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ER, BETT
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MAI–JUNI 2017
STRONG
3 — 17
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FITTER,
HOW BUSI I S TA K I N G N E S S AND SPOR OVER SPORT TA K I N G O T I S VER THE W ORKPLACE
D E B AT E
DO WE ST E M A I L AT I L L N E E D WORK?
BUSINESS
H O W TO M SKILLS YOUR TIM ANAGE E
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EDITORIAL
Sport for all? Sport is big business. It is also taking over life in the workplace. Are you ready to play?
I Fitness at work: for many people, sport has become a regular part of their daily working life. Our special report begins on page 14
f I had a euro for every time that I have heard someone call our company (and magazine) “Sportlight” rather than “Spotlight”, I would now be a very rich man. In fact, we are indeed a very sporty company. Every day, I see colleagues cycling to work, jogging at lunchtime or leaving the office to go to their early-evening fitness classes. Also, for nearly ten years, a group of us has played five-a-side football once a week after work. And I’ve noticed that people tend to play football in the same way that they do their work. Those who never give up on a project don’t give up on the field of play either. Those with tunnel vision on the job have their heads down during the game. And leaders at work tend to be captains on the pitch. In this issue, we have a special feature on the role of business in sport — and of sport in the workplace. It includes tips for building sport into your daily life. Eamonn Fitzgerald’s report begins on page 14. We also focus on how to prepare yourself for business English tests (p. 30), on the skills you need to improve your time management (p. 42) and on talking about your performance at work (p. 68). As always, we look forward to your feedback.
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IAN MCMASTER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF i.mcmaster@ spotlight-verlag.de
EDITORIAL
Reclam 3/2017 Business Spotlight
3
www.reclam.de
CONTENTS 3/2017 The Big Picture
Debate
40 Head-to-Head A Do we still need email at work?
6 Britain M Music and mud in Glastonbury
Business Skills
Working World
8 Names & News E M A The latest from the world of business
48 Personal Trainer M Ken Taylor provides answers to workplace questions
Cover story Global Business
Facts & Figures
14 Sport A Finance, fitness and fun — why sport is big business
Intercultural Communication 22 Scotland A Country at a crossroad
Language Test
30 Business English E M A Preparing for exams
Viewpoint
39 It’s Personal A Elisabeth Ribbans on trademarking common words
42 Time Management M Taking control of your workload
22
Intercultural Communication How to do business in Scotland
50 Smarter Cars M On the road again
Technology
52 Digital Education A Start-ups and schools in Kenya 56 English 4.0 M Street-corner globalization
Careers & Management
58 Compliance and Corruption A Doing the right thing 64 How to... M Be popular at work 65 Executive Eye A Adrian Furnham on recognizing lies in job interviews
Work & Relax 66 V ocabulary An industrial kitchen E
82 Away from Your Desk M Tips for your off-duty hours
68 Easy English Talking about performance E
And Finally...
70 G rammar Multi-word verbs M 71 Language Cards To pull out and practise 73 Translation Tricky translations M 74 Writing A letter of resignation M 75 Talking Finance Trump’s trade tax A 76 S hort Story The old king M 78 English on the Move A diverted flight M 79 Key Words Vocabulary from this issue
4
80 In the Zone M The pros and cons of home offices
Business Spotlight 3/2017
88 One Question M How can global teams work together effectively?
Regular sections 3 63 84 86 87
Editorial Classified Ads SprachenShop Feedback / Jargon Buster Preview / Impressum
52
Technology
Kenyan kids in the classroom
Fotos: XX
Language section
Learning with Business Spotlight
42
Business Spotlight plus Practise the language used in the magazine with our exercise booklet. Practise the vocabulary of time management.
Titelfotos: Getty Images; iStock; Fotos: Getty Images; iStock
Business Spotlight Audio Our audio product offers more than 70 minutes of texts, dialogues, exercises and interviews. Business Spotlight in the classroom To order this six-page supplement for teachers and trainers, send an email to: schulmedien@ spotlight-verlag.de
Business Skills
Key tips for time management at work
14
SKILL UP! Our vocabulary booklet provides a wide range of terms and expressions. In this issue, learn the language of business travel.
For more articles, audio and exercises: www.business-spotlight.de www.facebook.com/businessspotlight
Language in Business Spotlight ➻ Articles use the style, spelling, punctuation and pronunciation of British English unless otherwise marked. ➻ Articles that use American style, spelling, punctuation and pronunciation are marked with “US”.
Global Business
Why sport and fitness are big business — top trends and new directions
Approximately at CEF level A2
Approximately at CEF levels B1–B2
Approximately at CEF levels C1–C2
CEF: European Framework of Reference for Languages ifml.: informal word or phrase vulg.: vulgar word or phrase; sl.: slang word or phrase non-stand.: non-standard word or phrase UK: chiefly British usage; US: chiefly North American usage
➽
READERS’ SERVICE Fotos: XX
Email abo@spotlight-verlag.de Internet www.spotlight-verlag.de Telephone +49 (0)89/8 56 81-16 Fax +49 (0)89/8 56 81-159
CONTENTS
3/2017 Business Spotlight
5
THE BIG PICTURE BRITAIN
Music in the mud MEDIUM
Fotoo: Stoyan Nenov/Reuters
The Glastonbury Festival is one of the biggest outdoor music festivals in the world, with attendance of almost 200,000 over five days. Located in south-west England, Glastonbury is said to have been the final resting place of the legendary King Arthur. The region has been popular with hippies and New Age practitioners since the 1960s. The first Glastonbury Festival took place in 1970. Tickets to the event, held in a farmer’s field, cost £1 each. In 2017, full weekend tickets cost £238. This year’s festival, from 21 to 25 June, was already sold out in October of last year. Musicians as varied as David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Shirley Bassey and the Manic Street Preachers have headlined the festival in the past. This year’s line-up includes established figures like Adele and PJ Harvey, as well as newcomer Ellie Goulding and little-known groups such as The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians. Most of the staff at Glastonbury are volunteers, which allows the festival to raise money for charities, including Oxfam and Greenpeace.
6
allow sb. to do sth. [E(laU tE du:] , hier: jmdm. etw. ermöglichen
mud [mVd] , Schlamm
attendance [E(tendEns] , hier: Teilnehmerzahl
, Praktiker(in); hier: praktizierende(r) Anhänger(in)
charity [(tSÄrEti] , karitative Organisation
raise money [)reIz (mVni] , Geld sammeln
headline sth. [(hedlaIn] , hier: als Hauptsänger/ -gruppe bei etw. auftreten line-up [(laIn Vp] , Zusammensetzung
Business Spotlight 3/2017
practitioner
[prÄk(tIS&nE]
varied [(veErid] , unterschiedlich volunteer [)vQlEn(tIE]
, Freiwillige(r)
Glastonbury Festival: the most popular musical event of the summer
3/2017 Business Spotlight
7 
WORKING WORLD NAMES & NEWS
Expensive: working in an office can be costly
BRITAIN
Easy come, easy go Office life isn’t all work. And you’re not always getting money for it. In fact, office workers often have to spend money — frequently in the interests of their colleagues. According to a British study, the average office worker spends over £350 a year on things like birthday and Christmas parties, leaving presents and tea. That adds up to about £14,500 during a 40-year career. But wait, it gets worse. If you calculate evenings out with colleagues and the money you spend on office clothing, the total could average £1,000 a year. That’s an expenditure of about £40,000 over a working life. 8
Business Spotlight 3/2017
EASY AUDIO PLUS
“Working in an office can be an expensive business, especially in big teams,” says Alan Oliver of Nationwide Current Account, which did the study. Oliver told The Guardian that even when workers enjoy friendly interaction with colleagues, requests for money may still be annoying. About 42 per cent of men said they were unhappy about spending money at office Christmas parties, compared to 34 per cent of women. As for office birthdays, 28 per cent of office workers said they felt pressured to contribute money for gifts.
annoying [E(nOIIN] , ärgerlich; hier: nervig as for... [(Äz fO:] , was ... betrifft contribute sth.
[kEn(trIbju:t] , etw. beitragen, beisteuern
easy come, easy go
[)i:zi (kVm )i:zi (gEU] , wie gewonnen, so zerronnen
expenditure
[Ik(spendItSE]
, Ausgabe(n)
leaving present
[(li:vIN )prezEnt] , Abschiedsgeschenk
WORKING WORLD
IRELAND
Homes at risk MEDIUM
After the 2008 financial crisis, big banks were subjected to a lot of criticism. It was a public relations disaster for the entire industry — not that customers who lost homes and savings were very worried about that. Now, big US banks are facing nega tive publicity again — this time, in Ireland, where they bought up failing loans after the crisis, many of which had been taken out by housing developers. As a result, The New York Times reports, “Wall Street has become the biggest new landlord in Europe”. Tenants in the Dublin suburb of Tyrrelstown are among those feeling
the pinch. Dozens of them have been given eviction notices. They have been offered the option of buying their homes, which are owned by a Goldman Sachs affiliate, but most cannot afford the down payment. “This is a fight between David and Goliath,” tenant Funke Tobun said. Tobun, who has two children and has never missed a rent payment, is afraid that if she loses her home, she and her family will have nowhere to go. “They want us out by force. All we can do is protest,” Tobun comments. “We believe in miracles, but I don’t know how we’re going to win.”
affiliate [E(fIliEt] , Tochtergesellschaft
Goliath [gE(laIET] , [wg. Aussprache]
down payment
housing developer
[)daUn (peImEnt] , Anzahlung
dozen [(dVz&n] , Dutzend eviction notice
[I(vIkS&n )nEUtIs]
, Räumungsbescheid
face sth. [feIs] , etw. gegenüberstehen failing loan
[)feIlIN (lEUn] , notleidender Kredit
feel the pinch
[(haUzIN di)velEpE] , Bauträger(in), Wohnungs-
baugesellschaft
landlord [(lÄndlO:d] , Vermieter miracle [(mIrEk&l]
, Wunder
subjected: be ~ to sth.
[sEb(dZektId] , etw. ausgesetzt sein
tenant [(tenEnt]
, Mieter(in)
[)fi:&l DE (pIntS] , (finanziell) schwierige
Zeiten durchmachen
PROFILE
What’s the point of having a plan if it’s not ambitious?
Room with a laugh MEDIUM US AUDIO
Funny New Yorker: Sarah Fearon audition [O:(dIS&n] , vorspielen callback [(kA:lbÄk*] , Rückruf close a deal
extra [(ekstrE] , Komparse/ Komparsin
, Immobilienmakler(in)
Fotos: iStock; laif/Redux; Getty Images
wVnz )oUn (maInd*]
WORKING WORLD
[)QntrEprE(n§:] , Unterneh-
mer(in)
point [pOInt] , hier: Sinn, Zweck
, die Straßen (auf der Suche nach Arbeit) abklappern
real estate agent
legend in one’s own mind [)ledZEnd In
entrepreneur
[)paUnd DE (peIvmEnt]
[)kloUz E (di:&l*] , ein Geschäft zum
Abschluss bringen
British entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox, 44
pound the pavement
, etwa: Person, die zur Selbstüberschätzung neigt (Wortspiel mit „a legend in one’s own time“ = schon zu Lebzeiten zur Legende geworden)
[(ri:&l I)steIt )eIdZEnt*] US
realtor [(ri:&lt&r*] US , Immobilienmakler(in) reversal of fortune
[ri)v§:s&l Ev (fO:rtSEn*]
, Schicksalswende; hier: Die Affäre der Sunny von B.
slow: be ~ [sloU*] , hier: flau sein win sb. over
[)wIn (oUv&r*] , jmdn. überzeugen
* This symbol marks standard US pronunciation.
By day, New Yorker Sarah Fearon is a successful real estate agent. By night, she is a standup comedian. A strange combination? Not really, Fearon says. “If you are in the real estate business, you have to have a sense of humor, and if you are in show business, you have to have a real job,” Fearon told The New York Times. She says that she has found clients via her shows, and that clients have become fans. “In both [professions], you have to pound the pavement, and audition to win people over, and hopefully you get a callback and close the deal,” Fearon explains. Her day job has led to her being named one of Corcoran Group’s top realtors. But when real estate deals are slow, Fearon auditions for paid jobs as an extra on television shows or in movies. She has appeared in films such as Reversal of Fortune and on TV shows like Saturday Night Live. Working as a realtor has given Fearon lots of material for comedy, including a character called Snazzy Peabody, an aggressive Manhattan real estate agent. “Snazzy treats everything as if it’s for sale. She’s a real estate legend in her own mind,” Fearon comments. 3/2017 Business Spotlight
9
Good ideas
Die beiden Ideen, die wir hier vorstellen, haben eins gemeinsam: Sie sollen unser Leben verbessern oder zumindest leichter machen.
… the Wefood supermarket for selling food products that are past their sell-by date. This Copenhagen charity store has been so popular that it opened two branches in 2016. Customers are supportive of Wefood’s aim to reduce food waste. “It’s awesome that instead of throwing things out, they are choosing to sell it for money,” student Signe Skovgaard Sørensen told Agence FrancePresse. “You support a good cause.” It is legal to sell expired food in Denmark, if it is clearly marked and does not present a health hazard. “We look, we smell, we feel the product and see if it’s still consumable,” says project leader Bassel Hmeidan. All products at the stores are donated by producers and local supermarkets, as well as by import and export companies. Staff are volunteers and all profits go to charity. Because the products are donated, what is on offer varies from day to day. This makes it difficult for shoppers to make plans, but if they are lucky enough to find what they are looking for, they will spend only about half as much as at a normal supermarket. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, about 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted annually. This is enough to feed one billion people, the organization says.
10
Business Spotlight 3/2017
Full marks to...
[)fUl (mA:ks tu]
, Die Bestnote
erhält ...
annually [(ÄnjuEli] , jährlich awesome [(O:sEm] ifml. , toll billion [(bIljEn]
, Milliarde(n)
branch [brA:ntS] , Filiale cause [kO:z] , hier: Sache charity [(tSÄrEti] , hier: karitative Zwecke charity store
[(tSÄrEti stO:]
, Sozialladen,
-kaufhaus
consumable: be ~
[kEn(sju:mEb&l]
, verzehrbar sein
donate sth.
[dEU(neIt] , etw. spenden
expired [Ik(spaIEd] , abgelaufen sell-by date
[(sel baI )deIt]
, Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum
volunteer
[)vQlEn(tIE]
, Freiwillige(r)
Full marks to…
…Parks Canada for reintroducing wild bison into Banff National Park in Alberta. The animals, which were airlifted into a remote valley, are the first wild bison to live in the park for more than 100 years. In early February of this year, the herd of 16 young bison were transported from Elk Island National Park, about 35 kilometres east of Edmonton. The operation saw them loaded on to shipping containers and taken by truck to Banff. The shipping containers were then flown by helicopter to an enclosed pasture. The bison will stay in the pasture for 16 months, while being monitored via radio collars by Parks Canada staff. In the summer of 2018, they will be set free in a 1,200-square-kilometre area in the eastern hills of the park. Conservationist and writer Harvey Locke of the Eleanor Luxton Historical Founda tion in Banff is enthusiastic about the project. “Restoring wild bison is the right ing of wrong that was caused in the 19th century, when we almost eliminated wild bison as a species,” Locke told CBC News. “Banff Park was involved in saving the species from extinction 100 years ago, and today it’s involved in restoring this species as part of the landscape, as a wild animal, and that is really exciting.”
Full marks to...
[)fUl (mA:ks tu] , Die Bestnote erhält ...
airlift sth. [(eElIft] , etw. per Flugzeug transportieren conservationist
[)kQnsE(veIS&nIst]
, Umwelt-, Natur-
schützer(in)
enclosed [In(klEUzd] , umzäunt extinction [Ik(stINkS&n] , Ausrottung foundation
[faUn(deIS&n] , Stiftung
monitor sb./sth. [(mQnItE] , jmdn./etw. überwachen pasture [(pA:stSE]
, Weide(land)
radio collar
[(reIdiEU )kQlE] , Funkhalsband
remote [ri(mEUt] , abgelegen restore sth. [ri(stO:] , hier: wieder ansiedeln right a wrong
[)raIt E (rQN] , ein Unrecht wiedergut-
machen
species [(spi:Si:z] , Art wild [waI&ld] , hier: in freier Wildbahn
lebend
WORKING WORLD
Fotos: iStock; Alamy
Full marks to...
WORD WATCHER gaslight
“Gaslighting” is a method of psychologically manipulating an opponent through contradiction and lying. The goal is to make the other person doubt their own competence and especially to weaken them in front of others: “Did you see how John kept interrupting Jennifer at the meeting? I wonder if he was trying to gaslight her!”
bleisure trip
The term “bleisure” combines the words “business” and “leisure”. A “bleisure trip” refers to a business trip that is extended to include leisure activities: “Julia has just come back to London from her American bleisure trip. Her family joined her in Orlando after the conference.” contradiction
[)kQntrE(dIkS&n]
, Widerspruch,
Foto: Getty Images
Widerrede
I can accept failure — everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying
goal [gEUl] , Ziel(setzung) leisure [(leZE] , Freizeit
WORKING WORLD
6 Tage lang in Englisch eintauchen …ohne Deutschland zu verlassen!
„One-to-One“-Gespräche mit „Anglos“ aus der ganzen Welt Telefonkonferenzen, Präsentationen u.v.m. 70 Stunden intensives Training Rundum-Sorglos-Paket 4 Partnerhotels in Deutschland
Das sagen unsere Kunden: Former professional basketball player Michael Jordan, 54
......................................................................... .......................................................................... COMPARISON ......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... performance review [pE(fO:mEns ri)vju:] ......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... , Mitarbeitergespräch ......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... ......................................................................... ......................................................................... .......................................................................... .......................................................................... ... ..................................................................... Sources: Fast Company magazine; Adobe. survey of 1,500 US office workers (http://news.adobe.com)
25%
Englischhausen
Percentage of men who say they have cried after a performance review
18%
Percentage of women who say they have cried after a performance review
„maximale Effektivität... mit Spaß und Freude“ „eine tolle Woche, eine tolle Lebenserfahrung!“ „ein perfekt abgestimmtes Programm“ „straff, abwechslungsreich und humorvoll gestaltet“ Kostenloser Sprachtest und Beratung Montag bis Freitag von 9:00 – 18:00 Uhr Tel. 089 23 51 58 72 www.englischhausen.de
THE RIVALS Parks sind für den Städtebau und die Gesellschaft einer Stadt wichtig. EAMONN FITZGERALD stellt den Hyde Park in London und den Central Park in New York vor. EASY
HYDE PARK MUST-SEE Speakers’ Corner gives
the public a chance to express their views every Sunday. Speakers stand on a box and Londoners will often argue with them, turning the talks into energetic debates.
MEMORIAL The Diana, Princess of
Wales, Memorial Fountain is just south of the Serpentine and is a tribute to her life and her love of children.
NAME Rotten Row is a track along
the south side of Hyde Park. It is used mostly for riding horses. Nearby stables offer riding lessons and horses for hire. The queen’s Household Cavalry use Rotten Row for their exercises.
WALKING TOUR Bat Walk: 3 August 8.45 p.m.–10.15 p.m. Cost: £5. Walkers are given bat detectors so that they can hear the bats’ echolocation calls.
WEBSITE www.royalparks.org.uk/ parks/hyde-park
bat [bÄt] , Fledermaus dedicate sth. to sb./sth. [(dedIkeIt tu]
, etw. jmdm./etw. widmen
12
Business Spotlight 3/2017
echolocation
[)ekEUlEU(keIS&n]
, Echoortung
fine [faIn] , Geldstrafe
142
HISTORY Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed Central Park. It was opened to the public in 1858.
341
NUMBER OF HECTARES
NUMBER OF HECTARES
5 A.M.–MIDNIGHT
6 A.M.–1 A.M.
OPENING HOURS
4,000
NUMBER OF TREES
£60
FINE FOR FAILING TO CLEAN UP AFTER A DOG
£12
COST OF A FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST IN THE SERPENTINE BAR & KITCHEN IN HYDE PARK
250,000–500,000 NUMBER OF FANS WHO ATTENDED A FREE FESTIVAL HELD IN HYDE PARK ON 5 JULY 1969 WITH THE ROLLING STONES
TOP CONCERT
THE KILLERS WILL PLAY AT THE HYDE PARK FESTIVAL ON 8 JULY
fountain [(faUntIn] , (Spring-)Brunnen household cavalry
[)haUshEUld (kÄv&lri] UK
, Gardekavallerie
OPENING HOURS
26,000
MEMORIAL On 9 October 1985,
NUMBER OF TREES
on what would have been John Lennon’s 45th birthday, Central Park dedicated Strawberry Fields to his memory.
$50
FINE FOR SMOKING IN THE PARK
$24
COST OF THE SMOKED SALMON BREAKFAST AT TAVERN ON THE GREEN ON 67TH STREET IN CENTRAL PARK
980,000
NUMBER OF FANS WHO ATTENDED A FREE CONCERT HELD BY COUNTRY SINGER GARTH BROOKS IN CENTRAL PARK ON 7 AUGUST 1997
TOP CONCERT
PJ HARVEY WILL APPEAR ON THE SUMMERSTAGE ON 19 JULY
memorial [mE(mO:riEl]
, Gedenkstätte
Pond: the ~ [pQnd] , Name eines kleinen Sees im Central Park (pond , Teich)
MUST-SEE Gapstow Bridge at the park’s south-east corner. The bridge over the Pond, with the Plaza Hotel in the background, offers a classic New York City skyline view.
NAME Sheep Meadow was home to real sheep until 1934. It became the first Central Park area to offer free Wi-Fi, in 2008. The network name is “attwifi” and you don’t need a username or password. WALKING TOUR Sunrise Yoga Tour Daily, one hour. Cost: $39. Starting at 59th Street and 5th Avenue, this is a fast walk around the park’s sights, with stops for yoga exercises. WEBSITE www.centralparknyc.org
Serpentine: the ~
smoked salmon
, Name eines kleinen
, Räucherlachs
[(s§:pEntaIn]
Sees im Hyde Park
[)smEUkt (sÄmEn]
stable [(steIb&l] , Stall track [trÄk] , Pfad
WORKING WORLD
Fotos: Alamy; iStock
HISTORY Hyde Park was created for hunting by King Henry VIII in 1536. King Charles I opened it to the public in 1637.
CENTRAL PARK
Spaß mit Sprachgewinn Konjunktiv und Kajak, Business Englisch und Rugby, Small Talk und Surfen: Gehört das wirklich zusammen? Ein Blick in die Kataloge der Sprachreiseveranstalter zeigt: unbedingt!
Work hard, play hard Honolulu, Hawaii: Die Wellen krachen an den Strand, überschlagen sich in großen Bögen. Immer wieder reiten Surfer durch die Brandung. Für die Sprachschüler im nahegelegenen Waikiki nur ein Katzensprung – zumindest bis zum Strand. Danach beginnt das große Messen mit dem Meer. Und natürlich das eine oder andere Gespräch mit den Surfern vor Ort. Gerade all jene, die sich vormittags mit Eifer in die Sprache stürzen, sind nachmittags in den Fluten zu finden: Egal ob Surfen oder Segeln, Ausgleich gehört dazu und verwandelt die intellektuelle Fortbildung in ein Abenteuer für alle Sinne.
Action rund um die Welt Und es muss keineswegs immer nur das Meer sein: Tauchen in San Diego, Tennis in England, Segeln in Malta, Rugby in Wellington, Neuseeland, oder in Kapstadt den Sprachkurs mit einer Safari abrunden: Alles ist möglich. Sogar Wintersport lässt sich gut kombinieren, sofern man das passende Ziel aussucht. Im kanadischen Whistler oder in anderen Orten der Rocky Mountains beispielsweise. Im Sommer wandeln sich die Berge in ein Eldorado für Outdoor-Freunde – die wiederum im deutschen Winter in Neuseeland warmes Wetter genießen. Weil Englisch in so vielen verschiedenen Ecken der Welt gesprochen wird, findet sich immer eine passend Klimazone für das gewünschte Hobby. Nur die süße Qual der Wahl bleibt dem Reisenden überlassen...
Eine Adresse – alle Infos
26 Sprachreiseveranstalter haben sich im Fachverband Deutscher Sprachreise-Veranstalter (FDSV) zusammengeschlossen und auf einen gemeinsamen Katalog von verpflichtenden Qualitätskriterien verständigt. Auf der Webseite des Fachverbands warten zahlreiche nützliche Tools auf den Besucher: Zum Beispiel der Sprachreise-Finder, mit dem es gleich viel leichter fällt, die passende Reise aus dem Angebot der Mitglieder auszusuchen, einen Ratgeber zum Thema Sprachreisen und viele praktische Tipps. www.fdsv.de
© eranda/fotolia
© DudarevMikhail/fotolia
© AfricaStudio/fotolia
Wer beim Stichwort Sprachreisen nur an Klassenzimmer denkt, liegt... falsch! Immer öfter kombinieren die Anbieter Sprachkurse mit Action und Abenteuer: Alles andere wäre regelrecht Verschwendung, denn gerade EnglischKurse werden an den spannendsten Orten der Welt angeboten.
www.fdsv.de
GLOBAL BUSINESS SPORT
S S E N T I F , E C N IF NA litik, aft, Po h c s t r i aus W ze teil. ertreter ie ersten Plät ensstil. V d n u um d rden, n Leb kt gewo m Wettkampf en persönliche r a M n iesige um d men a einem r chnologie neh lage, sonder n u z t s g e ieder nd T st län Sport i nterhaltung u m Sieg oder N t. r u U Mode, eht nicht nur ALD infor mie g R s e E r G e Ab TZ NN FI EAMO
Sport and business: a natural combination for many people
14
Business Spotlight 3/2017 x/2017
GLOBAL BUSINESS
Fotos: XX
CED ADVAN
N U F D AN
R
obert Marchand cycled 22.5 kilometres around the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome near Paris on 4 January this year. It took him an hour. This would not be news, usually, but it was because Robert Marchand is not usual. He’s 105. Born in 1911, Marchand says the secret of his fitness is diet — lots of fruit and vegetables, a little meat, not too much coffee, an occasional glass of wine, sufficient sleep and an hour a day on his exercise bike. Health and sport are connected, as Robert Marchand’s life shows. Politics and sport are also connected, as Ali Sherif Al Emadi’s job shows. He’s the finance minister of Qatar and, in February, he told reporters that his government is spending $500 million as it gets ready to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. By the way, that’s not $500 million for the entire project or $500 million a year or $500 million a month. It’s $500 million a week. In all, Qatar plans to spend $200 billion in preparation for the World Cup, but as Al Emadi said, “That doesn’t mean the stadiums only. We are talking about highways, rail, ports, airports. Those are underway, even hospitals and everything.” Those hospitals will be needed. In 2013, the International Trade Union Confederation warned that up to 4,000 migrant workers could die in work-related accidents during the preparations for the 2022 World Cup. The resulting controversy forced Qatar to announce in December last year that it was ending its much-criticized kafala system, which prevented poorer workers from changing jobs or leaving the country without a permit. Health and sport are connected, politics and sport are connected, money and sport are connected — and the latest addition to this complicated relationship is technology, as the strategy of Allianz shows. diet [(daIEt] , Ernährung host sth. [hEUst] , etw. austragen
trade union confederation [)treId (ju:niEn kEnfedE)reIS&n]
, Gewerkschaftsbund
underway: be ~
[)VndE(weI] , etwa: im Bau sein
velodrome Fotos: Getty Images; iStock Fotos: XX
[(velEdrEUm] , [wg. Aussprache]
GLOBAL BUSINESS
3/2017 Business Spotlight
15
A new game in town When it comes to sport, the multinational financial services company is best known for its links to FC Bayern Munich. Together with Adidas and Audi, it owns 25 per cent of the club, and Allianz owns the naming rights to the stadium — the Allianz Arena — for 30 years. But while football remains the jewel in the crown for nations, investors, sponsors and the television industry, there’s a new game in town and Allianz is already part of its future. Welcome to the world of drone racing. Drone racing is a sport that has been compared to video gaming. Players, called “pilots”, fly custom-designed drones through obstacle courses at speeds of up to 190 kilometres per hour. The biggest name in professional drone racing is the Drone Racing League (DRL), a New York start-up, and this year’s Allianz World Championship will consist of six DRL races with 16 of the world’s top pilots competing against each other in Miami, New Orleans, Atlanta, Boston, London and Munich.
