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Teil 1: Business English
The First Contacts / Die ersten Kontakte 9J The letter / Der Brief 10J Making a telephone call / Telefonieren 13J Fax / Fax 16J E-mail / E-Mail 18J List of vocabulary 19J Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps 20
Travelling / Reisen 23J Booking a flight / Flug buchen 24J Hotel reservation / Hotelreservierung 25J Car rental / Autovermietung 27J At the airport / Am Flughafen 28J At the hotel / Im Hotel 31J List of vocabulary 33J Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps 35
The Company / Die Firma 37J Arrival at the company / Ankunft in der Firma 38J Meeting new colleagues / Die neuen Kollegen 40J Line of business / Branche 44J Finding your way around / Sich zurecht finden 45J The conference facilities / Der Konferenzraum 47J List of vocabulary 50J Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps 52
2
Effective Business Discussions /Erfolgreich kommunizieren 55J Meetings / Sitzungen 56J Negotiations / Verhandlungen 67J Presentations / Präsentationen 70J List of vocabulary 83J Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps 89
After Business Hours / Nach Büroschluss 93J The personal invitation /Die persönliche Einladung 94
J At the restaurant / Im Restaurant 96J Small talk / Leichte Konversation 99J Saying goodbye / Abschied nehmen 103J List of vocabulary 105J Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps 108
J Alphabetical list of vocabulary / AlphabetischeWortschatzliste 111
J The international telephone alphabet /Internationale Buchstabierliste 129
J Abbreviations / Abkürzungen 129J Weights and measures / Gewichte und Maße 132J Temperature conversion / Temperaturumrechnung 133J Map of time zones / Zeitzonenkarte 135
3
Teil 2: E-mails in English
An E-mail's Anatomy 139J Subject Lines That Work 140J Common Salutations and Openings 142J Ending an E-mail 149J Signatures and Disclaimers 153J E-mail Techniques: about CC and BCC 156
A Reader-friendly Approach 157J When to Use E-mail and When Not? 158J Structuring the Information 159J Formal or Informal? 164J Netiquette Guidelines 167J How to Deal with Attachments 170
4
Common Business Situations 175J Requesting Information or Favours 176J Hotel or Conference Enquiries 179J Giving Enquiries 183J Change of Address 186J Appointments 187J Invitations 190J Sending Agendas and Minutes 197J Refusing a Request 199J Complaints 202J Apologies 203J Congratulations and Season's Greetings 205J Thanks 206J Payments and Reminders 207J Making Offers 210J Delivery and Incoterms 211J Numbers and Currency Symbols 213
Practical Reference 217J Linguistic Characteristics 218J Linguistic Differences: UK-USA 223J Useful Vocabulary and Key Terms 226J Abbreviations and Acronyms 231J False Friends 238J E-mail Features 239J Tables and Overviews 245J Electronic Guidelines on Internet 253
5
VorwortWer ausländische Geschäftskontakte hat, kennt das: telefo-nieren, an einer Besprechung teilnehmen, Verträge diskutie-ren oder sich nach Feierabend locker mit den ausländischenKollegen oder dem Firmenchef unterhalten – auf Englisch!Viele fühlen sich in solchen Situationen unbehaglich oderhaben Angst, nicht die richtigen Worte und Redewendungenzu finden.
Hier bietet Ihnen dieser TaschenGuide die richtige Unterstüt-zung. Die Kapitel zeigen jeweils typische Berufssituationen,z.B. die ersten Kontakte per Brief, Fax, Mail und Telefon oderGeschäftsverhandlungen vor Ort. Sie lernen mit Hilfe vonBeispieltexten und -gesprächen, Mustersätzen und Satzbau-steinen. Am Ende eines jeden Kapitels finden Sie eine Liste desWortschatzes zum Thema sowie kulturelle und sprachlicheTipps. So können Sie noch sicherer auftreten und manchepeinliche Situation vermeiden. Spezifisch britische Ausdrückesind mit BE für British English, spezifisch amerikanische mitAmE für American English gekennzeichnet.
Viel Erfolg mit Ihren englischsprachigen Geschäftspartnernwünscht Ihnen
Gertrud Goudswaard
8 Vorwort
The First Contacts /Die ersten Kontakte
In diesem Kapitel erfahren Sie, welche Konventionen Sie beimersten Kontakt berücksichtigen sollten und wie Sie
J einen Brief,J ein Telefonat,J ein Fax oder eine E-Mail
optimal in der Fremdsprache gestalten.
9
The letter / Der BriefExample
Ü 1 Miller Communications Inc.4 Pheasant Run, Chicago, IL 60607
tel. 201-9349493
2 Our ref. MC / JD
3 30th August, 20XX
Fa. Hirsch GmbHMoellerstrasse 4070469 StuttgartGermany
4 For the attention of Mr G. Horst
5 Dear Mr Horst,
6 Our annual clients' meeting
7 As you may have heard we annually arrange meetings forour clients in the States, Europe and Asia at which theyhave the opportunity to get informed about the latestinnovations in telecommunications.
Knowing of your experience in the field of electroniccommunications we would like to invite you as a guestspeaker in our annual meeting in Chicago on October 15.Details on the program will be enclosed.
We do hope that you will be present on this occasion andlook forward to hearing from you soon.
8 Yours sincerely,
Martin S. Chester
c.c. (Verteiler)
Enc. (Anlage)
RSVP (um Antwort wird gebeten)
10 The Fi rst Contacts / Die ersten Kontakte
Die richtige FormGeschäftsbriefe folgen stets relativ strengen Richtlinien (sieheMusterbrief). Folgende Regeln sollten Sie beachten:
1 Unter dem Briefkopf steht
2 die Bezugszeichenzeile (Our ref. / Your ref.) am linkenRand und
3 rechts das Datum. Für die Schreibweise des Datums gibtes folgende Möglichkeiten:30th August / August 30 / 30 August / August 30thFormen wie 11/05 oder 11-05 sollten Sie vermeiden, dasie im britischen Englisch „11. Mai“, im Amerikanischenaber „5. November“ bedeuten.Wenn die Adresse des Absenders nicht schon im Briefkopfenthalten ist, steht sie rechts über dem Datum.
4 Besondere Anmerkungen wie confidential (vertraulich)oder for the attention of (zu Händen von) folgen meistder Adresse.
5 Die Anrede:Wenn der Name des Adressaten bekannt ist:Dear Mr Chester / Mrs Chester / Miss ChesterWenn der Name nicht bekannt ist:Dear Sir / Dear Madam / Dear Madam or SirWenn eine Firma angeschrieben wird:Dear Sirs (BE) / Gentlemen (AmE)
6 Die Betreffzeile folgt, im Gegensatz zum deutschen Ge-schäftsbrief, der Anrede und wird unterstrichen.
7 Der Briefanfang wird groß geschrieben.
The let ter / Der Br ief 11
8 Die Gruß- und Schlussformel ist abhängig von der Anre-deform:Dear Mr / Mrs / Miss – Yours sincerelyDear Sir(s) or Dear Madam – Yours faithfullyAmerikanische Briefe werden oft abgeschlossen mit:Sincerely (yours) oder Yours trulySchreiben Sie jemandem regelmäßig oder kennen Sie diePerson sehr gut, können Sie verwenden:Best wishes / Kind regards / Best regards / Regards
Useful PhrasesStarting a letter / Briefanfang
J Thank you for your letter of August 30th.J With reference to / Further to …J In reply to your letter …
Accepting an invitation / Eine Einladung annehmen
J We shall be very happy to accept your invitation to …J I should like to accept …
Rejecting an invitation / Eine Einladung ablehnen
J We regret / are sorry to inform you …J Unfortunately we have to inform you that …J I am afraid that I will not be able …
12 The Fi rst Contacts / Die ersten Kontakte
Confirmation / Bestätigung
J We are pleased to confirm …
J We acknowledge receipt of your letter of …
Request / Bitte
J We would appreciate if …J Could you please …?J I would be grateful if …
Ending a letter / Brief abschließen
J I look forward to hearing from you soon.J Thank you in advance …J I am looking forward to meeting you.J If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact us.
Making a telephone call /TelefonierenBereiten Sie sich auf ein Telefonat in einer Fremdsprache gutvor. Machen Sie sich vorab Notizen mit den wichtigstenMitteilungen und Fragen und legen Sie sich eine Liste mitRedewendungen neben das Telefon. Sprechen Sie langsamund lassen Sie sich Zeit zum Überlegen. Sie werden sicherlichgebeten, Ihren Namen und den Ihrer Firma zu buchstabieren:Could you please spell your name? Benutzen Sie dazu dieinternationale Buchstabierliste im Anhang. Vergessen Sie
Making a te lephone cal l / Te lefonieren 13
nicht, auch Ihre eigene Telefonnummer mit Landeskennzahl(country code) durchzugeben.
Example
Ü A: Miller Communications. Good morning. Can I help you?
B: This is Mr Horst speaking. Could I speak to Mr Chester, please?
A: One moment please. I'm sorry but Mr Chester is on the otherline – will you please hold the line? I'll put you through as soonas possible. Or would you like to leave a message?
B: Could you ask Mr Chester to call me back?
A: Of course, what was your name again?
B: My name is Richard Horst.
A: Could you please spell your last name?
B: That's H for Harry, O for Oliver, R for Robert, S for Sugar and Tfor Tommy.
A: OK, my colleague will call you back as soon as possible.
Thank you for calling and goodbye.
Useful phrasesDirectory enquiries (BE), Assistance (AmE) /Telefonauskunft
J Could you please give me the number of …J What's the country code, area code of …J You must omit the 0 (ausgesprochen [o] BE und zero AmE)before the area code.
J I would like to make a reverse charge call (BE) / collect call(AmE).
J I'd like to book a person to person call.
14 The Fi rst Contacts / Die ersten Kontakte
Starting the call / Das Gespräch beginnenJ Hello, this is …J Could I speak to …?J Could you put me through to …?J I'm calling about / to …
Making an appointment, arranging a date /Termine vereinbarenJ I'd like to make an appointment with …J Would the 28th of August suit you / be convenient / be OK?J Could we meet on Friday the 28th?J How about Friday the 28th?
Changing appointments / Termine verschiebenJ I'm afraid that / sorry but …J I have to change / postpone our appointment.J I can't make it on Monday.J Could we arrange another date?J I'm afraid I have to cancel the meeting.
Problems / ProblemeJ We have a bad connection.J Would you speak a little louder / more slowly please?J You've got the wrong number.J I've dialed the wrong number.J I'm sorry, he's not available, try again later.
Making a te lephone cal l / Te lefonieren 15
J I beg your pardon?J I didn't catch that, would you repeat that please?
Closing the call / Das Gespräch beendenJ Right / So / Well / OK!J Thank you for calling / the information / your help.J Goodbye!J I look forward to hearing from you again.J I'll talk to you later / soon.
Answering machine, answerphone /AnrufbeantworterJ The number you're calling is momentarily unavailable.J Please, leave a message after the tone / signal / beep.J We'll call you back as soon as possible.
Fax / FaxDa das Fax hauptsächlich als schnelle und sichere Datenüber-tragung dient, zur Bestätigung von Lieferungen oder Reser-vierungen (siehe z.B. Abschnitt „Hotelreservierung“) und zumWeiterleiten von Formularen oder Dokumenten, gibt es kaumFax-Formalitäten. Das Fax ist deshalb für formelle Briefe auchnicht geeignet. Damit es kurz und bündig bleibt, werden beimFax häufig Abkürzungen benützt, die manchmal die Verständ-lichkeit etwas beeinträchtigen. Groß- und Kleinschreibungwerden dabei nicht beachtet.
16 The Fi rst Contacts / Die ersten Kontakte
Example
Ü 25/11/XX
ATTN: Millers comunications Chicago, Pchsing Dpt.
Re order BR 1826/5H
rcvd 20 boxes tday. 4 dmged.
pls send new boxes asap. del. urgent.
rgds.
sales dpt. Collins&Co.London
Ohne Abkürzungen würde das Fax so lauten:For the attention of Millers communications Chicago, the Pur-chasing Department.
With reference to the order number BR 1826/5H
We received 20 boxes today, 4 of which were damaged.
Please send us new boxes as soon as possible, as the delivery isvery urgent.
Regards.
Sales Department Collins&Co. London
Useful abbreviations / Abkürzungen
J asap – as soon as possibleJ attn – for the attention ofJ cfm – confirmJ dlvry – deliveryJ eta – expected time of arrivalJ pchsing dept – purchasing DepartmentJ pls – pleaseJ qt – quantity
Fax / Fax 17
J rcpt / rcvdJ receipt / receivedJ re – referring toJ rgds – regardsJ yr – your
J U – you
E-mail / E-MailDie E-Mail ist so schnell und unkompliziert, dass sie sich raschals Alternative zum Telefon oder Brief durchgesetzt hat.Inzwischen haben viele bereits mit einer Flut an Mails zukämpfen. Um den E-Mail-Verkehr zu optimieren, haben sichfolgende Abkürzungen in der Betreffzeile durchgesetzt: RE(bezüglich) beim Beantworten einer E-Mail, REQ (request),wenn Ihre E-Mail dringend ist und eine Reaktion fordert, FYI(for your information) und BTW (by the way), um dem Emp-fänger deutlich zu machen, dass Sie keine direkte Reaktionoder Handlung erwarten und ihn nur informieren möchten.
Example
Ü RE: Your request for list of conference participants
REQ: reservation hotel accommodation
FYI: interesting sights in Chicago
BTW: 29th is a Bankholiday.
18 The Fi rst Contacts / Die ersten Kontakte
List of vocabularyacknowledge bestätigen (Empfang)
annually jährlich
appreciate zu schätzen wissen
area code Ortsnetzkennzahl
collect call (AmE) R-Gespräch
confidential vertraulich
confirm bestätigen
convenient günstig, passend
country code Landeskennzahl
directory assistance (AmE) Telefonauskunft
directory inquiries
(BE) /assistance
Telefonauskunft
enclosure Anlage
extension number Durchwahl
for the attention of zu Händen von
hesitate zögern
hold the line am Apparat bleiben
in advance im Voraus
in reply to mit Bezug auf
leave hinterlassen
List of vocabulary 19
line Verbindung
long distance call (AmE) Ferngespräch
occasion Gelegenheit
postpone verschieben
put through; connect verbinden
receipt Empfang
reference Bezug
regards Grüße
reply; response Antwort
request Anfrage
reverse charge call (BE) R-Gespräch
salutation Anrede
spell buchstabieren
subject line Betreffzeile
suit passen
trunk call (BE) Ferngespräch
Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps
Eine Unterschrift leistenWenn Sie unter einen Brief, einen Vertrag oder �hnliches IhreUnterschrift setzen sollen, werden sie meist mit den folgen-
20 The Fi rst Contacts / Die ersten Kontakte
den Worten darum gebeten: Could you please sign here? / Putyour signature here. Es gibt aber auch eine Variante, dieAmerikaner untereinander benützen: Could you put yourJohn Hancock here? Dieser Ausdruck hat historische Wurzeln.Er geht zurück auf die Unterzeichnung der Unabhängigkeits-erklärung (Declaration of independence) am 4. Juli 1776durch John Hancock, Präsident des Kontinentalkongresses.Dieser Tag ist bis heute ein nationaler Feiertag in den USA,bekannt als Independence Day.
Termine am Telefon vereinbarenObwohl das Telefon gut geeignet ist, um Termine zu verein-baren, kommt es doch häufig zu Missverständnissen, vorallem bei den Zeitangaben. Im Englischen wird nämlichmeistens nur mit der 12-Stunden-Angabe gearbeitet. So wird8.30 Uhr als 8.30 a.m. und 20.30 Uhr als 8.30 p.m. angegeben.Um Probleme zu vermeiden, sagen Sie lieber 8.30 in themorning oder in the evening. Die Engländer sagen auch gernehalf eight, was in manchen Teilen Englands unserem halbneun, in anderen Regionen unserem halb acht entspricht.Entweder vereinbaren Sie nur Termine zur ganzen Stundeoder Sie fragen noch einmal nach, zum Beispiel so: Do youmean 8.30 in the morning or in the evening? Lassen Sie sichauf jeden Fall zur Sicherheit den Termin schriftlich per Faxoder E-Mail bestätigen: Could you please confirm the timeand date by fax / E-mail?
Kulture l le und sprachl iche T ipps 21
E-Mails unter FreundenE-Mails werden häufig für die persönliche, alltägliche Kom-munikation unter guten Freunden und Kollegen eingesetzt,wobei Stil und Ton entsprechend locker und informell sind.Rechtschreibung und Satzzeichen werden dabei meist miss-achtet. Vor allem in den USA wurde es zum Spiel, Abkür-zungen für ganz alltägliche Ausdrücke einzuführen. Die untenaufgeführten Beispiele zeigen, dass dabei die Möglichkeitenwirklich unbegrenzt sind und die Fantasie des Empfängersziemlich gefordert wird. Bedenken Sie aber, dass diese Abkür-zungen nur unter guten Freunden und Kollegen benütztwerden!
Examples
Ü afaik – as far as I know
bbl – be back later
btw – by the way
cu – see you
ic – I see
imho – in my humble opinion
irl – in real life
lol – laughing out loud
rtfm – read the f… manual
ttm – talk to me
22 The Fi rst Contacts / Die ersten Kontakte
Travelling / Reisen
In diesem Kapitel finden Sie die wichtigsten Redewendungenund Vokabeln, mit denen Sie auch dann gut weiterkommen,wenn es auf Reisen irgendwo Schwierigkeiten gibt. Sie erfah-ren, wie Sie auf Englisch
J einen Flug buchen,J ein Hotel reservieren,J ein Auto mieten undJ die ersten Gespräche bei Ankunft im Hotel führen.
23
Booking a flight / Flug buchenAbflugzeit (time of departure) und Ankunftszeit (time ofarrival) werden immer in Ortszeit angegeben. Achten Siedarum beim Aufstellen ihres Reiseplans (itinerary) immer aufden Zeitunterschied (siehe Zeitzonenkarte im Anhang). WennSie einen Fenster-, Mittel- oder Gangplatz reservieren wollen,fragen Sie nach einem window seat, einem middle seatbeziehungsweise aisle seat (ausgesprochen [ail si:t]).
Example
Ü A: I'd like to book a direct flight from Miami to Chicago on the28th of August, please.
B: Business or economy class, single or return?
A: Return ticket, economy class, please.
B: I'm sorry but there are no direct flights available, you'll have tomake a stop-over in New York. Departure from Miami at 7.35a.m., arrival at New York 9.45 a.m., connecting flight to Chicagoat 11.05. a.m., arrival at Chicago 12.30 p.m.
A: O.K. I'll take that flight then. Could you reserve an aisle seat,please?
B: I'll give you seat number 17c. Your confirmation number isTG01K8 and your tickets will be available at the airline informa-tion desk. Check-in will be 2 hours before take-off.
A: Thanks.
Useful phrasesBooking a flight / Flug buchen
J I would like to book a flight to …J I'd like a single / return ticket (BE).
24 Trave l l ing / Reisen
J How much is a one-way / round-trip (AmE) to … ?J What is the city of destination?J What is the time of departure / arrival?
Problems / Probleme
J I'm afraid this flight is fully booked.J There are no more seats available.J There's no direct flight / non-stop flight to …J All inland flights / domestic flights have been cancelled.J There is no connecting flight to …J Could you put me on stand-by / the waiting list?
Hotel reservation / HotelreservierungSo wie in Deutschland haben Sie die Auswahl zwischen Über-nachtung mit Frühstück (bed & breakfast), Halbpension (halfboard) und Vollpension (full board), Doppelzimmer (doubleroom), Einzelzimmer (single room), mit Bad (bath) oder Du-sche (shower). In den USA wird zusätzlich immer die Bett-größe erwähnt: king-size bezeichnet ein 2 m breites Bett,queen-size ein ungefähr 1,50 m breites Bett und twin bedssind zwei Einzelbetten.
Hotel reservat ion / Hote l reserv ierung 25
Example
Ü Dear Sir / Madam,
I would like to confirm our telephone call of March 16th
concerning my reservation of 1 double room with bed andbreakfast for 4 nights from the 28th of August till the 1st ofSeptember. Would you be so kind as to confirm this booking byfax, stating the confirmation number and including sometravelling directions towards your hotel?
Regards R. Horst
Useful phrasesBooking a room / Zimmer reservieren
J I would like to reserve / book a double room with shower,please.
J I require / need accommodation for the following nights.J I'd prefer a non-smoking room.J Have you got any vacancies? / Do you have any roomsavailable?
J How much is the room per night, with breakfast / halfboard / full board?
J How much do you charge for a single room with bath?J I'm not sure whether I'll be staying 3 or 4 nights.J Is the hotel nearby the airport / motorway / city centre?
Problems / Probleme
J I'm afraid we're fully booked.J We regret to inform you that we have no rooms available.
26 Trave l l ing / Reisen
J Wewill not be able to accommodate you during that period.J We can only offer you a continental breakfast.J Due to renovations our hotel will be closed.
Car rental / AutovermietungWichtig beim Automieten sind v. a. die verschiedenen Ver-sicherungsbedingungen: Haftpflichtversicherung (liability in-surance), Insassenunfallversicherung (passenger insurance),Vollkaskoversicherung (comprehensive insurance) und Haf-tungsausschluss (collision damage waiver / loss damage wai-ver). Meistens können Sie einen Vertrag mit oder ohne Mei-lenbegrenzung wählen (limited / unlimited mileage).
Useful phrases
J I'd like to rent a car with unlimited mileage.J What is the mileage charge?J Can I see your driver's license (AmE) / driving licence (BE)?J What do I do if the car breaks down?J What kind of fuel does the car take?J How much is the passenger insurance?
Problems / Probleme
J This car seems to be damaged.J I don't know how the automatic works;I'm used to a manual / stick.
J The car won't start.
Car rental / Autovermietung 27
J What is the car's numberplate?J I'm afraid your driving licence is invalid.J I've lost the car documents.J I'm afraid we forgot to fill it up.
At the airport / Am FlughafenEs ist meistens nicht sehr schwierig sich auf Flughäfen zurechtzu finden. Probleme gibt es jedoch oft dann, wenn Ansagen perLautsprecher gemacht werden, die durch den Lärm und dieschlechte Qualität akustisch kaum zu verstehen sind. WennSie Ihre Fluggesellschaft (air line), Flugnummer (flight-number)und den Zielort (destination) wissen, fragen Sie zur Sicherheitkurz nach, ob die Ansage Ihren Flug oder Ihre Person betrifft.
Example
Ü Announcement: Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention, please!All FH 126 transfer passengers continuing their flight with desti-nation Cairo are now requested to proceed immediately to gate 28!Will passenger Mr Johnson please come to the … airlines infor-mation desk!Question: Excuse me, I couldn't hear the announcement. Was itconcerning flightnumber … destination … or did they ask for MrHorst?
Useful phrasesChecking in / Einchecken
J I'm sorry, where's the check-in counter for … airlines?J Have you got any handbaggage / carry-on luggage?
28 Trave l l ing / Reisen
J I'm sorry, this suitcase is too large, you'll have to check itin.
J What's the charge for excess luggage?J This is your boarding card.J Your flight departs from terminal 1 gate 8.J It's through concourse 4 on level 2.
Flight information / Fluginformation
J You'll find the information on the arrival / departure board.J The estimated time of arrival (ETA) / departure (ETD) is …J The scheduled time of arrival (STA) / departure (STD) is …
J The actual time of arrival (ATA) / departure (ATD) is …J Flight KL466 from New York has just landed.J We're sorry but the flight has been delayed / cancelled.
Rescheduling / Umbuchen
J My flight has been cancelled. When is the next flight to …?J I'd like an earlier flight.J I'd like an upgrade from economy class to business class.J Could I change my reservation, please?J I missed my connection and I have to be at a meeting,could you find out if there are any flights available?
At the ai rport / Am Flughafen 29
Immigration / Einreise
J All EU citizens to the right please.
J May I see your passport please?J What is the purpose of your visit?J I'm here on business.J Where are you staying?J You can go through then.
Problems / Probleme
J Your passport / visa is invalid.J You must fill in an address or a hotel where you'll bestaying.
J You haven't filled out the complete form.
Baggage reclaim / Gepäckausgabe
J Excuse me, I need a baggage cart / luggage trolley.J Can you change money; I need coins for the cart.J You can collect your luggage at carousel 4.J Your luggage is on the other conveyor belt.J I think that is my suitcase.J Could you help me with his suitcase, it's rather heavy.
Problems / Probleme
J I've lost my suitcase / my suitcase was damaged.J You have to report that at baggage retracing.
30 Trave l l ing / Reisen
J You have to fill in this questionnaire.J Could you send my suitcase to the following address?
Customs clearance / Zollabfertigung
J Do you have anything to declare?J Could I see your customs declaration form, please?J Would you please open your suitcase?J I'm afraid you're over the allowance.J You have to pay duty on the excess.
At the hotel / Im HotelExample
Ü A: Good evening. My name is Horst. I made a reservation for 4nights.
B: Welcome to our hotel Mr Horst. Could I have your confirma-tion number, please?
A: Here you are!
B: Thanks. Would you just register here, please? Here's your key.Your room number is 215. It's on the 2nd floor at the end of thecorridor, on the right. You can leave your baggage in the lobby;I'll call the bellboy to bring it up to your room.
A: At what time do you serve breakfast?
B: We serve breakfast from 7.00 a.m. till 9.30 a.m.
A: Could you give me a wake-up call at 7.30 a.m. please?
B: Sure, no problem. I hope you'll enjoy your stay.
At the hotel / Im Hote l 31
Useful phrasesAt the reception desk / An der Rezeption
J I've booked a room for 2 nights.J I'd like to extend my stay for an extra 2 nights, please.J My wife will be joining me this weekend. Will there be anextra charge?
J Do you offer an overnight laundry / (dry-)cleaning service?J Can I send a fax to my office from here?J Could you arrange for a taxi at 3 o'clock this afternoon,please?
J Are there any messages for me?J Could I have my shirt ironed?
Problems / Probleme
J I'm afraid I've lost my key / key card.J I can't get the air-conditioning / television to work.J Could I change rooms? My neighbours are very noisy / loud.J I can't turn off / on the heating.J The toilet is blocked / doesn't flush.J Do you have a hairblower (AmE) / hairdryer (BE) / extratowels?
J The tap (BE) / faucet (AmE) is dripping.J I'd like to see the manager, please.
32 Trave l l ing / Reisen
Checking out / Abreise
J Could I have a late check-out, please?
J I'd like to check out, please.J We're leaving today. Could you make up my bill / check?J Can I pay by credit card?J Could you make a separate bill for my telephone calls,please?
J Did you have anything from the minibar?
