1.13 Read and translate the text:

A NEW APPROACH TO AN OLD PROBLEM

Reliable helpers are available for Russian and foreign investors

visiting St.Petersburg. Among them is the "August Legal Agency".

For various reasons, it is difficult for visiting businessmen to

count on the speedy opening of a representative in St.Petersburg. But

August Legal Agency can help, by taking upon itself the official duties

of a company representative that is basing itself in North-West Russia.

Other than that, "August" can provide marketing services and can search

and choose potential partners.

For the convenience of clients, August is placing its offices at

all the city's largest hotels. One office has already been opened at

Pribaltiiskaya Hotel.

Just think, where can a businessman who has come to make contacts,

clarify the market possibilities, make himself known, distribute

information about his products and services, and wait for a reaction? It

would be best to do this at specialized industrial exhibitions, which

mainly take place at the largest exhibition centre, Lenexpo. Any

exhibition participants may seek advice at the acting legal advice

office, "Lenexpo - August Legal Agency", which is constantly open.

With the help of specialists at the August agency, businessmen can

hold talks and make contacts with potential partners and clients. It

should be added that foreign guests of St.Petersburg who lack their own

translators may turn to the August agency - seeing as the agency's staff

not only have high qualifications, but also know foreign languages.

In this way, August is striving to successfully support new

financial and intellectual investments in the infrastructure of Russia's

North-Western region. At the same time it is trying not to forget about

local entrepreneurs. And so all clients seeking advice at the August

company can rely on high quality legal support. No exceptions.

1.14 You are planning to open up a new market. Who will do field survey

for you? Act dialogues on the problem.

1.15 Write a letter to the August Legal Agency asking them to be your

representative in St.Petersburg.

UNIT 2

A VISIT TO THE FACTORY

fix (arrange) an appointment назначить встречу

place an order разместить заказ

warehouse склад

stock, store 1. запас; создавать запас 2. склад (готовых изделий

или полуфабрикатов); хранить на складе

supply smth from stock поставлять что-л. прямо со склада

load груз; грузить

unload разгружать

conveyor belt конвейер

output объем выпускаемой продукции

line серия изделий

requirements требования

quotation расценка; цена, названная до совершения сделки

delivery charges стоимость доставки

deadline крайний срок

honour соблюдать, выполнять

specifications технические характеристики

boss начальник, руководитель

NB: "boss" is considered as very conversational, and more official

synonyms are "chief", "manager", "superior officer"

2.1 Read the text:

Today Mr. Grant's secretary, Elizabeth Corby, gets a telephone call from

a man called George Duncan. He has an introduction to Harper & Grant

from a mutual acquaintance Jock Macpherson. Mr. Duncan is only staying

in London for a few days and he telephones to fix an appointment to see

Mr. Grant. Elizabeth tells him that Mr. Grant is very busy and suggests

a later date. But Mr. Duncan, who is rather short-tempered, expects that

he can have an appointment whenever he wants one. He also asks if he can

see over the factory itself to see how some of the office furniture is

made. Elizabeth has a good secretary's sixth sense that this might be a

valuable customer, so she finally fixes an appointment for him at

half-past three that afternoon. When Mr. Grant comes into the office she

tells him about the appointment. As Mr. Grant is so busy, she suggests

that she herself should show Mr. Duncan round the factory. Mr. Grant

reluctantly agrees to see him. He also remembers that the mutual

acquaintance, Jock Macpherson, is a great talker who in the past has

wasted a lot of time and then bought very little. He thinks that perhaps

his friend, Mr. Duncan, will be the same, so he warns Elizabeth to

interrupt the interview after a short time with the excuse that there is

someone else waiting to see him.

Elizabeth shows the visitor round the works. He visits the different

departments of the factory, or shops as they are called. Then he goes to

see Mr. Grant. As agreed, after a short time Elizabeth interrupts the

interview. But in the meantime Mr. Duncan has indicated that he wishes

to place a large order for office furniture for his new office block

which is completing construction in Scotland. Mr. Grant is no longer so

interested in escaping from his visitor! Luckily Elizabeth knows her

boss very well and is not at all surprised by his sudden change of

attitude.

2.2 Listen to the dialogue.

(In Hector Grant's office)

ELIZABETH Good morning, Mr. Grant.

CORBY

HECTOR Good morning.

GRANT

ELIZABETH I've just had a Mr. George Duncan from Glasgow on the phone.

Apparently our customer Mr. Macpherson suggested he came to

see you.

GRANT Oh, be did, did he! Well, I can't think any friend of his

will make the company's fortune.

ELIZABETH He said he would like to see you this afternoon and visit

the factory.

GRANT Did he indeed? If he's like Macpherson he'll take up the

whole day and then order one chair.

ELIZABETH Perhaps I could take Mr. Duncan round the factory for you.

GRANT All right. You take him round first, and then I'll see him

afterwards. But you'd better interrupt me after fifteen

minutes and remind me that I've got another appointment.

ELIZABETH Yes, I will, Mr. Grant.

(At the reception desk)

DUNCAN Good afternoon. I want to see the Managing Director, please.

RECEPTION Good afternoon. Have you an appointment?

GIRL

DUNCAN Of course. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't.

GIRL What is your name, please?

DUNCAN Duncan.

GIRL Just a moment, please. Miss Corby? I have a Mr Duncan here

to see Mr. Grant. He says he has an appointment. Yes... Yes,

I will. Mr. Duncan, would you take a seat, please. Mr.

