unit 12 business negotiation

1 UnitUnitUnit TwelveTwelveTwelve BusinessBusinessBusinessBusiness NegotiationNegotiationNegotiationNegotiation UnitUnit ObjectivesObjectives 单元目标单元目标 After reading this unit you should understand the difficulties and skills of figures interpreting find ways to improve your interpreting skills and performance master the basic words and expressions about business negotiation know some cultural background knowledge about business negotiation 2 PreparingPreparing I I InterpretingInterpreting SkillsSkills 口译技能口译技能 Read the following presentation about figures interpreting and try to understand the difficulty and skills of figures interpreting Then complete the following task 1 You are going to hear a group of figures in English Please write them down and read them out in Chinese 2 You are going to hear a short passage note down what you hear pay attention to the figures and try to interpret them accurately Figures Interpreting 数字口译 The Difficulties of Figures Interpreting For an interpreter to do a long series of figures in interpretation is by no means easy And for an interpreter whose mother tongue is Chinese the difficulties involved seem to be even greater Figures interpretation is considered as an interpreter s big headache Following are some notable difficulties 1 万万 vs million and 亿亿 vs billion In Chinese one tends to say 万 ten thousand and 亿 one hundred million of which there is no equivalent in English In English there are million 百万 and billion 十亿 Yet many trainees sometimes refer 万 to as million and 亿 as billion 2 Comparison Expressions The ways comparison is expressed in Chinese are in some respect different from those in English especially when the questions of countable and uncountable nouns are involved For example 中国 1995 年的国民收入比 1980 年翻了两番 is interpreted into China s national income in 1995 was four times that of 1980 3 Measurement Units Quite a few units of measurement in Chinese usually have to be converted so as to facilitate understanding For example in Chinese one tends to measure the mileage by kilometers while the English speaker usually resort to miles The Interpretation of Figures The fundamental solution to the aforementioned difficulties lies in practice Practice makes perfect To ensure accuracy it is always helpful and reassuring to speedily jot them down as the original speaker is uttering them It is very risky trying to do a long series of figures in interpreting without jotting them down in a feasible way In the case of interpreting between Chinese and English figures do require a sufficient amount of training 1 Two things that are considered advisable In the course of figures interpretation training the following two things are usually considered advisable 1 To lay emphasis on the speedy and accurate rendering of figures involving 万 and 亿 as a first step 2 To practice the rapid reading of 5 digit numbers 8 digit numbers and then 10 digit 3 numbers in both Chinese and English then combine them with various units of measurement until accuracy and fluency are achieved 2 Two possible sets of signs to jot down figures speedily Here we wish to introduce two possible sets of signs to jot down figures speedily 1 Using commas each representing one group of three naughts For example forty thousand can be represented by 40 seven million can be represented by 7 2 Resorting to th m b and tr respectively representing thousand million billion and trillion For example forty thousand can be represented by 40 th seven million can be represented by 7m 3 Interpreting Cardinal Numbers It is easy to interpret numbers below one hundred because there is a regular set of numerals in English Equivalents of the Chinese 百 and 千 can be found in English i e hundred and thousand However since there are not equivalent cardinal numbers of 万 and 十万 in English figures involving five and six digits must be interpreted with caution There is an equivalent cardinal number of 百万 in English which is million But no English equivalents can be found for 千万 and 亿 So in interpretation we must convert 千万 into ten million and 亿 into one hundred million The Chinese 十亿 is a billion in American English But in British English it must be converted into one thousand million 4 Interpreting Fractions Fractions are composed of the numerator and the denominator Cardinal numbers are used for the numerator while ordinal numbers are used for the denominator When the numerator is one the denominator is read in its singular form If the numerator is not one the plural form should be used for the denominator In case the numerator and the denominator are big numbers both are pronounced as cardinal numbers but they are joined by the word over in between For example 23 75 is read as 23 over 75 The full number in the fraction is read as a cardinal number and is connected by the word and with the fraction number 5 Interpreting Decimals The decimal point is pronounced as point All the numerals after the decimal point are read one by one as ordinary cardinal numbers For example 3 25 is read as three point two five II II PhrasePhrase InterpretingInterpreting 短语口译 Work on the following words and phrases Interpret them into Chinese and English respectively A English to Chinese 1 export subsidy 2 dumping 3 exchange dumping 4 special preferences 5 favorable balance of trade 6 price including commission 7 FOB free on board 8 clearance of goods 9 shipments within 30 days after receipt of L C 10 price indication 4 B Chinese to English 1 交易磋商 2 不受约束 3 一般交易条件 4 累计佣金 5 来料加工6 独家经营 专营权 7 参考样品 8 品质检验证书 9 商品检验局 10 直接标价 III III SentenceSentence InterpretingInterpreting 句子口译 Work on the following sentences