Unit 13 Business Meeting.doc

Unit ThirteenBusiness MeetingUnit Objectives (单元目标)After reading this unit, you should understand the difficulties and skills of idioms interpreting. find ways to improve your interpreting skills and performance. master the basic words and expressions about business meeting. know some cultural background knowledge about business meeting.PreparingI. Interpreting Skills (口译技能) Read the following presentation about idioms interpreting and try to understand the difficulties and skills of idioms interpreting. Then complete the following task:1.Please interpret the following idioms into English and Chinese respectively.1)隔墙有耳；破釜沉舟；三思而后行；无风不起浪； 一言既出，驷马难追；谋事在天，成事在人。20The burnt child dreads the fire. /Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion. /Where there is a will, there is a way. /Strike while the iron is hot. /Dont wash your dirty linen in public. /All good things must come to an end. 2.You are going to hear a short passage, note down what you hear, pay attention to the idioms and try to interpret them accurately.Idioms Interpreting（成语口译）Both Chinese and English are particularly rich in idioms. Idioms are so vivid and forcible in conveying a particular meaning that they are frequently used by speakers of both languages. Chinese and English idioms came into being under different historical, geographical, cultural and social backgrounds, so they contain different stories reflecting different environment, life, history, culture and values of the native speakers. It is surely no easy thing to understand idioms, let alone interpret them. One can hardly expect to provide a satisfactory rendition of an idiom unless he is guided by the correct method and manages to get an accurate understanding of its implied meaning through its surface structure according to the context.The Definition of IdiomAn idiom can be defined as a group of words with a meaning different from the combined meanings of its component words. One can hardly guess its meaning from the individual words that form it, for these words have already lost their original meaning. Idioms can be understood both in a broad sense and in a narrow one. In the narrow sense, they simply refer to the set phrases or clauses used in a language. Broadly speaking, they comprise all the idiomatic and special expressions in that language. Methods of Idioms InterpretingThere are quite a number of methods in interpreting idioms, but the following four are the most common ones:1. Idiom for IdiomAs we mentioned previously, both Chinese and English are rich in idioms. Some idioms in one language contain images, descriptions and meanings identical to idioms in the other language. There are also idioms that express the same meanings though they dont have identical metaphors or images. In both cases, we might borrow them directly from the target language so as to retain their vividness and achieve equivalence in effect, such as “滴水石穿”for “constant dripping wear the stone”; “Hungry dogs will eat dirty puddings” for “饥不择食” and so on.2. Literal TranslationLiteral translation means word-for-word rendition, bringing the whole image into the target language. This approach is used when the speakers of the target language can easily understand the image contained in an idiom. For example,“易如反掌” can be literally interpreted into “as easy as turning over ones palm”, and “To head a wolf into a house” into “引狼入室”.3. Free TranslationSome idioms which exhibit strong national or cultural characteristics can neither be handled by borrowing idioms from the target language nor translated literally because it would cause misunderstanding or could not be easily accepted by native speakers of the other language. In this case, it is necessary to resort to paraphrasing according to the context. For example, “王小二过年，一年不如一年” is interpreted into “to be going from bad to worse”, and “Every dog has its day” is interpreted into “人人皆有得意之日”.4. Literal Translation combined with paraphrasingThis approach is used when certain idioms, particularly those with historical stories or names involved, can hardly be understood and accepted by the listener, and the interpreter cannot find