List of vocabularyaccommodate; lodge unterbringen
actual time of arrival tatsächliche Ankunftszeit
announcement Ansage
baggage (AmE); luggage (BE) Gepäck
baggage (re)claim Gepäckabfertigung
baggage allowance Freigepäck
baggage carousel; baggageconveyor belt
Gepäckförderband
baggage tracing Gepäckermittlung
bill (BE); check (AmE) Rechnung
cart (AmE); trolley (BE) Gepäckwagen
charge Gebühr
List of vocabulary 33
concourse; hall Halle
connecting flight Anschlussflug
customs clearance Zollabfertigung
customs declaration Zollerklärung
declare verzollen
domestic flights;inland flights
Inlandflüge
estimated time of arrival voraussichtliche Ankunftszeit
excess luggage Übergepäck
extend verlängern
fill up a car tanken
flush spülen (Toilette)
gate Flugsteig
hairblower (AmE);hair-dryer (BE)
Haarfön
(in)valid (un)gültig
itinerary Reiseplan
laundry / (dry-)cleaning Wäscherei /(Trocken-) Reinigung
level Ebene
manual; stick Gangschaltung
porter (BE); bell boy (AmE) Gepäckträger
34 Trave l l ing / Reisen
proceed sich begeben
request Bitte
return ticket (BE);round-trip ticket (AmE)
Rückfahrkarte
scheduled time of departure planmäßige Abflugszeit
stopover Zwischenlandung
tap (BE); faucet (AmE) Wasserhahn
upgrade aufwerten
Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps
„Höflichkeit“ am FlughafenAuf amerikanischen Flughäfen scheint courtesy (Höflichkeit)groß geschrieben zu werden: Sie begegnen dem Begriff aufSchritt und Tritt und in allen möglichen Kombinationen.
Example
Ü J Courtesy transportation is available from each terminal.
J You'll find the hotel courtesy shuttles right outside the arrivalhall.
J There are courtesy telephones in the hall.
J You'll find courtesy carts in the baggage claim area.
Amerikaner verstehen in diesem Kontext unter „Höflichkeit“Kundendienst oder Service, und courtesy bedeutet dabei, dassdie jeweiligen Dienstleistungen gratis sind.
Kulture l le und sprachl iche T ipps 35
Englisches und amerikanisches FrühstückDas traditionelle English oder cooked breakfast besteht meis-tens aus coffee / tea / orange juice, toast with butter andmarmelade, cereals (z.B. Cornflakes) oder porridge (Haferbrei),bacon and eggs (Speck mit Eier) oder scrambled eggs (Rührei),baked beans (weiße Bohnen in Tomatensauce), baked toma-toes, sausages (gebratene Würstchen) und kippers (geräu-cherte Heringe). In den USA ist das Frühstück ähnlich reich-haltig. Sie können wählen zwischen pancakes with maplesyrup (Pfannkuchen mit Ahornsirup), baked potatoes, muffins,cereals, omelettes und eggs, sunny side up (Spiegelei) oderover easy (gewendetes Spiegelei). Dazu bekommen Sie so vielKaffee, wie Sie möchten. In den USA wird immer auch decaf(koffeinfreier Kaffee) angeboten. Ein leichteres Frühstück istdas continental breakfast, bestehend aus Kaffee oder Tee,Brötchen, Butter und Marmelade.
Alternatives AutomietenMöchten Sie mal so richtig amerikanisch Auto fahren? Dannsollten Sie Ihr Auto statt bei einer der großen internationalenFirmen in einem der kleineren Privatunternehmen mieten, diesich ironischerweise Rent a Wreck (Miete ein Wrack) nennen.Hier bekommen Sie günstige Angebote für etwas ältere Mo-delle, und Sie haben die Möglichkeit, einen echten amerikani-schen Schlitten zu fahren – natürlich nur nach dem Motto:
No risk no fun!
36 Trave l l ing / Reisen
The Company / Die Firma
Vor Ort bei Ihrem ausländischen Geschäftspartner wollen Siesich möglichst rasch in der neuen Umgebung zurechtfindenund die Kollegen kennenlernen.
In diesem Kapitel finden Sie dazu das nötige kulturelle Wis-sen, die passenden Sätze und das Vokabular für
J die Ankunft in der neuen Firma,J die ersten persönlichen Kontakte mit den neuen Kollegenoder Geschäftspartnern,
J die Vorbereitung einer Sitzung.
37
Arrival at the company / Ankunft inder FirmaIhre Ankunft in der Firma wird zunächst einmal damit begin-nen, sich zu begrüßen und sich gegenseitig vorzustellen.Wenn man sich zum ersten Mal trifft, benützt man die Gruß-form How do you do? Man antwortet darauf entweder eben-falls mit How do you do? oder auch mit Nice / pleased to meetyou (Schön, Sie kennenzulernen). How are you? bedeutet eher„Wie geht's?“ und wird meistens beantwortet mit Fine, thanksand how are you?
Example
Ü Mr Horst: Good morning, my name's Mr Horst. I have anappointment with Mr Chester.
Mr Smith: Ah, Mr Horst we've been expecting you! I'm Mr Smith.I'm the assistant purchasing manager at Millers. How do you do?
Mr Horst: Pleased to meet you, Mr Smith.
Mr Smith: As Mr Chester is held up in a meeting until 12.30, heasked me to introduce you to your new colleagues and show youaround the premises. Let me first introduce you to our faithfulsecretary, Mrs Simpson.
Mr Horst: How do you do?
Mrs Simpson: How do you do? Welcome at our company. Did youhave a good flight?
Mr Horst: Yes, thank you.
38 The Company / Die F i rma
Useful phrasesIntroducing / Vorstellen
J My name is … / I'm …J How do you do? / Pleased to meet you.J Let me / May I introduce … / This is …J Have you met …?J Yes we have. Nice to see you again.J How are you?
Questions and answers / Fragen und Antworten
J Did you have a good trip / journey? – Yes, thank you.J Is this your first time in …? – Yes it is / no it's the secondtime.
J How long have you been here? – I arrived yesterday.
J How long and where are you staying? – I'll be staying for 3more days in the Plaza hotel.
J Are you satisfied with your hotel? – Yes, I am thanks. / NoI'm afraid I'm not.
J Could we have lunch together? – Yes. I'd love to. / I'm sorrybut I can't. / I'm afraid I have another appointment.
Arr ival at the company / Ankunft in der F i rma 39
Meeting new colleagues / Die neuenKollegenNachdem man sich kurz vorgestellt hat, interessiert zualler-erst, für welchen Tätigkeitsbereich man jeweils zuständig ist.Die deutschen Berufsbezeichnungen einfach zu übersetzen,macht wenig Sinn, da man im Englischen eher die Tätigkeitumschreibt. Selten nennt man hier einfach die Berufsbezeich-nung. Sie werden denn auch häufig gefragt What do you do?,wo Sie im Deutschen fragen würden „Was sind Sie vonBeruf?“. Nennen Sie als Antwort die Abteilung, in der Sie tätigsind, z.B. I'm in Research & Development (Forschung undEntwicklung), oder den Bereich, für den Sie zuständig sind:I'm responsible for / in charge of the after-sales service(Kundenbetreuung). Auch die hierarchische Position in derFirma können Sie angeben: I'm the managing director (sieheauch Abschnitt „Line of business“). Manchmal wird auch derVorgesetzte erwähnt: I report to Mr Johnson.
Lediglich in Formularen oder Verträgen, wenn nach occupa-tion oder profession (Beruf) gefragt wird, brauchen Sie einekurze Berufsbezeichnung. Die wichtigsten finden Sie in derunten stehenden Liste.
Example
Ü Mr Smith: Let me introduce you to Mr Mansion, he is the head ofhuman resources / the personnel department and directly reportsto Mr Miller.
As he's responsible for our salaries and fringe benefits the wholestaff tries to stay friends with him.
Mr Horst: Nice to meet you, Mr Mansion.
40 The Company / Die F i rma
Mr Mansion: Nice to meet you too. Now that you're here, couldyou please send me a list of all your expenses, including thereceipts, before your return to Germany?
Mr Horst: Of course, with pleasure!
Useful PhrasesIntroduction / Vorstellung
J What do you do?J I'm in administration.J He's in charge of advertisingJ She's responsible for …J He's my boss. / He's my superior. / I report to him.J Who does he report to? Who's his boss?J He works part-time / full-time.J I organize the work shifts.J He plans the production programmes.J That's not my job / work.J I supervise production.J He deals with personnel problems.J I'm a temporary worker / temp.
Meet ing new col leagues / Die neuen Kol legen 41
Departments / Abteilungen
accounting Buchhaltung
administration Verwaltung
advertising department Werbeabteilung
after-sales service Kundenbetreuung
assembly Montage
customer service Kundenberatung
despatch; dispatch Versand
finance department Finanzabteilung
human resources;personnel department
Personalabteilung
information technology (IT) IT-Abteilung
legal department Rechtsabteilung
logistics Logistik
marketing Marketing
orders Bestellungen
production Produktion
public relations (PR) Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
purchasing Einkauf
research and development(R&D)
Forschung und Entwicklung(F&E)
42 The Company / Die F i rma
sales and distribution Vertrieb
warehouse Lagerhalle
Occupation, profession / Beruf
accountant Buchhalter /-in
apprentice Lehrling
branch manager Filialleiter /-in
caretaker Hausmeister /-in
clerk; office worker kaufmännische(r)Angestellte(r)
engineer; technician Ingenieur /-in; Techniker /-in
foreman Meister /-in (im Betrieb)
lawyer Rechtsanwalt /-anwältin
master Meister /-in (im Handwerk)
mechanic Mechaniker /-in
personnel manager;head of the personneldepartment
Personalleiter /-in
plant manager Werkleiter /-in
porter Pförtner
sales representative; rep Handelsvertreter /-in
Meet ing new col leagues / Die neuen Kol legen 43
salesperson Verkäufer /-in (im Betrieb)
secretary Sekretär /-in
temporary; temp Aushilfskraft
trainee Auszubildender
Line of business / BrancheAuch wenn Sie Ihre Firma vorstellen wollen, erklären Sie ambesten, was Ihr Betrieb herstellt (produces), verarbeitet (pro-cesses), importiert oder exportiert (imports or exports), wen erbeliefert (supplies) oder in welcher Branche Sie tätig sind(which line of business you're in). Vorsicht übrigens mit demenglischen Wort branch: Es bedeutet „Filiale“ oder „Zweig-stelle“, das deutsche „Branche“ müssen Sie mit line of busi-ness übersetzen.
Example
Ü Mr Horst: I work for a company called Hirsch ltd.
We are a medium-sized electronics company which initiallyproduced household appliances but since 1990 has specializedin telecommunications.
The company is based in Stuttgart and we have a few branchesthroughout Germany. We export our products mainly to Japanand recently also to the USA.
Useful Phrases
J Our head / main office is in Frankfurt.J Our main business is communications.
44 The Company / Die F i rma
J We have offices / branches / subsidiariesJ I'm in the oil / computer / construction etc. business.J We employ 200 people. / We have a staff of 200.J We're a service company / provider.J We have some overseas subsidiaries.
J We specialize in telecommunications.J We do a lot of business with the USAJ We supply spare parts.J We produce / manufacture electrical devices.
Finding your way around / Sichzurecht findenDas „Erdgeschoss“ wird in Großbritannien the ground floorgenannt. In den USA aber zählt das Erdgeschoss schon alserstes Stockwerk und heißt dann auch the first floor, der„erste Stock“ ist demnach the second floor usw. Wird dieHöhe eines Gebäudes angegeben spricht man oft von storeys(stories). Zum Beispiel: He lives on the second floor in a fivestorey(ed) (storied) house (in einem fünfstöckigen Haus).
Wenn Sie nach dem Weg fragen oder um etwas bitten, be-nutzen Sie immer die Höflichkeitsform: Could you, please …?oder Would you, please …? (Könnten Sie / würden Sie bitte …?)und nicht Can you?, das etwas unhöflich wirkt. Wenn Sie nachden Fähigkeiten eines Kollegen fragen, ist Can you? dagegendie richtige Formel.
F inding your way around / Sich zurecht f inden 45
Example
Ü A: Could you show me the conference room, please?
B: Sure, it's on the sixth floor, on the top of the building, at theend of the corridor next to the advertising department andopposite the rest rooms.
A: The sixth floor! I do hope you have an elevator!
B: Don't worry, there's one right behind the stairs near the mainentrance.
A: Thanks very much!
B: You're welcome.
Useful phrasesAsking the way / Nach dem Weg fragen
J Could you tell me where the … is? – It's on the third floor.
J Excuse me, how do I find the …? – It's behind the lift (BE) /elevator (AmE). / You're standing right in front of it.
J How do I get to your office? – Go through that glass doorand … / Go along this corridor.
J Would you, please, show me the car park (BE) / parking lot(AmE)? – You have to go past the production plant / works.There's a parking garage in the basement.
J Where can I find the photocopier? – It's next to / by thepost room.
J Which building is the conference centre? It's the buildingon the left. / The building is on the other side of / acrossthe street.
46 The Company / Die F i rma
The conference facilities /Der KonferenzraumWenn Sie selbst eine Sitzung leiten sollen oder eine Präsen-tation vorbereitet haben, ist es meist sinnvoll, den Raumvorher kurz zu begutachten. Could I please have a look atthe conference room? So lässt sich manch unangenehmeÜberraschung vermeiden. Vielleicht möchten Sie die Sitzord-nung ändern, oder die Sonne blendet und man kann Ihremühsam vorbereiteten Folien (transparencies / foils) kaumlesen. Dann brauchen Sie eine Möglichkeit, den Raum zuverdunkeln: Is there a possibility to darken the room?
Example
Ü Mr Brown, the caretaker: Here you are Sir. This is the conferenceroom. Are there enough chairs or should I get some extra?
Mr Horst: No that's fine, but I would like to change the seatingarrangement into a U-form. Could you arrange that?
Mr Brown: Sure, no problem. Anything else?
Mr Horst: Yes, I'll need a projectorstand for the beamer and doyou happen to have a laserpointer and a flipchart?
Mr Brown: I'll have a look.
The conference fac i l i t ies / Der Konferenzraum 47
Useful phrasesRoom facilities / Raumausstattung
J Could you please arrange the room in advance?J I would like to change the seating arrangement.J I prefer a frontal / round table / form seating.J For how many persons is this room? / What is the seatingcapacity?
J I expect 20 participants.J Could we order some coffee / tea / drinks / lunch?J I would like to have a rostrum, if possible.J Have you circulated the agenda?
Technical facilities / Technische Ausstattung
J Excuse me, where can I find the light switch?
J Do you have a data projector (deutsch: Beamer!) I canattach to a computer or should I bring one myself?
J I need an extension cord for the projector.J We should test the speakers / Tannoy and the microphone.J Can I use the white board as a screen?J Is there a flipchart in the room?J Do I have access to the internet?J Could you make a printout of this list of participants?J Can I plug in my laptop somewhere?
48 The Company / Die F i rma
Problems / Probleme
J My plug doesn't seem to fit into the socket.
J I'm afraid the file transfer didn't work.J I can't access / call up my computer file.J There's an error message.J Do you have an adapter?J The slide projector doesn't function.J The microphone doesn't work.
J I'm afraid I don't know how this device works.J I don't have a marker or an eraser for the white board.
The conference fac i l i t ies / Der Konferenzraum 49
List of vocabularyaccess Zugriff; zugreifen, aufrufen
(Datei)
in advance vorher, im Voraus
agenda Tagesordnung
along entlang
appointment Verabredung, Treffen
behind hinter
board of directors Firmenvorstand
bulb Glühbirne
caretaker Hausmeister
chairman; chairperson Vorsitzender
in charge of zuständig für
darken verdunkeln
elevator (AmE) / lift (BE) Aufzug
eraser Wischer (Tafel)
executive Führungskraft
expect erwarten
extension cord Verlängerungskabel
facilities Ausstattung, Einrichtung
file transfer Dateiübertragung
50 The Company / Die F i rma
floor Stock
fringe benefits Sondervergünstigungen
in front of vor (räumlich)
managing director (BE);president (AmE)
Generaldirektor
next to neben
occupation; profession Beruf
opposite gegenüber
overhead projector Tageslichtprojektor
participants Teilnehmer
plant; works Werk, Fabrik
premises Gelände, Räumlichkeiten
projector; data projector Beamer
projectorstand Projektor-/Beamertisch
report to jdm. unterstehen
responsible for verantwortlich
rest room Toilette
rostrum Rednerpult
salary Gehalt
screen Leinwand, Bildschirm
slide projector Diaprojektor
socket Steckdose
List of vocabulary 51
spare part Ersatzteil
staff / workforce Belegschaft
storey; story Stockwerk
supervise beaufsichtigen
Tannoy Lautsprecheranlage
transparencies; foils Folien
white board weiße Kunststofftafel
Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps
Die Führung einer FirmaSowohl in den USA wie in Großbritannien steht an der Spitzeder Firma der board of directors (Firmenvorstand), der Auf-sichtsrat und der Vorstand. Im Gegensatz zum deutschenSystem, wo Geschäftsführung und Aufsichtsrat getrennteOrgane sind. Der Vorstandsvorsitzende chairman / chairpersonoder president ist meistens auch gleichzeitig verantwortlichfür die Ausführung und Umsetzung der Entscheidungen undheißt dann chief executive officer (CEO) in den USA undmanaging director in Großbritannien. In der Hierarchie folgtdas so genannte senior management das aus den seniorexecutive directors (BE) / officers (AmE) besteht. Die middlemanagers oder line managers / head of the departments(Abteilungsleiter) sind verantwortlich für die einzelnen Abtei-lungen in der Firma.
52 The Company / Die F i rma
Die verschiedenen GesellschaftsformenTrägt eine Firma in Großbritannien den Firmenzusatz Ltd.(Limited) oder in den USA LLc / Inc. (Limited Liability company/ Incorporated), entspricht sie in etwa unserer deutschenGmbH oder Familien-AG, deren Aktien (shares BE / stocksAmE) nicht öffentlich gehandelt werden. Die Abkürzung Plcsteht für Public limited company und ist mit unserer Aktien-gesellschaft (AG) zu vergleichen. In den USA spricht man hiervon open corporation, das bedeutet, dass die Firma an derBörse notiert ist (quoted / listed). Andere Formen sind soletrader / sole proprietorship (Einzelunternehmer) und partner-ships wie & Co. oder Sons (Personengesellschaften). TheParent company oder Holding (Muttergesellschaft) kontrol-liert die subsidiaries (BE) / affiliates (AmE) (Tochtergesell-schaften) und besitzt mehr als 50 % des Kapitals.
Wenn sich jemand selbstständig gemacht hat oder machenwill, spricht man im Englischen von a self-employed (busi-ness) person bzw. he wants to set up on his own. Wennjemand freiberuflich arbeitet, heißt es: He works freelance.
Falsche FreundeGerade im beruflichen Kontext können Wörter, die sehr ähn-lich oder gleich geschrieben werden, jedoch oft eine ganzandere Bedeutung haben – die so genannten „FalschenFreunde“ – zu folgenschweren Missverständnissen führen.
Das Wort „Unternehmer“ z.B. übersetzt man mit entrepreneuroder businessman / -woman. Verwenden Sie hier auf keinen
Kulture l le und sprachl iche T ipps 53
Fall den Begriff undertaker, das bedeutet nämlich „Leichen-bestatter“! A warehouse ist eine „Lagerhalle“ und a depart-ment store ein „Warenhaus“. Loan bedeutet „Darlehen“ undwages oder salary bedeutet „Lohn“. Die englische Übersetzungvon „Chef“ lautet boss und nicht chef oder chief. Letzterebedeuten nämlich „Koch“ und „Indianerhäuptling“. Darauf,dass branch nicht etwa „Branche“, sondern „Filiale“ bedeutet,haben wir schon hingewiesen.
54 The Company / Die F i rma
Effective BusinessDiscussions / Erfolgreichkommunizieren
In einer Fremdsprache einen Vortrag zu halten oder an einerDiskussion teilzunehmen, ist ein Stressfaktor.
Mit den praktischen Redewendungen in diesem Kapitel kön-nen Sie sich perfekt vorbereiten und Ihren Wortbeiträgen dennötigen Nachdruck verleihen. Sie erfahren, wie Sie
J sich in Meetings aktiv einbringen,J Verhandlungen kommunikativ erfolgreich führen undJ kompetent auf Englisch präsentieren.
55
Meetings / SitzungenDas Wort meeting umfasst mehrere Bedeutungen, variierendvon einem einfachen Treffen über eine Sitzung oder Bespre-chung bis hin zur Tagung oder Versammlung. Wichtige for-melle Versammlungen sind z.B. the annual general meeting(Jahreshauptversammlung / Aktionärsversammlung), the bo-ard meeting (Vorstandssitzung) oder das international projectmeeting mit jeweils unterschiedlichen Zielsetzungen: decisionmaking (Entscheidungen treffen), problem solving (Problem-lösung), informing on company's performance or project de-velopment (Bericht über die Geschäftslage oder eine Projekt-entwicklung).
Der chairman (Vorsitzende) eröffnet die Sitzung, begrüßt dieTeilnehmer und stellt eventuelle Gastredner vor: It's mypleasure to introduce our German guest Mr Horst. Er soll sichum Formalitäten wie Protokoll (minutes) und Tagesordnung(agenda) kümmern, Art und Anlass der Sitzung bekannt geben(stating the objective) und die Diskussion einleiten: Let's startwith the first item on the agenda.
Example
Ü Chairperson: Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
I'd like to welcome you to our meeting. I hope everybody hasreceived a copy of today's agenda.
Mrs Simpson, could you keep the minutes of this meeting,please?
Mrs Simpson: Yes, of course, as usual.
Chairperson: As you can see from the agenda, the main purposeof this meeting is to come to a decision on a new office building.
56 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Useful phrasesOpening the meeting / Die Besprechung eröffnen
J I declare the meeting open!J Ladies and gentlemen, may I please open this meeting?J I would like to welcome you all to our sales meeting.J Thank you for coming to today's meeting.J Let's get down to business.J Right, shall we get started / begin?
The minutes / Das Protokoll
J Has everybody seen the minutes of the last meeting?J Can we take the minutes for read?J Who's taking the minutes?J As the minutes of the last meeting have been approved, wecan start with the first item on the agenda.
The agenda / Die Tagesordnung
J We circulated the agenda in advance.J Has everybody received a copy of the agenda?J Does anyone want to add an item?J I'd like to put another item on the agenda.J I think we can delete item 3.J Let's discuss that under AOB / any other business.J Any remarks before we move on to the next point?
Meet ings / S i tzungen 57
Stating the objective / Zielsetzung
J The reason for our coming together is …
J We are here to discuss …J I've called a meeting to …J The purpose of today's meeting is …
Die DiskussionWenn Sie eine Diskussion leiten, fordern Sie die Teilnehmerauf, ihre Meinung zu äußern. Gleichzeitig haben Sie dieAufgabe, den Zeitplan einzuhalten und eventuelle Abschwei-fungen vom Thema zu verhindern: Could you stick to thesubject, please? Sie müssen auch hin und wieder Missver-ständnisse und Unklarheiten beseitigen: Could you explainthat in a little more detail?
Example
Ü Chairman: Mr Jones. You have investigated the area. Could I askyou to start this discussion by giving us your views on the choiceof the building site?
Useful phrasesAsking opinions / Um Meinungsäußerungen bitten
J I'd like Mr Brown to take the floor.J I would like to invite Dr Lee to present his views on …J Mr Grem would you like to say something about this?J I wonder if you like to comment, Mr Smith?
58 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
J What's your opinion on this, John?J What do you think of that / say to that, Jim?
Digressions / Abschweifungen
J I'm afraid we're moving too far away from the subject.J I'm afraid this isn't really relevant to the discussion.J Shouldn't we rather return to the topic?J Let's not get side-tracked.J I don't think this is essential.J Could we stick to the subject, please?J Could you keep to the point.
The time schedule / Der Zeitplan
J Let's try to keep this meeting short.J Let's try to finish by four o'clock.J I'm sorry, but we're running out of time.J Could you keep your comment short?J As time is short we have to move on.
Misunderstandings / Missverständnisse
J There seems to be a misunderstanding.J Could you explain what you mean?J Could you give us some more details?J Could you be a little more precise?J I'm afraid I don't really understand you?J Do you mean to say that …?
Meet ings / S i tzungen 59
Die Diskussion schließenExample
Ü Chairman: I hate to interrupt you Mr Jones but we're runningshort of time and we really need to come to a decision. Let mejust summarise the main points that have been made, before weput the proposal to a vote and bring this meeting to an end.
Summarise / Zusammenfassen
J In short, the main points that have been made are …J Let me summarise what we have discussed so far.J To sum up, it seems that we all agree …J I'd like to go over the most important pros and cons.
A vote / Abstimmung
J I suggest we move to a vote.J Could we take a vote on it? / Let's have a vote on this.J Can I ask for a show of hands?J All those in favour raise their hands.
J Those against?J Any abstentions?J I'd like to abstain.J The motion is carried by six votes to four.J The motion is carried unanimously.J The proposal is rejected.
60 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Any Other Business? / Sonstiges?
J Is there anything else to discuss?
J Any further points of discussion?J Is there any other business?
Closing the meeting / Besprechung beenden
J We seem to have arrived to the decision that …J I think we've discussed everything.J I'd now like to draw this meeting to a close.J I declare the meeting closed! Thank you Ladies and Gentle-men.
J I'd like to / let's call it a day now.J Thanks for coming everyone!
Die SitzungsteilnehmerVon den Teilnehmern (participants) wird erwartet, dass siesich zu Wort melden und Vorschläge machen (make pro-posals), Meinungen austauschen (exchange opinions) oderInformationen weitergeben (give information). Besondersschwierig für den Ausländer ist es dabei, deutlich zu sein undzugleich höflich zu bleiben.
Example
Ü Mr Jones: Well, yes. I investigated the area and I'm afraid that interms of accessibility this site is somewhat problematic. I knowthat they have planned a new motorway, but this plan will takeat least 2 years and I don't think we can wait that long.
Meet ings / S i tzungen 61
Mr Wells: I'd like to suggest that we try to find a more suitablelocation. Don't forget that some of us have to travel quite adistance and when I think of all the extra hours that I alreadywork for this company and …
Chairman: I understand what you mean, Mr Wells, but let's stickto the subject, please.
Mr Shawn: Could I say something on this matter, please? I thinkMr Wells is absolutely right and we should try to find a placewhich is more accessible not only for ourselves but also for ourcustomers.
The international character of our company demands a locationnear an airport or railway station.
Mr Jones: But these places are so terribly expensive!
Useful phrasesProposing / Vorschlagen
J I would like to put forward an alternative proposal.J I would like to make another suggestion.J Wouldn't it be a good idea if …J I suggest / propose that we …J Let's first have a look at …J Why don't we …?
