Business Spotlight My new Job (Vorschau)

Business Spotlight
Business Spotlight
Englisch für den Beruf
September–Oktober | Ausgabe 5/2014
Language Test
Improve your
presentations!
Intercultural
Doing business
with China
Easy English
Getting approval
for your ideas
Head-to-Head
Independence
for Scotland?
Inside
20-page
vocabulary
guide
My new
job!
How to write
a perfect
application
SKILLS
Ten tips for
better
telephoning
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EDITORIAL
Do it well!
A key aspect of business is
how we present ourselves to
others. This includes how
we use our voices. Bob Dignen discusses this topic in his latest
Business Skills article, with ten tips for telephoning effectively
at work (p. 28). And in our Training Plan (p. 33), we encourage
you to record yourself, and analyse your speaking voice.
Ian McMaster, editor-in-chief
Many people have to give
presentations as part of their
job — whether to colleagues
or business partners, or at
conferences. With our special
language test (p. 12), you can
discover how good your skills
are in this area. We also look
at the success of the TED
conferences (p. 22), which
have set new standards for
presentations.
Job applications are another
important form of work-related
presentation. In our Careers
feature (p. 66), we provide
you with lots of useful tips for
writing successful covering
letters and CVs. Good luck!
Ian McMaster, editor-in-chief
Contact: i.mcmaster@spotlight-verlag.de
5/2014
Presentations: a key
part of working life
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CONTENTS 5/2014
28 Telephoning skills
Stockbyte
36 China’s influence
Alamy
The Big Picture
6 Austria
Keeping breeding bulls relaxed
Working World
8 Names and News
The latest from the world of business
Language Test
12 Presentations
Ten steps to a perfect talk
Global Business
18 It’s Personal advanced
Elisabeth Ribbans on inventor Elon Musk
21 Business Press Behind the headlines advanced
22 TED Conferences
Ideas worth sharing
26 Head-to-Head
Would independence help Scotland?
Business Skills
28 Series (4): Telephoning plus
Ten tips for improving your phone communication
33 Training Plan
Improve your telephoning skills
34 Toolbox
Ken Taylor on increasing your vocabulary
Intercultural Communication
36 China
Doing business with the Chinese
Multimedia learning with Business Spotlight
plus
Careers
Business Spotlight plus
plus Practise the language used in the
magazine with our exercise booklet. In
this issue, we focus on the vocabulary you
need to talk about the media, a listening
exercise on stress management, and the
language of CVs and covering letters. See
page 43 to order a free copy.
66 Series (2): Finding a Job advanced plus
Successful CVs and covering letters
75 Tips and Trends
Admitting you don’t know; sharing an office
Management
78 What Happened Next plus
The death of Superman
79 Executive Eye
Adrian Furnham on people who make life hell
Technology
80 Electronics advanced
The development of electric paint
82 Trends
The next generation of video games; organized ants
83 Language Focus advanced
Helicopters
People
86 My Working Life easy
Denis Elioni, post-office manager in Croatia
Regular sections
3 Editorial
35 Classified Ads
76 SprachenShop
84 Readers’ Survey / Impressum
85 Preview
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66 Effective CVs
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GUIDE
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Language Section
Language section
44 Vocabulary Commercial cleaning easy
45 Grammar at Work Making polite requests plus
46 Easy English Getting approval easy plus
48 Wise Words Comic headlines plus
50 Email Paragraphing
51 English on the Move Taking the Eurostar easy
52 Translation False friends and more
53 Language Cards To pull out and practise
55 SKILL UP! The news media
56 Short Story The birthday party easy plus
58 English for… Stress management plus
60 Legal English Patent law advanced
61 Talking Finance Stability and volatility advanced
62 Teacher Talk Interview with Julie Pratten
64 Products What’s new?
65 Key Words Vocabulary from this issue
Language in Business Spotlight
Articles in the magazine use the style, spelling, punctuation and
pronunciation of British English unless otherwise marked.
US American style, spelling, punctuation and pronunciation
are used in these articles.
All articles are marked with their level of language difficulty.
Articles not marked on the contents pages are at a medium level.
(CEF stands for the Council of Europe’s “Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages”.)
easy Approximately at CEF level A2
medium Approximately at CEF levels B1–B2
advanced Approximately at CEF levels C1–C2
ifml.: informal word or phrase; vulg.: vulgar word or phrase;
sl.: slang word or phrase; non-stand.: non-standard word or phrase;
UK: chiefly UK usage; US: chiefly North American usage
Cover topics
Cover photograph: Depositphoto
Business Spotlight in the classroom
This six-page supplement for teachers and
trainers provides lesson activities based
on articles in Business Spotlight. It is free
to those who subscribe to the magazine. To
order, please send an email to:
schulmedien@spotlight-verlag.de
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Business Spotlight Online
www Go to our website for
language-learning activities,
as well as news and blogs.
Subscribers have full access
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www.business-spotlight.de
www.business-spotlight.de 5

THE BIG PICTURE AUSTRIA
6 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

Keep calm
medium
Top breeding bulls are worth a great deal
of money — the world-record price,
reached in 2013, is $600,000 — so it’s
important to keep them happy. This bull is
standing under infrared lights, which are
used to relax its muscles. Its “workplace” is
an artificial insemination centre in Hohenzell,
Austria. The company exports cattle
semen to 54 countries worldwide.
Artificial insemination of cattle has been
practised since the late 1930s. Freezing
bovine semen, which began in the 1950s,
has increased the efficiency of the method.
Frozen semen can be used for many years
after the death of a bull. According to Wikipedia,
calves are still occasionally born from
the semen of a famous Holstein bull that
died in the US in 1963.
BS
artificial insemination künstliche Besamung
[A:tI)fIS&l In)semI(neIS&n]
bovine [(bEUvaIn]
Rinderbreeding
bull [(bri:dIN bUl] Zuchtbulle
calf (pl. calves) [kA:f ((kA:vz)] Kalb
cattle semen [(kÄt&l )si:mEn] Rindersperma
Holstein [(hQlstaIn]
Holstein (Rassebezeichnung)
L. Foeger/Reuters
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 7

WORKING WORLD NAMES AND NEWS
Getty Images
Stylish and successful:
Sophia Amoruso
Getty Iamges
SOPHIA AMORUSO
Fashion-forward
medium
She used to be a shoplifter. Now, Sophia Amoruso profits from other
women’s shopping. Amoruso, 30, is the chief executive of Nasty Gal,
the fastest-growing e-commerce site in the US. Started in 2006, it is now
worth $100 million and employs 350 people.
Being caught for shoplifting “saved my life”, Amoruso told the BBC.
“I learned the hard way that taking shortcuts and living for free is not
really living free,” she says.
Nasty Gal, which sells new and vintage clothing, got its name from a
song by Betty Davis, ex-wife of jazz legend Miles Davis. Amoruso, who
lives in Los Angeles, has just written her memoirs, #GIRLBOSS.
74
Percentage of workers
who do other work during
meetings
Sources: Fast Company; Kelton Global, a research institute
(http://keltonglobal.com)
chief executive
Geschäftsführer(in)
[)tSi:f Ig(zekjUtIv]
memoirs [(memwA:z] Memoiren
nasty gal [(nÄsti gÄl*] US ifml. böses Mädel
research [ri(s§:tS]
Forschung; hier: Marktforschung
shoplifter [(SQplIftE]
Ladendieb(in)
shoplifting [(SQplIftIN] Ladendiebstahl
take a shortcut
es sich leicht machen
[)teIk E (SO:tkVt]
vintage [(vIntIdZ]
klassisch, alt; hier auch: gebraucht
* This symbol marks standard US pronunciation.
“Education is the most
powerful weapon which you can
use to change the world”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013), South African politician
and activist
8 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

BOLIVIA
Street life
Many street people in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia,
earn money by shining shoes. Some of them —
especially children — also sell a newspaper called
Hormigón Armado, inspired by Britain’s The Big
Issue, a publication for the homeless.
Hormigón Armado was started by Jaime Villalobos,
who studied in England. “If you grow up in an
environment that loves and cares for you, you can
work as a child and grow up to be a positive adult,”
Villalobos told The Guardian. “But that’s very hard
for children who work on the street, because they are
exposed to many dangers. We are trying to counter
those effects so that they grow up to be positive
adults and go into the formal workforce.”
His next project is a vocational centre for young
parents. “I admire how these kids struggle and
fight,” Villalobos says.
Listen to this text on Business Spotlight Audio
medium
Alamy
Struggling to survive: young shoeshiners in Bolivia
The number of hotel rooms
in sub-Saharan Africa is projected
to rise by 28 per cent in
2014 compared to 2013.
counter sth. [(kaUntE]
environment [In(vaI&rEnmEnt]
exposed: be ~ to sth. [Ik(spEUzd]
go into the formal workforce
[gEU )IntE DE )fO:m&l (w§:kfO:s]
GP (general practitioner) [)dZi: (pi:] UK
hospitality [)hQspI(tÄlEti]
issue [(ISu:]
projected: be ~ to do sth. [prE(dZektId]
shine shoes [)SaIn (Su:z]
vocational centre [vEU(keIS&nEl )sentE]
5/2014
Sources: The Wall Street Journal; W
Hospitality Group (http://
w-hospitalitygroup.com)
The number of male family
doctors in Britain has fallen
below that of female GPs.
There are now 19,800 male
GPs and 20,440 female GPs.
Sources: The Daily Telegraph; Health and
Social Care Information Centre
(www.hscic.gov.uk)
➡
➡
etw. entgegenwirken
Umgebung, Umfeld
etw. ausgesetzt sein
einer offiziellen Tätigkeit
nachgehen, erwerbstätig
werden
Allgemeinmediziner(in)
Hotel- und Gaststättengewerbe
Angelegenheit, Problem
voraussichtlich etw. tun
Schuhe putzen
Berufsbildungszentrum
Sprachkurse
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WORKING WORLD NAMES AND NEWS
Want to stay
married? Why not
have an affair?
Amana Images
JAPAN
An affair to remember
ife short. Have an affair.” The slogan of
“LAshleyMadison.com, an online adultery
site, seems to be especially effective in Japan,
which has achieved a record one million users
in under nine months.
Technology consultant and writer Nobuyuki
Hayashi told CBC News he was not surprised
by the global company’s gains in his homeland.
“Here in Japan, there aren’t that many
great ways to have fun and so men go and
splurge at a caba club [hostess bar],” he says.
advanced
Japanese views of extramarital sex are more
liberal than in Western society, according to
Ashley Madison’s own statistics, with 84 per
cent of Japanese women saying they believed
an affair would improve their marriage. “The
reason people have affairs is that they want
to stay married,” says Noel Biderman, chief
executive of Avid Life Media Inc., which operates
AshleyMadison.com. Since the company’s
founding in Canada in 2002, it has
garnered nearly 25 million users worldwide.
Listen to this text on Business Spotlight Audio
Getty Images
“Advice is what we ask
for when we already
know the answer but
wish we didn’t”
Erica Jong, 72, US author (Fear of Flying)
adultery [E(dVltEri]
avid [(ÄvId]
chief executive
[)tSi:f Ig(zekjUtIv]
consultant [kEn(sVltEnt]
extramarital
[)ekstrE(mÄrIt&l]
founding [(faUndIN]
garner users
[)gA:nE (ju:zEz]
Inc. [INk] US
splurge [spl§:dZ]
Ehebruch
begierig,
leidenschaftlich
Geschäftsführer(in)
Berater(in)
außerehelich
Gründung
Nutzer gewinnen
AG
sich etw. leisten
10 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

Who’s on top?
GLOBAL
Measuring progress
easy
One measure of a country’s
wealth is its GDP (gross domestic
product). But a new index
calculates quality of life.
The Social Progress Index looks
at basic human needs. These include
access to food and shelter
as well as to education.
Personal freedom is measured,
too.
This year’s index rated
132 countries. New
Zealand is at the top of
the list, while Chad is
at the bottom.
Sources: Social Progress Imperative
(www.socialprogressimperative.org);
World Economic Forum
(www.weforum.org)
1. New Zealand
2. Switzerland
3. Iceland
4. Netherlands
5. Norway
6. Sweden
7. Canada
11. Austria
12. Germany
13. Britain
16. United States
Fuse
$9.6 million
Average annual pay of the CEO
of a public company in the US
$44,000
Average annual pay of a
US worker
Healthy food: measure
of social progress
What they said...
“Work only half a day. It makes no difference which
half — the first 12 hours or the last 12 hours”
Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), founder of the US Holiday Inn hotel chain
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its
completion”
C. Northcote Parkinson (1909–93), British naval historian and author of Parkinson’s Law
“It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure,
why take the chance?”
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), former US president
Sources: BusinessNewsDaily.com; Associated Press (www.ap.org)
access [(Äkses]
Zugang
annual pay [)ÄnjuEl (peI] Jahresgehalt, -lohn
CEO (chief executive Vorstandsvorofficer)
[)si: i: (EU] sitzende(r)
Chad [tSÄd]
Tschad
public company
Aktiengesellschaft
[)pVblIk (kVmpEni]
figure: I ~
ich denke, wie ich
[(fIgj&r*] US ifml.
das sehe
founder [(faUndE]
Gründer(in)
GDP [)dZi: di: (pi:] BIP (Bruttoinlandsprodukt)
naval historian
Marinehistoriker(in)
[)neIv&l hI(stO:riEn]
shelter [(SeltE]
Obdach, Unterkunft
* This symbol marks standard US pronunciation.
www Find more stories online at
www.business-spotlight.de/news
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 11

LANGUAGE TEST PRESENTATIONS
Speaking with style
Präsentationen sind fester Bestandteil des beruflichen Alltags. Deshalb
präsentieren Carol Scheunemann und Hildegard Rudolph hier Übungen, mit
denen Sie Ihre Präsentationskünste sprachlich testen können. all levels
THE SITUATION:
Doug Sargent and Melinda Dixon
are going to present Tada software
for customer-relationship management
(CRM) at a conference. Let’s
join them as they go through ten key
steps of giving a talk.
12 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014
Fuse

1.
Be prepared (5 points)
Doug and Melinda are getting ready for their talk. Fill in the missing vowels to
complete the words in their conversation.
easy
Doug: The presentation’s on my laptop, but we’ll need a a) pr_j_ct_r.
Melinda: The organizer has promised to provide one.
Melinda: What about b) w_r_l_ss sp_ _k_rs?
Doug: Those will be available at the conference as well.
Doug: Are there enough c) h_nd_ _ts?
Melinda: I think so. I made 120 copies.
Melinda: Do we need anything else?
Doug: Don’t forget the d) l_s_r p_ _nt_r.
Doug: Let’s look at our e) sl_d_s one more time.
Melinda: OK. The last thing we need is a mistake!
medium
2. Look and sound good
(5 points)
Melinda is nervous. She tries to calm down
by remembering advice on body language.
Choose words from the box to complete the
sentences.
anxiety
appearance
gestures
posture
volume
Your a) _________ is the first thing your
audience will notice. Stand tall and put
your shoulders back slightly to have good
b) _________. A sign of c) _________ is
clearing your throat too often. Regulate the
d) _________ of your voice — don’t speak
too softly but don’t shout, either. Maintain
eye contact with your listeners. Be aware of
hand e) _________ that may be considered
impolite in a multicultural setting.
4
5/2014
www.business-spotlight.de 13

LANGUAGE TEST PRESENTATIONS
3.
Start strong (5 points)
Doug gets people’s attention by asking a question. He then explains to his listeners
the benefits of using Tada. Create sentences with the words given.
a) and Tada / do trees / in common / What / have
______________________________________________________________________?
b) “branches” to hold / Tada grows / customer base increases, / As your / their data
______________________________________________________________________.
c) customer data / cheaper or faster / Managing / has never been
______________________________________________________________________.
d) can help / become 20 per cent / your business / more efficient / Tada software
______________________________________________________________________.
e) we’ll discover / can save you / how Tada / Together, / time and effort
______________________________________________________________________.
easy
Tips from TED
Here is advice from TED (see
the article on pages 22–25) on
what makes a great talk.
l Tell us something new. Or
look at a subject in a new
way.
l Use structure. But don’t talk
about how you’re going to
talk about your subject.
l Start strong.
l Watch your body language.
l Be personal. Tell a story. Go
on a journey.
l Make complex topics and
concepts accessible. Don’t
lose your listeners.
l Focus in. Present one idea.
Describe how and why it
could work.
l If you use slides, each slide
should present one point
only.
l No selling.
l Practise. Practise. Practise.
Get it right.
Sources: TEDxSpeaker Guide:
http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/
tedx_speaker_guide.pdf;
“What Makes a Great TED Talk?”,
June Cohen, TEDx@TEDGlobal 2010,
Oxford, England: www.youtube.com/
watch?v=RVDfWfUSBIM
4.
Explain the benefits (5 points)
medium
Melinda describes what makes the software easy to use. Choose the words that
best complete the sentences.
a) The software offers state-of-the-art / state-of-play graphics.
b) It features / faces a colour-coded index.
c) I’d like to exaggerate / emphasize the simple look of our user interface.
d) We’ve optimized our user identification / user interface by using symbols instead
of text.
e) The icons / irons are easy to understand, so no translation is necessary!
14 www.business-spotlight.de
5/2014

5.
Persuade people (5 points)
medium
Doug and Melinda use the “four Ps method” (position, problem, possibility, proposal) to structure
their talk. Put the number of the correct “P” category next to each statement.
a) ❏ You have several options in such a situation.
b) ❏ There are a number of measures you can implement.
c) ❏ The biggest challenge is managing customer needs effectively.
d) ❏ I recommend a software solution for this process.
1 = position
2 = problem
3 = possibility
4 = proposal
e) ❏ Let me explain the situation on the market today.
6.
Include your listeners (5 points)
advanced
Melinda connects with the audience by asking rhetorical questions. Turn her sentences
into questions. If possible, use “we” or “our” to show common interest.
Your thoughts here:
note key points
a) It’s important to know something about your customers.
What ______________________________________________________________?
b) This information can be useful.
How ______________________________________________________________?
c) This hasn’t been done before.
Why _______________________________________________________________?
d) Let me tell you where to start.
Where _____________________________________________________________?
e) I’ll move on to my next slide.
Shall ______________________________________________________________?
iStock
7.
Tell a story (5 points)
medium
Doug holds his listeners’ attention by talking about a personal experience. Put the sentences of his
anecdote in the correct order.
a) Suddenly, the woman in the queue behind me said, “I’ll take it!”
b) But it showed that I was nearly ten kilos lighter than I actually was.
c) In other words, my problem was her solution!
d) Last year, I decided to go on a diet, so I bought an expensive digital scale.
e) I took it back to the shop and was telling the clerk what the problem was.
1–❏; 2–❏; 3–❏; 4–❏; 5–❏
4
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 15

LANGUAGE TEST PRESENTATIONS
8.
Use visuals well (5 points)
medium
Melinda and Doug use visuals to support their message. Choose the correct terms
to complete the sentences.
a) As you can see in this pie _________, 27 per cent of our users are managers.
1. chart 2. table
b) This _________ chart represents our sales by volume.
1. bar 2. beam
c) Each of these _________ points represents an activity.
1. bullet 2. tablet
d) With this line _________, you can observe the monthly growth in our customer
numbers.
1. map 2. graph
e) This Venn _________ shows the relations between the user groups.
1. diagram 2. circle
9.
Deal with questions (5 points)
advanced
Listeners ask questions after Doug’s presentation. He doesn’t know the answer to every question.
Take sentence parts from each box to form his replies.
Can I get
Does anyone have
I’ll find out
Let me think
Perhaps we
about that
and contact
anything to add
back to you
could discuss
for a moment.
on that one?
that in the coffee break.
to that?
you later.
a) _______________________________________________________________________
b) _______________________________________________________________________
c) _______________________________________________________________________
d) _______________________________________________________________________
e) _______________________________________________________________________
For more information
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Booklet
Successful presentations in English, The essential series
Business Skills
“Beyond words”, Bob Dignen, Business Spotlight 1/2012, pp. 38–44
“Don’t do that!”, Bob Dignen, Business Spotlight 1/2009, pp. 46–52
5/2014