their proper equivalents in the target language. If literal translation were used, they would lose their original vividness. For example, “杀鸡给猴看” is interpreted into “to kill the chicken to frighten the monkeyto punish somebody as a warning to others”.II. Phrase Interpreting (短语口译)Work on the following words and phrases. Interpret them into Chinese and English respectively.A.English to Chinese 1. Sino-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT)2. WEF (World Economic Forum) 3. World Economic Development Summit 4. Adjourn 5. Agenda 6. In favor of 7. Against 8. Abstain 9. May I come in here?10 If you ask me,. I tend to think that. B. Chinese to English1. 太对了2. 我明白你的意思3. 例会 4. 欢迎会 5. 悬而未决 6. 双方达成共识/一致意见 7. 高层会谈8. 一切争端应首先通过友好会谈进行解决9. 我宣布会议开始。10在我看来，这不可能实施。III. Sentence Interpreting （句子口译）Work on the following sentences. Interpret them into Chinese and English respectively.A. English to Chinese 1.I dont see what you mean. Could we have some more details, please?2.What I am bringing today is a contract for a breakthrough technology, which has the potential to enhance our energy efficiency by 45%. 3.According to our agenda, we are down to the items on approval of the new project. 4.In China, we are accustomed to give the floor first to the guest. 5.I wonder whether we should start with matters of principles or specific issues?B. Chinese to English1.此时此刻，我很荣幸能在亚太经合组织部长级会议发言。2.我建议是否先研究一下总体方案。3.现在我高兴地向你们介绍第一位讲话者，我们公司的销售部经理。4.本次研讨会对于信息技术在中国的普及与推广具有积极的作用和深远的意义。我预祝研讨会圆满成功。5.我要感谢会议的组织者和东道主的热情好客，同时对本次会议的出色组织接待工作表示祝贺。 PerformingI. Decoding-Notes Taking （笔记记录）Listen to the recordings of Text A. Try to catch the main ideas of the speech. Note down the key points while you are listening. Then tell the main ideas of the speech with the help of your notes.II. Memorizing-Story Retelling （故事复述）Listen to the recordings of Text A again. Try to catch more details and improve your notes. Then retell the speech in your own words with the help of your notes.III. Encoding-Message Reconstructing （信息重组）Listen to the recordings of Text A paragraph by paragraph. Take notes when necessary and start interpreting during the pauses. Text ALadies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends, We are gathered here this evening in the beautiful city of Shenzhen for the international conference. On behalf of the organizer and our company as well as in my own name, I would like first to extend a warm welcome to you all. Today, the conference is devoted to New Century, New Economy: Developing in a Globalizing World, which is of great significance. Mankind has entered a new century. This is not merely a chronological change. It marks a new era of economic development and social advancement for the international community. This new era distinguishes itself from others by a growing trend towards a multi-polar world an economic globalization, and, particularly, by the rapid progress in science and technology. In order to build China into a modern country, we have to learn and use the advanced technology and scientific management methods from other counties. Therefore, the holding of this international conference, the introduction of foreign intellectual resources, and inviting foreign experts to work in China have become the important components of opening to the outside world. I hope that foreign experts, overseas Chinese experts and foreign friends will support and help with Chinas construction as always. At the same time, we would like to welcome more foreign experts, overseas Chinese experts and foreign friends to join us in our economic an social development. I wish all the experts who have been awarded the Medal of Friendship and their spouses a happy stay in Shenzhen. Thank you very much! IV. CoordinatingField Interpreting （现场口译）Listen to the recordings of Text B. Take some notes when necessary and interpret the text with the aids of the notes. Text B Chairman: If we are all here, lets get started. First of all, Id like you to please join me in welcoming Jack Peterson, our Southwest Area Sales Vice President. Peterson: Thank you for having me, Im looking forward to todays meeting.Chairman: Id also like to introduce Xu who recently joined our team. Xu: 我也来介绍下我的助手，Lu。