在展示厅里,一位华籍陶瓷制造商正和美国进口商谈话。
Importer: What beautiful art ceramics you make.
你们制作的陶瓷作品真美。
Manufacturer: I learned the craft from my father. Then I studied ceramic
engineering at school.
我跟我父亲学习陶艺。然后我又在学校攻读陶瓷工程学。
Importer: All your hard work looks as if it's paid off.
看来你的心血没有白费。
Manufacturer: Yes, I have 50 employees. I hope to become the biggest exporter
of ceramics in Taiwan.
没错,我现在拥有五十名员工。我希望能成为台湾最大的陶瓷出口商。
Importer: Well, the demand for ceramics is increasing in my
country.
我们国内对陶瓷的需求量愈来愈大。
Manufacturer: Yes, a large proportion of our sales are to the
U.S.
是的,我们大部分产品销往美国。
Importer: The development of ceramics in your country has been remarkable.
You carry on a centuries-old tradition and keep pace with modern technology at
the same time.
贵国陶瓷业的发展的确不同凡响。你们延续了古老的传统,同时又与现代科技一同进步。
Manufacturer: Yes, our research in the field has been yielding good results.
And we're deeply grateful to your country's technicians for their considerable
assistance.
是的,在这方面的研究已有了不错的成果。也很感激贵国技术人员的协助。
Importer: Tell me about your designs.
给我介绍一下你们的设计好吗。
Manufacturer: How do you like this one?
您觉得这个如何?
Importer: It's beautiful.
很美。
Manufacturer: This is an eight-foot decorative vase. It's hand-made and the
inlaid designs are etched in. It takes 45 days to make. Its retail price will be
US$3,000.
这是个八尺高的装饰花瓶。完全手工制造,而且雕刻部分设计采用蚀镂法刻入。制造过程耗时四十五天,零售价为三千美元。
Importer: The result is certainly worth the effort. How about this design
over here?
这样的成品确实值得这番功夫。这个式样呢?
Manufacturer: This vase is still in the experimental stage.
这个花瓶还在实验阶段。
Importer: Why is that?
为什么?
Manufacturer: It's quite expensive to make and because of its small size,
buyers balk at its high price. We feel we could sell more if we could reduce the
price.
这个式样的制造成本相当高,而且因为体积小,顾客看到这样高的价钱就裹足不前。我们想如果售价降低,将能卖出更多。
Importer: Well, you mustn't tamper with quality. It's the high quality of
Chinese ceramics that attracts American
buyers.
嗯,你可不能在质量上动手脚。美国的顾客就是看上了中国陶瓷的高质量。
Manufacturer: That's why a reduction in price can never be made at the
expense of quality.
正因为如此,降低价格的同时,并不能以牺牲质量为代价。
Importer: Well, thank you for showing me your beautiful ceramic ware. I was
so impressed by your designs and the high quality of your
pieces.
嗯,谢谢你为我展示这些美丽的陶艺品。你们的设计和产品质量让我印象深刻。
(来源:SOHU教育 英语点津 Annabel 编辑)