Grant's secretary will be down in a moment.

DUNCAN Thank you. I hope she won't be long; I haven't much time.

GIRL She's on her way now.

DUNCAN Good.

GIRL Here she is.

ELIZABETH Good afternoon, Mr. Duncan, I'm Elizabeth Corby, Mr. Grant's

secretary. Would you like to see round the factory first?

DUNCAN Yes, I would...

ELIZABETH Now this is our office block. We have all the administrative

departments here: Sales, Accounts, Personnel, Market

Research and so on.

DUNCAN What's that building opposite us?

ELIZABETH That's the warehouse where the larger items of office

equipment are stored. We try and keep a stock of the

faster-moving items so that urgent orders can be met quickly

from stock.

DUNCAN If I ordered a desk today, how long would it be before I

got delivery in Scotland?

ELIZABETH I think perhaps you'd better speak to our Works Manager, Mr.

Fielding. You'll meet him when we go over to the factory.

We'll go there now.

(In the workshop)

MR.FIELDING This is one of our three workshops. This is the delivery

bay here.

DUNCAN Oh, yes.

MR.FIELDING The steel sheets and bars come in, as you see, in different

sizes and are unloaded on to the delivery bank here. We buy

them in from a steelworks in Wales. This machine here is a

spot welder, and this is the new conveyor belt which we had

installed last year. We doubled our output in this

department as a result.

DUNCAN Oh, really.

MR.FIELDING I'll take you to the assembly shop.

(In Mr. Grant's office)

GRANT Now Mr. Duncan, what can I do for you? I understand that

you're a friend of Jock Macpherson's.

DUNCAN Yes, Mr. Grant. He told me that you make the best, and

cheapest, office furniture on the market.

GRANT I think we make the best.

DUNCAN But is it the cheapest? That's what interests me.

GRANT We have a wide range of prices, Mr. Duncan. Here's our

catalogue. We think our prices compare favourably with

anything on the market today.

DUNCAN If I had an office I wanted you to furnish, how much would

it cost me?

GRANT It would largely depend on the lines you chose.

DUNCAN My trouble is that I'm very short of time. Can you supply me

from stock?

GRANT If you could give me some idea of your requirements, Mr.

Duncan, I might be able to help you. Unfortunately, I have

someone coming to see me shortly and I...

DUNCAN I'll tell you what I want. This is my card. I'm the Managing

Director of G.P. Duncan & Company. We make artificial

fertilizers. I want our new office block furnished. I'd like

you to give me a quotation, including delivery charges, as

soon as you can.

GRANT How many offices are there?

DUNCAN Twenty-eight.

GRANT Twenty-eight offices. Oh, I see. Well. How much time can you

give us?

DUNCAN Two months is my deadline.

GRANT I'd like to send a man up to Glasgow to get details. I never

like promising a date until I know we can honour it -

however, I think...

ELIZABETH Er...Mr. Grant, Mr.. er.. Frame is waiting to see you.

GRANT Well, never mind about that.... Tell him he'll just have to

wait. You can see I'm busy with an important customer!

2.3 Answer the questions:

1. What is Mr.Grant's opinion of Jock Macpherson and his friends?

2. Where is Mr.Duncan's new office block situated?

3. How many offices are there to be furnished?

4. What does Mr.Duncan want to hear from Mr.Grant?

5. What part of a factory are the goods stored in?

6. If a factory or shop has run out of certain articles, what could

the person responsible say?

7. When an offer of goods is made, what is the stated price called?

8. What is said of prices which are not higher, and perhaps even

lower, than those quoted by rival firms?

9. If you want to see someone on business what must you arrange?

10. Where are the component parts of a manufactured object put

together?

2.4 Find definitions for the terms:

quotation, warehouse, line, delivery charges, stock, deadline, personnel

department, delivery bank, delivery bay

a. the department which deals with employees

b. a building used for storage of goods waiting for sale

c. side or back entrance to a factory where goods can be delivered

d. a series or type of goods

e. a raised platform, on to which goods can be easily unloaded

f. price of goods and delivery conditions, offered before a sale

g. cost of delivering goods from factory to buyer

h. goods ready for sale

i. last possible moment when an event, for example delivery of goods,

may take place

2.5 Complete these sentences with the given words:

make, cancel, be late for, have, postpone

1. My name is George Rawlings and I ... an appointment to see Mrs.Drill

at 2.30. 2. She's always very punctual so I don't want to ... our

appointment. 3. I'd like to ... an appointment to see the manager. 4.

Mr.Cottage is ill so we need to ... his appointments. 5. I'm sorry to be

a nuisance but could we ... our appointment until next week?

2.6 Fill in gaps in the sentences:

1.Mr. Duncan telephones to ... an appointment to see Mr.Grant. 2. He

asks if he can see ... the factory itself to see how some of the office

furniture is made. 3. Mr. Duncan is certainly a ... customer. 4. Mr.

Grant warns Elizabeth to interrupt the interview with the ... that there

is someone else waiting to see him. 5. Mr. Duncan has indicated that he

wishes to ... a large order ... office furniture for his new office

block. 6. Mr. Grant is no longer so interested in ... ... his visitor.