10.
Close convincingly (5 points)
medium
Melinda ends the presentation positively with a good closing. Use words from the box to complete
her sentences.
conclusion l highlight l saying l summarize l takeaway
a) In __________, I’d like to make a few comments.
b) Let me __________ what we’ve covered here today.
c) There is a key __________ message for us all.
i>Stock
d) We now can ________ the biggest challenge we face in future.
e) And finally, I’ll close with a __________: “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”
Answers
Take a seat: the next
talk begins soon
1. Be prepared
a) projector = Beamer
b) wireless speakers = kabellose Lautsprecher
c) handouts
d) laser pointer
e) slides = Dias; hier: (PowerPoint-)Folien
2. Look and sound good
a) appearance
b) posture = (Körper-)Haltung
c) anxiety = Angst; hier auch: Unsicherheit
d) volume = Lautstärke
e) gestures = Gesten, Gestik
3. Start strong
a) What do trees and Tada have in common? (have
sth. in common = etw. gemeinsam haben)
b) As your customer base increases, Tada grows
“branches” to hold their data. (hold data = Daten
aufnehmen )
c) Managing customer data has never been cheaper
or faster. (manage data = Daten verwalten)
d) Tada software can help your business become 20
per cent more efficient.
e) Together, we’ll discover how Tada can save you
time and effort.
4. Explain the benefits
a) state-of-the-art (state of the art = nach dem
letzten Stand der Technik/Entwicklung)
b) features (feature sth. = etw. aufweisen)
c) emphasize (emphasize sth. = etw. betonen,
hervorheben)
d) user interface = Benutzeroberfläche
e) icons = Icons, Symbole
5. Persuade people
a–3; b–3; c–2; d–4; e–1
5/2014
6. Include your listeners
a) What do we know about our customers?
b) How can we use this information?
c) Why haven’t we done this before?
d) Where should we start?
e) Shall we move on to the next slide?
7. Tell a story
1–d; 2–b ; 3–e ; 4–a; 5–c
8. Use visuals well
a–1 chart (pie chart = Torten-, Kuchen-, Kreisdiagramm)
b–1 bar (bar chart = Balkendiagramm)
c–1 bullet (bullet point = Aufzählungspunkt)
d–2 graph (line graph = Liniendiagramm)
e–1 diagram (Venn diagram = Venndiagramm)
9. Deal with questions
a) Can I get back to you on that one?
b) Does anyone have anything to add to that?
c) I’ll find out and contact you later.
d) Let me think about that for a moment.
e) Perhaps we could discuss that in the coffee break.
10. Close convincingly
a) conclusion (in conclusion = abschließend, zum
(Ab-)Schluss)
b) summarize (summarize sth. = etw. zusammenfassen)
c) takeaway (a key takeaway message for us all =
etwa: eine Kernaussage, die jeder für sich nach
Hause mitnehmen kann)
d) highlight (highlight sth. = etw. hervorheben)
e) saying (as the saying goes = wie es so schön heißt)
(etwa: Zeit fliegt wie ein Pfeil; Fruchtfliegen mögen
Bananen.)
How did you do?
40–50 Excellent
Clearly, you’re an experienced presenter.
People must love your talks!
30–39 Good
With a little more practice, you’ll
be on stage in no time!
20–29 Fair
You’re familiar with some of the
language and the general ideas of
presenting.
15–19 Poor
Increasing your vocabulary will
help you to be a better presenter
in English.
You’ll find a related exercise on
Business Spotlight Audio
www More exercises can be found at
www.business-spotlight.de/presentations
Carol Scheunemann is an editor at
Business Spotlight and coordinates
Business Spotlight Audio. Contact:
c.scheunemann@spotlight-verlag.de
Hildegard Rudolph is a certified
translator and a freelance editor,
teacher and book author. Contact:
bs.lektorat@spotlight-verlag.de
www.business-spotlight.de 17

GLOBAL BUSINESS IT‘S PERSONAL
The real Iron Man
Es gibt Menschen, die einen faszinieren und die aufgrund ihrer Errungenschaften immer
wieder in den Medien auftauchen. Hat man zudem eine persönliche Beziehung zu ihnen,
ist die Begeisterung noch größer. Genauso ist es Elisabeth Ribbans ergangen. advanced
I have been fascinated by Elon
Musk for perhaps a little longer than
most other ordinary mortals. Four
years ago, the billionaire inventor
married a beautiful British actress
who was a childhood friend of my
niece.
When a young woman of even
distant acquaintance, whom you’re
already cheering because of her film
successes, marries the man who
co-founded PayPal and is now making
rockets, spacecraft and luxury
electric cars, it is hard to look
away. And these days, it’s hard
— even if you’re not looking —
to miss all the media coverage
Musk generates.
Elon Musk. The name sounds
like an unsolved anagram and his life
reads like fiction. But while he was
reportedly the inspiration for Tony
anxiety [ÄN(zaIEti]
Angst
austerity [O:(sterEti] hier: Sparmaßnahmen
big thinking
etwa: visionäre Ideen
[)bIg (TINkIN] ifml.
billion [(bIljEn]
Milliarde(n)
billionaire [)bIljE(neE] Milliardär(in)
cheer sb. [tSIE]
jmdn. bejubeln
co-found sth. [)kEU (faUnd] etw. mitbegründen
dock sth. with sth. [(dQk wID] etw. an etw. andocken
eventually [I(ventSuEli] letztendlich
media coverage
Medienbericht-
[(mi:diE )kVvErIdZ]
erstattung
mortal [(mO:t&l]
Sterbliche(r)
niece [ni:s]
Nichte
restore faith [ri)stO: (feIT] Vertrauen
wiederherstellen
rocket [(rQkIt]
Rakete
self-sustaining
autark
[)self sE(steInIN]
shortage [(SO:tIdZ]
Mangel, Knappheit
space capsule
Raumkapsel
[(speIs )kÄpsju:l]
spacecraft [(speIskrA:ft] Raumschiff(e)
Man with a vision: billionaire
inventor Elon Musk
Stark, Robert Downey Jr’s character
in the Iron Man movies, Musk, 43, is
real and the only puzzle is where his
imagination will take us.
Born in Pretoria, Musk was a
comic-reading kid who sold his first
video-game software at the age of
12. He left South Africa to study in
Canada and the US, soon moving to
California, where he lives with his
“Even if you’re not looking, it’s hard to miss
the media coverage Elon Musk generates”
wife, Talulah Riley. In 2002, the sale
of PayPal earned Musk $180 million
(€132 million), but rather than sit
and count the cash, he has used it
for diverse projects united by a single
passion: to fight climate change by
changing the way the world is powered.
“For me, it was never about
money, but solving problems for the
future of humanity,” he told Smithsonian
magazine in 2012.
That year, Musk’s company SpaceX
even succeeded in docking its own
space capsule with the International
Space Station. SpaceX now has a
$1.6 billion (€1.2 billion) contract
with NASA to carry cargo and —
eventually — astronauts into space.
Musk’s ultimate aim is helping us
to live on other planets, with a colony
on Mars by 2020. “At Mars, you can
start a self-sustaining civilization,” he
said in a speech in London. “I think
we’re making some progress in that
direction — not as fast as I’d like.”
Meanwhile, he is busy with the electric
Tesla Model S, currently going on
sale across Europe. The fast-moving
car is already the third-bestselling
luxury auto in California.
It hasn’t all been easy; but in an
age of austerity and anxiety, and with
a shortage of inspirational leaders,
a person of such vision, talent and
courage should restore faith in the
power of big thinking. Who knows,
we might even reach the stars. BS
Elisabeth Ribbans is a British journalist and
editorial consultant. She is also a former
managing editor of The Guardian newspaper
in London. Contact: eribbans@yahoo.com
elonmusk.com
Credit
18 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

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BUSINESS PRESS GLOBAL BUSINESS
Behind the headlines
Headlines in the English-language media are often difficult to understand because they use jargon and
wordplay, and leave out words. Here, we look at the meaning of recent business headlines. advanced
The Guardian Financial Times
China metals: Here, copper and aluminium stored in
bonded warehouses in Qingdao, China.
the bezzle: This term comes from “embezzlement”,
and was created by the Canadian-American economist
John Kenneth Galbraith. It refers to the
money or assets that build up before embezzlement
is discovered. Here, the “bezzle” is of a
trader who raised several loans against the same
copper and aluminium.
shrinks: This word here means to “drop in value”.
Asset fraud is often stopped when markets fall
because controls become stricter. In this case, the
price of copper fell.
In simple English: Money made illegally involving
metals in China is falling in value.
Shardenfreude: This is a play on words. The Shard
is a new, glass-covered skyscraper in London. Its
architect, Renzo Piano, once described it as “a
shard of crystal”. Here, “shardenfreude” can be
read as “joy in using shards of glass”, “joy in the
Shard” or as “schadenfreude”, suggesting that the
“copycat craze” is somehow negative.
London’s copycat craze: The trend to create buildings
like the Shard in London.
is crystal clear: If something is “crystal clear”, it is
very clear.
In simple English: There is a (negative) trend in London
to copy the Shard skyscraper.
www Are you confused by the language in the press? Keep your
English up to date at www.business-spotlight.de/news
The Economist
The Wall Street Journal
Maple: Canada’s national symbol is the maple leaf.
It represents the Canadian government here and
fits in with the headline’s leaf symbolism.
resting on laurels: The Canadian government is relaxing
after it won “laurels” during the financial
crisis, because no bank needed to be rescued. The
article says the government should not relax, as
there are still problems in the banking system.
In simple English: The Canadian government is relaxing
due to its success during the financial crisis,
but various problems still need to be solved.
Operation Escargot: The French expression for
“snail” is used here to describe a demonstration
involving cars that drove slowly, blocking traffic.
Europe protests: Europe-wide protests by taxi drivers
against apps like Uber, which connect passengers
directly with mostly private drivers.
as Uber rises: The value of Uber Technologies.
In simple English: Taxi drivers blocked traffic in Europe-wide
protests (against apps like Uber), while
the value of Uber Technologies rose.
asset fraud [(Äset frO:d]
assets [(Äsets]
bonded warehouse [)bQndId (weEhaUs]
copper [(kQpE]
copycat [(kQpikÄt] ifml.
craze [kreIz]
embezzlement [Im(bez&lmEnt]
laurels: win ~ [(lQrElz]
maple [(meIp&l]
raise a loan [)reIz E (lEUn]
shard [SA:d]
Anlagebetrug
Vermögen(swerte)
Zolllager
Kupfer
Nachahmer(in)
Wahn, Welle
Unterschlagung
Lorbeeren ernten
Ahorn
einen Kredit aufnehmen
Scherbe, Splitter
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 21

M. Aufmuth/TED
Long-distance swimmer Diana
Nyad is standing on a stage,
looking tan and strong, telling
her story of swimming 180
kilometres from Cuba to Florida
— at age 64. To carry her through
hours of physical discomfort and total
darkness (because light attracts
sharks), music fills her mind. In particular,
the song “Imagine”, by John
Lennon. “I can sing that song a thousand
times in a row,” she says. She
then begins singing softly, “Imagine
there’s no heaven,” leaning forward
slightly, making swimming motions,
her large hands reaching forward
past her shoulders, then back. “It’s
easy if you try…”
“And when I get through the end
of a thousand times,” Nyad continues,
straightening up, “I’ve swum
nine hours and 45 minutes, exactly.”
At an age when many people retire,
she finished the non-stop swim, on
her fifth attempt, in just under 53
hours. The title of her talk is “Never,
Ever Give Up”.
Nyad was speaking at a TED conference,
which stands for “Technology,
Entertainment, Design”. The TED
slogan is “ideas worth spreading”,
and the conference brings together
thinkers and doers from areas including
business, nature, science, the arts
and psychology.
Now in its 30th year, TED was
created by American architect and
graphic designer Richard Saul Wurman.
Convergence, or the coming
together, of various disciplines was
Wurman’s inspiration. Get leaders
from different fields together, get
them talking and innovation is sure
to follow, he believed. But Wurman
disliked traditional business gatherings,
“because I’m bored out of my
head when I go to conferences,” he
told Smithsonian magazine.
Instead, his method was to send the
presenters on stage without a lectern,
table or pages of notes, making them
more “vulnerable”. Their speeches
had to be short — between 10 and
18 minutes — and speakers were not
allowed to sell anything; rather, their
aim was to start a conversation. At
the first TED conference, in March
1984, in Monterey, California, attendees
were introduced to the CD,
the Macintosh computer and the vision
of e-books.
In 2001, Wurman sold TED to the
non-profit Sapling Foundation, run
by Chris Anderson, a publisher of
business and computer magazines.
Four years later, the organization
started a sister conference, TEDGlobal,
which takes place in the autumn
outside the US. But it was TED.com
that really helped to spread TED. The
site went online in 2007 with selected,
skilfully edited videos from the
conferences.
Anderson was sceptical that the
format would succeed on the internet.
“Why would you sit through
attendee [E)ten(di:]
bored out of one’s head:
be ~ [)bO:d aUt Ev
wVnz (hed]
design [di(zaIn]
doer [(du:E]
edited [(edItId]
foundation [faUn(deIS&n]
in a row [)In E (rEU]
lectern [(lektEn]
non-profit
[)nQn (prQfIt]
publisher [(pVblISE]
sapling [(sÄplIN]
shark [SA:k]
sit through sth.
[)sIt (Tru:]
talk [tO:k]
tan [tÄn]
vulnerable [(vVlnErEb&l]
Teilnehmer(in)
zu Tode gelangweilt sein
Gestaltung; hier: Konzept
Macher(in)
bearbeitet
Stiftung
hintereinander
Rednerpult
gemeinnützig
Verleger(in)
Setzling, Schössling
Hai
etw. über sich ergehen
lassen
Vortrag
sonnengebräunt
schutzlos
4

TED CONFERENCES GLOBAL BUSINESS
Talking about thinking
Wie lässt man Menschen in aller Welt an einer Idee oder einer Erfahrung teilhaben?
Ganz einfach: Man hält einen Vortrag auf einer TED-Konferenz. Carol Scheunemann
berichtet über die Anfänge und Entwicklungen dieser Veranstaltung. medium
Going the distance:
swimmer Diana Nyad
What is TED?
TED: A five-day conference on “Technology,
Entertainment and Design”
held in North America each spring,
offering some 70 talks. The next TED
is 16–20 March 2015 in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada. Price to
attend: US$ 8,500 (about €6,300).
TEDActive: A livestream of the TED
conference. The next TEDActive is
16–20 March 2015 in Whistler,
British Columbia, Canada. Price to
attend: US$ 4,250 (about €3,150).
TEDGlobal: A sister conference held
outside North America. The next
TEDGlobal is 6–10 October 2014
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Price to
attend: US$ 6,000 (about €4,450).
TEDx: Independently organized TEDstyle
conference. More than 10,000
of these have been held in the past
five years. See TED.com for coming
events. Price to attend: usually free.
TED.com: The website, with 1,700
videos of selected TED talks from all
conferences.
attend (sth.) [E(tend]
talk [tO:k]
(an etw.) teilnehmen
Vortrag

GLOBAL BUSINESS TED CONFERENCES
Futuristic event:
talks are intelligent and
intend to inspire
“Why would you sit through an
18-minute lecture when there’s a whole
world of hilarious cat videos?”
an 18-minute lecture when there’s a
whole world of hilarious cat videos
to be explored?” he wrote in The
Guardian. But TED videos are now
viewed two million times per day.
Videos are divided into categories
such as “most viewed” or “funny”,
or by subject area, including “work
smarter” and “natural wonder”.
Usually, presenters at TED conferences
are experts in their field —
white upper-class Americans seem to
dominate — but can include former
criminals, the homeless and victims
of war or poverty. What they have in
common is that they are almost all
excellent public speakers. They can
tell a visionary story with a professional
delivery.
TED presenters practise the art
of public speaking as introduced
by Greek orators. Almost without
exception, the talks are intelligent,
philosophical and often funny. They
appeal to our emotions and routinely
provide an epiphany, that “aha”
moment. Some talks describe human
experiences and others discuss global
problems, but all of them are intended
to inspire: they don’t always offer
a solution, but they at least make
a suggestion. “TED has done more
to advance the art of lecturing in a
decade than Oxford University has
done in a thousand years,” commented
The Economist.
The speakers are invited, recommended
or selected. Many of the
presenters are already experienced
public speakers, who then work with
an editor, writer and director for six
to nine months to bring out their best
performance. June Cohen, executive
producer of TED Media, says she
tries to identify the speaker’s “true
voice”. “An artist is not a scientist, a
scientist is not an activist,” she says.
So what can make your presentation
more “TED-like”? “Rehearse
well ahead of going on stage; and
then rehearse again,” says Bruno
Giussani, curator of TEDGlobal.
“There is no single recipe for a great
talk. But practising is guaranteed to
make any talk better.”
TED calls itself a “media organization”
and makes its money mainly
through attendance fees, sponsorships,
foundation support and licensing
fees. The two main conferences
are joined by TEDActive, a
TED
live video stream of the main event,
as well as by special-interest conferences.
Long-distance swimmer Diana
Nyad spoke at TEDxWomen in
2013, for example. Independently
organized TEDx events help to expand
the global reach (see interview
on p. 25). Although most of the talks
are in English, ideas are being spread
in multiple languages, thanks to the
Open Translation Project, in which
volunteers translate online talks.
Not everyone loves TED, however.
In a TEDx talk earlier this year called
“We Need to Talk about TED”, Benjamin
Bratton, associate professor of
visual arts at the University of California,
San Diego, called TED “a
recipe for civilizational disaster”. He
repeated the most common criticisms
of TED — that it oversimplifies complex
problems, and that it suggests
everything is possible if you just follow
your passion. He called the cultlike
conferences “middlebrow megachurch
infotainment”. Talking about
world-changing ideas will not change
the world, he says.
TED critics warn that some talks
seem to spread bad ideas, such as a
2005 presentation by Steven Levitt,
advance sth. [Ed(vA:ns] etw. voranbringen
appeal to sth. [E(pi:&l tu] etw. ansprechen
associate professor außerordentliche(r)
[E)sEUsiEt prE(fesE] Professor(in)
attendance fee
Teilnehmergebühr
[E(tendEns fi:]
curator [kju&(reItE] Kurator(in)
delivery [di(lIvEri] hier: Vortragsweise
editor [(edItE]
Redakteur(in); Lektor(in)
epiphany [I(pIfEni] Aha-Erlebnis
executive [Ig(zekjUtIv] leitend
hilarious [hI(leEriEs] (ur)komisch, zum Lachen
homeless: the ~ [(hEUmlEs] Obdachlose
lecture [(lektSE]
(Lehr-)Vortrag; einen
(Lehr-)Vortrag halten
middlebrow
nicht besonders
[(mId&lbraU]
intellektuell,
Durchschnittsorator
[(QrEtE]
Redner(in)
recipe [(resEpi]
Rezept
rehearse sth. [ri(h§:s] etw. einstudieren
visual arts [)vIZuEl (A:ts] bildende Kunst
volunteer [)vQlEn(tIE] Freiwillige(r)
24 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

Interview
“TED has raised the bar”
Henrik Ahlen: started
TEDxStockholm
HENRIK AHLEN, project manager
and expert generalist at Alfa Bravo AB
(http://alfabravo.com), started TEDx-
Stockholm in 2009. He attended TED-
Global 2013 and TEDActive 2014.
What is the story behind your first TEDx
conference?
I’d been following TED since the early
1990s and dreamed about attending it,
but it was far away and very expensive.
In 2008, I started organizing informal
TED-viewing events with my friends,
watching and discussing the talks over
a few beers at home. Then I read in a
blog somewhere that anyone could hold
a local TED event — and that was exactly
what I’d already been doing!
How did you find speakers?
For our first TEDx, it was easy, because I
founded it with Teo Härén and he speaks
about creativity all over the world. So he
called all his friends in the speaker community
and asked them if they wanted to
do a short TEDx talk.
Did you train them in speaking skills?
Most TEDx organizers have very limited
resources and you don’t really have
access to the speakers to do all those
rehearsals. But you can always do something.
TED also gives you very good
guidelines (see p. 14). They have raised
access: have ~ to sb.
[(Äkses]
attendee [E)ten(di:]
coaching [(kEUtSIN]
Edinburgh
[(edInbErE]
exceed sth. [Ik(si:d]
foreign-aid spending
[)fQrEn (eId spendIN]
found sth. [faUnd]
get value for money
[get )vÄlju: fE (mVni]
raise the bar
[)reIz DE (bA:]
rehearsal [ri(h§:s&l]
resources [ri(zO:sIz]
mit jmdm. in Kontakt
treten können
Teilnehmer(in)
Training
[wg. Aussprache]
etw. übertreffen
Entwicklungshilfe
etw. gründen
etw. für sein Geld
bekommen
die Messlatte höher
ansetzen
Probe(durchgang)
finanzielle Mittel
the bar with their super professional
speaker coaching.
You were an attendee at TEDGlobal 2013 in
Edinburgh. What was that like?
It was expensive, but exceeded my expectations.
There were so many interesting
people there, the type of people you
wouldn’t meet anywhere else. TED has
also raised the bar on conference organizing
— the quality of the audio and video,
the food, the snacks and parties — so you
do get value for that money.
Which talk from any TED event is your personal
favourite?
That’s hard to answer. If I meet people
who’ve never heard of TED, I say, “Just
watch Ken Robinson’s talk on how schools
kill creativity”. My number two is by a
Swede, Hans Rosling. He was a totally
unknown professor, even in Sweden, but
his talk [on statistics] was an instant hit.
And he said in an interview later that that
totally changed his life. He now spends
his time touring the world, influencing
governments’ foreign-aid spending and
our view of developing countries. None of
that would have happened without TED.
one of the authors of Freakonomics.
He said statistics show that children’s
car seats are no more effective than
seat belts in preventing death. His
point was that a new design could
make car seats even better, but he
may have sent the wrong message.
Many people believe that the conferences
are elitist. In addition to paying
thousands of dollars, candidates
must write essays, provide references,
and point to their publications, innovations
or discoveries — just to sit in
the audience. Among the 1,000 or so
audience [(O:diEns]
elitist [i(li:tIst]
Publikum
elitär
attendees each year are Nobel-Prize
winners, politicians, business leaders
and millionaires, in other words, the
people who have the power and money
to put ideas into action.
Probably the only way most of us
will ever experience a TED-style conference
live is at an independently
organized TEDx event. Henrik Ahlen
held one of the first TEDx events in
Stockholm in 2009 (see box above).
Such conferences “are the opposite
of elitist,” Ahlen says. “These are
free, you’re not allowed to charge
any money for it and no one is paid.”
In the past five years, at least 10,000
TEDx events have been held worldwide,
an average of eight per day.
TED offers ideas and inspiration
— as well as a new video — every
day on TED.com. These are a great
source of material for teachers and
learners. Become a better presenter.
Practise your English. Organize a
conference. Or find out what it’s like
to swim from Cuba to Florida. It’s
easy if you try.
BS
Find out how good your presentation
skills are with our special language
test on pages 12–17.
Carol Scheunemann is an editor at
Business Spotlight and coordinates
Business Spotlight Audio. Contact:
c.scheunemann@spotlight-verlag.de
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 25

