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）