“Drones are already an important part of our business, so we’re excited to align with DRL as they harness the latest technological advancements and reimagine what racing in the 21st century looks like,” said Jean-Marc Pailhol, Allianz global head of market management and distribution. Pilots have names like M0ke, Hazak and rekreK, and then there’s Little A, who’s actually Angela Jacques, a geographer and co-founder of MAPPA, a company in Mexico City that sells mapping services and aerial photography using drones. “Always looking for solutions via geospatial thinking and new technologies” is how she describes her philosophy on her LinkedIn page. There is a problem with sports such as drone racing, however. Everyone involved remains seated all the time and this reveals an unhealthy truth about life today: we live in a sedentary world. Yes, we buy more sports equipment, have record levels of gym membership, watch more sport on more devices and, if what’s said in online chat rooms is to be believed, talk more about sport
align with sb.
device [di(vaIs]
excited: be ~ to do sth.
harness sth.
distribution
, hier: sich darauf freuen, etw. zu tun
, etw. (für sich) einspan-
biggest name: the ~ [)bIgIst (neIm] ifml. , hier: führend
, Vertrieb
geospatial
jewel in the crown: the ~
, raumbezogen
, das Glanzstück;
custom-designed
, Drohnen-Rennen
[E(laIn wID]
, sich mit jmdm. zusammenschließen
[)kVstEm di(zaInd]
, individuell angefertigt
16
Business Spotlight 3/2017
, Gerät
[)dIstrI(bju:S&n]
drone racing
[(drEUn )reIsIN]
[Ik(saItId]
[)dZi:EU(speIS&l]
gym [dZIm] , Turnhalle; Fitnessstudio
[(hA:nIs]
nen, nutzen
[)dZu:El In DE (kraUn]
hier: Aushängeschild league [li:g] , Liga
link [lINk] , Verbindung
, Kartografie
mapping [(mÄpIN]
reveal sth. [ri(vi:&l] , etw. zu erkennen geben
naming rights
sedentary
, Namensrechte
, sitzend; hier: mit überwiegend sitzenden Tätigkeiten
[(neImIN raIts]
new game in town: a ~
[)nju: geIm In (taUn]
, eine neue Option
obstacle course
[(QbstEk&l kO:s] , Hindernisparcours
[(sed&ntEri]
when it comes to…
[)wen It (kVmz tE]
, was … betrifft
GLOBAL BUSINESS
Fotos: Getty Images
Drone racing: a new game in town for the sports business
DRONE RACING HAS BEEN COMPARED TO VIDEO GAMING
than ever. But we are increasingly experiencing our sport on sofas and developing bigger waistlines as a result. China’s Ministry of Health estimates that as many as 300 million Chinese people are obese. This makes China the world’s second-most obese nation after the US. In Europe, a majority of European men and women will be either overweight or obese by 2030, according to the World Health Organization. By then, nearly all Irish adults are projected to be overweight, and an estimated 77 per cent of Greek men and 67 per cent of Greek women are likely to be overweight . Active technology So we need motivation to get off the couch, and the paradox is that the technology that is making us lazier is also being developed to make us more active. Players of Pokémon Go have walked nearly nine billion kilometres collectively since the smartphone game was released last year, and the Apple Watch shows the total amount of time in a day in which you’ve remained standing or been moving for at least a minute. Meanwhile, Garmin has designed a fitness tracker for children. The vívofit jr. encourages kids to move for 60 minutes a day and, in what some would see as a Big Brother tactic, Garmin says: “Parents, we didn’t forget about you. While the youngsters will love the app, … you can control the app and use it to monitor your kiddos’ steps and active minutes, assign chores and even hand out virtual rewards. Control it all from your mobile device.” One of these kiddos might grow up to be the next Roger Federer. He returned to tennis after a six-month injury break and won this year’s Australian Open in January in a magical manner. He’s also involved in the Nike+ Training app. “During my career, I did many practice sessions for my abdominals, because everything starts here,” says Federer, introducing a fitness session called “Maestro”. For her fitness regime, Inbee Park, the South Korean professional golfer who became the first woman in 116 years to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport last year in Rio, prefers yoga. And, yes, there is an app for that, too. It’s called Golf Yoga. “I could have done better” Sport, with its stars, glamour, money, power, politics, fashion and technology, is a major player in the global economy and it creates jobs across a range of industries and services, from clothing design to venture capital. For most of us, though, sport simply means jogging with friends, football with colleagues, Pilates classes, hiking, biking, walking and all the other healthy activities that do not offer fame or fortune. “J’aurais pu faire mieux” (“I could have done better”), said 105-year-old Robert Marchand at the end of his world-record cycle in January. We can all do better and sport is also an increasing part of corporate life. On the next pages, you will find tips on making sport part of your work-life balance. GLOBAL BUSINESS
HEALTH AND SPORT ARE CONNECTED, AS A 105-YEAR-OLD FRENCHMAN SHOWS Robert Marchand: cycled 22.5 kilometres in an hour this year
abdominals
major player
regime
, Bauchmuskeln
, wichtiger Akteur;
, hier: Programm
[Äb(dQmIn&lz]
assign sth. [E(saIn] , etw. zuweisen, übertragen chore [tSO:] , Aufgabe (im Haushalt) fame [feIm] , Ruhm, Berühmtheit fitness tracker
[(fItnEs )trÄkE] , Fitnessarmband
[)meIdZE (pleIE]
hier: bedeutender Wirtschaftszweig
obese [EU(bi:s] , fettleibig, adipös Pilates classes
[pI(lA:ti:z )klA:sIz]
, Pilates-Unterricht,
-Stunden
practice session
[(prÄktIs )seS&n] , Trainingseinheit
hiking [(haIkIN] , Wandern
projected: be ~ to be sth.
kiddo [(kIdEU] ifml.
, etw. erwartungsgemäß
, Kleine(r)
[prE(dZektId]
sein werden (project sth. , etw. prognostizieren)
[reI(Zi:m]
release sth.
[ri(li:s] , etw. herausbringen
venture capital
[(ventSE )kÄpIt&l]
, Risikokapital
waistline
[(weIstlaIn] , Taille; hier auch:
Leibesfülle
work-life balance
[)w§:k (laIf )bÄlEns]
, (ausgewogenes)
Verhältnis zwischen Berufs- und Privatleben
3/2017 Business Spotlight
17
R U O Y E S O CHO ! XE ERCISES
ntel ine Ha e , r u o k att ar lauf, P Fir menrad st een n e m r i F d r ker ode diesen I als Wec agen — mit t! w fi Fir men ie garantiert S bleiben Freerunning: your chance to be like James Bond
BONDING
In the spectacular opening scenes of the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, Agent 007 (Daniel Craig) chases the bad guy, Mollaka, and fights him 60 metres above the ground. The bad guy is played by Sébastien Foucan, owner of the Foucan Freerunning Academy in London and the public face of “freerunning”, a new sport that involves getting from one place to another by running, jumping or climbing. The UK has become the first country to recognize freerunning as an official sport, but like Sébastien Foucan, it comes from France, where it is called parkour, from the French parcours, meaning “course”. Sébastien Foucan says the message of the sport is that people can deal with challenges in creative ways. Tip: Watch Sébastien Foucan’s videos on YouTube and try some of the basic moves. Maybe your company will send you to London to do a freerunning course so that you can introduce it in your workplace. Website: www.foucan.com
bad guy: the ~ [(bÄd gaI] ifml. , der Böse/ Schurke bonding [(bQndIN] , Herstellen einer Bindung; hier: Einbinden course [kO:s] , Laufstrecke, Parcours
public face: be the ~ of sth.
[)pVblIk (feIs] , in der Öffentlich-
keit für etw. stehen
THE CLASS
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
calisthenics
plyometrics
workout
, Körpergewichts
, plyometrisches Training
, Training
[)kÄlIs(TenIks]
übungen, Calisthenics
18
Business Spotlight 3/2017
[)plaIEU(metrIks]
[(w§:kaUt]
GLOBAL BUSINESS
Fotos: ddp; iStock
On the move: find time to work out when you travel
If you are on business in New York, Los Angles or Vancouver, try “The Class”, a workout system designed by Taryn Toomey that aims to create “peace through strength”. Toomey left the fashion industry, after years of working for Ralph Lauren and Dior, to become a yoga teacher. Typically, a single class is 75 minutes of calisthenics and plyometrics, also known as “jump training”. Tip: Try this Taryn Toomey outdoor workout on your own or with colleagues: Five minutes relaxed running to warm up. “Open the lungs; breathe calmly and deeply.” One minute running as quickly as possible. Two minutes relaxed running. The three-minute round: one minute sprinting, two minutes recovery. Repeat four times. Finally, five minutes relaxed running. Website: http://taryntoomey.com
Alles wird leicht.
Speak up – and convince! · Improve your rhetorical skills. · Become a more confident and accomplished communicator. · Gain in persuasiveness and influence.
www.haufe-akademie.de/international-business Zukunftsgestaltung für Unternehmen
Durch passgenaue Lösungen und einzigartige Services erleichtert die Haufe Akademie die Zukunftsgestaltung von Unternehmen und die kontinuierliche Kompetenzerweiterung von Fach- und Führungskräften. www.haufe-akademie.de
Kompetenz für Fach- und Führungskräfte
Being unhealthy affects work performance and the bottom line. That’s why companies are taking action against “modifiable risks” such as smoking, inactivity, poor diet and high stress levels. Here are four examples: Johnson & Johnson: “With workplace health and wellness programmes, companies can sustain their most vital resource — their employees.” So says Johnson & Johnson, the multinational maker of pharmaceutical and biotechnology products. The company offers its employees on-site fitness centres as well as subsidies for gym memberships. Johnson & Johnson has published studies showing how its wellness programmes have improved employees’ health, saved the company millions of dollars and increased productivity. Daimler: By the end of 2015, the VfB Stuttgart football club had 44,614 registered members. At the same time, the SG Stern had 41,591 members. SG Stern? It’s also in Stuttgart and is a key partner in Daimler’s health management strategy. What was started in 1962 by a group of car workers has turned into a club that informs the Daimler employees about the positive effects of sport and motivates them to become more active. Deutsche Bank: Germany’s banking giant is developing a new online health portal that will “encourage employees to take responsibility, but will also underscore our responsibility as an employer to encourage a healthy work-life balance”. Deutsche Bank’s wellness programme focuses on “preventative healthcare”, which includes everything from influenza vaccinations to company sports events. Deutsche Bank also offers stress management techniques, both online and in the classroom.
affect sth. [E(fekt] , sich auf etw. auswirken benefits [(benIfIts] , hier: Zusatzleistungen bottom line [)bQtEm (laIn] , hier: Profit cholesterol [kE(lestErQl] , Cholesterin committed: be ~ to doing sth. [kE(mItId] , sich zur Aufgabe machen, etw. zu tun comprehensive
[)kQmprI(hensIv] , umfassend
diet [(daIEt] , hier: Ernährung gym [dZIm] , Turnhalle; hier: Fitnessstudio healthcare [(helT)keE] , Gesundheitsfürsorge indicate sth. [(IndIkeIt] , etw. anzeigen influenza vaccination , Grippeimpfung
labelling [(leIb&lIN] , Kennzeichnung numbers [(nVmbEz] , hier: Gesundheitsdaten on-site [)Qn (saIt] , vor Ort; hier: im Unternehmen pharmaceutical
[)fA:mE(su:tIk&l] , [wg. Aussprache]
screening [(skri:nIN]
, Untersuchung
subsidy [(sVbsEdi] , Zuschuss sustain sth. [sE(steIn] , etw. erhalten technique [tek(ni:k] , [wg. Aussprache] underscore sth.
[)VndE(skO:] , etw. unterstreichen
vital [(vaIt&l] , wichtig work-life balance
[)w§:k (laIf )bÄlEns]
, (ausgewogenes)
Verhältnis zwischen Berufsund Privatleben
Microsoft: “Know Your Numbers” is what Microsoft calls the wellness programme that provides its employees with screening for risks of heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, as well as on-site mammography screenings. The company pays for gym memberships, and the “Real Easy Wellness” labelling system in its canteens indicates the healthier options. Microsoft says it is “committed to supporting our employees’ well-being with comprehensive benefits to help employees maximize their physical, financial, and social wellness”. 20
Business Spotlight 3/2017
On the run: corporate events have become very popular
[Influ(enzE vÄksI)neIS&n]
BORN TO RUN
The idea of the corporate run began in 1977 in New York City with 200 runners from 50 companies in a 3 ½-mile (5.63 kilometre) race organized by the Manufacturers Hanover bank holding company. Today, it’s organized by JPMorgan Chase, the multinational financial services corporation. This year’s JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Championship — “the unofficial Olympics for the workforce” — will be held in Frankfurt on 13 June. Last year’s event attracted 68,119 participants from 2,633 companies. B2Run, the organizer of the German company championship, belongs to Infront Sports & Media, based in Zug, Switzerland. B2Runs will be held in 17 German cities this year and more than 195,000 runners from 9,500 companies are expected to take part. B2Run events are also held in Switzerland, France, Portugal, Spain and Romania. Tip: Treat your corporate run in the same way that you would treat a project. Make a plan, schedule activities and block out time in your day for training. Important: get colleagues to join you and everyone will be more committed and less likely to give up. Website: https://www.b2run.de block out time
corporate run
, Zeitfenster blocken
[)blQk aUt (taIm]
committed
[kE(mItId]
, engagiert, einge-
bunden
schedule sth.
[)kO:pErEt (rVn] , Firmenlauf
[(Sedju:l] , etw. (ein)planen
manufacturer
workforce
[)mÄnju(fÄktSErE] , Hersteller
[(w§:kfO:s] , Erwerbsbevölkerung
GLOBAL BUSINESS
Fotos: XX Fotos: Stephan Schütze; iStock; missguided; pr
THE BOTTOM LINE
AND SOME MORE IDEAS...
EAMONN FITZGERALD writes daily at www.eamonn.com. He uses social media to build relationships for organizations. Contact: eamonn@eamonn.com
Good alternative: a company bike
On your bike! Think you need a company car? Well, how about a company bike instead? Company Bike Solutions leases bikes to both firms and individual employees. Stay fit and do something for the environment, too. Website: http://company-bikesolutions.com The latest trends Stay in touch with the latest trends in sport via the yearly ISPO Munich trade fair. The next one takes place from 28 to 31 January 2018. Website: http://munich.ispo.com/en Sport in the office No time to do sport? That’s not really a good excuse. The Washington Post has put together 12 exercises that you can build into your daily working life. Website: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ graphics/health/workout-at-work
Sporting and fashionable: the Londunn collection
ATHLEISURE
Fotos: XX
Combine “athletics” and “leisure” and you get “athleisure”, a word that means “casual, comfortable clothing designed for sport and everyday wear”. Londunn is the title of a new athleisure collection created by model Jourdann Dunn in partnership with Missguided, a UK retailer that sells clothes to women between the ages of 16 and 35. Londunn specializes in sweatsuits and hoodies, and the target market are women who want to wear the same outfit when they work out as when they go out for drinks. Dunn promotes her collection on Instagram, where she has two million followers. “We all love to wear sportswear now — this reflects how busy our lives are — but we still want to look cool and chic,” she told The Observer. Tip: Jourdann Dunn’s fitness programme includes KOBOX, a boxing-based sport “in a Fight Club meets Nightclub environment”. The slogan is: “At KOBOX you will get fit, without getting hit!” The KOBOX studios are at 122 Kings Road in London. Website: https://www.instagram.com/jourdandunn casual [(kÄZuEl] , lässig, leger
hoodie [(hUdi] , Kapuzenshirt
sweatsuit [(swetsu:t] , Trainingsanzug
chic [Si:k] , [wg. Aussprache]
leisure [(leZE] , Freizeit
target market
environment
retailer [(ri:teI&lE] , Einzelhändler
[In(vaI&rEnmEnt] , hier: Umfeld, Milieu
GLOBAL BUSINESS
[(tA:gIt )mA:kIt]
, hier: Zielgruppe
work out [)w§:k (aUt]
No excuse: you can build exercises into your office life
Get the gadgets If you’re looking for a little help with your sporting routines, why not try a gadget or two. For example, a dumbbell alarm clock that stops only when you do your exercises, or a walk station that allows you to walk and work at the same time.
Wake up! An alarm clock that wants you to exercise
allow sth. [E(laU] , hier: etw. ermög-
lichen
Sport for all? Does everyone need to do sport at work? No way! “With the current obsession with sport, you get the feeling that if you are not superactive, you are a pariah,” said one employee who asked not to be named. Don’t want to do sport at work? That’s fine, too.
gadget [(gÄdZIt] , Gerät, Vorrichtung No way!
stay in touch with sth. [)steI In (tVtS wID]
, an etw. dranbleiben
[)nEU (weI] ifml.
trade fair [(treId feE] , Messe
gleichzeitig als digitaler Wecker fungiert
pariah [pE(raIE] , Außenseiter(in)
walk station
excuse [Ik(skju:s] , hier: Ausrede
routine [ru:(ti:n] , [wg. Aussprache]
Computerarbeitsplatz und Laufband
dumb-bell alarm clock [)dVm bel E(lA:m klQk] , Hantel, die
, Nein!
[(wO:k )steIS&n] , Kombination aus
, trainieren
3/2017 Business Spotlight
21
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION SCOTLAND
Very Scottish: tartan, kilts and oil rigs
AT A CROSSROADS Die Mehrheit der Schotten ist für einen Verbleib in der EU. Wird es nach dem Brexit also erneut ein schottisches Referendum geben? Und wie würde ein unabhängiges Schottland wirtschaftlich dastehen? PAUL WHEATLEY informiert.
Foto: ifGetty Images Fotos:
ADVANCED PLUS
3/2017 Business Spotlight
23
I
“
s Scotland content for our future to be dictated by an increasingly right-wing Westminster government?” asked Nicola Sturgeon, the country’s first minister, in January 2017. “Or is it,” she went on, “better that we take our future into our own hands?” Sturgeon is a canny political operator, but the truth for her Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) is that, in such unpredictable times as these, nobody can say with much certainty what the people of Scotland want. The result of Britain’s EU referendum in June 2016 was close, with 52 per cent of the population voting to leave and 48 per cent voting to remain. Not so in Scotland, where 62 per cent of the population backed “remain”. With a “hard Brexit” (strict controls on immigration, and leaving the single market and customs union) on the cards, Sturgeon is setting out the alternatives for Scotland’s future in stark terms. For many supporters, this chimes perfectly with a familiar SNP slogan: “Independence in Europe”. Scots, of course, rejected “Scoxit”, independence from the UK, in a 2014 referendum. The vote was 55 per cent against leaving to 45 per cent in favour. At the time, this seemed to have ended thoughts of breaking up the union for a generation or more. Brexit, however, and Scotland’s decisive rejection of it, has put the question of independence firmly back on the table. On the surface, it sounds like great news for the SNP. David Scrimgeour (see box on page 25), head of the British-German Business Network, is not so sure. “Largely due to the collapse in support for the Tories and Labour in Scotland,” he says, “the SNP has had it easy for many years.” Scrimgeour,
BUbu Old and new: BUbu Old and new: Poland has not forgotten its socialist past Poland has not forgotten its socialist past
National pride: many Scots want independence
originally from the capital, Edinburgh, and now living in Munich, warns that a dramatic drop in oil prices means people are now asking “hard questions” about the SNP and the sustainability of the Scottish economy. Oil price collapse Scotland is estimated to have the largest oil reserves in the EU, and oil revenue was central to the SNP’s independence appeal. But with the country’s oil revenue dropping 97 per cent between 2015 and 2016 — from around £1.8 billion (€2 billion) to around £60 million (€69 million) — some economists are warning that independence is now “unaffordable”. This was brought into fresh focus in February 2017, when The Economist explained that it is not just the Scottish oil industry that is facing huge challenges. “Less noticed,” one article reads, “is that Scottish financial services are also having a tough time. Wander around the handsome Georgian squares of Edinburgh’s financial district, and nothing looks amiss. Yet since 2014, employment in the industry has dropped by over a
amiss: look ~ [E(mIs] , aussehen, als sei es nicht in Ordnung
forerunner [(fO:)rVnE]
, Vorläufer
handsome [(hÄnsEm] , hübsch
appeal [E(pi:&l] , Aufruf; auch: Reiz
in stark terms
back sth. [bÄk] , etw. unterstützen
[In )stA:k (t§:mz] , in drastischen Worten
canny [(kÄni] , schlau
on the cards: be ~
[)Qn DE (kA:dz] , zu erwarten sein
chime with sth.
[(tSaIm wID] , mit etw. im Einklang
stehen
customs union
political operator
[pE)lItIk&l (QpEreItE]
ifml. , hier etwa: politischer Kopf
[(kVstEmz )ju:niEn]
revenue [(revEnju:] , Einnahmen
decisive [di(saIsIv] , entschieden
single market
, Zollunion
[)sINg&l (mA:kIt] , EU-Binnenmarkt
devolution
[)di:vE(lu:S&n] , hier: Übertragung von
Machtbefugnissen auf das schottische Parlament due to [(dju: tu] , aufgrund von face sth. [feIs] , etw. gegenüberstehen first minister
[)f§:st (mInIstE]
Scot./Wales , Erste(r) Minister(in), Regierungschef(in)
sustainability
[sE)steInE(bIlEti] , hier: Zukunftsfähigkeit
table: put sth. back on the ~ [(teIb&l] , etw. wieder auf die Tagesordnung setzen unpredictable
[)Vnpri(dIktEb&l] , unvorhersehbar
wander around a square [)wQndEr E)raUnd E (skweE] , über einen
Platz schlendern
1707: the Treaty of Union leads to the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain 1934: Scottish National Party (SNP) founded 1945: SNP wins its first seat in Westminster parliament 1973: UK joins the EEC (European Economic Community; a forerunner of the EU)
24
Business Spotlight 3/2017
1975: North Sea oil first produced 1979: referendum on Scottish devolution fails 1997: referendum on Scottish devolution succeeds 1999: first elections for the Scottish parliament 2004: new Scottish parliament building, at Holyrood, opens
2007: SNP defeats Labour in Scottish elections and forms minority government 2011: SNP leader Alex Salmond leads party to Scotland’s first majority government 2014: Scotland rejects independence in referendum by 55 per cent to 45 per cent 2016: UK referendum win for Brexit — but Scots reject it by 62 per cent to 38 per cent
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Fotos: panos pictures; Gert Krautbauer
TIMELINE
INTERVIEW
across the board
“A business person gets to a certain point, buys a Mercedes and joins the golf club” DAVID SCRIMGEOUR founded the British-German Business Network (BGBN) in 2000. He studied history and law at the University of Edinburgh, and worked as a lawyer in Scotland and Germany. From 1992 to 2000, he worked for the Scottish government, promoting Scottish businesses in Germany and Austria. Through the BGBN, he advises businesses on investments, strategy, marketing and sales. He received an MBE in 2000 for his work promoting German and Austrian investment in Scotland.
[E)krQs DE (bO:d]
, allgemein
entrepreneur
[)QntrEprE(n§:] , Unternehmer(in)
give sth. a go [)gIv E (gEU] ifml. , etw. versuchen going for it: ...has a lot ~ [(gEUIN fO:r It] , es spricht viel für ...
in terms of [)In (t§:mz Qv] , im Hinblick auf MBE (Member of the British Empire) [)em bi: (i:] UK , britischer Verdienstorden return [ri(t§:n] , Rendite tenant [(tenEnt]
What are the differences between the business cultures , Mieter(in) in Scotland and Germany? thrust [TrVst] Scotland is not substantially different to the UK, espe- , Schub(kraft); cially in terms of economic development and business. hier: Ausrichtung Scotland is similar to England in what I call the “Mercedes turnover [(t§:n)EUvE] effect”: a business person gets to a certain point with the , Umsatz; hier: Fluktuation business, buys a Mercedes and joins the golf club. That workforce [(w§:kfO:s] defines success. In Germany, family businesses are very , Belegschaft, aware of their employees. The turnover of people is very Arbeitnehmer(innen) low and the loyalty of the workforce across the board is high. Also, Germans tend not to make false claims about what they’re able to do. People are qualified and skilled in a particular area and they have a job description. They tend not to move outside that description. In Britain, people much more have the philosophy: “OK, I’ll give it a go. I’ll try it…” Another difference is the short-term thinking in the UK. You see this in the relatively low level of British investment in Germany. An example is the Virgin Group: it has a multibillion-pound turnover in lots of European countries, but there is not a single Virgin company in Germany. I phoned the management company in Geneva and asked why. They said they hadn’t found an opportunity to make the return they need within five years. A Scot in That Britain’s most famous entreBavaria: preneur [Richard Branson] is not in businessman David Europe’s largest market is bizarre.
tenth (while rising slightly in London). Average pay has declined by five per cent in the past year.” While accepting that the oil-price crash and the problems of financial services mean independence is less economically viable, Scrimgeour is one of many to assess that Brexit, and a hard version of it, could paradoxically be enough to persuade Scots that it’s time to leave the union. Quaint national clichés beloved by marketing gurus, invariably featuring kilts and bagpipes, might suggest a Scottish national identity without real substance. But this would be wrong. For Scots, the 1707 Acts of Union, which led to the creation of the United Kingdom (see Timeline, page 24), did not come into effect so very long ago, and Scots are well aware that Scotland was (and fought to be) an independent country for centuries before the union. Relationship with England Scotland’s sometimes fractious relationship with the much more populous and influential England plays a key role in its sense of identity. And while there has long been a degree of anti-English sentiment in Scotland, this should not be overplayed. After all, Scottish national identity is suffused with great historical names, such as Enlightenment thinker David Hume, economist Adam Smith, engineer James Watt, industrialist Andrew Carnegie, inventor Alexander Graham Bell and scientist Sir Alexander Fleming. As well as these A-list names from its history, contemporary Scotland can also
Scrimgeour
Fotos: XX
But is there a certain inflexibility and lack of innovation in the German market compared to the UK? Particularly with innovation in Germany, we might see a problem in the next few years. The whole thrust is often about perfecting what has already been made rather than creating something new. But I’m a big fan of the employment legislation here. I like the way tenants are protected, and I like the healthcare system. The very structured society in Germany compared to the UK has a lot going for it. And in these times, I’m glad I live in Germany and not in the UK. INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
A-list [(eI lIst] , hier: hochrangig
overplay sth.
assess sth. [E(ses] , etw. schätzen, beurteilen
, etw. übertrieben dar
stellen; hier: überbewerten
bagpipe [(bÄgpaIp]
populous [(pQpjUlEs] , einwohnerstark
beloved: be ~ by sb.
quaint [kweInt] , urig, pittoresk
, Dudelsack
[bi(lVvId]
, bei jmdm. beliebt sein
Enlightenment
[)EUvE(pleI]
sentiment [(sentImEnt]
[In(laIt&nmEnt]
, Stimmung
Aufklärung
suffused: be ~ with sth.
feature sth. [(fi:tSE] , durch etw. gekennzeichnet sein
, von etw. erfüllt sein;
hier: reich an etw. sein
fractious [(frÄkSEs] , aufsässig; hier: gespannt
viable [(vaIEb&l] , tragbar, umsetzbar
, (Zeitalter der)
[sE(fju:zd]
3/2017 Business Spotlight
25
FAST FACTS:
SCOTLAND Capital: Edinburgh 493,000 Other main cities: Glasgow 606,000; Aberdeen 230,000 Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952) Head of government: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (since 20 November 2014) Population: 5,373,000 (2016 est.) Official languages: English, Scottish Gaelic GDP: £149.3 billion (2016 est.) GDP annual growth: 0.7% (third quarter 2016) Unemployment: 5.5% (Dec. 2016) Inflation: 1.8 % (March 2017) Exports: In 2015, Scotland had total exports of £78.6 billion (excluding oil and gas), £49.8 billion (63%) of which went to the rest of the UK. £12.3 billion (16%) went to other EU countries. The largest EU markets were the Netherlands, France and Germany. Scotland’s largest international export market is the US. Religion: Church of Scotland (32.4%); Roman Catholic (15.9%); other Christian (5.5%); other religions (0.3%); no religion (36.7%) (2011) Sources: www.gov.scot; https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Religion_in_Scotland annual [(ÄnjuEl] , jährlich est. (estimate) [(estImEt] , Schätzung first minister [)f§:st (mInIstE] Scot./Wales , Erste(r) Minister(in), Regierungschef(in) GDP (gross domestic product) [)dZi: di: (pi:] , BIP (Bruttoinlandsprodukt) quarter [(kwO:tE] , Quartal
26
Business Spotlight 3/2017
call upon a number of exports that the world associates with the country. Its most famous, Scotch whisky, generated almost £4 billion (about €4.6 billion) in 2015 alone. For the same year, the Scotch Whisky Association calculates that 38 bottles of Scotch whisky “were shipped overseas each second”. Whisky, along with favourites such as Scottish salmon, ensures that food and drink is Scotland’s largest international export. The US continues to be the largest international importer of Scottish goods, followed by EU partners the Netherlands, accounting for £2.3 billion, and France and Germany, each at £1.8 billion. Another increasingly important industry for Scotland is renewable energy. The country is responsible for 60 per cent of the UK’s total onshore wind capacity. In 2015, Scottish Renewables announced that “renewable electricity generation is now equivalent to approximately 59.4 per cent of Scotland’s electricity consumption”. Several German energy firms with a focus on renewables are already active in Scotland. Perhaps Brexit has focused people’s minds, but exploring investment possibilities was enough to prompt Bavarian economics minister Ilse Aigner to lead a 28-firm delegation to Scotland in March 2017. Tourism is also central to the long-term sustainability of Scottish finances. Nearly 15 million people visited Scotland in 2015, adding almost £9 billion to the economy, with visitor numbers from Germany second only to those from the US. Many head to cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, though the beautiful landscapes of the Highlands and Islands also attract many. The cleverly marketed North Coast 500 encapsulates northern Scotland’s appeal: taking its cue from the US’s Route 66 and Germany’s Romantic Road, this 500-mile, largely coastal drive includes castles, mountains, wildlife, golf courses, whisky distilleries and — if you’re lucky — even the odd kilt or two. Scotland at a crossroads From the delights of the North Coast 500, it is difficult to perceive that Scotland could be at a historic turning point. In one direction, there is hard Brexit, followed by independence and Scotland embracing the EU — though whether Scotland would adopt the euro as its currency (as
“TOURISM IS CENTRAL TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF SCOTTISH FINANCES” account for sth.
ensure sth. [In(SO:] , etw. gewährleisten
[E(kaUnt fO:]
, etw. ausmachen
adopt sth. [E(dQpt] , etw. annehmen; hier: einführen call upon sth. [(kO:l E)pQn] , etw. (für sich) in Anspruch nehmen crossroads [(krQsrEUdz] , Kreuzung; hier: Scheideweg cue: take one’s ~ from sth. [kju:] , von etw. inspiriert sein embrace sth. [Im(breIs]
, etw. annehmen;
hier: sich zu etw. bekennen encapsulate sth.
[In(kÄpsjuleIt] , etw. zusammenfassen;
hier: sinnbildlich darstellen
golf course [(gQlf kO:s] , Golfplatz head to (a place) [(hed tu] , zu (einem Ort) fahren odd [Qd] , gelegentliche(r,s) perceive sth. [pE(si:v]
, etw. wahrnehmen,
spüren
prompt sb. to do sth. [)prQmpt tE (du:] , jmdn. veranlassen, etw. zu tun renewable [ri(nju:Eb&l] , erneuerbar; erneuerbare
Energie
salmon [(sÄmEn] , Lachs ship sth. [SIp] , etw. versenden
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Top export: Scottish whisky is famous worldwide
GOOD TO KNOW Scots do business in a way very similar to people in the rest of the UK (see Business Spotlight 4/2014). The Scots are proud of their culture: 62 per cent say their identity is “Scottish only”; 18 per cent say they are Scottish and British; eight per cent say they are only British. Don’t say “England” when you mean the “United Kingdom”, or “English” when you mean “British”. Like Scotland, England is just one country within the United Kingdom. Scots (in Scotland) won’t mind being reminded they live in Britain, but certainly would be annoyed if they were told they live in England.
Fotos: panos pictures; privat
Scotland has 790 islands, 110 of which are inhabited, with a total population of 104,000 people. Orkney is regularly voted the best place to live in Scotland. The Highlands and Islands are rural regions home to around 470,000 people. They have an entrepreneurial spirit: there is on average a higher number of businesses and start-ups there than in the rest of Scotland.