Chairman: Welcome Lu. Im afraid our national sales director, Anne Trusting, cant be with us today. She is in Kobe at the moment, developing our Far East sales force. Reviewing Past Business Chairman:Now lets begin. Our topic today is to discuss how to improve our sales in the rural area. First of all, lets go over the report on June 24th. Tom, its your turn. Robbins:Thank you Mark. Let me just summarize the main points of the last meeting. We began the meeting by approving the changes in our sales reporting system discussed on May 30th. After briefly revising the changes that will take place, we moved on to a brainstorming session concerning after sales customer support improvements. Youll find a copy of the main ideas developed and discussed in these sessions in the photocopies in front of you. The meeting was declared closed at 11.30. Beginning the Meeting Chairman:Thank you Tom. So, if there is nothing else we need to discuss, lets move on to todays agenda. Have you all received a copy of todays agenda?Xu: 是的。 Chairman:If you dont mind, Id like to skip item 1 and move on to item 2: Sales improvement in rural market areas. Jack has kindly agreed to give us a report on this matter. Jack?Discussing Items Peterson:Before I begin the report, Id like to get some ideas from you all. How do you feel about rural sales in your sales districts? I suggest we go round the table first to get all of your input. Lu: 我认为我们太看重城市的顾客和他们的需求。依我看来，我们应该重新关注我们的农村市场，关注他们的特别要求，开展广告活动。Linnes:Im afraid I cant agree with you. I think rural customers want to feel as important as our customers living in cities. I suggest we give our rural sales teams more help with advanced customer information reporting. Xu: 对不起，我没听清楚，你再讲一遍好吗？Linnes:I just stated that we need to give our rural sales teams better customer information reporting. Xu: 我还是没明白。 你具体是什么意思？Linnes:Well, we provide our city sales staff with database information on all of our larger clients. We should be providing the same sort of knowledge on our rural customers to our sales staff there. Peterson:Would you like to add anything, Jennifer?Miles: I must admit I never thought about rural sales that way before. I have to agree with Alice. Peterson:(Jack presents his report) Well, let me begin with this PowerPoint presentation. Peterson: As you can see, we are developing new methods to reach out to our rural customers. Xu: 我们分成小组来讨论我们刚才看到他的介绍.Finishing the Meeting Chairman:Unfortunately, were running short of time. Well have to leave that to another time.Peterson:Before we close, let me just summarize the main points: 1.Rural customers need special help to feel more valued. 2. Our sales teams need more accurate information on our customers. 3.A survey will be completed to collect data on spending habits in these areas. 4.The results of this survey will be delivered to our sales teams 5.We are considering specific data mining procedures to help deepen our understanding. Chairman:Thank you very much Jack. Right, it looks as though weve covered the main items. Is there any other business?Peters: Can we fix the next meeting, please? Chairman:Good idea Donald. How does Friday in two weeks time sound to everyone? Lets meet at the same time, 9 oclock. Is that OK for everyone? . Excellent. Id like to thank Jack for coming to our meeting today and giving the presentation. The meeting is closed.PackagingI. Interpreting and Assessment （口译与评估）Work in groups. Listen to the recordings of Text C. Take some notes while listening. Interpret the text with the help of your notes. The other members are expected to evaluate the interpreters performance with the peers assessment form.Text C为什么中国挑选上海来召开APEC会议呢？理由如下：上海从改革开放政策中得益最大，它的巨大变化有目共睹，上海成为中国改革开放一个闪光的榜样。APEC的目的是要建立一个开放的经济体系来促进自由贸易，上海似乎是按照这个原则行动的最佳场所。上海因成功去办2001年APEC会议而赢得国内外的高度赞扬。同时，这次事件为上海带来了极大的收益。专家们预测由于APEC各项活动所带来的多种效应，上海很多部门将迅速发展起来。上海在举办2001 年APEC会议中引进了市场操作方式。这为将来主办大规模的国际会议开辟了道路。作为一个国际经济、金融和贸易中心，上海自20世纪90年代初以来一直给予无污染的、高效率的会展部门以大力支持。上海现在每年定期举办四十场左右世界著名的专业化和国际化展览，以汽车、电器、医疗器材和食品为特色。 此外，上海还成功主办了七百多场重要的国际会议，使上海在这方面享誉世界。1999年，有一百五十多个会议在上海召开。因此，上海的会展部门得到了迅速发展，经济效益每年提高20%。 Peers Assessment Form1.Delivery A B C D1.1Is the articulation or intonation unnatural? 