Английский деловой дискурс

     Приведём  самые распространённые фразы при  телефонных переговорах:

     to telephone someone = to phone someone = to ring someone (up)

       to give someone a ring / a buzz

     A local call #

     A long distance call.

     Hold the line, please # Hang up.

     An answer machine.

     Establishing identity :

     1- This is Mike Baxter = Mike Baxter speaking

     2- Who's speaking ? = Who's calling ?

     3- Who shall I say is calling ?

     4- Can you spell your name, please ?

     5- Where are you calling from ?

     Getting the right person / department :

     6- Could I speak to Mr So and So, please ?

     7- Could you put me through to Mr ..., Mrs..., Miss..., Ms... , please ?

     8- Could you put me through to extension 405, please ?

     9- I'm connecting you now = I'm putting you through now

     Problems :

     10- I can't get through.

     11- The line's engaged / busy.

     12- I'm afraid Mr X is out at the moment / isn't in today / is on another line

     13- Sorry, wrong number.

     14- This is a recorded message......... Please speak after the tone.

     15- Sorry, we were cut off.

     16- I can't hear you. We've got a crossed line.

     17- All lines are engaged. Please, try later.

     18- Look up the number in the directory.

     19- They're ex-directory.

     20- Please replace the handset / receiver and try again. Solutions to a problem :

     21- I'll ring him/her back later.

     22- Could you ask him/her to ring me back ?

     23- Can I take a message ?

     24- Dial number ........

     Ending a conversation :

     25- Thank you very much for calling / phoning.

     26- I look forward to meeting you / hearing from you soon.

     Иногда  нет возможности ответить на деловой  звонок, в этом случае можно оставлять  деловое сообщение. Приведём пример:

     Introduction - - - - Hello, this is Ken. OR Hello, My name is Ken Beare (more formal).

1. State the time of day and your reason for calling - - - - - It's ten in the morning. I'm phoning (calling, ringing) to find out if ... / to see if ... / to let you know that ... / to tell you that ...
2. Make a request - - - - Could you call (ring, telephone) me back? / Would you mind ... ? /
3. Leave your telephone number - - - - My number is .... / You can reach me at .... / Call me at ...
4. Finish - - - - Thanks a lot, bye. / I'll talk to you later, bye.

     Приведём пример телефонного сообщения

     Telephone: (Ring... Ring... Ring...) Hello, this is Tom. I'm afraid I'm not in at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep..... (beep)

     Ken: Hello Tom, this is Ken. It's about noon and I'm calling to see if you would like to go to the Mets game on Friday. Could you call me back? You can reach me at 367-8925 until five this afternoon. I'll talk to you later, bye.

     As you can see, leaving a message is pretty simple. You only need to make sure that you have stated all the most important information: Your Name, The Time, The Reason for Calling, Your Telephone Number

     The most important thing about practicing telephone conversations is that you shouldn't be able to see the person you are speaking to on the phone. You may ask, 'How can I do that if I am practicing with a friend or another classmate?' Here are a few suggestions for practicing phone calls without looking at your partner:

• If you are in the same room - Put your chairs back to back and practice speaking on the phone, you will only hear the other person's voice which will approximate a telephone situation.
• Use the telephone - This is pretty obvious, but really not used that often. Give your friend a call and practice various conversations (role plays).
• Use internal office phones at work - This is one of my favorites and great for business classes. If your class is on site (at the office) go to different offices and call one another practicing conversations. Another variation is for the students to go into another office and have the teacher telephone them pretending to be a native speaker in a hurry. It's then up to the students to make sure they have communicated what they need, or understood what the caller wants. This exercise is always a lot of fun - depending on how good your teacher is at acting!
• Tape yourself - If you are practicing alone, tape standard answers and then practice using the tape recorder stopping and starting to simulate a conversation.
• Real life situations - Businesses are always interested in telling you about their products. Find a product you are interested in and research it over the telephone. You can ...
• call a store to find out the prices and specifications.
• ring the company representative to find out details on how the product works.
• telephone a consumer agency to find out if the product has any defects.
• call customer service to find out about replacement parts, etc.