Interpret them into Chinese and English respectively A English to Chinese 1 We must stress that these payment terms are very important to us 2 Would you consider accepting our counterproposal 3 Maybe we should hold off until we have covered item B on our agenda 4 Please be aware that this is a crucial issue to us 5 I have to raise some issues which may be embarrassing B Chinese to English 1 如果是我的话 不会将时间浪费在这里 2 如果你坚持 我们会遵照你的要求 3 你可以回答我有关保证的问题吗 4 你能详细说明你们的论据吗 5 这会帮助我了解你们的重点 PerformingPerforming I I Decoding NotesDecoding Notes TakingTaking 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 5 II II Memorizing StoryMemorizing Story RetellingRetelling 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 III Encoding MessageEncoding Message ReconstructingReconstructing 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 A The human aspect of negotiation can be either helpful or disastrous The process of working out an agreement may produce a psychological commitment to a mutually satisfactory outcome A working relationship where trust understanding respect and friendship are built up over time can make each new negotiation smoother and more efficient And people s desire to feel good about themselves and their concern for what others will think of them can often make them more sensitive to another negotiator s interests Many people believe that economic challenges and opportunities in the decades ahead will emanate from the countries in the Pacific Rim Basin particularly in East Asia where phenomenal strides have been made in terms of economic and technological developments The difference in cultural and value systems among North America Western Europe and East Asia is significant Given such difference western business people could not approach business negotiations with East Asia partners with the same attitude and perspective they would assume for a domestic or western counterpart Six common denominators to success in negotiation with East Asians can be identified These are Complimentarily of product service provided by the foreign partner Patience Respect for cultural difference Need to build and nurture relationship Long term commitments to the market Need to understand the system and work within it IV IV CoordinatingCoordinating FieldField InterpretingInterpreting 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 6 Text B Jin 欢迎到我们公司来 我叫金哲夫 负责出口部 这是我的名片 Smith I ll give you mine too Jin 你的航行顺利吗 Smith Not bad but I m little tired Jin 这是你的日程安排 开完会后 我们去参观工厂 再跟生产部经理开个会 晚上你将 和我们主任共进晚餐 Smith Could you arrange a meeting with your boss Jin 当然可以 我会安排在明天早上 10 点钟 Smith Well shall we get down to business Jin 行 你有没有收到我们上周寄给你的样品 Smith Yes we finished the evaluation of it If the price is acceptable we would like to order now Jin 听到这个我真高兴 Smith What s your best price for that item Jin 单价是 12 50 美元 Smith I think the price is a little high can t you reduce it Jin 恐怕不行 12 50 美元是我们的底价 如果你订货超过 10 000 件 我们可以减到 12 00 美元 Smith Well I ll accept the price and place an initial order of 10 000 units Jin 太好了 史密斯先生 跟你做生意真是我的荣幸 Smith The pleasure is ours Can you deliver the goods by March 31 Jin 当然行 PackagingPackaging I I InterpretingInterpreting andand AssessmentAssessment 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 peer s assessment form Text C Tom I m glad to have the chance to visit your corporation I hope to conclude some substantial business with you Chen 汤姆先生 有机会见到你很高兴 相信你已在样品间参观了展品 对哪几种产品感兴趣 啊 Tom I m interested in your hardware I have seen the exhibits and studied your catalogs I think some of the items will find a ready market in Holland Here is a list of my requirements for which I d like to have your lowest quotations CIF Sydney 7 Chen 多谢你们询价 为方便我们报价 告诉我们你所要的数量好吗 Tom I ll do that Meanwhile would you give me an indication of price Chen 这是我们的装运港船上交货价的价格单 所有价格以我们最后确认为准 Tom What about the commission From European suppliers I usually get a 3 to 5 percent commission for my imports It s the general practice Chen 我们通常是不给佣金的 但是订货如果数量大 我们可以考虑 Tom You see I do business on commission basis A commission on your prices would make it easier for me to promote sales Even a 2 or 3 percent would help Chen 到你们订货时 再讨论这个问题吧 Peer s Assessment Form 1 Delivery A B C D 1 1 Is the articulation or intonation unnatural 1 2 Are there any irritating outburst or exaggerated fillers 1 3 Are there any excessive repairs or unfinished sentences 1 4 Is the voice unpleasant or unconvincing 2 Language 2 1 Are there any irritating mispronunciations 2 2 Are there any irritating grammatical mistakes 2 3 Are there any unidiomatic expressions 3 Coherence 3 1 Are there any abrupt beginnings or endings 3 2 Is the performance incoherent 3 3 Is the message implausible or illogical 4 Loyalty 4 1 Are there any significant omissions 4 2 Are there any unjustified changes 4 3 Are there any unjustified additions II II FeedbackFeedback andand CommentsComments 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 Unit 8 Student s Feedback Teacher s Comments The candidate has met the standard knowledge and skill requirements Candidates Date Assessor Date SupplementarySupplementary ExercisesExercises 补充练习补充练习 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 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 Situation A Suppose you are buyer and your partner the seller You require a 5 reduction on the price and your partner requires the minimum quantity of the order to be 1 000 dozen After bargaining you and your partner both make some concessions and the deal is concluded Situation B Suppose you are the buyer and your partner the seller After settling payment terms you move on to the next item on the agenda delivery terms 9 A