GLOBAL BUSINESS HEAD-TO-HEAD
Would independence help Scotland?
Am 18. September 2014 stimmen die Schotten über ihre Unabhängigkeit ab. Aber geht es
einem unabhängigen Schottland besser? Vicki Sussens hat das Pro und Contra. medium
Yes!
“Scotland has
the resources to
succeed”
David Brook
On 18 September, we will decide
whether or not we want to become
an independent nation
again. Much of the debate is
focused on the economy and whether
Scotland would be successful. To understand
what the future might bring,
it helps to know a little about Scotland’s
economy.
According to the Treasury, Scotland
has been a net contributor to the UK
economy for the past 33 years. It pays
a bigger proportion of tax than the
UK average — £1,200 (about €1,500)
per person more in the past five years.
After London, it is the UK’s wealthiest
and most productive region, with
world-leading industries in areas such
as food, drink, finance, energy, manufacturing
and tourism.
If it were independent, it would
have a GDP per head much higher
than that of the UK and would become
the world’s 14th-richest country.
It has Europe’s largest renewable energy
potential, and an oil industry with
an estimated £1 trillion in reserves. In-
accountable [E(kaUntEb&l] verantwortlich
cash grant [(kÄS grA:nt] finanzieller Zuschuss
child poverty
Kinderarmut
[)tSaI&ld (pQvEti]
disproportionally unverhältnismäßig
[)dIsprE(pO:S&nEli]
food bank [(fu:d bÄNk] Tafel (Lebensmittelhilfe
für Bedürftige)
GDP (gross domestic BIP (Bruttoinlandsproduct)
[)dZi: di: (pi:] produkt)
health-care system Gesundheitssystem
[(helT keE )sIstEm]
net contributor
Nettobeitragsleister(in)
[)net kEn(trIbjUtE]
resources [ri(zO:sIz] Mittel; Ressourcen
technicality
(reine) Formsache
[)teknI(kÄlEti]
Treasury [(treZEri] UK Finanzministerium
trillion [(trIljEn]
Billion(en)
welfare [(welfeE] Wohlfahrt;
hier: Sozialdeed,
the strength of Scotland’s economy
is such that those opposed to a
“yes” vote focus their argument on
technicalities about the currency, EU
membership and negative speculation
about the future.
So why is a country with such
wealth considering becoming independent?
Scotland has one of the
highest levels of inequality in the developed
world, and child poverty has
reached shocking levels. It is estimated
that at least 20 per cent of Scottish
children live in poverty. This is growing,
with 65,000 families depending
on food banks last year. The UK is
moving towards a minimal welfare
and privatized health-care system,
which is disproportionally damaging
for Scotland.
Scotland has poor levels of local and
national democracy, and parties govern
from London, even when a majority
of Scots did not elect them. Although
there is a Scottish Parliament, it has
limited powers and relies mostly on a
cash grant from London. This is a key
argument in favour of independence —
the people who live here would make
better decisions than a distant and unrepresentative
government in London.
We should use our wealth to build a
strong economy and a fairer society.
A Scottish government would not only
be democratically accountable, but
would put Scotland’s economic and
social needs first.
All countries in Europe have different
economic strengths and weaknesses.
They trade across borders and
make compromises based on shared
currencies, resources and opportunities.
Scotland is ready to be a democratic
and responsible nation and it
has the resources and intelligence to
succeed — just like every other country
in Europe.
David Brook owns a marketing company and is
a member of Business for Scotland, a network
of firms that support an independent Scotland.
26 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

Oil and industry:
would Scotland
be better off
outside the UK?
No!
“A ‘no’ vote is a
vote to strengthen
the Scottish
Parliament”
Murdo Fraser
We will soon make the biggest
decision our country
has ever made. It is an irreversible
decision, so it is
important that we get it right.
The Nationalists like to paint a
“no” vote as a vote for the status
quo. Nothing could be further from
the truth. All three parties who want
Scotland to remain in the UK have
made proposals for more powers for
the Scottish Parliament after a “no”
vote in September’s referendum.
A “no” vote is a vote to strengthen
devolution and to build on the
success we’ve had since the Scottish
Parliament was created, in 1999. It is
a positive vote to see more decisions
being made here in Scotland without
losing the support that comes from
being part of the UK.
As a partner of the UK, we are
part of the third-largest economy in
Europe and the sixth largest in the
world. That is undoubtedly very attractive
to the many major employers
who invest in Scotland, helping them
to continue to grow. Our partnership
with the UK means businesses
investing in Scotland have access to a
market of 64 million across the UK,
and not just the five million in Scotland.
It also has a knock-on effect on
the Scottish economy, which means
creating even more jobs.
Two reports by the Institute for Fiscal
Studies (IFS) make clear exactly
why we are stronger together, as part
of the UK. The expert and impartial
economists at the IFS said that a
separate Scotland’s deficit “would be
around three per cent of GDP larger
than that for the UK as a whole”.
That would mean big tax rises or
that deep spending cuts would be required
if we left the UK. Being part
of the UK means our money is better
protected and public services across
Scotland aren’t put at risk.
A “no” vote that is a vote for more
powers for the Scottish Parliament
is a message that is resonating with
the public. We need more growth,
more jobs and more opportunities
for future generations. We don’t need
uncertainty, instability and barriers.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond
(who is pushing for independence)
is asking businesses to take
a significant risk with their future
on the empty promise of “it’ll be all
right”. That is unacceptable. BS
access [(Äkses]
convenor
[kEn(vi:nE]
devolution
[)di:vE(lu:S&n]
first minister
[)f§:st (mInIstE] UK
impartial [Im(pA:S&l]
knock-on effect
[)nQk (Qn E)fekt] UK
MSP (Member of the
Scottish Parliament)
[)em es (pi:]
push for sth.
[(pUS fO:]
resonate with sb.
[(rezEneIt wID]
spending cut
[(spendIN kVt]
Zugang
Person, die Versammlungen
einberuft;
hier: Vorsitzende(r)
Übertragung parlamen-
tarischer Gewalt (auf
eine niedrigere Ebene)
Erste(r) Minister(in),
Ministerpräsident(in)
unparteiisch
Folgewirkung,
Anstoßeffekt
Mitglied
des schottischen
Parlaments
auf etw. drängen
bei jmdm. Anklang
finden
Ausgabenkürzung
Murdo Fraser is a Scottish Conservative MSP.
He is also convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s
Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee.
Corbis
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 27

On call for success
Die geschäftliche Kommunikation
erfolgt heute meist per E-Mail. Doch
gelegentlich sollte und muss man
auch zum Telefon greifen. Bob Dignen
erklärt im vierten Teil unserer Serie,
was bei Telefonaten zu beachten ist,
und gibt nützliche Tipps. medium
Series Part Four
On the line: some simple
tips can help 28 www.business-spotlight.de you
5/2014

TELEPHONING BUSINESS SKILLS
This article is the fourth in our special skills series. Each article
contains ten top tips for a key area of business communication —
and a training plan to help you to structure your learning (see p. 33).
In previous issues:
Part One: Listening (2/2014); Part Two: Speaking (3/2014);
Part Three: Writing (4/2014)
Our phones are getting smarter
and smarter, with more
and more high-tech functions.
Yet, we’re not necessarily
becoming smarter in
the way we use them. Many people
now reach for their phones mainly
to read and reply to emails and text
messages. The solution to this overuse
of emails and texts in business life
is simple: make more phone calls!
TIP 1 Think before calling
To use the phone effectively, it is
important to recognize its disadvantages.
Even at its best, virtual communication
can never be a perfect
substitute for face-to-face meetings.
Making phone calls in a second language
can also be very stressful. And
in detailed discussions, emails give
people more time to understand the
position of their business partners
and to formulate their proposals.
Work pressure also means that
phone calls often have to be postponed
at the last minute, causing
frustration on all sides and possibly
the perception of inefficiency, which
can damage relationships.
You should make the purpose of
your phone call clear in advance, for
example, by sending an email to the
other person:
l I think it’d be better to talk this
through on the phone because…
l Would it be better for us to discuss
this over the phone, so that... ?
You should also specify a clear time
(with time zone) and duration. Also,
if you think the call might have to be
postponed, mention this possibility:
l Is Tuesday at 10 a.m. CET OK with
you? I think we’ll need around an
hour.
l I may have to cancel at short notice
because we are under pressure here
with….
If the discussion is potentially complex
or sensitive, send your business
partner a pre-call message:
l As this is a sensitive topic, I’m sending
you a few ideas in advance.
On call for success etwa: für den Erfolg
[Qn )kO:l fE sEk(ses] (jederzeit) auf Abruf
at short notice
kurzfristig
[Ät )SO:t (nEUtIs]
CET (Central European MEZ (mitteleuropäische
Time) [)si: i: (ti:]
Zeit)
duration [dju&(reIS&n] Dauer
face-to-face [)feIs tE (feIs] persönlich
in advance [)In Ed(vA:ns] im Voraus
perception [pE(sepS&n] Wahrnehmung,
Empfinden
postpone sth. [pEUst(pEUn] etw. verschieben
sensitive [(sensEtIv] heikel
topic [(tQpIk]
Thema
4
The solution to the overuse of emails and text
messages is to make more phone calls
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 29
Photodisc

BUSINESS SKILLS TELEPHONING
TIP 2 Get connected
There are four important aspects of
connectivity that you need to think
about: technological, informational,
logistical and emotional:
a) Technological. Try not to rely
on mobile-phone connectivity if you
need to conduct a serious conversation.
Plan to call from a landline
rather than risk the frustration (and
lack of professionalism) of fragmented
phone signals or poor audio quality.
If you can’t avoid a mobile call,
agree at the start who will call whom
if you lose the signal. Otherwise,
you might both end up trying to call
at the same time, reaching each
other’s voicemail:
l If we get cut off, I’ll call you back.
OK?
b) Informational. Make sure that
you are able to pronounce (and spell)
the name of the person you want to
speak to, and that you can spell your
own name and that of your organization.
Also, make sure that you can
express the purpose of your call in
a sentence of less than ten words,
whether explaining it to a personal
assistant or to the person you want
to talk to:
l I’m calling to clarify /discuss/explain/
check/ask/confirm…
Good phrases to get past a personal
assistant are:
l He’s expecting my call at…
l She asked me to call at…
c) Logistical. People are busy and
schedules can change at short notice.
So always check when you begin a
call that the agreed time and topic
are still fine:
l Is this still a good time to talk
about... ?
Go into calls with your diary open
and clear alternative times available,
if necessary. This avoids the need to
go back to email to find a new time.
d) Emotional. Take a few moments to
(re-)establish an emotional relationship
with your conversation partner
by using some simple questions and
comments:
l How are you doing? Are you still very
busy?
l How is the project going? / How’s
business?
l We’re introducing a new system
here.
l Congratulations on the new logo
design.
TIP 3 Be explicit
Business calls are usually about the
transfer and discussion of information.
And most people find telephone
conversations more difficult than
face-to-face communication because
they can’t see whether the other person
wants to interrupt, comment,
agree or disagree. This means that
both parties need to communicate
more explicitly to make their intentions
and feelings clear. It can help to
discuss and decide on the communication
process:
l Shall I start with … and then you
can explain the… ?
l Do interrupt me at any time if something
is unclear.
l Is that enough about… ?
l Shall we move on to… ?
l Sorry, can I say something about
that?
Both parties should clarify explicitly
the level of understanding or agreement:
l Was that OK? Shall I go over that
again?
l Yes, I see. That’s very clear.
l What do you think about... ? How do
you see this?
l I agree with that because… / I’m not
sure that…
Get connected, also
emotionally
clarify sth. [(klÄrEfaI] etw. (ab)klären,
klarstellen
conduct a conversation ein Gespräch führen
[kEn)dVkt E kQnvE(seIS&n]
confirm sth. [kEn(f§:m] etw. bestätigen
connectivity
Verbindung(sweisen)
[)kQnek(tIvEti]
diary [(daIEri] UK
Terminplaner, -kalender
explicitly [Ik(splIsItli] klar, eindeutig
get cut off [get )kVt (Qf] unterbrochen werden
get past sb. [)get (pA:st] hier: sich nicht von
jmdm. abwimmeln
lassen
go over sth. [)gEU (EUvE] etw. durchgehen
landline [(lÄndlaIn] Festnetz; hier:
Festnetzanschluss
phrase [freIz]
Ausdruck, Formulierung
pronounce sth. [prE(naUns] etw. aussprechen
schedule [(Sedju:l] Terminplan
spell sth. [spel]
etw. buchstabieren
voicemail [(vOIsmeI&l] Mailbox
Hemera
30 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

Mobile phones: not
the best solution
When making business
phone calls, focus totally on
the call and the caller
Digital Vision
TIP 4 Focus on the call
Many people multitask during phone
calls — checking or writing emails as
they speak, looking for documents
for the next task or clearing up. We
think the person on the other end of
the line doesn’t notice this. But often,
they will indeed sense your lack
of presence and commitment to the
conversation.
Poor focus produces poor listening,
which can have a number of negative
consequences: you may think you understood
something when you didn’t;
others can feel disrespected; and by
not engaging properly, we can end
up accepting ideas too quickly rather
than using our creativity to find a
better solution.
When making business phone calls,
focus totally on the call and the caller.
You can do your other tasks later.
TIP 5 Manage your voice
Whether we like it or not, people
judge us by our voice. Some people
have a voice that others recognize as
being warm, friendly and professional.
Others sound technically expert,
but may seem distant or even arrogant.
We need to manage carefully
the impact of our voice on others.
The first step is self-analysis. Record
your voice during a few business calls
and think about these questions:
l How loud is my voice?
l How fast do I speak?
l How animated is my voice?
l How clear is my pronunciation?
l How smooth is my delivery?
After this self-analysis, ask a colleague
to give you feedback on the
same points, as well as in terms of
how professional, confident, supportive
and friendly you sound. Simple
tips such as smiling or standing up
while you speak can help to make
you sound more positive.
TIP 6 Confirm clearly
One of the greatest dangers of telephone
calls is that the commitment
to decisions may not be clear. When
someone says yes on the phone to
you, this may mean “Yes, I will try”,
whereas you understand “Yes, I will
do it”. People may also genuinely
commit to something but find that
other realities and priorities arise later.
It is therefore essential to confirm
explicitly any decisions made during
a phone call:
l So, we are agreeing to increase the
budget by ten per cent. Is that right?
l So, I’ll send you the figures tomorrow,
and you’ll do the analysis before
the end of the month. OK?
l OK. I’ll talk to Pete about this.
l Are there any other projects that
could get in the way of this?
l Please let me know immediately if
any problems arise.
Important meetings and decisions
should be summarized and confirmed
either by email or by more formal
minutes that are signed off by both
parties.
animated [(ÄnImeItId]
commitment [kE(mItmEnt]
commit to sth. [kE(mIt tu]
confident [(kQnfIdEnt]
delivery [di(lIvEri]
engage [In(geIdZ]
genuinely [(dZenjuInli]
impact [(ImpÄkt]
in terms of [In (t§:mz Qv]
minutes [(mInIts]
multitask [(mVltitA:sk]
lebhaft
Sich-Einlassen; auch:
Verpflichtung
sich zu etw. verpflichten
sicher
hier: Redeweise
sich einlassen
wirklich, ernsthaft
Wirkung
im Hinblick auf
Protokoll
mehrere Aufgaben
gleichzeitig erledigen
Aussprache
pronunciation
[prE)nVnsi(eIS&n]
sign sth. off [)saIn (Qf] etw. absegnen
summarize sth. [(sVmEraIz] etw. zusammenfassen
technically [(teknIk&li] fachlich
4
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 31

BUSINESS SKILLS TELEPHONING
Last but not least: build
trust before you finish
TIP 7 Close well
To do business successfully on the
phone, you need to build relationships
and trust. The end of a call
provides an ideal opportunity, which
many people miss. Showing curiosity
in the other person’s working and
personal life is a good start:
l So what have you got planned for the
rest of the day?
l How is the rest of the week looking
for you?
l Do you have any plans for the weekend?
l How is your daughter doing at university?
Show your appreciation of the other
person and agree on when you will
next be in contact with each other:
l Many thanks for your time today.
l Thanks a lot for your support with
this project.
l So, I’ll speak to you next Friday
about the latest figures.
l See you at the conference in Barcelona
next month.
TIP 8 Don’t think it’s over
When the call is over, the work begins.
Information has to be collected
or delivered, and options must be
clarified. As this happens, you need
to keep people informed about the
progress that has been made:
l I’m just calling to update you on…
appreciation
Wertschätzung
[E)pri:Si(eIS&n]
appropriate [E(prEUpriEt] angemessen, geeignet
as the saying goes wie es so schön heißt
[)Äz DE )seIIN (gEUz]
bigger picture: the ~ Gesamtperspektive
[)bIgE (pIktSE] ifml.
chase sb. up [)tSeIs (Vp] jmdn. Dampf machen
enrich sth. [In(rItS] etw. bereichern
file-sharing [(faI&l )SeErIN] Dateiaustausch
keep an eye on sth. etw. im Auge behalten
[)ki:p En (aI Qn]
push sb. [pUS]
jmdn. drängen, jmdm.
Druck machen
update sb.
jmdn. auf den neuesten
[)Vp(deIt]
Stand bringen
l I’ve got the information you need
and will send it tomorrow.
You may also have to chase up people
via email or phone calls:
l Sorry to push you on this, but we
really need the data because...
l Are there any problems with the
project?
Phone calls are usually just one step
in a complex communication process
at work. Keep this process moving,
keep an eye on the bigger picture and
do what you said you would.
TIP 9 Think about video
There are now technologies for adding
video and file-sharing to your
phone calls. Video can enrich communication
by allowing you to see
the other person’s reactions. Think
carefully, however, before using video,
as it may reduce the quality of
your connection (see Tip 2 above)
and lead to frustration. And if you
do use video, make sure that your appearance
is professional, even if you
are calling from home.
TIP 10 Analyse your usage
We all have our own preferred ways
of working and interacting. But we
need to think about whether these
ways are appropriate to the needs of
our colleagues, customers and suppliers.
Use the following questions to
reflect on your communication style:
l How well do I balance my use of
different media: email, telephone,
face-to-face meetings?
l Do I adapt my usage to the needs
of my business partners?
l Should I increase/decrease my use
of the telephone?
Communication media are simply
tools that help us to connect with others
and to make decisions. If things
seem to be difficult, and decisions go
wrong, it’s not the media that are to
blame — it’s the people who are using
them. As the saying goes, a bad workman
blames his tools. Make sure you
use your telephone tools smartly. BS
In the next issue
In Part Five of our special series,
Bob Dignen will provide ten top tips for
improving your meetings skills.
Do an exercise on this topic on
Business Spotlight Audio
www You’ll find exercises on this topic at
www.business-spotlight.de/phone
For more tips on communication skills,
watch our “Business with Bob” videos
at www.business-spotlight.de/videos/bob
Bob Dignen is a director of York Associates
(www.york-associates.co.uk)
and author of many books. Contact:
bob.dignen@york-associates.co.uk
Plainpicture
32 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

TRAINING PLAN BUSINESS SKILLS
In this training plan, you will find suggestions on how to structure your learning to improve your telephoning skills.
We have divided the activities into five weekly blocks, each of which includes an exercise and two tasks based on
Bob Dignen’s ten top tips. You can adapt the timing of the plan to suit your own schedule.
Week Exercise Tasks Done
WEEK 1
Exercise: Read the article on
pages 28–32, paying particular
attention to the first two
tips. Make a note of any unfamiliar
words and create a
database of phrases. n
Task 1: Rather than writing so many emails, talk things through
on the phone with business partners. See whether this helps you
to solve problems more quickly and more collaboratively.
Task 2: Try to increase the emotional connection with your business
partners in your next five calls by using some of the phrases
listed in the article on page 30. See whether this strategy has
a positive effect on the atmosphere and outcome of your calls.
n
n
Wavebreak Media
WEEK 2
Exercise: Reread the third
and fourth tips on pages
30–31. www Every day this
week, complete one of our
special online exercises at
www.business-spotlight.de/
phone
n
Task 3: In your calls, follow your opinions with simple questions,
such as “What do you think?” or “How do you see this?”. This
invites the listener to comment explicitly on what you said.
Task 4: Find a quiet room to make important calls without any
distractions. Also, give your full attention to the calls. See
whether this helps you to communicate more effectively.
n
n
WEEK 3
Exercise: Reread the fifth
and sixth tips in the article
on page 31. Record yourself
while you are making some
phone calls. Analyse your
voice for its volume, speed,
animation, pronunciation and
smoothness of delivery. n
Task 5: Try to inject more energy and a positive tone into your
voice when speaking English on the phone. While the other person
is speaking, give positive feedback with expressions such as
“That’s important” or “I agree with that completely because…”.
Task 6: When making decisions with international business partners,
check whether there are any local pressures or priorities
that prevent them from implementing the decisions. Also, be
open about the pressures that you face in your organization.
n
n
WEEK 4
Exercise: Reread the seventh
and eighth tips on page 32.
Do the telephoning exercises
on Business Spotlight
Audio (tracks 7–10). n
Task 7: Ask the simple question “So what are your plans for the
rest of the day?” to close telephone calls this week. If appropriate,
say something about your own plans.
Task 8: Call business partners and colleagues to update them
on the progress of the projects that you are involved in. Don’t,
however, give the impression you are checking up on them.
n
n
iStock
WEEK 5
Exercise: Reread the ninth
and tenth tips on page 32.
Make a note of the telephoning
strategies and phrases
you have used successfully
in the past few weeks. Write
down some new things you
could do to improve your telephoning
skills. n
Task 9: If possible, experiment with an increase in your use of
video-conferencing technology for your one-to-one phone calls.
Make a note of whether this improves the exchange of information
and the collaborative spirit of the phone calls.
Task 10: Choose two key people with whom it might be a good
idea to speak to on the phone more frequently. See whether
the increased use of the phone helps to improve your business
relationships with these people.
n
n
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 33