7. Mr. Grant can't think that any friend of Jock Macpherson will make

the company's fortune. 8. That's the ... where the larger items of

office equipment are stored. We try and keep a ... of the faster-moving

items so that ... orders can be met quickly from stock. 9. The steel

sheets and bars are ... on to the delivery bank here. 10. We doubled our

... in this department as a result. 11. We have a wide range of prices,

and they ... favourably with anything on the ... today. 12. The cost

would largely depend on the ... you chose. 13. If you give me some idea

of your ..., I will be able to help you. 14. I want our new office ...

furnished. I'd like you to give me a ..., including delivery ..., as

soon as you can.

2.7 Here are two letters. The first is an example of a letter of

introduction. Mr. Macpherson ought to have written to Mr. Grant to

introduce his friend, George Duncan. If he had written this letter Mr.

Grant, and Elizabeth, would have known all about him.

Mr. Duncan should also have written to ask for an appointment as he

was only going to be in london for such a short time. Arriving, as he

did, without much warning, he risked finding Mr. Grant away or too busy

to see him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

47, Douglas Street,

GLASGOW.

17th July, 197..

Dear Mr. Grant,

A good friend of mine, George Duncan, is shortly coming to London

and would very much like to meet you and see over your factory.

Mr. Duncan is the Managing Director of G.P. Duncan & Co. Ltd.,

manufacturers of artificial fertilizers.

His company are building a new office block and he is interested in

obtaining quotations for the cost of furnishing these new offices, so

his visit may be of value to you.

With best wishes to you and your wife,

Yours ever,

Jock Macpherson.

Hector Grant, Esq.,

Managing Director,

Harper & Grant Ltd.,

Great West Road,

London, W.25.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

G.P.DUNCAN & CO. LTD

Telephone: GLASGOW CENTRAL 918721 249 Cathaway Road

Telex: GW 900 GLASGOW

Telegrams: FERTGLAS

Hector Grant, Esq.,

Managing Director,

Harper & Grant Ltd.,

Great West Road,

London, W.25. 17th July, 197..

Dear Mr. Grant,

Mr. Jock Macpherson, whom we both know, has written to tell you

about my forthcoming visit to London. I should very much like to meet

you and see over your factory if that could be arranged. I hope to be in

London on July 27th and 28th, and I should be grateful if you could let

me know the day and time which would suit you best, as I can then go

ahead and fit in my other appointments.

Looking forward to the pleasure of meeting you,

Yours sincerely,

George Duncan

Managing Director

G.P. DUNCAN & CO LTD.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notice that, in the first letter, Mr. Grant's name and address were

on the bottom left-hand side of the paper. This is because Mr. Macpherson

knows Mr. Grant. Mr. Duncan's letter to Mr. Grant, however, starts with

the name and address, as it is the first time that he has written to

him. Firms vary in this matter of position of the addresses, but the

most commonly accepted method is to put the name and address first to

give a more formal effect.

2.8 Put these sentences in the correct order to make a short conversation.

* Yes, please. Would Tuesday the 26th be convenient?

* Good morning, Mrs.Mane. This is Peter Brien.

* It's quite all right. I'll look forward to seeing you on Thursday the

28th, then.

* I'm calling about our appointment on the 25th. I'm afraid I can't make

it.

* Fine. Thank you. Goodbye.

* Good morning, Mr.Brien. How can I help you?

* Yes, I can manage the 28th. I'm sorry to be a nuisance.

* Shifali Mane.

* It's not a problem. Would you like to fix another time, then?

* I'm afraid I'm tied up on the 26th. How about the 28th?

2.9 Make up a dialogue of your own fixing an appointment with an

executive from some other firm.

2.10 Complete this conversation with the given verbs in correct tenses.

want, ask, have to, get, show, go, have, arrive, take, make, talk, give

Ann Tom, I'd like to have a word with you about the visitors from

Mitsubishi. If everything ... according to the plan, they will

be here on Thursday at 11.00. Can we just run through our plans

for them?

Tom Yes. We ... them the corporate video when they ..., then I ...

them round the compressor plant. After that we will have lunch

out somewhere and if that goes well, we ... about the contract

in the afternoon.

Ann That sounds fine but don't forget they may be feeling tired if

they ... a long journey. Are you planning to show them the IT

system as well?

Tom Not unless they ... .

Ann OK. There's one other question. If they don't speak English

very well, ... they ... an interpreter?

Tom I think their English is good, actually, but it's a nice idea.

If none of the other companies they have visited ... them an

interpreter, it ... a good impression.

Ann OK. I'll set it up.

Tom Great. I hope everything goes well. It'll be really good if we

... this contract.

Ann I know. And just think, if we do, you ... start learning

Japanese!

2.11 You are going to show a visitor around your organization.

a. First work out the scenario. Decide:

1. who the visitor is (potential client/supplier/sponsor, etc.)

2. what the purpose of the visit is

3. what you want to tell the visitor about your organization

4. which systems and processes he or she will be interested in

5. which parts of the building the visitor should see

6. which people should be talked to

b. Then plan an itinerary for the visit with times, places and people

to meet.

c. Finally, act out the visit. The host should make the visitor

welcome and take him or her to the places on the itinerary. The visitor

should ask questions about the things seen.

2.12 Read this extract from a meeting. Choose the correct words or

phrases in brackets:

Elena The next item on the agenda is Kilman & Co. Could you bring us up

to date on this problem, Claus?

Claus Yes, they are slow payers. They know our terms are 30 days but

they're always two or three months late. They now owe us $85,000

and it's three months past the due date. I think we (ought/

should/would) take them to court.