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
annoy sb. [E(nOI]
, verärgern
entrepreneurial
[)QntrEprE(n§:riEl]
, unternehmerisch
(denkend) inhabited
[In(hÄbItId]
, bewohnt
rural [(rUErEl] , ländlich
EU rules suggest) is still not clear. Alternatively, there is Brexit and another failed independence referendum, followed — as David Scrimgeour fears — by greater antagonism between England and Scotland. Scotland, however, is arguably a more confident nation than it was two decades ago. Since devolution in 1999, it has had its own parliament, which is steadily taking on more powers and responsibilities from the UK parliament in London, around 400 miles from Edinburgh. The Scottish parliament has hugely symbolic as well as practical importance in Scotland, stresses Scrimgeour, “particularly in the way it has enabled genuine debate on Brexit and independence”. It might be true that the high point of SNP power has come and gone, highlighted by the fact that it no longer has an absolute majority in the Scottish parliament. But SNP leader Sturgeon is determined that another independence referendum will come: “It is becoming ever clearer that this is a choice that Scotland must make,” she said in January. In March 2017, the Scottish parliament voted in favour of a referendum, which will have to be negotiated with the UK government. Scotland would like to hold the referendum between the autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019 — a timetable that would coincide with the end of Brexit negotiations. David Scrimgeour thinks that the results will be different this time. “None of the problems — such as currency and economy — outlined in the first referendum have been solved,” he says. “But on balance, the way the UK government is behaving, I expect independence for Scotland.” arguably [(A:gjuEbli]
genuine [(dZenjuIn]
, wohl
, echt; hier: ehrlich
coincide with sth.
highlight sth. [(haIlaIt] , etw. hervorheben
[)kEUIn(saId wID]
, mit etw. (zeitlich) zusammenfallen
devolution [)di:vE(lu:S&n] , hier: Übertragung von Machtbefugnissen an das schottische Parlament
on balance [)Qn (bÄlEns] , unterm Strich outline sth. [(aUtlaIn] , etw. umreißen steadily [(stedIli] , kontinuierlich stress sth. [stres] , etw. betonen
PAUL WHEATLEY is a British-born writer, specializing in culture, travel, business and history. Contact: pwspotlight@runbox.com
3/2017 Business Spotlight
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LANGUAGE TEST BUSINESS ENGLISH
Test-run your business English Wer einen Nachweis seiner Englischkenntnisse erbringen möchte, macht einen Sprachtest. Aber welcher Test ist geeignet? Und muss es überhaupt ein Test sein? Wir informieren und präsentieren Übungen, die so oder ähnlich Teil eines Tests sein könnten. EASY MEDIUM ADVANCED
Illustrationen: iStock
English at work: test your skills
EXAMINATIONS, ASSESSMENTS AND TESTS
HILDEGARD RUDOLPH is a certified translator and a freelance editor, teacher and book author. Contact: bs.lektorat@spotlight-verlag.de
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Business Spotlight 3/2017
An “examination”, or “exam”, is normally taken at school or university, or at the end of a training course. An “assessment” evaluates a person’s level of proficiency and skills over a period of time or at a certain point in time. It can be formal or informal. A “test” is more standardized than an assessment, and the candidate gets a certificate showing the marks they received. You can fail an exam or test but not an assessment.
LANGUAGE TEST
WHAT LANGUAGE SKILLS ARE NEEDED? When applying for a job for which English is required, you should find out exactly what language skills are needed and at what level. Do you have to be “fluent in English” or do you just need “a good knowledge of English”? Are writing skills more important than speaking competence, or vice versa? Also, does your employer want proof of your language skills in the form of a qualification or certificate, or is previous experience working in English more important?
1. On the phone (6 points) If you work at reception, as a PA or in customer service, you will probably need to make phone calls in English. Choose the appropriate responses to make this telephone conversation sound professional and polite. PA: Braun Leuchten GmbH, mein Name ist Karin Müller. Was kann ich für Sie tun? Customer: Hello, Ms Müller. This is Tim Sawyer from Industrial Lighting Ltd in Bristol. Do you speak English?
2. A visitor arrives (6 points)
PA: (A–1) Yes, of course. What do you want? (A–2) Yes, of course. How can I help you? Customer: May I speak to Mr Braun, please?
If you work at reception, you will also have to welcome visitors. Match the questions and answers to form short dialogues.
PA: (B–1) I’m afraid he’s not in the office at the moment. (B–2) S orry, he’s out now. Customer: Do you know when he’ll be back?
A. How was your flight? B. Have you been to our company before? C. Could you enter your name in this list, please? D. Would you mind taking a seat for a moment? E. Would you like something to drink? F. Just let me know if you need anything else.
PA: (C–1) No. Shall I tell him something? (C–2) I’m afraid not. Would you like to leave a message? Customer: Could you ask him to call me back?
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
PA: (D–1) Yes, of course. Could you give me your number, please? (D–2) Yes, but I need your number. Customer: I’ll give you my mobile number. It’s 0044-162-0333. PA: (E–1) Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t catch the number. Could you repeat it, please? (E–2) That was too fast. Please say the number again. Customer: 0044-162-0333. And I’ll be in the office until 7 p.m. today.
OK, thanks. A cappuccino would be great. Yes, I have — two or three years ago. Well, it was a bit rough because of the strong winds. No, not at all. A– ; B– ; C– ; Yes, of course. D– ; E– ; F–
PA: (F–1) OK, Mr Sawyer. If I see Mr Braun later, I tell him. (F–2) Thank you, Mr Sawyer. I’ll ask Mr Braun to call you as soon as he’s back. Customer: Thank you, Ms Müller. Goodbye.
Make a good impression!
LANGUAGE TEST
3/2017 Business Spotlight
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HOW TO PREPARE FOR A TEST To perform well in a test, you need to prepare well. You can take a preparation course or use selfstudy books. Other options include listening to English-language radio, watching English films or television, and reading English books, newspapers and websites. To practise your writing skills, write texts in English and ask a teacher or native speaker to look at them. To practise your speaking skills, meet regularly with English-speaking friends or colleagues. And remember: “less is more”. Practise for a short time every day rather than for a longer time once a week.
3. A business letter (10 points) Mistakes in business correspondence do not make a good impression. The letter below is supposed to be in proper British English. Mark the mistakes and write in the corrections below. (A) Dear Mrs Sanders (B) Thank you very much for the interesting informations about your latest digital coffee maker. (C) Our shops are selling your products for almost ten years now. (D) This appliance is further proof that your company is the most innovative manufacturer in your branch. (E) Its really great! (F) We also appreciate that every single part is produced in your own company, even though labor costs are much lower in Asia. (G) You offered to make one of your new coffee makers available to us so that we can get some practise using it. (H) Could you send one until the end of this month so that we can test it during the summer campaign? (I) By the way, know you that some customers have already expressed interest in it? (J) I’m sure they will the coffee maker buy as soon as we have it on our shelves. Best regards Anthony Scooper Sales Manager A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J.
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Business Spotlight 3/2017
Hello, pleased to meet you
4. A job interview (7 points) Interviews at international companies are often held in English. Put the words in the correct order. HR manager: Mr Martins, thanks for applying for our vacancy as head of sales for China. What can you tell me about yourself? Martins: up in Beijing, / my father / where / at the / worked / I grew / British embassy A. . HR: Why are you leaving your current job? Martins: discontinued / A / took over / all / with China / business / and / competitor B. . HR: Why do you think you are qualified for this position? Martins: business / I can / back / on over / with Asia / ten years / look / doing / of C. . HR: Why should we hire you in particular? Martins: well / Mandarin fluently /China and / speak / and know / the Chinese / I D. . HR: How can you bring added value to our firm? Martins: great value / expertise / be of / your company / My intercultural / will / to E. . HR: What are your salary expectations? Martins: the basic / but would / sales bonus / like / I / salary / about / agree with / to talk / the F. . HR: We can discuss that. When could you start? Martins: mean / Does / the job / that I / this / got / have G. ?
LANGUAGE TEST
WHICH TEST SHOULD YOU TAKE? If you take a business English test, you should choose one that is based on valid standards and is widely recognized. In 2001, the Council of Europe introduced the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF or CEFR). In German, this is the Gemeinsamer europäischer Referenzrahmen für Sprachen (GeR or GeRS). The aim of this framework is to standardize the levels of language learning and exams across Europe. It is applied by language schools and institutions of adult education, and is used by publishers in their coursebooks and other learning materials. You can download a list of the main business English tests and CEF levels at www.businessspotlight.de/qualifications
5. What did you negotiate? (7 points) If you have to negotiate terms and conditions, you need to get all the details right. In the dialogue below, Thomas wants to make sure he has understood everything that his colleague negotiated. Ask questions that can be answered with the words and phrases in bold. Thomas: Lisa, could you update me on your negotiations for the latest order of coffee makers? Lisa: Yes, of course. Here are the important details. We ordered (A) 200 digital coffee makers. The unit price is €599. They have given us a discount of five per cent (B) because we are a regular customer. The delivery date is (C) 30 November. If we require earlier delivery, the unit price will increase (D) by 15 per cent because of overtime payments to their production staff. If they are unable to meet the delivery date, they will have to pay (E) a contractual penalty of 20 per cent of the order value. For technical support, we can contact (F) their technical staff any time. The company offers a five-year guarantee on all their products. The coffee makers are produced (G) in their factory in Dover, so transport will be by ship and train.
6. Financial matters (8 points) If you work in the financial department of an international company, you have to be familiar with some key financial terms in English. Choose the correct word in each case. In the third and fourth quarters of the last business year, our company strengthened its position in the market for household appliances. We (A) spent/saved more on marketing campaigns, and our (B) revenues/expenses increased by four per cent. The (C) profits/losses of the two preceding years could be turned into a plus, so our shareholders will receive a dividend once again. After deducting all costs, we had an average (D) gross/net margin on all our products of eight per cent. This can be partly attributed to our decision to start selling our products directly to (E) retailers/wholesalers. However, as a result of the technological challenges of the market, development costs (F) fell/rose by three per cent. As we had to invest more in technological research, our R&D budget shows a slight (G) deficit/ surplus. But we are in the fortunate position of being able to offset this by drawing money from our (H) debts/reserves.
We can work together
A. B. C. Illustrationen: iStock
D. E. F. G.
LANGUAGE TEST
3/2017 Business Spotlight
33
7. Understanding information (6 points)
➻ TEST YOUR LISTENING SKILLS! You can get five extra points by doing our special listening exercise on voicemail messages at www.business-spotlight.de/listening-test
Being able to read a text and understand it quickly so that you can summarize its content for someone else is an important business skill. Read this short text once and then — without looking at it again — decide whether the statements are true or false. Manchester. In a press conference at “My Home Is my Castle”, the international trade fair for contemporary living, Carl Knight, co-founder and former CEO of Homes, a company that has developed a new digital coffee maker, said that Homes has had an excellent year on the domestic market and now plans to expand to Asia and South America. Next June, the first Homes store will be opened in Buenos Aires. Two months later, another flagship store will follow in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. With the new digital coffee maker, coffee can be made from both whole beans and ground coffee, but not from instant coffee. The first 50 buyers of the new coffee maker will receive a free package of fair-trade coffee. And the first 1,000 buyers will take part in a competition to win a weekend for two at a spa. A. Homes plans to expand to Asia and South America. B. “ My Home Is my Castle” is a trade fair for the domestic market. C. The first South American Homes store will be opened next July. D. One of the first 1,000 buyers will win a weekend for two at a spa. E. Only ground coffee and instant coffee can be used in the new digital coffee maker. F. The first 15 buyers of the coffee maker will win a package of fair-trade coffee.
1. On the phone
A–2; B–1; C–2; D–1; E–1; F–2
2. A visitor arrives
A–4; B–3; C–6; D–5; E–2; F–1
3. A business letter
A. Ms (When addressing a woman in a business letter, you should use “Ms” unless you know the person prefers “Mrs”.) B. information (This noun is not countable; it is used only in the singular.) C. have been selling (With “for” (seit), the present perfect is needed.) D. sector/industry (This is a false friend; sector/industry = Branche; branch = Filiale, Niederlassung.) E. It’s (it’s = it is; its = possessive pronoun/determiner) F. labour (This is a letter written in British English; “labor” is US English.) G. practice (You need the noun “practice” here; “practise” is the spelling of the verb in British English.) H. by (by = spätestens bis; until = die ganze Zeit bis) I. do/did you know… ? (Question forms require an auxiliary verb, such as “do”, “does” or “did”.) J. they will buy the coffee maker… (A complex verb is not split by an object in English.) A. I grew up in Beijing, where my father worked at the British embassy. B. A competitor took over and discontinued all business with China. C. I can look back on over ten years of doing business with Asia. D. I speak Mandarin fluently and know China and the Chinese well.
40–50 30–39 18–29
Note: In order to be able
Excellent!
Business Spotlight 3/2017
Congratulations! Your English-language skills are excellent and you know how to apply them in typical business situations.
Well done!
You did well, and with some more opportunities to practise your Englishlanguage skills, you will improve even further.
E. M y intercultural expertise will be of great value to your company. F. I agree with the basic salary but would like to talk about the sales bonus. G. D oes this mean that I have got the job?
5. What did you negotiate?
A. How many digital coffee makers did we order? B. Why have we been given a discount? C. When is the delivery date? D. How much will the unit price increase if we require earlier delivery? E. What will they have to pay if they are unable to meet the delivery date? F. Who can we contact if we need technical support? G. Where are the coffee makers produced?
6. Financial matters
A. spent B. revenues C. losses D. net (net margin = Nettogewinnspanne) E. retailers F. rose G. deficit H. reserves = Rücklagen
7. Understanding information
4. A job interview
HOW DID YOU DO? to compare your language knowledge across different areas of business English, all Business Spotlight tests have a maximum possible score of 50 points.
34
ANSWERS
Good
A. true B. false (It is an international trade fair.) C. false (It will be opened next June.) D. true E. false (Whole beans and ground coffee can be used.) F. false (The first 50 buyers will win.)
You are able to deal with certain English-language situations in your job. You should take the test again in order to gain more confidence.
Up to 17 Could do better
You have a basic knowledge of business English, but there is lots of room for improvement. Take every opportunity you get to improve your language skills.
LANGUAGE TEST
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VIEWPOINT IT’S PERSONAL
“Brand names risk losing the right to a trademark”
™
Welche Voraussetzungen muss ein Name erfüllen, um markenrechtlich geschützt zu werden? Und wann ist dieses Recht verwirkt? ADVANCED PLUS
Foto: Shutterstock
T
here were more than a few raised eyebrows when British optician group Specsavers applied last year to trademark not a name, logo, colour or slogan but the commonly used contraction “should’ve”. Some lawyers described the plan to monopolize a verb as “surprising” and “astonishing”, predicting it would be difficult to achieve. Letters of opposition were sent to the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO), but the retail chain has now successfully won control over both “should’ve” and the irritatingly apostrophe-free variant, “shouldve”. The company is famous for its advertising slogan “Should’ve gone to Spec savers”, a quip now widely used for moments when people mess up because they can’t see what they are doing. It was trademarked years ago. But was the IPO right to allow Specsavers ownership of one ordinary word from that line? Well, it’s not without precedent. The Danish brewer Carlsberg succeeded in trademarking “probably” back in 1994, and, of course, there are brands whose names are existing nouns, such as Apple, Amazon and the football club Chelsea. Clearly, then, a trademark doesn’t “privatize” language, as some worried observers have suggested. A London bus won’t be in trouble for having Chelsea written on its front and you won’t hear from a lawyer when you tell a colleague they “should’ve” read this column. A trademark is a commercial tool to stop competitors
VIEWPOINT
ELISABETH RIBBANS is a British journalist and editorial consul tant. She is also a former managing editor of The Guardian in London.
➳ Contact: eribbans@ gmail.com
marketing products under someone else’s brand identity. In 2016, the US retailer Costco was ordered to pay $13.75 million to Tiffany & Co. for selling rings under the luxury jeweller’s name. Costco tried unsuccessfully to argue that “Tiffany” had become a generic name for a type of ring setting. It is indeed an irony of business success that, when a brand becomes a household name, it risks losing the right to a trademark in some countries. From “escalator” to “yo-yo”, from “aspirin” to “trampoline”, English is full of words that were once written with a capital letter because they were exclusively brand names. You’d think Google would be delighted that we use its name as a verb, but it works hard to make sure we don’t. Specsavers will be thrilled to have taken a verb in the opposite direction, especially considering the power of single words in social-media promotion (#shouldve). Some will question how “should’ve” was considered sufficiently linked with the business to secure a trademark — and may be rightly concerned that it ties up the word across multiple goods, including paper products. Whatever the case, we should keep our eyes peeled as more companies follow Specsavers’ example. brewer [(bru:E]
, Brauer(in); hier: Brauerei
escalator [(eskEleItE] , Rolltreppe generic name [dZE)nerIk (neIm]
, Gattungsname; hier:
allgemeine Bezeichnung household name [)haUshEUld (neIm]
, allgemein bekannter
Name/Begriff
Intellectual Property Office (IPO) [IntE)lektSuEl (prQpEti )QfIs] UK
, britisches Patentamt
keep one’s eyes peeled [)ki:p wVnz (aIz )pi:&ld]
, wachsam sein
mess sth. up [)mes (Vp] ifml. , etw. verpfuschen optician [Qp(tIS&n] , Optiker(in) precedent: it’s not without ~ [(presIdEnt] , es gibt bereits einen Präzedenzfall predict sth. [pri(dIkt] , etw. prognostizieren quip [kwIp] , Witzelei retail chain [(ri:teI&l tSeIn]
, Einzelhandelskette
retailer [(ri:teI&lE]
, Einzelhändler
secure a trademark [sI)kjUEr E (treIdmA:k]
, markenrechtlichen
Schutz erlangen
setting [(setIN] , Einfassung thrilled: be ~ [TrIld] , hier: etw. erfreut zur Kenntnis nehmen tie sth. up [)taI (Vp] , hier: die Nutzung einschränken trademark (sth.) [(treIdmA:k] , (Handels-)Marke; etw.
als Marke registrieren
3/2017 Business Spotlight
39
Email: still a useful tool?
DEBATE HEAD-TO-HEAD
Fotos: iStock; Markus Herb; privat
Do we still need email at work? Auch am Arbeitsplatz erfolgt die Kommunikation zunehmend über neue Medien. Brauchen wir da überhaupt noch E-Mails? Ja und nein, wie JULIAN EARWAKER erfahren hat. ADVANCED AUDIO
40
Business Spotlight 3/2017
DEBATE
YES
NO
“There’s no way around email for key communication” Frank Strzyzewski
“Email is used as a way to avoid interpersonal communication” Chris Green
Email has characteristics that are as yet unchallenged by new technologies. It’s an open FRANK STRZYZEWSKI is an Simple Mail Transfer Protocol email marketing expert, (SMTP), not controlled by any author, lecturer and CEO single country, corporation or of XQueue GmbH (https://www.xqueue.de) secret service. If a company replaces email with, for example, WhatsApp, you lose that openness. And what happens if WhatsApp doubles its price? Email is interwoven with modern e-commerce, where we use it for identification and communication, for push channels and for B2C and B2B communication. So why abandon it at work? We are seeing more in-house and team communication taking place via chat and collaboration tools. It’s possible to replace email with, for example, Slack. But what if you work as part of an international team that includes other companies and countries that use different platforms? In the next couple of years, HTML5 will deliver a world of interaction in email, with embedded video, audio, etc. I expect more activity relating to email on mobile devices. One or more tablet or mobile phone manufacturers will surely come up with an HTML5 email client, and I expect Microsoft to develop Outlook as a safe channel for HTML5. In future, you may not even know whether it’s a WhatsApp message, email, text message or whatever. But SMTP is still the common denominator and, in one way or another, collaboration tools have to adapt and integrate email and work with its shortcomings. There’s no way around email for key communication. Email can be a distraction at work; however, we see the same behaviour with mobile phone use and chat tools. If email is being used in the wrong way, people need to be managed better. It’s easy to dedicate two hours a day to working on emails, and the rest to doing other work. Email will be challenged, but we hardly have any clients who have stopped using email, because they don’t have a better alternative. At events and conferences, people always ask whether we really need email. But when I ask how many of the audience have stopped using email, or plan to do so, I’ve never seen anybody put their hand up. The “email-is-dead” discussion has been going on for ten years now — and email is still here.
Email has lost its way mainly because of oversaturation, even in the B2B sector. The sheer volCHRIS GREEN is an ume of email makes it impractiaward-winning technology cal to manage effectively. Trying commentator and head of to find that one per cent of usemedia services UK at LEWIS (www.teamlewis.com) ful content is time-consuming and extremely frustrating. The technology isn’t necessarily at fault; people simply use email more and more inappropriately, making it more and more ineffective. We need to rethink workplace communication and get people talking to each other again. I have seen offices where people sit next to each other and never speak, but send each other 50 emails a day. By getting up and walking three metres across a room to ask somebody a question, you can resolve a query in 60 seconds and save seven or eight emails. We have to get people to stop using email as a way to avoid interpersonal communication. It is also important to curb the use of email outside designated work hours. In the past three to five years, instant messaging has become a valuable business tool in place of email, bringing the immediacy back to communication. This is largely because of developments in technology, things such as the integration of Skype into platforms like Office 365. Services such as Jabber and Zoom are doing well, as are social networking platforms in the workplace, like Yammer and Facebook. It’s about people finding the most appropriate way to talk to people. People still send emails for something urgent, when an instant message or something more immediate would be much more appropriate. Email has become a form of tick-box communication: if you send an email, you assume the issue has been dealt with. And people use their inboxes as filing cabinets, which has implications for security and information management. Email has a future only if we are more strategic in how and where we use it. We’ve got to be more astute about all of our communication, to be able to identify and use the right platform at the right time. There’s a time for email and a time for instant messaging, and there’s also a time to get off your backside and go and speak to people.
inappropriately
interwoven
, unangemessen; hier: im Übermaß
, verflochten, verknüpft
, etw. aufgeben
abandon sth. [E(bÄndEn]
curb sth. [k§:b] , etw. eindämmen
embedded [Im(bedId] , integriert
appropriate
dedicate sth. to sth.
filing cabinet
, geeignet
, hier: etw. für etw. aufwenden
, Akten-, Ablageschrank
designated
[)get Qf wVnz (bÄksaId]
[E(prEUpriEt]
astute: be ~ about sth. [E(stju:t]
, mit etw. klug umgehen
common denominator
[)kQmEn di(nQmIneItE]
, gemeinsamer Nenner
DEBATE
[(dedIkeIt tu]
[(faI&lIN )kÄbInEt]
get off one’s backside
[(dezIgneItId]
, hier: festgelegt
UK ifml. , den Hintern hochkriegen
distraction [dI(strÄkS&n] , Ablenkung
implication [)ImplI(keIS&n] , Auswirkung
[)InE(prEUpriEtli]
inbox [(InbQks] , Posteingang instant messaging
[)InstEnt (mesIdZIN]
, sofortige Nachrichtenübermittlung
[)IntE(wEUv&n]
issue [(ISu:] , Frage, Sachverhalt oversaturation
[)EUvEsÄtSE(reIS&n] , Übersättigung
push channel
[(pUS )tSÄn&l]
, Push-Kanal
query [(kwIEri] , (An-)Frage resolve sth. [ri(zQlv] , etw. klären shortcoming
[(SO:t)kVmIN]
, Unzulänglichkeit, Defizit
tick box [(tIk bQks] UK , Kontrollkästchen world [w§:ld] , hier: Fülle
3/2017 Business Spotlight
41
BUSINESS SKILLS TIME MANAGEMENT
TAKING CONTROL Das Arbeitspensum, das jeder zu absolvieren hat, nimmt ständig zu. Und die Aufgaben werden immer komplexer. Um all das zu stemmen, ist es wichtiger denn je, seine Zeit richtig ein- und aufzuteilen. BOB DIGNEN erklärt, wie das gelingen kann. MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS
next sections, we look at five key areas to help you to think about this. You will find further questions that you can ask yourself about these five areas in our language reference section on page 47.
The problem with time management
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
Time management concerns the behaviours, processes and tools that enable individuals to increase their efficiency at work and, with it, the performance of their organizations. But efficiency often comes with a price. The constant pressure to be more efficient can lead to stress, alienation, demotivation and output that is of poor quality. Further, the increasing uncertainty and complexity of business life makes traditional planning approaches less useful. Why should you try to plan and manage time when the future is so uncertain and competing goals and processes have to be reconciled? In fact, we need to move away from the traditional idea of managing time in mechanistic ways. Instead, we must develop effective self-management within volatile environments. The aim should be to enable individuals to deploy their strengths effectively, work towards meaningful and motivating goals, and plan (and replan) pragmatically. In the 42
Business Spotlight 3/2017
1. Understanding time challenges
Two key factors that shape our relationship to time are the “external” organizational context and our “internal” psychology. a) The external world To analyse your organizational context, think about these questions: Uncertainty. How unpredictable is your workload on a weekly basis? Complexity. How many complex tasks do you need to perform each week? Dependency. How much do you depend on the authority of others to do your job? Conflict. To what extent do your goals compete with the priorities of others in the organization? Global. To what extent does your role require international collaboration? The more uncertain, complex, dependent, competitive and global your work environment is, the more difficult it will be for you to manage your working schedule. Possible solutions are to move from tight to pragmatic planning processes, not to promise to deliver too much too quickly and to build time buffers into project plans. Also, conflicts and dependencies should be discussed openly, and time should be spent building relations with (international) colleagues.
b) The inner world We also need to examine and manage our internal orientation to time. One model for profiling individual psychology is the Team Management Profile developed by TMSDI. The idea is that individuals invest time differently at work, based on their preferences for doing certain types of work in certain ways. (For details, go to www. tmsworldwide.com/tms07.html.) To start to understand your own preferences, think about your answers to the following questions: Do you like to invest a lot of time in collecting and analysing information before taking decisions?
⋅⋅
alienation [)eIliE(neIS&n]
, Entfremdung
environment
[In(vaI&rEnmEnt]
, hier: Umfeld
approach [E(prEUtS] , Herangehensweise, Methode
goal [gEUl] , Ziel
challenge [(tSÄlIndZ] , Herausforderung, Schwierigkiet
ergebnis(se)
collaboration
[(rekEnsaI&l]
[kE)lÄbE(reIS&n]
, Zusammenarbeit
come with a price
[)kVm wID E (praIs]
, seinen Preis haben
compete with sb./sth.
output [(aUtpUt] , Leistung(en), Arbeits-
reconcile sth.
, etw. in Einklang bringen
role [rEUl] , hier: Position schedule [(Sedju:l]
, Zeitplan
time buffer
[kEm(pi:t wID]
[(taIm )bVfE] , zeitlicher Puffer
Wettstreit stehen
topic [(tQpIk] , Thema
competing [kEm(pi:tIN] , konkurrierend; hier: schwer vereinbar
[)Vnpri(dIktEb&l]
, mit jmdm./etw. im
unpredictable
, unvorhersehbar
competitive
volatile [(vQlEtaI&l] , unbeständig; hier: sich schnell ändernd
deploy sth. [di(plOI]
workload [(w§:klEUd] , Arbeitspensum
[kEm(petEtIv] , von Wettbewerb geprägt
, etw. einsetzen
BUSINESS SKILLS
Illustration: Gary Waters/Getty Images
T
he increasing demands and complexity of business life mean that time-management skills are more important than ever before. Yet, time management is itself a complex topic, which makes it difficult to offer universal recommendations. In this article, we’ll be giving you the opportunity to think about your own approach to managing time, and to develop a smarter approach that will enable you to become both more productive and more motivated.
“WHY SHOULD YOU TRY TO PLAN AND MANAGE TIME WHEN THE FUTURE IS SO UNCERTAIN?”
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
Do you get bored easily and want to take quick decisions? Do you like to invest time in developing personal relationships and supporting others? Are you impatient to get results and do you regard small talk as a waste of time? Do you prefer to spend time developing future strategies, rather than working on routine tasks? Do you like clearly structured work and schedules, or are you flexible and happy to change plans? Understanding your own approach to time is a key step in helping you to manage your work. Time to think. Think about your current environment and personal time prefe rences. Decide on two things that you will do to improve your approach to time.
2. Focusing on what is valuable
If you ask people what tasks demand their urgent attention, you often hear that “everything is urgent”. It’s an answer that is both right and wrong. Many people are indeed faced with too many competing urgent priorities. But it is essential to identify which tasks are really urgent and will create value for your organization.
Setting clear, higher-level goals with strategic value is everyone’s responsibility. Doing so enables you to create a motivating picture of how your role fits into the organization, to choose which micro-activities will serve high-level strategic goals and to decide which tasks not to do. The same is true of people in leadership positions, who often spend too much time on operational firefighting rather than strategic, conceptual work. Time to think. Reflect on your role and how you can add value to your organization. Identify two things you can do to spend more time on high-value activities.
3. Planning the essentials
There are certain basic tasks that you need to do well if you are to use your time effectively: Allocating. Estimate how many hours (per day, week, month, etc.) you have available for work in order to get a rea listic idea of your personal capacity. Prioritizing. List key tasks or groups of tasks in the order in which they must be completed. This is usually a mixture of planned strategic and ad hoc urgent tasks. Scheduling. Decide when something has to be done, how long it should
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
take and when it has to be finished. Be reaslistic in your scheduling. Qualifying. Think about how much effort should be put into a task. What level of quality is desirable or essential for each task? Coordinating. Think about how best to communicate and coordinate your tasks and output with others to avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary extra meetings. Delegating. If you are in a leadership role, you need to decide how much you can delegate to others. And what is the optimal level of oversight to guarantee the necessary quality? Time to think. Reflect on how well you do these basic time-management tasks. Decide on two things that you would like to improve in the coming weeks.
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
allocate sth. [(ÄlEkeIt]
, Kontrolle
bored: get ~ [bO:d] , sich langweilen
prioritize (several things)
face sb. [feIs] , jmdn. konfrontieren
Andrea James is also frustrated. She brought in international consultants to work on the project for more than 80 hours a week each. But the project is 44
Business Spotlight 3/2017
[praI(QrItaIz]
, (mehrere Dinge) nach Prioritäten ordnen
operational firefighting
qualify sth. [(kwQlIfaI] , etw. relativieren
, das Lösen betrieblicher Probleme
schedule sth. [(Sedju:l] , etw. (zeitlioch) planen
[QpE)reIS&nEl (faIE)faItIN]
Case study: An important project Franz is very frustrated. He is part of the biggest project in his company’s history and is giving it as much time and effort as he possibly can. Yet, he has just been to a meeting at which the project lead, Andrea James, told Franz that he and the local team needed to invest more hours, as the schedule was slipping. Franz has worked more than 50 hours in each of the past three weeks. But now, the project needs more of everyone’s time because it is at a critical milestone. A government inspection on safety is about to take place. If the inspection goes badly, the project could be stopped. Coming away from the meeting, Franz isn’t sure whether he should continue to work on the project or not. It has been a great experience and he is learning a lot, but all the pressure and the negative feedback are things he could live without.
oversight [(EUvEsaIt]
, etw. zuweisen
still falling behind because the local team is not working hard enough. Andrea could bring in more external consultants, but this would cost more money. Also, the relationship between the consultants and the local team is not good, so more externals would cause more problems. The locals are angry about the salaries being paid to the externals, and feel that they are being made to look less efficient by these consul tants who jet in and out. Andrea decides to wait and see how things progress. She is confident that people have the skills to adapt if they are given time.
⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅
What to think about
What time issues are important and typical here? What do you think of Franz’s reaction? What do you think of Andrea’s reaction? How would you resolve the time challenges here?