Interrupting / Unterbrechen
J May I interrupt you for a moment?J I'm sorry to interrupt you / break in, but …J May I come in at this point …
62 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
J Excuse me, may I ask a question?J I don't want to interrupt, but …J Pardon me for interrupting, but …J I'd like to add something here if I may.J If I might just add something here …
Giving information / Informieren
J I would like to give you some details on this matter.J Let me give you an overview of the figures.J I will brief you on the results so far.J May I inform you on the decisions made by …
Opinions / Meinungsäußerungen
J In my opinion / in my view …J If you want to know my opinon …J The way I see it is …J I feel / think / believe that …J It seems / appears to me that …
Agreeing / Zustimmen
J I can go along with your proposal.J I think we are in agreement on that.
J I share your view.J I agree with you / I think you're right.
Meet ings / S i tzungen 63
Disagreeing / Ablehnen
J I don't think that's a good idea.
J I cannot go along with you there.J I'm afraid I can't agree with you.J I'm sorry, but I don't agree at all.J I absolutely disagree / I think you're wrong.
Protokoll schreibenEin Protokoll (minutes) oder Bericht (report) soll die wichtigs-ten �ußerungen der Teilnehmer /-innen wiedergeben undnachvollziehbar machen, wie die Entscheidungen und Ergeb-nisse zustande gekommen sind. Dazu benutzt man auch imEnglischen die indirekte Rede. Achten Sie darauf, dass dieVerbform jeweils um eine Zeitstufe in die Vergangenheitzurückversetzt wird. Als Beispiel sehen Sie das Protokoll zumDiskussionsausschnitt aus dem vorhergehenden Beispiel.
Example
Ü Minutes of the meeting held at the Head Office of Miller, on Oct.13-20XX.
Subject: New office buildings
Present: Mr Chester: Chairman; Ms Shawn: Public relations;
Mr Wells: Human Resources; Mr Jones: Financial Director
Mrs Simpson: Secretary; Guest: Mr Horst
Absent: Mr Macquire
The chairman opened the meeting, confirmed the minutes of thelast meeting and underlined the importance of coming to adecision. He asked Mr Jones to start the discussion by giving hisopinion on the building site.
64 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Mr Jones said he had investigated the area and thought that theaccessibility was a problem. He added that a new motorway wasplanned but that this plan would take too long to wait for. MrWells suggested to look for another location and reminded theboard of the extra travelling time this site would imply (implizie-ren). He continued to say that he was already working manyextra hours. The chairman interrupted him and summoned (for-derte auf) him to stick to the subject. Ms Shawn agreed with MrWells and stressed the importance of the vicinity (Nähe) of anairport or railway station, considering the international characterof the company. Mr Jones objected to this because he thoughtthese places were too expensive.
Es gibt im Englischen ein vielfältiges Angebot an so genann-ten operativen Verben wie die Verben to agree oder tounderline, womit sich der Verlauf einer Diskussion abwechs-lungsreich und genau schildern lässt. Hat jemand z.B. ziem-lich lange gesprochen und viele Argumente vorgebracht, dannkann man diese wie folgt erfassen: He began by saying that …He continued … He then pointed out … Mr x went on bysaying … He concluded by observing that …
Useful verbsNeutral reporting / Neutral berichten
J He said / stated / observed that …J She pointed out that …J The chairman asked if / whether …J Mr Bloom answered / replied …J The speaker argued …
J He reminded the board …
Meetings / S i tzungen 65
Emphasis / Betonung
J He underlined / emphasized / stressed …
J She warned / cautioned …J He urged …J The chairman summoned the speaker …
Opinions / Meinungsäußerung
J He admitted / acknowledged …J She believed that …J Mr Smith shared the view / opinion of …J He claimed that …J The chairman denied that …J The director suggested / proposed …
Negotiations / VerhandlungenBei den weniger formellen Kundentreffen (customer mee-tings) wird direkt verhandelt (negotiated) über Angeboteoffers und Vertragsbedingungen (conditions / terms of con-tract). Man versucht einander zu überzeugen, ohne dabeiunhöflich zu werden (siehe „Wie Sie Ihre Meinung sagen“ imAbschnitt „Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps“). Will man seinArgument betonen, setzt man im Englischen oft das Hilfsverb„do“ vor das Hauptverb: I do think we should try to compro-mise (Ich denke wirklich, wir sollten versuchen, einen Kom-promiss zu finden).
66 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Example
Ü A: Delivery will be in 6 weeks with a discount of 2 % if you placeyour order this month.
B: That sounds like a good offer but we need the goods in 2weeks. Couldn't you shorten the delivery period?
A: Sure, but then we would have to raise the price.
B: I see what you mean, but we do need these products thismonth. Could I make a suggestion?
If you deliver in 3 weeks, we could discuss another order for thecoming season.
A: Fine, if you could confirm this in writing. I'll talk to our legaldepartment and ask them to set up the contract.
Useful phrasesMaking offers / Angebote machen
J We were thinking of … / suggest …J The best offer we can make you is …J We could offer you a discount of 2 %.J We grant a price reduction of 2 %.J We can deliver the goods in 6 weeks.J Our deal includes maintenance.
Rejecting the offer / Angebot abweisen
J I'm afraid we cannot accept that.J There's no question of our being able to accept.
Negot iat ions / Verhandlungen 67
J We feel that the price is rather high.J We cannot agree to what you propose.J That is not negotiable.J We had much better offers from other companies.J You'll have to do better than that.
Conditions / Bedingungen
J If you shorten delivery, we could …J We may be able to … but only if you …J Provided you … we might …J We accept, on the condition that …J Unless you … we will not be able to …
Winning time / Zeit gewinnen
J That sounds fine but I'll have to confer with my boss first.J I should like to think this over.J Could you keep that offer open for 2 more weeks?J I'm afraid I don't have the authority to decide.J I would like to discuss this proposal with my partner.J I'm afraid I need some more information.
Reaching agreements / Übereinstimmung erzielen
J I'm pleased to say we agree.J I think we've finally come to terms.J This seems a very reasonable offer.
68 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
J We're in complete agreement with each other.J We can sign the contract.
Making complaints / Sich beschweren
J I'm afraid that you didn't respect the date of delivery.J The goods you delivered were damaged.J We're sorry to say that we're dissatisfied with the con-signment.
J I'm afraid you've overcharged us again.J I have to tell you that you didn't keep to the terms / theconditions were not met.
J According to our agreement …
Apologizing / Sich entschuldigen
J Please accept our apologies.J I'm very sorry to hear that.J I really must apologize.
J I quite understand how you feel.J We'll look into the matter immediately.J I'll see to it personally.J I assure you that it won't happen again.J The mistake will be rectified as soon as possible.
Negot iat ions / Verhandlungen 69
Presentations / PräsentationenBei Präsentationen kommt es darauf an, die Aufmerksamkeitder Zuhörer zu wecken und aufrecht zu erhalten. Dazu stehenIhnen zahlreiche Hilfsmittel zur Verfügung (siehe auch Ab-schnitt „The conference facilities“). Der größte Teil IhresErfolgs hängt freilich davon ab, wie Sie Ihre Information oderBotschaft formulieren. Gestehen Sie gleich am Anfang, dassIhr Englisch nicht perfekt ist: I'm afraid my English is notperfect, und laden Sie dazu ein, Fragen zu stellen, wenn etwasnicht klar war: So, please do not hesitate to ask me ifanything was unclear. Vermeiden Sie Sätze mit kompliziertenNebensatzkonstruktionen. Formulieren Sie lieber kurz unddeutlich: I'll try to be brief and clear!
Die EinleitungZuerst stellen Sie sich und Ihre Kollegen vor: Let me brieflyintroduce myself. I'm … and this is my colleague … (sieheauch useful phrases im Abschnitt „Arrival at the company“).Sie bedanken sich für die Einladung: I'd like to thank you forinviting me here today und kündigen das Thema der Präsen-tation an: I'm going to talk to you about … Danach folgt einkurzer Überblick über die Gliederung Ihrer Präsentation (ashort overview of the structure) und ein eventueller Hinweisauf Tischvorlagen (hand-outs). Sagen Sie gleich zu Beginn, obman Sie unterbrechen darf: You can interrupt me at any timeif you have any questions, oder ob Sie es bevorzugen, erstnach der Präsentation Fragen zu beantworten, wo genügend
70 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Zeit sein wird: After the presentation there will be ample timefor questions.
Example
Ü Mr Horst: Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm delighted to be here todayas a guestspeaker at the annual customer meeting of MillerCommunications Incorporated. Let me briefly introduce myself:I'm Gerhard Horst, head of the research and development depart-ment of Hirsch in Germany. I'd like to inform you on the latestdevelopments in the field of electronic communications. I'll beginwith an overview of our latest projects, then I'll brief you on ourcompany's sales figures and I'll finish off with an outlook on thecompany's future plans.
If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them after mypresentation.
Useful phrasesOpening words / Einleitung
J Good morning. Let me introduce myself …J Let me introduce you to my colleague …J I / We represent …
Thanking for the invitation / Für die Einladungdanken
J It's a great honour to be able to speak here today.J I'm grateful for having the opportunity to …J I'm glad to have a chance to speak.J Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for asking me to …
Presentat ions / Präsentat ionen 71
Announcing the topic / Das Thema ankündigen
J Today I'm going to talk about …
J The topic / subject of this presentation is …J In my presentation I'll be explaining our new project.J I'll try to give you an overview of the development …J You've met here today to hear something about …
Handouts / Tischvorlagen
J In the handout, which will be passing around, you'll find …J I hope everybody received the handout?J May I draw your attention to the handout?J There is a small mistake in the handout which I would liketo correct.
J I'm afraid we've run out of copies, could you share withyour neighbour's?
Structure / Gliederung
J I'll focus on two main points.J I'll be covering the following three main areas.J I've divided this presentation into four sections.J In the first part of my presentation I'll …J I'd like to begin with … then / next / after that …J First / firstly / first of all … Secondly … Thirdly … Finally …J My colleague will take over the second part.
72 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Useful phrases
J Owing to circumstances beyond our control, we will un-fortunately need to …
J Regrettably, due to unexpected events Dr. Dogan mustcancel the lecture of June 26.
J Mr Jorritsma sends his sincere apologies for his absencefrom the conference, and …
Indicating date and timeWhile trying to arrange an appointment, pay attention tousing the proper expressions concerning date and time. Takespecial precautions if your message will be sent interna-tionally to prevent misunderstandings: Spell out dates, as inGermany, 02/05/XX means May 2, 20XX; but in the UnitedStates this means February 5, 20XX. There are more specificdifferences between German and English, e.g. the twelve-hour clock. In case of doubt try to double check appoint-ments; some people ask for confirmation by e-mail or fax.Electronic agendas like MS Outlook offer practical functiona-lities that automatically send reminders per e-mail.
MonthsJanuary Januar July Juli
February Februar August August
March März September September
April April October Oktober
May Mai November November
June Juni December Dezember
Invitat ions 193
J Let me now move on to …J So much for the figures. Now as to …J Having finished this part, I'd like to turn to the next point.J As you can see on the handout this brings us to the lastpart.
Rhetorical questions / Rhetorische Fragen
J The question is: What can we do about this?J What does this mean for our company?J What advantages would this offer us?J You will ask yourselves: In what way does this affect us?
J Isn't there a better way of dealing with this problem?
Bringing arguments / Argumentieren
J On the one hand … On the other …J In addition …, furthermore …J Because of this / as a result of this …J Consequently / therefore …J However, I think that …J Generally speaking / in general we could say …J On the whole …J We should take into account the following …J Instead of increasing our production,
I suggest …J Not only … but also …
74 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
J There are two reasons for this.
First … second …J This is due to …
Offering solutions / Lösungen anbieten
J One way to solve this problem would be …J We propose the following solution …J A possible solution would be …J I found a way to deal with this problem.J However, there's another alternative.J Another option would be to …
Making forecasts / Prognosen stellen
J What's the forecast for next year?J The long / short term forecast is …J The outlook is (not) very encouraging.J The prospects for next year are pretty good.J We expect this trend to continue.J Sales are expected to rise.J We see signs of growth.
Declining interruptions / Unterbrechungenunterbinden
J If I might just finish my sentence.J Perhaps we could return to that question later on.
Presentat ions / Präsentat ionen 75
J If you would be so kind as to let me finish.
I'll answer questions later on.J If you would allow me to finish off first.J I'll come back to you as soon as I've finished my talk.J There are two more points I'd like to mention before Ianswer your questions.
Picking up the thread / Den Faden wieder aufnehmen
J As I was saying …J Coming back to what I was trying to explain …J To return to my subject …
J If we could just return to the topic …J If I could just continue …J This leads us back to what I was saying before …
Grafiken und DiagrammeHäufig ist es sinnvoll, Entwicklungen und Veränderungen mitGrafiken (graphs), Tabellen (tables) oder Diagrammen (charts/diagrams) zu veranschaulichen (siehe auch Abschnitt „Theconference facilities“). Das Kreisdiagramm heißt pie chart;flow chart ist das Flussdiagramm, organisation chart nenntman im Englischen das Organigramm, bar chart ist das Bal-kendiagramm, das Piktogramm heißt auch im Englischenpictogram (siehe auch „Vorsicht: Zahlen“ im Abschnitt „Kul-turelle und sprachliche Tipps“).
76 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Example
Ü As you can see from this graph, profit increased only slightlybetween 2000 and 2001. The following year it plunged to justunder $50 m owing to a change in management. After that therewas a steady growth reaching a peak at 2007 followed by asteady fall until profits then levelled off at around $60 m foryears.
Useful phrasesCommenting diagrams / Diagramme kommentieren
J Let's have a look at this graph / diagram.J The horizontal / vertical axis represents …J Production is indicated by a red line.J This solid line gives us …J The broken line shows …J The dotted line illustrates …J This curve here indicates …J With this pie chart I'd like to show you …J The shaded section represents …J The table in the middle gives us last year's sales figures.J The right-hand / left-hand column shows …J At the top / bottom you see …
Presentat ions / Präsentat ionen 77
Upward trend / Aufwärtsgehender Trend
J The number of … has grown / gone up / risen / increased /climbed.
J Prices have jumped since …J There has been an enormous boom / upturn.J Market has picked up / recovered again.J Sales reached a peak in 1992.J It reached an all-time high.
Downward trend / Abwärtsgehender Trend
J Profits have declined / gone down / dropped / decreased /fallen.
J Sales have slumped / plummeted.J We could almost speak of a recession.J There has been an enormous down turn in production.J Prices bottomed out.J We reached an all-time low.
Continuing trend / Gleich bleibender Trend
J Our sales figures have remained stable / steady.J Prices have been stable / unchanged for several years.J Profits held firm for two years.
78 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Adverbs of change / Adverbien der Veränderung
barely, slightly kaum, leicht
gradually / slowly butsteadily
sanft / langsam, aber sicher
substantially, markedly;significantly, considerably
bedeutend
unexpectedly, surprisingly unerwartet, überraschend
suddenly, abruptly plötzlich
dramatically, sharply dramatisch, steil
Contrast and comparison / Kontraste und Vergleiche
J If we compare these figures, we see that …J Compared with last year, sales have increased by 5 %.J Although we invested a lot, sales figures fell.J Investment increased whereas sales dropped.J The higher the costs, the higher the price.J Investment was not as high as last year.J Despite the recession we managed to expand.
Zum Abschluss kommenNach der Zusammenfassung der wichtigsten Themen könnenSie schließen, indem Sie Ihr Publikum zu Fragen auffordern.Formulierungen wie: If there are no questions I'd like to finish,halten die Zuhörer eher davon ab, noch Fragen zu stellen.Ermutigen Sie sie lieber: I presume (nehme an) you will have a
Presentat ions / Präsentat ionen 79
lot of questions. Was anything unclear or did I forget anythingimportant? I'm very curious (neugierig) to know what youthink of this project.
Manchmal wird nach einer Präsentation applaudiert, aufkeinen Fall sollten Sie auf den Tisch klopfen, wie das inDeutschland üblich ist. In den meisten Ländern will mandamit lediglich Aufmerksamkeit erreichen oder um Ruhebitten.
Example
Ü Mr Horst: Well, with this summary I would like to finish off mypresentation. I hope I have been able to convince you of theimportance of our new project on the international market andwould be happy to answer any questions that remained unans-wered. For more detailed information you may call me at myoffice any time, as soon as I'm back in Germany. You'll find myphone number and E-mail address on the top right of the hand-out.
Thank you very much for the attention.
Useful phrasesClosing words / Abschließende Worte
J I'd like to conclude by making the following statement.J Let me go through the main arguments again beforefinishing this presentation.
J I hope it has become clear through this presentation …J I'd like to close off with the following suggestion …
80 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
J To put it in a nutshell …J So, to summarize we could say that …
Inviting questions / Fragen anregen
J I'd now like to turn to the questions that you certainlyhave.
J If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer themnow.
J I'd welcome any questions or comments.J Please tell me if anything was unclear.J Any further questions?
Difficult questions / Schwierige Fragen
J I don't think I'm the right person to answer that question.J That is beyond my competence.J I'm afraid I don't have those figures here, but I could letyou know later.
J Let me pass this question to Mr Marks who is an expert onthis matter.
J Could we come back to that later?
Dealing with criticism / Umgang mit Kritik
J I quite see your point but still …J That's an interesting observation but we shouldn't forget …
Presentat ions / Präsentat ionen 81
J I understand your criticism, but don't you think …?J I entirely agree with you. On the other hand …J Perhaps I should make myself clearer on this point.J It seems that you have misunderstood me there.J I don't think this is the place or time to discuss this.
Closing the discussion / Die Diskussion abschließen
J With this last question I'd like to finish this presentation.J I'm sorry to break off this interesting discussion but I thinkwe're running out of time.
J I think we should call it a day.
J Thank you for your attention, ladies and gentlemen.J Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for sacrificing your valu-able time.
J Thank you very much for coming and I hope I've been ableto inform you sufficiently.
82 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
List of vocabularyabstentions Enthaltungen
acknowledge; admit zugeben
adjourn vertagen
agenda Tagesordnung
agree / disagree einverstanden /nicht einverstanden sein
agreement Übereinstimmung
all-time high / all-time low Rekordhoch / Rekordtief
ample reichlich
annual general meeting Jahreshauptversammlung,Aktionärsversammlung
AOB / any other business Sonstiges
approve annehmen
argue argumentieren
audience Zuhörer
beyond darüber hinaus
board meeting Vorstandssitzung
brief informieren (Verb);kurz (Adj. /Adv.)
broken line gestrichelte Linie
List of vocabulary 83
call it a day Schluss machen
circulate in Umlauf geben
claim behaupten
column Spalte
come to terms sich einigen
comment sich äußern
complaints Beschwerden
conditions; terms Bedingungen
consignment Warensendung
convince überzeugen
curious neugierig
decide / decision entscheiden / Entscheidung
delighted erfreut
deliver / delivery liefern / Lieferung
deny leugnen; abstreiten
despite trotz
digressions Abschweifungen
discount Rabatt
(dis)satisfied (un)zufrieden
dotted line punktierte Linie
draw to a close abschließen
expert Spezialist
84 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
figure /sales figures Zahl / Verkaufszahlen
flow / bar / pie chart Fluss- / Balken- /Kreisdiagramm
focus konzentrieren
forecast Prognose
get down to beginnen
grant gewähren
graph Grafik
guestspeaker Gastredner
hand out Tischvorlage
imply implizieren
in a nutshell kurz gesagt
in favour / against dafür / dagegen
increase / decrease erhöhen / senken
interrupt; breakin unterbrechen
item; point Punkt
jump sprunghaft ansteigen
keep the minutes;take the minutes
protokollieren
level off ausgleichen, stabil bleiben
main points Schwerpunkte
main purpose Hauptzweck
List of vocabulary 85
minutes Protokoll
misunderstand falsch verstehen
motion Antrag
objective Zielsetzung
on the condition that unter der Bedingung, dass
on the top right / left rechts / links oben
opinion; view Meinung
outlook on Ausblick auf
overcharge zu viel berechnen
overview of Überblick über
owing to; due to wegen
participate / participant teilnehmen / Teilnehmer /-in
pass weitergeben (Frage)
pick up; recover sich erholen
point out darauf hinweisen
presume annehmen
profit / loss Gewinn / Verlust
proposal; suggestion Vorschlag
propose; suggest vorschlagen
pros and cons Für und Wider
provided vorausgesetzt
86 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
rectify korrigieren
remark Anmerkung
remind erinnern
report Bericht
represent für etwas stehen
respect terms; keep to terms; Bedingungen einhalten
meet terms
sacrifice opfern
show of hands Handzeichen
side-tracked vom Thema abgekommen
slum; plummet; plunge drastisch zurückgehen
solid line durchgehende Linie
solve / solution lösen / Lösung
stick to festhalten an
still trotzdem; noch immer
structure Gliederung
sufficiently ausreichend
summarise zusammenfassen
summon auffordern
take the floor das Wort nehmen
time schedule Zeitplan
List of vocabulary 87
underline; emphasize; stress betonen
unless es sei denn; wenn nicht
up turn / down turn Aufschwung / Rückgang
urge drängen
vote abstimmen; Abstimmung
warn; caution warnen
88 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps
Wie Sie Ihre Meinung sagenIm Allgemeinen drückt man im Englischen seine Meinungetwas vorsichtiger aus als im Deutschen. Deutsche wirkendeshalb oft etwas grob, wenn sie ihre Diskussionsbeiträgewörtlich übersetzen.
Wenn Sie einen Vorschlag einbringen wollen, leiten Sie diesam besten mit Ausdrücken ein wie: I think that / I believe / Ifeel that, oder Sie verpacken Ihr Anliegen in die Frageform. Sokönnen Sie zeigen, dass Sie auch die Meinung der Ansprech-partner respektieren: Don't you think it would be a good ideaif …? / Shouldn't we …? / What do you think of …? / I wonderif … (Ich frage mich, ob …).
Wenn Sie einen Vorschlag ablehnen müssen, sollten Sie IhreAussage etwas abschwächen durch Ausdrücke wie: I'm sorryto say but … / I regret that … / Unfortunately / I'm afraid …
Sport und GeschäftIm Wirtschaftsenglischen werden häufig Ausdrücke benützt,die der Welt des Sports entnommen sind, dem Fußball,Basketball oder Baseball. Man kann eine informelle Sitzungz.B. wie folgt beginnen: Let's kick off this meeting by lookingat the figures. Wenn es von jemandem heißt: He playshardball, bedeutet dies, dass es sich um einen ziemlichagressiven und unnachgiebigen Verhandlungspartner handelt.Wenn die Zielsetzung verändert werden muss, sagt man: We'll
Kulture l le und sprachl iche T ipps 89
have to move the goalposts (Wir müssen die Torpfostenumstellen). A Ballpark figure ist eine ungefähre Schätzungund a slam dunk hit ein Riesenerfolg. He came in from the leftfield kann man hören, wenn jemand eine unerwartete, meistkritische Bemerkung gemacht hat. Fragt jemand: What's thescore?, will er über die aktuelle Situation unterrichtet werden.Wenn diese sich dramatisch verändert hat, sagt man: We're ina whole new ball game.
Feststehende WendungenBesonders schwer ist es, feststehende Wendungen in einerFremdsprache zu verstehen. Im Englischen gibt es zahlloseWendungen im Bereich Kommunikation. Wenn jemand unvor-bereitet eine Präsentation halten soll, sagt er beispielsweise: Ihave to speak off the cuff oder off the top of my head. RedenSie um den heißen Brei herum, heißt es: You're beating aboutthe bush, und man wird Sie bitten zum Kern der Sache zukommen: Could you please get down to brass tacks! (Reiß-zwecke). Nennen Sie in Ihrem Vortrag zu viele Zahlen, werdenSie ein number cruncher genannt.
90 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
Vorsicht: ZahlenBei Zahlen werden im Englischen Komma und Punkt genauumgekehrt gebraucht wie im Deutschen. So heißt „2,5 Millio-nen Dollar“ im Englischen: $2.5 m, gesprochen: two point fivemillion dollars. Tausenderstellen werden durch Kommas ge-kennzeichnet. Also: $2,000,000, two million dollars. Dabeiwird die Währung in die Pluralform gesetzt und nicht wie imDeutschen die Zahl: Millionen.
Hundert, Tausend, Million etc. wird immer mit Artikel ange-geben: one hundred oder a hundred, one / a thousand etc. Soheißt 135: one / a hundred and thirty-five.
Darf es etwas mehr sein?Präzise Zahlen sind in einer mündlichen Präsentation nichtnur ein Stolperstein für den Sprecher, sie wirken auch auf dieZuhörer erschlagend. Runden Sie die Zahlen lieber. Dazukönnen Sie folgende Ausdrücke benützen:
J Sales in 1998 was a little under / over 60 m.J Approximately / about / around one fifth of our productsare sold in Japan.
J More than half (54.2 %) of the employees are German.J A good third (35 %) of them live in Stuttgart.J Nearly 5000 (4986) persons attended the meeting.
Kulture l le und sprachl iche T ipps 91
Falsche FreundeWie schon erwähnt ist das englische Wort für Protokollminutes Protocol im Englischen bedeutet „Vorgehensweise“oder „festgelegte Regeln“. „Eine Notiz machen“ heißt to makea note während notice „Anzeige“ oder „Aushang“ bedeutet.
92 Effect ive Bus iness Discuss ions / Er fo lgre ich kommuniz ieren
After Business Hours /Nach Büroschluss
Bei internationalen Geschäften sind Einladungen zu einemBusiness lunch oder dinner nicht selten, vielleicht hat manauch Karten fürs Theater für Sie gebucht.
Typische Gesprächssituationen mit den passenden Redewen-dungen helfen dabei, dass Ihnen auch diese Situationen Spaßmachen. Sie erfahren, wie Sie
J bei Einladungen einen persönlichen Kontakt zum Gast-geber herstellen und einen guten Eindruck hinterlassen,
J sich im Restaurant korrekt ausdrücken und verhalten,J Small Talk mit Leichtigkeit meistern undJ angemessen Good bye sagen.
93
The personal invitation /Die persönliche EinladungWollen Sie selbst einen Gast zu einem Essen oder zu einerVeranstaltung einladen, leiten Sie mit den Worten ein: Wouldyou like to …? oder I would like to invite you to … Um einenTermin auszumachen, genügt es zu fragen: How about Tues-day eight o'clock? oder: Is Friday at seven OK? (siehe auch„Useful phrases“: „Making an appointment“ und „Changingappointments“, im Kapitel „The First Contacts“). Ablehnungen,ob förmlich oder etwas lockerer, sollten immer höflich formu-liert und vor allem begründet werden: Thank you for theinvitation, but I'm afraid I have another appointment that day.
Example
Ü Mr Chester: Well Mr Horst, that was it for today.
Would you like to go to the theatre tonight?
Mr Horst: Thanks very much, but to tell you the truth I'm verytired.
Mr Chester: Of course, I understand. Giving a presentation in aforeign language is quite exhausting, isn't it?
Mr Horst: Yes, indeed and I think I'm still suffering from a jet lag.
