In this third step, listen to the
conversation again while you read the transcription. Finally,
read the glossary information, phrasal verbs (highlighted in yellow) and
notes at the bottom. This step also means good practice for your reading
comprehension skills. To get information in Spanish, just place the
arrow of your mouse on any highlighted word without clicking.
(John
Martin is asked to come
to Hector Grant's office)
JOHN
You
wanted to see me, H.G.?
GRANT
Yes, I
did, John. I've just been going through the
expenses you incurred on the
Habraka
trip. We haven't had a single order out of your visit to Habraka.
JOHN
It's a
bit, early to say, but I don't think the Habrakan
visit will be
fruitless.
GRANT
You went
there and we haven't heard a thing from them. What's our agent doing out
there? Sleeping?
JOHN
As a matter of fact, I think there
may be something moving out there. We've been asked for a quotation for
a very large order... office furniture and equipment for two entire
government departments.
GRANT
What are
the chances of getting this large order? It's only an
enquiry, isn't it?
JOHN
No, it's
more than that. We've already sent
pro forma invoicesso that the
Ministry of Works can apply to the National Bank for foreign exchange.
They want a reduction on our unit price per desk for a larger quantity
than we originally quoted for, the price to be
c.i.f. Djemsa.
GRANT
... c.i.f.
Djemsa.
Two government departments, you said? Well, this sounds
more like it.
JOHN
It'd be
the largest single order in the history of the firm. It's a
package deal. We've
costed it in detail. It's true we'd
be below normal price levels, but
we're up against big
competition. We have the capacity to produce the order and it'd be in
addition to the
budgeted turnover for the year, so
all recovery on
marginal cost would be profit. I'm
certain it'll lead to other orders in the country. Here's the letter.
GRANT
"A
representative of our Ministry of Works will be coming to London...
obliged if you would book him accommodation... glad to visit your
factory and view the merchandise... special requirements..."
Here, what's this about "special
requirements"?
What do they mean by that?
JOHN
I don't
know, H.G. That's the one mystery. They mentioned it in their original
letter of enquiry.
GRANT
I don't
much like the sound of that. What do they mean by "special
requirements"?
I suppose
we'll soon
find out. What's the method
of payment?
JOHN
We
require an
irrevocable letter of credit,
confirmed on a London bank. We've quoted in
local currency, and this, of
course, is conditional. It's conditional on the
rate of exchange which prevails on
the date of our quotation not
fluctuating more than three per
cent either way. So we'd be protected if the Habrakan
currency, for instance, was devalued in relation to sterling.
GRANT
Hmm! Is
Peter happy about delivery dates?
JOHN
Yes, we
can
meet them. It's meant an immense
amount of work in the production planning section.
GRANT
Well,
you'll arrange some sort of meeting for us all then? Have you booked
their representative into a hotel?
JOHN
Yes, I
have, and I think we should provide a car and show him a bit of this
country.
GRANT
All
right. But you'd better find out more about the special requirements. It
may be some condition we can't fulfil, and I don't think...
(Mr.
Babukar,
the government representative, arrives and is entertained royally. His
"special
requirements"
cause some difficulty. John goes to see Hector Grant)
GRANT
A
mahogany desk with
built‑in cocktail cabinet, secret drawer and radio!!
Leather top? Oh, really, John, what
kind of firm does he think we are? Our business is mass produced office
furniture!!
JOHN
I said
we'd make it. It's for the Minister's personal use. They are prepared to
pay. It would be additional to the main contract.
GRANT
Don't be ridiculous.
We've dropped this sort of line from our range. That was part of our
rationalisation policy.
JOHN
Couldn't
Bob Hardiman make it?
GRANT
That old
chap?
JOHN
Yes. He's a master
craftsman of the old school. Look at this beautiful desk
he made for you. You said at the time we introduced work study, during
the productivity drive, that he was redundant. Well, here's
a job he can be really useful on, and he'd be delighted to do it. He'd
produce a magnificent piece of furniture. It'd
be the envy of all the Minister's visitors and a splendid advertisement
for us.
GRANT
Well, you
have committed us to it, so we must go ahead, I suppose.
GLOSSARY & NOTES
expenses
Amounts
paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as
opposed to capital expenditures).