➻ You will find our feedback on page 46.
bring sb. in [)brIN (In]
, jmdn. hinzuziehen
challenge [(tSÄlIndZ] , Herausforderung, Schwierigkeit consultant [kEn(sVltEnt] , Berater(in) critical [(krItIk&l] , wichtig, entscheidend fall behind
[)fO:l bi(haInd]
, in Verzug geraten
issue [(ISu:] , Frage, Problem milestone [(maI&lstEUn] , Meilenstein, Projektzwischenziel project lead
[)prQdZekt (li:d] , Projektleiter(in)
resolve sth. [ri(zQlv] , etw. lösen schedule [(Sedju:l] , Zeitplan slip [slIp] , rutschen; hier: ins Wanken geraten
BUSINESS SKILLS
“SETTING HIGHER-LEVEL GOALS WITH STRATEGIC VALUE IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY”
4. Managing pressures on planning
However well we plan, outside pressures can disrupt us. Here are some typical cases and how you can deal with them: An important customer has just asked for a proposal. Customers are important and you need to respond quickly. But if your customers are constantly surprising you with proposals, you are probably not close enough to them. Spend more time finding out about their needs and plans. Also, responding too quickly tells your customers that you have time on your hands. If you want to maintain your value, don’t be available at all times. I get so many emails. Not all emails have to be answered immediately. Decide which ones are urgent. Others can be handled with a holding email (“I’ll respond by the end of the week”). And one way to reduce the number of emails you receive is to send fewer. I was so tired last night. Tiredness may indicate that you are not managing your energy levels well enough: poor diet, not enough sleep, not enough downtime, not enough
⋅⋅
Illustration: Gary Waters/Getty Images
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
BUSINESS SKILLS
exercise. Tiredness may also be the result of poor planning: you shouldn’t be doing important things when you’re tired. Adopt a lifestyle that enables you to perform when you need to. I waste a lot of time travelling. OK, but airport lounges, airplanes and trains often make excellent offices. Also, taxi rides provide time for informal phone calls. I have too many meetings. Meetings are only as good or bad as the people attending them. Try having regular, shorter meetings to set priorities. And
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
adopt sth. [E(dQpt]
, etw. annehmen
diet [(daIEt] , hier: Ernährung
holding [(hEUldIN] , hier: die Antwort auf
einen späteren Zeitpunkt verschiebend
disrupt sb. [dIs(rVpt]
indicate sth. [(IndIkeIt] , auf etw. hindeuten
downtime [(daUntaIm] US , Pause(n), Auszeit(en)
maintain sth. [meIn(teIn] , etw. aufrechterhalten, behalten
, jmdn. stören
exercise [(eksEsaIz] , körperliche Betätigung have time on one’s hands [)hÄv (taIm Qn wVnz hÄndz]
, viel (freie) Zeit haben
KEY TIPS! • Think about the external and internal factors that influence your approach to time management. • Focus your attention on activities that bring real value to your organization. • Think clearly about how you set priorities and schedule your work activities. • Don’t use typical excuses (too many emails, too many meetings, etc.) to justify poor time management. • Adapt your approach to time management whenever the situation changes.
make [meIk] , hier: darstellen, sein proposal
[prE(pEUz&l]
, Vorschlag, Angebot
approach [E(prEUtS] , Herangehensweise schedule sth. [(Sedju:l] , etw. (zeitlich) planen
3/2017 Business Spotlight
45
“IF YOU DON’T CONTROL TIME, TIME WILL CONTROL YOU” Case study: Feedback (see p. 44)
challenge [(tSÄlIndZ]
, Herausforderung,
Schwierigkeit
What time issues are important and typical here? Many organizations ask people to work on projects in addition to their normal job. This often overloads people who are already overloaded. The case also shows the challenges that may arise when international consultants are involved. Such consultants are often expected to work exceptionally long hours, which not only puts pressure on the consultants but also on the local teams, who have homes and families to go to and may resent the pressure that the external consultants are creating. What do you think of Franz’s reaction? Franz’s reaction is typical of many people faced with such pressure on projects But frustration is seldom a constructive emotion, and it can lead to blaming others unfairly and to poor decision-making. Franz needs to meet Andrea to talk through the issues and to negotiate a solution that will enable him to continue working on and also to keep learning from the project. 46
Business Spotlight 3/2017
What do you think of Andrea’s reaction? Andrea also feels a natural sense of frustration, but she shows more understanding of the problems between the external consultants and the team. Her confidence that people will adapt to the situation shows that she has a positive outlook. But there is a risk that, if she waits and does nothing, the situation may escalate to a serious conflict. How would you resolve the time challenges here? In such situations, there are never any perfect solutions. But managers who recruit staff for project teams need to communicate openly right from the start — both with individuals and teams — about the potential pressures. They also need to provide support, and possibly extra resources — particularly at times around key milestones, when the pressures are greatest. Taking time to advise external consultants not to overload the local staff can help to reduce the risk of conflict. It is also important to motivate local teams with explicit praise, and to provide time for local team members to improve their skills via the project. This encourages people to give more time to the project, as they are then likely to see it as an investment in their future careers.
consultant [kEn(sVltEnt] , Berater(in) face sb. [feIs] , jmdn. konfrontieren food for thought
[)fu:d fE (TO:t] , Denkanstoß/-anstöße
issue [(ISu:] , Frage, Problem long hours: work ~
[)lQN (aUEz] , lange arbeiten
milestone [(maI&lstEUn] , Meilenstein, Projektzwischenziel negotiate sth. [nI(gEUSieIt] , etw. aushandeln overload sb. [)EUvE(lEUd]
, jmdn. überlasten
recruit sb. [ri(kru:t] , jmdn. rekrutieren resent sth. [ri(zent] , sich über etw. ärgern resolve sth. [ri(zQlv] , etw. lösen resources [ri(zO:sIz]
, Mittel
BUSINESS SKILLS
Illustration: Gary Waters/Getty Images
The following comments are provided as food for thought. Different interpretations are, of course, possible.
make sure you yourself don’t prolong meetings with long or irrelevant contributions. My boss asked me for support. If you have a boss with poor time-management skills, it’s important to learn to say no. Otherwise, they will never learn that poor time management is bad for them, you and your relationship. I can do it tomorrow instead. This may be a sensible adjustment to your plan. But be aware of putting things off just because you think something is difficult or unpleasant. A simple rule is: “engage, do not delay”. This can help you to avoid feeling guilty, give you a sense of achievement and keep others happy. Time to think. Which of these excuses do you use to justify your poor time management? Decide on two that you will no longer use and adapt your behaviour.
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
5. Learning to use your time better
We are changing constantly at work, learning new skills and taking on new roles. So, your use of time should always be adapting, too. You need to take the time to talk to colleagues and business partners about time management — and about mutual and conflicting priorities. Time to think. Think about how your use of time has changed over the past years and how it might evolve. Talk to two people about ways to manage this change.
Conclusion
If you don’t control time, time will control you. By understanding your own approach to time, thinking about what is valuable to your organization, doing the organizational basics well, cutting out interruptions and regularly adapting your approach to time management, you can enjoy a healthier and more productive relationship to work. But it’s up to you. If you don’t take the time to do it, who will?
adjustment [E(dZVstmEnt] , Anpassung, Berichtigung
mutual [(mju:tSuEl] , gegenseitig
contribution [)kQntrI(bju:S&n] , Beitrag
prolong sth. [prEU(lQN] , etw. verlängern; hier: in die Länge ziehen
cut sth. out [)kVt (aUt] , hier: etw. ausschalten engage [In(geIdZ] , sich mit etw. befassen evolve [i(vQlv] , sich entwickeln feel guilty [)fi:&l (gIlti] , ein schlechtes Gewissen haben
put sth. off [)pUt (Qf] , etw. aufschieben sense of achievement: a ~
[)sens Ev E(tSi:vmEnt] , ein Gefühl, etwas geleistet
zu haben
sensible [(sensEb&l] , sinnvoll
These questions will help you to reflect on the time challenges that you and your team are facing and use your time effectively.
⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
Understanding time challenges
What can I/we do to manage the uncertainties? What aspects of complexity are causing time pressures? What dependencies might delay decision-making? What conflicts might cause time problems? What international relationships do I need to improve?
⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅
Focusing on what is valuable
How should I be spending my time? What is our ultimate goal here? What is our strategy? Why are we doing this? What’s the return on investment for this project? What happens if we don’t do this?
⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅
Planning the essentials
How much time do I/we have this week? What do I/we need to prioritize? How long can I/we spend on this? When does it need to be done by? What level of quality is desirable/essential? Who do I/we need to communicate with about this?
⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
Managing pressures on planning
What might stop me/us from achieving this? What stands in my/our way here? How can I/we avoid this from happening? What do I/we need to say no to today? What’s the best way to handle emails/meetings?
⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
Learning to use your time better
How can I/we improve my/our time management? What do I/we do efficiently and where can I/we optimize? What new time-management issues are likely to arise? What should I/we do to manage these new challenges? What skills do I/we need to manage my/our time better?
achieve sth. [E(tSi:v] , etw. ausführen, zustande
take sth. on [)teIk (Qn] , etw. übernehmen
bringen
up: be ~ to sb. [Vp] , an jmdm. liegen
challenge [(tSÄlIndZ] , Herausforderung, Schwierigkeit
BOB DIGNEN is a director of York Associates (www.york-associates. co.uk) and author of many business English books. Contact: bob.dignen@york-associates.co.uk
BUSINESS SKILLS
Language reference
by [baI] , hier: spätestens
face sth. [feIs] , etw. gegenüberstehen goal [gEUl] , Ziel issue [(ISu:] , Frage, Problem
prioritize (several things) [praI(QrItaIz]
, (mehrere Dinge) nach Prioritäten ordnen
return on investment
[ri)t§:n Qn In(vestmEnt]
, Kapitalrendite; hier:
Rentabilität
➻ For more tips on communication skills, watch our “Business with Bob” series of videos at www.business-spotlight.de/videos/bob 3/2017 Business Spotlight
47
BUSINESS SKILLS PERSONAL TRAINER
Negotiating with international sales partners Als Ihr Personal Trainer gibt KEN TAYLOR Ihnen Expertentipps, wie Sie Ihre Kompetenzen im Geschäftsalltag verbessern können. Hier spricht er mit einem deutschen Vertriebsleiter über wichtige Aspekte bei Verhandlungen mit ausländischen Geschäftspartnern. MEDIUM AUDIO
B2B (business to business) [)bi: tE (bi:] , Geschäftsbeziehungen zwischen Unternehmen based: be ~ in... [beIst] , seinen Sitz in ... haben manufacture sth.
[)mÄnju(fÄktSE]
, etw. herstellen
48
Business Spotlight 3/2017
KEN TAYLOR is a communication consultant and personal coach and author of 50 Ways to Improve Your Business English (Summertown). Contact: KTaylor868@aol. com
Wahlandt: Several times, I’ve had the experience that my partners have not understood me completely but do not say so. Sometimes, they then do nothing because they are afraid of making a mistake. Taylor: So communicating with them in the right way is critical. As in most business situations, proper preparation is the key — and you have “hard” preparation and “soft” preparation. packaging
[(pÄkIdZIN] , Verpacken
plastic enclosure
[)plÄstIk In(klEUZE] , Kunststoffgehäuse
sales [seI&lz] , Vertrieb
Wahlandt: What do you mean by “hard” and “soft”? Taylor: “Hard” preparation involves deciding what you want in terms of margins, quantities, qualities, timing, etc. — in other words, the content of the negotiation. Wahlandt: So the “soft” preparation must be to do with the people involved. Taylor: That’s right. In my experience, a key factor is understanding your business
partner’s personal style. Their cultural background is just part of what might influence them. I use a very simple acronym to remind me of what I should know or find out about my negotiation partners. It’s called LINK. Wahlandt: LINK? What does that stand for? Taylor: The “L” stands for “level”. There are two things involved here. First, you need to think about the person’s level in the organization. What’s their position? What’s their role? What power do they hold? Secondly, you should consider their general level of awareness. What’s their cultural background? What’s their general attitude to business and to life? Knowing something about these things allows you to adopt the right approach. adopt sth. [E(dQpt]
, etw. annehmen
allow sb. to do sth. [E(laU tE )du:] , hier: jmdm. etw.
ermöglichen
approach [E(prEUtS] , Vorgehensweise
in terms of
[In (t§:mz Qv] , im Hinblick auf
margin [(mA:dZIn] , Gewinnspanne negotiate with sb.
[nI(gEUSieIt wID] , mit jmdm. verhandeln
critical [(krItIk&l] , entscheidend, wesentlich
negotiation
hold sth. [hEUld] , hier: etw. innehaben
sales partner
[nI)gEUSi(eIS&n]
, Verhandlung
[(seI&lz )pA:tnE] , Vertriebspartner(in)
BUSINESS SKILLS
Fotos: privat; Gert Krautbauer
FRANK WAHLANDT Frank Wahlandt is the head of national and international sales at OKW Gehäusesysteme GmbH. OKW is based in Buchen in the Odenwald and manufactures design plastic enclosures for the electronics industry. Wahlandt is responsible for business development and for sales strategies. He has 25 years’ experience of project management in the field of electronic packaging in the B2B market.
Frank Wahlandt: I meet and negotiate in English with sales partners in 50 different countries. Do you have some tips or advice on how I can overcome any cultural difficulties or misunderstandings? Ken Taylor: Negotiating in your own language with people from your own culture is hard enough! But it’s even more difficult when you have to do it in a foreign language with people from a different cultural background.
Wahlandt: I generally have a fairly clear picture of this because we know our sales partners’ organizations very well. Taylor: Good. That means you probably have a good idea of the second part of LINK — the “I” is for “interest”. Do you know what really interests or motivates your negotiation partner in their work? And do you know their interests outside of work? This might influence the words, phrases and examples you use in your discussions. Wahlandt: One advantage I have is that we run regular three-day training programmes for our sales partners. They come to our site and learn about our business and our products. This means that we get the chance to build quite strong personal connections. Taylor: That sounds excellent. Otherwise, you could use some of the opportunities that come up in small talk over coffee, lunch or dinner during the negotiation to find this out.
Wahlandt: Where do you personally see the main difficulties when negotiating with people from a different cultural background? Taylor: There are a lot of areas that can cause difficulties, but in my experience, two in particular stand out: having a different concept of time and a different style of communication.
cultures. Discuss this in your three-day training programmes.
Wahlandt: I’ve had the problem of asking for something ASAP, only to find that my partner’s idea of “soon” was very different to mine! Taylor: You and I belong to singlefocus cultures — where people generally do one thing at a time in a logical sequence. But many cultures are multi-focus, where several things are done at once and where plans change as relationships change.
Wahlandt: I do try to! Thanks, Ken, for your tips and advice — interesting ideas to take away with me.
“Concepts of time and styles of communication can be problematic”
Wahlandt: So what do the “N” and “K” stand for? Taylor: “Needs”. What does the other person want to get out of the negotiation? This affects the content of the negotiation. And “knowledge”. What does the other person know about the subject of the negotiation? This will determine how much detail or background you need to go into. Wahlandt: Right. I agree with the need to understand your negotiation partner in this way. But do you have some specific advice about dealing with cultural difficulties? Taylor: One book I can recommend is Richard Lewis’s When Cultures Collide. Besides looking generally at managing across cultures, the book offers practical advice on doing business in specific cultures. It’s down to earth and fun to read. BUSINESS SKILLS
Wahlandt: Good idea. Any other advice? Taylor: You know your own business well. So ask the right questions to double-check your sales partners’ understanding of the situation. And communicate clearly and simply yourself.
➻ What’s your challenge? Would you like to have a conversation with Ken Taylor about your current work challenges? If so, send an email with your name, company and the subject you would like to discuss to business. trainer@spotlight-verlag.de. In each issue, we will choose one reader who will talk to Ken, and the dialogue will be published in Business Spotlight.
Wahlandt: That’s right. It’s hard sometimes to pin down some of my business partners to a definite deadline. You also mentioned styles of communication. What did you mean by that? Taylor: My experience of German business people is that they generally say what they mean and mean what they say. But in other cultures, the communication style is much more indirect, with a high use of non-verbal signals. Wahlandt: I’ve certainly come across that difference. Sometimes, our sales partners don’t pass on our end customers’ real needs and concerns. Perhaps because they have misunderstood them or maybe because they feel it isn’t what we want to hear! But what can we do about it? And what can we do about the different concepts of time? Taylor: Talk about these and any other differences with your business partners. Discuss differences that have caused problems in the past. Explain how this has affected you and your business. And ask your partners to teach you about their
affect sth. [E(fekt] , etw. beeinflussen ASAP (as soon as possible) [)eI es eI (pi:] , schnellstmöglich collide [kE(laId] , aufeinanderprallen come across sth.
[)kVm E(krQs] , auf etw. stoßen
double-check sth.
down to earth
[)daUn tE (§:T] , sachlich
phrase [freIz] , Ausdruck, Formulierung pin sb. down to sth. [)pIn (daUn tu]
, jmdn. auf etw. festnageln
site [saIt] , Standort
[)dVb&l (tSek] , etw. nochmals prüfen
3/2017 Business Spotlight
49
FACTS & FIGURES SMARTER CARS
On the road again Der Automobilindustrie stehen drastische Veränderungen bevor. Die Unternehmen, die sie herstellen, die Menschen, die sie fahren, und nicht zuletzt die Autos selbst werden in Zukunft anders sein. MEDIUM
A LONG JOURNEY WHAT IS WHAT? Autonomous cars will look a lot like what we drive today, but an autopilot will take over from the driver at times — on motorways, for example. Carmakers prefer autonomous cars, as they mean personal ownership plus extra features they can charge for.
1885: The Benz PatentMotorwagen, the world’s first car, is built.
2050 Autonomous: the Tesla Model S
Self-driving cars will do all the driving using sensors, data and GPS. Call up a self-driving car with your mobile phone, type in your destination and the vehicle will do all the work. Self-driving cars will replace personal car ownership and disrupt the insurance industry.
Fotos:picture alliance/dpa; iStock; PR
Self-driving: the Google car
50
2016: There are 1.2 billion cars on the world’s roads.
1
2020
2035: The number of cars rises to two billion. Of these, 21 million are autonomous/ driverless.
1
Business Spotlight 3/2017
= 100 million
2020 – 2035
= 100 million,
Driverless cars
2017
FACTS & FIGURES
“Cars are essentially data centers on wheels” — Doug Seven, Microsoft’s Group Program Manager — Things That Move
THE ROAD AHEAD
2035 – 2050
PARTNERS ON THE ROAD
2017–20 Autonomous/driverless cars are developed for the general market. New mobility concepts emerge.
2020–35 Consumers begin to buy autonomous/driverless cars. The insurance industry changes its business model and moves from insuring drivers to insuring technology.
2017 – 2020
2035–50 Autonomous/driverless cars become the main means of personal transport. Crashes drop by 90 per cent; lives and money are saved. The parkingspace industry begins to disappear.
Volkswagen has invested $300 million in Israeli start-up Gett, a global on-demand mobility company.
Daimler and Uber have agreed on a deal that will involve Daimler’s self-driving cars being used in Uber’s ride-sharing service.
GM has invested $500 million in Lyft as part of a partnership aimed at deploying fleets of self-driving taxis.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is partnering with Google to put a fleet of self-driving minivans on the road.
Research by Eamonn Fitzgerald
billion [(bIljEn]
emerge [i(m§:dZ]
insure sb./sth.
parking space
, jmdn./etw. versichern
, Parkplatz
motorway
ride-sharing service
GM [)dZi: (em] , General Motors
, Autobahn
, Mitfahrdienst
on demand
vehicle
insurance industry
, auf Abruf
, Milliarde(n)
, entstehen
deploy sth. [di(plOI]
feature [(fi:tSE] , Merkmal; hier: Funktion
, etw. einsetzen;
hier: bereitstellen
disrupt sth. [dIs(rVpt] , etw. stören; hier: tiefgreifende Veränderungen in etw. herbeiführen
fleet [fli:t] , Flotte
[(InSO:]
[(mEUtEweI] UK
[)Qn di(mA:nd]
[(pA:kIN speIs]
[(raId )SeErIN )s§:vIs]
[(vi:Ik&l] , Fahrzeug
[In(SUErEns )IndEstri] , Versicherungsbranche
FACTS & FIGURES
3/2017 Business Spotlight
51
TECHNOLOGY DIGITAL EDUCATION
Class action
Vor allem in ländlichen Regionen ist der Internetzugang begrenzt und es kommt häufig zu Stromausfällen. Wird es Regierungen und Elektronikfirmen in Ostafrika dennoch gelingen, die Bildung der Bevölkerung mit digitalen Medien voranzutreiben? Von LAURA SECORUN ADVANCED
Class action • Our headline is a play on a legal term. A “class action” is a lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of people who have all been harmed by a person or company. Here, “class” means “classroom”. The Kenyan pupils in our story are actively taking part in a programme that uses digital technology to help them learn.
52
Business Spotlight 3/2017
TECHNOLOGY
I
t’s a hot Tuesday afternoon and Martin and his classmates are studying biology in the library of Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum. Yet the children are not staring at a blackboard or copying lessons from a textbook. There’s not even a teacher in the room. Instead, small groups of excited ten-year-olds are gathered round tablets, tapping and swiping between quizzes and educational videos. They are using eLimu, a local software platform that aims to optimize learning by turning Kenya’s school curriculum into colourful, easy-to-digest exercises. And they are not alone. Kenya is brimming with companies trying to bring education into the digital era by scanning textbooks, developing bite-sized courses for mobile phones and providing tablets to rural schools. Kenya’s digital gap is enormous. Despite being East Africa’s largest economy, there is only one primary teacher for every 47 pupils and the majority of them have no access to computers or to the internet. This needs to change if the government wants to fulfil its promise of transforming Kenya into a middle-income nation by 2030, as well as achieving the sustainable development goals of providing universal access to the internet and ensuring that youth and adults have skills for employment and entrepreneurship. That’s why Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) is rolling out the Digital Literacy Programme, which promises to deliver 1.2 million devices to all of the country’s 21,718 public primary schools by the end of 2017. bite-sized
ensure sth.
on behalf of
[(baIt saIzd]
[In(SO:]
[)Qn bi(hA:f Qv] , im Namen von
entrepreneurship
play [pleI] , hier: Wortspiel
, mundgerecht; hier:
lerngerecht aufbereitet blackboard [(blÄkbO:d]
, unternehmerische
Initiative(n)
brim with sth.
file (a lawsuit)
roll sth. out [)rEUl (aUt] , etw. einführen
[(brIm wID]
[faI&l] , (Klage) erheben
rural [(rUErEl] , ländlich
class action
gap [gÄp] , Kluft; hier auch: Defizit(e)
sustainable
harm sb. [hA:m] , jmdn. schädigen
, nachhaltig,
[)klA:s (ÄkS&n]
, Sammelklage
curriculum [kE(rIkjUlEm]
lawsuit [(lO:su:t] , Prozess, Klage
easy-to-digest
literacy [(lIt&rEsi] , Lese- und Schreibfähigkeit; hier: Kenntnisse
, Lehrplan
[)i:zi tE daI(dZest]
, leicht verdaulich;
hier: gut zu bewältigen
TECHNOLOGY
[)QntrEprE(n§:SIp]
, (Schul-)Tafel
, von etw. wimmeln
Learning experience: Kenyan kids in a digital classroom
, etw. gewährleisten
[sE(steInEb&l]
dauerhaft
swipe [swaIp] , (über ein Display) wischen
tap [tÄp] , tippen textbook [(tekstbUk]
, Lehr-, Schulbuch
3/2017 Business Spotlight
Foto: S. Maina/Getty Images
“Digital education is the ultimate equalizer”
53
High-tech learning materials: providing help to underdeveloped communities
“We don’t want to replace teachers, we want to help them,” says David Henia, product manager at Eneza Education, a Kenyan start-up providing courses by SMS that have already reached 1.6 million users. Henia argues that working closely with educators is also better for business, because teachers are the ones who recommend their service. Still, these solutions are hard to put into effect without public support. Wambui Munge, communications officer at the Results for Development Institute, a not-for-profit development consultancy, warns that “to have any macro-level impact, private companies will have to collaborate with the government”. But doing so is not always easy, admits Will Clurman, chief executive of eKitabu, an e-book provider that aims to drastically reduce the price of textbooks in Kenya by building a digital library with thousands of titles. Clurman says that working with the ICT ministry often requires extra time and patience because of the added bureaucracy. Yet, he thinks it’s worth it. “Sometimes the private sector can be really biased,” he says, with companies often assuming they are better at solving problems than NGOs or governments. “We need to put our egos aside. We must remember that we all share the same purpose.”
Spreading around the world
Fotos: BRCK
Education for everyone
54
However, many schools suffer from regular power outages, which makes it difficult to charge the devices. That is why BRCK, a Nairobi tech company, has developed the Kio Kit. This portable digital classroom includes a Wi-Fi hotspot, a small server packed with educational content and 40 tablets that can be charged wirelessly and work in the roughest conditions in rural schools. “Digital education is the ultimate equalizer,” says Erik Hersman, the company’s chief executive. “It doesn’t remove all obstacles, but it levels the playing field.” Devices alone are unlikely to bridge the digital divide in Kenya’s education system. One Laptop Per Child — a not-for-profit organization providing low-cost computers to children around the world — once had similar ambitions and was active in over 30 countries, before downsizing. A study into the One Latop plan, led by the InterAmerican Development Bank in 2012, found that the 860,000 computers supplied to schools in Peru made teachers feel left out and did not improve students’ test results. A later study into the programme in Uruguay drew a similar conclusion. That’s why Kenya’s new digital education companies are putting a lot of emphasis on teacher training. Business Spotlight 3/2017
Even with public support, questions remain about how effective digital classrooms are. In Kibera, Mary Kinyanjui, the library’s manager, thinks the tablets make the children more eager to study and improve their marks. “There is no limit to what they can learn online,” she says. But empirical evidence of their academic benefit is still scarce. Start-ups rarely have the funds to pay for external audits, and a large-scale study by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation came to the conclusion that computerassisted learning had “decidedly mixed effects”, depending on the context. Meanwhile, Kenya’s new educational companies are already exporting their products. Eneza has pilot programmes in Tanzania and Ghana, while BRCK is selling its classroom kits in 11 countries, including Uganda, Cambodia and, most recently, Kiribati. Unlike other development trends, digital education is here to stay, claim these entrepreneurs. “Digi tization is not a fad,” says Hersman. “It’s a foregone conclusion.”
“We don’t want to replace teachers, we want to help them”
© Guardian News & Media 2017
audit [(O:dIt] , Prüfung biased [(bAIEst] , voreingenommen charge sth. [tSA:dZ] , etw. aufladen communications officer [kE)mju:nI(keIS&nz )QfIsE] , Leiter(in)
Kommunikation
conclusion: draw a ~ [kEn(klu:Z&n]
, eine Schlussfolgerung ziehen
device [di(vaIs] , Gerät divide [dI(vaId] , Kluft downsize [(daUnsaIz]
, Personal abbauen
eager to study
[)i:gE tE (stVdi] , lernbegierig
educator [(edjukeItE] , Pädagoge/Pädagogin emphasis: put ~ on sth.
[(emfEsIs] , Gewicht auf etw. legen
entrepreneur
[)QntrEprE(n§:] , Unternehmer(in)
equalizer [(i:kwElaIzE] , Gleichmacher evaluation [i)vÄlju(eIS&n] , Bewertung evidence [(evIdEns]
, Belege
fad [fÄd] , kurzlebiger Trend foregone conclusion: be a ~ [)fO:gQn kEn(klu:Z&n]
, eine ausgemachte
Sache sein
here to stay: be ~ [)hIE tE (steI] ifml. , Bestand haben (werden) impact [(ImpÄkt] , (Aus-)Wirkung(en) kit [kIt] , Bausatz; hier: Set large-scale [)lA:dZ (skeI&l] , groß angelegt level the playing field
[)lev&l DE (pleIIN fi:&ld] , gleiche Bedin-
gungen schaffen
mark [mA:k] UK , Note obstacle [(QbstEk&l]
, Hindernis
power outage
[(paUEr )aUtIdZ]
, Stromausfall
scarce [skeEs] , rar
TECHNOLOGY
ZEIT-WEI N EDITIO N »NAH E« – E XK LUSIVE AUSWAH L D ER ZEIT
6 erlesene Spitzenweine aus der Weinregion Nahe NUR
69,95 €* 6 EDLE WEINE + ZEIT-BEGLEITBUCH Bestellnr.: 37000
SECHS SPITZENWINZER VON DER NAHE DIE ZEIT hat sechs Spitzenwinzer dieser besonderen Region getroffen und präsentiert ihre Weine in einem einzigartigen Paket: Der junge Jakob Schneider, dessen Familie bereits seit 1575 Weinbau betreibt, Harald Hexamer aus Meddersheim, dessen erstklassiger Weißburgunder die Brillanz der ganzen Kollektion widerspiegelt, oder Frank Schönleber, der durch seine puristisch-präzisen Weine beeindruckt. Das Traditionshaus Gut Hermannsberg wird heute von dem Visionär Karsten Peter geführt, der seine Weine am liebsten spontan vergärt. Martin Korrell hat immer wieder innovative Ideen, um die Qualität der Nahe-Weine in die Welt zu tragen, und Familie Linxweiler, die zu den Bio-Pionieren der Weinwelt gehört, beweist eindrucksvoll, wie positiv sich ein nachhaltiger Umgang mit der Natur auf das Geschmackserlebnis auswirken kann.
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TECHNOLOGY ENGLISH 4.0
Building bridges: IBM’s HighLight Towers in Munich
Street-corner globalization he English poet William Blake said it was possible “to see a world in a grain of sand”. He was right. If you look long enough at something small, a bigger picture becomes clear. That’s what I felt recently while standing at a street corner in the northern part of Munich. It’s not as elegant a street as the city’s Maximilianstraße or as trendy as Theatinerstraße, but it’s a perfect place to see globalization at work. The street is named after Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a legendary GermanAmerican architect, and it’s dominated by what are called the HighLight Towers. The twin buildings are connected by a pair of glass bridges and, their owners say, these form a link “between the purposeful minimalism of the Bauhaus tradition [and] the technologically innovative architecture of modern times”. The HighLight Towers were designed by another
56
Business Spotlight 3/2017
MEDIUM AUDIO
“Germany is at the forefront of the Industry 4.0 initiative” German-American architect, Helmut Jahn, who’s famous for creations such as the Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin and Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. And if that’s not enough globalization, think about this: the multinational
technology company IBM has set up offices in both HighLight Towers. Back in December 2015, IBM said it was going to invest $200 million in this new global headquarters for its Watson business. The move would combine its Watson supercomputer with the Internet of Things (IoT), those sensors that make everyday objects intelligent and connected. “Germany is at the forefront of the Industry 4.0 initiative,” says Harriet Green, global head of IBM’s Watson IoT business, “and by inviting our clients and partners to join us in Munich, we are opening up our talent and technologies to help at the forefront: be ~
[)hed(kwO:tEz] , Firmenzentrale
design sth. [di(zaIn] , hier: etw. planen, entwerfen
link [lINk] , Verbindung
, an der Spitze stehen
EAMONN FITZGERALD writes daily at www.eamonn.com. He uses social media to build relationships for organizations. Contact: eamonn@eamonn.com
headquarters
[)Ät DE (fO:frVnt]
grain of sand
[)greIn Ev (sÄnd]
, Sandkorn
move [mu:v] , hier: Schritt, Maßnahme purposeful [(p§:pEsf&l] , beabsichtigt
TECHNOLOGY
Foto: picture-alliance/dpa
T
Neue Technologien bedeuten für Unternehmen wirtschaftliche Vorteile, für die Beschäftigten aber oft tiefe Einschnitte. Doch geht das eine nicht ohne das andere.