BUSINESS SKILLS TOOLBOX
Learning vocabulary
In dieser Rubrik nutzt Ken Taylor seine internationalen
Erfahrungen. Hier sagt er Ihnen, was Sie tun können,
wenn Ihnen die Worte fehlen.
medium
Learning English: write new words down — and use them!
1. Increasing business vocabulary the easy way
Many learners of English say they would like to increase
their business vocabulary. They also complain that they
never have the time to do it. But learning new words can be
easy if you make it part of your daily routine:
l Keep an eye open for useful words that you would like to
learn. You can find them in emails you’ve been sent, reports
you read, or input you receive in meetings or on the phone.
l Write a word you want to learn on the back of a Post-it
with the German translation on the front. Stick it somewhere
where it is easily seen, such as on the corner of your computer
screen or on the back of your phone. Every time you use
the computer or pick up the phone, test yourself. You will
soon fix that word in your memory.
Five new words learned in this way every week would
add 260 new words to your business vocabulary every year!
Foto: Michael Brown
iStock
3. Finding the right words
You may feel embarrassed if you can’t explain
what you mean. But there are several
methods you can use to get your meaning
across. Let’s imagine you don’t know how
to say nachlässig in English (“negligent”):
l Think of German words with a similar
meaning, which might lead you to another
word that is close in meaning to “negligent”,
such as “neglectful” or “careless”.
l Find the opposite, such as “careful” or
“thorough”. Say what it isn’t!
l Describe the word you are looking for:
“It’s when someone fails to do something
correctly, or when they don’t show the
right amount of care or attention.”
l You could also use the German word
in an English sentence: “We would be
nachlässig if we failed to process the order
carefully.” This puts the word in a context
that is self-explanatory.
Practise these skills on Business Spotlight Audio
2. What is “instant English”?
Your English teacher has probably told you about “false friends”
(see also p. 52). These are words in English that look the same
as words in your own language — but mean something totally
different. These “false friends” cause a lot of intercultural misunderstandings.
That’s the bad news.
The good news, however — especially for German speakers
— is that thousands of German words are the same as or very
similar to English words. You could call these words “instant
English”. So the next time you dry up and can’t think of the correct
English word, say the German word. It might be recognized
by your liste ners, and even if it is not, someone might know
enough German to help you out with the correct translation.
consultant [kEn(sVltEnt]
daily routine
[)deIli ru:(ti:n]
dry up [)draI (Vp] ifml.
feel embarrassed
[)fi:&l Im(bÄrEst]
get one’s meaning across
[)get wVnz (mi:nIN E)krQs]
input [(InpUt]
memory: fix sth. in
one’s ~ [(memEri]
process sth. [(prEUses]
self-explanatory
[)self Ik(splÄnEtEri]
thorough [(TVrE]
Berater(in)
hier: Arbeitsalltag
stecken bleiben
verlegen sein
das, was man sagen
will, rüberbringen
Beitrag
sich etw. einprägen
etw. bearbeiten
selbsterklärend
gründlich
Ken Taylor is a communication consultant
and author of 50 Ways to Improve
Your Business English (Summertown).
Contact: KTaylor868@aol.com
34 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

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10 September 2014 for the 06/14 issue

Lost in translation
China gilt als Schwellenland, wird aber zunehmend zu einer wirtschaftlichen
Großmacht und für Investoren immer wichtiger. Vicki Sussens befasst sich mit
aktuellen Entwicklungen und kulturellen Besonderheiten, die beim Ausbau von
Geschäftsbeziehungen zu China zu beachten sind.
medium
Chinese youth: moving
towards a bright future?

Corbis
CHINA INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Eric X. Li was born at the
height of Mao Zedong’s Cultural
Revolution (1966–76).
Growing up, he learned that
all societies progress naturally
through feudalism, capitalism, socialism
and, finally, to communism.
To reach this paradise on earth,
however, they must fight capitalism.
“That grand story was a bestseller,”
Li told a TED-talk audience (see also
pp. 22–25) in 2013.
Then came the break up of communism
in Eastern Europe in the
1990s. “Disillusioned by the failed
religion of my youth, I went to America,”
the venture capitalist and political
scientist from Shanghai tells
his audience. There, he was taught
another “grand story”: that all societies
progress naturally towards
democracy and free markets, but to
get there, they must fight evil. The
audience starts to laugh.
Li laughs, too, but then he says:
“Let us stop telling people there’s
only one way to govern ourselves.
It is wrong.” In the past 30 years,
Western leaders have tirelessly promoted
their agenda of free markets
and democracy, he says. But China
did not “buy the story”.
Instead, it developed its mixed
model of communism and a market
economy — and went from being one
4
agenda [E(dZendE]
audience [(O:diEns]
grand [grÄnd]
tirelessly [(taIElEsli]
venture capitalist
[(ventSE )kÄpIt&lIst]
Programm; hier: Konzept
Publikum,
Zuhörer(innen)
großartig, toll
unermüdlich
Risikokapitalgeber(in)
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 37

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION CHINA
Getty Images/Thinkstock
“Let us stop telling people there’s only one
way to govern ourselves. It is wrong”
Eric X. Li, venture capitalist and political scientist from Shanghai, China
Old ways, modern city:
tai chi in Shanghai
of the poorest agricultural countries
in the world to its second-largest
economy. Since 1978, China’s GDP
has increased tenfold and some 650
million people have been lifted out of
poverty. “Eighty per cent of the entire
world’s poverty alleviation happened
in China. In other words, all the new
and old democracies put together
amounted to a mere fraction of what
a single, one-party state did without
voting,” he said.
Li says his business is growing in
leaps and bounds. Entrepreneurs are
starting businesses every day in China,
and the middle class is expanding
at a speed unseen before in history.
“According to the [US] grand story,
none of this should have been happening,”
he says.
China’s progress is indeed impressive.
In 1978, it began economic reforms
to introduce market principles.
Since then, it has developed stock
markets, modernized its banking
system, opened up to foreign trade
and investment, and increased the
autonomy of state enterprises. It has
focused on building the manpower
it needs for its economy’s future development
by investing heavily in
education, science and technology,
health and welfare, and infrastructure.
A network of highways and
high-speed trains now connects huge
areas of China, linking its various
economic zones. China has the thirdlargest
railway network worldwide
and already has more high-speed
tracks than the rest of the world
combined.
At the same time, the state has
promoted business activity and the
development of industry clusters in
regional economies. Beijing, Shanghai
and Shenzhen, in Guangdong, for
example, aim to become global centres
of biotechnology. Together, their
industry parks now include more
than 5,000 small enterprises, which
are supported by tax incentives and
state-funded academic research. Developments
like these mean that multinationals
now see China not only
as a source of cheap labour and a
growing consumer market, but also
academic research
[ÄkE)demIk ri(s§:tS]
alleviation [E)li:vi(eIS&n]
Beijing [)beI(dZIN]
entrepreneur
[)QntrEprE(n§:]
GDP (gross domestic
product) [)dZi: di: (pi:]
incentive [In(sentIv]
industry cluster
[)IndEstri (klVstE]
in leaps and bounds
[In )li:ps En (baUndz]
manpower [(mÄn)paUE]
mere fraction: a ~
[)mIE (frÄkS&n]
network [(netw§:k]
poverty [(pQvEti]
state-funded
[)steIt (fVndId]
stock market
[(stQk )mA:kIt]
tenfold [(tenfEUld]
welfare [(welfeE]
wissenschaftliche
Forschung
Minderung; hier: Abbau
Peking
Unternehmer(in)
BIP (Bruttoinlandsprodukt)
Anreiz
Industriezentrum
rasant, sehr schnell
Arbeitskräfte
nur ein Bruchteil
Netz
Armut
staatlich finanziert
Aktienbörse
zehnfach
Sozialwesen
38 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

Money, money, money: the new Chinese middle class
Corbis
Alamy
Alamy
The air that you breathe: pollution in Beijing
China: Fast facts
as a centre of innovation. The country
faces serious challenges, however,
including a rapidly ageing population
— in part, the result of the state’s
one-child policy — government and
business corruption, and pollution.
Also, its GDP growth dropped from
10.4 per cent in 2010 to 7.7 per
cent in 2013, although it has defied
challenge [(tSÄlIndZ]
consumption
[kEn(sVmpS&n]
defy sth. [di(faI]
pollution [pE(lu:S&n]
prediction [pri(dIkS&n]
slowdown [(slEUdaUn]
urbanization
[)§:bEnaI(zeIS&n]
Herausforderung
Konsum
etw. trotzen
(Umwelt-)Verschmutzung
Prognose
(Konjunktur-)
Abschwächung
Verstädterung
Moving on up:
China’s exports are
growing fast
predictions of imminent collapse.
According to David Lee, general
manager in Hong Kong of the Boston
Consulting Group (BCG), the
slowdown comes in part from the
government’s plan to turn the largely
investment-driven economy to one
based on consumption, supported by
the growing middle class and a more
developed social safety net. Welldeveloped
infrastructure, continuing
urbanization and the rising middle
class will continue to make China attractive
to foreign investors, says Lee.
4
Official name:
People’s Republic of China
Government:
Communist state
Capital:
Beijing 15.6 million (2011)
Chief of state:
President Xi Jinping
Population:
1.36 billion (July 2014 est.)
GDP (at purchasing power parity):
$13.4 trillion (2013 est.)
GDP growth rate:
7.7% (2013 est.)
Unemployment:
4.1% (2013 est.)
Main trading partners:
US, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan,
Australia, Germany (2013 est.)
Main religions:
No religion: 52.2% (China is officially
atheist); Buddhist 18.2%,
Christian 5.1%, Muslim 1.8%, folk
religion 21.9% (2010 est.)
Beijing [)beI(dZIN]
Peking
billion [(bIljEn]
Milliarde(n)
est. (estimate) [(estImEt] Schätzung
folk religion [(fEUk ri)lIdZEn] Volksreligion
GDP (gross domestic BIP (Bruttoinlandsproduct)
[)dZi: di: (pi:] produkt)
purchasing power parity: kaufkraftbereinigt
at ~ [)p§:tSEsIN )paUE
(pÄrEti]
trillion [(trIljEn]
Billion(en)
Source: CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/
library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html )
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 39

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION CHINA
Getty Images/Thinkstock
iStock
“The value of trust could spread to the West”
ABE SOROCK, American, owner of Atlas-China, a recruiting
agency that supplies Chinese firms with bilingual American
expats in Beijing, China.
American expats who have worked in China and the US,
who are bilingual and understand both cultures, are in
big demand here. They help Chinese firms gain intercultural
understanding of and close deals with US firms.
In the past five years, Chinese companies have actively
started to gain the intercultural skills they need to give
them an international advantage. The Chinese don’t expect foreigners to learn
Chinese or their culture, but they see it as a sign of respect if you do.
I think China will change the way global business is done. For example, decision-makers
in Chinese firms will do business with you only after a relationship of
trust has been built. As China becomes more powerful, the ability to build that
trust will become a business advantage, and so this cultural value could spread
to the West.
Beijing [)beI(dZIN]
Peking
expat (expatriate) [)eks(pÄt] ifml.
(dauerhaft) im Ausland lebende Person
recruiting agency [ri(kru:tIN )eIdZEnsi] Personalagentur
Shanghai. The firm encourages staff
to move between its regional offices
and provides intercultural training.
“Employees working in China are
from different cultural backgrounds,”
says a Henkel spokesman. “This can
inspire more ideas and passion.”
Indeed, global firms wanting to remain
competitive have no choice but
to be active in emerging economies
like China because the developed
economies are not providing sufficient
growth. As Jeff Immelt, head of
General Electric (GE), told the BBC:
“I sit in my office every day and say
I’ve got to have a higher market share
in China than I have in the United
States. I’ve got to win Brazil; I’ve got
to win Africa. There’s no choice.”
According to a 2014 article by BCG,
it is “time to reengage with, not retreat
from, emerging markets”. However,
domestic Chinese firms with lowcost
structures and first-hand knowledge
of local consumers are more
aggressive and improving their
operations more quickly than global
firms. The Chinese consumerelectronics
firm Haier, for example,
produced a washing machine that also
cleans potatoes, after discovering that
potato farmers were using their machines
to wash their produce. Haier
now focuses on finding niche markets
in both developing and developed
countries. One success in the US is
an affordable wine cellar in the form
of a small refrigerator with humidity
control. Haier also produces one
of the world’s top-selling standard
fridges.
Firms like Haier are beginning to
challenge multinationals in their home
markets, reports BCG. And firms
such as GE are now developing innovations
for poorer markets and then
transferring them back to the US. Recently,
GE developed a portable ultrasound
machine for $15,000 (about
€11,000) in China, which is now being
used in emergency rooms in US
hospitals that need to cut costs.
GE is one multinational giant that
has the international experience necessary
to succeed in China. Henkel,
which has been in China since 1988,
is another. China is now the firm’s
third-biggest market, and in September
of last year, Henkel opened the
world’s largest adhesives factory in
Alliance Boots also understands the
Chinese market. Recently, it bought
a 50 per cent stake in Guangzhou
Pharmaceuticals, one of China’s largest
wholesalers. It took two-and-ahalf
years of discussions before terms
were even negotiated, the firm’s head,
Stefano Pessina, told BBC News.
adhesive [Ed(hi:sIv] Klebstoff
challenge sb. [(tSÄlIndZ] auf jmdn. Druck ausüben
competitive [kEm(petEtIv] wettbewerbsfähig
developed economy Industriestaat
[di)velEpt i(kQnEmi]
emergency room
Notaufnahme
[i(m§:dZEnsi ru:m] US
emerging economy Schwellenland
[i)m§:dZIN i(kQnEmi]
humidity control
Luftfeuchtigkeits-
[hju(mIdEti kEn)trEUl] regelung
negotiate sth. [nI(gEUSieIt] etw. aushandeln
niche market
Nischenmarkt
[(ni:S )mA:kIt]
pharmaceuticals
Pharmazeutika
[)fA:mE(su:tIk&lz]
portable [(pO:tEb&l] tragbar
produce [(prQdju:s] Erzeugnisse
reengage with sth. sich erneut auf etw.
[)ri:(IngeIdZ wID] einlassen
refrigerator [ri(frIdZEreItE] Kühlschrank
retreat from sth.
sich aus etw.
[ri(tri:t frQm]
zurückziehen
spokesman [(spEUksmEn] Sprecher
stake [steIk]
Beteiligung
terms [t§:mz]
Konditionen
wholesaler [(hEUlseI&lE] Großhändler(in)
40 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

One-child policy:
life for this
youngster is hard
Privileged:
growing up in
comfort
“Chinese cultural values are deeply entrenched.
The Chinese are not going to westernize”
Jason Chan, Chinese intercultural-communication expert in Germany
“The worse thing is to cause loss of face”
JASON CHAN, Chinese, owner of Nihao-Nihao, a Chineselanguage
and intercultural-communication centre in
Erlangen, Germany
“When you approach China, you
have to be even more flexible than
you have to be when working in the
Western world.” Pessina says that
the Chinese think longer term than
people in the West and that they frequently
change their minds.
Firms entering China with a onesize-fits-all
marketing strategy will
fail, as online auction site eBay
learned. When it bought the Chinese
EachNet e-commerce site in 2004, it
took its US model to China. However,
it could not compete with local
rival Taobao, and closed down two
years later. It then formed a joint
venture with the local internet portal
Tom Online, which helped it to meet
local consumers’ needs.
compete with sb. es mit jmdm. aufnehmen
[kEm(pi:t wID]
expat (expatriate) (dauerhaft) im Ausland
[)eks(pÄt] ifml.
lebende Person
longer term [)lQNgE (t§:m] längerfristig
one-size-fits-all
Einheits-,
[)wVn saIz )fIts (O:l] ifml. standardisiert
recruit sb. [ri(kru:t] jmdn. anwerben
am married to a German, so I know that interest in
I learning Chinese and learning about Chinese culture
is growing here. One of the biggest clichés seems to
be that China is “catching up to the West”. In fact, we
have been around for 2,000 years, and China is again
becoming the powerful nation it once was. It is a big mistake, when you are doing
business in China, to believe that “Western” means “progress” and to expect the
Chinese to westernize their businesses. Chinese people have a very long memory
for bad behaviour and the worst thing is to cause someone loss of face.
“A great deal of commercial opportunities
in China are being lost in
translation,” says Abe Sorock, who
runs an agency in Beijing that recruits
bilingual expats with international
China: A civilization,
not a nation
China is one of the world’s oldest
continuous civilizations, going
back to 221 BC, when seven nation
states were united under the Qin dynasty.
The Han dynasty, which came
to power 15 years later, created the
Chinese cultural identity, which has
kept the Chinese people united for
more than 2,000 years.
Today, 92 per cent of China’s population
call themselves Han. The
country’s cultural roots, which are influenced
by the humanistic ideals of
Confucius, exist as written codes for
social and individual behaviour. They
run deep, influencing all aspects of
society, including business life. For
example, guanxi, which means “relationship”,
refers to the importance
of close business relationships built
on trust.
BC (before Christ) [)bi: (si:]
code [kEUd]
Confucius [kEn(fju:SEs]
v. Chr.
Kodex
Konfuzius
4
Corbis
catch up to sb. [)kÄtS (Vp tu]
cliché [(kli:SeI]
jmdn. einholen
[wg. Aussprache]
www.business-spotlight.de 41

Getty Images/Thinkstock
Education:
key to success
in China
Good to know
l Building a relationship based on trust
is essential.
l Saving face is key in all interaction.
Offer different options so that people
do not feel forced into a corner. Never
criticize anyone or give people special
attention in front of others.
l The Chinese communicate indirectly.
Deep knowledge of the culture is needed
to read between the lines.
l The Chinese respect hierarchy. Each
person in an organization has a role.
This is important for keeping order.
l Avoid publicly expressing opinions
about work, as this can be seen as
criticizing your boss.
l When negotiating in China, take a
senior manager with you. Senior people
enter a room first and only the most
senior Chinese speaks during discussions.
Your team should do this, too.
l The Chinese value humility and the
collective. Avoid introducing ideas with
“I think…” or “I want…”. Displays of
personal competence or talent are seen
as egocentric.
l The Chinese value modesty. Present
your ideas in a way that shows you
don’t think they are perfect. Give as
many sides of the argument as possible,
and use data and examples.
l Younger Chinese with more international
experience behave less traditionally,
but they seldom lose their cultural
values, such as the need to save face.
display [dI(spleI]
humility [hju(mIlEti]
modesty [(mQdEsti]
negotiate [nI(gEUSieIt]
save face [)seIv (feIs]
senior [(si:niE]
Zurschaustellung
Demut
Bescheidenheit
verhandeln
das Gesicht wahren
leitend, hochrangig
experience for Chinese firms (see interview
on p. 40). “More decisions
are being made about bigger sums
of money every day by people who
are sitting around a table speaking
only Mandarin,” Sorock says. “So if
you want to be a part of those conversations,
you have to understand
the language, how the Chinese shape
their discussions, what kinds of pressures
they are under and how to really
serve their needs. Employing foreign
staff to act as emissaries is a very
practical, cheap and effective way of
solving intercultural problems.”
Opportunities are there — and not
only for global players, he says. “The
“There is an acceptance of change”
development you are seeing here is
really just the beginning. People coming
to China now will be very successful
because many industries and
niche markets are in their early stages
of development. But in the next 20
years, they will really expand.”
Yet, Sorock has seen the ability of
Chinese firms to interact with Western
firms grow much more quickly
than the other way round. “Most
American firms expect the Chinese
to speak English and to adapt to the
US way of doing business,” he says.
emissary [(emIsEri]
JAMIE BETTLES, British, head of the European office (in
Manchester) of Qingdao-based InternChina, an agency
that places European interns with firms in China.
Our clients include Western firms and
Chinese state firms with thousands
of employees, but we are also seeing
growth in small, dynamic technology
companies in areas like renewable
energy, IT or computer games, often
run by young Chinese who have studied
or worked abroad. Small businesses in
China see foreign employees as a way
to gain intercultural competence. Often,
Chinese companies are reluctant to
take on foreign staff for various reasons
and an intern is a cost-effective way to
try out foreign staff without too much
commitment.
Abgesandte(r)
The cultural traditions of humility,
modesty, harmony and saving face run
deep. There is also an acceptance of
change because people want social harmony
and don’t want to lose face by not
supporting change.
based: ...- ~ [beIst] mit Sitz in ...
humility [hju(mIlEti] Demut
intern [(Int§:n]
Praktikant(in)
modesty [(mQdEsti] Bescheidenheit
save face [)seIv (feIs] das Gesicht wahren
42 www.business-spotlight.de

