實用商務英語21：提出解決方案
提出解決方案 Proposing Solutions
音頻試聽：
英文正文
Raymond: What the heck is going on here?How could we be so completely in the dark about these rumors until now?
Jonathan: There've been a lot of stories that factories in Eastern Europe are using second-rate materials to save costs.
Raymond: We've all heard those stories, but how were they linked with us? Can you clarify the issues?
Nina: Some people say that some local middlemen knew all about these things. They didn't report it because the factories gave them extra money. Our local middleman was one of them. When people learned about the stories, most thought that we must have known about the problems too.
Raymond: My Lord!! Jonathan, what's our best course of action here? You're sure that we're not using cheap materials anymore, aren't you?
Jonathan: I've been to all of the factories there; no second-rate materials that I could see. It could be they're still secretly working with other factories, though. I'll do some more checking.
Raymond: Even if we didn't know, people would still think it's our fault for not checking enough. And then we'll be in big trouble.
Nina: Let me put that another way. If sales get any worse we could go belly up very quickly. What we have to do is quite clear. We need to start some damage control on our public image... right away.
作業：看到劃線的句子了嗎？請翻譯。
句型總結
● 請求詳細說明
1. Can you clarify the issues?
2. Can you tell us more about the situation?
3. Can you give us more detail on what has happened?
4. Could you please explain the present situation?
"clarify"是‘闡明；澄清'；"issue"是‘議題'。這句話的意思是要請他人詳細說明事件的來龍去脈。如果口氣較嚴厲的話，則隱含強烈責怪與憤怒的態度。本課中是老闆對下屬所言，沒有在句尾加"please"，但其實加一個‘請'字會比較禮貌些。
● 徵詢建議
1. What's our best course of action (here)?
2. What are our options here?
3. What avenues do we have open here?
4. What courses of action are open to us?
"course"是‘方針；路線'；"action"爲‘行動'；"best course of action"就是‘最有利的行動、最佳做事方向'。這句型是問‘該採取什麼行動才最有利'。此句型用於揭露問題之後，請大家共同腦力激盪，想出最好的辦法。如果要請某人發言，則可在問號之前加上此人的姓名。
● 結論性的建議
1. What we have to do is quite clear.
2. What we need to do is evident.
3. What we must do is obvious.
4. What we should do is easy to see.
這句話是說‘當務之急已清楚地擺在眼前了'，口氣堅定，有強調重要性的意思。這個句子強調所提的建議是唯一可行之道。用"what"引導的名詞子句當主詞時，後面一定是接單數動詞，如此句型的"is"。
● More 提出建議
與會者提出適切的建議或方案，在會議中是非常重要的部分，畢竟討論會是爲了得到最佳方案而開的。而提出建議時的語氣相關於您對建議本身覺得可行程度的高低。以下列出三種提出建議的口氣：
強勢的口氣
The only solution is to...
I see no other alternative but to...
There is no alternative but to...
We must...
平緩的口氣
I recommend that we should...
I think we should...
My recommendation is that we should...
I would suggest that we...
We should / we ought to...
If I were you I would...
推薦性的口氣
We could always...
It might be a good idea to...
Have you thought of...?
One solution would be to...
What about...?
重點提示
A. 有人發言時，最忌諱臺下竊竊私語。
西方人自小的教導中，使得他們認爲只要有人發言時，臺下若竊竊私語是相當不禮貌的行爲。不過如果必要，私下悄悄地進行交談，爲時極短，而不干擾到說話者時，則是無傷大雅。最重要的是把握尊重說話者的原則，切莫干擾到他人的談話，而被誤解爲目中無人。 a
B. 在人多處抽菸，會給人不尊重他人健康的壞印象。
西方反煙的勢力己逐漸高漲，許多公共場合與辦公室已打出禁菸的標誌，自然不吸菸者也更理直氣壯地拒抽二手菸。因此在人多的場合中吞雲吐霧，會給人不尊重他人健康的壞印象。如果您的煙癮大，不妨在開會前告知大家一聲。而拿煙時宜將煙持於較桌面爲低之處，且勿將煙朝着他人臉上噴吐。
C. 會議中如內急時，如何告退？
會議中如內急想暫時告退時，根據現在北美文化的慣例，您無須告訴他人慾往何處，因此您說："Excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back."即可，而不必說："Excuse me for a moment. I need to go to the bathroom."