Peter No, that's simply not (manageable/feasible/permissible). They

always pay us eventually and we need their business. They're

talking about placing another large order with us next month.

Elena So what do you think we should (do/doing/to do)?

Peter (Why/Which/How) about (negotiate/negotiating/to negotiate) a

longer credit period with them next time? We(could/better/shall)

adjust our prices accordingly.

Elena That (perhaps/might/will) be the answer for future deals.

Claus I (think/not think/don't think) we should accept any more orders

from them. They'll break the terms of the contract. If Geogre

Stephens (is/was/would be) still there, everything (will/would

be/is) fine. But they've got a new Finance Director and that's

the problem. He just ignores all my letters. I really think we

(would/did/had) better (start/to start/starting) taking legal

action to show that we are serious.

Elena I'm not sure (on/about/with) that. At least not yet. Why

(aren't/don't/won't) we set up a meeting with the new Finance

Director? If we (will get/get/got) to know him personally, he

(will be/was/is) much easier to deal with.

Peter (Here's/You have/That's) a good idea. Shall I arrange something?

We (could/better/need) all go out to the Manor.

Claus All right, but if it (wouldn't/won't/doesn't) work, we (will/

would/better) have to get the lawyers in.

2.13 Translate the sentences:

1. Я очень занят, а Джон настаивает, чтобы я провел его по отделам и

познакомил с сотрудниками. Он говорит, что желает "уловить атмосферу"

нашей фирмы. 2. Она уходит с работы на час-два раньше других под тем

предлогом, что ей надо учиться. 3. Вряд ли мы разбогатеем на этом

заказе. Вот увидишь, нас еще ждут большие неприятности с поставщиками.

4. Где находится отдел сбыта? У меня назначена встреча с мистером Олби.

- Мистер Олби находится сейчас в бухгалтерии. Это на втором этаже, рядом

с отделом кадров. 5. Срочно пошлите рабочих разгружать грузовики. Товар

доставлен нам уже несколько часов назад. 6. Мы установили новую

конвейерную линию в прошлом месяце, и с тех пор производство выросло

вдвое. 7. Цены у нас самые разные, это зависит от серии изделий. Во

всяком случае, наши цены никак не выше, чем у конкурентов. 8. Я хотел бы

получить заказанный товар как можно скорее. Можете ли вы поставить мне

триста наименований прямо со склада? 9. Изложите мне ваши требования и

назовите крайний срок. 10. Боюсь, что мы будем вынуждены отменить этот

заказ: уж очень велика стоимость доставки. 11. Это наш склад: здесь мы

храним запас готовой продукции. Правда, сейчас склад пустует - мы только

что поставили очень крупную партию товара одной зарубежной фирме. 12.

Боюсь, при таких условиях мы не сумеем выполнить контракт.

2.14 Make up dialogues about placing an order with your firm.

2.15 Translate the article:

ЛЕВ СПАС МЫШОНКА

Совсем недавно компания "Уолт Дисней" прогорала. Несмотря на

популярность фирмы, возникшую еще во времена фильмов о Микки Маусе,

новые ленты не возмещали потраченных на них средств. Но появился

мультипликационный "Король Лев", который оказал студии поистине

королевскую услугу: принес прибыль в 226 млн долларов. Это своего рода

рекорд. Вкупе с "Алладином" и переведенными на видеокассеты фильмами

"Бемби" и "Белоснежка и семь гномов" сказка о Льве помогла компании

преодолеть финансовый кризис. Выручка от этого пакета мультфильмов

впервые за десять лет превысила доход, получаемый от разбросанных по

миру "Диснейлендов". Многие считают, что "Король Лев" имеет все шансы

войти в пятерку самых кассовых фильмов всех времен. Но главное, что

студия, породившая неунывающего мышонка Микки, не пущена с молотка.

2.16 Write a letter of introduction or a request for an appointment.

UNIT 3

AN EMERGENCY IN THE SALES OFFICE

shorthand-typist машинистка-стенографистка

duplicating копирование

mail почта; почтовая корреспонденция

send smth round рассылать

incoming поступающий; входящий (о почте)

outgoing исходящий (о бумагах, почте и т.п.)

frank франкировать (письмо)

sort, sort out разбирать

memo, memorandum 1. памятная записка; заметка 2. письмо с

напоминанием; докладная записка или справка

letterhead печатный фирменный бланк

delivery note накладная на груз, транспортная накладная

stationery канцелярские принадлежности

forwarding agent экспедитор

clear очищать (товары, груз) от пошлин; выполнять таможенные

формальности

clearance таможенная очистка; очистка от пошлин

along the line по пути между пунктами отправления и доставки

bill of lading коносамент, транспортная накладная

hold-up остановка, задержка

invoice счет-фактура; выписать счет-фактуру

order intake поступление заказов, принятые заказы

sound платежеспособный, надежный

sight draft вексель на предъявителя

irrevocable letter of credit безотзывный аккредитив

long-term assessment долгосрочный прогноз

I.S.D. - International Subscriber Dialling (телефонный справочник)

souk - Arab market

3.1 Read the text:

John Martin is due back from his trip to Abraca today and there is a

pile of work on his desk. Unfortunately, there is also an unpleasant

surprise waiting for him. His very efficient secretary, Sally Langley,

has just telephoned to say that she is ill and cannot come into the

office today. Elizabeth Corby, Mr. Grant's secretary, copes with the

emergency by going to see the Chief Clerk in the General Office and

asking him if he will lend Mr. Martin one of his shorthand-typists while

Sally is away.