For more information
CHINA INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
BOOKS
Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and
Faith in the New China, Evan Osnos (Farrar,
Straus and Giroux)
When China Rules the World: The End of the
Western World and the Birth of a New Global
Order, Martin Jacques (Penguin)
WEBSITES
ATLAS-China: http://atlas-china.com
InternChina: http://internchina.com
Nihao-Nihao: www.nihao-nihao.com
Sorock does not see the meeting
of East and West in China simply
as a battle of winners and losers. As
an entrepreneur, he believes business
cooperation is one way of creating
value for everyone: “My little role in
creating a better future is to be here,
trying to figure out how my country,
America, can do better business with
China.”
Jason Chan, a Chinese-language
and intercultural-communication
trainer in Erlangen, Germany (see
interview on p. 41), also believes that
deep insight into the Chinese way of
doing business is essential. “You won’t
succeed in China if you do not understand
the Chinese mindset,” he says.
“Chinese civilization is 2,000 years
old, and its cultural values are very
complex and deeply entrenched. The
Chinese are not going to westernize.”
Chan believes that China is “lying
low” now, learning whatever it can
from the West because it does not
deeply entrenched
[)di:pli In(trentSt]
figure sth. out
[)fIgEr (aUt] ifml.
insight [(InsaIt]
lie low [)laI (lEU]
mindset [(maIndset]
sense of destiny
[)sens Ev (destEni]
soft skills [(sQft skIlz]
tief verwurzelt
etw. herausfinden
Einblick
sich im Verborgenen
halten; hier: sich
zurückhalten
Mentalität, Denkweise
Schicksalsglaube
Sachkompetenz übersteigende
Fähigkeiten
yet have the soft skills to be a world
power, but that China has awakened
to a sense of destiny.
“We were once a great nation and
it is as if the Chinese are now realizing
they can have that again,” says
Chan. When that happens, he has no
doubt Chinese firms will expect business
partners to speak Mandarin and
to adapt their way of doing business
to the Chinese.
BS
Listen to more on this topic on
Business Spotlight Audio
plus Test your knowledge of China in
Business Spotlight plus
www For more on China, go to
www.business-spotlight.de/china
Vicki Sussens is a feature writer and
editor of the Intercultural and Management
sections of Business Spotlight.
Contact: v.sussens@spotlight-verlag.de
Our new Business Spotlight plus workbook:
your extra dose of language training
l Boost your success at business English
l Improve your skills with additional exercises
l Study anywhere and anytime
You can now learn
business English
more effectively and
efficiently:
l New listening comprehension
exercises
l Special in-depth focus on a
key business area
l Optimal size for flexible
learning
G r a m m at i k
MAKING REQUESTS
In Grammar at Work (p. 45), we present different structures that are used to make
polite requests. Here are some exercises to practise these structures.
1. Which one is it?
Choose the correct option to complete each of the requests below.
a) I would hoped / was hoping you could take over the
late shift next week.
b) Can you do / make me a favour? Can you put these
files on the top shelf?
c) Do you mind if / that I leave a little earlier today?
d) You will / wouldn’t lend me £10, won’t / would you?
e) Could / Couldn’t you take these letters to the post
office, please?
f) Would you mind to call / calling Dr Brown to cancel
my appointment?
2. A soft start
Complete these sentences with the words from the box.
afraid l bother l cheeky l excuse l favour l rather l sorry
easy
REMEMBER !
To make a request more polite, you
can introduce it with a question, an
apology or a remark that explains the
reason for your request:
l Could you do me a favour? Could you
answer this email from a customer?
l Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering
if you could check this list
for me.
l It’s rather cold in here, isn’t it? Do
you mind if I shut the window?
medium
a) Sorry to _______________ you, Mike, but could you give me a hand with these boxes?
b) I’ve got a big _______________ to ask you, Claudia. Could you drive me to the airport later?
c) I know this is a bit _______________, Tom, but could you possibly lend me ¤10?
d) I’m _______________ I haven’t quite finished with this yet. Could you give me another hour?
e) The radio’s _______________ loud, don’t you think? Would you mind turning it down a bit?
f) Er, _______________ me! Can you open the door for me, please?
g) I’m _______________ to keep going on about this, but I really do need those files back.
12 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014 5/2014
www.business-spotlight.de 13
iStock
advanced
3. In your own words
Write what you might say in each situation. Include an introductory phrase or sentence and
the word given in brackets.
What’s the
best request?
Example: You’re in an expensive restaurant. You’ve
already been served your food and wine. Ask the waiter
to bring you a glass of tap water. (could)
Excuse me! Could you bring me a glass of
tap water, please?
a) A colleague has parked his car so close to
yours that you can’t get out of the parking
space. Call him in his office and ask him to
move his car. (bother)
b) You’re in the canteen, and you discover that you’ve left your wallet at home. Ask the colleague
behind you in the queue to lend you ¤10. (couldn’t)
c) You need more time to finish a report. Ask your boss to give you a few more days. (wondering)
d) You‘re visiting a client and it’s very hot in the office. Ask to open the window. (mind)
e) You’re going on holiday for three weeks. Ask a colleague to water your plants. (favour)
f) A customer calls to enquire about prices. Ask her to hold on while you check the price list. (If)
Order your free copy
today!
+49 (0)89/85681-16
abo@spotlight-verlag.de

LANGUAGE VOCABULARY
Commercial cleaning
In
dieser Rubrik präsentieren wir nützliche Begriffe aus
der Arbeitswelt. Von Carol Scheunemann
easy
1
2
13
3
12
11
10
14
20
4
7
9
15 16
17
19
21
1. commercial/industrial cleaning Gebäudereinigung
[kE)m§:S&l/In)dVstriEl (kli:nIN]
2. wash windows [)wQS (wIndEUz] Fenster putzen
3. cleaning staff/crew [(kli:nIN stA:f/kru:] Putzpersonal, -leute
4. (mobile) bucket [()mEUbaI&l) (bVkIt] (Fahr-)Eimer
5. stain [steIn] Fleck
6. rug [rVg] Teppich
7. hoover (sth.) [(hu:vE] (etw.) staubsaugen
(US vacuum (sth.) [(vÄkjuEm])
8. tile floor [)taI&l (flO:] Fliesenboden
9. hoover [(hu:vE] (US vacuum cleaner Staubsauger
[(vÄkjuEm )kli:n&r*])
10. doormat [(dO:mÄt] Fußmatte
11. feather duster [)feDE (dVstE] Staubwedel
12. broom [bru:m] Besen
13. mop [mQp] (Boden-)Wischer
14. cleaning product [(kli:nIN )prQdVkt], Reinigungsmittel
cleaner [(kli:nE]
15. cleaning-supplies trolley [(kli:nIN Putzmittelwagen
sE)plaIz )trQli] (US cart [)kA:rt*])
16. trash bag [(trÄS bÄg] (US also Müllbeutel, -sack
garbage bag [(gA:rbIdZ bÄg*])
17. dustpan [(dVstpÄn] Kehrschaufel
18. wastepaper basket [)weIst(peIpE )bA:skIt] Abfalleimer
(US wastebasket [(weIst)bÄskEt*])
19. wipe sth. [waIp] etw. (ab)wischen
20. rubber glove [)rVbE (glVv] Gummihandschuh
21. cloth [(klQT] (Wisch-, Putz-)Lappen
* This symbol marks standard US pronunciation.
5
6
18
8
Exercise: Our offer for offices
Use words from the list to complete the sentences.
We do the dirty work for you! On a daily basis, our professional
cleaning a) __________ will perform the following tasks:
b) Sweep (kehren) exterior steps with a ____________.
c) Clean tile floors (moderately wet) with a ___________.
d) ___________ all rugs and carpets.
e) Remove ___________ from rugs, carpets and chairs.
f) ___________ tables, desks and work surfaces to remove
fingerprints (Fingerabdrücke).
g) Dust off the tops of bookshelves with a _____________.
h) Empty all __________.
i) ________ the inside of windows.
We also remove dirt in a “green” way. Our j) ____________
products do not harm the environment.
Answers on page 64
Bernhard Förth
44 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

GRAMMAR AT WORK LANGUAGE
Making polite requests
Mit höflichen Bitten erreicht man mehr. Die Formulierung hängt auch
von der Gesprächssituation ab, wie Anna Hochsieder erläutert.
medium
Jessica is a receptionist at Goodman & Partners, a small law firm. Here are
some of the many requests she has to deal with on a typical day.
Boss: Can you do me a favour, Jessica? Can you call Dr Wilson and cancel
my dental appointment?
Junior partner: Could you put these in an envelope for me and send them
off to the client? Thanks, Jess!
Boss’s wife: Hello, Jessica. It’s Monica Goodman. Would you ask my husband
to call me as soon as he returns from court, please? He seems to
have switched off his mobile.
Client: Hello, this is Sally Crane. I’ve got an appointment with Mr Goodman
at 3 p.m. I was wondering if he could see me at 2.30 instead.
Colleague: Do you mind if I leave these letters for you to deal with, Jess?
Thanks a million!
Boss: Would you mind calling Mr Owen, Jessica? Tell him I need his signature
on this document here, would you?
Junior partner: Sorry to bother you, but do you think you could copy these files
for me? I’ve got a client waiting in my office…
Postman: Here’s a registered letter for Mr Goodman. If you’d sign here,
please.
Colleague: Er, Jess? You couldn’t lend me a tenner, could you? I can’t find
my wallet.
l Tell him I need his signature, would
you?
6. If + subject followed by will or would
is sometimes used at the beginning of
a request. This is typical of requests
made in service situations:
l If you’d sign here, please.
7. Requests with could or would are
sometimes made in the form of negated
statements, followed by the corresponding
question tag:
l You couldn’t lend me a tenner, could
you?
BS
Exercise
Turn these orders into polite requests.
a) Open the window.
Would you mind __________________?
k
registered letter [)redZIstEd (letE]
Einschreiben
b) Move your car.
Do you think _____________________?
Explanations
1. The modal verbs can, could and
would are used to make requests. Could
and would are more polite than can.
2. Two-step questions can make requests
more polite. The first question
leads in to the actual request:
l Can you do me a favour? Can you call
Dr Wilson?
You can also lead in with an apology,
followed by but:
l Sorry to bother you, but do you think
you could copy these files for me?
3. A difficult request can be softened
by introducing it with the past continuous
form of certain verbs:
l I was wondering if he could see me at
2.30 instead.
Similar examples include:
l I was hoping you could...
l I was thinking you might be able to...
4. Requests in the form of questions
can be made less direct with certain
lead-in phrases:
l Do you mind if I leave these letters for
you to deal with?
l Do you think you could copy these
files for me?
Would you mind + -ing is also used:
l Would you mind calling Mr Owen?
5. Very direct requests sometimes use
the imperative, followed by would you?:
c) Bring me a cup of coffee.
I was wondering if _______________.
d) Come in on Saturday.
You couldn’t ____________________?
Answers on page 64
You’ll find a related exercise on
Business Spotlight Audio
plus Do more exercises on this topic in
Business Spotlight plus
www More exercises can be found at
www.business-spotlight.de/grammar
Anna Hochsieder is a Munich-based
teacher of English who writes regularly
in Business Spotlight. Contact:
a.hochsieder@googlemail.com
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 45

LANGUAGE EASY ENGLISH
Purestock
Getting agreement: think carefully about
how you present your requests
Getting approval
Was tun, wenn Sie eine Genehmigung für Vorschläge wie den Einsatz
von zusätzlichem Personal einholen müssen? Mike Hogan hat einfache
Tipps, wie Sie die Zustimmung Ihrer Vorgesetzten bekommen. easy
It is often necessary at work to ask
your boss for his or her approval on
an idea or a proposal. There are two
main ways to do this: with a spontaneous
request or by discussing the idea
at an official meeting.
A spontaneous request
Such requests may happen at the end
of a meeting, in the corridor at work
or perhaps in the boss’s office. They
might be introduced by saying something
like this (Ruth is Brad’s boss):
Brad: Hi, Ruth. Do you have a minute
for me? I’d like to talk to you about
the design project.
Ruth: Sure. How can I help you?
Brad: Well,…
A request at an official meeting
The second way of asking for approval
is by requesting that a proposal be an
item on the agenda at an official meeting.
In this case, if Ruth is in charge of
the meeting, she might introduce the
item like this:
Ruth: The last item on the agenda is the
design project. Brad, you wanted to
talk about this at today’s meeting.
What’s the problem?
Brad: Well, it’s not exactly a problem,
but…
Dialogue
There are a number of things you can
do to increase the chances of someone
agreeing to your requests at work. Read
the following dialogue, which continues
from the two introductions above,
and think about the answers to these
questions:
l How does Brad introduce his request
to Ruth?
l How does Brad focus Ruth’s attention
when making his request?
l How does he react to Ruth’s objections?
Brad: …we’re trying to make sure that
we meet the deadline at the end of
the quarter. But we’ve got too much
to do with our other projects, and
we’ve had a number of unexpected
delays. So, we’re running behind on
our schedule at the moment.
Ruth: OK. And… ?
agenda [E(dZendE]
approval [E(pru:v&l]
design project
[di(zaIn )prQdZekt]
item [(aItEm]
meet a deadline
[)mi:t E (dedlaIn]
objection [Eb(dZekS&n]
quarter [(kwO:tE]
run behind on a schedule
[)rVn bi(haInd Qn E (Sedju:l]
spontaneous [spQn(teIniEs]
Tagesordnung
Zustimmung
hier: Konstruktionsprojekt
Tagesordnungspunkt
eine Frist einhalten
Einwand
Quartal
mit etw. zeitlich in
Verzug sein
spontan
46 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

Brad: I’d like to ask for some extra
help over the next six weeks, so we’ll
be able to finish by the end of the
quarter.
Ruth: Well, the thing is that we don’t
really have the extra budget for this.
Brad: It’s OK. We’ve got a solution that
wouldn’t cost us anything. If you
could take Martin off his other project
for six weeks and allow him to
work only on our project, then we’ll
be able to meet the deadline easily.
Ruth: I don’t really think that’s a good
idea. Martin’s other project is also
important. But I could authorize
more overtime for you and your team.
What about that?
Brad: Well, what about using an intern
for six weeks?
Ruth: And who would have the time to
organize an intern?
Brad: Well, I’ve been thinking about
that. What we could do is ask one of
last year’s apprentices. They already
know our business and wouldn’t cost
us as much.
anticipate sth. [Än(tIsIpeIt]
apprentice [E(prentIs]
challenge [(tSÄlIndZ]
extra budget [)ekstrE (bVdZIt]
intern [(Int§:n]
off: take sb. ~ sth. [Qf]
overtime [(EUvEtaIm]
Ruth: You’re right. Yes, OK, let’s do
that then.
Brad: Thanks, Ruth.
Here are the answers to the questions:
l Brad describes the situation clearly
and explains the challenges that he
is facing with the design project. In
this way, he gives Ruth the background
information she needs to understand
his problem.
l Brad focuses Ruth’s attention on
the benefit that would result from
his proposal — the project would be
finished as planned.
l Brad has anticipated possible objections
from Ruth. He is therefore able
to suggest some solutions.
etw. erwarten, vorwegnehmen
Auszubildende(r)
Schwierigkeit
Sonderbudget
Praktikant(in)
hier: jmdn. von etw. freistellen
Überstunden
Preparation points
l Say what the challenges are.
l Ask for what you want/need.
l Focus on the future benefits.
l Anticipate any objections.
Grammar: present continuous and future form “will be able”
When giving background information for a request, we often use the present
continuous form (“-ing”) to say what we are currently doing. Look at these
sentences from the dialogue:
l …we’re trying to make sure that we meet the deadline at the end of the
quarter.
l We’re running behind on our schedule at the moment.
After explaining the current situation, we can use “will be able” to focus on
the future benefits of agreeing to the request:
l I’d like to ask for some extra help over the next six weeks, so we’ll be able
to finish by the end of the quarter.
l If you could take Martin off his other project for six weeks and allow him
to work only on our project, then we’ll be able to meet the deadline easily.
Useful phrases
for getting approval
a) Introducing your request and giving background
information
l Do you have a minute for me?
l I’d like to talk to you about the design
project.
l Well, it’s not exactly a problem.
l We’ve got too much to do with our other
projects.
l We’ve had a number of unexpected
delays.
l We’re running behind on our schedule
at the moment.
b) Saying what you want/need
l I’d like to ask for some extra help over
the next six weeks.
l What about using an intern for six
weeks?
l We could ask one of last year’s apprentices.
c) Focusing on the benefits
l That way, we’ll be able to finish by the
end of the quarter.
l Then we’ll be able to meet the deadline
easily.
l They already know our business and
wouldn’t cost us as much.
d) Anticipating objections
l We’ve got a solution that wouldn’t cost
us anything. If you could take Martin off
his other project for six weeks and allow
him to work only on our project…
l Well, I’ve been thinking about that.
What we could do is ask one of last
year’s apprentices.
BS
plus Find exercises on this topic in
Business Spotlight plus
www More on the language of requests at
www.business-spotlight.de/requests
Mike Hogan is a director of York Associates
(www.york-associates.co.uk)
and a coursebook author. Contact:
mike.hogan@york-associates.co.uk
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 47

LANGUAGE WISE WORDS
Comic headlines
Bäng! Krach! Bumm! Lautmalerische Wörter kennen wir aus Comics. Aber auch
in Schlagzeilen finden wir sie, wie Deborah Capras deutlich macht.
medium
iStock
“The same
monosyllabic words
are found in comics
and in headlines. I kid
you not”
Journalists should make the news
easier to understand, not more difficult.
But this golden rule doesn’t
apply when it comes to writing newspaper
headlines.
Short and snappy. That’s what headlines
should be. People who regularly
use Twitter say that they are experts
at brevity and pithiness. But Twitter
allows 140 characters for each message.
For headline writers, that would
be pure luxury. They have far fewer
words to play with, but they know how
to play. They’ve been keeping it shorter
for much longer, and are experts at
creating mini-dramas.
boom [bu:m]
brevity [(brevEti]
character [(kÄrEktE]
crunch (sth.) [krVntS]
I kid you not [aI )kId ju (nQt] ifml.
monosyllabic [)mQnEUsI(lÄbIk]
onomatopoeia [)QnEUmÄtE(pi:E]
pithiness [(pITinEs]
short and snappy [)SO:t En (snÄpi]
slam (sb./sth.) [slÄm]
spark (sth.) [spA:k]
It’s the drama
A good headline always suggests drama.
The first words that readers see
have to make them feel that something
exciting is happening and that they absolutely
must continue reading to find
out what it is. How the headline sounds
Donnern, Dröhnen; Aufschwung; florieren
Knappheit
Zeichen
Knirschen; Krise (ugs.); etw. zermalmen
das ist kein Witz
einsilbig
Lautmalerei
Prägnanz
kurz und prägnant
Knall; jmdn. kritisieren (ugs.); etw. zuknallen
Funke; etw. schüren
Headline writers: finding inspiration in comics?
will determine its effect. To make a
powerful sound, headline writers have
a good trick.
They find inspiration in comics. The
same monosyllabic words are found
in comics and in headlines. I kid you
not. In comics, these words are used
to show noise and action — they are
usually written in big, fat letters and
followed by an exclamation mark (!).
You don’t need to know the meaning of
the following words to feel the effect:
“boom”, “crash”, “crunch”, “slam”,
and “spark”. Linguist David Crystal
refers to these words as “comic onomatopoeia”.
I think “headline onomatopoeia”
would also work.
48 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

“Slam” and “blast”
Of course, these onomatopoeic words
don’t have exactly the same meaning in
headlines and in comics. Take, for example,
“slam”. In comics, it’s the word
you’ll see that shows a door has been
closed suddenly (usually on someone’s
fingers or face). It’s often followed by
an emotional cry of “ouch!”. In headlines,
“slam” is used to mean “strongly
criticize”, so much so that it probably
hurts. When a writer uses “slam”, the
reader is meant to feel the pain, too.
Why not use “criticize” if that’s what
is meant? But where’s the fun and
drama in that?
The funny thing is, outside of headlines,
“slam” is not a word you would
automatically choose as a synonym
for “criticize”. It’s one of many words
that are seen in newspapers but rarely
heard in speech. In meetings, people
criticize others, in headlines, they
“rap” them. When journalists want
to suggest even more drama (almost
physical), they’ll choose “blast”. These
are all synonyms for “criticize”, but
they have more charm — and use less
space.
Print to web
Online, journalists have more space.
This is one reason why headlines are
not always the same on the internet. In
a recent edition of the Financial Times,
the front-page splash was “Cameron
dealt Junker blow”. It fit perfectly on
one line, even in great big letters. Reading
it, you could almost feel the punch
to Cameron’s face as he learned that
Angela Merkel supported Jean-Claude
Juncker, the former Luxembourg prime
minister, for European Commission
president. The man whom Cameron
had been campaigning against. On the
web, the same story had the headline
“Cameron faces setback over Juncker”.
Basically, the two headlines mean the
same thing. The online version conforms
to the golden rule. It’s definitely
easier to understand, but it’s also lost
its punch.
Useful verbs and nouns
Great headlines use short words.
axe
When something is stopped, such as a TV
programme or service, or reduced, such
as jobs, journalists use the verb “axe” to
make it sound more dramatic:
l Anger as buses axed
crunch
A “crunch” suggests a severe financial
crisis. It can also mean that something
is being pushed down hard and painfully,
especially in comics:
l Young families feel the crunch
mull
In newspapers, people, governments
and organizations often “mull” things —
everywhere else, they “consider” them.
If we use “mull” in normal speech, we
“mull over” something. In headlines,
“over” is usually missing:
l US mulls steel import bans
spark
In the papers, this verb, which means
“cause”, is often followed by “fears”. In
comics, it usually refers to fires:
l Italy–Spain data sparks deflation fears
In the news
“Float blow as MySale shares
plunge and Wizz Air scraps IPO”
In this headline, The Independent makes good use of short
words. The nouns are “float”, “blow” and “shares”. The verbs are
“plunge” and “scraps”. It means that the drop in value of MySale
shares and the cancellation of Wizz Air’s IPO is a problem.
splurge
In newspapers, people who spend lots
of money on buying things “splurge”. In
comics, the word is used to suggest that
someone is eating a lot and very fast:
l Tourists splurge in London
urge
While news stories are full of people and
organizations “urging” things, we would
normally say “(strongly) recommend”:
l EU members urge action
BS
blast sb. [blA:st] ifml.
blow [blEU]
edition [i(dIS&n]
float [flEUt]
front-page splash
[)frVnt peIdZ (splÄS] ifml.
IPO (initial public offering) [)aI pi: (oU*] US
ouch [aUtS]
plunge [plVndZ]
punch [pVntS]
rap sb./sth. [rÄp] ifml.
scrap sth. [skrÄp]
setback [(setbÄk]
share [SeE]
* This symbol marks standard US pronunciation.
jmdn. herunterputzen
(Schicksals-)Schlag
Ausgabe
(Aktien-)Emission, (Anleihe-)Auflage
Aufmacher auf der Titelseite
Börsengang, Erstemission
autsch, aua
(ab)stürzen
Schlag; auch: Biss, Pep (ugs.)
jmdn. scharf kritisieren; etw. verreißen
etw. fallen lassen, verwerfen
Rückschlag
Aktie
For more on the language of headlines,
see “Behind the headlines” on p. 21.
plus You can find related exercises in
Business Spotlight plus
Deborah Capras is deputy editor of Business
Spotlight. You can read her blog, Wise Words, and
do her interactive online language exercises at
www.business-spotlight.de/blogs
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 49

