. Would you like to join us?

• Isabelle: Yes, I’d love to. Thank you very much.

• Daniel: Great!

2. Be ready to act out the following situation:

• Discuss your job with your colleagues.