The General Office is a very busy place. It handles, among other things,

all the office printing and duplicating. It also deals with the mail:

the staff open all the letters in the morning and send them round to the

appropriate offices. Twice daily they collect all the outgoing letters,

frank them and post them. They also have an addressing machine, which

prints addresses on envelopes, folds the letters and seals the envelopes

very rapidly. This is used for advertising and publicity, as well as

addressing all order acknowledgements, delivery notes and monthly

statements of account. The Chief Clerk, Mr. Baker, reluctantly agrees to

lend Fenella, who is inexperienced but willing. Elizabeth tells her

where to find the stationery, gives her a few helpful hints and then

leaves her to her fate.

Mr. Martin has a much bigger emergency to cope with as soon as he

arrives. Thirty desks have failed to arrive in Holland, and the agent

there, Mr. Van Eyck, rings Mr. Martin in a panic because he is

responsible for seeing that they are delivered by a certain date to the

Dutch customers. The firm use forwarding agents to clear the goods

through customs, transport them and deliver them. But something has gone

wrong somewhere along the line. Apart from this, and many other jobs

which need his attention, John has also got to report to Mr. Grant on

his trip to Abraca.

They discuss the chances of opening up a new market there, who they will

use as an agent and how the money to pay for the goods will be

transferred to Britain. Mr. Grant decides he wants an irrevocable letter

of credit. A letter of credit is sent by a bank to an exporter informing

him that payment for goods is at the bank. When the exporter proves that

the goods have left the country (by showing a copy of a bill of lading

with the signature of the captain, or person responsible, proving that

the goods have been loaded on to the ship) the money is then paid to the

exporter. The buyer - say in Abraca - tells his own bank to send a

letter of credit to the exporter's bank in London. It is therefore a

promise to pay as soon as the exporter has shown proof that he has sent

the goods.

At the end of the day John has cleared up some of his work, but poor

Fenella is nearly at her wits' end.

3.2 Listen to the dialogue.

(In the General Office)

ELIZABETH Good morning, Mr. Baker, we've got a bit of a crisis on in

Mr.Martin's office, and I was wondering if you could help

us.

MR.BAKER I certainly will if I can. What's up?

ELIZABETH Mr. Martin is due back from Abraca this morning, and his

secretary has just telephoned to say that she's ill. She

thinks she's got flu.

BAKER I'm sorry to hear that.

ELIZABETH Mr.Martin will need someone to help him. The other two girls

in the Sales Office can't do shorthand, so could you

possibly spare a girl from your department?

BAKER Oh dear! Well, I suppose I could let him have Fenella.

ELIZABETH What's her shorthand like?

BAKER Reasonable. She sets her letters out well, although I wouldn't

say she was the world's fastest worker.

ELIZABETH Oh, I expect she'll manage. Thanks for your help.

(in John Martin's office)

ELIZABETH Here's today's post, Fenella.

FENELLA Thank you.

ELIZABETH It was sorted and stamped with today's date, as you know, in

the General Office. In this 'in' tray are all the letters

and memos which have come in while Mr. Martin has been away.

You'll see that Sally has written a note with each one to

show whether she has taken any action or not. By the way,

Sally keeps all the stationery in this drawer here,

letterheads, envelopes, flimsy and so on. Mr. Martin will

probably be in any minute now. If you need help you can come

into my office down the corridor. Do you think you'll be

able to manage?

FENELLA Oh, I think it'll be fun to have a change.

ELIZABETH Yes, well, you'll be very busy. The work here is rather

different from the work in the General Office, you know. I

must leave you now.

FENELLA Thank you, Elizabeth.

(Later that morning, Mr. Martin is dealing with a telephone call)

JOHN Hello. What? Desks? Oh, Mr. Van Eyck... Yes... But they were

sent off days ago. Yes, of course they were... wait, I'll

give you the exact date. Fenella, quick!

FENELLA Yes, Mr. Martin.

JOHN See if you can find the copies of the shipping documents for

the thirty M-type desks sent to the Netherlands. They'll be

in the outer office in the file under Bills of Lading. Hello

...hold on...we're trying to find it. I'm sorry about this,

Mr. Van Eyck, I can't understand the hold-up.

FENELLA Is this it, Mr. Martin?

JOHN Yes, that's it. Here we are, Mr. Van Eyck, yes, consigned

motor vessel 'Kelpie', date of clearance London Docks, 12th

September. You should have them by now. I'll get on to our

forwarding agents and call you back. O.K. Goodbye. Fenella!

Get me the Globe Forwarding Company - Mr. Alan Smith. The

number's on the list by the phone. Something has happened to

our two containers for Rotterdam. Our agent in Holland

promised our clients would get the desks on Friday. When

you've got him, ring through to Mr. Best, the Sales Clerk,

and ask him to bring up the invoiced sales and order intake

for the month. Be as quick as you can.

(An hour later)

JOHN Hello, oh, Mr. Smith. Any luck? What! Oh, no. Left on the

dock. Why weren't they cleared? Well, surely the agent's

responsible. Look, I'll try and get the containers cleared.

O.K. I'll ring you back. Fenella! Get me Mr. Van Eyck in

Amsterdam.

FENELLA Oh, Mr. Martin, how do I telephone to Holland?