“English, the language of globalization, is being globalized at IBM”
deliver on the promise of IoT and establishing a global hotbed for collaborative innovation.” Three of those clients are Schaeffler, Aerialtronics and Siemens: Schaeffler is a German industrial system for the IoT. This will enable heavyweight and one of the world’s companies to improve the efficiency of their systems through the collection leading automotive suppliers. It has asked IBM to help speed up the digital and analysis of huge amounts of transformation of its operations production data. using Watson’s insights from the data My trip to what Google Maps calls produced by billions of Schaeffler “IBM Watson IoT Tower” taught me a lot sensors. about globalization. For example, English, Aerialtronics is a Netherlands-based which is seen as the language of globalimaker of commercial drones that zation, is being globalized here. The noun produces commercial reports by “highlight”, which means “an outstanding monitoring city traffic and inspecting part of an event”, can also be spelled Highwind turbines and oil rigs. With Light. And inside the HighLight Towers, their high-definition cameras and IBM has what it calls “collaboratories” — Watson’s Visual Recognition service, laboratories where businesses work with Aerialtronics immediately receives IBM’s 1,000 Munich-based engineers, essential data from what a drone is coders and business experts to share innoseeing. vation in the automotive, manufacturing, Siemens and IBM are integrating healthcare and insurance industries. A few years ago, a theory called “manWatson Analytics into MindSphere, the cloud-based Siemens operating agement by walking around” was quite
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
⋅⋅
popular. The idea was that managers would wander around the workplace, talk to people and see how work was progressing, or not. I’m now working on a theory of globalization by standing at street corners. automotive
[)O:tEU(mEUtIv] , Kfz-
based: …-~ [beIst] , mit Sitz/Arbeitsplatz in … billion [(bIljEn] , Milliarde(n) coder [(kEUdE] , Programmierer(in) deliver on sth. [di(lIvEr Qn] , etw. erfüllen; hier: einlösen drone [drEUn] , Drohne
high-definition
[)haI defE(nIS&n]
, hochauflösend
hotbed [(hQtbed] , Nährboden; hier: Schmiede insights
[(InsaIts] , Erkenntnisse
insurance industry
[In(SUErEns )IndEstri] , Versicherungsbranche
oil rig [(OI&l )rIg]
engineer [)endZI(nIE] , Ingenieur(in)
, Bohrinsel
healthcare industry
[)aUt(stÄndIN] , herausragend
[(helTkeEr )IndEstri]
, Gesundheitsbranche
heavyweight [(heviweIt] , Schwergewicht; hier: Großunternehmen
outstanding
wind turbine
[(wInd )t§:baIn] , Windkraftanlage
KEY TERMS
IFTTT
The letters IFTTT stand for “IF This, Then That”, a service that lets non-coders create small “applets” that connect the web to devices in such a way as to create a better user experience. You could, for example, use IFTTT to make a piece of romantic music play when you get an email from your lover. BMW Labs has developed an IFTTT applet that can open the garage door when your BMW arrives home. The Sunlight Foundation is using IFTTT to notify people when something important happens in Washington — for example, when President Trump signs a new law: https://ifttt.com
device [di(vaIs] , Gerät
lab [lÄb] ifml. , Labor
foundation
non-coder
, Stiftung
, Person ohne spezielle
[faUn(deIS&n]
TECHNOLOGY
AAR
There’s been a lot of talk recently about AR (augmented reality), but we need to get ready for AAR (augmented aural reality). The focus of AR is on the visual, using a digital overlay on physical reality. With AAR, it’s all about sound, and the concept will make it possible for headphones users to select which external sounds they hear. One device that uses AAR even promises instant translation. That’s what Waverly Labs, a New York start-up, claims. It has raised $4 million on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo for Pilot, a language decoder: www.waverlylabs.com augmented aural reality [O:g)mentId (O:rEl ri)ÄlEti] , etwa: erwei-
terte akustische Realität
[)nQn (kEUdE]
augmented reality
Programmierkenntnisse
, erweiterte Realität
[O:g)mentId ri(ÄlEti]
device [di(vaIs] , Gerät lab [lÄb] , Labor overlay [(EUvEleI] , Überlagerung raise (money) [reIz] , (Geld) beschaffen
LEGO
A social network for children under the age of 13? Not everyone would think that’s a good idea, but LEGO does. The company known for its building blocks has launched LEGO Life as an online space where kids can share their LEGO creations and connect with a worldwide community. Available as an iOS and Android application, this junior social network says it has put protections in place to ensure the site remains child-friendly. LEGO Life wants to transfer offline activity to an online world, where digital tools will inspire a new generation of builders: https://www.lego.com
building block
[(bIldIN )blQk]
, Baustein
ensure sth. [In(SO:] , etw. sicherstellen
launch sth. [lO:ntS]
, etw. lancieren
protection
[prE(tekS&n] , hier: Schutz-
mechanismus
3/2017 Business Spotlight
57
Foto: iStock
CAREERS & MANAGEMENT COMPLIANCE AND CORRUPTION
58 
DOING THE RIGHT THING Business Spotlight 3/2017
CAREERS & MANAGEMENT
Immer wieder geraten Manager in Schwierigkeiten, weil sie sich nicht regelkonform verhalten. Dabei gibt es eigentlich Verhaltenskodizes, in denen genau festgelegt ist, was man zu tun und zu lassen hat. MARGARET DAVIS beleuchtet die Hintergründe.
V
ADVANCED AUDIO
W compliance chief quits after a year”, headlines the Financial Times. “Did Rolls-Royce get off lightly over ‘truly vast’ bribery?” asks The Daily Telegraph. “Trudeau to be questioned by ethics watchdog over reports of cash for access”, writes The Guardian. “Ethics office: White House should investigate Conway for Ivanka Trump plug”, reports CNN Money. It is not hard to find questionable corporate and political dealings reported in the international media. Charges of corruption and unethical behaviour have recently been levelled at both Volkswagen (Dieselgate) and Rolls-Royce (bribery). Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, faces questions about lobbying and his family’s Caribbean holiday on a private island owned by the Aga Khan. As for the Trump administration, the president’s companies are the focus of numerous conflict-of-interest allegations. Away from the corridors of corporate and political power, more and more businesses are concerned about a concept they may not have thought about much a decade or two ago: compliance. Simply put, compliance — a term that is now also widely used in German — means “obeying (or ‘complying with’) the laws and regulations that govern a country, state or industry”. These might be labour laws, health and safety regulations, or anti-discrimination laws. Companies may also have their own internal guidelines, or codes of conduct. The fact that laws differ from country to country makes doing business complicated in an increasingly globalized world. Differences between federal and state or provincial regulations have further complicated the situation for businesses in countries like the US and Canada.
Compliance as legal protection
Complex: staying compliant
CAREERS & MANAGEMENT
In the US, workplace compliance is especially important as protection against costly lawsuits. These could involve sexual harassment and racial or sexual discrimination, as well as violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Individuals can also allege discrimination on religious grounds. Meanwhile, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires that American employers provide their staff with the necessary protective clothing and equipment, as well as training, and that they inform workers of potentially hazardous materials in their workplace. Compliance experts recommend that companies establish clear codes of conduct for their employees. “The law is the minimum standard,” says Debbie Wheeler, a compliance director at Tenet Healthcare in Florida. “To help employees make the right decisions that properly reflect the organization, employers need
allegation [)ÄlE(geIS&n]
, Anschuldigung
allege sth. [E(ledZ] , etw. vorwerfen bribery [(braIbEri] , Bestechung cash for access [)kÄS fEr (Äkses] , Arrangieren von Treffen mit wichtigen
Persönlichkeiten gegen Bezahlung
charge: level a ~ at sb. [tSA:dZ] , einen Vorwurf gegen jmdn. erheben (charge , Anklage) code of conduct
[)kEUd Ev (kQndVkt]
, Verhaltenskodex
compliance chief
[kEm(plaIEns tSi:f] , Richtlinienbeauftragte(r)
comply with sth. [kEm(plaI wID] , etw. einhalten, befolgen get off lightly [get )Qf (laItli]
, glimpflich davonkommen
grounds: on ... ~ [graUndz]
, aus ... Gründen
hazardous [(hÄzEdEs] , gefährlich; hier auch: gesundheitsgefährdend lawsuit [(lO:su:t] , Prozess plug [plVg] ifml. , (Schleich-)Werbung questionable [(kwestSEnEb&l] , fragwürdig quit (a job) [kwIt] , (eine Stelle) kündigen sexual harassment
[)sekSuEl (hÄrEsmEnt]
, sexuelle Belästigung
vast [vA:st] , weitreichend violation [)vaIE(leIS&n] , Verletzung, Zuwiderhandlung watchdog [(wQtSdQg] , Kontrollgremium; hier: Kommission
“ The law is the minimum standard” 3/2017 Business Spotlight
59
Acceptable gift? Only if it’s a toy
Compliance and you Does your company have compliance policies or a code of conduct? Career experts advise employees to find out whether such policies exist and, if they do, to study them carefully. That way, you are less likely to break a rule by mistake. And if your company does not have clear policies, establishing them is something you might want to discuss with your supervisor, HR department or works council. What should you do if you see your colleagues or boss breaking ethical rules? For example, a co-worker might be taking office stationery home, or your boss might be accepting expensive gifts from a potential client. If “everybody’s doing it”, you could be tempted to engage in such behaviour yourself. This is not a good idea, says Samantha Stauf of MyCareertopia.com. Putting moral concerns aside, doing the wrong thing could have a negative impact on your future, resulting in lawsuits and even prison. And just because people have bent the rules in the past doesn’t mean that the company won’t be stricter in future. “The business might choose now to begin monitoring employees more aggressively,” Stauf writes. “Not engaging in the practice covers your own back.” What should you do if you uncover seriously questionable behaviour, such as bribery? Here, you need to be careful. Take the information to your supervisor, your HR department or your works council. If you have reason to believe that any of these are involved in the unethical practices, you could seek help from a professional association. You may decide that your only option is to leave the company. back: cover one’s own ~ [bÄk] , sich absichern bend a rule
[)bend E (ru:l]
, eine Vorschrift (zu)
großzügig auslegen bribery
[(braIbEri]
, Bestechung
60
Business Spotlight 3/2017
code of conduct
supervisor
, Verhaltenskodex
, Vorgesetzte(r)
[)kEUd Ev (kQndVkt]
impact [(ImpÄkt] , Auswirkung(en) lawsuit [(lO:su:t] , Prozess monitor sb. [(mQnItE]
, jmdn. kontrollieren
stationery [(steIS&nEri] , Briefpapier
[(su:pEvaIzE]
tempted: be ~ to do sth. [(temptId] , versucht sein, etw. zu tun works council
[(w§:ks )kaUns&l] UK
, Betriebsrat
to take a step further by developing, communicating and enforcing clear standards of conduct,” Wheeler told SmartBusinessOnline.com. She says that her company operates a 24-hour phone line that employees can contact anonymously. “Employees are also encouraged to go to their supervisors and express ethical issues without fear of retaliation.” Not surprisingly, workers are often reluctant to expose unethical behaviour for fear of losing their jobs. Which brings us back to the Volkswagen cover-up. What did employees and management know about the “cheating software” involved in the diesel emissions scandal and when did they know it? Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong says that VW has a problem with its corporate culture. “[M]ost people and most companies behave honourably not because of the consequences of rule breaking but because they are honourable,” Armstrong writes. “If that is true, then we have to assume something went wrong with VW’s culture such that immoral behaviour became acceptable.” Volkswagen’s US head of compliance, Oliver Schmidt, was arrested by the FBI in early January. In court, Schmidt has argued that he did not understand the technical background to the problem and was simply doing what company lawyers had told him to do.
Up to €13 million severance package
Back home in Germany, VW board member Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt, head of Integrität und Recht (integrity and legal affairs), left the company at the end of January, only 13 months into a three-year contract. Her severance package of between €10 million and €13 million has been controversial, but VW praised her work, stating that “the group has substantially elevated its commitment to working ethically and with integrity and is decentralizing its organization”. Hohmann-Dennhardt, a former judge, had previously been legal and compliance head at Daimler. According to the Financial Times, she left VW “after clashes with colleagues over her corporate governance responsibilities”. VW spoke of “differences” in the “understanding of responsibilities and future operating structures within the function she leads”. VW announced caps on executive pay earlier this year, in response to the Dieselgate scandal. The company had been strongly criticized for paying large bonuses to former CEO Martin Winterkorn, who resigned as a result of the scandal. After suffering losses in 2015, Volkswagen returned to profit in 2016, thanks
cap [kÄp] , Obergrenze, Deckelung cheating [(tSi:tIN] , Betrugs-, Schummelclash [klÄS] , hier: Konflikt corporate governance
[)kO:pErEt (gVv&nEns] , Unternehmensführung
cover-up [(kVvEr Vp] , Vertuschung elevate sth. [(elIveIt] , etw. erhöhen enforce sth [In(fO:s]
, etw. durchsetzen
executive pay
[Ig)zekjUtIv (peI] , Managergehalt
expose sth. [Ik(spEUz] , etw. enthüllen function [(fVNkS&n] , hier: Aufgabenbereich reluctant: be ~ to do sth. [ri(lVktEnt] , zögern, etw. zu tun
resign [ri(zaIn]
, zurücktreten
retaliation
[ri)tÄli(eIS&n]
, Vergeltung; hier: Folgen
severance package
[(sev&rEns )pÄkIdZ] , Abfindung(spaket)
supervisor
[(su:pEvaIzE]
, Vorgesetzte(r)
Corruption at Rolls-Royce was “truly vast” CAREERS & MANAGEMENT
INTERVIEW
“ Sales do not tend to suffer on the back of large recalls or corporate scandals”
Dr Matthias Holweg is professor of operations management at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He specializes in industrial policy, especially in the automotive industry. Holweg spoke to Business Spotlight via email about some of the issues raised by the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal.
The VW scandal is clearly a PR disaster. But what effect does a major cover-up like this have on employee morale? Well, I have not spoken with VW employees, so I cannot say. However, it is clear that employees and unions will resist any cost-reduction efforts on the back of this scandal, as clearly, they were not at fault here. Whistle-blowers take big risks. Were VW employees afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation? So far, six VW managers have been charged with criminal offences in the US. This stands in stark contrast to the token few employees who have been fired by VW itself. So, yes, there is a clear implicit message from the top: business as usual. I do not see any credible change in corporate governance that would make speaking up any more likely now than before the scandal.
Dr Matthias Holweg, professor of operations management at Saïd Business School
Can VW rebuild its reputation? And if so, what does the company need to do? It is quite remarkable that sales do not tend to suffer on the back of large recalls or corporate scandals. So I don’t see long-term repercussions on the demand side. And given the ownership structure,
it seems unlikely that disgruntled shareholders will be able to successfully demand any drastic changes in corporate governance that are more than overdue. automotive industry
[)O:tEU(mEUtIv )IndEstri]
, Kfz-Branche
business school [(bIznEs )sku:l] , wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät charge sb. with sth. [(tSA:dZ )wID]
, jmdn. wegen etw. anklagen
corporate governance
[)kO:pErEt (gVv&nEns] , Unternehmensführung
cover-up [(kVvEr Vp] , Vertuschung credible [(kredEb&l] , glaubhaft criminal offence
[)krImIn&l E(fens] , strafbare Handlung
disgruntled [dIs(grVnt&ld] , verärgert
on the back of
[)Qn DE (bÄk Qv] , infolge
operations management
[QpE(reIS&nz )mÄnIdZmEnt]
, Betriebsführung
overdue [)EUvE(dju:]
, überfällig
recall [(ri:kO:l] , Rückruf repercussion [)ri:pE(kVS&n]
, Aus-, Nachwirkung
retaliation [ri)tÄli(eIS&n] , Vergeltung; hier: Folgen speak out [)spi:k (aUt] , sich äußern; hier: auf Missstände hinweisen speak up [)spi:k (Vp] , seine Meinung sagen, sich über etw. frei äußern
given [(gIv&n] , angesichts
stark: in ~ contrast to [stA:k] , im krassen Gegensatz zu
issue: raise an ~ [reIz] , ein Thema aufwerfen
token [(tEUkEn] , symbolisch, eine Alibifunktion erfüllend
morale [mE(rA:l] , [wg. Aussprache]
union [(ju:niEn] , Gewerkschaft
➻ FOR MORE INFORMATION WEBSITES Matthias Holweg: www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/community/people/ matthias-holweg Saïd Business School: www.sbs.ox.ac.uk
Fotos: iStock; Fisher Studios
Thank you: take flowers, not cash
CAREERS & MANAGEMENT
3/2017 Business Spotlight
61
“ Employees mirror leaders’ behaviour” Following the US example
Fotos: iStock; privat
Bad: definitely not compliant
62
to increased sales in China, which is now VW’s biggest market. Perhaps surprisingly, the scandal does not appear to have seriously damaged sales, at least not in the short term, according to Professor Matthias Holweg of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford (see interview on page 61). Another major international corporation has also been the focus of intense scrutiny this year for its business practices. In February, Rolls-Royce agreed to pay £671 million (about €769 million) to settle bribery and corruption charges with the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the U.S. Department of Justice and Brazilian government authorities. The company was charged with bribing middlemen to get global contracts between 1989 and 2013. Rolls-Royce management knew about corruption allegations, which had been revealed by an internal whistle-blower in 2010, but decided not to notify the SFO, according to High Court judge Lord Justice Brian Leveson. In the meantime, the company’s board membership has changed and Rolls-Royce CEO Warren East says that the company now has “zero tolerance” of unethical business practices. Rolls-Royce took disciplinary action against 38 employees, six of whom were fired, while another 11 left the company during the investigation. Leveson said he accepts that no current board member was involved in the bribery or corruption charges, or in the cover-up. He commented, however, that although there had been a “cultural change” in the operation of the company, the bribery was “truly vast”. It included cash and luxury cars given to middlemen in Indonesia, Thailand and India, while a Russian contact received credits worth more than $3 million for the maintenance of a private jet. Business Spotlight 3/2017
In 1977, after extensive investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission into bribery by major companies such as Lockheed aerospace and Chiquita Brands International, President Jimmy Carter authorized the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Since then, other countries have followed the US example, encouraging companies to expand or establish compliance programmes to prevent corruption. This, in turn, has “spawned a lucrative consulting industry dominated by investigation companies and accounting and law firms”, writes Alison Taylor, director of advisory services at the sustainability business network BSR. Their efforts have met with limited success, according to Taylor, an American author and speaker who previously worked for the anti-corruption NGO Transparency International. It seems that, in many companies, the work of compliance departments is not taken seriously. “Compliance officers tell of delayed rollouts, inadequate budgets, company-wide coordination problems and their own lack of organizational influence,” she writes. “Many of the companies currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission already had hugely expensive, state-ofthe-art compliance programmes.” Taylor interviewed 23 anti-corruption and corporate ethics experts on the topic. She says they told her that too much emphasis has been placed on individual wrongdoing or on local cultures — “that’s just the way they do business”. Taylor writes that “there is far less focus on the organizational system — how groups and teams behave when they might have a corruption problem. This is a significant omission because the influence of group norms and culture on individual behaviour is paramount”. Taylor adds: “Leadership is the most critical factor in determining whether an organizational culture is vulnerable to corruption. This is because employees mirror leaders’ behaviour, and this leads to the creation of group norms offering ‘social proof’ that corruption is acceptable.”
accounting firm
[E(kaUntIN f§:m] , Wirtschaftsprüfungs-
gesellschaft
bribe sb. [braIb] , jmdn. bestechen business school
[(bIznEs sku:l] , wirtschaftswissen-
schaftliche Fakultät critical [(krItIk&l] , entscheidend department
[di(pA:tmEnt]
, hier: Ministerium
disciplinary action : take ~
[(dIsEplInEri )ÄkS&n] , ein Disziplinarverfahren
einleiten
emphasis: place ~ on sth.
[(emfEsIs] , etw. Gewicht geben
High Court
[)haI (kO:t] UK
, Oberstes Gericht
maintenance
[(meIntEnEns]
, Instandhaltung
middleman [(mId&lmÄn]
, Vermittler
officer [(QfIsE] , hier: Beauftragte(r) omission [EU(mIS&n] , Versäumnis paramount [(pÄrEmaUnt] , vorrangig; hier: maßgeblich rollout [(rEUlaUt] , hier: Einführung scrutiny [(skru:tIni] , Überprüfung Securities and Exchange Commission
[sI)kjUErEtiz End Iks(tSeIndZ kE)mIS&n] US , Börsenaufsichtsbehörde
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) [)sIEriEs (frO:d )QfIs] UK , Ermittlungsbehörde für schwere Betrugsfälle settle sth. [(set&l] , etw. beilegen spawn sth. [spO:n] , etw. hervorbringen state-of-the-art
[)steIt Ev Di (A:t]
, hochmodern
sustainability
[sE)steInE(bIlEti]
, Nachhaltigkeit
vulnerable [(vVlnErEb&l] , anfällig Margaret Davis is the editor of the Careers and Global Business sections of Business Spotlight. Contact: m.davis@spotlight-verlag.de
wrongdoing
[(rQN)du:IN]
, Vergehen, Fehlverhalten
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CAREERS & MANAGEMENT HOW TO...
Be popular at work Arbeitnehmer verbringen meist mehr Zeit mit Kollegen als mit ihrer Familie. Da ist eine angenehme Atmosphäre am Arbeitsplatz umso wichtiger. MARGARET DAVIS sagt Ihnen, wie die gelingt. MEDIUM
A heart for colleagues: there are ways to make them like you
Y
ou probably don’t need to be reminded that you spend more time at work than you do at home with your family. So it’s important to make those hours as pleasant and profitable as possible. US entrepreneur Murray Newlands has some tips for improving your working relationships:
Foto: iStock
Respect other people’s time “One way to become extremely unpopular is to be ‘that’ person who insists on popping into offices unannounced,” Newlands writes at Entrepreneur.com. “If you constantly interrupt people’s work or stretch a 30-second question into a 10-minute tirade, you may be at the top of the list of your office’s most annoying co-workers.”
64
Keep your emails polite And don’t make nasty comments about colleagues. “One bad email can permanently damage your relationship with a co-worker, in addition to threatening your own professional reputation in the workplace.” Business Spotlight 3/2017
on’t complain to a colleague’s D supervisor “If you have an issue with a fellow employee, have a conversation directly with that person,” Newlands advises. “If you feel the employee’s behaviour is somehow putting the company at risk, turn it over to your own supervisor to handle.”
offer something yourself before you ask a colleague or business contact to do something for you. “Instead of always asking for favours, be the person to offer to help when you see a co-worker is overwhelmed.”
Stay positive — but not too positive Be considerate of your colleagues. “An overly sunny attitude can become annoying, especially when those around you are pressured by deadlines or dealing with issues.”
annoying [E(nOIIN] , ärgerlich; hier: nervig
Listen This is one of the most basic communication skills, yet one of the most difficult to put into practice. “Instead of thinking about the next thing you’ll say, actually listen to what the other person is telling you and, if relevant, show that you remember it in a later conversation,” he suggests. Support others “Favours are an important part of doing business,” Newlands points out. But
considerate: be ~ of sb.
overwhelmed
[)EUvE(welmd]
, überfordert, überlastet
[kEn(sIdErEt] , gegenüber jmdm.
point sth. out
entrepreneur
pop into (a place) [)pQp (Intu] ifml. , (irgendwo) hineinplatzen
rücksichtsvoll sein [)QntrEprE(n§:]
, Unternehmer(in)
fellow employee
[)felEU Im(plOIi:]
, Kollege/Kollegin
issue [(ISu:] , Problem, strittige Angelegenheit nasty [(nA:sti] , hässlich
[)pOInt (aUt] , etw. hervorheben
sunny [(sVni] , hier: positiv, unbeschwert supervisor
[(su:pEvaIzE]
, Vorgesetzte(r)
tirade [taI&(reId]
, Wortschwall
Keep up to date with career trends at www.business-spotlight.de/careers CAREERS & MANAGEMENT
CAREERS & MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE EYE
All lies? The cat-and-mouse game of job interviews Jobanwärter möchten sich gut verkaufen und halten es daher mit der Wahrheit oft nicht so genau. Doch wer den Katalog möglicher Schwindeleien kennt, fällt auf Täuschungsmanöver nicht herein. ADVANCED
Fotos: iStock
“W
hopper”, “humbug”, “scam”. These are just some of the nouns that describe jobinterview deception. So how can you recognize these lies in the cat-andmouse game called a job interview? Max Eggert, an international management psychologist based in Sydney, Australia, argues that there are many types of lies. They make a good checklist for the interviewer: White lies. These are the puff statements that people are encouraged to write in CVs, such as “I am a totally committed team player” or “I have excellent social skills”. The question, of course, is: who says this? Altruistic lies. Some lies cover up facts but appear to be helping others. So, rather than saying they left a job because the manager was a bully, a candidate will say they left to look for new challenges. Lies of omission. These kinds of lies are told frequently. School or university marks are omitted because they were poor, or whole periods of the candidate’s life are left out. Dates are manipulated to disguise surprisingly short periods spent in a succession of jobs. Defensive lies. Here, the candidate obscures facts with generalizations. Ask them about their former boss’s management style, for example, and the answer
CAREERS & MANAGEMENT
ADRIAN FURNHAM is a psychology professor at University College, London. His latest book is The Resilient Manager: Navigating the Challenges of Working Life (Palgrave Macmillan).
might be: “like others in the company”. If you ask vague questions, you get defensive lies. Impersonation lies. Also called “transfer lies”, these involve people taking credit for the work of others or for work when it is difficult to determine who was responsible for the success. For example, “I doubled sales over the year” or “I was responsible for a budget of over three million”. Embedded lies. This is a clever way of implying experience that doesn’t exist. “I really enjoyed my time in Oxford” could mean the person went to Oxford University — or that they worked in a shop there. Errors of fact. This is the most blatant form of deception. It is about making false claims about qualifications, business ownership or work experience. Definition lies. Lawyers and politicians are masters of this type of lie. For example, what exactly is a company “turnaround”? What does it mean to be in the “latest group”? Proxy lies. This is where the candidates get others to lie for them. They may get teachers, employers or others to lie about their skills, work experience or character. Use these categories to help you to identify the “impressionmanagement” tactics used by job candidates in interviews. blatant [(bleIt&nt] , eklatant, unverfroren bully [(bUli] , Tyrann(in) committed [kE(mItId] , engagiert cover sth. up [)kVvEr (Vp] , etw. vertuschen CV (curriculum vitae) [)si: (vi:] , Lebenslauf deception [di(sepS&n] , Täuschung, Irreführung disguise sth. [dIs(gaIz] , etw. verschleiern embedded [Im(bedId] , eingebettet; hier: indirekt humbug [(hVmbVg] , Schwindel
impersonation [Im)p§:sE(neIS&n]
, Identitätsaneignung
imply sth. [Im(plaI] , etw. andeuten obscure sth. [Eb(skUE] , etw. unklar machen, verschleiern omission [EU(mIS&n] , Auslassung omit sth. [EU(mIt] , etw. weg-, auslassen proxy [(prQksi] , Stellvertreter(in) puff statement [(pVf )steItmEnt]
, übertrieben positive Aussage (puff , Lobeshymne)
scam [skÄm] ifml.
, Betrug
succession [sEk(seS&n] , Abfolge take credit for sth. [)teIk (kredIt fO:]
, die Lorbeeren für etw.
einheimsen
turnaround [(t§:nE)raUnd]
, Kehrtwende (zum Guten)
white lie [)waIt (laI] , Notlüge; hier: harmlose Lüge whopper [(wQpE] ifml. , hier: faustdicke Lüge
3/2017 Business Spotlight
65
y at
w x u
W v
X
U
ak V al
bt am
aq ao
ar
bt
an
as ap
ar
LANGUAGE VOCABULARY
Auf diesen Seiten präsentieren wir nützliche Begriffe aus der Arbeitswelt. Von HILDEGARD RUDOLPH EASY 1. kitchen cupboard/cabinet [)kItSEn (kVbEd/(kÄbInEt] , Küchen-, Geschirrschrank
2. worktop
[(w§:ktQp] UK,
work surface
[(w§:k )s§:fIs]
, Arbeitsplatte
66
Business Spotlight 3/2017
3. s pice rack [(spaIs rÄk] , Gewürzregal 4. o ven [(Vv&n] , Backofen 5. e xtractor hood
[Ik(strÄktE hUd] UK, fan hood [(fÄn hUd] US , Dunstabzug(shaube)
6. g as stove [(gÄs )stEUv]
, Gasherd
7. s aucepan [(sO:spÄn]
, Stielkasserolle, -topf
8. ( cooking) pot [((kUkIN) pQt] , (Koch-)Topf
9. f rying pan [(fraIIN pÄn] , Bratpfanne
10. microwave (oven) [(maIkrEUweIv ()Vv&n)]
, Mikrowelle(nherd)
11. oven gloves
[(Vv&n glVvz] UK,
oven mitts
[(Vv&n mIts] US , Topfhandschuhe
12. cooking spoon
15. chef [Sef] , Koch/Köchin, Küchenchef(in) 16. hand mixer [(hÄnd )mIksE]
, Handrührgerät, -mixer
[(kUkIN spu:n],
17. kettle [(ket&l] , Wasserkocher
[)wUdEn (spu:n]
18. kitchen assistant
wooden spoon , Kochlöffel
13. food processor [(fu:d )prEUsesE] , Küchenmaschine
14. cake tin [(keIk tIn]
, Kuchenform
[(kItSEn E)sIstEnt]
, Küchenhilfe
19. sink unit [(sINk )ju:nIt] , Spülplatz 20. dishwasher [(dIS)wQSE] , Geschirrspüler; Tellerwäscher(in)
LANGUAGE
Illustration: Mike Ellis
An industrial kitchen
Exercise 2: Dreaming of being a star chef
Other useful vocabulary Verbs add sth. [Äd] , etw. hinzugeben
fry sth. [fraI] , etw. braten (in der Pfanne)
roast sth. [rEUst] , etw. braten (im Backofen)
boil sth. [bOI&l] , etw. (auf)kochen (lassen)
grate sth. [greIt] , etw. reiben
season sth. [(si:z&n] , etw. würzen, abschmecken
burn sth. [b§:n] , etw. anbrennen lassen
peel sth. [pi:&l] , etw. schälen
simmer sth. [sImE] , etw. köcheln (lassen)
cook sth. [kUk] , etw. kochen, zubereiten
, etw. pochieren
poach sth. [pEUtS]
steam sth. [sti:m] , etw. dämpfen, dünsten
deep-fry sth. [)di:p (fraI] , etw. frittieren
reheat sth. [)ri:(hi:t] , etw. aufwärmen
stir sth. [st§:] , etw. (um)rühren
bland [blÄnd] , fade
hot [hQt] , heiß; scharf
rare , roh; blutig (Steak)
chilled , gekühlt
overcooked [)EUvE(kUkt] , zu lange gekocht; verkocht
savoury [(seIvEri] , pikant, nicht süß
oversalted [)EUvE(sO:ltId] , versalzen
spicy [(spaIsi] , würzig, pikant
pickled , (in Essig) eingelegt
stale [steI&l] , abgestanden, alt
Adjectives
dressed , angemacht (Salat) garlicky , knoblauchhaltig home-made [)hEUm (meId]
, (wie) hausgemacht
Exercise 1: Which is it? Choose the correct options without looking at the vocabulary list on the left. A. You don’t need much fat to get fish fingers crisp in a Teflon-coated... 1. frying pan. 2. saucepan. B. In Britain, the device above the stove is called a(n)... 1. extractor hood. 2. fan hood. C. If you want to cook pizza or lasagne, you need a(n)... 1. stove. 2. oven.