LANGUAGE EMAIL
Fotolia
Paragraphing
Eine E-Mail liest sich besser, wenn sie
sinnvoll und übersichtlich gegliedert
ist. Anna Hochsieder gibt Ratschläge zur
Strukturierung.
medium
Most business letters have a clear layout, with the
text divided into several paragraphs. Many people
do not take the same care when writing an email,
yet there is no reason why emails should be any less
reader-friendly than letters. Take a look at this example
of a well-structured email:
Hi Martin
Thank you for sending me the agenda for next
week’s meeting. I was pleased to see that you’ve
asked Bob Roberts to present his suggestions for
the customer survey.
Just one question, though: don’t you think we
ought to invite Sheila from IT as well? We’re going
to need her advice on how to circulate the survey
to all our customers, and it would save time if she
and Bob could discuss the technical details faceto-face.
By the way, I’ve booked the large conference room
on the third floor. We can have it until 3 p.m., but I
expect we’ll have finished well before then.
Speak to you later!
Kate
across: get one’s message ~ [E(krQs]
agenda [E(dZendE]
blank line [)blÄNk (laIn]
capital letter [)kÄpIt&l (letE]
circulate sth. [(s§:kjuleIt]
closing [(klEUzIN]
customer survey [)kVstEmE (s§:veI]
face-to-face [)feIs tE (feIs]
link (sth. to sth.)
[(lINk (tu)]
phrase [freIz]
salutation [)sÄlju(teIS&n]
topic [(tQpIk]
seine Botschaft rüberbringen
Tagesordnung
Leerzeile
Großbuchstabe
etw. verbreiten
Schluss(bemerkung)
Kundenbefragung
persönlich
Verbindung; etw. mit etw.
verbinden
Wendung
Anrede
Thema
Take care: logical paragraphs make your emails easier to understand
l Our sample email has three paragraphs, plus the salutation
and the closing. To make the structure of the email clearer,
the paragraphs are separated by a blank line.
l Note that the sentence following the salutation always starts
with a capital letter.
l Each paragraph consists of one main idea. In our sample, the
second — and longest — paragraph contains the main point
the writer wants to make. If your email has more than one
topic, start a new paragraph for each new subject.
l Paragraphs should be neither too long nor too short. Two to
five sentences is usually about the right length.
l The first paragraph normally includes a friendly opening
sentence and some general remarks introducing the topic of
the email — in this case, the meeting.
l A new paragraph often begins with a word or phrase connecting
it to the paragraph before. This helps the text to flow
better. In our sample, the link between the first and second
paragraph is provided by the phrase “Just one question,
though”. The third paragraph begins with the phrase “By the
way”, showing that the following information is linked to the
earlier topic, but that it is not quite as important.
Always have the reader in mind when writing an email. A clear
layout with logical paragraphing is essential for getting your
message across. In our next issue, we will take a closer look
at words and phrases you can use to link sentences and paragraphs
to each other.
BS
www Improve your writing skills at www.business-spotlight.de/writing
Anna Hochsieder is a Munich-based teacher of English
who writes regularly in Business Spotlight. Contact:
a.hochsieder@googlemail.com
50 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

ENGLISH ON THE MOVE LANGUAGE
Eurostar
Taking the Eurostar
Von London übers Wochenende nach Paris? Das ist mit
dem Eurostar und Ken Taylors Hilfe kein Problem.
easy
Booking online
Richard: I’m on the Eurostar site. What
are the dates again?
Alice: The 15th to the 18th. This will
be great — a weekend in Paris without
the kids.
Richard: It was good of your mum and
dad to offer to look after them. We
want a return from Ebbsfleet International
rather than from St Pancras,
right?
Alice: That’s right. We can park the car
there. You can book that online, too,
after we know our train times.
Richard: The 9.35 from Ebbsfleet is
only £66 for a standard non-flexible
ticket.
Alice: When does it arrive?
Richard: 12.59. That’s a very exact
time!
Alice: It would give us the whole afternoon
in Paris that day. And the return
from Gare du Nord on Sunday?
Richard: How about the 16.13? It gets
in at 17.18.
Ebbsfleet International
Alice: That was interesting! I hadn’t
realized we’d have to go through a
security check, just like at an airport.
Richard: And going through French
passport control here in England felt
strange, too. But it’s much less hectic
here than at Heathrow. We’ve
time for a coffee and a snack.
Alice: Have you got the guidebook? We
can plan a couple of things while
we’re waiting.
Richard: I really want to go to Notre
Dame and to take a boat on the
Seine.
Alice: We’ll need a bit of culture, too —
how about the Orsay Museum?
Richard: Sounds good. For Saturday
evening, I’ve already booked us a
table at that restaurant Marcel recommended.
Alice: Well, it should be excellent if
Marcel recommended it. He’s such
a gourmet.
On board
Alice: That went smoothly. I liked the
way the carriage numbers are all
painted on the platform so we knew
where to wait. Are these our seats?
Richard: Yes. Shall I put your coat up
on the overhead rack for you?
Alice: Thanks. Where did you put our
bags?
Richard: They’re on the luggage rack at
the end of the carriage.
Alice: Did you hear that announcement?
Richard: It said there would be a short
delay going through the tunnel.
carriage [(kÄrIdZ] UK
consultant [kEn(sVltEnt]
Continent: the ~
[(kQntInEnt]
district [(dIstrIkt]
do [)du:]
gourmet [(gUEmeI]
guidebook [(gaIdbUk]
luggage rack
[(lVgIdZ rÄk]
non-flexible
[)nQn (fleksEb&l]
overhead rack
[)EUvEhed (rÄk]
platform [(plÄtfO:m]
return [ri(t§:n] UK
signalling problem
[(sIgn&lIN )prQblEm]
sit back [)sIt (bÄk]
stop [stQp]
Waggon
Berater(in)
das europäische
Festland
Bezirk, Viertel
hier: fahren
Feinschmecker(in)
Reiseführer
Gepäckablage (im
Waggon)
hier: nicht umbuchbar,
zuggebunden
Gepäckablage (über
dem Sitz)
Bahnsteig
hier: Hin- und Rückfahrt
Signalproblem
sich zurücklehnen
Haltestelle
Eurostar: a short trip in a fast machine
Alice: Did it say why?
Richard: A signalling problem, I think.
Alice: Well, I think I’ll just sit back and
look at the countryside.
Richard: We must be doing over 150
miles an hour!
Alice: What’s that in kilometres? Remember,
we’ll be on the Continent
in a few hours.
Gare du Nord
Richard: We’ll be arriving soon.
Alice: Do you know where to go?
Richard: We’ll just follow the signs to
the metro. Our hotel is in the Pigalle
district. It’s only a couple of stops.
We can buy a four-day ticket for
central Paris.
Alice: We haven’t got much to carry,
otherwise, I’d have suggested a taxi.
Richard: The metro is easier. Our hotel
is close to the station.
Alice: I think we are arriving. Could you
get my coat down for me? I’m quite
excited now.
Richard: Me, too. It’s going to be a
great weekend!
BS
Ken Taylor is a communication consultant
and author of 50 Ways to Improve
Your Business English (Summertown).
Contact: KTaylor868@aol.com
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 51

LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
False friends
medium
You mean... You should say... Don‘t say... As this means...
dementiert denied demented an Demenz leidend;
Zuerst haben sie alles At first, they denied everything. irre, wahnsinnig
dementiert.
Lohn wages loan Darlehen
Die Löhne müssen wieder Wages will have to be cut again.
gekürzt werden.
Objektiv lens objective Ziel
Das Objektiv ist defekt. The lens is defective.
Don’t confuse…
take over and overtake
l When a company takes over
(übernehmen) another firm, it
buys more than 50 per cent of the
shares and assumes control: “The
owners don’t want to be taken over
by a US firm.”
l The noun is takeover (Übernahme).
We talk about “friendly takeovers”
and their opposite, “hostile takeovers”.
l If you take over from someone, you
do the job or task that person once
did: “He’ll take over from John
next year.” You can also take over
as something: “Sara has taken
over as the marketing manager.”
l When you drive past a vehicle that
is moving in the same direction
as you, in British English, you say
that you overtake (überholen) it:
“He must have been driving 180
km an hour when he overtook me.”
l A company or country overtakes
another when it becomes stronger
and more successful: “We’ve
overtaken them in sales this year.”
Tricky translations
How do you say “suit” in German?
A “suit” is a set of clothes made of the same material, for example, a jacket and a
pair of trousers: “You don’t have to wear a suit.” It is translated as Anzug or, in the
case of a woman’s suit with a skirt, as Kostüm: Sie müssen keinen Anzug tragen.
Informally, a “suit” can be an executive of a company: “What will the suits say?”
It’s best translated as Führungskraft or Führungsetage, depending on the context.
In legal English, a “(law)suit” is a disagreement between two or more parties that
is brought before a court of law for a formal decision. It’s translated as Rechtsstreit,
Strafverfahren or Klage: “When was the suit filed?” — Wann wurde Klage erhoben?
In a deck of cards, the “suits” are clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades. In some
games, you have to “follow suit”. The idiom “follow suit” means to “copy the actions
of someone else”: “If we do it, they’ll follow suit.” We translate this as nachziehen /
es jmdm. gleichtun or jmds. Beispiel folgen: Wenn wir es tun, werden sie nachziehen.
How do you say Erbe in English?
An Erbe (Erbin) is someone who inherits money or possessions after someone else
has died: Der Notar konnte keine Erben ausfindig machen. Here, it is translated as
heir (heiress) or beneficiary: “The notary was unable to trace any heirs.”
Das Erbe can mean “the money or other items that the heirs inherit”: Er hat
schnell sein ganzes Erbe vergeudet. Here, we translate it as inheritance, legacy
or bequest: “He quickly squandered his entire inheritance.” Family members may
unkindly describe each other as Erbschleicher (legacy hunters).
Das Erbe can also mean “the traditional beliefs, values or customs of a country
or society”: Regionale Akzente und Dialekte gehören zu unserem kulturellen Erbe.
In this sense, we usually translate it as heritage: “Regional accents and dialects are
part of our cultural heritage.” The organization UNESCO lists important locations
it considers to be Welt(kultur/natur)erbestätten (World Heritage Sites).
Exercise
Translate the following sentences.
a) The suit could cost the company millions.
Do an exercise on false friends on
Business Spotlight Audio
Mike Seymour is an author, trainer
and translator. He also writes
regularly for Business Spotlight.
Contact: www.mikeseymour.com
b) Seine Erben haben sich die ganze Zeit gestritten.
Answers on page 64
52 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

y Deborah Capras
CARDS LANGUAGE
Grammar
Grammar
Rewrite this sentence starting with “I needn’t”
without changing the meaning.
“I went to the meeting, but it wasn’t
necessary.”
Complete this sentence with the correct form
of the verb in brackets.
“Is it a risk that’s worth _________ (take)?”
www.business-spotlight.de
www.business-spotlight.de
Translation
Translation
Translate this sentence into English.
Bei Vorauszahlungen gewähren
wir 3% Skonto.
Translate this sentence into German.
“I’ve handed in my notice.”
www.business-spotlight.de
www.business-spotlight.de
Word choice
Word choice
Which word is correct?
“What kind of fringe/side benefits can
I expect at the company?”
Which word is correct?
“Any changes are subject/topic to
approval by all parties.”
www.business-spotlight.de
www.business-spotlight.de
Business talk
Business talk
What does the speaker mean?
“I’m sure it’s just a shell company.”
What does the speaker mean?
“We put a poison pill in place to stop the
takeover.”
www.business-spotlight.de
www.business-spotlight.de

LANGUAGE CARDS
“Is it a risk that’s worth taking?”
Verbs that come after worth take the “-ing” form.
be worth doing = sich lohnen zu tun
“I needn’t have gone to the meeting.”
The structure needn’t have + past participle is
used to say that you did something in the past
that wasn’t necessary.
BS 5/2014
BS 5/2014
Ich habe gekündigt.
When you formally declare that you are ending an
agreement, especially one as an employee, you
hand in your notice or give notice.
“We offer a three per cent discount on advance
payments / payments made in advance.”
In English, discount is a countable noun and
therefore requires an article.
BS 5/2014
BS 5/2014
If something is subject to approval, it’s conditional
on official agreement. In this sentence, it
means that everyone involved needs to approve
any changes before they can be made.
zustimmungspflichtig
BS 5/2014
A fringe benefit is an extra payment or other benefit
that you receive on top of your normal salary.
It could be a car, health insurance or childcare,
for example. It’s often used in the plural form:
fringe benefits.
Lohnnebenleistungen
BS 5/2014
Poison pill describes measures that managers or
owners take to make a company less attractive
to buyers. The speaker is saying that action was
taken to prevent one firm from acquiring another.
Übernahme einer Firma verhindernde
Maßnahmen
BS 5/2014
A shell company does not produce anything or
do any work as an independent company — it
is used merely as a vehicle for financial transactions.
The speaker is suggesting that the company
is not a proper company.
Briefkasten-, Strohfirma
BS 5/2014

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5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 55

LANGUAGE SHORT STORY
How old are you?
Office workers
may bring cake for
their colleagues
The birthday party
Stockbyte
Andere Länder, andere Geburtstagssitten. Manche sind durchaus gewöhnungsbedürftig, wie der
Erzähler und seine internationalen Kollegen feststellen müssen. Von James Schofield easy
Dr Horst Hofmann, our department
manager at the European Patent
Office in Brussels, blew out
the candles on his cake, and we all
clapped.
“Well, Antonio,” he said. “Venezuelan
birthday parties seem very nice.”
Antonio nodded enthusiastically as
he leaned over Dr Hofmann’s shoulder
and took the candles out of the cake.
“Oh, they are. We have many birthday
traditions in Venezuela. For example,
when a girl is 15, we give her a big
party and she must wear a pink dress.
It’s a very special day for her.”
“Ah. No pink dress for me though?”
asked Dr Hofmann, and we laughed
politely.
“No,” said Antonio. “But there is
one other important part of a traditional
Venezuelan birthday…”
This story begins exactly a year before,
after I’d complained about Dr
Hofmann’s home-made birthday cake
to my new colleague, Didier, while sitting
in the crowded canteen one day.
“You know, Horst is a great boss, but
every year, he and his wife bake some
kind of dark cake with bits of fruit in it.
He then brings this soggy thing to work
and we have to pretend we like it.”
“Mais oui, c’est terrible!” said Didier
shaking his head. “Germans seem to
believe that home-made birthday cake
is healthier than one you buy from
a shop — and that baking the cake
yourself somehow makes you morally
superior. But in France, we don’t want
to feel healthier or morally superior;
we want to enjoy ourselves! We go to
a patisserie and buy little cakes made
by an expert. They’re put in a beautiful
box and tied with a pretty ribbon. When
you eat the cake… ah… It’s like a little
piece of heaven on your tongue.”
Brussels [(brVs&lz] Brüssel
department manager Abteilungsleiter(in)
[di)pA:tmEnt (mÄnIdZE]
heaven [(hev&n] ifml. Himmel, Paradies
home-made [)hEUm (meId] selbst gebacken
morally superior
moralisch überlegen
[)mQrEli su(pIEriE]
ribbon [(rIbEn]
(Schleifen-)Band
soggy [(sQgi]
matschig
tongue [tVN]
Zunge
56 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

“Being English meant I had to be
given ‘the bumps’ on my birthday”
I replied, “Oh, so that’s why Marie
Antoinette said, ‘Let them eat cake!’
She knew what she was talking about.”
Didier just smiled.
Strangely enough, at the very next
meeting, Dr Hofmann announced that
we were going to explore our organization’s
cultural diversity by celebrating
people’s birthdays according to their
national customs. With staff members
in the department representing at least
16 different nationalities, there was
sure to be a lot of variety, he said.
This was actually quite a good idea,
and we learned a lot. For example, do
you know what you do on somebody’s
birthday in Canada? We didn’t either,
until it was Mitch McGregor’s birthday.
He told us that on every birthday
when he was a child, his family had
tried to put butter on his nose so bad
luck wouldn’t stick. By the time we’d
finished with Mitch, it wasn’t just his
nose that was covered in butter.
Being English meant I had to be
given “the bumps” on my birthday. I
was jumped on as I entered the office,
pushed over, held by my arms and legs
and bumped up and down 35 times,
which was quite painful. However, the
best birthday celebration was undoubtedly
the one that was organized by
Antonio for Dr Hofmann.
Antonio was an intern from Venezuela
who really enjoyed all the different
bumps: give sb. the ~
[bVmps] UK ifml.
custom [(kVstEm]
delicious [di(lISEs]
diversity [daI(v§:sEti]
gasp [gA:sp]
hangover [(hÄNEUvE]
intern [(Int§:n]
powder [(paUdE]
shot [SQt]
squelch [skweltS]
too bad [)tu: (bÄd] ifml.
jmdn. in die Luft werfen
und wieder auffangen
Sitte, Brauch
köstlich
Vielfalt
Luft anhalten
Kater
Praktikant(in)
Pulver; hier etwa:
Alka-Seltzer
(Gläschen) Schnaps
glucksender Laut
wirklich schade
birthday activities. So he was disappointed
that, because he would be
staying for only nine months, we were
going to miss his celebration. “That’s
too bad,” he told us at a staff meeting.
“Birthdays in Venezuela are something
special.”
“Well, Antonio,” offered Dr Hofmann.
“It’s my birthday next month.
I don’t have to bring my cake. If you
want to, you can organize a Venezuelan
birthday for me.” Antonio immediately
became more cheerful and promised
he would do his best.
He took his task very seriously. The
other interns had to learn a special
Venezuelan birthday song and often, as
I was leaving the office in the evening,
I would hear them practising in the
conference room.
“Ay, qué noche tan preciosa!” they
sang repeatedly — “Ah, what a beautiful
night!”
“Well, I’m glad Horst isn’t bringing
his soggy cake this year,” I said to Didier
one day at lunch when we were
talking about the celebration. “I’m
looking forward to his birthday without
it!” I even found myself softly whistling
the song from time to time.
Finally, the great day arrived. We all
gathered in the conference room. The
interns sang their song while Antonio
played the guitar. Then he left the
room for a moment, and returned with
an enormous, beautifully decorated
cake covered in candles…
“Ah. No pink dress for me though?”
asked Dr Hofmann, and we laughed
politely.
“No,” said Antonio. “But there is one
other important part of a traditional
Venezuelan birthday…” Then, putting
a hand on the back of Dr Hofmann’s
head, he pushed the department manager’s
face straight into the cake.
There was a collective gasp, followed
by a shocked silence, and the big smile
that had been on Antonio’s face gradually
disappeared. With a squelch, Dr
Hofmann raised his face, wiped cake
from his eyes and picked up a knife.
“It’s a tradition,” said poor Antonio.
“Just … just a Venezuelan tradition…”
He looked as if he were about to cry.
“Delicious!” said Dr Hofmann.
“Who’d like a piece?”
It really was delicious. Later, we went
to a Latin American bar, drank Cuba
libres, danced salsa and finished up
with tequila shots early in the morning.
My hangover the next day was beyond
anything I’d ever experienced. I
had to take some papers to Dr Hofmann’s
office, and I found him holding
his head with one hand and shakily
trying to pour water into a glass with
the other.
“That was fun last night,” said Dr
Hofmann, adding some powder to the
water and the rest to his desk. “But I
think I’ll bring my own cake next year.
You remember? The soggy one you were
complaining about in the canteen.” BS
Language point
Let them eat cake! This was the reply
reportedly given by Marie Antoinette
(1755–93), queen of France, when
told that the country’s poor people had
no bread. Although it’s unlikely that
she actually said it, the expression has
become common in English to refer to
the attitude of someone who neither
understands nor cares about the situation
of others.
You can listen to this short story and
views on office birthday parties on
Business Spotlight Audio
plus You’ll find exercises on this topic in
Business Spotlight plus
James Schofield is co-author of the
Double Dealing series. You can find
more of his stories and his blog at
http://jrtschofield.blogspot.de
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 57