Mr Chester: Well, how about tomorrow night?
Mr Horst: That would be fine. Where shall we meet?
Mr Chester: I'll pick you up at around seven at your hotel.
Mr Horst: Great, that would just give me time enough to getdressed.
94 After Bus iness Hours / Nach Büroschluss
Useful phrasesInviting / Einladen
J Would you like to come and have dinner with my family?J We would like to invite you to a baseball game.J How about a visit to the museum of modern art thisweekend?
J Would you like to make a tour around the countryside?J Mr Simon would like to invite you for supper this Sunday.J Could you join us for a barbecue this weekend?
Accepting invitations / Einladungen annehmen
J Thank you, I love baseball games.J Thanks I'd love to.J That's a wonderful idea.
Declining invitations / Einladungen ablehnen
J Thank you, but I'm afraid I can't. I'm meeting my boss.J Thanks but I'm afraid I'm not feeling very well.J Thanks a lot but I'm flying home on Sunday.J Thanks but I'm very busy this week.
The personal inv i tat ion / Die persönl iche Einladung 95
Reactions / Reaktionen
J Oh, that's a pity, my family will be very diasappointed.
J Oh, I see, well, perhaps some other time.J What a shame! Maybe next week?J Well, never mind. We'll find another date.
At the restaurant / Im RestaurantIn vielen Ländern finden Sie im Eingangsbereich des Restau-rants ein Schild Please wait to be seated! Dies ist ein Hinweisdarauf, dass Ihnen der Kellner einen Tisch zuweist und Sie sichnicht selbst den Platz wählen. Gefällt Ihnen der Tisch nicht,fragen Sie einfach nach einem anderen: Could we have thattable over there at the window, please?
Die Speisenauswahl ist in einem fremden Land oft nicht ganzleicht. Wenn Sie unsicher sind, verlassen Sie sich auf dieEmpfehlung Ihres Gastgebers oder des Kellners: I could re-commend you the veal cutlet (Kalbsschnitzel) which comeswith baked potatoes and seasonal vegetable.
Example
Ü Waiter: Good evening!
Mr Chester: Good evening. We'd like a table for two, please.
Waiter: Smoking or non-smoking?
Mr Chester: Non-smoking, please.
Waiter: Just follow me, please. – Here we are.
Mr Chester: Could we have a table at the window so that we canenjoy the wonderful view?
96 After Bus iness Hours / Nach Büroschluss
Waiter: I'm afraid they have all been reserved.
Mr Chester: Well, never mind this one is fine too.
Waiter: Have you made a choice yet?
Mr Horst: No, not yet. I'm having some problems with the menu.Could you tell me what veal is?
Waiter: Let me see, how do I explain. It's the meat of a baby cow.
Mr Horst: OK, I understand, thanks. Well, Mr Chester you've beenhere before. What would you recommend?
Mr Chester: The steak is very good here.
Mr Horst: OK, I'll have the steak with a salad and French fries(AmE)/chips (BE).
Waiter: Are you sure you don't want a starter?
Mr Horst: Yes, I'm sure. A main course will do for me and, ofcourse, a dessert afterwards.
Waiter: Right Sir, and how would you like your steak? Rare,medium or well done?
Useful phrasesThe table / Der Tisch
J Could we have a table for four, please?J I'd like to book a table for two on Tuesday at 8 o'clock.J I reserved a table at seven in the name of Chester.
J Could we have a different table, this one is …
The menu / Die Speisekarte
J Excuse me, could I have the menu?J What kind of meat do you serve? – We have beef, porkchops, lamb, veal and venison.
At the restaurant / Im Restaurant 97
J Do you have any vegetarian dishes?J I feel like having fish.J The fish of the day is salmon which comes with an orangesauce.
J How is the sole done / made? – You can have it grilled,baked or poached.
J All our main dishes are served with a green salad or thevegetables of your choice, french fries or a jacked potatoe.
Ordering / Bestellen
J Are you ready to order now?J I'm sorry, but I haven't decided yet. Could you come back alittle later, please?
J What can you recommend?J What's today's special?J Excuse me, could I order now, please?J OK, I'll have / take the soup as a starter.J As a main course I'd like / I'll have …J Could we have some coffee with our dessert, please?J Could I have some more wine, please?J We'd like another bottle of water, please.J Could I have a spoon, knife, fork?
98 After Bus iness Hours / Nach Büroschluss
Small talk / Leichte KonversationWährend des Essens oder bei einem Drink in der Kneipe wirdmeist nicht über geschäftliche Themen gesprochen. Hierschlägt die Stunde des small talk oder socializing, der in einerFremdsprache besonders schwer fällt, da er sprachlich weitüber den fachlichen Jargon hinausgeht. Andererseits kannman sich durch diese Art von Konversation menschlich einStück näher kommen und damit das Geschäftsklima positivbeeinflussen. Beliebte Themen sind dabei das Essen (the food),das Wetter (the weather), der Sport (sports), die Familie (thefamily) und Informationen über das Land (country). Über-lassen Sie es am besten dem Gastgeber, ob noch einmalberufliche Themen zur Sprache kommen oder nicht.
Example
Ü Mr Chester: So, how is your steak? Was it a good choice?
Mr Horst: Oh yes, it's delicious and I love that salad dressing.How's your chicken?
Mr Chester: Well, it's a little bit salty to tell you the truth. Itmakes me rather thirsty. Another drop of wine?
Mr Horst: No thanks, I've had enough.
Mr Chester: So what do you think of Chicago? Is it very differentfrom Stuttgart? I guess it's a little bit colder over here, isn't it?
Mr Horst: It's very different indeed. Chicago is a lot bigger withthese enormous skyscrapers and huge buildings. I like the peoplea lot, but it's true that it's very cold. Is it always like this?
Mr Chester: Yes, with the wind coming from the big lakes it canbe very cold and windy up here with a lot of snowfall in thewinter, but you get used to the climate.
Smal l ta lk / Le ichte Konversat ion 99
Useful phrasesThe food / Das Essen
J The food is really excellent / delicious.J I'm glad you like it.J It tastes wonderfull although it is a little bit spicy.J Is it true that Kraut is a traditional German dish?
The weather / Das Wetter
J What's the climate like in your country?J In summer, temperature may rise up to the nineties (Fah-renheit).
J It is very stuffy / sticky / humid.J In autumn / fall it can be very foggy and gloomy withheavy rains and thunderstorms.
J Spring(time) is absolutely gorgeous with very agreeabletemperatures.
Sports / Sport
J Do you do any sports in your free time?J I like swimming and biking but I'm not in a sportsclub.J In Germany soccer is much more popular than baseball andfootball. We don't even understand the rules of thesesports.
J Have you seen this soccer match between Holland andGermany. The referee was terrible.
100 After Bus iness Hours / Nach Büroschluss
Likes and dislikes / Vorlieben und Abneigungen
J I'm into collecting stamps / coins.
J In my spare time I like to read.J I enjoy listening to classical music.J I'm a keen gardener.J I like tennis but I prefer squash.J I'm not very keen on ballet but I love the opera.J I can't stand pop music.
Family affairs / Familienangelegenheiten
J Do you have any children?J I have a boy / son of 14 and a girl / daughter of 16.J What kind of work does your husband / wife do?J Do you live in a flat / appartment or do you have a house.J I have a detached / semi-detached house in the suburbs ofStuttgart.
Country matters / Landesinformation
J From what part of the country are you?J It's in the north / south / east / west of …J We live near the coast / the mountain.J What does that part of the country look like?J It's quite flat / hilly / mountainous.J It's a densely popuplated area.
Smal l ta lk / Le ichte Konversat ion 101
J Which interesting sites do you recommend?J Well, try to visit … it's not far from here.J This area is famous for …
Showing interest / Interesse zeigen
J That's interesting / amazing.J Is that so / true?J Indeed / really? I didn't know that!J And how about …
Back to business / Zur Sache kommen
J What I wanted to talk to you about is …J By the way, coming back to business …J As we were discussing the other day …J Let's get down to business.
The bill / Die Rechnung
J Could I have the bill (BE) / check (AmE) please?J Is service included?J Tips are usually around 15 %.J Would you like separate checks?J This is on me.
J You're my guest today.J Do you accept credit cards?J You can keep the change.
102 After Bus iness Hours / Nach Büroschluss
Saying goodbye / Abschied nehmenBeim Verabschieden bedankt man sich für die Gastfreund-schaft: Thank you for your hospitality und hofft auf einbaldiges Wiedersehen: I hope to see you again soon. In denmeisten Ländern gehört es auch zum guten Ton – vor allem,wenn Sie nach Hause eingeladen wurden –, sich nach derRückkehr schriftlich mit einem kurzen thank-you letter zubedanken. Geschäftliche Kontakte sollten Sie durch einen sogenannten follow-up letter pflegen, in dem Sie Ihren Partneran das Besprochene erinnern und versprechen sich wieder zumelden: I'll keep you informed / I'll keep in touch.
Example
Ü 1 Thank-you note
Dear Mr and Mrs …,
This is just a note to thank you very much for a lovely eveninglast Tuesday. It was very nice of you to invite me to your homeand make me feel so welcome. The cooking was delicious and Ienjoyed meeting your children. We had such a wonderfulconversation!
Whenever you come to my country, my wife and I would bevery pleased to welcome you at our home.
Yours sincerely, …
2 Follow-up letter
Dear Mr Chester,
I would like to thank you for the warm welcome you have givenme at your company. As you may remember we discussed thepossibility of adapting (anpassen) one of our systems to match(entsprechen) your company's requirements (Anforderungen).I'm writing this letter to confirm that our company is interested
Saying goodbye / Abschied nehmen 103
in the project and would be happy to answer any questions andprovide you with any further information concerning (bezüg-lich) the subject.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerly, …
Useful phrasesLeaving / Aufbrechen
J I'm afraid I must go.J I think it's about time to go now.J I must be getting back to the hotel.J My plane leaves at …
Thanking / Sich bedanken
J Thank you for a great evening.J I have very much enjoyed my stay in …J I'm glad you enjoyed it.J It's been a pleasure meeting you.J Thanks for inviting me / for everything.J Thank you very much for coming.
Keeping in touch / In Kontakt bleiben
J I look forward to seeing you / hearing from you again.J I hope we'll see you soon.J Give me a ring next time you're in …
104 After Bus iness Hours / Nach Büroschluss
J Here's my card.J Let me write down your number / E-mail address.J Do keep in touch.J I'll come back to you.J I'll drop you a line.
J Pay me a visit next time you're there.J Keep me informed / keep me in the picture.
Farewell words / Abschiedsworte
J Have a safe journey / good trip back.J Have a good flight.J See you / goodbye / take care!J Give my regards to …J Say hello to … for me.
List of vocabularyadapt anpassen
agreeable angenehm
a pity schade
autumn; fall Herbst
beef Rindfleisch
come back to someone Kontakt wieder aufnehmen
concerning bezüglich
List of vocabulary 105
decide entscheiden
disappointed enttäuscht
dish Gericht
don't mention it; not at all keine Ursache
drop a line schreiben
exhausting erschöpfend
french fries Pommes frites
give a ring anrufen
gloomy trüb
gorgeous herrlich
gratuity (AmE) Trinkgeld
here you are bitte (beim Geben)
hospitality Gastfreundschaft
join sich anschließen
keep in touch in Kontakt bleiben
keep someone in the picture;keep someone informed
jemanden auf demLaufenden halten
liquor store Spirituosenladen
look forward to sich freuen auf
main course; entr�e (AmE) Hauptgericht
match entsprechen; passen zu
106 After Bus iness Hours / Nach Büroschluss
never mind! macht nichts!
pay a visit besuchen
personal persönlich; familiär
personnel Personal
poached pochiert
pork Schweinefleisch
rare blutig; nicht durch
recommend empfehlen
regards Grüße
requirement Anforderung
salmon Lachs
salty salzig
seasonal saisonabhängig
sky scraper Wolkenkratzer
soccer Fußball
socialize sich unterhalten
sole Seezunge
spicy scharf gewürzt
spring Frühjahr
starter; appetizer; entr�e (BE) Vorspeise
stuffy; sticky schwül
List of vocabulary 107
suffer from leiden an
veal Kalbfleisch
veal cutlet Kalbsschnitzel
venison Rehfleisch
well done durchgebraten
you're welcome; not at all;don't mention it
bitte; gern geschehen(als Antwort auf einen Dank)
Kulturelle und sprachliche Tipps
BYO-RestaurantsManche Restaurants tragen die Bezeichnung BYO (= BringYour Own). Das bedeutet, dass es keine Alkohollizenz besitzt.Man bringt seinen Wein oder sein Bier also selbst mit. Siekönnen den Kellner aber fragen, wo sich der nächste Geträn-keladen (liquor store) befindet – meistens ganz in der Nähe. Erkühlt und öffnet Ihnen dann gerne die mitgebrachten Geträn-ke. In Australien, wo das Bier sehr kalt getrunken wird, nimmtman auch häufig die eigene Kühltasche mit ins Restaurant.
TrinkgeldDas Geben von Trinkgeld (tipping) wird in jedem Land unter-schiedlich gehandhabt. Am besten fragen Sie kurz Ihren Gast-geber: How much do you usually give as a tip? In manchen
108 After Bus iness Hours / Nach Büroschluss
Ländern sind Kellner und Barkeeper auf Trinkgelder angewie-sen, da sie nur ein sehr geringes reguläres Gehalt bekommen.Wenn nicht ausdrücklich darauf hingewiesen ist, dass dieBedienung inbegriffen ist: Service included / tip included(BE) / gratuity included (AmE), gilt als allgemeine Regel einZuschlag von 15–20 %, entweder aufgerundet auf die Rech-nung oder bar hinterlassen.
Bitte!Das Wort please für „bitte“ wird nur in Fragen oder Bittenbenützt und am Ende des Satzes verwendet: Could you helpme, please? Am Satzanfang klingt es eher als Aufforderung:Please, make a copy of this. Wenn jemand sich bei Ihnenbedankt, wird die Antwort „Bitte!“ übersetzt mit You're wel-come / Not at all / Don't mention it und wenn Sie etwasgeben oder zahlen heißt „bitte“: Here you are / there you are.
Hier geht's ans EingemachteDas Essen ist überall ein wichtiger Bestandteil unseres Lebens– das zeigt sich nicht zuletzt in den sprachlichen Bildern undAusdrücken, die dem Bereich des Essens entlehnt sind. Esbietet uns offensichtlich viel Stoff zum Nachdenken: It'sfood for thought.
Im Englischen nennt man z.B. eine Person, die den ganzen Tagauf dem Sofa sitzt und fernsieht, eine couch potato. Wenn einPlan misslungen ist, sagt man: The plan went pear-shaped(wörtlich: birnenförmig). Ein einfaches Problem ist a piece ofcake und wenn ein Produkt gut verkauft wird, heißt es: it sells
Kulture l le und sprachl iche T ipps 109
like hot cakes. Obwohl Ausländer solche Ausdrücke nichtunbedingt beherrschen müssen, sind sie doch oft das Tüpfel-chen auf dem i: the icing (Zuckerguss) on the cake.
Falsche FreundeFamiliäre Angelegenheiten, die Sie mit Ihren neuen Kollegenbesprechen, nennt man personal matters. Das englische Wortfamiliar dagegen bedeutet „bekannt“: That word sounds fa-miliar! (Das Wort kommt mir bekannt vor!) Das Wort per-sonnel wird, im Gegensatz zu personal, auf der letzten Silbebetont und bedeutet „Personal“: He works in personnel (Erarbeitet in der Personalabteilung).
Wollen Sie das Essen als ausgesprochen gut loben, sagen Sie:The dinner was very / extremely good. Das englische Wortoutspoken ist ein falscher Freund und bedeutet „freimütig“,„unverblümt“: He was outspoken on the subject (Er sprachsehr freimütig über das Thema).
110 After Bus iness Hours / Nach Büroschluss
AnhangAlphabetical list of vocabulary /Alphabetische Wortschatzliste
Deutsch – EnglischA
Abflug departure
absagen cancel
abschließen draw to a close
Abschweifungen digressions
abstimmen; Abstimmung vote
abweisen reject; decline
akzeptieren accept
Anforderung requirement
Anfrage request
Ankunft arrival
Anlage enclosure
Anmerkung remark
annehmen presume
Anrede salutation
Anrufbeantworter answering machine;answerphone
anrufen give a ring; call
111
Ansage announcement
sich anschließen join
Anschlussflug connecting flight
ansteigen (sprunghaft) jump
Antwort reply; response
am Apparat bleiben hold the line
Antrag motion
argumentieren argue
audio-visuelle Hilfsmittel audio visual aids
auffordern summon
aufrufen (Datei) access
Aufschwung / Rückgang up turn / down turn
aufwerten upgrade
Aufzug elevator (AmE); lift (BE)
Ausblick auf outlook on
Ausgaben expenses
ausgleichen, stabil bleiben level off
Aushilfskraft temporary; temp
ausreichend sufficiently
sich äußern comment
Ausstattung; Einrichtung facilities
Auszubildender trainee
112
B
Balkendiagramm bar chart
beaufsichten supervise
Bedingungen conditions; terms
Bedingungen einhalten respect terms; keep to terms;meet terms
unter der Bedingung, dass on the condition that
sich begeben proceed
behaupten claim
Belegschaft staff; workforce
Berater /-in consultant
Bericht report
Beruf occupation; profession
Beschwerden complaints
bestätigen acknowledge; confirm
Bestellungen orders
besuchen (pay a) visit
Betreffzeile subject line
bitten request
betonen underline; emphasize; stress
Bezug reference
mit Bezug auf (Brief) in reply to
Bildschirm; Leinwand screen
Birne bulb
113
bitte (als Antwort auf you're welcome; not at all;
einen Dank) don't mention it
bitte (beim Fragen) please
bitte (beim Geben) here you are
bleiben remain
blutig; nicht durch rare
Botschaft message
Buchhalter /-in accountant
Buchhaltung (Tätigkeit);(Abteilung)
accountingaccounting department
buchstabieren spell
bügeln iron
Bürger citizen
C / D
Chef boss
dafür / dagegen in favour / against
dankbar grateful
Darlehen loan
darüber hinaus beyond
Diaprojektor slide projector
drängen urge
durchgebraten; durch well done
durchgehende Linie solid line
Durchwahl extension number
114
E
Ebene level
sich einigen come to terms
Einkauf purchasing
Einladung invitation
einstimmig unanimously
einverstanden sein / agree /
nicht einverstanden sein disagree
Empfang receipt
empfehlen recommend
Enthaltungen abstentions
entlang along
entscheiden / Entscheidung decide / decision
entsprechen; passen zu match
erfreut delighted
erhöhen / senken increase / decrease
sich erholen pick up; recover
erinnern remind
erreichbar available
Ersatzteil spare part
erwarten expect
es sei denn; wenn … nicht unless
115
F
Fahrer /-in driver
falsch verstehen misunderstand
Fensterplatz window seat
Ferngespräch long distance call (AmE);trunk call (BE)
festhalten an stick to
feucht humid
Filiale branch; subsidiary
Filialleiter /-in branch manager
Finanzabteilung finance department
Firmenvorstand board of directors
Flugsteig gate
Flussdiagramm flow chart
Folie foil; transparency
Forschung und Entwicklung research and development
Fragebogen questionnaire
Freigepäck baggage allowance
sich freuen auf look forward to
froh glad
Frühjahr spring
Führerschein driving licence (BE);driver's licence (AmE)
Führungskraft executive
116
Für und Wider pros and cons
Fußball soccer
G
Gangschaltung manual; stick
Gangplatz aisle seat
Gastfreundschaft hospitality
Gastredner guestspeaker
Gebühr charge
gegenüber opposite
Gehalt salary
geeignet suitable
Gelände; Räumlichkeit premises
Gelegenheit occasion
Generaldirektor managing director (BE);chairman, president (AmE)
Gepäck baggage (AmE);luggage (BE)
Gepäckabfertigung baggage (re)claim
Gepäckermittlung baggage tracing
Gepäckförderband baggage carousel;baggage conveyor belt
Gepäckträger porter (BE); bell boy (AmE)
Gepäckwagen cart (AmE); trolley (BE)
Gerät device
117
gestrichelte Linie broken line
gewähren grant
Gewinn / Verlust profit / loss
Gliederung structure
Grafik graph
Grüße regards
günstig; passend convenient
gutheißen approve
H
Haftpflichtversicherung liability insurance
Halbpension half board
Halle concourse; hall
Handelsvertreter /-in sales representative; rep
zu Händen von for the attention of
Handtuch towel
Handzeichen show of hands
Haupteingang main entrance
Hauptgericht main course; entr�e (AmE)
Hauptzweck main purpose
Hausmeister caretaker
Herbst autumn; fall
herrlich gorgeous
herumschicken; in Umlaufgeben
circulate
118
hinter behind
hinterlassen leave
Höflichkeit courtesy; politeness
horizontale / vertikale Achse horizontal / vertical axis
I / J
Impfpass inoculation record;vaccination certificate
im Voraus in advance
in Kontakt bleiben keep in touch
Informationstechnik Information technology (IT)
informieren brief
Ingenieur /-in; Techniker /-in engineer
Inlandflüge domestic flights;inland flights
Insassenversicherung passenger insurance
Jahreshauptversammlung annual general meeting
jährlich annually
je … desto … the … the …
K
Kalbfleisch veal
Kalbsschnitzel veal cutlet
kaufmännische(r)Angestellte(r)
clerk; office worker
Klimaanlage air-conditioning
119
Koffer suitcase
Kollege colleague
konzentrieren focus
korrigieren rectify
Kreisdiagramm pie chart
Kunde customer; client
Kundenberatung customer service
Kundenbetreuung after-sales service
kurz brief(ly) (Adjektiv / Adverb)
kurz gesagt in a nutshell
kürzlich; in letzter Zeit recently; lately
L
Lachs salmon
Lagerhalle warehouse
Landeskennzahl country code
jdn. auf dem Laufendenhalten
keep someone in the picture;keep someone informed
Lautsprecheranlage tannoy
Lehrling apprentice
leichte Konversation small talk
leiden an suffer from
leider unfortunately
Leinwand; Bildschirm screen
leugnen deny
120
liefern / Lieferung deliver / delivery
links oben / rechts oben on the top left / right
Löffel spoon
Logistik logistics
Lohn salary; wages
lösen / Lösung solve / solution
M
macht nichts! never mind!
Marketing marketing
Mechaniker /-in mechanic
Meilenbegrenzung limited mileage
Meinung opinion; view
Meister /-in (im Betrieb) foreman
Meister /-in (im Handwerk) master
Messer knife
Mittelplatz middle seat
Montage assembly
N / O
nachgehen to see to; look into
Nachricht message
neben next to
neugierig curious
opfern sacrifice
121
Ortsnetzkennzahl area code
Ortszeit local time
P
passen suit
Pendelbus shuttle
Personal personnel
Personalabteilung human resources;personnel department
Personalleiter /-in personnel manager
persönlich; familiär personal
Pförtner porter
planmäßige Abflugszeit scheduled time of departure
pochiert poached
Rednerpult rostrum
PR; Öffentlichkeitsarbeit public relations; PR
Produktion production
Prognose forecast
Projektortisch projector stand
Protokoll minutes
protokollieren keep the minutes;take the minutes
Punkt item; point
punktierte Linie dotted line
122
R
R-Gespräch collect call (AmE);reverse charge call (BE)
Rabatt discount
Rechnung bill (BE); check (AmE)
rechts / links oben on the top right / left
Rechtsabteilung legal department
Rechtsanwalt /-anwältin lawyer
Rednerpult rostrum
Rehfleisch venison
Rekordhoch / Rekordtief all-time high / all-time low
reichlich ample
Reiseplan itinerary
reservieren book; make a reservation
Rückfahrkarte return ticket (BE);round-trip ticket (AmE)
Rückgang / Aufschwung down turn / up turn
S
saisonabhängig seasonal
salzig salty
Schalter switch
scharf gewürzt spicy
zu schätzen wissen appreciate
Schluss machen call it a day
123
Schritt step
Schweinefleisch pork
Schwerpunkte main points
schwül stuffy; sticky
Seezunge sole
Sekretär /-in secretary
Sendung consignment
senken decrease; lower
Sondervergünstigung fringe benefit; perk
Sonstiges AOB; any other business
Spalte column
Spezialist expert
Spirituosenladen liquor store
spülen (Toilette) flush
für etwas stehen represent
Steckdose socket
Stock floor
Stockwerk stor(e)y
T
Tabelle table
Tageslichtprojektor overhead projector
Tagesordnung agenda
tanken fill up a car
tatsächliche Ankunftszeit actual time of arrival
124
Techniker /-in technician; engineer
teilnehmen / Teilnehmer /-in participate / participant
Telefonauskunft directory assistance (AmE) /directory inquiries (BE)
Termin appointment
Tischvorlage hand out
Touristenklasse economy class
Trinkgeld tip; gratuity (AmE)
trotz despite
trotzdem; noch immer still
trüb gloomy
U
Überblick über overview of
Übereinstimmung agreement
überzeugen convince
(un)gültig (in)valid
unterbrechen interrupt; break in
unterbringen accommodate; lodge
Untergeschoss basement
sich unterhalten socialize
Unternehmer entrepreneur; businessman
Unterschrift signature
jmd. unterstehen report to
(un)zufrieden (dis)satisfied
125
V
verantwortlich responsible
verbinden put through; connect
Verbindung line
verdunkeln darken
vergleichen compare
verhandeln / Verhandlung negotiate / negotiation
Verkäufer /-in (im Betrieb) salesperson
Verkaufszahlen sales figures
verlangen; fordern demand
verlängern extend
Verlängerungskabel extension cord
Verlust / Gewinn loss / profit
Versand despatch; dispatch
verschieben postpone
vertagen adjourn
vertraulich confidential
vertraut familiar
Vertrieb sales and distribution
Verwaltung administration
verzollen declare
Visum Visa
Vollkaskoversicherung comprehensive insurance
Vollpension full board
126
vom Thema abgekommen side-tracked
vor (räumlich) in front of
vorausgesetzt provided
voraussichtliche Ankunftszeit estimated time of arrival
vorbereiten / Vorbereitung prepare / preparation
Vorspeise starter; appetizer; entr�e (BE)
vorher; im Voraus in advance
Vorschlag proposal; suggestion
vorschlagen propose; suggest
vorsitzen / Vorsitzender chair / chairman; chairperson
Vorstandssitzung board meeting
W
wählen (beim Telefon) dial
während whereas
warnen warn; caution
Wäscherei /(Trocken-)Reinigung
laundry / (dry-)cleaning
Wasserhahn tap (BE); faucet (AmE)
wegen owing to; due to
weitergeben pass
Werbeabteilung advertising department
Werk / Fabrik plant / works
Werkleiter /-in plant manager
Wetter weather
127
Wischer (Tafel) eraser
das Wort nehmen take the floor
Z
Zahl figure
Zeitplan time schedule
Zielsetzung objective
zögern hesitate
Zollabfertigung customs clearance
Zollerklärung customs declaration
zugeben acknowledge; admit
Zuhörer audience
zusammenfassen summarise
zuständig für in charge of
zu viel berechnen overcharge
zurückgehen (drastisch) slum; plummet; plunge
Zwischenlandung stopover
128
The international telephone alphabet /Internationale BuchstabierlisteA for Andrew N for Nellie
B for Benjamin O for Oliver
C for Charlie P for Peter
D for David Q for Queen
E for Edward R for Robert
F for Frederick S for Sugar
G for George T for Tommy
H for Harry U for Uncle
I for Isaac V for Victory
J for Jack W for William
K for King X for X-Ray
L for Lucy Y for Yellow
M for Mary Z for Zebra
Abbreviations / Abkürzungen@ „at“ sign Klammeraffe
afb air freight bill Luftfrachtbrief
AGM annual general meeting Jahreshaupt-versammlung
a.m. ante meridiem vormittags
AOB any other business Sonstiges
129
approx. approximately ungefähr
asap as soon as possible so schnell wie möglich
ATA actual time of arrival tatsächliche Ankunfts-zeit
ATM automated tellermachine
Geldautomat
attn attention zu Händen
B&B Bed and breakfast Übernachtung mit
Frühstück
bn billion Milliarde
btw by the way übrigens
CC carbon copy Kopie; E-Mail
c/o care of per Adresse
CEO chief executive officer Chef (eines Groß-konzerns)
CFO chief financial officer Leiter(in) Finanz-abteilung
C&F cost and freight einschl. Kosten u. Fracht
COD cash on delivery per Nachnahme
dep department Abteilung
e.g. for instance zum Beispiel
encl. enclosed Anlage
ex. example Beispiel
F Fahrenheit Fahrenheit
130
FAO for the attention of zu Händen von
ft foot; feet Fuß
GDP gross domestic product Bruttoinlandsprodukt
GNP gross national product Bruttosozialprodukt
i/c in charge zuständig
ie that is d.h.