Fill in the missing vowels in the words in bold, all of which are listed on page 50. James is leaving school next year, and there is one thing he knows for sure: he wants to become a (A) ch f! During his holidays, he often worked in the kitchen of a gourmet restaurant in a nearby village. And for his last birthday, his friends gave him a set of cooking ns and a beautiful pair of oven (B) sp (C) gl v s. The kitchen in the restaurant was very similar to the one in his parents’ house, just much bigger. There were several gas (D) st v s, not just one, as at home, with integrated (E) v ns and one huge (F) xtr ct r d. On high shelves along one wall, there h were all kinds of (G) p ts, frying (H) p ns c p ns of different sizes, as and (I) s well as round and square (J) c k t ns. The stainless-steel (K) w rkt ps provided space for a huge food (L) pr c ss r and three (M) m cr w v s for heating food up quickly. And such a wide variety of (N) sp c s! He did not even know the name of half of them. James is really looking forward to next autumn, when his training will start. First, of course, he will work as a kitchen (O) ss st nt. However, with some luck and a lot of hard work, he may become a Michelin-starred (P) ch f some day.
Answers
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
LANGUAGE
⋅⋅
Cook refers to the preparation of food. You can cook food in various ways: by frying it, baking it, heating it or, of course, boiling it: “It’s your turn to cook dinner tonight.” — Du bist heute Abend mit dem Kochen (des Essens) an der Reihe. For coffee or tea, you use the verb “make”: “Shall I make you a cup of tea?” — Soll ich dir eine Tasse Tee kochen? In a business context, “cook the books” means to “change the figures illegally to make them look better than they actually are” (die Bücher frisieren): “He had cooked the books and was dismissed without notice.” — Er hatte die Bücher frisiert und wurde fristlos entlassen.
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
Exercise 1 A–1; B–1; C–2
The English verbs “boil” and “cook” are both translated as kochen in German, but they are used differently.Liquids boil when they are heated until they form bubbles and produce vapour or steam: “Wait until the water boils before putting in the pasta.” — Warten Sie, bis das Wasser kocht, bevor Sie die Nudeln hineingeben. When you boil vegetables, eggs, pasta, etc., you leave them in boiling water until they are done: “Soft-boiled eggs should boil for at least three minutes.” — Weich gekochte Eier sollten mindestens drei Minuten lang kochen. People who are very angry “boil with anger” (vor Wut kochen): “Leave her alone for a while. She’s boiling with anger.” — Lass sie eine Weile in Ruhe. Sie kocht vor Wut.
And some fabrics must never be boil-washed: “If you boil woollen clothes, they will shrink.” — Wenn du Wollkleidung kochst, läuft sie ein.
Exercise 2 A. chef B. spoons C. gloves D. stoves E. ovens F. extractor hood G. pots H. pans I. saucepans J. cake tins K. worktops L. processor M. microwaves N. spices O. assistant P. chef
“Boil” vs “cook”
3/2017 Business Spotlight
67
LANGUAGE EASY ENGLISH
Talking about performance Mitarbeitergespräche sind wichtig, um die Leistung zu beurteilen. Wie ein solches Gespräch auf Englisch verlaufen könnte, lesen Sie hier. EASY AUDIO PLUS
MIKE HOGAN is a director of York Associates (www.yorkassociates.co.uk) and a coursebook author. Contact: mike.hogan@yorkassociates.co.uk
I
n recent years, many organizations have moved away from annual performance reviews for employees and moved towards a process of ongoing feedback. If your organization has abandoned the traditional appraisal approach, you need to be prepared to talk about your performance all year round, and not just once a year. And you need to be able to do this convincingly.
Questions
Read the following dialogue between Robin and his boss, Claudia. Think about the answers to these questions:
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ 68
How does Robin support his claim that he has had a “successful start to the year”? How does Robin show that he was thinking about the “big picture” and not just himself? How does Robin show his openness to personal development?
Business Spotlight 3/2017
Dialogue
Claudia: Hi, Robin. Let’s talk about how your year has been so far. Robin: OK, sure. Claudia: So, how has it been going this year? Robin: I think I’ve had a successful start to the year and I’m on top of all my regular tasks. Claudia: That’s good to hear. Robin: I finished the strategy plan on time in January, and we implemented it in February. Also in February, I processed large orders from my two main customers and then took on two new customers in March. Claudia: Yes, thanks for that. Robin: Oh, and they’ve both also just completed their first orders. Claudia: Great! I know you’re working on a number of special projects, too. Can you tell me more about them? Robin: Well, I’ve started a new initiative to make the department more efficient. I’ve led a few meetings and I’ve collected ideas from the team. I’m preparing a report and I’ll share it at next month’s team meeting. Claudia: Excellent. I’ll put it on the agenda. Robin: And I’ve almost finished researching those new markets you asked me to look into. Claudia: OK. Let me have your report and recommendations when you are done. Robin: Oh, one other thing: I also covered for Nick when he was off sick. Claudia: Yes, well done, thanks. So, tell me, where do you think you can improve or where might you need support? Robin: Hmm. Well, I worry sometimes about taking on too much. Some mentoring and support would be useful. What do you think? Claudia: Yes, that’s a good idea. I’ll talk to the HR department and see if we can set up an appointment for you. Robin: And I don’t feel fully confident yet with the new data system. I’ve made a few mistakes, and some training would be good. Claudia: Right. Well, how about I ask Tim to cover for you for a week and you can go on a training course? Robin: That would be great, thanks! Claudia: I’m glad all is going well for you. Thanks for your hard work and dedication. You are an asset to the team. Let’s catch up like this again soon.
abandon sth. [E(bÄndEn]
, etw. aufgeben
agenda [E(dZendE] , Tagesordnung annual performance review [)ÄnjuEl
pE(fO:mEns ri)vju:] , jährliches Mitarbeiter-
gespräch
appraisal [E(preIz&l] , Beurteilung approach [E(prEUtS] , Vorgehensweise, Methode asset [(Äset] , Vermögenswert; hier: Gewinn, Bereicherung big picture: the ~ [)bIg (pIktSE] US , die Gesamtperspektive catch up [)kÄtS (Vp] , hier: sich austauschen claim [kleIm] , Behauptung cover for sb. [(kVvE fO:] , jmdn. vertreten dedication
[)dedI(keIS&n] , Engagement, Einsatz
department
[di(pA:tmEnt] , Abteilung
HR (human resources) [)eItS (A:] , Personal(abteilung)
implement sth.
[(ImplIment] , etw. umsetzen
look into sth. [)lUk (Intu] , etw. untersuchen, prüfen ongoing [(Qn)gEUIN] , laufend on top: be ~ of sth.
[)Qn (tQp] , etw. (gut) im Griff haben
performance
[pE(fO:mEns] , Leistung(en)
process sth. [(prEUses] , etw. bearbeiten research (sth.) [ri(s§:tS]
, etw. recherchieren
take sb./sth. on
[)teIk (Qn] , jmdn./etw. übernehmen
LANGUAGE
Answers Here are the answers to the three questions that we asked about the dialogue:
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
Robin is able to give specific examples of his successful performance so far this year and not just general statements. Robin shows Claudia that his focus is on organizational improvement and not just his own role. Robin shows that he has reflected on areas of personal improvement and proactively asked for support and training.
Grammar
Past simple and present perfect
When speaking about specific achievements at a specific time in the past, use the past simple: I finished the strategy plan on time in January, and we implemented it in February. Also in February, I processed large orders from my two main customers and then took on two new customers in March.
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
When talking about general achievements at some non-specific time in the past but with relevance to the present, use the present perfect: I’ve started a new initiative to make the department more efficient. I’ve led a few meetings and I’ve collected ideas from the team.
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
achieve sth. [E(tSi:v]
, etw. erreichen
achievement
[E(tSi:vmEnt]
Useful phrases for talking about performance
⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅
A. Starting the discussion Can we talk about my/your recent performance? Let’s talk about how your year has been so far. Can we talk about how things are going for you this year? B. Asking for feedback and support How has it been going this year? How do you feel I/you have been doing? Where do you think I/you need support? How do you feel I/you can improve? C. Talking about achievements I finished the report that you asked for. I covered for… when (s)he was sick. I improved/increased/solved/reduced/decreased... I’ve started a new initiative to… I’ve led some meetings about… I’ve taken on new tasks/responsibilities/customers. D. Ending positively The employee: Thanks very much for taking the time to talk about this with me. Thanks for your support and guidance.
⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅ ⋅⋅⋅⋅
The manager: I’m glad all is going well so far this year. Thanks again for your hard work and dedication. You really are an asset to the team. Let’s catch up like this again soon.
Performance: be prepared to talk about yours
, Leistung
keep track of sth.
Illustration: iStock
[)ki:p (trÄk Qv] , den Überblick über etw.
KEY TIPS! • Ask for feedback regularly from your line manager. Don’t wait until the end of the year. • Keep track of your performance every week. It is easy to forget things that you have achieved. • Be specific about your achievements rather than just making general statements. • Show how you are focused not just on your own situation but also on that of the team and organization. •
LANGUAGE
behalten; hier: Aufzeichnungen von etw. machen line manager
[(laIn )mÄnIdZE] UK
, direkte(r)
Vorgesetzte(r) performance
[pE(fO:mEns] , Leistung(en)
3/2017 Business Spotlight
69
Manche Verben bestehen aus mehr als nur einem Wort. Wir erläutern die Einzelheiten. MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS
Joe receives a phone call from his colleague Eva. Eva: Hi, Joe. It’s Eva. Joe: Eva! Good to hear from you. We’ve been waiting for you since this morning. Where are you? Eva: I’m sorry, Joe. I’ve had a dreadful day. My car broke down on the motorway. Joe: Are you OK? Eva: I’m fine. I ran out of petrol and had to walk three miles to the next service area to fill up the jerrycan. Joe: Why didn’t you call roadside assistance? It’s pouring down outside. Eva: Well, believe it or not, my phone battery gave out. Joe: You poor thing! Eva: Anyway, when I got back to where I’d left the car, it was no longer there. The police must have towed it away. Joe: Oh, no! That’s terrible! Shall I fix you up with a taxi? Eva: I’m at the bus station. Do you think you could pick me up? Please? And hurry up, will you? I’m drenched!
Exercise: Make a choice Underline the correct options in bold. A. Let’s put the meeting on / off until next week. B. Please write up / down your name and phone number. C. The deal fell out / through because we couldn’t agree on / with a price. D. We ran away with / out of money, so we had to give off / up.
➻ Mwww.business-spotlight.de/grammar ore exercises can be found at 70
Business Spotlight 3/2017
Multi-word verbs consist of a verb and one or two “small words”: a preposition, an adverbial particle or both. Our dialogue contains examples of four different types of multi-word verbs.
1. Prepositional verbs Verb + preposition + object: hear from sb., wait for sb./sth. Prepositional verbs always have an object after the preposition. Some can have two objects: one after the verb and another after the preposition: He reminds me of my father.
⋅⋅
2. Intransitive phrasal verbs Verb + adverbial particle(s): break down, pour down, give out, hurry up By definition, intransitive verbs do not have an object. 3. Transitive phrasal verbs Verb + object + adverbial particle: fill sth. up, tow sth. away, pick sb./sth. up The object can usually come before or after the particle. However, if the object is a pronoun, it must come before the particle: Can you pick me up? (not: Can you pick up me?) Objects consisting of several words usually come after the particle: The police towed away Alice’s abandoned car.
ANNA HOCHSIEDER is a Munich-based teacher of English who writes regularly in Business Spotlight. Contact: a.hochsieder@ googlemail.com
abandoned
[E(bÄndEnd] , aufgegeben; hier:
liegengeblieben break down
[)breIk (daUn] , eine Panne haben
dreadful [(dredf&l] , schrecklich drenched [drentSt] , durchnässt fix sb. up with sth. [)fIks (Vp wID] ifml. , jmdm. etw. besorgen
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
give out [)gIv (aUt] , zu Ende sein; hier: leer sein
4. Phrasal-prepositional verbs Verb + adverbial particle + preposition + object: run out of sth., get back to sth. The object always comes after the preposition. However, some phrasal-prepositional verbs can have two objects: one in connection with the phrasal verb and another after the preposition: Shall I fix you up with a taxi? Phrasal-prepositional verbs (and many phrasal verbs) are more common in informal contexts. In formal writing, a verb consisting of a single word is often used instead: Shall I arrange a taxi for you?
, Autobahn
⋅⋅ ⋅⋅
The meaning of many multi-word verbs is not clear from the individual parts. They therefore have to be learned as complete units of meaning. For example: fix sb. up with sth. = to arrange for someone to get something
⋅⋅
jerrycan [(dZerikÄn] , Kanister motorway
[(mEUtEweI] UK
phrasal verb
[)freIz&l (v§:b] , Verb mit Partikel
pour down [)pO: (daUn] , schütten pronoun [(prEUnaUn] , Pronomen roadside assistance
[)rEUdsaId E(sIstEns]
, Pannendienst
run out of sth.
[)rVn (aUt Qv] , von etw. nichts mehr
haben
tow sth. away
[)tEU E(weI] , etw. abschleppen
unit of meaning
[)ju:nIt Ev (mi:nIN] , Bedeutungseinheit
Answers Foto: Gert Krautbauer
Multi-word verbs
EXPLANATIONS
Exercise: Make a choice A. off (put sth. off = etw. verschieben) B. down (write sth. down = etw. aufschreiben) C. through (fall through = platzen, scheitern); on (agree on sth. = sich auf etw. einigen) D. out of (run out of sth. = von etw. nichts mehr haben); up (give up = aufgeben)
LANGUAGE GRAMMAR
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE CARDS Grammar
by Hildegard Rudolph
Business Spotlight 3/17
Grammar
Business Spotlight 3/17
Adjective or adverb? Which form is correct?
Adjective or adverb? Which form is correct?
“ I look awful/awfully today. I worked all night to finish the report.”
“ Our new office furniture looks awful/awfully expensive, but we didn’t pay much for it.”
Translation
Translation
Business Spotlight 3/17
Business Spotlight 3/17
Translate this sentence into English.
Translate this sentence into German.
„ Sie haben sowohl in der ersten als auch in der zweiten Hälfte des letzten Jahres Gewinn gemacht.“
“ Thanks to a mnemonic, I no longer confuse these two words.”
Word choice
Word choice
Business Spotlight 3/17
Business Spotlight 3/17
Which word is correct?
Which word is correct?
“ The restructuring will affect/effect almost everybody in the company.”
“ Don’t you think that all of us deserve/earn a bonus for helping to meet the deadline?”
Business talk
Business talk
Business Spotlight 3/17
Business Spotlight 3/17
What does the speaker mean?
What does the speaker mean?
“ She really needs to turn over a new leaf if she is going to be successful here.”
“ Other EU members do not want the United Kingdom to cherry-pick the best aspects of the EU after Brexit.”
LANGUAGE CARDS Grammar
Business Spotlight 3/17
“Our new office furniture looks awfully expensive, but...” In this case, we need the informal adverb awfully to modify the adjective “expensive”. awfully expensive = entsetzlich teuer
Translation
Grammar
Business Spotlight 3/17
“I look awful today...” With verbs of the senses (“look”, “taste”, “feel”, “smell”, “sound”), the complement is typically an adjective rather than an adverb, as it describes the subject (which is a noun or noun phrase), not the verb. look awful = entsetzlich aussehen
Business Spotlight 3/17
Translation
Business Spotlight 3/17
„Dank einer Eselsbrücke verwechsle ich diese beiden Wörter nicht mehr.“
“They made a profit both in the first half and the second half of last year.”
A mnemonic [nI(mQnIk] can be a rhyme, series of letters or a formula that helps you to remember something. For example, to remember how to spell “rhythm”, you could use the mnemonic “rhythm helps your two hips move”.
The German sowohl ... als auch ... is usually translated as both ... and ... in English. You could also say “They made a profit in the first half of last year as well as in the second half” or “They made a profit in both the first and second half of last year”.
Word choice
Business Spotlight 3/17
“Don’t you think that all of us deserve a bonus for helping to meet the deadline?”
Word choice
Business Spotlight 3/17
“The restructuring will affect almost everybody...”
If you have done something that is worthy of being honoured, the verb deserve is used. The verb “earn” refers to the act of receiving (or working for) something, such as your salary or pay.
Affect is a verb: if something influences someone or something, it affects them. “Effect” is generally used as a noun, meaning “the result of an influence”. The verb “to effect” is less common. It means “to cause something to happen” (etw. herbeiführen).
(Anerkennung u.ä.) verdienen
sich auf jmdn./etw. auswirken
Business talk
Business Spotlight 3/17
Business talk
Business Spotlight 3/17
If you cherry-pick from something, you choose only the best parts of it.
If somebody turns over a new leaf, they change their behaviour for the better.
sich aus etw. die Rosinen herauspicken
seine Haltung ändern
LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
Tricky translations How do you say “smart” in How do you say auslaufen German? in English?
Es gibt englische Wörter, die man immer wieder verwechselt. Und es gibt englische und deutsche Wörter, deren Übersetzung in die jeweils andere Sprache schwierig ist. Beispiele finden Sie hier.
If we describe a person as being “smart”, we mean that they are clever, intelligent or sensible (intelligent, schlau): “I always knew he would be successful; he was the smartest boy in our class.” — Ich habe immer gewusst, dass er erfolgreich sein würde; er war der schlauste Junge in unserer Klasse. Something may also be described as a “smart move” (ein intelligenter/kluger Schachzug).
·
MEDIUM
Don’t confuse... stationary, stationery
In the context of staying in hospital, we use “in-patient” not stationary: “Minor operations do not require in-patient treatment.” — Kleinere Operationen erfordern keine stationäre Behandlung.
·
The noun stationery refers to items used for writing (Schreibwaren, Bürobedarf): “Employees should not use company stationery for personal letters.” — Mitarbeiter sollten kein Firmenbriefpapier für ihre persönliche Korrespondenz verwenden.
·
The shop where you buy writing materials is known as a stationer (Schreibwarenladen; auch: Schreibwarenhändler(in)).
Answers
1. A. stationers B. stationery C. stationary
·
MIKE SEYMOUR is an author, trainer and translator based in Bonn. Contact: www. mikeseymour.com
2. A. Wenn Du etwas intelligenter gewesen wärest, hättest Du gewusst, dass „gepflegte Freizeitkleidung“ nicht bedeutet, dass du deine ältesten Jeans tragen kannst. B. When does your driving licence expire / run out?
Stationary is an adjective that refers to an object that is standing still ((fest)stehend, ruhend, bewegungslos, stationär): “Please do not open the doors until the train is stationary.” — Bitte die Türen erst (dann) öffnen, wenn der Zug steht.
When used to describe someone’s appearance, “smart” means “clean, tidy and attractive” (elegant, schick, gepflegt): “You look smart. Do you have a job interview?” — Du siehst schick aus. Hast du ein Vorstellungsgespräch? Business invitations may refer to the dress code “smart casual” (gehobene Freizeitkleidung, lässig-elegant).
·
Finally, the verb “smart” means “to hurt with a stinging pain” (schmerzen, wehtun, brennen): “My eyes were smarting because I touched them after cooking with chillies.” — Meine Augen brannten, weil ich sie berührt habe, nachdem ich mit Peperoni gekocht hatte.
·
1. Make your choice
·
Auslaufen (lassen) also refers to a product that is no longer sold. Here, we say discontinue: Wegen des schlechten Umsatzes haben wir dieses Modell auslaufen lassen. — “Because of poor sales, we discontinued this model.”
·
Auslaufen is also used when a container doesn’t hold a liquid as it should. In this case, we would translate it as leak: Sie haben Tinte auf Ihrer Jacke. Ihr Kugelschreiber läuft aus! — “You’ve got ink on your jacket. Your pen’s leaking!”
·
Finally, auslaufen describes the moment when a ship leaves a port. It is translated as put to sea, clear port, set sail or sail: Die Titanic ist am 10. April 1912 aus dem Hafen von Southampton ausgelaufen. — The Titanic set sail from Southampton on 10 April 1912.
·
2. How would you say that?
Complete the sentences with “stationary”, “stationery” or “stationers”. A. The growth of large office-supply chains has led to the . decline of many independent
In a legal context, auslaufen describes a situation in which a document or contract is no longer valid. We translate it as expire or run out: Ich muss meinen Reisepass verlängern lassen. Er läuft im Juni aus. — “I have to renew my passport. It expires in June.”
Translate the following sentences. A. If you had been a bit smarter, you would have known that “smart casual” doesn’t mean wearing your oldest jeans!
B. M any modern hotels have stopped providing , as most guests do not write letters any longer.
....................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
C. We missed our flight because we were stuck in traffic.
....................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
LANGUAGE
B. Wann läuft Ihr Führerschein aus?
3/2017 Business Spotlight
73
LANGUAGE WRITING
A letter of resignation
ANNA HOCHSIEDER is a Munich-based teacher of English who writes regularly in Business Spotlight. Contact: a.hochsieder@ googlemail.com
Ein Kündigungsschreiben muss korrekt und regelkonform verfasst werden. Wir zeigen Ihnen, worauf es dabei ankommt. MEDIUM
Explanations Melissa Reynolds 11 Oaktree Road Taunton, Somerset TA25 3QT Mark Stetson General Accounting Manager Song Systems Chard Trading Estate Chard, Somerset TA20 9PR
•
• • 12 March 2017
Dear Mr Stetson I am writing to inform you that I will be resigning from my position as junior accountant, effective six weeks from this date, as per contract. My last day of employment will be 30 June 2017. I would like to thank you for all the support you have given me over the past three years. Working for Song Systems has been a rewarding experience, which I have very much enjoyed. However, I have been offered a new job opportunity that will allow me to develop my skills and gain further knowledge in my field. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance in ensuring a smooth handover of my responsibilities.
Melissa Reynolds
allow sb. to do sth. [E(laU tE )du:] , hier: jmdm. etw. ermöglichen
[kEn(f§:m]
, etw. bestätigen
, Dateiname
as per contract
corporate culture
general accounting manager [)dZen&rEl
, wie vertraglich vereinbart
, Unternehmenskultur
, Leiter(in) der Buch-
[)kO:pErEt (kVltSE]
effective [E(fektIv] , wirksam
come into effect
ensure sth. [In(SO:] , etw. gewährleisten
, wirksam werden
74
confirm sth.
attach sth. [E(tÄtS] , etw. anhängen [)kVm Intu E(fekt]
Business Spotlight 3/2017
• • •
Yours sincerely
[)Äz pE (kQntrÄkt]
•
file name [(faI&l neIm]
E(kaUntIN )mÄnIdZE]
junior accountant
[)dZu:niE E(kaUntEnt]
, etwa: Sachbearbeiter(in) in der Buchhaltung
letter of resignation
Keep your letter short and simple. In most cases, there is no need to include more than these two things: the position from which you are resigning and the date when your notice comes into effect. Check your employment contract to make sure you get the period of notice right! As with any business letter, don’t forget your own and your employer’s contact details, as well as the date of writing. Address the letter to your immediate supervisor. Depending on your corporate culture, you can use first names if you are on first-name terms with your boss. Nevertheless, keep the tone of your letter formal. You do not have to explain why you are leaving. If you do, be polite. Don’t criticize your company, your boss or your colleagues. Remember: you may need a reference. Your letter of resignation is an official document that will remain in your personnel file. If possible, speak to your boss first. Resign in person; then confirm your resignation in writing. If time is short, you can give notice by email. Save your letter in PDF format (don’t forget to include your surname in the file name) and attach it to your email. Thank your boss for supporting you and offer to help make the transition as smooth as possible. period of notice
[)pIEriEd Ev (nEUtIs]
, Kündigungsfrist
personnel file
[p§:sE(nel faI&l]
haltung
[)letEr Ev )rezIg(neIS&n]
, Kündigungsschreiben
, Personalakte
give notice [)gIv (nEUtIs] , kündigen
on first-name terms: be ~
reference [(ref&rEns] , Arbeitszeugnis
handover [(hÄnd)EUvE] , Übergabe
[Qn )f§:st neIm (t§:mz]
, sich duzen
resign from a position
[ri)zaIn frEm E pE(zIS&n]
, eine Stelle kündigen
save sth. [seIv] , etw. speichern supervisor
[(su:pEvaIzE]
, Vorgesetzte(r)
transition [trÄn(zIS&n] , Übergang yours sincerely
[)jO:z sIn(sIEli]
, mit freundlichen Grüßen
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE TALKING FINANCE
A black-and-white view of trade Für US-Präsident Donald Trump ist alles schwarz oder weiß, dazwischen gibt es nichts. Aber wäre ein Grauton, der beide Seiten beleuchtet, nicht häufig richtiger? ADVANCED AUDIO
Fotos: iStock; Shutterstock; Gert Krautbauer
S
ometimes, I wish I could be more like Donald Trump. Only sometimes, and only in one respect: Trump, it seems, views the world in simplistic, black-and-white terms. No “50 shades of grey” for this president, indeed not even one shade of grey as far as I can see. No doubt, this makes life easier for the US president. But the problem — and this is why I don’t really want to be like Trump — is that such simplistic viewpoints are normally totally wrong. Take, for example, Donald Trump’s view of international trade. The US economy has a huge balance-of-payments deficit with the rest of the world, meaning that it imports more than it exports and borrows from the rest of the world to finance the difference. Trump seems to believe that this deficit is destroying (manufacturing) jobs in the US and has to be closed. In the Trumpian world, imports are bad and exports are good. To see how absurd this simplification is, imagine an economy that exports everything that it produces. Such an economy would receive money from abroad but, unless it also imported goods, its people would have nothing to consume: no food, no clothes, no houses, no televisions, nothing. Back in the real world, imports are not only consumer goods, they are also component parts of exported goods. LANGUAGE
IAN MCMASTER is editor-in-chief of Business Spotlight. Read his weekly blog on global business at www. business-spotlight. de/blogs
Contact: i.mcmaster@ spotlight-verlag.de
So anything that raises import prices will hit not only consumers but also certain firms. Donald Trump seems to want to discourage imports and encourage exports not only by putting direct tariffs on imports, but also by changing the corporate tax system. His proposal is to exempt revenues that firms receive from exports from their taxable income and also to prevent firms from deducting the costs of imports when calculating their taxable profits. This “border adjustment” would be a significant and complicated change to the tax system. It is not at all clear whether Congress would support such a change, or whether it would be compatible with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Further, if such a change were introduced, what would its impact be? Some experts believe it would simply lead to a further rise in the value of the dollar. And this, other things being equal, would hit US exports and boost US imports, the opposite of what Donald Trump intends. In the end, there might be no reduction in the US’s balance-of-payment deficit. These are complex matters and there are no easy answers. But one thing is certain: complexities have no place in Trump’s blackand-white world. boost sth. [bu:st]
, etw. ankurbeln
close a deficit
For more on this subject You can listen to Ian McMaster talking about trade and tariffs on Business Spotlight Audio.
other things being equal
, Unternehmenssteuer
, unter sonst gleichen
[)kO:pErEt (tÄks]
[)klEUz E (defEsIt]
deduct sth. [di(dVkt] , etw. abziehen
compatible: be ~ with sth. [kEm(pÄtEb&l] , mit etw. in Einklang stehen
exempt sth. from sth.
, ein Defizit beseitigen
➻
corporate tax
[)VDE TINz )bi:IN (i:kwEl]
Umständen revenues
[(revEnju:z] , Einnahmen
[Ig(zempt frQm] , etw. von etw. befreien;
simplistic
[kEm(pEUnEnt pA:t] , Bestandteil, Bauteil
impact [(ImpÄkt] , Auswirkung(en)
tariff [(tÄrIf] , Zoll
consumer goods
manufacturing
, Konsumgüter
, Fertigung, Produktion
component part
[kEn(sju:mE gUdz]
hier: ausnehmen
[)mÄnju(fÄktSErIN]
[sIm(plIstIk] , allzu simpel
taxable
[(tÄksEb&l]
, steuerpflichtig
3/2017 Business Spotlight
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LANGUAGE SHORT STORY
The old king
JAMES SCHOFIELD is the co-author of the Double Dealing series. You can find more of his stories and his blog at http:// jrtschofield. blogspot.de
Ist es um die Gesundheit und Zurechnungsfähigkeit des Seniorchefs wirklich so schlimm bestellt? Dann sollte die Firmenleitung möglichst schnell in die Hände der jüngeren Generation übergehen, oder? MEDIUM AUDIO
barely [(beEli]
, kaum
boredom [(bO:dEm] , Langeweile; hier: Eintönigkeit cruise-ship tour
[(kru:z SIp )tUE]
, Kreuzfahrt
divorce sb. [dI(vO:s] , sich von jmdm. scheiden lassen
“Hello?” “Hi, Julia. George here. How are things?” There they are — the little worms! I should never have made them joint company directors — in my company, which I created from nothing! It took me 60 years, but I’ve built a business with 800 people and sales offices around the world.
“ THOSE TWO CAN BARELY DRINK A CUP OF TEA, LET ALONE A BOTTLE OF VODKA OVER BREAKFAST” 76
“Excellent first-quarter sales figures. The economy is holding up at the moment, so the ROI is looking good. What about you? How was the sales workshop?” That’s how they always talk! They think they’re so clever just because they went to university. They use all this economic nonsense to
Business Spotlight 3/2017
try and confuse me. But I’d like to see how successful they’d be negotiating with one of those Soviet industrial managers I had to deal with back in the 1960s. Those two can barely drink a cup of tea, let alone a bottle of vodka over breakfast! “Very good. I got Johannes to come and tell them about some of the sales trips he used to take with Grandad. They loved him!” Johannes Götz is a friend of mine, and my first salesman in Germany. He retired ten years ago now, plays golf and goes on cruise-ship tours with his wife, Lotte. Says it makes them very happy. The boredom would kill me. Anyway, George and Julia’s grandmother divorced me a long time ago. Sandra said I loved the company more than her, which was true, actually. “How’s Grandad?” “Hmm…” Do you hear that? DO YOU HEAR THAT? I’ll play it again. “Hmm…” That “Hmm…” is all you need to hear if you want to know what they think of me. “Hmm…” really means: “Grandad is being difficult to work with and he won’t listen to me.” But it gets worse!
here we go
[)hIE wi (gEU] , jetzt geht’s los
hold up [)hEUld (Vp] , sich halten; hier: gut laufen issue [(ISu:] , Problem joint company directors: make... ~
[)dZOInt )kVmpEni dE(rektEz]
, (zwei oder mehr
Personen) gemeinsam die Geschäftsführung übertragen
lawyer [(lO:jE] , Anwalt/Anwältin let alone [)let E(lEUn] , ganz zu schweigen von negotiate with sb.