1.2Are there any irritating outburst or exaggerated fillers? 1.3Are there any excessive repairs or unfinished sentences? 1.4Is the voice unpleasant or unconvincing? 2.Language 2.1Are there any irritating mispronunciations? 2.2Are there any irritating grammatical mistakes? 2.3Are there any unidiomatic expressions? 3.Coherence 3.1Are there any abrupt beginnings or endings? 3.2Is the performance incoherent? 3.3Is the message implausible or illogical? 4.Loyalty4.1Are there any significant omissions? 4.2Are there any unjustified changes? 4.3Are there any unjustified additions? II.Feedback and Comments （反馈与评论）After you finish the interpretation, tell your classmates and teacher how you feel about your performance. Then the teacher will make an overall comment on your performance and give you some suggestion.Aims of this UnitStudents FeedbackTeachers CommentsThe candidate has met the standard, knowledge and skill requirements.Candidates: _ Date _Assessor: _ Date _Supplementary Exercises (补充练习)Task ISimulation Exercises （模拟练习）Role-play the following situations with your partners, acting as the Chinese speaker, English speaker and the interpreter respectively. One group will be invited to perform in class. Get into groups and each group chooses one student as the chairperson and another as the interpreter. Organize a meeting according to the flowchart given below. Make interpretations with your partners during the meeting. Pay special attention to the expressions used at a business meeting. Meeting flowchart Open the meeting l Introduction l Explain the purpose of the meeting l Present the agenda Move to the first point on the agenda Hand over to another person Bring people into discussion Ask for repetition and clarification Paraphrase Summarize Move to the next point Close the meeting Task 2Vocabulary Development （词汇扩展）Read the following words and expressions. Try to keep them in mind and find more to enrich your language bank.A.Useful Words & Expressions Sino-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT)中美联合商贸委员会WEF (World Economic Forum) 世界经济论坛World Economic Development Summit 世界经济发展高峰会Adjourn 休会Agenda 会议议程In favor of 赞成Against 反对Abstain 弃权May I come in here?我可以说吗？If you ask me,. I tend to think that. 假如你问我，我认为 Good point!太对了I get your point.我明白你的意思例会 An ordinary meeting欢迎会 A welcome meeting悬而未决 Pending双方达成共识/一致意见 Reach a consensus on高层会谈High-level Talks一切争端应首先通过友好会谈进行解决All disputes shall, first of all, be settled amicably by negotiation.B.Sample SentencesHaving a Meeting Sample SentencesHaving ones Attention n Attention / Silent / Order, please.n Can / May I have your attention, please n Ladies and gentlemen, I need your attention.Opening the Meeting n I declare the meeting open.n Im glad to see that you could all make it to this meeting.n If we are all here, lets get started.n Lets get started. Were here today to discuss . First, lets go over the report from the last meeting.n Well, let me begin with this PowerPoint presentation. n Id also like to introduce . who recently joined our team.n Thank you for having me, Im looking forward to todays meeting.Setting Objectives n The aim / purpose of the meeting is to discuss the new market project.n The reason why we are here is to discuss the possibility of opening a new market in that area.n The agenda of the meeting is as follows.n The first item on the agenda is Miss Browns report of her feasibility study of the project.Asking for Opinion n How do you feel about this proposal?n Whats your view on this?n Would you like to comment, Nora?n Why dont you speak first, Tom?n Is there anyone whod like to say something?Presenting Opinion n Mr. Chairman, may I make a point here?n I ask for the floor / to speak.n As far as I see it, we have got two options.n Id just like to say / point out that we cant afford the time.n In my opinion, it cant work at all.n Could I just say something? I (really) feel that.n In my opinion.n The way I see things.n If you ask me. I tend to think that.Presenting Alternatives n The way I see things, we need to.n I suggest that we. n We should.n Why dont you.n How/What about.n I suggest/recommend that.Controlling the