Useful Words enquiry 5 交易磋商交易磋商 合同签订合同签订 指示性价格 price indication 10 习惯做法 usual practice 不受约束 without engagement 有效期限 time of validity 购货合同 purchase contract 销售合同 sales contract 购货确认书 purchase confirmation 销售确认书 sales confirmation 一般交易条件 general terms and conditions 6 贸易方式贸易方式 拍卖auction 寄售consignment 招标invitation of tender 投标submission of tender 一般代理人agent 补偿贸易compensation trade 来料加工processing on giving materials 来料装配assembling on provided parts 独家经营 专营权exclusive right 独家经营 包销 代理协议exclusivity agreement 独家代理 sole exclusive agency agent 7 品质条件品质条件 品质 quality 原样 original sample 规格 specifications 复样 duplicate sample 大路货 良好平均品质 fair average quality 8 商检仲裁商检仲裁 索赔 claim 争议disputes 罚金条款 penalty 仲裁arbitration 不可抗力 force Majeure 9 数量条件数量条件 个数 number 净重 net weight 容积 capacity 毛作净 gross for net 体积 volume 皮重 tare 毛重 gross weight 10 外 外 汇汇 硬通货 hard currency 直接标价 direct quotation 软通货 soft currency 11 间接标价 indirect quotation 通货膨胀 inflation 卖出汇率 selling rate 固定汇率 fixed rate B Sample Sentences Negotiation Sample Sentences Check Authority to Negotiate Before we begin are you sure you are in a position to conduct this negotiation Do you think you have the authority to negotiate a large order Go to Specific Point Let s talk specifically about XX 897 Can you be more precise about numbers We can first agree on the principle of supply and then the specific delivery time later Changing to a New Point OK let s talk about unit price rather than discount Now let s turn to terms of payment If you have no objectives we ll move on to the next issue Shall we proceed to our next item on the agenda Postpone Well let s discuss the details tomorrow Let s deal with that later Agree Agreed No objection It s settled then Interrupt Can I interrupt just come in here Just a moment Clarify There are still some points that need clarification Frankly we have 2 major suspicious and we hope you could help us to understand and clarify I d like to make an inquiry concerning the shipment Have you any questions as regards the contract Object I m afraid we may have some misunderstandings here we can t agree with you on this point we can t accept your delivery terms We re prepared to agree to all the other conditions except this one We ask you to reconsider our proposal State one s Stand Our principle is any deal should be mutually beneficial We insist that you effect the shipment before July 8 We generally do it on the basis of our mutual agreed terms Make Concessions If your order is big enough we may reconsider our price We are ready to agree to your conditions provided you grant us a reasonable discount To clinch close the deal shall we both make some concessions meet each other half way bend the rules a little 12 I appreciate the steps you ve taken but the distance is not on our side And I hope you ll continue to move forward But no matter how great the difference is you ll have to move You can t expect me to make the move alone Come to Deadlock I m afraid the gap between us is too great you re trying to do the impossible we can t make any further concessions In that case If that s the case it ll be very difficult to proceed with out talk there s hardly any need for further discussion probably we ll have to leave it here we might as well call the whole deal off Reach an Agreement I think we ve settled all the points under dispute I m so glad that we ve finally come to a basic agreement on this point that the terms of payment are acceptable to you If you have no objection let s take it as agreed I feel that our points of view are totally in line with each other that in fact we are not contradicted TaskTask 3 3 CulturalCultural SalonSalon 文化沙龙 文化沙龙 Read the following presentation and try to get some cultural knowledge about business negotiation Negotiation Strategies Negotiations work wonders This is particularly so in international business since it is mostly through negotiations that exporters and importers bridge their differences and reach a fair and mutually satisfactory deal By presenting a more comprehensive negotiating package in a well planned and organized manner exporters should be able to improve the effectiveness of their business discussions and in the long term the profitability of their export operations To avoid being confronted by costly demands an exporter should try to determine the buyer s real interest in the product from the outset This can be ascertained through appropriate questions but must also be based on research and other preparations before the negotiations Only then can a suitable counter proposal be presented To achieve a favorable outcome from the negotiations an exporter should draw up a plan of action beforehand which addresses a few key issues Experienced negotiators consider that as much as 80 of their overall time devoted to negotiations should go to such preparations The preliminary work should be aimed at obtaining relevant information on the target market and the buyers of the product It should also include developing counter proposals if objections are raised on any of the exporter s opening negotiating points The preparations should thus involve formulating the negotiating strategy and tactics 13 In international marketing negotiations it is advisable for small and medium sized exporters to limit their discussions to pricing issues although pricing is a key factor in any business transaction exporters should give more attention to the full range of marketing factors They should stress the strengths of their firms and products and match them with the perceived needs of the buyers Once these issues have been covered they can consider the question of price and are able to develop a profita