JOHN You can dial the number direct, it's on I.S.D. Oh, heavens!

It's eleven-thirty already. As soon as I've got through,

I'll have to go and see Hector Grant. I shan't be long.

(In Mr. Grant's office)

HECTOR Come in, John. Well, you seem to have covered a lot of ground

GRANT in Abraca. What about an agent?

JOHN I think I've found a good one. I think he'll handle our

business well.

GRANT What's his financial position?

JOHN When I was in Djemsa I checked up with the Abracan National

Bank, who rate him as sound.

GRANT Did you agree a commission if we decide to employ him?

JOHN Yes. The usual ten per cent.

GRANT How are we going to arrange payment from Abraca? I'm against

sight draft.

JOHN Oh, I agree. It must be irrevocable letter of credit.

Payment will be made through a London branch of the National

Bank of Abraca when they receive our bills of lading and all

the other documents.

GRANT Well, I'd like a more detailed report from you on paper,

plus your long-term assessment.

(Back in John Martin's office)

JOHN Fenella, these letters are full of spelling mistakes.

FENELLA Oh, Mr. Martin, I did try to do my best. Honestly I did.

JOHN Oh, Fenella! Don't weep all over my letters, they're so

nicely set out. You can easily correct the spelling

mistakes. Do cheer up. I'm sorry. I expect I'm a bit tired

too. It's been a hectic day for both of us.

FENELLA Oh dear.

JOHN Look, I really am sorry. I shouldn't have expected so much

from you. You've done splendidly. I know... pass me my

briefcase. I bought this ash-tray in the souk in Djemsa.

Would you like it?

FENELLA Oh, yes, Mr.Martin. Thank you ever so much... and can I work

for you tomorrow if Sally is still away?

JOHN Yes, of course. I shouldn't be able to manage without you.

3.3 Answer the questions:

1. What was John's aim in Abraca?

2. How did he find out that the man who might act as their agent in

Abraca was financially sound?

3. What happened to the desks sent to Netherlands?

4. What documents did John want from the Sales Clerk?

5. What kind of worker was Fenella?

6. Who is responsible for seeing that goods pass through customs

into the country of destination?

7. What is the document called, a copy of which accompanies all

goods sent by ship?

8. What are goods packed in to protect them and keep them together

on a long journey?

3.4 Find definitions for the terms:

forwarding agent, frank, memo, duplicating, send round, sight draft,

clear, shorthand-typist, hold-up

a. a typist who can also write notes in shorthand symbols

b. making copies by means other than printing

c. to send to all interested offices

d. to put an official mark, instead of a stamp, on a letter, with a

franking machine

e. a firm responsible for transporting and delivering goods which are

being exported

f. to get goods through customs

g. a short note of instructions or information for internal office use

h. anything that checks progress

i. a Bill of Exchange attached to shipping documents

3.5 Fill in gaps in the sentences:

1. Elizabeth Corby ... with the emergency by going to see the Chief

Clerk in the ... Office and asking him if he will ... Mr. Martin one of

his shorthand-typists. 2. The General Office ... all the office printing

and duplicating. It also ... ... the mail. 3. Twice daily they collect

all the ... letters. 4. This is used for advertising and ..., as well as

addressing all order ..., ... notes and monthly ... of account. 5.

Thirty desks have ... to arrive in Holland. 6. The firm use ... agents

to ... the goods through customs, transport them and deliver them. 7.

John has got to report ... Mr. Grant ... his trip to Abraca. 8. Mr.

Grant wants an ... letter of credit. 9. At the end of the day John has

cleared ... some of his work, but poor Fenella is nearly at her ... end.

10. The other two girls in the Sales Office can't ... shorthand. 11. I

think it'll be ... to have a change. 12. Can you find the copies of the

... documents for the thirty M-type desks sent to the Netherlands? 13.

Ring ... ... the Sales Clerk, and ask him to bring up the order ... for

the month. 14. Payment will be made through a London ... of the National

Bank of Abraca when they receive our bills of ... and all the other

documents.

3.6 It is most useful to pay attention to the style of business letters.

Here are some points to be noted.

When writing a business letter in English, be careful not to use an

old-fashioned commercial instruction book as a guide. The style of

writing is changing rapidly. Every year it gets simpler and less formal.

Business correspondents prefer simple English to express what they want

to say as effectively as possible. Time is more precious than ever to a

busy executive and he does not want to have to read a lot of unnecessary

words. But the writer of a business letter must create a good

impression, especially if he is selling, so a few words to promote a

feeling of friendship and goodwill are not wasted. However, compliments

must not be exaggerated, as they may produce the opposite effect, and

the reader may feel that the writer is being insincere.

The following points should be remembered when writing a business

letter in English:

1. make a new paragraph for a new subject;

2. say what you want to say in the simplest, clearest way;

3. do not sell aggressively;

4. do not exaggerate compliments;

5. remember that real feelings will have more effect than pretended

ones.

Here is a letter called an enquiry letter, that is, one asking for

information about something, possibly a product which the writer of the

letter may wish to buy. Of course, enquiry letters vary according to the

type of product, the writer's own style and the information he or she

requires, but this letter could be varied to fit most first enquiry

situations.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

D O G B E R R Y & S O N S

Barlow Avenue

York

The Sales Manager,

Harper & Grant Ltd.,

Great West Road,

London, W.25. 1st September, 197..

