Read and translate the following dialogue
An Interview with a Multimillionaire
| Interviewer: | If you were to write your own job description at Microsoft, how would it read? |
| Bill Gates: | I’m the CEO*, so my responsibility is not precisely defined. When the company has to change, I’m the one who has to lead that change. |
| Interviewer: | Do you go against the opinions of your colleagues? If are completely alone, do you stick to your guns? |
| Bill Gates: | If it’s a technical question or a strategy problem, then yes. However, if it’s a business type decision, rarely is my conviction enough to go it alone. Usually I’d take the time to get people to explain their views more clearly. |
| Interviewer: | Would you say you are a good manager? |
| Bill Gates: | Yes, I would. I make the right decisions. People are only interested in the quality of your decisions. If you are doing a good job, you should tell them so. Equally if they are not, you should still tell them. Employees need to feel that you are sharing what they are trying to achieve and that you are constant in your decision making. |
| Interviewer: | How do you feel if you have to fire someone? Is it easy? Do you have a strategy? |
| Bill Gates: | No, it’s always very hard. I don’t hire total bozos, so it’s generally the question of the individual not meeting the demands of the job. I certainly don’t have a method. I suppose if I have to describe one, I tell them verbally. |
| Interviewer: | If you had been on the IBM** board of directors, would you have put as much software power in the hands of Microsoft as they gave you? |
| Bill Gates: | You know, when we offered to sell part of the company to them, I would have taken up the offer if I had been in their shoes. I would have really tried to develop software efficiently, not just to license it. I would have learnt more about the economics of software too. |
| Interviewer: | Do you think you could have matched your success in this business with equal success in another field? |
| Bill Gates: | No, I certainly didn’t wake up one morning and ask myself, “What shall I do to be successful today?” I certainly never expected this success. |
* CEO – Chief Executive Officer – исполнительный (генеральный) директор
** IBM – International Business Machines – компания-производитель аппаратного и программного обеспечения
Read the following statements of well-known persons. Try to explain the meaning of one of them in a short essay.
1. “Money is meaningless after a certain point. It ceases to be the goal. The game is what counts”. (Aristotle Onassi, Greek millionaire)
2. “A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it”. (Bobe Hope, English-born American comedian)
3. “Savings is a very fine thing. Especially when your parents have done it for you”. (Sir Winston Chirchill, English statesman, writer and prime minister)
6. Write a “Letter of Payment” or a “Reminder Letter”. Use the information given about the topic of the letter and useful expressions.
Часто деловые партнеры осуществляют свои взаиморасчеты чеками в соответствии с условиями платежей. Иногда оплата в срок не производится, и необходимо напомнить должнику о неоплаченном счете. Первое письмо-напоминание пишется в дружеском тоне. Однако если в ответ на это письмо платеж все еще не произведен, то кредитор пишет снова в более твердом тоне.
Useful Expressions
1. Payment by irrevocable L/C in US dollars to a United States bank, allowing part-shipment and transshipment, and valid for 90 days from order date.
2. Payment with order by banker’s draft or check to a UK bank.
3. We have pleasure in enclosing our check for $500.
4. Payment is being made by banker’s draft in settlement of your invoice for $500.
5. Lloyds Bank will accept your draft.
6. We have opened L/C with Lloyds Bank.
7. Please draw $500 on us at 90 day’s sight.
8. May we again remind you that this account is still overdue?
9. According to our conditions of sale, your remittance was due on March 12.
10. It is no doubt through an oversight on your part that settlement is three months overdue.
11. We must insist on receiving payment by 31st January; failing this we shall be compelled to take legal action.
12. We have often reminded you of the outstanding amount, but have received no reply or remittance form you.
13. The recent devaluation of the dollar has caused a setback in business.
14. Would you allow me to postpone settlement of your account?
15. Since you have always met your obligations in the past, we are prepared to allow you a postponement of payment.
16. Please, send us half of the amount by return, and sign the enclosed acceptance for the remainder.
17. We trust you will settle the remainder by paying in monthly installments.
Unit VIII
Orders
1.1. Read and translate the following dialogue on the topic “Orders”. Be ready to discuss the topic. Don’t forget to study useful vocabulary at first.
| To withdraw (~ credit; ~money from a bank) | Отзывать, отменять (закрыть кредит; снять деньги со счета) |
| To make more precise / exact / accurate (syn. to specify) | Уточнить |
| To deal with | Иметь дело с…, относиться, обращаться |
| Direction (~ for use; to give ~ to smb) | Здесь: указание, предписание, директива (правила пользования; давать инструкции) |
| Anxious for success | Стремящийся к успеху |
| To appreciate the difficulty | Правильно оценивать трудность |
| To comply with smb’s wishes | Идти навстречу чьим-то пожеланиям |
| To do smb’s best | Стараться изо всех сил |
| To feel sorry about | Очень сожалеть о чем-либо |
| To involve a chain of complications | Повлечь цепь осложнений |
| Consent (syn. consensus) | Согласие |
To Withdraw or to Change?
– Good morning, Mr. Klimenko! We have receives a fax-message from Kiev. I think it is urgent to reply.
– May I see the document, please… it says that TST Systems wants to make some amendments to the list of equipment to be delivered. They have made more precise calculations and found out that they have to change some items in Appendix 1. They want us to exclude part of the items, namely 2.6, 2.8, 3.9 and 5.7, and to add some items from the Catalogue D26/17 instead.
– Oh, such a nuisance! … But that involves a chain of complications. First, the Total Contract Value will be changed; second, we’ll have to write and approve a new list of equipment.
– Please, do forgive us. My director also feels terribly sorry about it. However, both you and I often come across different changes in business: to decline or to withdraw an order, to break a contract, and it’s better to correct our mistakes now, while I’m here, than later on.
– Well, right. If you insist we can do that for you. I’ll contact the person responsible immediately… Hello, Mr. Watson? Our Ukrainian partners would like to change some items on the list of equipment we have to deliver to them, so we need to make appropriate amendments to the Contract. Can you come to my office in about an hour and bring Catalogue D26/17 with you. You see, Mr. Klimenko, we always comply with the wishes of our clients. Miss Eliot, please, inform the customers about our consent on changes in Appendix 1 by fax. Concerning our further cooperation. I think you must influence your management not to make any other amendments to the Contract. You see, it’s a difficult task for us to deal with our Eastern partners. However, we always do our best to achieve consensus.
– Thank you, John. I’ll try my best to prevent such things in the future.
– Settled. By the way, may I invite you to a restaurant for a farewell party tonight?
– It’s very kind of you. With pleasure. I highly appreciate the opportunity to meet with you all. Despite initial difficulties I expect our cooperation will be successful.
– No doubt, Victor.