JIT. del just-in-time delivery bedarfsorientierteLieferung
lb pound Pfund (Gewicht)
loc.cur. local currency Landeswährung
m million Million
M 2 motorway 2 Autobahn Nr. 2
M.O. money order Postanweisung
n/30 30 days net 30 Tage netto
n/c no charge gratis; kostenlos
o/c overcharge zu hohe Berechnung
oz ounce Unze (28 Gramm)
p.a. per year pro Jahr
PA personal assistant Chefsekretär(in)
p.c. percent Prozent
p.m. post meridiem;afternoon
nach 12 Uhr mittags
RSVP R�pondez s'il vous pla�t um Antwort wirdgebeten
131
ref reference bezüglich
RTS return to sender zurück an den Absender
STA scheduled time ofarrival
planmäßige Ankunft
STD scheduled time ofdepart.
planmäßiger Abflug
TOP terms of payment Zahlungsbedingungen
TU trade union Gewerkschaft
VAT value added tax Mehrwertsteuer
Y economy class Touristenklasse
yd yard Elle (0,91 m)
ZIP code postcode Postleitzahl
Weights and measures / Gewichte undMaßeWeights Gewichte
gross weight Bruttogewicht
net weight Nettogewicht
1 ounce (oz) 28,35 g
1 pound (lb) 453,6 g
1 stone 6,356 kg
1 short hundredweight (cwt) 45,359 kg (USA)
1 long hundredweight (cwt) 50,802 kg (GB)
1 short ton (tn) 907 kg (USA)
132
Weights Gewichte
1 long ton (tn) 1016 kg (GB)
1 metric ton 1000 kg
Linear measures Längenmaße
1 inch (in) 2,54 cm
1 foot (ft) 30,48 cm (12 in)
1 yard (yd) 91,44 cm (3 ft)
1 mile (m) 1,609 km (1760 yd)
Measures of capacity Hohlmaße
1 pint (pt) 0,57 l (GB) / 0,47 l (USA)
1 quart (qt) 1,14 l (GB) / 0,95 l (USA)
1 gallon (gal) 4,55 l (GB) / 3,79 l (USA)
Temperature conversion /TemperaturumrechnungFahrenheit (8F) Celsius (8C)
212 (boiling point) 100 (Siedepunkt)
194 90
176 80
158 70
140 60
122 50
133
Fahrenheit (8F) Celsius (8C)
104 40
98.4 (body temperature) 37 (Körpertemperatur)
86 30
68 20
50 10
32 (freezing point) 0 (Gefrierpunkt)
14 –10
0 –17,8
–459.67 (absolute Zero) –273,15
(absoluter Nullpunkt)
So rechnen Sie um8F –8C: (8F – 32) · 5/9 = 8C
8C – 8F: 8C · 9/5 + 32 = 8F
134
VorwortZweifellos sind E-Mails zum wichtigsten Kommunikations-mittel im Berufsleben geworden. Durch sie bleiben wir inKontakt mit unseren Unternehmen und bekommen die Mög-lichkeit, über unterschiedliche Zeitzonen hinweg zu kom-munizieren. Dieser TaschenGuide „E-mails in English“ sollIhnen dabei helfen, Ihr elektronisches Instrumentarium effi-zienter in Ihr Berufsleben zu integrieren. Und obwohl natür-lich jedermann technisch dazu in der Lage ist, eine E-Mail zusenden, wird es dennoch oft schwierig, wenn man dies ineiner fremden Sprache tun soll. Wenn Sie jedoch das umset-zen, was Sie hier lesen, können Sie die elektronische Kom-munikation produktiver in Ihren internationalen Geschäfts-kontakten einsetzen.
Dieser TaschenGuide deckt alle wichtigen Bereiche des Ge-schäftslebens ab und ist in thematische Einheiten gegliedert,um Ihnen einen schnellen Zugriff zu ermöglichen. Sie bekom-men einerseits das nötige Handwerkszeug, um geschäftlicheE-Mails effektiv verfassen zu können, und bauen andererseitsIhr Selbstvertrauen systematisch auf. Der Autor hofft, dassdieses Buch Sie ermutigt, Schreiben zu einer lohnenden Tätig-keit zu machen.
Viel Erfolg!
Sander Schroevers, LL.M
138 Vorwort
An E-mail's Anatomy
This chapter focuses on the specific elements of Englishbusiness e-mails, that we don't always pay attention to, butcan make all the difference.
From the following pages you can learn
J how to make subject lines that work,J which openings to use,J and how to end an e-mail in a friendly way.
139
Subject Lines That WorkThe subject line is one of the two most critical parts of ane-mail message. Most people (approximately 80 %) makedecisions on reading and responding based on the subjectline and the identity of the sender, not on a first-in – first-outbasis. Nevertheless a subject line seems to be one of the mostneglected lines in e-mails.
How to make subject lines in EnglishThe first step is to consider what your reader needs or wantsto know from the subject line:
J Ideally, it is a summary of your message.J Just like in journalism or direct mail: the more active andinformative phrases are, the quicker they result in action.That's why mentioning essential information like who,what, when already in the subject line is advisable. Try tokeep it short and simple (‚k-i-s-s‘) and avoid vague indica-tions like project or update etc.
J Always try to write subject lines that stimulate the readerto open your message. Should you need anything specificfrom the addressee, then introduce this in the subject line.
J Subject lines are also handy for people who wish to archivemessages. Therefore make sure that they aren't left blankand that the subject line relates to the subject of themessage. Avoid lines like: one more thing or on secondthoughts, if you think that your message might be archi-ved.
140 An E-mai l ' s Anatomy
Examples
Ü Good news Schaffhausen project
Action needed by 4 p.m.
November 27 committee meeting
Update
Status report
RE: automatically insertedAnother thing is that when choosing ‚Reply‘ most e-mailprograms automatically insert ‚RE:‘ (short for regarding). Thesame happens after choosing ‚Forward‘ when ‚FW:‘ is inserted.The problem is – and certainly you know this from youre-mails in German – that when a message goes back andforth several times, it might lead to unnecessary automatic-ally expanded subject lines. This can easily result in subjectlines such as: „Fw: Re: Aw: Re: Aw: Feedback on seminarJulle“. You may therefore simply want to change subject linessometimes. This also allows you to show the progression in ane-mail correspondence.
Example
Ü I: Request for finance Hamburg project
II: Feedback requested – financing Hamburg project
III: Feedback provided – Hamburg project
IV: Hamburg project – finance request approved
Subject L ines That Work 141
Common Salutations and Openings
SalutationsSalutations or greetings can be formal or informal, dependingon the situation or the relationship. And of course e-maildoesn't always follow the rules of formal business correspon-dence.
First name or last name?Do bear in mind however that many English-speaking peoplewill be quicker on first-name terms, whereas for German-speaking people it is less common to use one's first name inan e-mail message. Therefore be careful not to appear toodistant in a culture which moves to first names easily becausein addressing people with a more formal address, you do. Andthis could indicate you don't consider being friendly to yourcorrespondent. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that in theEnglish language there is no difference between Sie and Du,as they both are translated with you.
A clear indication that it's all right to move to the first-person familiar iswhen a person signs her or his e-mail with the first name only. You mayalso wish to take the first step yourself by writing something like: „DearHelen (if I may)“.
142 An E-mai l ' s Anatomy
Formal or informal?Which salutation to use may also depend on your company'se-mail policy. The table below gives an overview of thepossible salutations:
Type English German
You do not knowwho you arewriting to:
– Dear Sir orMadam
– Dear clients– Hi everyone
Sehr geehrteDamen undHerren,
You know theperson but you'venever written to ormet this person
– Dear Mr Smith– Dear Mrs Wade– Dear Dr Young
– Sehr geehrterHerr Müller,
– Sehr geehrteFrau Reusch,
The person is alittle bit closer
Dear SophieReusch
Liebe Frau Reusch,
The person is aclose businesscontact or she/hehas signed her orhis e-mail withthe first name
– Dear Sophie– Hello, Sophie*– Hi, Sophie*– Sophie– Hi,– Hello,
Liebe Sophie,
Several persons/closer contact
Hi everyone Hallo zusammen
* Please note the extra comma!
Common Salutat ions and Openings 143
Ms or Mrs? Ms is used more frequently in the meantime as this term doesnot disclose the marital status. Only if the addressee refers to herself asMrs, do you assume this salutation. The English Miss is out of date just asis the German Fräulein. Dear Sirs or Dear Gentlemen also seems oldfashioned nowadays.
Professions or positions in salutationsJust like it is possible in German to mention a profession orposition in the opening without using a person's name, thiscan also be done in English. In this case, the specific wordmust be written with a capital. For instance as in: DearColleague, Dear Webmaster, etc.
Non-gendered salutations / several personsWhen sending bulk e-mail invitations, try to use non-gende-red salutations like colleagues or friends. To whom it mayconcern still seems to function in e-mails, though its useappears to be on the decline. Nowadays e-mail writers preferto use salutations like: Hi all, Hi there, Dear All, Dear Team,Dear Co-workers and so on.
Woman or man?With certain languages you may not always be sure whetheryou are writing to a man or a woman. In cases where youaren't sure, it is acceptable to write the full name in thesalutation. For example: Dear Moriko Kira (this is a Japanesename, where Moriko is the female first name, and Kira is thefamily name). In Asian cultures (e.g. Japan, Korea, Vietnam,but also in Hungary) the family name comes first. Thus: Mrs.
144 An E-mai l ' s Anatomy
Kira Moriko. Family names in Slavic languages often havemasculine and feminine versions. The latter can be recognisedby the female suffix, often ending with ‚a‘ or ‚e‘.
No salutations?Is it necessary to always use a salutation or greeting? Notalways, although it usually is. But in back-and-forth e-mailcorrespondence, for instance, salutations quickly seem to bedisappearing. And perhaps there is no need to identify orreinforce the parameters over and over again. The sameapplies for a quick answer to a short question for peoplewho know each other well. Also e-mails among colleaguesthat are part of an ongoing conversation do not require asalutation or greeting.
Checklist: formal or informal salutations
1 Is the addressee outside the organisation? Then youusually need a formal salutation.
2 Is the addressee a colleague or a friend? Then you canuse an informal salutation, or even begin with theperson's first name.
3 Have you had previous contact? Then choose betweenformal and informal, depending on that contact.
4 Note how the sender addressed you. You probably wantto return the same salutation.
Common Salutat ions and Openings 145
Punctuation marks and abbreviationsShould there be a colon, a comma or no punctuation after thesalutation? The right answer depends on the country you aree-mailing to.
no punctuation: Dear Mr Smith
colon: Dear Mr Smith:
In other English speaking areas a comma is used: Dear Mr Smith,
When using abbreviations there is another important diffe-rence you should pay attention to:
Contractions in British English are generally written without a full stop,e.g. Mr, Mrs and Ms – American English usually uses a full stop however,called period in North America, e.g. Mr., Mrs. and Ms.
Mrs / MrMrs. / Mr.
Vocabulary:
colon: Doppelpunkt
punctuation: Satzzeichen
contraction: Zusammenziehung
full stop / period: Punkt
Opening sentencesUse one of the following phrases to refer to earlier contact orto give the reason why you are writing.
146 An E-mai l ' s Anatomy
Formal: referring to earlier contact
J I am writing with regard to your recent e-mail.
J Referring to your request for information, …J I'm writing with reference to order number KULIP-1.J Further to your last e-mail, …J I am mailing this via the ‚Contact us‘ link on your webshop. I would like to ask you …
J Your name was given to me by …
Informal: referring to an earlier contact
J Just a quick note to say I really appreciated …J I got your name from Dr Stampstaaf.J Re your e-mail … (instead of formal: Further to your laste-mail …)
Giving the reason for writing
J Our reason for contacting you is the following: …J Informal: I'm writing about …J As discussed this morning in our telephone conversation,J It is our pleasure to inform you of …J As we agreed during …J As requested in your e-mail of …J I am writing in connection with …J We would like to inform you about …J We would like to draw your attention to the following: …
Common Salutat ions and Openings 147
J Thank you for your e-mail and your interest in …J Thank you for the enquiry you made via our website.
Note that in English the first phrase after the salutation always startswith a capital letter, whereas in German it starts with a small letter.
Small talkAlthough the German translation for small talk is Geplauder,this social skill can have an important function in Anglophonecultures because small talk is not only the ability to conduct aconversation, but also a method of showing some friendliness.This naturally influences the way e-mails are written. Peoplein North America tend to add a bit more of a personal oremotional note in their correspondence than people in Ger-man-speaking areas, although the actual choice of wordsdepends of course on the social and professional hierarchy.
Example
Ü Dear Thomas
I hope you had a pleasant trip and that your accommodation isfine. Although the weather can be quite cold at this time of year,I'm sure you will like the old city.
I'm writing to tell you how happy I am to hear the good news onthe new business deal. My congratulations on the contract. I'msure that it's only the beginning of our work in the Baltic market.And how are Aynur and the kids? Please give them my warmestregards.
…
148 An E-mai l ' s Anatomy
Useful phrases
J I hope you had a great weekend?
J I'm writing to tell you how happy I am to hear your goodnews. My congratulations on your recent marriage.
J I hope you're well, and give my regards to your family.J It would be so nice to have you over one day here inMunich.
Ending an E-mail
Closing remarksIn English e-mails it is common to include a closing remark tolet readers know that they have reached the end of amessage. A closing may also be used to express your gratitu-de, or what you expect the reader to do (e.g. answer, provideinformation, etc.).
Standard closing remarks
J I look forward to hearing from you soon.J We look forward to welcoming you to Düsseldorf.J I look forward to receiving your advice on this matter.J We should be glad to receive this information.J We hope we have been of help to you.J We trust to have furnished you with all the necessaryinformation.
Ending an E-mai l 149
Timed closing remarksIn certain situations your choice of words might be influencedby the pressure of time. The phrases below show an increasingamount of pressure:
J We hope for an early replyJ I look forward to receiving this information as soon aspossible.
J I would appreciate a reply asap.J Please deal with this matter urgently. Can I expect a replyfrom you by tomorrow morning, please?
Vocabulary:
increasing: wachsendasap: schnellstens (as soon as possible)
Offering further information or service
J Should you need any further information about … we willbe happy to assist you.
J If you'd like any more details, just let us know.J Should you have any further questions, we stand readily atyour disposal.
J If we can be of service in any way?
Thanks
J Finally, we wish to express our appreciation for the coope-ration we received from your company's employees duringthe audit.
150 An E-mai l ' s Anatomy
J Thank you again for your interest in our company.J Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Announcing activities
J I hope I may contact you later on this matter.J Mr/Mrs … will contact you at an early date to explain thedetails.
J We'll inform you on a weekly basis about …J We will forward the report as soon as possible.J We'll be glad to provide you with further details.J We shall inform you as soon as we have the requestedproducts in stock again.
Informal
J I'm looking forward to … (+ ~ing).J Please feel free to contact me.J If you'd like more details, let me know.
J Just give me a call if you have any questions.J Have a nice weekend.J Speak to you soon.
Correct closing expressionsThe closing or ending of an e-mail should correspond to thesalutation. Informal salutation means informal closing; formalsalutation means formal closing; no salutation means noclosing.
Ending an E-mai l 151
Type Salutations ClosingsYou do not knowwho you arewriting to:
– Dear Sir orMadam
– Dear clients
Yours faithfully
You know theperson but you'venever written to ormet the person:
– Dear Mr Smith– Dear Mrs Wade– Dear Dr Young
– Yours sincerely– Sincerely
(yours)– Cordially yours
The person is alittle bit closer:
Dear SophieReusch
– Best regards– With best regards
The person is aclose business con-tact or she/he hassigned her or hise-mail with thefirst name:
– Dear Sophie– Hello, Sophie– Hi, Sophie– Sophie– Hi,– Hello,
– Best regards– With best regardsIf the person is also agood personal friend:– Kind regards– Best wishes
PunctuationAs mentioned earlier there is a punctuation difference bet-ween British English and American English. But besides this,the order of the two words is also reversed:
no punctuation: Yours sincerely
comma: Sincerely yours,
152 An E-mai l ' s Anatomy
Signatures and Disclaimers
SignaturesMake sure that your signature follows the international stan-dards. Mention telephone and fax numbers with the appro-priate country codes. Also note that the way of using spacesin numbers may differ from country to country. Sometimescity names must be translated to English. Foreign addressescan be difficult for someone who doesn't speak the language,or has a different database structure. Therefore it is best towrite street names out in full without abbreviations. For thesame reason it is advisable to translate the word Postfach toP.O. Box (an abbreviation of Post Office Box). Signatures ofteninclude a one-line description of the service the companyprovides. It is a subtle form of marketing.
Example
Ü Thorsten WächterMuster GmbHMusterstrasse 10 (or P.O. Box 123)10100 BerlinGermanytel. +49-(0)30-123 4567fax +49-(0)30-123 4589e-mail thorsten.waechter@muster-gmbh.dewww.muster-gmbh.de
Leadership Symposium 20XX – To be held at the Muster Collegeof Art and Design, Muster University, London.
Signatures and Disc la imers 153
Create an English versionMost e-mail programs allow you to make several signatures,usually by going to ‚Preferences‘ and then into ‚Signature‘.This way you can make a specific English version besides yourGerman one. You can set the preferences of the program sothat the signature you use most is the standard version.
DisclaimersA disclaimer is a statement intended to specify or delimit therights and obligations in connection with a dispatched email.Although the legal status of e-mail disclaimers is relative insome countries, you may want to use one or more of thesample texts below.
Examples
Ü This message and any attachments are intended for the namedaddressee(s) only and may contain information that is privilegedand/or confidential. If you receive this message in error, pleasedelete it and immediately notify the sender. Any copying, dis-semination or disclosure, either whole or partial, by a person whois not the named addressee is prohibited. Virus scanning softwareis used, but any liability for viruses or other devices which remainin this message or any attachments is disclaimed.
This e-mail may contain confidential and / or privileged informa-tion. Any unauthorised copying, disclosure or distribution of thematerial in this e-mail or of parts hereof is strictly forbidden.
For legal and security reasons the information provided in thise-mail is not legally binding. Upon request ABC GmbH would bepleased to provide you with a legally binding confirmation inwritten form.
154 An E-mai l ' s Anatomy
Nothing in this e-mail message amounts to a contractual or anyother legal commitment on the part of ABC GmbH unlessconfirmed by a communication signed on behalf of ABC GmbH.
Because it can be annoying to see a long signature blockrepeated with back-and-forth messages, you may just wantto use a hyperlink with a short phrase. This is especiallyhelpful for people who want to print e-mail messages. Toavoid the extra texts you may want to use a phrase like:
J Please visit our e-mail disclaimer for further details.J For further information visit www.abc.de/disclaimer.
Vocabulary:
disclaimer: Ausschlussklausel
liability: Haftung, Verantwortlichkeit
disclosure: Offenbarung
commitment: Verpflichtung
Out-of-office assistantYou can create a customised message to inform people tocontact someone else, or otherwise advise them on when youwill be available again.
Examples
Ü Thank you for your message – this is an automated response. Iam currently away from the office, and will return on Mondaymorning, 26 June. I will respond to your message upon my return.For any urgent matters during my absence, please call the office'sgeneral number (below).
S ignatures and Disc la imers 155
Thank you for your message. I will be out of office until 25 Aprilincluded. For urgent matters please contact my colleague ChiaraChessa on +39(0)4916314 or chiara@chessa.it.
E-mail Techniques: about CCand BCCIn daily life lots of people tend to send CCs or BCCs too easily.It's probably better to think a little bit about who shouldreally get the message. A copy is best sent to people whenthey need the specific information for their work. But there isanother disadvantage of sending too many CCs. When yousend an e-mail to one person there is a big chance that youwill get a reply, but if you send the message to many peoplethe actual response rate drops to approximately five percent.If you think someone needs or doesn't need to be Cc'd onmessages you can mention this as seen in the examplesbelow.
Examples
Ü Let me know if you still want to be Cc'd on everything, or if you'dprefer we don't clog your inbox.
I have Cc'd Maryam Salehi, who handles all translations, as wellas Mr. Bagherian, the CEO.
By the way, the term BCC might be referred to differently inother languages: CCI in French or CCO in Spanish.
156 An E-mai l ' s Anatomy
A Reader-friendlyApproach
Most of us receive around forty e-mails a day, but many ofthese messages simply fail to communicate. Writing reader-friendly e-mails means thinking about your readers and theirneeds.
This chapter explains to you:
J when to use e-mail and when not,J how to structure your information,J when to write formally or informally,J the so-called netiquette guidelines,
J how to deal with attachments.
157
When to Use E-mail and When Not?Some people can get so used to e-mailing, that they also useit in situations where they simply shouldn't. Already in Ger-man daily business life, the choice between a phone call or ane-mail is substantial, all the more in an international context.And although there aren't any explicit differences betweenthe German and Anglophone business cultures, certain sout-hern cultures are still inclined to be more personal. As a resulta phone call might be more effective than a written messagethere. On the other hand, a telephone call with certain Asiancultures might prove difficult at times. In such cases, anelectronic message could be easier. The following generalchecklist can be helpful when choosing between e-mail andtelephone.
Checklist: to send or not to send?
Send ane-mail
J if you need a written record to document thecorrespondence.
J if your primary reason for writing is to passon information or ask a question.
J if you need to inform a larger group ofpeople at once.
158 A Reader-f r iendly Approach
Don'tsend ane-mail
J if an e-mail seems too difficult to write.J if you are answering more complex e-mails.J if you think the content of your message is:personally sensitive, potentially embarras-sing, contains confidential information orlegal implications, e.g. trade secrets, jobperformance or hiring and firing.
J if you need direct feed-back, brainstorming,inspiration or a serious discussion. Hold aconference call or plan a meeting instead.
J if you have a quick question that needs ananswer right away. Then make a phone call,or walk down the hall (if possible).
Structuring the InformationPeople who receive larger numbers of e-mails probably won'thave the time to read each mail word for word. They will scanmessages instead of reading them. Another thing that youshould realise is that people often deal with e-mails incombination with other activities. A third point is that aninbox offers a great deal of competition. A writer of an emailneeds to convince a reader twice: firstly to click on themessage, and secondly to continue reading the content.
Structur ing the Informat ion 159
Writing effectively for the monitorE-mail is usually read from a computer monitor or PDA screen.Studies have shown that people read slower on a screen byabout 25 %. Below are some recommendations for readabilityof e-mails:
J E-mail content has half the word count of a printed letter.J Get to the point in the first sentence.J Write in inverted pyramid style (conclusion before details).J Use short sentences in a simple and direct style becausewhen people are indeed scanning a message ‚less is more‘.
J Organize your content into logical paragraphs. Avoid longblocks of texts. Vary the length of both sentences andparagraphs. Leave extra space (between the lines) aftereach paragraph. Think about using short two or three-wordsubheadings at the beginning of paragraphs.
J Try to keep short messages within one screen, and longmessages within a maximum of four screens.
J Try using bullet lists, which are easy to scan and read.J Avoid using italics as they quickly become illegible.J However, don't overdo it. Try to find the right balancebetween emphasis and readability.
Less is moreE-mails have made business correspondence more compactand most of all faster. Paragraphs in e-mail have becomesmaller.
160 A Reader-f r iendly Approach
J The effectiveness of e-mails is maximised by keeping themshort and simple.
J That's why the language is simple, clear and direct.J Sentences are generally short. An advantage of shortsentences is that they are easier to read on-screen.
J There is more use of contractions (I've instead of I have,etc.) than in paper letters.
J If you make the reader scroll, it better be worthwhile.
Example: e-mail too long and badly structured
Ü Dear Mrs Salehi
Following our pleasant meeting at Jamshidiyeh, I am pleased toinform you about our specific needs for the Farsi version of ouron-line brochure. Firstly we will be needing adaptations of theprofile page (where we could use the beautiful image from‚Keynoosh‘ you suggested), secondly a general introduction textconcerning our publications, thirdly, idem for the workshops, andlast but not least, a contact information overview. We havedecided to accept your offer. If you are indeed interested inparticipating in this project, please e-mail us, sending your emailto the attention of Miss Maryam at maryam@muster-gmbh.de.She will send you all specific details. She is also the contactperson should you need additional information. Thank you inadvance for your cooperation in this matter.
Yours sincerely
Vocabulary:
emphasis: Nachdruck
contraction: Zusammenziehung
worthwhile: der Mühe wert
Structur ing the Informat ion 161
Example: e-mail short, simple, well structured
Ü Dear Mrs Salehi
I am pleased to confirm our interest in your offer.
For the Farsi version of our website we'd need:
J a profile page,
J an introduction for the publications,
J an introduction for the workshops
J and contact information.
May I ask you to contact Miss Maryam at maryam@muster-gmbh.de for further details. I'm delighted that our meeting atJamshidiyeh has had such results.
