听到这些词,客户很崩溃。
早在2015年,《纽约时报》就曾刊登了一篇最令人讨厌的英文词和短语榜单,它是由美国LSSU大学公布的。当选的都是年度最易被错用、滥用、甚至无用的英语词汇。包括so,conversation,problematic,stakeholder,price point等。今年,LSSU大学又公布了2019年度单词清单。
2019年度清单包含的单词及短语有:Wheelhouse、In the books、Wrap my head around、Platform、Collusion、OTUS family of acronyms such as POTUS FLOTUS SCOTUS、Ghosting、Yeet、Litigate、Grapple、Eschew、Crusty、optics、Legally drunk 、Thought leader、Imoprtantly、Accoutrements、Most important election of our time。
随便挑几个词看看老外的吐槽:
Importantly
Totally unnecessary when important is sufficient. More importantly apparently sounds more important but is also senseless.
来自德克萨斯州的Constance吐槽:当要表示“足够重要”时,这个词就完全没有必要了,而more importantly虽然听起来的意思是更重要,但对事情本身也是毫无意义的。
Platform
People use it as an excuse to rant. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter have become platforms. Even athletes call a post-game interview a "platform". Step down from the platform, already.
来自加利福尼亚的Michael吐槽:人们常喜欢用这个词作为狂欢的借口,Facebook,Instagram,Twitter都已经成为了平台,甚至于运动员讲赛后访谈也称为“platform”,这已经完全脱离这个词的本意了。另外,在LUSS的号召下,推特网友们也纷纷给出了自己最讨厌的词汇,比如bae(baby的一种写法), 动不动就用literally(字面上来说), whatever(……之类的), selfie(自拍),Trump等等。那么,除了被广泛评出来的这些单词和短语之外,在做外贸的时候,客户有没有特别讨厌的单词或者短语呢?答案是当然有。
让老外客户讨厌的词语其实有很多,比如:learnings、solutiion、resources、dovetail、teach、networking、best practice、synergies、engage、transparency...以下挑几个比较常见的案例:
Best Practice
比如说:
we can make a best practice.
吐槽:来自德国的买家说best practice这个词一听就让人感觉很绝对,似乎不会有任何改动了。这会让我失去继续参与的兴趣。
如何替换?
We can make it in a more effective way. /
We will have a better method.
Tips:“一个更有效或者更好的方法”会让人对于接下来的内容感兴趣,可以参与讨论。
Teach
比如说:
Over the next hour, I will teach you...
吐槽:来自纽约的Mike说,用teach这个词会立刻让人联想到这样的画面:一个小学老师站在讲台上喋喋不休地说着一堆大部分人不感兴趣的事。那真的太不适合商务沟通了。
如何替换?
Over the next hour, I will share... /
Over the next hour, I will show you...
Tips:Mike说用分享或者展示意味着你接下来的行动对于听者来说是有价值的,愿意去听的。
Learn
比如说:
During this session, you will learn...
吐槽:“学习”是一件需要花时间和精力的事情,而对于做生意的人来讲,这两样都是极缺的,大家的时间都很宝贵。
如何替换?
During this session, you'll discover...
Tips:“发现”通常是一下子就勾起对方的兴趣的词,并且不用花费很多精力。
Details
比如说:
If you're interested, I can provide additional details.
吐槽:在他们的理念中,“细节”通常是不重要但却很冗长的事情或者微不足道的,做生意的人时间都很宝贵,为什么对方还要花时间听你的“啰嗦”呢?
如何替换?
If you're interested, I can share additional insights...
Tips:“见解”通常是独一无二且有价值的,谁不想多知道一些有价值的东西呢?
Guarantee
比如说:
We offer a money-back guarantee...
吐槽:“保证”这个词这么多年来一直被大家滥用,以至于现在完全失去了它的可信度。
如何替换?
We will refund your money if...
Tips:“退款”是在客户不满意的情况下才会发生的,用这样明确的说法表示反倒是让客户感觉更可信。
除了以上这些常见的还有很多也是在商务来往中,被客户列入“黑名单”的单词或短语。
“黑名单”列表
take offline ✖
→ discuss at another time / chat tomorrow ✔
下次再说
deliverables ✖
→ refer to the things at that are being delivered–the reports, creative assets, presentation ✔
可交付的
synergy ✖
→ cooperation ✔
协作
low-hanging fruit ✖
→ great opportunity for growth ✔
轻松获得成果
think outside the box ✖
→ think creatively / approach in a new way ✔
创造性想法
in the loop ✖
→ keep someone aware / informed / up to date ✔
保持联系
manage expectations ✖
→ be realistic ✔
面对现实
soft skills ✖
→ Be specific about exactly which attributes are valuable in the context of the workplace. ✔
软性技能
case study ✖
→ success story of ✔
案例
at the end of the day ✖
→ ultimately / finally ✔
最终
best of breed ✖
→ specialists / experienced professionals / accomplished ✔
专业的
buy-in ✖
→ agreement / commitment ✔
协议,承诺
circumvent ✖
→ avoid / overcome ✔
避免
core competency ✖
→ specialize in / distinguished ✔
核心竞争力
cutting edge ✖
→ leading / progressive ✔
先进的
facilitate ✖
→ help / ease / make possible ✔
帮助
get on the same page ✖
→ agree / support ✔
达成共识
going forward ✖
→ continue...in the future ✔
展望未来
innovative ✖
→ new / distinctive ✔
新颖的
push the envelope ✖
→ try something new ✔
尝试新的
value-added ✖
→ beneficial / additional service ✔
增值的
pissed off ✖
→ a little bit angry ✔
生气
dovetail ✖
→ match ✔
吻合
giving 110% ✖
→ provide additional ✔
提供额外的
out of pocket ✖
→ may have a loss ✔
造成损失
drink the kool-aid ✖
→ make more efforts ✔
加大力度
以上这些单词或短语虽然有些在我们看来很常见,但客户听到后内心其实是崩溃的。由于文化差异,让客户“崩溃”的词语还有很多,不妨积累下来,或者以玩笑的方式询问客户,这样不仅能拉近与对方的距离感,还能让对方感觉到你的细心与贴心。(来源:深圳外贸圈)
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