No.1142

商用英文口語

進行企業溝通時，以細膩的表達方式自然地使用英文，與商務夥伴建立起的關係會更加牢固可靠；而一句話也不會只有一種表達法，希望讀者們看完例句後能舉一反三，依照自己所遇到的情境靈活應用。

Let's first agree on a procedure for the negotiation.How does that sound?
讓我們先確認協商的順序。您認為如何？

中式英文Let's check the order of the negotiation first. What do you say?

老外這樣說在談判協商開始之前，雙方須先協調討論議題的順序，此時便可使用 "procedure" 來帶出「步驟」這項重點，以取代直譯的 "order" 一字。另外，"How does that sound?" 是老外在徵詢他人意見時經常使用的口語，各位也不妨記下來。

實境對話

A：Let's first agree on a procedure for the negotiation. How does that sound?
B：Sure. What do you have in mind? A：我們先確認一下協商的順序吧。您覺得如何？
B：當然。你有什麼想法？

老外還會這樣說

I'd like to clarify a couple of procedural issues first.我想先釐清幾項程序上的問題。

There are a few things we should make clear before we start.我們應該先弄清楚幾件事然後再開始。

Before we get started, I'd like to make a few suggestions about how to proceed.在我們開始之前，我想針對如何進行協商提些建議。

必通詞彙與句型

正確說英文

所有學習語言的人都應該分析自己製造出來的錯誤！語言文字上的錯誤會造成溝通上的困擾，更會使說話者的專業形象大打折扣。要掌握一門語言，必須掌握英文語法與語意的特質，培養使用正確英語的良好習慣。

Finish what I was say / Finish what I was saying

👀 突破盲點：Say 為動詞，不應置於過去式 be 動詞 was 之後，如將其改為現在分詞saying，則構成過去進行式。

✘ Sorry for the interruption. Let me finish what I was say.

⭕ Sorry for the interruption. Let me finish what I was saying.

很抱歉被打斷了。請讓我把話說完。

👀 突破盲點：本句中that 子句表達的動作發生在過去(last night)，但「過去」的概念已在表否定的過去式助動詞didn't 中表達，故動詞用原形。

✘ I apologize that we didn't went to the ceremony last night.

⭕ I apologize that we didn't go to the ceremony last night.

我為我們昨晚沒去典禮道歉。

👀 突破盲點：Die 為動詞，並無被動式﹔本句既指明死於去年，應用過去式。

✘ Did you know he was died last year?

⭕ Did you know he died last year?

你知道他去年過世了嗎？