評論
打印
禮節美語 A Product Recall I
公司主管開會，執行總裁Rick說：
Rick:The Board of Directors has come to a decision. Our company will take an image hit, and it's going to be very expensive, but it seems we have no other choice but to start a recall. Samantha, would you care to explain a bit more.
Samantha:A year ago we began receiving reports that several of the air conditioner models we manufacture can sometimes overheat. In very rare circumstances this overheating might lead to electrical fires. So far there have been three fires that may be connected to our air conditioning units.
R:Unfortunately, one person was seriously injured. Therefore, even though there is no definitive proof linking our ACs to these fires, we decided to take action immediately.
Samantha介紹說，公司生產的幾款空調發生過overheat——機身溫度過熱的現象，可能起火，到目前為止，至少有三起火災懷疑跟他們公司生產的空調有關，還有一人受重傷。執行總裁Rick說，雖然沒有definitive proof，確鑿證據，但公司董事會還是決定立即采取行動，start a recall. 召回相關型號的空調。recall is spelled r-e-c-a-l-l, recall 是召回有問題產品的意思。這樣做不僅會有不小的經濟損失，而且還要 take an image hit. 公司形象也會受到打擊。Hank 問：
Hank:How many units are we talking about here? And what is this going to cost us?
R:We will be recalling over 15,000 air-conditioners. The company will refit them with new thermal sensors and stronger wiring.
S:As far as costs go, we estimate the company will lose well over $6 million dollars.
H:Six million? But we're not even sure we're responsible. Is a recall really the best way to go?
R:I believe that from both a business perspective and a moral perspective, a recall is necessary.
S:I think Rick is right. If there's even a chance that our products could cause injuries we have a responsibility to step in.
公司估計要召回一萬五千臺空調，召回的產品改用更耐熱的電線，還要安裝 thermal sensors 熱感應器，經濟損失將超過六百萬美元。公司執行總裁Rick和主管Samantha都覺得，不論是從商業角度還是從道義角度出發，只要公司產品可能跟火災的發生有一點關聯，他們也有義務step in——站出來。
R:Even if we look at it purely from a financial standpoint, six million dollars spent fixing any possible errors is definitely cheaper that being defendants in a lawsuit where somebody was seriously injured or killed.
H:So what's the procedure?
S:Next Monday we will issue a press release explaining that—even though there are no definitive links between our products and fires--we want to be good corporate citizens and have therefore decided to err on the side of caution.
Rick 補充說，即使單純從經濟角度出發，花六百萬美元修補產品的缺陷也比被人告上法庭的花銷小。產品召回的第一步是，下星期一公司先發一份news release新聞簡報，說明公司立場，雖然沒有確鑿證據證明火災和公司產品有關，但公司還是決定召回產品，to err on the side of caution，是“慎重起見，保險起見”的意思。新聞簡報以后還有哪些措施呢？我們下次繼續談。
B:This company is really taking consumers' interests seriously. I wonder how many companies like this one are out there.
A:可不是么。在確定自己產品有問題之前就召回商品，這的確是負責的態度，這么大的經濟損失，真是沒幾家公司愿意承受。
B:Anyways, this company has to deal with a crisis, and it takes good public relation skills to weather the storm.
A:在公司面臨困難時，需要杰出的公關團隊來化解危機。不過，要是咱們在野外遇到真正的storm, 恐怕只能自救了。
B:There are still some safety precautions you can take to deal with emergencies or accidents in the wilds. Let's listen to American Sports English and find out.