Yours sincerely
Techniques to make e-mails betterstructuredOne technique is using specific linking words or expressions,indicating to the reader what the connection is betweendescriptions, situations or for instance, actions.
EnumerationsJ First(ly)J Second(ly)J Third(ly)J In the first placeJ To begin withJ First of all
J AnotherJ Then there isJ NextJ FinallyJ Last(ly)J Last but not least
162 A Reader-f r iendly Approach
Extra remarksIf you want to add an extra argument or remark it looks nicernot only to use words like and or also, but to vary a bit. Thetable below offers some alternatives.
J Furthermore, ...J Additionally, …J What is more, …J Moreover, …J …as well as …
J On another point, …J In addition, …J Besides, …J On top of that, …
Temporal indicationsJ Then, …J Later, …J In the end, …
J Prior to this, …J Subsequently, …J Eventually, …
SummarisingIf you want to give an overview of the points mentioned, youcan indicate this to the reader by using one of the followingexpressions.
J To conclude, …J To sum it up, …J In conclusion, …J Summarising, …J To recap briefly, …
J All in all, …J In other words, …J i.e.J That's to say, …
Structur ing the Informat ion 163
Miscellaneous linking wordsBelow are some other useful expressions for structuring theinformation in correspondence or reports.J For example, …J For instance, …J e.g., …J As a result, …J For this reason, …J Therefore, …J Actually, …J As a matter of fact, …
J In fact, …J In relation to, …J With reference to …J Regarding, …J In general, …J On the whole, …J Usually, …
Vocabulary:linking: Koppelungprior to this: zuvorsubsequently: anschließend
Formal or Informal?Without wanting to revert to stereotypes, it is fair to say thatthe British tend to be polite, whereas North Americans can bedirect and optimistic in their communication. Interculturalresearch clearly shows that German communication can becharacterised as more direct than British communication.Let's take a closer look at such different ways of expressingourselves, and focus our attention on the differences betweenformal and informal, as well as the differences between directand indirect or polite writing styles.
164 A Reader-f r iendly Approach
Informal, direct Formal, indirectI'm writing about … I am writing with regard to…
Re your e-mail, … Further to your last e-mail, …
Just a quick note to arrange aday to meet.
When would it suit you?
I'm writing to arrange a datefor our meeting. What daywould be convenient for you?
Don't forget … I would like to remind you that
So see you in Chemnitz,
and do give me a call if
anything changes.
I look forward to meeting youin Chemnitz. Please let meknow if you need to changethe arrangements.
Please send me I'm interested in receiving
But …; Also …; So … However …; In addition …;Therefore …
Shall I … ? Would you like me to … ?
What about … (+ ~ ing)? Have you thought of …(+ ~ ing)?
Just give me a call if you haveany questions. My number is+49-12345.
Please feel free to contact meif you have any questions. Mydirect line is +49-12345.
Shorter words – more informalIt is also said that loan words of Latin origin sound quiteformal, whereas shorter English words sound more informal.Below you can compare the alternatives (the words of Englishorigin are in brackets).
Formal or Informal? 165
J assistance (help),J possess (have),J inform (tell),J requirements (needs),J obtain (get),
J request (ask for),J verify (check),J provide (give),J repair (fix), enquire (ask).
Colloquial languageE-mail can feel like face-to-face conversation, which is usu-ally shorter and more to the point. Whether a colloquialchoice of words is appropriate, has to do with the relationshipwith the person to whom you're writing. And as vocabulary issituational; you will need to make a judgment about thecompany culture and your relationship to the person withwhom you're communicating. Research shows that readers ofe-mails are more tolerant of a spoken-language writing stylethan readers of printed letters. Besides, short sentences areeasier to read on-screen.
Useful phrases
J Just letting you know that I'll be arriving late.J Could you …? (instead of formal: I was wondering if youcould …)
J Just a short note about … (instead of formal: I am writingin connection with)
J That's good for me. (instead of formal: I would like toconfirm)
J I'm leaving for Shanghai, but I'll try to be there.
166 A Reader-f r iendly Approach
More personal styleContemporary English business letters tend to be writtenslightly more personally then their German counterparts. Youmay notice this in the three examples below, where pronounshave often been used like we, us or our. Although thelanguage that is used is personal, its style is less direct thanspeech.
Useful phrases
J We very much enjoyed meeting you in Berlin last Friday. Ihave now talked to Mrs Funk about our meeting and I ampleased to say …
J Following our discussion earlier this month, I regret toinform you …
J As we agreed on the phone this afternoon, I am mailingyou a PDF file with …
J Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.J I think your idea would work really well.J May I suggest that I call you at your convenience todiscuss the matter further?
Netiquette GuidelinesBy their nature, e-mail conversations tend to be ratherinformal and quickly typed messages. During the evolution ofe-mail certain basic rules of conduct have developed, which is
Net iquette Guidel ines 167
generally referred to as netiquette. Below is a selection ofthese guidelines:
J Unless you are using encryption, you should assume thatmail is not secure. Never write in an e-mail anything youwouldn't want to write on a postcard.
J Don't send emotional messages (called flames) even if youare provoked. It is better to calm down first.
J It is not always permissible to forward just anything.Sometimes forwarding may be in violation of copyrightlaws.
Delivery and read receiptsA delivery receipt informs someone that an e-mail messagewas delivered to the recipient's mailbox. A second option, theso-called read receipt, informs that the message has beenopened as well. The point is that the recipient has the optionto decline sending read receipts, and certain e-mail programsalso don't support read receipts. In daily life, you should keepin mind that asking for receipts means you are in fact freezingsomeone else's computer until they click on a dialogue box.
Electronic humourWhen you are communicating orally, you have the advantageof vocal variety and other non-verbal communication. All ofthat is absent in e-mail. It is therefore important to be carefulwith jokes. It is better to save anecdotes for in-persongatherings. Electronic humour can be a risk especially whencorresponding with other cultures because jokes don't like to
168 A Reader-f r iendly Approach
travel. On the other hand, it is good to realise that in Anglo-phone business cultures, jokes are much more accepted andcan often play an important role in creating the right pro-fessional atmosphere.
EmoticonsAlthough e-mails often tend to be more informal, the smileycreated from a colon-hyphen-close pare probably has noplace in a business document. Therefore, to keep e-mailsprofessional simply avoid all frivolous emoticons.
Gender-neutral languageWith gender-neutral language one can avoid the usage ofmasculine pronouns. Especially in the USA and Canada manypeople find the usage of masculine language inaccurate oreven offensive.
J Using a term like chairperson instead of chairman is a goodexample of acknowledging that a woman in authority willalso read the e-mail in question.
J Other options for gender-neutral language are to recastsentences into plural, to use the generic pronoun one, toreplace typical masculine words like his or he with articles(a, an, the, this, these, etc.), or to use plural pronouns(they, them, their).
Netiquette Guidel ines 169
ErrorsDue to the nature of e-mails occasional errors (while undesi-rable) are not uncommon. Research has shown that readershave become much more permissive in that aspect comparedto the days of paper communication. Nevertheless, errors instyle, punctuation or spelling influence a professional imageor, to some extent, a company's reputation. Therefore, spell-check your e-mail. Most software packages (also webmail)have an automated feature for this. Proofread e-mails, toobefore sending them.
How to Deal with AttachmentsPeople don't always expect and/or welcome the informationgiven in attachments. Besides, attachments may transmitdestructive viruses and worms. It is therefore not surprisingthat people have become reluctant to open attachments,unless of course, they trust the sender and are informed inthe message itself.
Best ways to deal with attachmentsJ Inform the addressee about attachments by indicating thisin the subject line and/or in the beginning of the message.This is even more important since attachments aren'talways indicated as such, and can only be seen afterscrolling to the end of the message. This is caused by theway different software programs react on each other.
170 A Reader-f r iendly Approach
Examples
Ü Itinerary Berlin conference – 2 files attached. The first line mightsay: Two files attached.
J When an attachment is long and complex, you mightconsider summarising it briefly in the body of the e-mailmessage.
J If the purpose of a message is to simply forward anattached file, then the cover e-mail should be writtenvery briefly, and should explain where the recipient shouldfocus her or his attention on.
J And finally always try to give instructions to the recipientabout what to do with an attachment. Do you expect thereader to file or forward it, or do you need comments?
Examples
Ü Example: summarising the attachment:Dear Mrs Kawashima
I am pleased to attach the new final report for Cargill Brazil.
This report shows the outcome of …
Example: indicate the addressee to forward the attachment:Attached is the proposal for our new website. Can you forward itto all your managers?
Example: instructions on what to do with the attachment:I've attached the draft of the final report. Thanks for using the‚track changes‘ feature to comment. I would specifically like todraw your attention to the section on Kyoto and Maya Bay. I willbe interested in hearing your thoughts about this report's fin-dings at our next Brazil summit.
How to Deal with Attachments 171
Useful phrasesIndicate attachments
J Enclosed please find the necessary technical specifications.J We are happy to enclose …J You will find particulars of …J A route description has been enclosed.J For the general terms please refer to the attachment.J Please see our prices on enclosed price list.
J Enclosed please find our latest catalogue.J Please find enclosed some low resolution jpg images.J Please find attached my report.J I'm sending you our general conditions as a PDF file.
Make it a habit to attach the file before composing the message. Anddouble-check whether you attached the right file.
Instructions
J That document is stored in PDF format. You need the freeAdobe Acrobat Reader to open the PDF file.
J By clicking on the hyperlink, you will be directed to theappropriate information on our website.
J Because the attached document is a bit complex, I havebriefly summarised it below.
J All documents have been scanned for viruses and arecompatible with Mac and PC.
172 A Reader-f r iendly Approach
Say what to do with the attachment
J I've attached the draft of the final report. Please use the‚track changes‘ feature in MS Word for any comments.
J Here is the design for the new Swiss brochure. We'd like toknow your comments by Wednesday next week.
J I have attached the revised quarterly budget. Could youforward it to all the Düsseldorf managers?
Explaining errors when sending attachments
J I'm sorry to say that I forgot to attach the attachment inmy previous mail. Here it is.
J Did you mean to send me the minutes? They weren'tattached. Would you mind sending them again?
Avoiding attachmentsYou can avoid attachments by simply pasting the content ofshort files into the body of an e-mail message. This alwaysworks unless formatting is important. In this way you alsosave people downloading time because business travellersmay have to use slow phone connections in hotels. Also usersof smart phones may be charged per Mb. And they don't wantto download a file for many minutes to discover there is apicture they never wanted anyway.
Vocabulary:general terms and conditions of trade (GTCT): allgemeineGeschäftsbedingungen (AGB)
How to Deal with Attachments 173
Checklist: e-mail basics
J Are the correct addressees in the To, Cc or Bcc fields?J Think of the reader's specific information needs.J Know which key points must be covered.J Decide upon a good subject line.J In the event of attachments: add these first and indicate
them in the subject line or first sentences. When anattachment is complex, summarise it briefly in the bodyof the e-mail message. Give instructions to the recipientabout what to do with an attachment.
J Announce the main point of the e-mail in the beginning.J Write paragraphs in the ‚most-important-first structure‘
(the so-called inverted pyramid).
J Write in an active and direct way.J Try to use short paragraphs.J Make use of headers and bullet points.J Avoid jargon, specific abbreviations or technical
language unknown to readers.J Never forget that an e-mail might have unseen readers:
do not send an e-mail containing confidential informa-tion or one that has legal implications.
174 A Reader-f r iendly Approach
Common BusinessSituations
The business situations which follow are intended to cover awide range of interactions typical of international correspon-dence. The material in this chapter is intended as a sort ofphrase bank and as a basis for further expansion.
In this chapter you will learn more about how to createday-to-day business e-mails:
J requesting information,J giving enquiries,J making appointments,J refusing a request,J complaints and apologies,J making offers.
175
Requesting Information or FavoursE-mails in which information is requested or given are amongthe most common topics in inboxes. When requesting infor-mation, it is well-advised to explain things clearly. Start forinstance by explaining how you obtained the addressee'scontact data and then write what particular information youwould like to have or are interested in.
Bear in mind that writing in a foreign language doesn't meansimply translating a text from German. Different cultures canuse other ways of asking for things. As mentioned, BritishEnglish formulates requests in a slightly more indirect way.For instance, by using modal auxiliaries, or using the wordplease more often. This is shown in the examples below:
Examples
Ü Formal: to an unknown addresseeDear Sir or Madam
During my last visit to the GDS trade fair at Messe Düsseldorf, Isaw a sample of your products. Our company specialises in themanufacture of shoemaker's machines and we are looking for areliable supplier.
May I ask you to send us full information and details of yourlatest models? If possible quote prices in euros please.
Yours faithfully
Silke Mertens
Formal: to a known addresseeDear Mr Roll
I'm writing with regard to booking one of your workshops. As weare organising an in-company conference at our firm ‚InnovateConsulting‘ this March, we'd be interested in finding out whetheryou are able to give a presentation of about 45 minutes? Our
176 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
focus is on creating value through a company-wide brandingapproach. We would be grateful for some information about yourprices and availability. Should you have any further questions, donot hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Mr Pirouz Malekzadeh
Managing Director
Informal: to a colleagueDear Pirouz
Could you send me the latest material on Mahram ketchupplease? I will need it to prepare the pitch in Milan next week.I'd appreciate your help on this. Let's talk next week and see howthings are going.
Best regards
Sander
Vocabulary:modal auxiliaries: Modalverbensupplier: Lieferantto quote: ein Angebot machen
Useful phrasesFormal: introductions
J I was interested to see your advertisement in the latestissue of ‚Deutschland‘ magazine.
J I understand you are manufacturers of …J We have read about your company in the trade press.J Mrs. Zeurpiet, we have not met; however, I would begrateful for your advice.
Request ing Informat ion or Favours 177
Formal: request for information
J I wonder if you could … ?
J Do you think I could have … ?J I'd be grateful if you could …J I would like to know …J We're interested in finding out …J We would like to receive …J I wonder if you could …
J Could you perhaps attach your current catalogue and pricelist as a MS Word or PDF file?
J Please send us information about your product range andprices.
J Please send full details of your prices, discounts, terms ofpayment and delivery times.
Informal: request for information
J Can you tell me a little more about … ?J Can I have … ?J Please could you … ?J Please send me …J Just a quick note to remind you to …J Your name and address were passed to me by …J We met last Thursday at the Leipzig Trade Fair.
178 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Scales of politenessBritish English uses different scales of politeness dependingon the familiarity between people. The examples below areascending:J Why don't you send me the attachment?J Send me the attachment, won't you?J Send me the attachment, will you?J Send me the attachment, would you?J Won't you send me the attachment?
It isn't really possible to make such distinctions in the Germanlanguage system. But when writing in English it neverthelessmatters. It is therefore advised to use the polite or indirectform when you're not exactly sure about which form to use.This means that you should use might instead of may, orcould instead of can. For the same reason you should becareful with translating ich möchte with I want.
Anglophone cultures don't often use a direct no. Therefore a phrase like:I wonder if this is the best solution translates best with Nein …
Hotel or Conference EnquiriesExamples
Ü Reservation: hotel and technical equipmentDear Sir or Madam
For our company Muster GmbH from Düsseldorf, I would like tomake a group booking for 10 guests. It concerns a three daymeeting including accommodation. The date of arrival is Friday,
Hote l or Conference Enquir ies 179
June 13. We'll need two double rooms and six single rooms on ahalf board basis. There are no special requests.
The rooms will be paid for by the participants, and the meetingcan be billed to the organiser: Muster GmbH, Düsseldorf.
For the conference, we'd like a meeting arrangement of: coffee(10:30 AM) and lunch (1:00 PM). We are looking for a medium-sized conference hall with three separate meeting rooms.
Each equipped with WLAN, whiteboards and flipcharts.
Could you please inform me on availability and prices? Thankingyou in advance.
Yours faithfully
Jule Funk
Muster GmbH
Reservation: RestaurantDear Sir or Madam
I would like to reserve a table for four people in your nonsmokingarea, for tomorrow April 1st at noon. Please make the reservationin the name of Muster GmbH from Düsseldorf. Thanking you inadvance.
Yours faithfully
Jule Funk
Useful phrases
J Please reserve a single room with bath for Mr James Bondduring his visit in Aachen from April 25th through May 2nd
(date of departure).J Can you offer a discount for a group of twenty-five?J May I ask you to please quote the inclusive price?J I attach a copy of my intended itinerary.J Layla Kawashima will settle the bill on behalf of Cargill.
180 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
J Unfortunately I have to cancel our reservation at yourhotel.
J I should like to reserve a conference hall for approximatelythirty people. Is it possible to have seating in a U-shape?
J Please send us details of available conference equipment,as well as simultaneous interpretation and translationservices.
J Could you inform us how much the charge per half day isfor a second beamer, flip-chart and white-board?
J We would like to be picked up from the conference bycoach.
Useful vocabularyHotelqueen-size bed 1,5 m breites Bett
king-size bed 2 m breites Bett
settle (the bill) begleichen
booking request Buchungsanfrage
executive class Businessclass
double bed Doppelbett, französisches Bett
double room Doppelzimmer
single room Einzelzimmer
half board Halbpension
high season Hauptsaison
low / off season Nachsaison / Vorsaison
itinerary Reiseroute, Wegbeschreibung
B and B, bed and breakfast Übernachtung mit Frühstück
Hote l or Conference Enquir ies 181
full board Vollpension
no. of rooms Zimmeranzahl
twin-bedded room Zweibettzimer
Conference equipment
meeting room Besprechungsraum
seating Bestuhlung
stage Bühne
fax service Fax-Service
flip chart Flip-Chart
big screen Großbildschirm
Internet access Internetanschluss
air conditioning Klimaanlage
conference room Konferenzraum
photocopier Kopiergerät
laser pointer Laserpointer
integrated loudspeaker Lautsprecheranlage
microphone facilities Mikrofonanlage
flip-over Präsentationsmappe
lectern Rednerpult
reach 25 m. Reichweite 25 m
rows Reihen
wireless presenter schnurlose Computerfern-bedienung
182 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
secretarial support Sekretariatsarbeiten
room dividers Stellwände
meeting and accommodationas flat rate
Tagung und Übernachtungals Pauschale
U-shape U-form
dimming Verdunkelung
video conference Videokonferenz
whiteboard Weißwandtafel
wireless local area network,WLAN
W-Lan
Giving Enquiries
FYI: for your informationOne of the most commonly sent e-mails is the FYI. Thisacronym stands for for your information. FYI is commonlyused in e-mail or memo messages to flag the message as aninformational message that does not require a response. Thisis typically indicated in the subject line: FYI: annual salesmeeting. Sending people an e-mail without informing themyou are actually sending it as an FYI might trick them intoopening a mail, they didn't want to open as generally an FYIdoesn't require someone's immediate attention. Because busyreaders might not always read all the subject lines, it is alsorecommendable to repeat the FYI again in the first line of thebody of the text.
Giv ing Enquir ies 183
Useful phrases
J For your information …
J This is to inform you…J Just so you know…J I wanted to let you know that…J This is just to tell you…J For your files I attach …
Answering requestsThe phrases below offer content for those e-mails in whichinformation is given based upon e-mail requests.
Examples
Ü FormalDear Sir or Madam
Muster GmbH from Linz in Austria, is seeking bids for theproduction of several trade fair stands. May I ask you to send usyour bid if you are interested?
Detailed specifications are attached. Also please note that Mus-ter GmbH doesn't wish to work with products that are in anywayassociated with environmental hazards in the production, manu-facturing or maintenance of materials.
The deadline for bids is June 26, 20XX.
Feel free to contact me should you need more information.
Yours faithfully
Less formalDear Mr Sanchez
I was wondering if I could ask you something regarding the newproduct development analyst. I believe you have known him forsome time and I would be grateful for any information you could
184 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
give us. This will of course be treated with strictest confidence.Thank you in advance for your help in this matter.
Yours sincerely
InformalHi Betty,
I wanted to get the June 26 business unit notes to you as soon aspossible. Please get back to me if there's any information that Ican supply.
Regards
Useful phrasesFormal: enterprise and product information
J Thank you for your e-mail of 14 July enquiring about …J Your enquiry/query concerning our products …
J You will note that our … is on special offer.J We are also happy to send you full details of our prices,discounts, terms of payment and delivery times.
Informal: enterprise and product information
J John, it's been a while since we have spoken. I'm attachinga document that gives you full details of …
J I took the liberty to attach a list of some of our clients,which you will see include …
J I understand that you are looking for …J In reply to your e-mail, here …J Allow us to draw your special attention to …J Our products are carefully tested to ensure quality.
Giv ing Enquir ies 185
J All our products carry a one-year guarantee.J Of course we replace all defective parts free of charge.
Formal: more time needed
J We are behind with production.J Because of problems with our supplier …J We therefore cannot guarantee delivery by June 26.J We offer you our sincere apologies for this.J We shall do our utmost to …
Informal: more time needed
J I might need some more time after all.J I'm sorry to inform you that we will not make the deadline.But we're doing everything we can to sort it out.
J I hope you will understand my position.J I'll be in touch again soon with more details.
Change of AddressThese days, more and more changes of address come by wayof e-mail. When informing foreign relations, always try for-matting address information according to international stan-dards. By the way, the so-called Landeskürzel (e.g. D) shouldno longer be used.
186 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Useful phrases
J Change of address notification: …J Our head office has moved to Hanover.J We have now opened a new branch in Vienna.J Our address has changed and is now as follows: …J May we ask you to please forward any correspondence toour new address?
J Change of address: as of July 1: …J Change of address as of May 2nd 20XX: Devon House,Devon Centre, Manchester, M4 5KC
J Our telephone numbers remain unchanged.J Our telephone number now is: …
AppointmentsMaking appointments for meetings, teleconferences or lun-ches are the order of the day. In general such messages canbe brief, but make sure that you don't cancel appointmentstoo abruptly. As already mentioned, all too direct communi-cation might be misunderstood.
Examples
Ü InformalDear Sara Lou,
Could we meet in the next few days? I'm open this Thursday andFriday for lunch or in the afternoons.
Cheers,
Sander
Appointments 187
RefusingSorry Sander, I'm not available then. I've got an offsite clientmeeting. How about next week? Bisoux, Sara Lou
More formalDear team managers
I'm setting up a meeting at 10 a.m. on Nov. 27, 20XX, togetherwith the Marketing Department from head office. It's to reviewand evaluate the performance of the brand against competitors.Please let me know if you will be able to attend as soon aspossible, so I can circulate the agenda.
Best regards
Martin Saunders
RefusingDear Martin
Thank you for your kind invitation. Unfortunately, I have anotherappointment on that day. But please let me know how it went.
Best regards
Sara
Useful phrasesTo ask for an appointment
J I'm writing to arrange a time for our meeting. Could wemeet on Friday, June 26, in the afternoon at 3 p.m.?
J Would be very pleased if you could come to a meeting hereon 1 April.
J The meeting will last all morning and will have an informalagenda.
J Your presence at the meeting will be most useful.J Please everyone let me know if you will be able to attendby next Wednesday at the latest.
188 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Confirming proposals
J Yes, I think I should be able to make next Friday morning atThe Savoy.
J I'll get back to you later today to confirm our appointment.J Just to confirm my visit to you, on Friday 13 at 10 a.m. ET(Eastern Time Zone).
J Looking forward to meeting you next week.J Please let me know if there's anything I can prepare.
Refusing / postponing an appointmentExample: refusing an invitation (formal style)
Ü Thank you for your kind invitation.
Unfortunately, I have another appointment on Friday. Pleaseaccept my apologies.
In the case any reports arise from the discussion on CentralEurope, I would be most grateful to receive a copy. I hope we willhave the opportunity to meet on another occasion in the nearfuture.
J I'm afraid I can't manage next Friday.J I'm not available for lunch on either day, but would 3 p.mon Friday suit you?
J I'm out of the office until 11 p.m., but any time after thatwould be fine.
J This is to let you know, that I will not be able to attend themeeting in Berlin.
J Please accept my sincere apologies for cancelling ourappointment on such short notice.
Appointments 189
J I had an unavoidable emergency that prevented me fromkeeping our appointment.
InvitationsWhen accepting or declining invitations, note that in Englishone often tends to use adjectives like: happy, delighted orpleased, which in German might sound somewhat exaggera-ted at times. Nevertheless, it is advisable to express enthusi-asm or regret with slightly more emphasis.
Examples
Ü Invitation for a conference
Muster GmbH has the pleasure to invite you to the Conference‚XYZ‘, organised in Lucerne on 22 May 20XX, in association withABC-AG. The conference will take place at Auditorium KKLLuzern (Zentralstrasse 9) from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. The programmewill be updated regularly on the website of Muster GmbH. Pleasecomplete the attached form and return to …
Invitation for lunchDear Mr Haas
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you for our monthlybusiness unit lunch at Tantris, on Johann-Fichte-Strasse 7.Friday, 13 February at 13:30 o'clock.Your attendance will be very welcome.
Useful phrasesInviting and RSVP
J We would very much like to invite you for a presentationgiven by Mrs. Maryam Salehi on May 22 in the KhajehNasir Hall, which starts at 11 a.m.
190 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
J It would be a pleasure to receive you at our annual tradeexhibition.
J I would like to take this opportunity to invite you for ourmonthly sales manager meeting.
J The pleasure of your company is requested at the …J Would you please send an answer to our invitation as soonas possible.
J We would very much appreciate it if we could receive yourdecision before 26 June.
J RSVP (regrets only): presentation@muster.de
Route descriptions and other information
J We hereby attach a route description as a PDF file.J If this information is not accurate or if you need additionalinformation about your travel plans or information on ourcompany, please call, e-mail or fax me directly. That way,we will receive your message in time to make the appro-priate changes or additions.
J When you arrive, just ask for me at reception.J Again, we are very honoured that you will be visiting us,and we look forward to a successful business relationshipbetween our two companies.
Formal: accepting / declining an invitation
J May I thank the board for their kind invitation to … on May22 and I take great pleasure in accepting it.
J Thank you for your kind invitation. I would be delighted toattend the …
Invitat ions 191
J I'm very sorry that I will miss the meeting. Please acceptmy apologies.
J Mrs Funk thanks PressEasy Ltd for their kind invitation butdue to a previous engagement she regrets she is unable toaccept.
Informal: accepting / declining an invitationExample: accepting an invitation
Ü Thanks a lot for inviting me. I'd love to come to the meeting.
Would it be okay to bring Silke Mertens as well? She's in chargeof the whole series. I met her in Frankfurt last year.
J Thanks a lot for your kind invitation.J Unfortunately, I have something else on my agenda on thatday.
J I'd really love to come to your lecture.
Canceling an appointmentWhen you deem it necessary to cancel an event and informthe participants by e-mail, it is important to find the propertone of voice and courtesy.
Example
Ü Dear Sirs,
Due to circumstances beyond the control of Muster GmbH, thebanquet unfortunately had to be cancelled. Muster GmbH apo-logises for any inconvenience caused.