In general,
this means any expenses incurred in running a business. Its more
particular common use refers to money spent by an employee on behalf
of his firm, which is later refunded. Someone who is frequently
outside the office can be said to have an expense account,
a salesman, for
example(gastos).
fruitless
Unproductive,
unsuccessful
(infructuoso, improductivo, de poco provecho).
as a matter of fact
Actually, in fact
(en realidad).
enquiry
Aletter or email
asking for prices and payment conditions and terms
(consulta de precios y condiciones de pago).
pro forma invoice
Invoice
(factura):
a list of goods supplied, with prices and charges. Pro forma
invoice
(factura proforma):
a sample invoice sent to a potential buyer so that he can see
clearly what his total costs will be; also sent in advance to a new
client, or one whose references are not satisfactory, informing him
that goods will be delivered only on receipt of payment.
c.i.f.
A contract in which
the payment for the goods includes cost, insurance and freight
(costo, seguro y flete). f.o.b. -
free on board
(libre a bordo):
the cost of the goods includes all charges up to the time when the
goods are put on board the ship. After that, the charges must be met
by the buyer. f.a.s. - free
alongside ship
(libre al costado del barco):
the cost of the goods includes all charges up to the time when the
goods are put on
alongside
the ship. After that, the charges must be met by the buyer. f.o.r. - free on rail
(libre puesto en vagón):
price quoted includes all costs until the goods arrive
at a specified railway station
package deal
This
expression
refers to a contract for the bulk sale or
purchase
of a large variety of goods at a special all-in price.
A
typical example of this would be a firm grouping together items of
high profit-margin with items of low profit-margin and letting one
subsidise the sale of the other(oferta, paquete promocional).
to cost
to cost / costed
/ costed / costing: To calculate
or
estimate the price to be charged for an article,
based on the expense of producing it
(presupuestar).
Please, do not mistake this regular verb for the irregular to cost(costar): to cost / cost / cost / costing (This computer
costs/cost 3,000 dollars, Esta computadora cuesta/costó 3.000
dólares).
to be up against
To compete against,
to be facing, to be opposite
(competir con).
budgeted turnover
Turnover is
the amount of business done, degree of business activity. Budgeted
turnover: estimated turnover
(movimiento o facturación estimada).
marginal
cost
Marginal
costing(costo marginal)
is a method of calculating the product cost after excluding all costs
which are unaffected by changes in the volume of output
or production, for example,
fixed costs(los costos fijos).
It is almost
synonymous with direct cost (ie. material and direct labour).
to
find out
To search, to investigate (analizar, investigar);.
letter of credit
A
foreign buyer transfers money to a bank in the exporter's country.
This bank then informs the beneficiary (the person to whom the money
is owed) that a sum of money is available when certain documents
(e.g. a bill of lading) proving that the goods sold have been loaded
on board a ship, are presented. Letters of credit are valid
only for a certain time, after which they are said to have expired
(carta de crédito). Irrevocable letter of credit
(carta de crédito irrevocable):
the agreement to pay a certain sum of money cannot be revoked (to
revoke is to refuse to fulfil an obligation).
It
means that the buyer cannot change his mind if he decides that he does
not want the goods. Transferable letter of credit
(carta de crédito transferible):
the amount agreed to be paid can be transferred to another person.
local currency
Also domestic
currency. The metal or paper medium of exchange that is
presently used in your country (moneda o divisa local);
foreign currency (moneda o divisa extranjera): the
official currency used in a foreign country.
rate of exchange
Also exchange
rate. The charge for exchanging currency of one country for
currency of another (tipo de cambio).
to fluctuate
To be unstable, to
have ups and downs (fluctuar, variar).
to meet
To satisfy (in this
context) (cumplir, satisfacer).
mahogany
Wood of mahogany trees; much used for
cabinetwork and furniture(madera de caoba).
built-in
Located inside the
desk and built as a whole (empotrado).
leather top
The upper part of
the desk built in leather
(tapa del escritorio forrada en cuero).
rationalisation
The simplification
of a business on logical lines, avoiding unnecessary work, actions or
expenditure
which usually produces higher organisation
(racionalización).