LANGUAGE ENGLISH FOR . . .
“I just can’t handle this!”
Too much work can
push you over the edge
Stress management
Die Arbeit nimmt überhand, Sie haben schlaflose Nächte.
Kurz: Sie sind gestresst. Karen Richardson sagt Ihnen, wie
Sie mit einer solchen Situation umgehen.
medium
Your colleague is getting on your
nerves, the work is piling up and
your boss has just informed you
that he wants you to hold a presentation
— tomorrow! You’re feeling increasingly
under pressure and anxious.
Your sleep is suffering, as all your
work-related worries keep you awake
most of the night. You’re tense, the
muscles in your shoulders are getting
tight and your head hurts, too.
Does this sound familiar? Maybe you
have too much work — or not enough.
Exercise: Less stress
Choose the correct word in each sentence.
a) There are ways to break free from the
stress cycle / circle.
b) Breath / Breathe deeply. Take in as
much air as possible.
c) Let your thinking / thoughts float away.
d) Relax and try to notice a feeling of
pressure / calmness.
Answers on page 64
Or perhaps you are being presented
with demands you feel you can’t handle.
Whatever the reason, now is the
time to take control and to break free
from the stress-and-worry cycle that so
many of us find ourselves caught in.
We may not be able to reduce the
amount of work we have, but we can
find ways to lower our stress levels.
A wide variety of yoga, meditation,
relaxation and mindfulness classes
have more participants from the business
world than ever before. And it’s
not only individuals who realize that
they need to do something positive to
reduce their raised stress levels and
Fuse
abdomen [(ÄbdEmEn]
anxious [(ÄNkSEs]
exhale [eks(heI&l]
get on sb.’s nerves
[)get Qn )sVmbQdiz (n§:vz] ifml.
inhale [In(heI&l]
mindfulness [(maIndf&lnEs]
palm [pA:m]
sole [sEUl]
tense [tens]
thigh [TaI]
tight [taIt]
timer [(taImE]
avoid burnout. Stress is one of the
main reasons for absence from work,
and in the UK, about 11 million working
days are lost each year as a result
of work-related stress. Therefore, many
companies now offer yoga or relaxation
classes to their employees.
But what if your company has nothing
on offer or you don’t have the time
or the desire to attend classes before
or after work? Here’s something you
can do to distance yourself from the
feeling of being stressed out and to
return to a feeling of calmness. It takes
just ten minutes (you can set a timer),
and you may even notice an immediate
improvement.
Sit up straight, place the soles of
your feet on the floor and rest your
palms on your thighs. Close your eyes
and become aware of your breathing.
As you breathe in and out, notice how
your chest and abdomen move with
each breath. Mentally check your body
from head to toe. Where do you feel
particularly tense? Try to breathe into
this part of your body and relax the
tense muscles there.
As you inhale, relax your body; as
you exhale, relax your mind. Don’t try
to empty your mind of thoughts. Instead,
let the thoughts come, notice
their presence and then let them drift
away like clouds in the sky. Bring your
attention back to your breathing; count
every time you inhale and exhale. When
you have counted to ten, start counting
again. Observe the stress and worry
leaving your body. Let go — and relax.
Bauchraum
ängstlich, unruhig
ausatmen
jmdm. auf die Nerven gehen
einatmen
Achtsamkeit
Handfläche
Sohle
angespannt
Oberschenkel
hier: verspannt
Zeitschaltuhr
58 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

Ten steps to less stress
1. Make yourself comfortable.
2. Sit completely still.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Focus on the area located between
your eyebrows.
5. Relax the muscles of your face.
6. Bring your shoulders down, away from
your ears.
7. Imagine the warmth of the sun on your
body.
8. Breathe in and out through your nose.
9. When you inhale, your abdomen expands.
When you exhale, it contracts.
10. As you inhale, relax your body. As you
exhale, relax your mind.
Positive states
calmness [(kA:mnEs]
emotional well-being
[i)mEUS&nEl wel (bi:IN]
mindfulness [(maIndf&lnEs]
relaxation [)ri:lÄk(seIS&n]
worry-free [)wVri (fri:]
Describing negative states
annoyed [E(nOId]
anxious [(ÄNkSEs]
irritated [(IrIteItId]
sleepless [(sli:plEs]
stressed out [)strest (aUt]
tense [tens]
For more information
Gelassenheit, Ruhe
seelisches Wohlbefinden
Achtsamkeit
Entspannung
sorgenlos
ärgerlich, gereizt
ängstlich, unruhig
gereizt, verärgert
schlaflos
stressgeplagt, gestresst
angespannt, nervös
WEBSITES
Breathing techniques:
www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6751/Mastering-the-
Full-Yogic-Breath.html
Mindfulness: https://oxfordmindfulness.org
Ten-minute audio and video yoga guides:
www.getsomeheadspace.com
Involve your body
abdomen [(ÄbdEmEn]
abdominal breathing [Äb)dQmIn&l (bri:DIN]
breath [breT]
breathe [bri:D]
eyebrow [(aIbraU]
mind [maInd]
muscle [(mVs&l]
palm [pA:m]
shoulder [(SEUldE]
sole [sEUl]
stretch (sth.) [stretS]
thigh [TaI]
Opposites
bend (sth.) [bend]
contract (sth.) [kEn(trÄkt]
exhalation [)ekshE(leIS&n]
exhale [eks(heI&l]
expand (sth.) [Ik(spÄnd]
extend (sth.) [Ik(stend]
fall [fO:l]
inhalation [)InhE(leIS&n]
inhale [In(heI&l]
lower sth. [(lEUE]
raise sth. [reIz]
rise [raIz]
Stress development
build up [)bIld (Vp]
come on [)kVm (Qn]
pile up [)paI&l (Vp]
under pressure [)VndE (preSE]
wound up [)waUnd (Vp]
Stress release
break free [)breIk (fri:]
deal with sth. [(di:&l wID]
drift away [)drIft E(weI]
let go [)let (gEU]
take control [)teIk kEn(trEUl]
Bauchraum
Bauchatmung
Atem
atmen
Augenbraue
Psyche, Kopf
Muskel
Handfläche
Schulter
(Fuß-)Sohle
sich dehnen; etw. dehnen
Oberschenkel
sich beugen; etw. beugen
kontrahieren; etw. zusammenziehen
Ausatmung
ausatmen
sich weiten; etw. ausdehnen
sich dehnen; etw. dehnen
fallen
Einatmung
einatmen
etw. senken
etw. heben
sich (er)heben
aufbauen
auftreten
sich aufstauen
unter Druck
erregt, überdreht
sich befreien, sich lösen
sich mit etw. auseinandersetzen
sich treiben lassen
loslassen
die Kontrolle gewinnen
You can practise this vocabulary on
Business Spotlight Audio
plus Do more exercises on this topic in
Business Spotlight plus
www More job vocabulary can be found at
www.business-spotlight.de/vocabulary
Karen Richardson writes ELT material, including
lesson plans for www.onestopenglish.com. She
lectures at the DHBW Stuttgart and, in her free
time, practises yoga. Contact: www.compass-elt.de
Mental processes
acknowledge sth. [Ek(nQlIdZ]
attention [E(tenS&n]
awareness [E(weEnEs]
counteract sth. [)kaUntEr(Äkt]
distance oneself from sth.
[(dIstEns wVn)self frQm]
focus on sth. [(fEUkEs Qn]
gain perspective [)geIn pE(spektIv]
observe sth. [Eb(z§:v]
scan sth. [skÄn]
etw. akzeptieren, zulassen
Aufmerksamkeit
Bewusstsein
einer Sache entgegenwirken
sich von etw. distanzieren, auf Abstand von
etw. gehen
auf etw. fokussieren, sich auf etw.
konzentrieren
etw. unter einem vollständigen Blickwinkel
sehen
etw. beobachten
etw. absuchen
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 59

LANGUAGE LEGAL ENGLISH
iStock Editorial
Patent law
Wer eine Erfindung gemacht hat, kann dafür
ein Patent anmelden. Damit es erteilt werden
kann, müssen bestimmte Voraussetzungen
erfüllt sein, wie Matt Firth erklärt. advanced
A
patent gives an inventor the exclusive
right to make, use, license
or sell an invention for a
limited period of time. Only the inventor
can benefit from the invention once
a patent has been granted. A patent
usually remains in force for 20 years.
Patents and plants
In a 2013 case, Monsanto, an agricultural
biotechnology firm, sued a farmer
who had bought patented seeds, grew
plants and then used the new seeds
that were produced. The farmer had
signed an agreement that he would
use the seeds in one growing season
only. He claimed that, under the patent
exhaustion doctrine, the patent did not
extend to the seeds he had produced.
But the court agreed with Monsanto,
saying that the seeds were basically
illegal copies of the patented product.
Exercise: Protecting inventions
Before a patent can be a) useful / granted / intended, an invention
must meet several requirements. The first requirement is that the
invention must be b) unusual / novel / in force. Next, the c) limited /
utility / non-obvious requirement states that an invention has to be
useful. Finally, it must involve an d) obvious / inventive / expired
step. In the US, this last step is referred to as “non-obvious”. In
Growing rights: agricultural developments can be patented, too
This allows the inventor to recoup
costs associated with developing the
product. Not all inventions can be
patented, however. In most countries,
an invention must meet three requirements
before a patent will be granted.
In the EU, a patent must be novel, it
must be useful and it must include an
inventive step, called “non-obvious”
in the US.
To be considered novel, an invention
must be new. This means that it
must not already exist, or already be
the subject of another patent. If the
invention is an improvement to an existing
product, the change must make
the product significantly different. An
invention is said to be useful if it provides
a real-world benefit, also known
as the “utility” requirement. The inventive
step means that the invention
must not be obvious to another person
with training or skills similar to those
of the inventor.
Once the patent has expired, the
invention enters the public domain and
can be used, sold or copied by anyone.
The patent exhaustion doctrine,
also known as the “first-sale doctrine”,
limits a patent holder’s control of a
patented product to the product that
has been sold. It also grants the patent
holder the right to stop a buyer from
making a new version of the patented
invention.
BS
enter the public domain (nach Ablauf der
[)entE DE )pVblIk
Schutzfrist) der
dEU(meIn]
Allgemeinheit zur
Verfügung stehen
expire [Ik(spaIE]
ablaufen, erlöschen
grant sth. [grA:nt] etw. erteilen
in force [In (fO:s] gültig, in Kraft
inventive step
erfinderischer Schritt
[In)ventIv (step]
non-obvious
nicht naheliegend
[)nɑ:n (ɑ:bviEs*] US
novel [(nQv&l]
neuartig
patent exhaustion Grundsatz der
doctrine [)peIt&nt Patenterschöpfung
Ig(zO:stSEn )dQktrIn]
recoup sth. [ri(ku:p] etw. wieder hereinholen
seeds [si:dz]
Saatgut
sue sb. [sju:]
jmdn. verklagen
utility [ju(tIlEti]
Nutzen, Nützlichkeit
* This symbol marks standard US pronunciation.
short, an invention must be new, e) useful / exhausted / intended
and inventive.
Answers on page 64
Matt Firth teaches legal English and
helped to establish the European
Legal English Teachers’ Association.
Contact: matthew.firth@unisg.ch
60 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

TALKING FINANCE LANGUAGE
Stability and volatility
Achtung! Die stabile Lage auf den Finanzmärkten könnte schnell
eine neue Krise verursachen, wie Ian McMaster erklärt.
advanced
“Financial markets are like children,
with central banks as their parents”
By the time you read this, there
may have been a stock-market
crash and a financial crisis —
although the three biggest crashes of
the past 100 years (1929, 1987 and
2008) didn’t happen until October. On
the other hand, it is very likely that no
crash will have happened.
Not a particularly helpful analysis,
you might think. But in the world of
finance, almost anything can happen.
One way to think about financial
markets is to see them as children,
with the central banks as their parents.
Like all parents, the central banks want
their offspring to feel secure and to
prosper. They also want their children’s
lives to be eventful, but without too
many dramas. Wishful thinking.
After the financial crisis of 2007–8,
the central banks’ priority was to
restore calm and stability. To do this,
they dramatically reduced interest
rates and (in some cases) significantly
increased the money supply by buying
up financial assets.
Central banks also used soothing
words to calm their children, such as
the famous promise in 2012 by Mario
Draghi, president of the European Central
Bank (ECB), that the ECB would
do “whatever it takes to preserve the
euro”. Other soothing words included
the policy of “forward guidance”, by
which central banks signalled to the
markets that interest rates would remain
low for the foreseeable future.
This central-bank action was like
parents bribing their children to behave
well and then telling them they
wouldn’t be punished for a long time.
And it worked. The euro is no longer in
danger. There has been a dramatic fall
in “yield spreads” — the difference
between the interest rates on risky assets
(such as Greek or Spanish bonds)
and low-risk assets (German and US
bonds). And measures of volatility hit
their lowest level in years.
bond [bQnd]
Anleihe
bribe sb. [braIb]
jmdn. bestechen
exuberance [Ig(zju:b&rEns] Überschwang
financial assets
finanzielle
[faI)nÄnS&l (Äsets] Vermögenswerte
interest rate [(IntrEst reIt] Zinssatz
late [leIt]
verstorben
meltdown [(meltdaUn] Zusammenbruch
money supply
Geldmenge
[(mVni sE)plaI]
offspring [(QfsprIN] Nachwuchs
preserve sth. [pri(z§:v] etw. bewahren, retten
prosper [(prQspE] gedeihen
restore sth. [ri(stO:] etw. wiederherstellen
soothing [(su:DIN]
beruhigend
stock-market crash Börsenkrach, Einbruch
[(stQk )mA:kIt krÄS] am Aktienmarkt
temper tantrum
Wutanfall
[(tempE )tÄntrEm]
tip over [)tIp (EUvE] umkippen
volatility [)vQlE(tIlEti] Volatilität, Schwankungsanfälligkeit
whatever it takes
etwa: egal was es
[wQt)evEr It (teIks] kostet
yield spread [(ji:&ld spred] Renditenspanne
iStock
Going down: is a crash on the way?
So all’s well, then? Not quite. Financial
crashes often follow long periods
of apparent calm. As any parent knows,
stability can turn into volatility faster
than you can say “meltdown”.
Crashes may be caused by external
shocks, such as political crises. But, as
the late US economist Hyman Minsky
pointed out, long periods of stability
can themselves be the cause of instability
and crisis because they often
lead to excessive risk-taking using
borrowed money. The point at which
stability tips over into instability, is
therefore called a “Minsky moment”.
The challenge for central banks is
to reduce their children’s exuberance
before they reach that moment — for
example, through gradual rises in interest
rates — without causing a temper
tantrum. It’s not an easy task. BS
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
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 61

LANGUAGE TEACHER TALK
Books, apps and interaction
Sie ist auf vielen Feldern tätig und hat in vielen Ländern gelebt: Deborah Capras
sprach mit der Kommunikationstrainerin, Sprachberaterin, Lehrbuchautorin und
Dozentin Julie Pratten über den Englischunterricht der Zukunft. medium
Who is Julie Pratten?
Julie Pratten is a communication-skills trainer, editor and consultant, and has
created courses for companies and financial institutions in more than 20 countries
in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. She specializes in English
for banking and finance and has written several books in this field, including
Absolute Banking English (Delta Publishing). She is a regular speaker at international
conferences and a visiting lecturer at the University of Brighton.
Website: www.academicstudykit.com
Contact: juliekacmaz@gmail.com
Current position
Through my company, International
Training Solutions, I offer intensive
courses in English for banking and
communication skills. I also work as
a language consultant for the Central
Bank of the Republic of Turkey.
Home
I live in a rural area on the Turkish
Mediterranean coast, near Antalya,
with my husband, dog, cat, chickens
and ducks.
Other languages spoken
German, Turkish, Portuguese and
Spanish — but my Spanish is a little
rusty.
How did you start teaching financial
English?
I’d been teaching general and business
English in Germany, Turkey and Brazil,
when, in 1989, I was sent to former
Czechoslovakia on a government initi-
ative to teach managers at the Czech
National Bank. When I started, I had
no specialist knowledge of banking, so
I had to work very closely with financial
experts. I went on to teach bankers and
financial experts in other countries and
advised many banks on how to set up
English-language training.
Has any new kind of technology or tool
made a difference to how you teach or
how learners learn?
I also teach academic English, and this
is an area in which the books can be
a bit boring. I want to create materials
that are inspiring and fun, and modern
technology is making this easier. At
the moment, I’m developing an app
and a website to support learners who
want to study in the UK. My site,
AcademicStudyKit.com, will offer a
modular approach to study skills, with
user-friendly, bite-sized modules that
allow learners to select the specific
skills they need and want to focus on.
What are the biggest challenges for international
students of English at university
in the UK?
Firstly, the study culture and expectations
may differ greatly from what students
are used to in their home country.
Critical thinking is an essential part
of university study, but this is often
difficult for students who have prepared
for their later studies in courses
designed to help them pass traditional
English-language exams, such as
academic English
[ÄkE(demIk )INglIS]
bite-sized [(baIt saIzd]
consultant [kEn(sVltEnt]
Czech [tSek]
Czechoslovakia
[)tSekEUslEU(vÄkiE]
editor [(edItE]
Mediterranean
[)medItE(reIniEn]
rural [(rUErEl]
rusty [(rVsti]
visiting lecturer
[)vIzItIN (lektSErE] UK
Englisch als Wissenschaftssprache
mundgerecht; hier:
problemlos zu bewältigen
Berater(in)
tschechisch
Tschechoslowakei
Redakteur(in)
Mittelmeer
ländlich
rostig; hier: eingerostet
Gastdozent(in)
62 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

iStock
“In future, business courses
should focus more on
ethical business practice”
Critical thinking: an essential part of university life
IELTS. They have to learn to develop an
academic argument and write original
work without copying from their reading
material. This copying is a serious
problem as this is plagiarism, which
can lead to students failing.
What are some of the key principles that
promote effective language learning?
Just three magic words: inspiration,
rapport, interaction.
What do you think of the use of social
media in teaching?
Blogging and tweeting have helped
many teachers and students find new
materials and share ideas, but we have
to be careful that it doesn’t change
the way we communicate face-to-face.
Sometimes, I see groups of students
sitting together, but they aren’t talking
to each other because they are too
busy looking at their iPhones! There
is certainly a time and place for social
argument [(A:gjumEnt] hier: Argumentation
business practice
Geschäftsgebaren
[(bIznIs )prÄktIs]
come up with sth. sich etw. ausdenken
[)kVm (Vp wID]
engaging [In(geIdZIN] fesselnd, mitreißend
entrepreneur
Unternehmer(in)
[)QntrEprE(n§:]
face-to-face [)feIs tE (feIs] persönlich, direkt
long term [)lQN (t§:m] langfristig
plagiarism
Plagiat, geistiger
[(pleIdZE)rIzEm]
Diebstahl
rapport [rÄ(pO:]
harmonische
Beziehung(en)
sustainability
Nachhaltigkeit,
[sEs)teInE(bIlEti]
Zukunftsfähigkeit
tweeting [twi:tIN]
Twittern
media, but nothing can beat face-toface
communication.
How do you think business English should
be taught in future?
I believe that a business English course
should consider the long-term effect
of business and focus more on ethical
business practice. I am working on a
very different type of business English
book right now, called Good Business.
It contains material about entrepreneurs
interested in sustainability as
well as making a profit. I hope this
book will stimulate debate and encourage
people to think about the effect of
business on the world.
Who inspires you?
Sir Kenneth Robinson (see also p. 25).
He is one of the most engaging speakers
I have ever heard. His presentations
are a perfect balance of information,
persuasion and inspiration. One subject
he often discusses is the importance
of having an education system
that encourages creativity. I like his
idea: “If you’re not prepared to be
wrong, you’ll never come up with anything
original.”
Must-read: education
International Management English:
Working Virtually by Jackie Black and
Jon Dyson (Delta Publishing). This
book provides tips on how to work more
effectively using new technology. It’s
useful for both teachers and students.
Must-read: for fun
I love Latin American literature, so
it has to be The House of Spirits, by
Isabel Allende. This book presents the
triumphs and tragedies of three generations
of the Trueba family.
Ambitions and dreams
To publish a book of short stories. I
dream of having a farm in the mountains
for therapeutic plant oils. BS
Study tip
What can learners do to improve their reading
and writing skills?
Students have to spend a lot of time
skimming and scanning books and articles.
Finding relevant material for an
essay can be difficult. If you use the
exact words of the original, this is plagiarism.
Here’s an activity students should
do regularly to help them to identify and
summarize the main ideas in a text more
quickly and to avoid plagiarism:
l Select an article from an academic
journal.
l Read the first three or four paragraphs
and take notes of the main ideas in
your own words.
l Finally, write a summary of your notes
in three or four sentences.
plagiarism [(pleIdZE)rIzEm] Plagiat, geistiger Diebstahl
scan sth. [skÄn]
etw. überfliegen
skim sth. [skIm]
etw. querlesen
summarize sth. [(sVmEraIz] etw. zusammenfassen
summary [(sVmEri] Zusammenfassung
www For more on business English training,
see www.business-spotlight.de/teachers
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 63