Sincerely yours
192 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Useful phrases
J Owing to circumstances beyond our control, we will un-fortunately need to …
J Regrettably, due to unexpected events Dr. Dogan mustcancel the lecture of June 26.
J Mr Jorritsma sends his sincere apologies for his absencefrom the conference, and …
Indicating date and timeWhile trying to arrange an appointment, pay attention tousing the proper expressions concerning date and time. Takespecial precautions if your message will be sent interna-tionally to prevent misunderstandings: Spell out dates, as inGermany, 02/05/XX means May 2, 20XX; but in the UnitedStates this means February 5, 2009. There are more specificdifferences between German and English, e.g. the twelve-hour clock. In case of doubt try to double check appoint-ments; some people ask for confirmation by e-mail or fax.Electronic agendas like MS Outlook offer practical functiona-lities that automatically send reminders per e-mail.
MonthsJanuary Januar July Juli
February Februar August August
March März September September
April April October Oktober
May Mai November November
June Juni December Dezember
Invitat ions 193
Dates26 June, reads as: the twenty-sixth of June.
June 26, reads as: June twenty-sixth.
26th June, reads as: June, the twenty-sixth.
2009, reads as: two thousand and nine.
2009, reads as: two thousand nine.
Please note that years are usually pronounced in pairs: e.g.nineteen ninety-nine (1999).
Ordinal numbers
1st – first 8th – eighth (only one‚ t‘)2nd – second 9th – ninth (no‚e‘)3rd – third 10th – tenth4th – fourth 11th – eleventh5th – fifth 12th – twelfth (‚f‘ not ‚v‘)6th – sixth 20th – twentieth7th – seventh 21st – twenty-first etc.
Days
Monday Montag
Tuesday Dienstag
Wednesday Mittwoch
Thursday Donnerstag
Friday Freitag
Saturday Samstag, Sonnabend
Sunday Sonntag
194 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
today heute
tomorrow morgen
yesterday gestern
the day before yesterday vorgestern
the day after tomorrow übermorgen
as from todayas of today
von heute an
this Thursday diesen Donnerstag
next Tuesday nächsten Dienstag
by Friday bis Freitag
on Saturday am Samstag, Sonnabend
a week on Monday Montag in einer Woche
a week from Monday
in a fortnight's timein two weeks' time
in vierzehn Tagen
every Monday jeden Montag, montags
on Mondays
in 6 days' time in sechs Tagen
last / next month im letzten / nächsten Monat
last week letzte Woche
Times of the dayin the morning morgens, am Morgen
early morning der frühe Morgen
morning Morgen, Vormittag
midday Mittag
lunchtime Mittagszeit
Inv i tat ions 195
before lunch vor dem Mittag
after lunch nach dem Mittag
in the afternoon nachmittags, am Nachmittag
afternoon Nachmittag
late afternoon Spätnachmittag
evening Abend
in the evening abends, am Abend
in the morning am Vormittag
What time?Perception of time may differ from culture to culture. In theUK, for instance, people tend to give each other a margin ofseveral minutes. The Irish saying ‚When God created time, hecreated plenty of it‘ is of course only a generalisation, itnevertheless indicates that punctuality might be looked upondifferently from country to country.
Therefore, always plan meetings with a sufficient margin be-cause they may start a little bit later than expected. And alsodon't let yourself be toomuch guided bywhat you are used to inGermany. Apparently, six out of ten Americanmanagers are latefor their appointments, according to research conducted in2006 amongst 2,700 CEOs. This CEO's quarter of an hour's gracealso costs companies a lot of money.
at 8 (o'clock) in the morning /8 a.m.
um 08:00 Uhr
at 8 (o'clock) in the evening / 8p.m.
um 20:00 Uhr
196 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
till 5 (o'clock) in the evening /5 p.m.
bis 17:00 Uhr
after three (o'clock) nach 15:00 Uhr
before three (o'clock) vor 15:00 Uhr
as from 3 p.m.as of 3 p.m
ab 15:00 Uhr
between three and five(o'clock)
zwischen 15 und 17 Uhr
a quarter past nine viertel nach neun
a quarter to nine viertel vor neun
three thirty halb vier
half eight (half past eight) halb neun (not: halb acht!)
twenty-five minutes past ten zehn Uhr fünfundzwanzig
five to twelve fünf vor zwölf
noontime Mittag
half an hour eine halbe Stunde
quarter of an hour eine Viertelstunde
three quarters of an hour eine Dreiviertelstunde
Sending Agendas and MinutesThere are certain standard items that belong to an agenda:like a title, followed by the date, time and venue of themeeting and a list of the people who will be attending it. InEnglish the minutes always follow the agenda exactly. Eachsection of the notes is identified by the number of the item onthe agenda, or the heading taken from the agenda. Below aresome useful hints for making summaries.
Sending Agendas and Minutes 197
Checklist: summary of a meeting.
J Include the date: avoid vague descriptions like yesterdayor last week's meeting.
J List the participants: as members of a departmentchange from time to time, it is better to list people byname.
J Indicate action points to the discussed topics. Alsodesignate responsibility, mention the possible deadlineand describe each action. This ensures the action andserves as a record.
Examples
Ü AgendaMuster GmbH Management Team Meeting
Tues. Nov. 27, 20XX at 10-12 a.m. Rm. 69, 2nd floor
1 Confirmation of minutes
2 Matters arising from Oct. 25 meeting
3 Reports from task groups
4 Late items, AOB (any other business)
5 Closing
MinutesDear all
Below are the minutes from the April 1, 20XX board teleconfe-rence. Attendees: Sylvia, Udo, David and Chiara. Absent withregrets: John, Etsuko. Staff: Truus.
1 Approval of agenda as published: carried unanimously.
2 Motion F:04.10 to approve the Frankfurt bid for 20XX
3 Date of next teleconference: May 10, 20XX.
4 The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m. EST.
198 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Useful phrases
J Attached are the approved meeting minutes for the Octo-ber annual meeting held October 2, 20XX.
J Minutes of Berlin team meeting, 27th May 20XX, 11-12.30a.m., be approved and signed. (Noted)
J The next meeting for the London Project Managementmeeting will be on Fri. Nov. 13, 11 a.m,. in room 69-C.
J Could you please check the agenda, and be in touch withyour questions and concerns? Thanks in advance.
J Attached is the report from our last meeting in Berlin,which was held on July 14. Should anyone miss anything,than please notify me before next Friday.
J It was decided to delay action until the next meeting.J Please find below the agenda of …J The notes from the February 13 Business Unit meetinginclude …
J Please take time to consider the minutes …
Refusing a RequestThe actual task of refusing someone something and yetmaintaining goodwill is not the easiest one. But in thebusiness world it simply does not suffice to refuse a requestpolitely. There are methods however that will ensure thatcustomers will want to continue doing business. Let us look atthe four-step format below:
Refus ing a Request 199
Checklist: negative messages
J Buffer statement: the first two sentences contain ge-neral neutral and positive remarks. They must be relatedto the refusal in the next paragraph.
J Explanation: in the second part of the e-mail explainwhy you cannot fulfil the request. Give logical reasonsbefore you mention the negative message at the end ofparagraph two. Also make sure the refusal is clear toavoid further debate on this topic.
J Alternatives: in the third paragraph try to demonstrateyour concern for the reader. This way the reader alsoregains the psychological freedom after your refusal.
J Goodwill ending: which comes last is often rememberedbest. Therefore pay attention to a friendly ending.
Useful phrasesBuffer
J Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.J We regret to inform you that …J With regard to your request, unfortunately we are not ableto …
200 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Explanation
J There appears to have been a misunderstanding.
J I have spoken to my line manager, and unfortunately wearen't able to …
J As we are bound by regulations of the …
Alternatives
J But I am sure we can find an acceptable compromise. Isuggest you contact a@b.c to arrange this matter.
J We are however prepared to let you have the requestedgoods on credit.
J We could replace the damaged goods with …
Goodwill ending
J We offer you our sincere apologies for this.J I have arranged for a member of our customer servicesteam to give you a call later in the week.
J I very much hope you will continue to use our services inthe future.
Stylistic stand back: negative – positiveSometimes a negative phrase can sound much more positiveby replacing the negative element which is in the word not byan alternative word. The table below gives some examples ofthis.
Refus ing a Request 201
Implicitly negative Explicitly negative
unable not able
impossible not possible
insignificant not significant
irrelevant not relevant
different not the same
lacks does not have
prevented did not allow
unless if … not
ComplaintsComplaints can be best dealt with in a neutral polite tone. Tomaintain a good working relationship, you might need tomake a useful suggestion to solve the problem brought toyour attention. Especially North American customers can beused to higher levels of personal service. In that sense adefensive approach might shut down effective communicati-on. Providing rational explanations for a complaint probablygives better results.
Examples
Ü Polite requestThere seems to be an error in the invoice we received for goodsdelivered on May 22. As I discussed this morning with yourassociate Pete Johnsons, Muster GmbH notified you on May 16of this matter.
202 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
May I ask you kindly to revise the billing statement by removingitems ABC and sending us a cancelled invoice please? Thank youfor your prompt attention to this matter.
Regards
UrgentI am writing in connection with our order A-01, which arrivedthis morning. You sent us 11 … instead of the 110 which we hadordered. This has caused us considerable difficulties, as ourproduction unit needs the goods urgently. Unless we receive thegoods by this Wednesday, we will have no choice but to cancelour order. I hope that ABC-AG will deal with this matterpromptly.
Useful phrases
J We regret to write you that the products we receivedFriday, 13th were below the standard we expected.
J Please replace the broken goods as soon as possible.J We wish to point out an error in the consignment wereceived yesterday.
J I hope that you will deal with this matter promptly, as it iscausing us considerable inconvenience.
ApologiesWhen writing a formal e-mail to express regretful acknowled-gement of a failure, you can choose from one of the alterna-tives listed below.
Apologies 203
Useful phrasesFormal styleJ I was very concerned to learn about your problems.J We're doing everything we can to resolve this issue.J Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused.J This was due to circumstances beyond our control.J I will look into the matter immediately and get back to youwithin the next few days.
J To compensate for the inconvenience caused by this, Iwould like to suggest …
J We realise this is disappointing news to hear, and weapologise for the inconvenience we have caused you.
J We are sending you a … as a gesture of goodwill …
More personal style
J Please accept my sincere apologies for cancelling ourappointment on such short notice.
J I had an unavoidable emergency that prevented me fromkeeping the appointment.
J An urgent matter at the head office came up that I justhad to deal with immediately.
J Onbehalf of ABCGmbH, I offer sincere apologies to you for…J I'm afraid I had completely misunderstood the situation.J The fault was entirely mine and I really regret that itoccurred.
J I do hope we shall be able to put this unfortunate misun-derstanding behind us.
J Once again, my sincere apologies.
204 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Vocabulary:inconvenience: Unbequemlichkeitresolve: lösen, beikommencircumstances: Umstände
Congratulations and Season'sGreetingsIn business, personal relationships will benefit from sendinggreetings on appropriate occasions.
Congratulations
J I was very happy to hear about your promotion to businessunit manager. I congratulate you heartily.
J I would like to convey my sincere congratulations onwinning the Prix de Rome.
J I am delighted to see that all your work has been recogni-sed in this way.
J Please accept my warmest congratulations on your pro-motion to business unit manager.
J Once again my very best wishes.
Season's greetings
J We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!J Here is wishing you a happy holdiday season and all thebest in the New Year.
Congratulat ions and Season 's Greet ings 205
Informal: congratulations
J Well done!J I'm so glad to hear the news about …J Our sincere congratulations
ThanksFormal style
J Our company is very grateful for the trouble you havetaken to …
J I'm writing to let you know how pleased Muster GmbH waswith …
J If the occasion arises, I hope you will allow us to return thefavour.
More personal style
J I wanted to thank you again for such an enjoyable lunchyesterday.
J I am just writing to say what an excellent job you did ofthe Cologne project.
J Many thanks again for your help yesterday. If we canreturn the favour sometime, please let us know.
Short informal thanks
J Just a quick note to say many thanks for …J We really appreciate it.J Thanks a lot / a million
206 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Vocabulary:convey: überbringenfavour: Gunst, Gefallen
Payments and RemindersThis paragraph is intended for anyone who is faced with thetask of sending English e-mails in the financial world. Giventhe fact that some conventions are different (see the para-graph on numbers and currency symbols), it is good to knowabout such differences in advance.
Example
Ü Dear Mr Holzbauer
We can confirm that we shipped your items, and that thiscompletes your order. You can track the status of this order,online at: www.muster.de. Please note that tracking informationmay not be available immediately.
A copy of our invoice is attached as a PDF file. We kindly requestyou to remit the invoice amount within 14 days after invoicedate.
Sincerely
Customer Service Department
Useful phrasesSending invoices
J Please find enclosed a PDF copy of the invoice for ourservices.
J The total amount payable is: …
Payments and Reminders 207
J We request your remittance of the following balance bypayment in advance: EUR 1,963.
J We request you to make remittance for the amount statedon the invoice to our account no later than 27 November20XX.
J We request you to make payment within 14 days to one ofour accounts.
J We enclose a copy of our invoice for the goods delivered toyou on … against order number …
J We ask you to settle the invoice by May 2.
Reminding paymentsIntercultural text analyses have shown that differences existbetween German and English in the way debt collectioncorrespondence addresses readers. But although the tonemight seem polite, the legal consequences are perfectlyidentical. Below are some useful phrases.
J We refer you to our conditions of payment.J The outstanding invoices however must be paid by the endof this month.
J We should like to kindly remind you that our invoice no.09-01 is due.
J In case you might have settled the account in the mean-time, please ignore this e-mail.
J We kindly ask for early settlement of our invoice.J We request payment of the invoice to account number …J We would be grateful if you could adjust the invoiceaccordingly.
208 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
J We have as yet had no reply to our request for payment.J We must now insist on immediate payment.J We need to take steps to collect the amount due.J We hope you will understand our position.
Confirmations, inquiries and thanks
J We acknowledge receipt of the consignment.J Could you please send us an amended invoice?J At the current rate of exchange …J We have instructed our bank to pay you the sum owed.J We have given instructions to our bank to make paymentof EUR 1,963 against your invoice.
J We have transferred the sum of … to your account.J We thank you for your prompt payment of our invoice.
Useful vocabularybank connection Bankverbindung
concerns Betreff
BIC BIC
date Datum
foreign currency Devisen, Fremdwährungen
total amount Gesamtbetrag
fee Honorar
IBAN IBAN
bank account number Kontonummer
Payments and Reminders 209
Value Added Tax Mehrwertsteuer
VAT MwSt.
incidental expenses Nebenkosten
invoice no. Rechnungs- Nr.
amount of the invoice Rechnungsbetrag
from von
ATTN z. Hd.
at the current rate ofexchange
zum Tageskurs
Making OffersUseful phrases
J We thank you for your enquiry about …J We are pleased to submit the following quotation …J We offer you the goods you specified as follows: …J Enclosed please find a sample of …J The prices are inclusive / exclusive of VAT.
J We can give you a discount of 13 %.J As long as supplies last.J The offer/quotation excludes transportation costs.J We hereby confirm your telephone order of …J This offer is non-binding and valid while supplies last.J The goods will remain our legal property until full paymenthas been received.
210 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
J The prices and terms of delivery mentioned are bindinguntil 27 November.
J Please refer to our conditions of sale for further particulars.J You may rely on a quick and careful execution of yourorder.
Delivery and IncotermsUseful phrases
J Delivery will be made immediately on receipt of yourremittance.
J The goods will be transported by air.
J The merchandise is delivered ex factory (EXW).J The consignment consists of: …J We take extra care in the packaging of our goods.J We have booked your order and will do our best to carryout your request to your satisfaction.
J The products were sent to you today; the tracking numberis: …
Vocabulary:remittance: Überweisungconsignment: Versandtracking: Sendungsverfolgung
Del ivery and Incoterms 211
IncotermsThe Incoterms 2000 (International Commercial Terms: Inter-nationale Regeln für die Auslegung von Handelsklauseln) area series of international sales terms which serve to dividetransaction costs and responsibilities between buyer andseller. They are usually mentioned in an abbreviation-citycombination (e.g. our prices are FOB Hamburg).
Abbre-viation
English German
Group E
EXW Ex Works Ab Werk
Group F
FCA Free Carrier Frei Frachtführer
FAS Free Alongside Ship Frei Längsseite Schiff
FOB Free On Board Frei an Bord
Group C
CFR Cost and Freight Kosten und Fracht
CIF Cost, Insurance andFreight
Kosten, Versicherung,Fracht
CPT Carriage Paid To Frachtfrei
CIP Carriage and InsurancePaid To
Frachtfrei versichert
Group D
DAF Delivered at Frontier Geliefert Grenze
DES Delivered Ex Ship Geliefert ab Schiff
212 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Abbre-viation
English German
DEQ Delivered Ex Quay Geliefert ab Kai
DDU Delivered Duty Unpaid Geliefert unverzollt
DDP Delivered Duty Paid Geliefert verzollt
Numbers and Currency SymbolsWhen writing decimals or amounts of money, the Englishlanguage observes a few other conventions compared toGerman.
J The most important difference probably is the reverse useof commas and full stops (periods):
19,95 % (German)? 19.95 % (English)
16.090 km (German)? 10,000 miles (English)J Amounts in round figures don't necessarily need a commawith two decimals behind it:
25,00 EUR (German)? EUR 25 (English)J The position of the currency can be placed before or behindthe amount, depending on the local linguistic convention.There is no space between the pound sign and the amountin English.
J Another option is to use the ISO abbreviations for curren-cies in stead of the euro or pound sign. Notice the differentposition of the currency abbreviations:
12.904,90 EUR (German)? GBP 10,000 (English)
Numbers and Currency Symbols 213
J Please note that Australian texts may use a space insteadof a comma, and Swiss texts often use an apostrophe toseparate the thousands.
Indicating larger numbersFor describing larger amounts or numbers in the Englishlanguage you may come across the following abbreviations:
J thousand: KJ million: MJ billion (in German: Milliarde): bn or BJ trillion (in German: Billion): T
Expressing numbers in alphabetic characters, such as forty-three billion Canadian Dollars', finds application in officialdocuments and in a formal or contractual context. But forsending e-mails around the globe, it's better to use figures.
Monetary and currency symbolsMonetary units, such as dollars or pound sterling, are oftenabbreviated with their own currency symbols. Note that in theUnited Kingdom a middle dot is often used as the decimalpoint on price stickers (e.g.: £6£95). Besides the currencysymbols, you may also wish to write the international mone-tary abbreviations as stated in the list of currencies from theInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO 4217:Currency names and code elements).
214 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
List of currenciesCountry Currency Sign ISO Fract.Australia Australian dollar $ AUD Cent
Bahamas Bahamian dollar $ BSD Cent
Canada Canadian dollar $ CAD Cent
Cyprus Cypriot pound £ CYP Cent
Gibraltar Gibraltar pound £ GIP Penny
Hong Kong Hong Kong dollar $ HKD Ho
India Indian rupee � INR Paisa
Ireland Euro EUR EUR Cent
Malaysia Malaysian ringgit RM MYR Sen
Malta Maltese lira £ MTL Cent
New Zea-land
New Zealand dollar $ NZD Cent
Nigeria Nigerian naira � NGN Kobo
Pakistan Pakistani rupee � PKR Paisa
Singapore Singapore dollar $ SGD Cent
SouthAfrica
South African rand R ZAR Cent
UnitedKingdom
British pound £ GBP Penny
UnitedStates
United States dollar $ USD Cent
Numbers and Currency Symbols 215
Please note the differences in writing the word euro:
J The word euro is written in small letters in English.J EU legislation prescribes using the words euro and centboth in singular and plural. But common usage in the restof the English-speaking world is to use the natural plural in-s. Also most financial media in the UK prefer euros andcents as the plural forms.
216 Common Bus iness S ituat ions
Practical Reference
In this chapter you will find information on:
J linguistic characteristics as the use of capital letters orapostrophes and punctuation,
J linguistic Differences UK-USA,J useful vocabulary and key terms for business correspon-dance,
J the use of abbreviations and acronyms etc.
217
Linguistic Characteristics
The proper use of capital lettersIn English the rules for using capitals are different fromGerman rules.
Capital lettersIn the following cases you do need to begin with capitalletters:
J The pronoun ‚I‘J Proper namesJ Names of
– the days of the week,– the months of the year,– holidays– historical periods– buildings– positions or titles of people– organisations– languages– nationalities or ethnic groups
J Words expressing a connection with geographical placesJ Significant religious termsJ Roman numeralsJ The first word of direct quotations, sentences or fragments
218 Pract ica l Reference
Small lettersOther elements are always written with small letters, such as:
J Names of directions (e.g.: south etc.)J Names of seasonsJ Articles in proper names (e.g.: the Emir of Kuwait)
The title or name of a book, a film or a magazine usually hascapital letters for every significant word, but words like the,of, and or in aren't capitalized, unless they are the first word.Like in: Yesterday we saw The Silence of the Lambs on TV.
In British English the first word after a colon (double-point)generally is not written in capital letters. American usage onthe other hand often prefers a capital after a colon. Asmentioned above: with direct quotations both language va-rieties use a capital to start the quotation.
Vocabulary:pronoun: (Personal)pronomennumeral: Zahlwortquotation: Zitatproper name: Eigenname
Using apostrophesThe apostrophe (') is a troublesome punctuation mark inEnglish, and incorrect use of apostrophes will make someone'swriting quickly look poor. Still there is a lot of confusionabout using apostrophes.
L inguist ic Character i s t ics 219
ContractionsThe apostrophe is used in writing contractions, that is shor-tened forms of words from which one or more letters havebeen omitted. The omitted letter is replaced by an apostrophe.Examples are: it's (it is or it has), can't (cannot), aren't (arenot). When the word not is part of the contracted phrase, theapostrophe is always placed between the ‚n‘ and the ‚t‘.Traditionally contractions were considered as speakinglanguage, and had no place whatsoever in formal businesscorrespondence. Although using contractions in formal wri-ting nowadays isn't considered wrong anymore, it's better totry to use them sparingly.
Full form Contractioncannot can't
do not don't
have not haven't
he has (she) he's, she's
he is (she) he's, she's
I am I'm
I have (we, you) I've, we've, you've
I will / shall I'll
is not isn't
it has it's
it is it's
shall not shan't
they are (we, you) they're, we're, you're
will not won't
220 Pract ica l Reference
Possessive forms
An apostrophe is also used in a possessive form like: Her-mann's report. The basic rule is simple: a possessive form isspelled with ‚s‘ at the end. This also applies when the lastletter is an ‚s‘, for instance like: Klaus's proposal. But there isan exception: plural nouns which already end in an ‚s‘, do nothave a second ‚s‘. They only have an apostrophe at the end asin: four weeks' work. When pluralising dates, there is adifference between British and American usage because thelatter uses an apostrophe:
This model was designed in the 1990s.This model was designed in the 1990's.
Using the spelling checkEspecially in writing e-mails, spelling doesn't always seem tobe a priority. Most errors can be simply prevented by using thespell check of your software. Below are some tips to makeoptimal use of this function. Always make sure that you turnon the function, and that you select the correct variety: forinstance English (United Kingdom) or English (United States).Besides local particular spelling conventions the second majordifference is the vocabulary of each variety. The spell checktakes this into account.
HomophonesOne of the problems that German native speakers might haveis that certain English words sound the same, but mean verydifferent things, and they also don't have the same spelling.
L inguist ic Character i s t ics 221
The little poem below gives no indication whatsoever of aspell check, but is of course absolute nonsense.
Finally eye used the English spelling chequer on my pea see,
This marked four my revue, the miss steaks I could knot sea,
So each time my chequer tolled me; eye quickly stroke the quay.
In linguistics these words are called homophones, i.e. wordsthat have the same sound but a different spelling andmeaning. Below is a selection of some relevant businesshomophones:
aisle isle
buy by
cell sell
cent scent
complement compliment
fair fare
hole whole
hour our
know no
meat meet
principal principle
profit prophet
right write
sight site
some sum
stationary stationery
222 Pract ica l Reference
Linguistic Differences: UK-USAGeorge Bernard Shaw once wrote that ‚Britain and Americaare two countries divided by a common language‘. But alt-hough there are some differences in spelling conventions orvocabulary, only a few words really cause misunderstandings.An example of this is the expression to table a motion. In theUK this means to place it on the agenda, while in the US itmeans exactly the opposite (to remove it from consideration).No idea how this is solved in bilateral meetings …
Spelling differencesIf we take a closer look at the spelling differences betweenBritish and American English, the examples in the table belowshow you some typical spelling conventions. Many nouns andadjectives are turned into verbs by adding -ize (standardize)in the US, and -ise in Britain. If in doubt, you can simplyadjust the spell check on your computer.
UK US
authorise authorize
litre, theatre, kilometre liter, theater, kilometer
colour color
catalogue catalog
cheque (bank) check
defence, offence defense, offense
programme (except compu-ter program)
program
Linguist ic Di f fe rences: UK-USA 223
UK US
-our (labour, colour) -or (labor, color)
-ogue (catalogue) -og (catalog)
-ll (dialled, traveller) -l (dialed, traveler)
But there are exceptions, for example: enrolment (UK), enroll-ment (US).
Different wordsBesides the differences in spelling mentioned above, differentwords are simply used sometimes. Some of the more commonones are listed in the table below (listed by German trans-lation for convenience):
Translation UK US
Bankkonto banking account bank account
Banknote banknote bill
Benzin petrol gas(oline)
Betrieb company corporation
Buchung booking reservation
Erkundigung enquiry inquiry
Führerschein driving licence driver's license
Herbst autumn fall
Lebenslauf curriculum vitae r�sum�, schooltranscript
Rechnung bill check
Rechtsanwalt solicitor/barrister attorney
224 Pract ica l Reference
Translation UK US
Reservierung booking reservation
Rückfahrkarte return ticket round trip ticket
Selbstkostenpreis at cost price at cost
Steuereinnahmen inland revenue duty income tax
Transport transport transportation
U-Bahn underground subway
Unterführung subway underpass
Verfallsdatum expiry date expiration date
vermieten let hire
vierzehn Tage fortnight two weeks
Wohnung flat apartment
Grammar differencesSome grammar differences are consistent between Americanand British:
UK US
look out of the window look out the window
last Monday week a week ago last Monday
talk to, meet talk with, meet with
I have (already) eaten I (already) ate
River Thames, River Avon Hudson River, Mississippi River
to be in a team to be on a team
I've gone I went
Linguist ic Di f fe rences: UK-USA 225
Apart from American and British, other well-known varietiesof English are Canadian, Australian and South African. Coun-tries such as India, Nigeria and the Philippines also have manyEnglish speakers.