[nI(gEUSieIt )wID] , mit jmdm. verhandeln
quarter [(kwO:tE] , Quartal ROI (return on investment) [)A:r EU (aI] , Kapitalrendite, -erträge salesman [(seI&lzmEn] , Verkäufer, Handelsvertreter sales office [(seI&lz )QfIs] , Vertriebsstelle worm [w§:m] ifml. , hier: Fiesling
LANGUAGE
Fotos: iStock; Shutterstock
A
re you two from my lawyers? I told the hospital to call you a long time ago. I’m here because of a little health issue I had the other day, but I need you because of a problem I have with my grandchildren. I want you to listen to a recording I made of a phone call they had last week, talking about me. Then you’ll understand what I’m saying. So are you both listening? ARE YOU LISTENING? This is important. Here we go…
“I have to keep checking whether he’s taking his medicine. If he doesn’t, he makes mistakes and then he gets angry.” That’s a lie! She knows it’s the other way round. It’s the drugs that make me do stupid things. When I’m not drugged, I see things clearly. I see what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to steal my company from me, and that makes me angry. “Will he agree to talk to the banks, do you think? If we’re serious about expanding into China, we need to borrow money from them.” “I don’t know. He’s suspicious of banks…” See? She’s criticizing me again. But it’s common sense. Never let the banks get their hands on your company. They’re vultures. “He’s so volatile. It’s going to be difficult… as long as he’s around.” Did you hear that last part? No? Damn you, LISTEN! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout at you, Miss… Miss… whatever your name is: “…as long as he’s around.” Do you hear it now? Good! You see, this is where they start plotting to get rid of me. “George, I think we may have to intervene in some way. You know, what worries me most is this new commercial agent he’s hired in China, Eric Lin.” “The man he visited in Shanghai? The one with all the business connections?” Lin is good. He respects me and he has excellent contacts. “Yes, but did you know Grandad has given him a platinum American Express card, without asking us? I only found out yesterday, when both their November bills arrived on my desk. The two of them
spent a huge amount on restaurants, nightclubs, casinos…” Oh, God help me! I don’t have to ask for permission — it’s my company, isn’t it? We had a bit of fun, but why not?
“ IF THEY ENTERTAINED CHINESE OFFICIALS AND ANYBODY FINDS OUT, IT’LL BE SEEN AS CORRUPTION”
“He’s doing this in Shanghai? Jesus, Julia, he’s putting the whole company at risk! If they entertained government officials and anybody finds out, then it’ll be seen as corruption. It’s not like 40 years ago. You can’t do that sort of thing any more, and China has really tough regulations. We have to stop this! Can you cancel the cards?”
I had a little situation when I lost my temper at a petrol station because I couldn’t pay with any of my credit cards. I couldn’t believe they would actually cancel them all, but they did. So, I want to… Much later, Julia Hill and George Mellon left the hospital and drove slowly back to the office. “That was strange,” said Julia. “Why didn’t he recognize us?” “The doctor thinks he had a small stroke as well as a heart attack,” said George. “And it has damaged his memory centres. But it was lucky the hospital called us and not the lawyers. It could have caused complications. We’ll have to get ownership transferred to us immediately. It’s the only sensible thing to do to keep the company going.” “Of course.” Julia was silent for a while, looking out of the passenger window. “Do you think we were in any way responsible for this?” she asked finally. “Julia,” said George, keeping his eyes fixed on the road, “we’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. It’s not our fault that he can’t control his temper, is it?”
around: be ~ [E(raUnd]
, da sein; auch: am
Leben sein
cancel sth. [(kÄns&l] , hier: etw. für ungültig erklären lassen commercial agent
[kE)m§:S&l (eIdZEnt]
, Handelsvertreter(in)
control one’s temper
[kEn)trEUl wVnz (tempE] , sich im Griff haben
damn you
[(dÄm ju:] ifml. , verdammt noch mal
drug [drVg] , Medikament drugged: be ~ [drVgd] , unter Medikamenten stehen
lose one’s temper
[)lu:z wVnz (tempE]
, in Zorn geraten
memory centres
[(memEri )sentEz] , hier: Erinnerungs-
vermögen
other way round: the ~ [)VDE weI (raUnd] UK , umgekehrt platinum [(plÄtInEm]
, Platin
plot [plQt] , sich verschwören sensible [(sensEb&l] , vernünftig, sinnvoll stroke [strEUk] , Schlaganfall suspicious: be ~ of sb.
[sE(spISEs] , jmdm. argwöhnisch
gegenüberstehen
tough [tVf] , streng volatile [(vQlEtaI&l]
, unberechenbar
vulture [(vVltSE] , Geier
Answers
How well did you understand our short story? Test yourself with these questions. A. What is the relationship like between the old man and his grandchildren?
B. What step did Julia and George take that made their grandfather so angry?
C. Who is to blame for the problems in the relationship between Julia, George and their grandfather?
A. Bad. He thinks they are trying to drive him out of his company. B. They cancelled his credit cards. C. All of them: the grandfather, because he is unwilling to hand over control of his company, and the grandchildren, because they should have communicated their concerns openly instead of just cancelling his credit cards.
Exercise: Reading comprehension
Exercise: Reading comprehension LANGUAGE
3/2017 Business Spotlight
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LANGUAGE ENGLISH ON THE MOVE
A diverted flight
KEN TAYLOR is a communication consultant and author of 50 Ways to Improve Your Business English (Summertown). Contact: KTaylor868@aol. com
MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS
John: We’ll give him a call as soon as we land. I expect they’ll lay on some buses for us. Andrea: Where will they take us? John: To Heathrow, I imagine. But it will take quite a while. The bus trip will be a good couple of hours even if the traffic is OK. Andrea: Oh, well. At least we’ll be in the UK! Bad weather: no way to land today
On board at last
Announcement: We apologize for the late departure of this flight, which was due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft. John: An hour and a half late! Still, better late than never, I suppose. Andrea: They never say what the problem actually is, do they? John: No, but I can guess. According to my weather app, there’s a thick fog in London. That’s probably slowing down all the take-offs and landings. Andrea: I hope it doesn’t affect our landing. John: It could do. We might have to circle round for a while before they let us land. Andrea: I talked to Mike before we boarded. He’ll check arrivals on his phone before coming to meet us. John: Good. Otherwise, he could be waiting for quite a while.
The diversion
Pilot: I’m sorry to have to tell you that the weather conditions in London have got much worse in the last hour. No flights are being allowed to land. We have been diverted to Birmingham. Our ETA at East Midlands Airport is 14.30. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll let you know the transfer arrangements as soon as I hear more. Andrea: Oh, dear. I hope Mike realizes what’s happened. 78
Business Spotlight 3/2017
Arrival
Pilot: Buses have been arranged to take you to Heathrow. Go through immigration and pick up any luggage you may have. You will be met in the arrivals hall by representatives of the airline, who will show you to the transfer buses. I’ve been told that the journey time is expected to be just under three hours. Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience, but as you know, your safety is our first priority. Andrea: With any luck, we can get on the first bus, as we’ve only got hand luggage. John: And we’re close to the front, so we should get through passport control quickly, too. Andrea: I’ll call Mike now.
On the bus
Andrea: Wow! Made the first bus! John: That was a good idea of yours to take the lift rather than the escalator — it saved a few seconds and got us to the head of the queue. Andrea: I feel sorry for the people waiting for their luggage. It could take a long time before they get their buses. John: Oh, well. At least we’ve arrived safely. What did Mike have to say? Andrea: He said to give him a call when we’re on the M25 and he’ll head out to meet us then. John: It’s really nice of him to help us out like this. We could have got a cab. Andrea: We’ve known each other for years. I always look after him when he comes to Dortmund. John: Perhaps we can buy him dinner tomorrow as a way of saying thanks. Andrea: Good idea. Let’s ask him if he’s free.
affect sth. [E(fekt] , sich auf etw. auswirken aircraft [(eEkrA:ft] , Flugzeug apologize for sth. [E(pQlEdZaIz )fO:]
, sich für etw. ent-
schuldigen
buy sb. dinner [)baI (dInE] , hier: jmdn. zum Abendessen einladen cab [kÄb] , Taxi circle round
[)s§:k&l (raUnd] UK
, Warteschleifen fliegen
diversion
[daI(v§:S&n] UK
, Kursänderung, Umleitung
divert sb./sth. [daI(v§:t] , jmdn./etw. umleiten due to: be ~ sth. [(dju: tu] , auf etw. zurückzuführen
sein
escalator [(eskEleItE]
, Rolltreppe
ETA (estimated time of arrival) [)i: ti: (eI] , voraussichtliche Ankunftszeit fog [fQg] , Nebel inbound [(InbaUnd] , ankommend inconvenience [)InkEn(vi:niEns] , Unannehmlichkeit(en)
lay sth. on [)leI (Qn] ifml. , etw. bereitstellen luggage [(lVgIdZ] , Gepäck M (motorway) [em] UK , A (Autobahn) make sth. [meIk] , hier: etw. erwischen queue [kju:] UK , Schlange take-off [(teIk Qf] , Start
LANGUAGE
Fotos: iStock; Gert Krautbauer
Vor allem Nebel kann die Flugroute und Pünktlichkeit von Flügen beeinflussen. Wie Sie selbst eine Umleitung sprachlich meistern, erfahren Sie hier.
LANGUAGE KEY WORDS
Vocabulary trainer Use our Key Words list to learn vocabulary from the current Business Spotlight. The definitions will help you understand the words — and build your vocabulary.
Listen and learn! You can download an MP3 file of this Key Words list from our website.
➳
Subscribers to Business Spotlight can download a PDF of these key words as well as a complete vocabulary list (English–German) for each magazine at www.business-spotlight.de/words
NOUNS AND NOUN PHRASES escalator
a moving staircase driven by a motor
Rolltreppe
eviction notice
an official letter sent to a tenant saying that they have to move out of a property
Räumungsbescheid
jerrycan
a metal container used for carrying petrol or other liquids
Kanister
landlord
a person who owns property and rents it out to others
Vermieter
leaving present
a gift for a colleague who is leaving an organization
Abschiedsgeschenk
malfunction
a failure of a machine to work properly
Funktionsstörung, -ausfall
roadside assistance
an organization that you call for help if your car breaks down
Pannendienst
sell-by date UK
the date after which food must not be sold
Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum
time buffer
extra time that you allow for unforeseen events when planning a project
zeitlicher Puffer
circle round UK
(of a plane) to remain in flight near an airport until permission to land is given
Warteschleifen fliegen
contract sth. out
to move from doing something within an organization to having it done by an external company
etw. (außer Haus) vergeben
cover for sb.
to do a colleague’s work when they are ill or on holiday
jmdn. vertreten
curb sth.
to limit something, usually something negative
etw. eindämmen
double-check sth.
to check or examine something again
etw. nochmals prüfen
fall behind
to fail to keep to a planned work schedule
in Verzug geraten
harm sb.
to cause someone damage
jmdn. schädigen
resent sth.
to be angry about something
sich über etw. ärgern
win sb. over
to persuade someone
jmdn. überzeugen
barely
hardly
kaum
biased
having a firm (typically unjustified) opinion of someone or something
voreingenommen
drenched
completely wet
durchnässt
inbound
(of a plane) arriving
ankommend
purposeful
intentional
beabsichtigt
tough
strict (for example, in making sure that rules are obeyed)
streng
VERBS
ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS
IDIOMS AND EXPRESSIONS be on top of sth.
to have something under control
etw. (gut) im Griff haben
between the devil and the deep blue sea
in a difficult situation in which both of the two potential solutions are unpleasant
in der Zwickmühle
come with a price
(of a desired outcome) to have unavoidable negative consequences
seinen Preis haben
easy come, easy go
easy to achieve or acquire, but just as easily lost
wie gewonnen, so zerronnen
feel the pinch
to not have enough money
(finanziell) schwierige Zeiten durchmachen
have time on one’s hands
to have a lot of time
viel (freie) Zeit haben
here we go
an expression used when you get started with something
jetzt geht’s los
LANGUAGE
3/2017 Business Spotlight
79
WORK & RELAX IN THE ZONE
Home alone? Ist das Arbeiten von zu Hause aus wirklich effektiver? Oder gibt es zu viele Ablenkungen und verwischen sich die Grenzen zwischen Arbeit und Privatem? JULIAN EARWAKER wollte das herausfinden. MEDIUM
Y
ou do know I work at home? I’m working at home, I’m not at home. And you wouldn’t have booked that appointment if I’d been at work.” This was a recent conversation between Andy and his wife after she had booked a door repair company to come on a day when only Andy was home. Andy is a product manager with a global technology company and works from the family home in Surrey, south-east England, four days a week. He has a dedicated office, complete with desk, chair, computers and telephone. At his feet lies what he calls his “biggest distraction”: Milo, the family puppy. Research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that 4.8 million people, or 15.1 per cent of the UK workforce, now work mainly or wholly from home. Globally, the terms “remote workers”, “digital nomads” and “distributed teams” are becoming more common. So why do they do it? According to The Guardian, it’s the “freedom and flexibility” that attracts most people. Homeworking means choice of schedules, methods and environments. It allows time for picking up the kids from school, doctor’s or hairdresser’s appointments, and receiving home deliveries. It also means fewer distractions from office talk and politics and unimportant meetings. There are big advantages for employers, too: according to the employment organization Acas, homeworking results in “greater commitment and loyalty from employees who value being able to work from home”. Acas research links the autonomy and control of homeworking with higher job satisfaction and less work-related stress. Homeworking saves money, too: work clothes, childcare and travel costs. Across
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Business Spotlight 3/2017
WHO ARE HOMEWORKERS? 58% 32% 39% 21%
Experienced workers
Senior-level managers
senior-level manager
[)si:niE )lev&l (mÄnIdZE]
, Manager(in) der
oberen Führungsebene
Working parents
Introverts
introvert [(IntrEUv§:t]
, introvertierte Person
Source: FlexJobs’ “5th Annual Super Survey”
the UK, commutes now average a total of more than 50 minutes a day. Almost four million workers travel two hours daily. Every Monday, Andy takes the train to the office in west London, which takes between 90 and 140 minutes each
way. When he started, Andy went into the office every day. Now, that seems a very strange idea indeed. Technology makes things easy. His manager is in Denver, Colorado, and working from home with regular phone calls and
allow time [E)laU (taIm] , Zeit geben
, Ablenkung
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
commitment
environment
[kE(mItmEnt]
distraction [dI(strÄkS&n]
[In(vaI&rEnmEnt]
, Engagement
, Umgebung, Umfeld
commute [kE(mju:t] , Arbeitsweg; pendeln
link sth. with sth. [(lINk wID] , einen Zusammenhang zwischen etw. und etw. (anderem) herstellen
dedicated [(dedIkeItId] , speziell für etw. vorgesehen
remote worker
[ri)mEUt (w§:kE] , Person, die (größtenteils)
[)QfIs fE )nÄS&nEl stE(tIstIks] UK
von zuhause aus arbeitet
politics: office ~
research [ri(s§:tS] , Forschung, Untersuchungen
, Nationales Statistikamt
[(pQlItIks] , Büroklüngelei
puppy [(pVpi] , Welpe, junger Hund
schedule [(Sedju:l]
, Zeit-, Terminplan
workforce [(w§:kfO:s] , Erwerbsbevölkerung
WORK & RELAX
Fotos: iStock
teleconferences is the norm for Andy and his team. Apart from the puppy, Andy’s main distractions are his three children. “I’m a good self-starter, good at doing the work that needs to be done wherever I am,” says Andy. “But I do focus harder when I’m in the office.” “The home is a comfort zone and the setting encourages laziness and relaxation more than it does work,” writes business expert Toby Nwazor in The Huffington Post. “This is why working from home can be quite challenging and requires great effort, discipline, sacrifice and focus.” Perhaps that’s why union representative Frances O’Grady reports scepticism among business leaders. “Many employers still don’t trust their staff to work from home,” O’Grady told People Management. “[But it] increases productivity, helps businesses hold on to talented staff and allows people with caring responsibilities or a disability to access the labour market,” she adds. According to recruitment experts Hubstaff, employers share concerns about loss of team spirit and corporate culture, accountability and data security. Hubstaff recommends providing proper training, arranging regular virtual meetings, using time-tracking and productivitymonitoring tools, and implementing password management systems. For homeworkers themselves, there is a risk of being “always on” — checking emails late at night and taking calls outside of office hours. Lifestyle coach Shahilla Barok recommends dressing for work each morning, keeping the home office separate, and shutting the door and switching off the computer at the end of each working day. Barok also suggests having a strong social network of friends and colleagues to counter the isolation, lack of support and loss of companionship that many homeworkers experience. “On any one day, I would rather be working at home than in the office,” says Andy. “But after a while, I definitely need to go into the office, meet other people and discuss work with them. Different tasks get done better in different places. But for homeworking, you do need the attitude where you say, ‘I’ve got to get this done’.” WORK & RELAX
“Different tasks get done better in different places”
WHY CHOOSE WORKING FROM HOME?
79%
75%
Fewer distractions
Better work-life balance
69%
68%
Reduction in office politics
Fewer meetings
67%
Reduction in stress from commuting
Source: FlexJobs’ “5th Annual Super Survey”
access sth.
corporate culture
on any one day
time tracking
, Zugang zu etw. haben
, Unternehmenskultur
, an einem beliebigen Tag;
, Zeiterfassung
[E)kaUntE(bIlEti]
counter sth. [(kaUntE] , etw. entgegenwirken
productivity monitoring
always on
disability [)dIsE(bIlEti] , Behinderung
[(Äkses]
accountability
, Verantwortlichkeit
[)O:lweIz (Qn]
, immer erreichbar
challenging: be ~ [(tSÄlIndZIN]
, eine Herausforderung darstellen, schwierig sein
[)kO:pErEt (kVltSE]
hold on to sb.
[)hEUld (Qn tu]
, jmdn. halten
office hours
[(QfIs )aUEz] , Büro-, Arbeitszeit
[Qn )eni )wVn (deI]
hier: normalerweise [)prQdVk(tIvEti )mQnItErIN]
, Produktivitätsüberwachung
recruitment
[ri(kru:tmEnt]
, Personalbeschaffung
[(taIm )trÄkIN]
union representative
[)ju:niEn )repri(zentEtIv]
, Gewerkschaftsvertreter(in)
work-life balance
[)w§:k laIf (bÄlEns]
, (ausgewogenes)
Verhältnis zwischen Berufs- und Privatleben
setting [(setIN] , Umfeld
3/2017 Business Spotlight
81
WORK & RELAX AWAY FROM YOUR DESK
Recommended for you Verbannen Sie die englische Sprache nicht an den Arbeitsplatz! Mit Büchern, Kunst und anderen Genüssen räumen Sie ihr auch in Ihrer Freizeit einen Platz ein. Von MARGARET DAVIS MEDIUM
Beijing beauty: Pieter Hugo photograph on view in Wolfsburg
PHOTOGRAPHY
“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” is the title of an exhibition by South African photographer Pieter Hugo, on view at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg until 23 July. Hugo, who was born in Johannesburg in 1976, specializes in photos of marginalized characters — albinos, AIDS sufferers, the homeless. He won first prize in a 2005 World Press Photo competition for his portrait of a man with a hyena. This is his first exhibition at a museum in Germany. www.kunstmuseum-wolfsburg.de
[bi)twi:n DE )dev&l En DE )di:p blu: (si:] , in der Zwickmühle
competition
[)kQmpE(tIS&n]
, Wettbewerb
homeless: the ~
cast [kA:st] , Besetzung
portrait [(pO:trEt] , [wg. Aussprache]
[(hEUmlEs] , Obdachlose
hyena [haI(i:nE] , Hyäne marginalized
[(mA:dZInElaIzd] , am Rand der Gesellschaft
exhibition
stehend, ausgegrenzt
, Ausstellung
portrait [(pO:trEt] , [wg. Aussprache]
[)eksI(bIS&n]
Life in Squares is a three-episode BBC production about the Bloomsbury Group — the writers and artists around sisters Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) and Vanessa Bell (1879–1961). Among their progressive friends was the economist John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946). This is a fascinating portrait of some of the most radical figures of 20thcentury art and literature, with a strong cast of young British actors, including James Norton and Phoebe Fox.
Fotos: Pieter Hugo/Priska Pasquer, Köln; PR
between the devil and the deep blue sea
DVD
Art and scandal: James Norton as artist Duncan Grant, with Phoebe Fox as Bloomsbury artist Vanessa Bell
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Business Spotlight 3/2017
WORK & RELAX
TRAVEL
It helps to like bourbon whisky if you’re planning to visit the Kentucky bourbon trail. But there’s more to do than drinking mint juleps or visiting distilleries such as Maker’s Mark in Loretto. Among other tours, you can go to Churchill Downs, home to the worldfamous Kentucky Derby horse race, where tours are offered (though not on race days in early May). http://kybourbontrail.com
FOOD AND DRINK
Kingfisher Fish & Chips in the English town of Plympton, Devon, has been named the best fish and chip shop in Britain. Kingfisher got top marks for sustainability in the 2017 National Fish and Chip Awards. The shop provides QR codes so that customers can “trace the journey of their fish from sea to plate”, The Guardian reports. www.kingfisherfishandchips.co.uk chips [tSIps] UK
, Pommes frites
get top marks
[get )tQp (mA:ks] UK , Bestnoten bekommen
sustainability
[sE)steInE(bIlEti]
, Nachhaltigkeit
trace sth. [treIs] , etw. nach-, rückverfolgen
distillery [dI(stIlEri] , Brennerei downs [daUnz] , Hügelland
BOOK
mint julep [)mInt (dZu:lIp] , Cocktail aus Whisky, Zucker(sirup), gestoßenem Eis und Minze
“All of the energy and strategy behind a book cover underlines a depressing fact: the terrifying number of books published in the world every year, and the few that are actually bought and read,” writes Jhumpa Lahiri in The Clothing of Books (Vintage). Originally presented as a speech, in Italian, it is part of a series of essays in small paperback format.
trail [treI&l] , Pfad; hier: Route
Kentucky’s own: Maker’s Mark bourbon
Delicious: sustainable fish and chips
terrifying [(terEfaIIN] , erschreckend
WEBSITE
Fotos: iStock; PR
Where would you like to be right now? Beside a mountain lake? Listening to the wind in the trees? Or perhaps you’d rather be up above the clouds. The meditation and mindfulness site Calm.com can take you to all those places and many more. This is a useful site for a short break at work (see Business Spotlight 2/2017) or at home. https://www.calm.com break [breIk] , Pause; hier: Auszeit
WORK & RELAX
mindfulness
[(maIndf&lnEs]
, Achtsamkeit
Mindfulness: a mountain lake to help you meditate
3/2017 Business Spotlight
83
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FEEDBACK READERS’ LETTERS
Confusing diagram Today, we had a discussion about the diagram “Phone problems” (In the Zone, Business Spotlight 1/2017). “The percentage of people in the UK who have disagreements with their partners over mobile-phone usage, by age group” is very confusing. Do you mean constantly looking at your phone and not at your partner? Or being online and not answering messages immediately? Or is the lower percentage of the 65+ group the result of older people using smartphones less often than younger ones? Margret Engelmann via email Thank you for your comments — we should have been clearer here. The question in the report asked about disagreements with your partner because “they think that you use your mobile phone too much”. The survey didn’t ask specifically what people were doing on their phones. The percentages are based on “respondents who own or have access to a smartphone”. So while it may be true that older people are less likely to have a smartphone, it is also the case that of those who do have one, fewer have disagreements with their partners over excessive use. The Editor
Useful booklet In 1999, the booklet English at work was a supplement to your monthly magazine Spotlight. This 100-page guide contains plenty of useful advice, phrases and idioms. Even today, I still use it to prepare for a meeting or a presentation, or when I’m on a business trip. As this booklet was published many years ago, some parts are now a bit outdated. Do you plan to revise it? Gerhart Thomas via email At present, we do not have any plans for revising this particular booklet. We do, however, have a number of updated Business Spotlight booklets on individual topics such as meetings, telephoning, small talk, business trips, which you might find useful. The Editor
Readers’ letters to: The editor-in-chief Business Spotlight Fraunhoferstr. 22 82152 Planegg Deutschland Emails to: i.mcmaster@ spotlight-verlag.de Please include your daytime telephone number and full address. We reserve the right to edit comments for clarity or length.
Große Bilder Auch nach der 3. Ausgabe mit neuem Look spricht dieser mich nicht an. Was mir in der Ausgabe 1/2017 auffällt, ist der hohe Anteil an vollflächigen Bildern oder Abbildungen. Das enttäuscht mich doch ein bisschen. Vielleicht greifen Sie diesen Punkt für die künftige Gestaltung Ihrer Zeitschrift mit auf. Ewald Maciejewski, via email
JARGON BUSTER
Understand the jargon — be careful how you use it EASY
escalate ➻ Example
“It’s time to escalate that plan to upper management.”
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Business Spotlight 3/2017
➻ Explanation
In standard English, “escalate” is a verb meaning “to increase rapidly” or “to become more intense”, as in: “The war has escalated.” In business English, it means “to refer something (such as a problem) to a higher level in an organization in the hope that it will be resolved”. FEEDBACK
PREVIEW ISSUE 4/2017
Managing risks
Risks: how well do you manage them?
Risks are an unavoidable part of business life. But how well do you manage them? In our next Business Skills article, we provide tips to help you .
Canada’s economy
On 1 July, Canada celebrates its 150th birthday. We look at the country’s economic prospects, as well as at the challenges it faces.
SKILL UP! Emails
In our next Skill Up! booklet, we give you the vocabulary and expressions you’ll need for writing emails at work.
Business Spotlight 4/2017 is on sale from 28 June 2017
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PREVIEW
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3/2017 Business Spotlight
87
AND FINALLY... ONE QUESTION
How can global teams work together effectively?
charity [(tSÄrEti] , karitative Organisation founder [(faUndE] , Gründer(in) turnover [(t§:n)EUvE] , Umsatz
Your job is not to change the cultures of the world, but to make the most of them as they are
88
Business Spotlight 3/2017
MEDIUM
Trust is the glue that keeps global teams together. This means that technology is your enemy, not your friend. Technology ensures that we communicate more than ever but understand each other as little as ever. Good communication builds trust; poor communication destroys it. Even in a domestic team, misunderstandings arise. Noise garbles the message between the sender and the receiver. In a global team, the noise is far greater. Language and culture get in the way. Native English speakers are impossible to understand because they use idioms, cultural references and complex language. But even the simplest words mislead. In Japanese hai can mean “yes”. But it can also mean “I understand (but disagree)”, “what?” or “excuse me”. Most of the time, you cannot see your team members, and being in different time zones means you have limited opportunities to speak with them. That means that misunderstandings flourish. In the office, you can see when someone is not happy or disagrees, and it is easy to walk to their desk and clear things up. Walking 5,000 km to your global colleague’s desk is not a realistic option. The solution is simple: buy a ticket and visit your team. Social time is as important as business time. You have to invest in building both professional and personal trust. Eating out is not a waste of time: it is how you can build the basis of effective communication when time and culture
separate you. Recognize that your way is not the only way or always the best way. Different cultures work in different ways: your job is not to change the cultures of the world, but to make the most of them as they are. Leading a global team is an extreme form of leadership. It means making things happen through people who are not like you, who you may not control completely, who think and act differently from you and who you do not see day-today. Global leadership is the perfect training for leaders of the future. If you can lead a global team, you can lead any team. day-to-day [)deI tE (deI]
, tagtäglich
domestic [dE(mestIk] , inländisch; hier: mit nur einer Nationalität eat out [)i:t (aUt] , essen gehen ensure sth. [In(SO:] , etw. sicherstellen flourish [(flVrIS] , gedeihen; hier: leicht entstehen
garble sth. [(gA:b&l] , etw. verzerren
get in the way (of sb./sth.) [)get In DE (weI] , (jmdm./etw.) im Weg
stehen; hier: sich er schwerend (für jmdn./ etw.) auswirken
glue [glu:] , Kleber; hier: Bindeglied idiom [(IdiEm] , (idiomatische) Rede wendung mislead (sb.) [mIs(li:d] , (jmdn.) in die Irre führen; (für jmdn.) missverständlich sein
AND FINALLY...
Foto: privat
JO OWEN is the award-winning author of the book Global Teams, published by the Financial Times. He is the founder of eight charities with a yearly turnover of more than $100 million. He has started a bank, was a partner at Accenture and has worked with over 100 firms in more than 50 countries. www.ilead.guru
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SKILL UP!
➺
THE LANGUAGE OF
BUSINESS TRAVEL
Sprachtraining leicht gemacht
Ausgabe ➳ 44
CONTENTS
You won’t get far without travelling! In this issue of Skill Up!, we’ve put together the words and phrases that will help you cope with a range of situations you may encounter on your business trips. In Word Bank (pp. 4–5), you can learn general vocabulary for different types of travel, and words you’ll need at the airport and during your flight. In the dialogues in the In Context section (pp. 6–11), you’ll find phrases you can use for making arrangements, checking in and dealing with problems. The phrases from the dialogues are listed on pages 12–13. In the grammar section (pp. 20–21), we focus on when to use which future tenses, which should come in handy when you’re talking about your travel arrangements. And try the test at the end of the booklet, on pages 22–23, to see how well you know the words and phrases presented in this issue. Don’t forget to read the Skill Up! boxes for tips on how to improve your communication skills in English. You’ll find these boxes in the Business Spotlight magazine, too.
2 SKILL UP!
The most effective way to learn a language is not by learning grammar and vocabulary seprately but to learn in “chunks” — groups of words that form meaningful units. When you can process chunks, rather than individual words, communication becomes faster and more efficient. Practise chunks from the Phrase Bank and Collocations sections by making a note of those you think will come in useful in your job.
Illustration: Bernhard Förth
DAGMAR TAYLOR Language author business@spotlightverlag.de
Have a good trip!
CONTENTS
Contents Word Bank
Key vocabulary
In Context
Making plans Getting there There at last
Phrase Bank
How to say it
False Friends
A safe haven
Knowledge check What do you know already? 4–5
B. Which phrase could you use to suggest a date for a
12–13
C. What is the English word
14–15
Travel time 16–17 Life is a journey
Grammar Check The future
Test
Test yourself!
mean?
6–7 8–9 10–11
Collocations
Essential Idioms
A. What does “get a move on”
meeting?
for Koffer? D. “Air travel” and “coach travel” are two types of travel. Write down three more types.