Dear Sir,

We are interested in the new filing cabinets advertized by you in

the current number of the "Office Equipment" magazine (issue No. 1056,

page 24), and we should like some more information.

At present we are using the drawer type filing cabinets and we

should like to know:

(1) if the new system is easier and quicker to operate;

(2) how many files can be stored in each cabinet;

(3) what is the capacity of each file.

Our present office furniture is a light grey and we should like to

match it as closely as possible. Could you let us see samples of the

colours available?

We should be grateful to receive a prompt reply as we are in the

process of replanning our filing system throughout the firm.

Yours faithfully,

George Watkins

DOGBERRY & SONS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.7 Translate the article:

RULE NUMBER ONE: CLEAR THAT DESK

If your desk is piled up with letters, faxes, forms, memos,

reports, print-outs and stickly-backed message slips, you might believe

all this paperwork is a sign of how busy you are. But according to

Declan Treacy, cluttered desks led to lost information, distractions,

missed opportunities, high stress and not a little procrastination. He

founded and runs the Clear Your Desk Organization and organizes the

annual International Clear Your Desk Day.

His arguments for uncluttered desks are strong. "We pile between

300 and 500 pieces of paper on the desk at any one time, a load

equivalent to a 40-hour backlog of work. With 45 minutes a day wasted on

frustrating searches for lost paperwork on and around the desk, it is

unfortunate that the cluttered desk is an accepted norm in most

organizations," he says. Treacy holds seminars to help companies to

organize their own Clear Your Desk days, when everyone from the senior

managers to secretaries learn how to tackle paperwork more effectively.

Paper has become the foundation on which our organizations are

built and at the beginning of the 1990s office workers around the world

were using more than 15 million miles of paper every day. Over two

billion business letters are posted daily worldwide. In the US,

companies have over 300 billion pieces of paper on file.

While a large proportion of this paperwork is important, we have

reached a situation where most organizations, both public and private,

are suffocating under mountains of unwanted paper. The average British

worker hoards 40 hours of unfinished paperwork at any one time; each

piece of paper on the desk will distract us up to five times a day; 68

per cent of office workers admit to habitually handling paperwork

several times before deciding what to do with it; worldwide, computer

printers produce over two and a half million pieces of paper every

minute; 60 million photocopies are made every hour; 30 billion faxes are

sent every year; and we hoard an average 20,000 pieces of paper in the

office.

So what is someone to do if they have a paper mountain on their

desk? Dump it in the bin? Well, yes, says Treacy. Or rather, he suggests

following four simple rules, and dumping the stuff is number four. Rule

number three is file it. Number two suggests passing it to someone else;

number one is the rule no one will like: act on it.

What you shouldn't do is add to the pile of paper that's already

there, says Treacy. "Eighty per cent of all paperwork is eventually

discarded, but it causes an awful lot of trouble before that happens.

Unfortunately, most executives believe the myth that an empty desk is

the sign of an unproductive mind. How wrong can you be? Companies cannot

afford to let people work from cluttered desks. Hours of valuable time

are wasted in searching for vital pieces of paper, and in being

distracted by the constant stream of faxes, memos and reports which land

in our in-trays when we should be devoting time to more important work.

And what is Treacy's desk like? Perfectly clear, of course.

(Source: "InterCity Magazine")

3.8 Answer the questions:

1. What do untidy desks lead to, according to Declan Treacy?

2. When is International Clear Your Desk Day held? Do you consider

it a good idea?

3. How many minutes do office workers waste for searching

documents?

4. How many hours would it take an average British employee to

clear his or her desk of paperwork?

5. Do the figures given about print-outs, photocopies and faxes

impress you? What are they?

6. What are Treacy's four rules for clearing your desk of papers?

7. Do you hoard a lot of papers on your desk?

3.9 Make up a story about an inexperienced secretary who spoiled the

routine work in your office.

3.10 Translate the sentences:

1. Эта партия товара была выслана вам десять дней назад. Вы уже должны

были ее получить. Честно говоря, я не понимаю причин задержки. 2. Часть

контейнеров с грузом была вскрыта где-то на пути следования. 3. Где у

нас папка с транспортными накладными? Дайте ее скорей сюда. Я должен

перезвонить мистеру Блейду и ответить на его вопросы. 4. Минуточку.

Сейчас я вам скажу точную дату, когда была произведена таможенная

очистка. 5. Бог мой! В ваших бумагах никогда ничего не найдешь. А мне

нужно срочно посмотреть все принятые заказы за прошлый месяц. 6. Наше

финансовое положение вполне надежно, и с нами охотно сотрудничают многие

фирмы, нуждающиеся в услугах экспедитора. 7. Боюсь, что если мы

потребуем слишком большие комиссионные, они к нам больше не обратятся, и

мы останемся вообще без работы. 8. Я не понимаю разницу между векселем

на предъявителя и аккредитивом. - Я объясню на пальцах. Для нас основная

разница состоит в сроках, когда мы получаем деньги за отправленный

покупателю товар. Вексель едет к заказчику вместе с товаром, и заказчик

получает товар, лишь оплатив указанную в векселе сумму. Тогда деньги

из-за рубежа поступают на наш банковский счет - а мы все это время ждем.

В случае с аккредитивом, мы получаем деньги, как только предъявляем в

банк транспортную накладную, доказав тем самым, что товар отправлен

заказчику.