Useful Vocabulary and Key Terms
Digital vocabularyto an
attachment Anlage
@ (at sign) At-Zeichen, Affenschwanz
subject Betrifft, Betreff
hyphen Bindestrich
file Datei
e-mail die E-Mail (D), das E-Mail (A, CH)
wireless drahtlos
hard disk Festplatte
to download herunterladen
dot Punkt
slash Schrägstrich
back slash umgekehrter Schrägstrich
underscore Unterstrich
to forward weiterleiten
226 Pract ica l Reference
Vocabulary: function keysPgUp (page up) Bild hoch
PgDn (page down) Bild runter
PrtSc (Print Screen) Druck
Insert Einfg
End Ende
Delete Entf
Home Post
Ctrl (control) Strg
Shift Ums
Key terms: e-mailsASCII American Standard Code for Information Inter-
change. A standard set of codes used forrepresenting text and keyboard-control cha-racters. Pronounced as: [aski]
Auto respon-der
A prewritten reply to an e-mail message, whichis sent automatically
Bounced mes-sage
An e-mail that is returned to the sender be-cause it cannot be delivered
Compression File management technique that shrinks datafor easy transportation. For instance: ZIP orRAR
Emoticons Electronic symbols indicating emotions, e.g.:smileys
Encryption Encoding or scrambling of an e-mail messageor attachment for privacy reasons
Useful Vocabulary and Key Terms 227
Filter A feature of an e-mail program to sort inco-ming messages
Flame Angry or insulting e-mail messages
Forward Retransmitting an e-mail message to otherrecipients
Group list A group of e-mail addresses that can be ad-dressed as a single recipient
Instantmessaging(IM)
Direct exchange of messages with other peopleonline
MIME ‚Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions‘: auto-matic recognition and display of file types
Priority Designates an e-mail message's importance:high, normal or low priority
Signature A personal identifier at the end of an e-mailmessage, informing on other contact data
Subject line Topic of an e-mail message
Thread An ongoing e-mail conversation
Word wrap A feature in e-mail programs that allows in-sertion of soft returns at the right-side marginsof an e-mail message
Key terms: the companyThe following tables provide a quick reference source whentrying to describe elements or divisions of a company.
228 Pract ica l Reference
Departmentsorders Bestellungen
accounting Buchhaltung
purchasing Einkauf
finance department Finanzabteilung
research and development,R&D
Forschung und Entwicklung,F&E
information technology IT-Abteilung
customer service Kundenberatung
after-sales service Kundenbetreuung
warehouse Lagerhalle
logistics Logistik
marketing Marketing
assembly Montage
public relations, PR Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
human resources, personneldepartment
Personalabteilung
production Produktion
legal department Rechtsabteilung
sales department Verkaufsabteilung
out-of-office sales Verkaufs-Aussendienst
sales support Verkaufs-Innendienst
sales management Verkaufsleitung
despatch, dispatch Versand
sales and distribution Vertrieb
administration Verwaltung
advertising department Werbeabteilung
Useful Vocabulary and Key Terms 229
Company positionsshop floor worker Arbeiter/-in
assistant Assistent/-in
staff Belegschaft
office staff Büropersonal
director Direktor,
leitender Angestellter
managing director, CEO Generaldirektor/-in
manager Manager/-in
personnel Personal
management Unternehmensleitung
vice president Vizepräsident/-in
supervisor Vorgesetzter
chairman Vorsitzender
board of managers Vorstand
Company divisionsdepartment, section Abteilung
branch Filiale, Niederlassung
business unit, division Geschäftsbereich, Sparte
head office, head-quarters Hauptsitz, Zentrale
holding company Holdinggesellschaft
parent company Muttergesellschaft
subsidiary Tochtergesellschaft
230 Pract ica l Reference
Abbreviations and AcronymsBecause in e-mails people tend to write very quickly, manyelectronic acronyms have found their way into e-mail mes-sages. In the table below you can find a selected overview ofelectronic acronyms and/or abbreviations that have foundtheir way into business e-mail messages.
Only use abbreviations yourself if your readers (the intendedas well as the hidden readers) will recognize and understandthem. And don't use too many abbreviations, as they canmake a sentence hard to read. Furthermore, it's advisable toclarify an uncommon abbreviation by writing it out on thefirst reference and citing the abbreviation in parentheses.
A/P Accounts Payable
AA Author's Alterations
abbr Abbreviation, Abbreviated
abr Abridged
abt About
acc According
acct Account
acq Acquired, Acquisition
ACWP Actual Cost of Work Performed
Afaik As Far As I Know
agg Aggregated
AGM Annual General Meeting
AKA Also Known As
ANI Automatic Number Identification
Abbrev iat ions and Acronyms 231
ans Answer
apt Apartment
ASAP As Soon As Possible
ASL Above Sea Level
ASP Average Selling Price
ASR Automatic Speech Recognition
asst Assistant
AST Atlantic Standard Time
Att Attorney
Attn Attention
Av Avenue, Avenida
AWB Air-Way Bill
AY Academic Year
AYR At Your Risk
B4 Before
BC Before Christ
BE Bill of Exchange
BKA Better Known As
BL Bill of Lading
bldg Building
Bn Billion
BP Bill Payable
BPO Business Process Outsourcing
BS Bill of Sale
BSI British Standards Institution
bsmt Basement
232 Pract ica l Reference
BTW By The Way
BW Black and White
C&F Cost And Freight
c/o Care Of
c/w Coming With
CAP Customer Administration Panel
CBD Cash Before Delivery
CBI Confidential Business Information
CC Carbon Copy, Customer Copy
CC Chamber of Commerce
CCC Customer Care Center
CDT Central Daylight Time
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CET Central European Time, Centraal Eur.Tijd
CFO Chief Financial Officer
CFP Call For Proposals, Call For Papers
CFV Call For Votes
ch Chapter, Chapitre
chmn Chairman
CIO Chief Information Officer
cmte Committee
Co County
co Care Of
Corp Corporation
CPI Consumer Price Index
CST Central Standard Time
Abbrev iat ions and Acronyms 233
CT Central Time
ctr Center
DIY Do It Yourself market
dna Does Not Apply
DoB Date Of Birth
e.g. Exempli Gratia
EDT Eastern Daylight Time
Esq Esquire
EST Eastern Standard Time
ewt Elsewhere Taken
F Floor
F2F Face to Face
FAO For the Attention Off
FAQ Frequently Asked Question(s)
ff Following
FMCG Fast-Moving Consumer Goods
FOB Free on Board
FSS Financial Services Sector
FTC Free Trade Committee
FY Fiscal Year
FYI For Your Information
GA General Average
GL Ground Level
GMT Greenwich Mean Time
H&S Health And Safety
HR Human Resource
234 Pract ica l Reference
i.e. Id Est
i/c In Charge
ICT Information & Communication Technology
Imho In My Humble Opinion
imo In My Opinion
IOW In Other Words
ITT Invitation To Tender
JIT Just In Time
KISS Keep It Short and Simple
L/C Letter of Credit
LL Lines
M/F Male or Female
MD Managing Director
mfg Manufacturing
misc Miscellaneous
MoM Minutes Of Meeting
mph Miles Per Hour
MSGS Messages
n/a Not Applicable
NB Nota bene
NDA Non-Disclosure Agreement
NLT No Later Than
NOTA None Of The Above
o/a On Account
PA Personal Assistant
pct Percent, Procent
Abbrev iat ions and Acronyms 235
pkwy Parkway
PLS Please
PM Post Meridiem, Past Midday
PM Prime Minister
pp Pages
PPI Producers Price Index
PS Pound Sterling
PT Part-Time
PTO Patent and Trademark Office
Pty Property, Proprietary
REC'D Received
RGDS Regards
RoI Return On Investment
SMB Small or Medium Business
SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
SOHO Small Office, Home Office
Spec Specification
SSN Social Security Number
T/B Top and Bottom
TBC To Be Considered
THX Thanks
TIA Thanks In Advance
TS/SI Top Secret/Sensitive Information
TWIC To Whom It Concerns
USASI USA Standards Institute
USPTO United States Patent and Trademark Office
236 Pract ica l Reference
VSB Very Small Business
w/ With
w/o Without
WRT With Regards To
A special e-mail styleBesides such expressions another form of abbreviated wordsin e-mail developed. In this style, the vowels are oftendeleted, or parts of words are replaced by homonyms:
Subject: Thx for yr msgRe your msg on our ans machine: gr8 you've got a back-up :-)Hv 2 work now. CU,Silke
Although you may occasionally come across this kind of newabbreviation, it is nevertheless discouraged from using themin formal business correspondence.
Full stops or periods?There is a tendency in Great-Britain to write abbreviationswithout a full stop (period). British usage favours omitting thefull stop in abbreviations which include the first and lastletters of a single word, such as Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr or St –American usage on the contrary prefers: Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.and St., with full stops. Two other common abbreviations area.m. and p.m., like in: 11.00 a.m. or five p.m. Note that theseare not capitalised in British usage. Funnily enough Americanusage here prefers capitals and no full stops, so 11:00 AM orfive PM.
Abbrev iat ions and Acronyms 237
False FriendsFalse friends (or faux amis) are pairs of words that looksimilar, but differ in meaning in two languages. As falsefriends are a problem for second language speakers, the tablebelow simultaneously compiles some common German-Eng-lish as well as English-German false friends.
German English False friend Translation
auch also also thus, therefore
Bedeutung meaning Meinung opinion
bekommen to get to become werden
Direktion management direction Richtung
eigentlich actual(ly) aktuell up-to-date
ich werde I will Ich will I want to
Konkurrenz competition concurrence Einverständnis
Konzept draft, plan concept Begriff, Idee
Konzern corporate concern Belang
Manager CEO manager Filialleiter
Marke brand mark Note
Messe fair, mass mess Unordnung
Personal personnel personal persönlich
schließlich eventually eventuell possibly
schnell fast fast almost
Streit argument Argument point
Unternehmer entrepreneur undertaker Leichen-bestatter
wenn if when wann
werden to become bekommen to receive
238 Pract ica l Reference
E-mail Features
Formatting e-mail for foreign screensA common problem is the way e-mails look on the screen ofthe receiver. I tested this once by sending an e-mail to fivedifferent people, whom I asked to print and fax the messageto me. Not one of them looked like the original. Some of themain differences that appeared: specific German letters (ß, Ü,�, etc.) were replaced by strings of other characters; Internetaddresses no longer worked like hyperlinks; italicised lettersdidn't show; word wrap influenced the look and feel of thetext. The average line length is 75 characters (screen width).
To avoid such discordances in international business youcould use the following techniques:
J In your options you can choose ‚MIME encoding‘, insteadof ‚BinHex‘ or ‚Uuencode‘. In the ‚Options window‘ you canalso set lines to wrap automatically at 65 to 75 characters.
J Probably it's best to choose ‚plain text‘ (also known asASCII) in stead of ‚HTML‘ in the settings of your e-mailprogram. Then once you know that the addressee's soft-ware is capable of interpreting all symbol codes correctly,you can always opt for fancier settings. One problem withASCII however, is that the only characters that are sure tobe properly transmitted are those with ASCII/ANSI num-bers between 32 and 126. Thus, an outgoing Germancharacter (usually falling outside the range 32-126) trans-mitted from a German QWERTZ keyboard is likely to beconverted into something else. To be on the safe side you
E-mai l Features 239
can replace the following typical characters with alterna-tive keyboard combinations.
Character Alternative Majuskel Minuskel
� ae Alt-142 Alt-132
Ö oe Alt-153 Alt-148
Ü ue Alt-154 Alt-129
ß ss Alt-225 Alt-225
J Another point is the downloading of images that areconnected to the content. It might look great beforesending, but many people have set their mail software toblock automatic picture downloads and other externalcontent in messages (if the content is linked to a server).In the recipient's inbox this results in sloppy areas showingmessages that the content needs to be downloaded first.Not necessarily the best first impression.
TemplatesForm letters or templates are reusable letter elements. Theywere invented for a reason, namely because they can savepeople a lot of time if used properly. In certain jobs peopleprobably need to write the same type of e-mail over and overagain, as both purpose and content are essentially the same.The following situations lend themselves to templates:J Meeting announcements, agendas and minutes,J Common requests and responses to common questions,J Sales letters or other marketing messages.J Regular reports and project updates
240 Pract ica l Reference
In the example below you can see a typical message that isqualified for a template. The fields between square bracketscan be typed in manually, but also be connected to an excelspreadsheet (containing product or address information e.g.).
Example
Ü This is a reminder of the weekly meeting: [date, time andlocation].
May I ask you to please send me any additions and/or correctionsat least two days before the meeting.
Also, please let me know if you won't be able to attend.
Thanks,
Aynur
Checklist: using e-mail templates
J First analyse your existing e-mails or responses to seewhat the essential elements are.
J Keep the template files up-to-date over the years.J Besides features like ‚Autotext‘ there are also specific
(free) software programs available on Internet to helpyou streamline the writing process.
J Try to make a habit of always proofreading the mails youcreate from templates before sending them out.
Identifying international e-mailsPeople who are used to electronic addresses ending withdot-de or dot-com might have some difficulties with thetype of addresses that use a second level domain (SLD).
E-mai l Features 241
Usually such extra codes indicate an activity (co for compa-nies, gov for governments, etc.). Such an address contains anextra dot and the specific code, e.g.: www.bbc.co.uk. In fact,quite a number of countries use this type of electronicaddress. In addition to most Commonwealth countries andSouth America, countries like Austria, Sweden, Turkey orJapan, also use such URLs.
When trying to locate a website it can be practical to knowthe suffix of the country in question. The list below gives anoverview for Anglophone countries.
Code English Germansld*.au Australia Australien
.ca Canada Kanada
sld.hk Hong Kong Hongkong
sld.in India Indien
.ie Ireland Irland
sld.nz New Zealand Neuseeland
sld.za South Africa Südafrika
sld.uk United Kingdom Großbritannien
.com, .gov etc. United States Vereinigte Staaten
* sld. means second level domain, e.g.: www.airberlin.co.uk
Legal implications of e-mailThe first publicised case, in which an e-mail was used asevidence, was the Iran-Contra scandal, which involved theWhite House and Lt. Col. Oliver North. In the past few years,
242 Pract ica l Reference
e-mails have often made the news headlines. The lessonlearned is that e-mails, written in a certain way, can resultin companies being confronted with legal liability. This canhappen in three ways basically:J When the content of the mail involves exaggerations,guarantees, leaking of sensitive information and/or thespreading of rumours.
J People can be presumed to have knowledge of the con-tents of an e-mail once it arrived on their workstation.E-mail can create a responsibility to report in this way.
J Forwarding electronic clippings in an e-mail implies apossible violation of copyright laws.
Vocabulary:liability: Haftungpresume: annehmenviolation: Übertretung, Verletzung
Responding to e-mailRecent surveys reveal that we now spend between 30 minu-tes and four hours or more a day on e-mail-related activities.What tactics can you use to manage the e-mail interruptions?If you compare e-mail to let's say phone calls, then why do weuse our precious times replying to certain information? I askthis because on the phone you probably wouldn't respond.However, quite a few people can click on the reply buttonprobably faster than they can pronounce the word reply. Andthey do so despite the fact that many of these messages mayneed no response at all. Therefore, when a sender is only
E-mai l Features 243
passing along information and has not asked for a reply,probably just reading, filing or deleting the e-mail suffices.
Quite often it's possible to summarise the key points orquestions from several individual messages. Combine yourresponses into one e-mail that includes answers to questions,provides the necessary details, and so on. Also don't openemails you don't really need to read.
Checklist: responding to e-mailBy using the questions below you can see whether yourespond appropriately and efficiently to the e-mails youreceive.
J Wouldn't it be quicker to reply on the phone or in personthan in an e-mail?
J Is a response really necessary? Or can you just file, printout, forward or delete the e-mail?
J Do you need some time to think or calm down first?J In this case, don't respond immediately.J Do you need to inform others by Cc or Bcc?J In case you decide to copy people, do they really need to
have that information, and will they think of it as useful?J Did you run a spell check?J Is it necessary for you to respond at this very moment?
244 Pract ica l Reference
Tables and Overviews
Types of companiesIn many e-mail signatures businesses will write a companyname with suffixes like AG, GmbH etc. This paragraph givesan overview of the different abbreviations that are in use inthe Anglophone world. Although the judicial systems are verydifferent, it is still sometimes very handy to have some kind ofcomparison. Therefore a German equivalent has been added, ifapplicable.
Abbr. Country Legal entity Equivalent
Assocs. USA Associates
(Edms.)Bpk.
RSA Proprietary Limited (Afrikaans:Beperk)
GmbH
CC / BK RSA Close Corporation (Afrikaans:Beslote Korporasie)
UK Company Limited by Guarantee
UK Sole proprietorship, one-manbusiness
EU
UK Unlimited Company GmbH
Co. USA Company
Corp. USA Corporation (see: Incorporated) AG
Cpt Irl Cuideachta phoibl� theoranta(Public Limited Company)
AG
d/b/a USA Doing Business As. EU
ELP Bah Exempted Limited Partnership.
IBC Bah International Business Company offshore
Inc. Can Incorporated. Limited Liability
Tables and Overv iews 245
Abbr. Country Legal entity Equivalent
Inc. Aus Incorporated Association
Inc. USA Incorporated AG
L.P. USA Limited Partnership
LLC USA Limited Liability Company
LLP USA Limited Liability Partnership
LTD Aus,India
Limited GmbH
Ltd. Can Limited (Quebec: Limit�e, Lt�e) GmbH
Ltd. NZ, RSA Limited GmbH
Ltd. UK Private Limited Company GmbH
(Pty.)Ltd.
RSA Proprietary Limited GmbH
N.A. USA National Association für Banken
NT Can Intermediary
P.C. USA Professional Corporation
P/L orPty.Ltd.
Aus Proprietary Limited Company. GmbH
PC Ltd Aus Public Company Limited byShares
PLC Irl Public Limited Company AG
PLC UK Public Limited Company AG
PrC Irl Private Company Limited byShares
GmbH
Pty.Ltd.
Pte.Ltd.
Various Proprietary Limited company GmbH
Pvt.Ltd. India Private Limited Company GmbH
Teo Irl Teoranta GmbH
246 Pract ica l Reference
Country abbreviationsAus: Australia; Bah: Bahamas; Can: Canada; Irl: Irland; NZ:New Zealand; RSA: South Africa; UK: Großbritannien; USA:Vereinigte Staaten.
German abbreviationsAG: Aktiengesellschaft; GmbH: Gesellschaft mit beschränkterHaftung; EU: Einzelunternehmen.
Official holidays and translationsFinding the right translation for a national holiday during aconversation can be difficult. How would you explain MariäHimmelfahrt or Pfingsten in English? Below are English-Ger-man translations for the most commonly celebrated officialholidays. Their specific dates can be found in the next para-graph:
Holiday Translation
New Year's Day Neujahr
Epiphany Heilige Drei Könige
Carnival Karneval / Fasching
Good Friday Karfreitag
Easter Ostern
Labour Day Tag der Arbeit
Ascension Day Christi Himmelfahrt
Whit Sunday Pfingsten (Pfingstsonntag)
Whit Monday Pfingstmontag
Tables and Overv iews 247
Holiday Translation
Corpus Christi Fronleichnam
Midsummer's Day Johannistag / Sommerson-nenwende
Assumption Mariä Himmelfahrt
All Saints' Day Allerheiligen
Christmas Eve Heiligabend
Christmas Day Erster Weihnachtsfeiertag
Boxing Day Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag
New Year's Eve Silvester
National Day Nationalfeiertag (auch für:Tag der deutschen Einheit)
Liberation Day Tag der Befreiung
What are bank holidays?A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom andin the Republic of Ireland. Bank holidays are so called becausethey are the days upon which banks were closed by tradition(since the Bank Holidays Act of 1871). England and Walesshare the same days, but Scotland, Northern Ireland and theRepublic of Ireland all have their own public holiday.
Country-specific holidaysBesides the commonly celebrated holidays, most countrieshave specific local public holidays.
248 Pract ica l Reference
Australia26 January – Australia Day, 25 April – ANZAC Day, secondMonday in June – Queen's birthday
Canada24 May – Victoria Day, 1 July – Canada Day, first Monday inSeptember – Labour Day, second Monday in October –Thanksgiving, 11 November – Remembrance Day
England and Wales7 May – May Day Bank Holiday, 28 May – Spring BankHoliday, 27 August – Summer Bank Holiday
IrelandSt. Patrick's Day, first Monday in May, June, August lastMonday in October
New Zealand6 February – Waitangi Day, 25 April – ANZAC Day, firstMonday in June – Queen's birthday, fourth Monday in Octo-ber – Labour Day
Northern Ireland17 March – St Patrick's Day, 7 May – May Day Bank Holiday,28 May – Spring Bank Holiday, 12 July – Orangeman's Day, 27August – Summer Bank Holiday
Tables and Overv iews 249
Scotland2 January – 2 January, 7 May – May Day Bank Holiday, 28May – Spring Bank Holiday, 6 August – Summer Bank Holiday,30 November – St. Andrew's Day
South Africa21 March – Human Rights Day, 27 April – Freedom Day, 1May –Workers' Day, 16 June – Youth Day, 9 August – NationalWomen's Day, 24 September – Heritage Day, 16 December –Day of Reconciliation
United StatesTraditionally 30 May – Memorial Day, first Monday in Sep-tember – Labor Day, 4 July – Independence Day – 4thThursday in November – Thanksgiving Day
Translated geographical namesA number of cities in German-speaking regions have differentnames in English. The list below helps to prevent misunder-standings when giving address information.
Bayern Bavaria
Braunschweig Brunswick
Franken Franconia
Frankfurt am Main Frankfort
Hannover Hanover
Koblenz Coblenz
Köln Cologne
Luzern Lucerne
250 Pract ica l Reference
München Munich
Niedersachsen Lower Saxony
Nordrhein Westfalen
North Rhine Westphalia
Nürnberg Nuremberg
Preußen Prussia
Rheinland Pfalz Rhineland Palatinate
Ruhrgebiet Ruhr River Valley
Sachsen Saxony
Schwaben Swabia
Steiermark Styria
Thüringen Thuringia
Tirol Tyrol
Westfalen Westphalia
Wien Vienna
Temperature conversion tableFahrenheit (8F) Celsius (8C)
212 (boiling point) 100 (Siedepunkt)
176 80
122 50
104 40
98.4 (body temperature) 37 (Körpertemperatur)
68 20
50 10
Tables and Overv iews 251
Fahrenheit (8F) Celsius (8C)
32 (freezing point) 0 (Gefrierpunkt)
14 –10
0 –17,8
–459.67 (absolute zero) –273,15 (absoluter Null-punkt)
Conversion of Celsius and Fahrenheit:
J 8F – 8C: (8F – 32) · 5/9 = 8CJ 8C – 8F: 8C · 9/5 + 32 = 8F
Weights and measuresWeights Gewichte
gross weight Bruttogewicht
net weight Nettogewicht
1 ounce (oz) 28,35 g
1 pound (lb) 453,6 g
1 stone 6,356 kg
1 short hundredweight (cwt) 45,359 kg (USA)
1 long hundredweight (cwt) 50,802 kg (GB)
1 short ton (tn) 907 kg (USA)
1 long ton (tn) 1016 kg (GB)
1 metric ton 1000 kg
252 Pract ica l Reference
Weights Gewichte
Linear measures Längenmaße
1 inch (in) 2,54 cm
1 foot (ft) 30,48 cm (12 in)
1 yard (yd) 91,44 cm (3 ft)
1 mile (m) 1,609 km (1760 yd)
Electronic Guidelines on InternetJ Paradigm Online Writing Assistant:www.powa.org
J Regeln und Schreibweisen der Europäischen Union:http://publications.europa.eu/code/de/de-000100.htm
J BBC Style guide:www.bbctraining.com/pdfs/newsStyleGuide.pdf
J Deutsch-Englisches Wörterbuch:http://dict.leo.org
Electronic Guide l ines on Internet 253
ImpressumBibliografische Information der Deutschen NationalbibliothekDie Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Natio-nalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet überhttp://www.d-nb.de abrufbar.
Print: ISBN: 978-3-648-02897-1 Bestell-Nr.: 01323-0001ePub: ISBN: 978-3-648-02898-8 Bestell-Nr.: 01323-0100ePDF: ISBN: 978-3-648-02899-5 Bestell-Nr.: 01323-0150
Gertrud Goudswaard, Sander M. SchroeversEnglisch im Job1. Auflage 2012
� 2012, Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG, Munzinger Straße 9, 79111 FreiburgRedaktionsanschrift: Fraunhoferstraße 5, 82152 Planegg/MünchenTelefon: (089) 895 17-0Telefax: (089) 895 17-290Internet: www.haufe.deE-Mail: online@haufe.deRedaktion: Jürgen Fischer
Lektorat: Gisela Fichtl, Sylvia ReinSatz: Beltz Bad Langensalza GmbH, 99947 Bad LangensalzaUmschlag: Kienle gestaltet, StuttgartDruck: CPI – Ebner & Spiegel, Ulm
Alle Angaben/Daten nach bestem Wissen, jedoch ohne Gewähr für Vollständigkeit undRichtigkeit.
Alle Rechte, auch die des auszugsweisen Nachdrucks, der fotomechanischen Wiedergabe(einschließlich Mikrokopie) sowie der Auswertung durch Datenbanken oder ähnlicheEinrichtungen, vorbehalten.
254
AutorenGertrud Goudswaardist Lehrbeauftragte an den Fachbereichen European School ofBusiness und Textile Management der FH Reutlingen. Nachihrem Studium der Englischen Sprache und Literaturwissen-schaft war sie lange Jahre in der Erwachsenenbildung in denUSA, den Niederlanden und Deutschland tätig.
Von Gertrud Goudswaard stammt der erste Teil dieses Buches.
Sander Schroeversarbeitet in den Niederlanden, Frankreich und Deutschland alsBerater im Bereich der internationalen Kommunikation undPR. Er spricht häufig auf internationalen Konferenzen und hatbereits zahlreiche Bücher auf dem Feld der europäischenKommunikation publiziert. Daneben ist er Präsident des IECIE-Gremiums, dem Europäischen Institut für Internationale Un-ternehmenskommunikation (l'institut europ�en de communi-cation internationale d'entreprise) in Paris, Frankreich.
Internet: www.schroevers.eu
Von Sander Schroevers stammt der zweite Teil dieses Buches.
255
Weitere Literatur„Phone Calls in English“, von Sander Schroevers, 128 Seiten,EUR 6,90, ISBN 978-3-448-08627-0, Bestell-Nr. 00967
„Business Talk English“, von Stuart Dean, 128 Seiten, EUR6,90, ISBN 978-3-648-01760-9, Bestell-Nr. 00962
„Presentations in English“, von JaquieMary Thomas, 128 Seiten,EUR 6,90, ISBN 978-3-448-08734-5, Bestell-Nr. 00972
„Business Knigge international“, von Kai Oppel, 326 Seiten, EUR19,95, ISBN 978-3-648-02269-6, Bestell-Nr. 00076
256
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