18–19 20–21 22–23
E. What can you say when you want to check whether an appointment is convenient for someone?
You’ll find the answers on the following pages and on page 23. IMPRESSUM HERAUSGEBER: Rudolf Spindler CHEFREDAKTEUR: Dr. Ian McMaster ART DIRECTOR: Michael Scheufler GESCHÄFTSFÜHRENDE REDAKTEURIN (CvD): Maja Sirola AUTORIN: Dagmar Taylor REDAKTION: Margaret Davis, Hildegard Rudolph, Michele Tilgner BILDREDAKTION: Sarah Gough (Leitung), Judith Rothenbusch GESTALTUNG: Georg Lechner
GESTALTUNGSKONZEPT: ErlerSkibbeTönsmann, Hamburg PRODUKTIONSLEITUNG: Ingrid Sturm LEITER REDAKTIONSMANAGEMENT: Thorsten Mansch LEITUNG LESERMARKT: Holger Hofmann VERTRIEBSLEITUNG: Monika Wohlgemuth GESAMT-ANZEIGENLEITUNG: Matthias Weidling LITHO: Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH, 33311 Gütersloh DRUCK: teNeues, 47906 Kempen
VERLAG und REDAKTION: Spotlight Verlag GmbH Postanschrift: Postfach 1565, 82144 Planegg Hausanschrift: Fraunhoferstraße 22, 82152 Planegg Telefon: +49 (0)89 8 56 81-0; Fax +49 (0)89 8 56 81-105 Internet: www.business-spotlight.de © 2017 Spotlight Verlag, auch für alle genannten Autoren, Fotografen und Mitarbeiter.
SKILL UP!
3
WORD BANK
Key vocabulary
Here, we present the essential vocabulary for talking about travel and flying.
At the airport airport , Flughafen arrivals , Ankunft(bereich); Landungen bag-drop facility , Gepäckabgabe baggage carousel [)kÄrE(sel]
, Gepäckförderband
baggage reclaim/ claim US , Gepäckausgabe, -rückgabe baggage trolley (US cart) , Gepäckwagen barrier , Sperre, Schranke (biometric) passport
Main categories air travel , Reise(n) mit dem Flugzeug; Flugreise car travel , Reise(n) mit dem Auto; Autoreise coach UK / bus travel , Reise(n) mit dem Bus; Busreise rail UK / train travel , Reisen mit dem Zug; Bahn-, Zugreise sea travel , Reise(n) mit dem Schiff; Schiffsreise
Other categories adventure travel , Abenteuerreise business travel , Geschäftsreise cruise , Kreuzfahrt event travel , Eventreise group travel , Gruppenreise honeymoon , Hochzeitsreise package holiday , Pauschalreise pilgrimage [(pIlgrImIdZ] , Pilgerreise, Wallfahrt 4 SKILL UP!
space travel , (Welt-) Raumfahrt speciality travel , Spezial-, Fachreise time travel , Zeitreise world travel , Weltreise
Types of flight connecting flight , Anschlussflug direct flight , Direktflug domestic flight , Inlandsflug international flight , internationaler Flug long-haul flight [)lQN (hO:l] , Langstreckenflug non-stop flight , Nonstop-Flug return flight , Hin- und Rückflug (UK); Rückflug (US) scheduled flight , planmäßiger Flug short-haul flight [)SO:t (hO:l] , Kurzstreckenflug
[)baIEU(metrIk] , (biometrischer) Pass
body scanner , Körperscanner Border Force officer US , Grenzkontrollbeamter/ -beamtin cancelled , annulliert check in , Check-in, Einchecken, Abfertigung check-in counter , Check-inSchalter, Abfertigungsschalter complimentary newspaper
, kostenlose Zeitung
control tower , Kontrollturm, Tower conveyor belt , Beförderungsband customs , Zoll Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer US , Zoll- und Grenzschutzbeamter/-beamtin delay , Verspätung departures , Abflug(bereich); Starts
Illustration: Bernhard Förth
Types of travel
WORD BANK duty free , zollfrei e-passport gate , Gate/Flugsteig für Passagiere mit elektronischem Pass face-recognition check , Gesichtserkennung fast track , beschleunigte Abfertigung gate , Flugsteig, Gate ground staff , Bodenpersonal handling agent , Abfertigungsbeamter/ -beamtin
On the plane aisle [aI&l] , Gang arrive , ankommen board , an Bord gehen boarding pass , Bordkarte cabin crew , Kabinenbesatzung, -personal captain , (Flug-)Kapitän destination , Ziel(ort) emergency exit
, Notausgang
exit (the plane) , (das Flugzeug) verlassen
immigration officer , Einwanderungsbeamter/
fasten one’s seat belt , seinen Sicherheitsgurt schließen
information display , Informationstafel
flight attendant , Flugbegleiter(in)
-beamtin
lounge , (Warte-)Lounge, Halle luggage / baggage , Gepäck miss a flight , einen Flug verpassen passport control , Passkontrolle queue (US line) , Schlange scheduled , (flug)planmäßig security , Sicherheit(skontrolle) self-service check-in kiosk
, Check-in-Automat
stand , Parkposition (eines Flugzeugs auf dem Flugfeld) taxi , rollen (Flugzeug) terminal , Terminal, Flughafengebäude unattended , unbegleitet visa [(vi:zE] , Visum
hand luggage (US carry-on) , Handgepäck headphones , Kopfhörer in-flight entertainment , Unterhaltung während des Flugs in-flight magazine , Bordzeitschrift in-flight meal , Bordmahlzeit land , landen landing , Landung legroom , Beinraum overhead locker (US bin) , Gepäckfach (über den Sitzen) pilot , Pilot(in) pre-booked meal , im Voraus gebuchtes Essen refreshments , Erfrischungen row , Reihe
safety instructions , Sicherheitshinweise, -vorschriften seat , Sitz seat belt , Sicherheitsgurt stow one’s hand luggage
[stEU] , sein Handgepäck
verstauen
take off , starten, abheben take-off , Start tray table , herunterklappbares Tablett turbulence , Turbulenz(en)
Ready to travel? travel agency , Reisebüro travel allowance , Fahrt-, Reisekosten-
pauschale
travel arrangements , Fahrt-, Reisevorbereitungen travel brochure , Reiseprospekt travel company , Reiseunternehmen travel costs , Fahrt-, Reisekosten travel expenses , Reisekosten, -spesen travel guide , Reiseführer travel insurance , Reiseversicherung travel itinerary [aI(tIn&rEri] , Fahrt-, Reiseroute travel plan , Reiseplan travel sickness , Reisekrankheit travel time , Fahrt-, Reisezeit SKILL UP!
5
IN CONTEXT
Making plans On the next six pages, we present dialogues with key phrases and expressions you might need for making travel arrangements and while you’re travelling.
Eric: And how about May, Vernon? I could come down on the 17th. Would that work for you? Vernon: Sorry, Eric. I’m afraid not. I’m in New York that week. What about the week after? Eric: Let’s have a look. That should be OK. I could come down on Wednesday, or would Thursday suit you better? Vernon: What date is that? Eric: Either the 24th or the 25th. Vernon: Wednesday or Thursday — either is fine. Why don’t you stay until the weekend? We could have a game of golf on Saturday. Eric: Sounds good. I’ll look into flights and get back to you. Vernon: Great. get back to sb. , sich wieder bei jmdm. melden
The Situation: Eric Forbes from Aberdeen has called his business partner Vernon Baxter to arrange to meet him in London.
BOOK IT! You can “book” a room, a hotel, a flight, a trip, a car, etc. When a hotel has no rooms available, it is “booked up” or “fully booked”. Remember to make sure the hotel “confirms your booking”. If you change your mind, you will have to “change” or “cancel your booking”.
look into sth. , etw. prüfen work for sb. , für jmdn. funktionieren, jmdm. passen Phrase Bank For a list of all the key phrases used in the dialogues, see pages 12–13. 6 SKILL UP!
Illustration: Bernhard Förth
1. Let’s get together
IN CONTEXT
2. The flights are booked Subject: London, 24–27 May Sent: Monday, 17 April 2017 To: vernon.baxter@strattonstreet-finance.co.uk Hi Vernon Just to let you know that I’ve booked my flights. I’m flying into Heathrow on Wednesday morning at 9.45, so if all goes well, I should be at your office by about 10.30. And it looks like we’ll be able to get in a game of golf — I managed to book a flight back to Aberdeen on Saturday evening. Cheers Eric
fly into (an airport) , hier: (an einem Flughafen) landen get sth. in , etw. einlegen
3. Hotel confirmation Subject: Re: Double room for 24–27 May Sent: Wednesday, 19 April 2017 To: e.forbes@goldensquare-assets.co.uk Dear Mr Forbes Thank you for your reservation and for choosing The Camberwell Hotel. I can confirm that we have reserved a double room for you from Wednesday 24 May, for three nights. The total price for your three-night stay is £456, including a full English breakfast and overnight car parking if required. All rooms are non-smoking, have private bathrooms, complimentary Wi-Fi, tea/ coffee-making facilities, a hairdryer and an in-room safe. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind regards Maureen Fagan
complimentary Wi-Fi , kostenloses WLAN tea/coffee-making facilities , Möglichkeit zum Tee-/Kaffeekochen SKILL UP!
7
IN CONTEXT
Getting there Here, we focus on phrases and expressions you might need at the airport, on the plane and for arranging your onward journey.
4. Passing through security
Security officer: Could you place any laptops or tablets in the tray, please? Do you have any sharp items or liquids in your bag? Eric: No sharp items, and my toiletries are here. Do I have to take my boots off? Security officer: Yes. Put them in a separate tray, please. And when you’re ready, you can step through the scanner.
The Situation: Eric Forbes from Aberdeen is on his way to London.
Eric: Hi, there. You can put mine in the hold if you like. Will I have to pick it up from baggage reclaim? Gate agent: No, sir. It’ll be waiting for you at the bottom of the steps when you exit the plane. I’ll just get you a bag tag. Can I see your boarding card, please? Eric: It’s on my phone. Here it is. Gate agent: Thanks. Can I stick the stub on the back of your phone? Eric: Sure, go ahead.
item , Gegenstand
baggage reclaim , Gepäckausgabe
step through sth. , durch etw. hindurchgehen
hold: put sth. in the ~ , etw. im Laderaum verstauen
toiletries , Toilettenartikel tray , Tablett; hier: Schale
stub , Abschnitt volunteer to do sth. , etw. freiwillig tun
5. Boarding
Announcement: Flight BA 1309 to London Heathrow is now ready for boarding. Please have your boarding pass and passport or ID ready for inspection. We have a very full flight this morning, so if any passengers would care to volunteer to put their bags in the hold, please step forward. Thank you. 8 SKILL UP!
6. On the flight
Flight attendant: Can I offer you anything to drink? Eric: Could I have a coffee, please? Flight attendant: Certainly. Would you like milk and sugar with that? Eric: Just milk, please.
IN CONTEXT
The Situation: Eric has arrived at Heathrow airport and is trying to make his way into central London.
7. Getting into London
Eric: Excuse me. I just heard something about rail services between Heathrow and London being cancelled. Aren’t there any trains running? Please tell me it’s not true. Rail employee: Sorry, sir. I’m afraid a train derailed this morning, which means no services are leaving the Ealing base. Eric: How am I going to get to London? By taxi? Rail employee: Yeah, that’s your best bet. Go back upstairs and follow the signs to the taxi rank. Eric: Great. Thanks. base , hier: (Verkehrs-)Depot
8. At the taxi rank
Eric: What a nightmare! Fellow traveller: Tell me about it. Where are you headed? Central London? Eric: Yeah, Mayfair. Fellow traveller: Me, too. Do you want to share a taxi? Eric: That’d be brilliant. Here’s one now. Taxi driver: All right? Where to, mate? Eric: Stratton Street for me. What about you? Fellow traveller: The Wolseley, please. Taxi driver: Lovely jubbly. This could take a while — traffic’s shocking today.
Illustration: Bernhard Förth
bet , Wette; hier: Wahl, Möglichkeit derail , entgleisen
brilliant UK ifml. , fantastisch
services , hier: Züge
headed: be ~ (to a place) , (zu einem Ort) unterwegs sein
taxi rank , Taxistand
lovely jubbly UK ifml. , superspitze mate UK ifml. , Freund, Kumpel
Phrase Bank For a list of all the key phrases used in the dialogues, see pages 12–13.
nightmare , Albtraum shocking , hier: furchtbar
SKILL UP!
9
IN CONTEXT
There at last On these two pages, we present phrases for changing plans and checking in. The Situation: Eric Forbes from Aberdeen is in a taxi on his way to meet his business partner, Vernon.
Eric: Hi, Vernon? It’s Eric. Listen, there are no rail services running from Heathrow because of a derailment. I’m in a taxi, but there’s major congestion. I’m probably not going to get to Central London before 12 now. Vernon: No worries, Eric. Why don’t you just meet me for lunch then? Take the taxi to the Arts Club in Mayfair and I’ll meet you there. I’ll be there around 12.15. Is that OK? Eric: Yeah, that’s cool. See you there.
10. In the taxi
Eric: What time do you think we’ll get to Mayfair? Taxi driver: Now that we’re actually moving again, I reckon we’ll be there by about 11.30. Eric: Brilliant. I’ll be able to drop off my bag at the hotel before I go for lunch. Could you drop me at the Camberwell Hotel then, please? Taxi driver: Is that the one in Berkeley Street? Eric: Yeah, that’s the one. Taxi driver: No problem, mate. brilliant UK ifml. , fantastisch drop sb. , hier: jmdn. rauslassen
congestion , (Verkehrs-)Stau
drop sth. off , hier: etw. abstellen
derailment , Entgleisung
mate ifml. , Freund, Kumpel
rail services UK , Zugverbindungen; hier: Züge
reckon sth. , etw. annehmen, erwarten
that’s cool ifml. , okay 10 SKILL UP!
Illustration: Bernhard Förth
9. A change of plan
IN CONTEXT
11. Checking in
Receptionist: Good afternoon. How can I help you? Eric: Hi. I have a reservation for three nights. My name’s Eric Forbes. Receptionist: Ah, yes, Mr Forbes. I have your key card ready for you. I’ll get the form for you to fill in and I’ll need to see your credit card, please. Eric: Sure. Receptionist: Could you fill in your name and address, and sign here, here and here, please? Eric: Finished. Here you go. Receptionist: Thanks. Here’s your credit card back and this is your key card for room 305, on the third floor. The lift is just behind reception, to the right. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10.30 in our restaurant on the second floor. I hope you enjoy your stay, Mr Forbes. Eric: Thank you. Here you go. , Bitte schön.
12. Good to see you!
Receptionist: Hello, sir. Could I take your name, please? Eric: Yes, it’s Eric Forbes. Receptionist: Ah, yes, Mr Forbes. You’re a guest of Mr Baxter’s. Mr Baxter is dining in the garden today. If you’d like to follow Emily, she’ll show you the way. Eric: Thank you. Vernon: Eric! You made it! Great to see you. How are you? Eric: I’m fine, thanks. It’s good to finally be here. How are you? Vernon: I’m fine. Sit down, sit down. What would you like to drink? Eric: Oh, just water to start with, please. This is a cool place. Not too shabby! Vernon: It’s a good place for lunch — the service is really fast. Eric: Not like my trip from the airport then? Vernon: [laughs] Well, no. cool ifml. , cool, super make it , hier: es schaffen shabby , schäbig
WHICH FLOOR? In the US, “first floor” means “ground floor”. In Britain, like in Germany, the first floor is the floor above the ground floor.
take sth. , hier: etw. aufnehmen
Phrase Bank For a list of all the key phrases used in the dialogues, see pages 12–13. SKILL UP!
11
PHRASE BANK
How to say it In this section, you’ll find a collection of the phrases and expressions used in the dialogues on the previous pages (pp. 6–11). The number (1–12) after each of the phrases refers to the dialogue it was taken from.
Suggesting dates and times
nd how about May, Vernon? [1] A I could come down on the 17th. [1] Why don’t you stay until the weekend? [1] I’ll look into flights and get back to you. [1] Why don’t you just meet me for lunch then? [9]
Agreement
ednesday or Thursday — either W is fine. [1] That’s cool. See you there. [9]
When it’s not convenient
orry, Eric. I’m afraid not. I’m in S New York that week. [1] What about the week after? [1]
Making sure arrangements are suitable ould that work for you? [1] W ... or would Thursday suit you better? [1] Is that OK? [9]
Confirming appointments
J ust to let you know that I’ve booked my flights. [2]
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I ’m flying into Heathrow on Wednesday morning at 9.45... [2] If all goes well, I should be at your office by about 10.30. [2]
Hotel confirmation
I can confirm that we have reserved... [3] The total price for your three-night stay is £456, including ... if required. [3]
At security
Do you have any sharp items or liquids in your bag? [4] Do I have to take my boots off? [4] Put them in a separate tray, please. [4] And when you’re ready, you can step through the scanner. [4]
Boarding
Please have your boarding pass and passport or ID ready for inspection. [5] Will I have to pick it up from baggage reclaim? [5] Can I see your boarding card, please? [5]
PHRASE BANK
Refreshments
Can I offer you anything to drink? [6] Could I have a coffee, please? [6] Would you like milk and sugar with that? [6] Just milk, please. [6] What would you like to drink? [12] Oh, just water to start with, please. [12]
Asking for information
Excuse me. Aren’t there any trains running? [7] How am I going to get to London? By taxi? [7] What time do you think we’ll get to Mayfair? [10] Is that the one in Berkeley Street? [10]
Giving directions
Go back upstairs and follow the signs to the taxi rank. [7] Take the taxi to the Arts Club in Mayfair. [9] The lift is just behind reception, to the right. [11] If you’d like to follow Emily, she’ll show you the way. [12]
Getting a taxi
Where are you headed? Central London? [8] Do you want to share a taxi? [8] All right? Where to, mate? [8] Stratton Street for me. What about you? [8] The Wolseley, please. [8]
This could take a while — traffic’s shocking today. [8] Could you drop me at the Camberwell Hotel then, please? [10]
Saying you’ll be late
I’m probably not going to get to Central London before 12 now. [9]
Checking in
I have a reservation for three nights. My name’s Eric Forbes. [11] I’ll get the form for you to fill in and I’ll need to see your credit card, please. [11] Could you fill in your name and address, and sign here, please? [11] I hope you enjoy your stay, Mr Forbes. [11] Could I take your name, please?[12]
Greeting someone
You made it! Great to see you. How are you? [12] I’m fine, thanks. It’s good to finally be here. How are you? [12]
PREPARE AND PRACTISE Before your next business trip to an English-speaking country, prepare key phrases and sentences and practise them, as you would for a presentation, until you feel confident that you can use them fluently. SKILL UP!
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FALSE FRIENDS
A safe haven Skill Up! Audio You can do an exercise on Business Spotlight Audio.
HAVEN
COFFER
HARBOUR
SUITCASE
What’s Hafen in English? Hafen = p ort, harbour ● The best way to explore Sydney Harbour is to charter a yacht.
What’s Koffer in English? Koffer = suitcase ● Have you seen those motorized suitcases? I want one!
It’s not haven! haven = Zufluchtsort; Mekka; (Steuer-)Oase; kleine Anlegestelle ● Apparently, his family fortune was made in tax havens.
It’s not coffer! coffer = Truhe; (pl. ) Schatulle, Geldsäckel ● Fundraising is one way to replenish the university’s coffers.
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Fotos: iStock (3); Modobag
There are many words in German and English that sound similar but have very different meanings. They are called “false friends”.
FALSE FRIENDS
OTHER FALSE FRIENDS You mean…
You should say…
Don’t say…
As this means…
Pension , Ich übernachte immer in derselben Pension, wenn ich in Glasgow bin.
guest house , I always stay at the same guest house when I’m in Glasgow.
pension
Rente, Pension
terminieren , Könnten wir eine Sitzung für nächsten Freitag terminieren?
schedule , Could we schedule a meeting for next Friday?
terminate
beenden
TRICKY TRANSLATIONS
How do you say Reise in English? 1. When Reise refers to the travelling itself, the time spent and the distance covered, it is translated as journey: ● “The politician spent most of the train journey on the floor.” , Der Politiker verbrachte die meiste Zeit der Zugreise auf dem Boden. Journey can be found in the following common combinations: five-hour journey (fünfstündige Reise); homeward journey (Heimreise); outward journey (Hinreise); return journey (Hin- und Rückreise (UK); Rückreise (US)). 2. When you talk about the whole visit, often also giving the reason for it, Reise is trip in English: ● “I’ll never forget our road trip across the USA.”
, Ich werde unsere Autoreise durch die
USA nie vergessen. And you can say to someone: “Have a good trip!” (Gute Reise!). Trip can be found in the following common combinations: business trip (Geschäftsreise); day trip (Tagesausflug); field trip (Studienfahrt, Forschungsreise); press trip (Pressereise); road trip (Autotour); round trip (Rundreise (UK)). 3. When you think of the action of going on a journey or trip, you translate Reise as travel: ● “The position requires a lot of business travel.” , Die Position erfordert viel geschäftliches Reisen. The word travel is also used as a verb: ● “After university, I went travelling for six months.” , Nach der Universität reiste ich sechs Monate lang umher. SKILL UP!
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COLLOCATIONS
Travel time How many verbs and adjectives do you know that sound natural with “travel”? Take a closer look at our overview of travel collocations and learn how to use them.
Adjectives with “travel” cheap travel , billiges Reisen concessionary travel UK , verbilligte Fahrten/Reisen domestic travel , Inlandsreise educational travel , Bildungsreise first-class travel , Reisen erster Klasse
On business
Clive: And does your job involve a lot of long-distance travel, Stan? Stan: A fair bit. Not too much overseas travel, though. As long as it’s first-class travel, I don’t mind.
foreign travel , Auslandsreise frequent travel , häufiges Reisen high-speed travel , Reisen mit hoher Geschwindigkeit long-distance travel , Langstreckenreise luxury travel , Luxusreise medical travel , Medizintourismus overseas travel , Fernreise
domestic foreign long-distance overseas
educational medical recreational
adjectives + travel
visa-free travel , visumfreies Reisen Some of the above collocations can also be used with “trip”. For the difference in usage, see Tricky Translations (p. 15). 16 SKILL UP!
cheap concessionary visa-free
first-class frequent high-speed luxury
Illustration: Bernhard Förth
recreational travel
, Freizeitreise
COLLOCATIONS
freely regularly widely
fast slowly
north(wards), south(wards), etc.
independently separately together
travel + adverbs
back back and forth home
economy class first class
abroad far further (afield)
Travel far?
Stan: What about you, Clive? Do you have to travel abroad for work? Clive: No, not at all. I travel regularly, but I don’t have to travel far.
Collocations are combinations of words that are frequently used together. They sound natural to native speakers of English, but are often unfamiliar to learners of the language, especially when there isn’t such a combination in their first language. Use the mind maps on these pages to help you learn common collocations with “travel”.
Adverbs with “travel” travel abroad , ins Ausland reisen travel back , zurückreisen travel back and forth , hin- und herreisen travel economy class , in der Economyklasse reisen travel far , weit reisen travel fast , schnell reisen travel first class , erster Klasse reisen travel freely , ungehindert reisen travel further (afield) , weiter weg (ver)reisen
travel home , heimreisen travel independently
, allein (ver)reisen
travel north(wards) , nach Norden reisen travel regularly , regelmäßig (ver)reisen travel separately , getrennt (ver)reisen travel slowly , langsam reisen travel south(wards)
, nach Süden reisen
travel together
, gemeinsam
(ver)reisen
travel widely
, viel reisen
SKILL UP!
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ESSENTIAL IDIOMS
Life is a journey Travel is a good source of idiomatic expressions — and not just for talking about travelling. You can learn them in the short dialogues below. Living out of a suitcase
First, the idiomatic way
First, the idiomatic way
Lewis: The hotel’s close to the centre, but off the beaten track. Clark: Sounds right up my street. Lewis: I’ll book it now. We don’t want to miss the boat.
Now, more simply
Now, more simply
stupid o’clock: at ~ UK ifml. , in aller Herrgottsfrühe, zu unchristlicher Zeit
, aus dem Koffer
off the beaten track , abgelegen, abseits
get a move on ifml. , endlich losfahren, einen Schritt zulegen
right up sb.’s street: be ~ ifml. , genau jmds. Fall sein
Bonnie: I love getting up at a ridiculously early hour! Cliff: I know. Just like you love staying in different places without unpacking. Bonnie: Exactly. I’d better hurry — I have to be at the airport at six.
18 SKILL UP!
live out of a suitcase
leben
Lewis: The hotel’s close to the centre, but not very well known. Clark: Sounds like the sort of hotel I like. Lewis: I’ll book it now. We don’t want to fail to get a room because we were too slow.
vom Rummel
miss the boat ifml. , die Gelegenheit/ den Zug verpassen
Fotos: iStock
Bonnie: I love getting up at stupid o’clock! Cliff: I know. Just like you love living out of a suitcase. Bonnie: Exactly. I’d better get a move on — I have to be at the airport at six.
First, read the two versions of the short conversations. Then cover up the idiomatic version and read the simpler version again. Can you remember how to say the same things idiomatically? Check that you’ve understood them with our translations.
ESSENTIAL IDIOMS Skill Up! Audio You can do an exercise on Business Spotlight Audio.
First, the idiomatic way
Bonnie: I feel like I’m in a rut. I have so much work I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. Cliff: I know how you feel. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Bonnie: I’m afraid not. I think it’s going to be an uphill struggle for the next while.
Now, more simply
Bonnie: I feel like my life is boring and never changes. I have so much work, I’m in a very confused state. Cliff: I know how you feel. Are there any signs of improvement? Bonnie: I’m afraid not. I think it’s going to take a lot of effort for the next while. in a rut: be ~ , sich auf ausgefah-
light at the end of the tunnel renen Gleisen bewegen, , Licht am Ende des im Trott (gefangen) Tunnels sein uphill struggle: an ~
not know whether , ein zähes Ringen, one’s coming or going eine mühselige ifml. , nicht wissen, Aufgabe wo einem der Kopf steht
A calm day: smooth sailing
First, the idiomatic way
Lewis: I knew it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing with the new CEO. Clark: What do you mean? Did you get off on the wrong foot? Lewis: Kind of. I have the feeling he’s trying to steer clear of me now.
Now, more simply
Lewis: I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and unproblematic with the new CEO. Clark: What do you mean? Did you get off to an unfortunate start? Lewis: Kind of. I have the feeling he’s trying to avoid me now. smooth sailing: be ~
, glatt laufen
get off on the wrong foot , einen schlechten Start haben
steer clear of sb./sth.
, um jmdn./etw.
einen Bogen machen
SKILL UP!
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GRAMMAR CHECK
The future Knowledge of the basics of English grammar will help you to communicate clearly and confidently. Here, we present the structures you need to talk about future travel arrangements. There are several future tenses in English. In this section, we present four of the most commonly used.
1. The will-future
We use will when we are making neutral predictions: It’ll be all right. This won’t take long.
The will-future is also called the future simple. We use the will-future when we decide to do something in the future at the time of speaking. We call this a spontaneous decision: I haven’t heard back from the car rental company. I’ll give them a call later today. I’ll send you an email with the dates and times, OK?
Will is also often used in newspaper reports, formal written letters and documents: The ferry goes directly to the island and will drop passengers at Haad Farang. Passengers who are denied a place on their flight will be entitled to fixed rates of compensation.
We use the future simple when we make a spontaneous offer: I’ll walk you to your hotel. I’ll call a taxi for you.
The present simple can have a future meaning when we talk about timetables (for buses, trains or planes) or schedules (for concerts, films or theatre): When does Simon’s plane get in? His plane gets in at five. And what time does the film start? The film starts at seven.
We often use will after I think... : I think I’ll try and get the earlier flight. I don’t think I’ll have time to do any sightseeing, unfortunately. 20 SKILL UP!
2. The present simple
GRAMMAR CHECK
will-future s pontaneous decisions spontaneous offers after “I think...” neutral predictions formal documents
present simple t imetables and schedules fixed plans
It doesn’t start until seven, so he should get there in time. The present simple has a future meaning when we use it to talk about fixed plans: I start work at nine tomorrow. I usually start at nine, but tomorrow, I start at ten.
3. The present continuous
We use the present continuous to talk about things we have already arranged to do: When is Steve going to London? He’s going in the middle of June. And where is he staying? He said he’s staying at a hotel near Heathrow.
present continuous t hings you have already arranged to do
going-to future t hings you have already decided to do but haven’t arranged yet used to predict what’s going to happen based on what you can see
4. The going-to future
We use the going-to future to talk about things that we have already decided to do but haven’t arranged yet: We’ve decided to hold the confe rence in Scotland this year. We’re going to start looking for possible venues this week. We haven’t decided whether it’s going to be in Glasgow or in Edinburgh. The going-to future is also used to predict what’s going to happen based on what you can see or what you know (present evidence): Oh, no! Look at the time! I’m going to miss my train. SKILL UP!
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TEST
Test yourself! See how well you know the words and phrases presented in this booklet by doing the exercises below. Cover the answers at the bottom of page 23. 1. Complete the sentences below with the correct nouns. A. When you’re ready, you can step through the s__ __ __ __ __ __. B. I have to pick my luggage up from b__ __ __ __ __ __ r__ __ __ __ __ __. C. To get a taxi, go back upstairs and follow the signs to the t__ __ __ r__ __ __. D. I’m already in a taxi, but there’s major c__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ on the road. E. I have a r__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ for three nights. My name’s Eric Forbes.
2. What could you say in the following situations? A. You can’t meet your business partner in the first week of May because you’ll be in Los Angeles. ................................................................
B. You want to check whether meeting on Monday or Tuesday is better for your business partner. ................................................................
................................................................
C. You would like the taxi driver to take you to the Ritz. ................................................................
................................................................
D. You’re late. Tell your business partner that you probably won’t arrive by 11. ................................................................
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................................................................
................................................................
TEST
3. Replace each German word (in italics) in the sentences below with the correct English word. A. I’ll meet you in the lounge. I have to check my Koffer in. ................................ B. Are you staying at the same Pension as me? ................................ C. I’ll pick you up from the Hafen at the end of the sailing trip. ................................ D. Let’s terminieren another meeting for the end of July. ................................
4. Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets. A. Get a move on! The train ....................... (leave) in ten minutes. B. I think I ....................... (stay) in and rehearse my presentation. C. When are you ....................... (go) to Manchester for your interview? D. We ....................... (move), but we don’t know when yet. E. Are you OK? Sit down and I ....................... (get) you some water.
Illustration: Bernhard Förth
Answers: 1. A. scanner; B. baggage reclaim; C. taxi rank; D. congestion; E. reservation 2. A. “I’m sorry. I’m in Los Angeles that week.”; B. “Would Monday or Tuesday suit you better?”; C. “Could you drop me at the Ritz, please?” / “The Ritz, please.”; D. “I’m probably not going to get there by 11 now.” 3. A. suitcase; B. guest house; C. harbour; D. schedule 4. A. leaves; B. will stay; C. going; D. are going to move; E. will get
Answers from page 3: A. hurry B. “I could come down on Wednesday.” / “How about...?” C. suitcase D. car travel, train travel, space travel (more options on page 4) E. “Would that work for you?” / “Is that OK?” (more options on pages 12–13) IN THE NEXT SKILL UP! EMAILS We present all the phrases and vocabulary you need to feel confident about writing emails in English. SKILL UP!
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