3.11 You know that a forwarding agent is a firm responsible for

transporting and delivering goods which are being exported. A forwarding

agent is sometimes called a clearing agent. This is the one who

supervises and helps goods through customs, paying duties, etc. Someone

importing speaks of a clearing agent and someone exporting uses the term

forwarding agent.

Now study carefully the way of Harper & Grant's chairs that should

have been delivered to Holland, and imagine that something has happened

to the batch of goods produced by your company or sent by your

suppliers. Make up a dialogue with the forwarding or clearing agent who

is responsible for the hold-up.

3.12 Read the text:

Which is better: an exciting job where you can jump on planes and

fly first class around the world or a quiet routine job where you only

have to travel to the office and back? Recent research suggests many

business people would prefer the second option. Psychologists working

for British Telecom interviewed 75 managers, investigating complaints

that too much travelling makes them irritable and depressed.

One psychologist followed a 36-year-old London jeweller for about

three working days, monitoring and recording his stress levels. The

first day was the worst. He went on a business trip to Jersey and his

stress levels were twice as high as the following two days when he

worked from his office. British Telecom is using the research to

publicize its new range of teleconferencing machines - live videos that

can connect people around the world via telephone lines.

* The text mentions two symptoms of stress. What are they? Can you

think of any more?

Lots of things can cause stress at work. Match these different

causes and explanations.

1 overcrowding a. too many bureaucratic procedures

2 unrealistic deadlines b. no spare money

3 very tight budgets c. too little time to do the work

4 downsizing d. people not getting on with one

another

5 company reorganizations e. changing systems and job

descriptions

6 red tape f. physically threatening work

conditions

7 personality clashes g. too little space to work

8 dangerous environments h. staff redundancies

3.13 Translate the article.

СТРЕСС СВОБОДНОГО ВРЕМЕНИ

Сотрудники психологического факультета Люнебургского (ФРГ)

университета установили, что с тех пор, как на предприятиях

"Фольксвагена" в Вольфсбурге была установлена четырехдневная рабочая

неделя, кривая разводов среди служащих резко взметнулась вверх. Ученые

склонны объяснять это "стрессом свободного времени", утверждая, что

слишком продолжительное пребывание супругов в обществе друг друга да еще

при сокращенной зарплате ведет к взаимному раздражению и отчуждению со

всеми вытекающими отсюда последствиями.

3.14 Speak about problems causing stress at your imaginary business.

3.15 Translate the article.

КАК СТАТЬ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНЫМ СЕКРЕТАРЕМ

Некоторые краткосрочные курсы секретарей часть времени посвящают

изучению английского языка. Предмет полезный, но следует помнить, что,

претендуя на вакансии секретаря со знанием иностранного языка, вы будете

конкурировать с выпускницами филологических отделений вузов. Если вас

действительно привлекает эта работа, лучше выбрать сильные языковые

курсы и отдельно - хорошие секретарские. Обратите внимание на

компьютерную грамотность. Навыки беглой печати и создания документов в

MS WORD становится стандартом для секретарей, а Excel нужен лишь для

трети кандидатов.

Окончание курсов позволит приобрести минимальный набор навыков для

пробы себя в секретарской должности. Однако для большинства российских

работодателей наличие опыта работы является решающим критерием, и сразу

после курсов рассчитывать на серьезное отношение и оплату, по-видимому,

не стоит.

Кроме хороших практических навыков, для успешной карьеры секретаря

требуются также умение работать с информацией, с клиентами, нужен опыт

планирования и организации. Находясь на перекрестке информационных

потоков, секретарь обязан моментально принимать, оценивать и передавать

по назначению поступающие данные. Ведь когда в компании появляются новые

проблемы, первичный поиск и анализ информации обычно поручают именно

секретарю, а иногда ему приходится систематизировать информацию,

собранную, например, сотрудниками коммерческой службы.

Первоначальное мнение клиентов о компании во многом формируется в

зависимости от профессионализма и доброжелательности секретаря. Но

секретарскими услугами также пользуются руководитель и сотрудники самой

компании. Золотое правило бизнеса - "Клиент всегда прав!" - применимо и

для построения внутренних взаимоотношений. Здесь часто нас ждет ловушка

- "Вас много, а я одна!" Для того, чтобы успешно справляться с этим

ежедневным стрессом, помимо крепкой нервной системы нужно нарабатывать в

себе умение планировать работу и понимать приоритеты поставленных задач.

Школы помогут вам научиться работе секретаря, но стать хорошим

секретарем можно, только полюбив эту непростую профессию.

3.16 Write an enquiry letter asking for information about products

manufactured by a rival firm. Consider your wording carefully so that

your competitor should not suspect industrial espionage.

UNIT 4

TROUBLE WITH A SPECIAL ORDER

delay in delivery задержка поставки

penalty clause пункт о штрафах

honour the contract выполнить условия контракта

overdue 1. опаздывающий 2. просроченный (долг, вексель и т.п.)

buying department отдел закупок

production line производственная линия; поточная линия

meet the delivery date поставить что-л. в срок

claim compensation from smb требовать компенсации, возмещения

(напр., убытков)

offset возмещать, компенсировать

extra cost дополнительные расходы, издержки

ex works непосредственно с предприятия

public address (system) система громкой связи

reschedule изменять график, перепланировать

double time время (напр., выходные дни) когда работа оплачивается

по двойному тарифу

overtime сверхурочное время, сверхурочная работа