LANGUAGE PRODUCTS
What‘s new?
Sie
wollen noch tiefer ins Englische eintauchen? Wir haben uns
für Sie nach neuen Produkten umgesehen.
medium
Books
Book with audio CD
Business Words in Context
It’s not enough just to learn English words
— you also need to understand the context
in which they are used. Here, words, collocations
and set phrases are presented in dialogues
and texts with German translations.
They are organized in a number of business
situations, including areas that may cause
problems for German speakers of English.
Louise Carleton-Gertsch (Klett), €13.99*
What Great Brands Do
In almost every aspect of our personal and
business lives, we find product brands. But
what makes great brands great? Consultant
Denise Lee Yohn explains the methods that
companies use to build brands, as well as
providing case studies of the successes and
failures of dominant brands. Denise Lee
Yohn (Jossey-Bass/Wiley), €24.90
Using Social Media
Learners of business English who use
social media at work need to do so effectively.
This book examines the advantages
and risks of presenting information online.
The book and audio CD can be used
in the classroom or for self-study. Louise
Pile (Delta Publishing), €22.95
Book with downloadable content
201 Killer Cover Letters
Most job-hunting today takes place
on the internet. As a result, employers
can be flooded with online
applications. This book aims to help
jobseekers stand out from their competitors
and attract employers’ attention.
All sample covering letters
and CV templates can be downloaded. Sandra
Podesta, Andrea Paxton (McGraw-Hill), €16.05*
Dancing to a Different Tune
This collection of interviews, essays and
commentaries focuses on how globalization
has changed the way we look at ourselves
and others. The book helps readers to understand
the diverse, cross-cultural experiences
of the interviewees. Patrick L. Schmidt (Meridian
World Press), $20
*These products are available at
application [)ÄplI(keIS&n]
Bewerbung
brand [brÄnd]
Marke
collocation [)kQlE(keIS&n]
Kollokation (gängige Wortverbindung)
competitor [kEm(petItE]
Konkurrent(in), Mitbewerber(in)
covering letter [(kVvErIN )letE] Bewerbungsschreiben
(US cover letter [(kVv&r )let&r*])
CV (curriculum vitae) [)si: (vi:] Lebenslauf
interviewee [)IntEvju(i:]
Befragte(r), Interviewpartner(in)
sample [(sA:mp&l]
Muster
set phrase [)set (freIz]
feststehender Ausdruck
stand out from sb. [)stÄnd (aUt frQm] sich von jmdm. abheben
template [(templeIt]
(Muster-)Vorlage
tune [tju:n]
Melodie
* This symbol marks standard US pronunciation.
Solutions
Vocabulary (p. 44):
a) staff/crew; b) broom; c) mop;
d) Hoover/Vacuum; e) stains;
f) Wipe; g) feather duster;
h) wastepaper baskets / wastebaskets;
i) Wash; j) cleaning
Grammar at Work (p. 45):
a) Would you mind opening the
window?
b) Do you think you could move
your car?
c) I was wondering if you could
bring me a cup of coffee.
d) You couldn’t come in on
Saturday, could you?
(Other answers are possible.)
Translation (p. 52):
a) Der Rechtsstreit könnte die
Firma Millionen kosten.
b) His heirs argued the whole
time / spent the whole time
arguing.
English for... stress management
(pp. 58–59):
a) cycle; b) Breathe;
c) thoughts; d) calmness
Legal English (p. 60):
a) granted; b) novel; c) utility;
d) inventive; e) useful
Language Focus (p. 83):
a) True
b) False (aeroplanes cannot
hover)
c) False (the blades are convex
only on the top)
64 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

Listen and learn!
You can download an MP3 file
of this Key Words list from our
website.
KEY WORDS LANGUAGE
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.
Nouns and noun phrases
business practice one’s normal way of doing business Geschäftsgebaren
gimmick something that is meant to impress people and attract attention, Trick
usually with the intention of getting them to buy it
hangover a severe headache and feeling of sickness caused by drinking too Kater
much alcohol the night before
knock-on effect UK an outcome that is caused by something else Folgewirkung, Anstoßeffekt
legal action the process of going to a court to have something decided by law rechtliche Schritte
memoirs a written account of someone’s life or experiences Memoiren
plagiarism the taking and using of someone else’s work and saying it is your own Plagiat, geistiger Diebstahl
Verbs
butter sb. up ifml. to be nice to someone so that they will help you jmdm. Honig ums Maul schmieren
exhibit sth. to put something in a museum or other public place so that people can etw. ausstellen
look at it
pronounce sth. to make the sound of a word (or part of a word) etw. aussprechen
queue UK to stand in a line and wait Schlange stehen
recoup sth. to get back what you have invested, spent or lost etw. wieder hereinholen
sign sth. off to give approval for something etw. absegnen
Adjectives and adverbs
avid showing a lot of enthusiasm for something you do regularly begierig, leidenschaftlich
eventually in the end, often after a long delay that may have been caused letztendlich
by a problem
novel new and interesting, original, unusual neuartig
randomly without a particular method, plan or purpose zufällig, wahllos
self-explanatory easy to understand, not needing explanation selbsterklärend
sensitive delicate, having to be dealt with very carefully, and often in secret heikel
Idioms and expressions
for a living as a way to make enough money to live als Broterwerb
get cut off (of a phone connection) to be disconnected unterbrochen werden
in advance before something else happens im Voraus
keep the show on the to make sure that something functions correctly den Betrieb am Laufen halten
road ifml.
raise the bar to raise the standards that need to be met die Messlatte höher ansetzen
save face to avoid embarrassment or humiliation das Gesicht wahren
www Subscribers to Business Spotlight can download the following lists at www.business-spotlight.de/words
l a PDF of this Key Words list with an MP3 audio file of the words, definitions and example sentences
l a PDF of the complete vocabulary list (English–German) for each magazine
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 65

Making the cut
Inzwischen haben Sie ein interessantes
Stellenangebot gefunden und möchten sich
nun bewerben. Im zweiten Teil zum Thema
Stellensuche erklärt Ihnen Margaret Davis,
auch anhand von Beispielen, was für Ihre
schriftliche Bewerbung wichtig ist. advanced
2
SERIES: Part Two
Time well spent: ready
to answer 66 questions
www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014
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FINDING A JOB CAREERS
“A document that looks like a novel scares off
the reader because it looks like too much work”
How is your international
job search going? If you’ve
followed our advice on
search techniques and personal
branding (see “Selling
yourself”, Business Spotlight
4/2014, pp. 66–71), by now, you
have looked online and in print publications
and perhaps have found a
job advertisement that matches your
qualifications. The next step is to
produce a CV (or “résumé” in North
American usage) and covering letter
(“cover letter” in North America) for
your job application.
1. The CV
“It is important to realize that the
purpose of a CV is not to get a job,
but to get on the shortlist for an
interview,” explains the British employment
website Jobs.ac.uk. “You
do not need to write your life history:
don’t tell them everything or you will
have nothing left to talk about at the
interview!”
“A résumé is a visual document,”
says professional résumé writer Robin
Reshwan. “This means that using
a layout that is organized, symmetrical,
allows resting places for the
eyes with good use of white space
and is not overly text-heavy or overly
styled works best. A document that
looks like a novel often scares off the
reader because it looks like too much
work,” Reshwan writes in US News
& World Report.
Think about how the résumé will
be read, Reshwan advises. “Résumés
are often opened first on a mobile
device. Take a look at your document
and see if the top one third would
entice the reader to scroll down. The
most important and tailored information
should be at the top to get the
most attention.”
Ideally, you should tailor your CV
to the job you are applying for, using
information and keywords from
the advertisement. Visit the company’s
website to see how they describe
themselves and then use some of the
key phrases. “For each of the positions
you’ve held, use action verbs to
describe how you contributed to your
employers, such as: cut costs, generated
revenue, improved service, enhanced
processes, solved problems or
saved time,” writes Karen Hofferber
of the online job site Monster.com.
“Use numbers, percentages, dollar
amounts, comparisons or other key
details to back up your claims. Be
sure not to reveal facts that disclose
proprietary or confidential company
information.”
Although CVs that include the
jobseeker’s date of birth and marital
status are standard in the Germanspeaking
world, such information
is not required in English-speaking
countries. In fact, including it may
even disqualify you from the beginning:
British and North American
employers are worried about being
charged with age or sex discrimination.
The same is true of photos.
Include one only if it is specifically
requested — which is unlikely, unless
you are applying for a job as an actor
or a model.
When giving job titles, do not use
abbreviations, as they may be difficult
for others to understand. And,
rather than simply listing past job
titles, focus on your achievements in
the various roles. For example: “As
customer service representative for
Derry Bank, I created a positive atmosphere
for our telephone clients,
as well as providing them with opportunities
to save money.”
Keep your CV concise. “Long résumés
can make you come across as
someone who can’t edit and doesn’t
know what information is essential
and what’s less important,” warns US
careers expert Alison Green. “As a
general rule, your résumé shouldn’t
be longer than two pages, maxi-
abbreviation [E)bri:vi(eIS&n] Abkürzung
back sth. up [)bÄk (Vp] etw. unterstützen,
untermauern
come across as sb. als jmd. wirken, rüber-
[)kVm E(krQs Äz]
kommen
concise [kEn(saIs] kurz und prägnant
confidential [)kQnfI(denS&l] vertraulich
covering letter
Bewerbungsschreiben
[(kVvErIN )letE] UK
CV (curriculum vitae) Lebenslauf
[)si: (vi:]
disclose sth. [dIs(klEUz] etw. enthüllen
edit sth. [(edIt]
etw. redigieren
enhance sth. [In(hA:ns] etw. verbessern, steigern
entice sb. to do sth. jmdn. verleiten, etw. zu
[In(taIs tE du:]
tun
get on the shortlist in die engere Wahl
[)get Qn DE (SO:tlIst] kommen
hold (a position)
(eine Position) inne-
[hEUld]
haben
interview [(IntEvju:] Bewerbungsgespräch
job title [(dZQb )taIt&l] Berufs-, Stellenbezeichnung
marital status
Familienstand
[(mÄrIt&l )steItEs]
mobile device
Mobilgerät
[)mEUbaI&l di(vaIs]
personal branding Herausbilden eines
[)p§:s&nEl (brÄndIN] persönlichen Markenzeichens
phrase [freIz]
Formulierung
proprietary
urheberrechtlich
[prE(praIEtEri]
geschützt; hier: firmenintern
résumé [(rezEmeI*] US Lebenslauf
reveal sth. [ri(vi:&l] etw. offenlegen
revenue [(revEnju:] Einnahmen
scare sb. off [)skeEr (Qf] jmdn. abschrecken
tailor sth. [(teIlE]
etw. (individuell)
ausrichten
tailored [(teIlEd]
maßgeschneidert; hier:
auf die Bewerbung
zugeschnitten
text-heavy [(tekst )hevi] textlastig
* This symbol marks standard US pronunciation.
4
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 67

CAREERS FINDING A JOB
“For each of the jobs you’ve held,
use action verbs to say what you
have given your employer”
mum. And if you’re a recent grad, it
should only be one page, because you
haven’t yet had enough work experience
to justify a second one,” Green
writes in US News & World Report.
Many companies require that CVs
be submitted online or via email.
“Take the time to learn the company
guidelines for submitting résumés,
and follow them,” says Larry Buhl
of Monster.ca. “Also, don’t include
attachments unless they are requested.
Some companies block all emails
with attachments to prevent viruses.”
Have a CV prepared so that you
can fill in an online job application
quickly.
To make a good impression, start
with your email address. If you currently
use a jokey address, like hotstuff@gmail.com,
change it to something
more professional. It is also a
good idea to have separate email addresses
for personal and job-hunting
purposes, according to James Innes,
head of The CV Centre in London (see
“For more information” on p. 73).
“Make sure that your email address
doesn’t appear as a ‘hyperlink’
in your CV, i.e. in blue, underlined
text,” Innes adds. “Whilst this could
arguably be useful in certain circumstances,
it can also mean that the
email address doesn’t print properly
to a black-and-white printer — and
that is clearly a significant problem.”
Use a serif typeface such as Times
New Roman for printed CVs and a
sans-serif font like Arial for email applications.
Although serif fonts look
better on the printed page, they may
be incompatible with email or online
Standard form: know
what to write
programs, and could result in your
CV being rejected without being read.
2. The covering letter
Your CV will be accompanied by a
covering letter. Keep it short. Hiring
managers and recruiters are busy and
you don’t want to frustrate them by
sending letters that go on for pages.
“Due to the volume of applications,
recruiters want covering letters to
be succinct,” explains career coach
Sarah Archer. “So it is really important
to focus on the quality of information
you are putting in there —
rule of thumb would be one page.
Include some brief examples of your
suitability, but choose the ones you
think are the most important for the
job and that they would find interesting.
Avoid making statements that
anyone could say, such as ‘I have
great communication skills’,” Archer
told The Guardian.
“The best information to put into
your opening line is a name: the name
of the letter’s recipient or of a mutual
friend. Name-dropping virtually
guarantees that your letter will be
read,” writes Joyce Lain Kennedy in
Cover Letters for Dummies (see p. 73).
“Not only does your reader appreciate
being addressed by name, but also
this personal bit separates your letter
from the ones written by people
who didn’t take the time to do a little
research into the company.”
If you are sending a covering letter
by email, you need to follow most of
the same rules as with paper covering
letters. Be polite but concise and pay
attention to details like correct spelling
and grammar. But there are other
things to consider as well, according
to Monster.com. “Don’t ever leave
the subject line of your email blank
and don’t waste it by just inserting
appreciate sth. [E(pri:SieIt] etw. zu schätzen wissen
arguably [(A:gjuEbli] wohl
attachment [E(tÄtSmEnt] Anhang
blank [blÄNk]
leer
brief [bri:f]
kurz
font [fQnt]
Schrift(art)
grad (graduate)
(Hochschul-)
[(grÄd] ifml.
Absolvent(in)
hiring manager
Personalver-
[(haIrIN )mÄnIdZE] antwortliche(r)
i.e. (id est) [)aI (i:] d.h. (das heißt)
insert sth. [In(s§:t] etw. einfügen
mutual [(mju:tSuEl] beiderseitig, gemeinsam
name-dropping
Erwähnen bekannter
[(neIm )drQpIN]
Persönlichkeiten
recipient [ri(sIpiEnt] Empfänger(in)
recruiter [ri(kru:tE] Personalvermittler(in)
reject sth. [ri(dZekt] etw. ablehnen; hier:
aussortieren
research: do ~ [ri(s§:tS] Recherchen vornehmen
rule of thumb
Faustregel
[)ru:l Ev (TVm]
sans serif [)sÄn (serIf] serifenlos
serif typeface
Serifenschrift
[(serIf )taIpfeIs]
spelling [(spelIN]
Rechtschreibung
subject line
Betreffzeile
[(sVbdZekt laIn]
submit sth. [sEb(mIt] etw. einsenden
succinct [sEk(sINkt] knapp, kurz und bündig
suitability [)su:tE(bIlEti] Eignung
virtually [(v§:tSuEli] praktisch, nahezu
iStock
68 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

the job number,” says business etiquette
expert Lydia Ramsey. “The
subject line should be clear and specific
to the job you’re looking for.”
For example, “Bilingual PA seeks
executive secretary position”.
Watch out for possible formatting
problems when you submit an online
application, advises Monster.ca’s
Larry Buhl. “If you write a cover
letter in a word-processing program,
strip away all formatting and save
the file as plain text. The ideal line
length is 40 characters. Save emoticons,
abbreviations and wild colours
and fonts for your nonprofessional
emails.” Don’t try to be funny, Buhl
adds. The reader may not understand
the humour.
3. Two jobseekers
Now, let’s look at two fictional jobseekers
and their applications. One of
them, Jennifer, has taken a straightforward
career path. Robert, the
other candidate, has changed paths
and therefore has some gaps in his
employment history.
a) Jennifer Monroe
Jennifer Monroe is an experienced
PA living in Leicester, England. Now
completing a maternity leave after 4
career path [kE(rIE pA:T]
character
[(kÄrEktE]
executive secretary
[Ig)zekjUtIv (sekrEtEri]
file [faI&l]
gap [gÄp]
maternity leave
[mE(t§:nEti li:v]
PA (personal assistant)
[)pi: (eI]
plain text [)pleIn (tekst]
straightforward
[)streIt(fO:wEd]
strip sth. away
[)strIp E(weI]
word-processing program
[(w§:d )prEUsesIN
)prEUgrÄm]
beruflicher Werdegang
Zeichen
Chefsekretär(in)
Datei
Lücke
Mutterschaftsurlaub
persönliche(r)
Assistent(in)
Klartext; hier: unformatierter
Text
geradlinig
etw. entfernen
Textverarbeitungsprogramm
JENNIFER MONROE
21 Billings Road, Leicester LE1 7RH
Telephone: 0116 253 5555 (home); 07700 913 123 (mobile)
Email: jenniferm@wifi.co.uk
James Cohen
Chief Operating Officer
Acme Sport Equipment
18 Olympic Lane
Leicester LE4 6QH
12 July 2014
PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE CEO — REF. #727144
Dear Mr Cohen
Acme’s chief financial officer, Elizabeth Nichols (my former maths teacher at
Bosworth Secondary School), told me recently about the job opening at your
company. As a qualified personal assistant with more than ten years’ experience,
I would very much like to be interviewed for this position at Acme Sport Equipment.
An enthusiastic runner and amateur football coach, I am familiar with your
company’s products and would be delighted to have the opportunity to work with you.
According to your advertisement in the Leicester Mercury, your ideal candidate is
“well-organized, flexible and highly motivated” — all qualities that apply to me.
In addition to my university degree in languages (German and French), I have an
executive PA diploma from the Gladstone Institute. Throughout my career, I have
continued to upgrade my skills, attending professional development training
seminars in marketing and human resources. My former employers can confirm that
I am trustworthy, reliable and discreet, with the ability to communicate complex
concepts in clear, simple language.
Following a one-year maternity leave, I am eager to return to full-time employment
and look forward to helping your CEO make the best possible use of his time.
I enclose my CV with more details of my education, work experience and interests.
Thank you in advance for your interest. I look forward to discussing my application
with you in a personal interview and will follow up this letter next week with an
email. Please feel free to contact me in the meantime if you need me to provide you
with more information.
Yours sincerely
Jennifer Monroe
Jennifer Monroe
enc.: CV
chief financial officer (CFO)
[)tSi:f faI(nÄnS&l )QfIsE]
chief operating officer (COO)
[)tSi:f (QpEreItIN )QfIsE]
degree [di(gri:]
eager: be ~ to do sth. [(i:gE]
enc. (enclosed) [In(klEUzd]
enclose sth. [In(klEUz]
follow sth. up with sth.
[)fQlEU (Vp wID]
human resources (HR)
[)hju:mEn ri(zO:sIz]
interview sb. [(IntEvju:]
job opening [(dZQb )EUpEnIN]
look forward to doing sth.
[lUk )fO:wEd tE (du:IN]
ref. (reference) [ref]
upgrade sth. [Vp(greId]
Finanzleiter(in)
Betriebsleiter(in)
hier: Abschluss
gern etw. tun wollen
hier: Anlage(n)
etw. beifügen
etw. auf etw. folgen lassen
Personalwesen
jmdn. zum Vorstellungsgespräch einladen
freie Stelle
sich darauf freuen, etw. zu tun
Referenz, Bezug(nahme)
etw. erweitern
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 69

CAREERS FINDING A JOB
A common mistake is to
say you are looking
for a job that will build
your skills
the birth of her first child, Jennifer
wants to work closer to home than
in her last job, which was about an
hour’s drive away, in Nottingham.
She has applied for several jobs in
the Leicester area. One of them, at a
sporting equipment company in the
city, seems particularly well suited
to her qualifications. In her covering
letter, Jennifer mentions a company
manager whom she knows personally.
She also refers to her own use of
the company’s sporting equipment,
which creates a good impression
and tells the hiring manager that she
could be a good choice for the job.
Jennifer has taken the time to find
out who will be reading the job applications.
Because the name was
not stated in the newspaper advertisement,
she called the company to
find out. Note how she expresses her
interest in the position: not by talking
about its benefit to her, but by saying
how she can help her potential employer.
(A common mistake among
jobseekers is to state that their objective
is to find a job that will help
them build their skills or gain experience
in a particular field. Employers,
not surprisingly, are more interested
in how a candidate’s skills will benefit
the company.) Jennifer’s covering letter
can be found on page 69.
objective [Eb(dZektIv]
Ziel
Worth the extra effort: find out who will be reading your job application
Meanwhile, for her CV (see p. 71),
Jennifer has chosen the chronological
model. Chronological CVs are popular
with employers because they are
easy to read, letting them see how
your career has progressed. Start
with your most recent employment
and work back in time to your earliest
job history. This form is ideal
if, as in Jennifer’s case, the jobs you
have held reflect your background
and training and if your recent jobs
are directly relevant to the one you
are now applying for.
4
iStock
70 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

JENNIFER MONROE
21 Billings Road, Leicester LE1 7RH
Telephone: 0116 253 5555 (home); 07700 913 123 (mobile)
Email: jenniferm@wifi.co.uk
CAREER PROFILE
Resourceful, task-oriented executive PA with more than ten years’ experience of providing administrative support to managers
at all levels. Strong troubleshooting skills, including organizing demanding schedules and overseeing projects, while giving
attention to logistical details. Proven ability to focus and set priorities to the benefit of my managers and their companies.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Executive PA l Nottingham Health Care l 2008–2013
Nottingham Health Care is one of the largest private health-care providers in Britain, with an annual turnover of £25 million.
l Executive assistant to the company CEO, with responsibilities including appointment scheduling, expense-account management,
report-writing.
l Responsible for training and assigning departmental secretaries.
l Acted as liaison between the CEO, the Ministry of Health, the Hospitals Association and pharmaceutical companies.
Executive secretary l London Insurance l 2004–2008
London Insurance is an international company with offices in London, Paris and Munich. As executive secretary to a division
manager, I was able to use my language skills to deal with a variety of clients as well as staff in our branch offices abroad.
l Managed a demanding schedule for the head of finance.
l Communicated regularly with French and German support staff.
l Frequently required to translate French and German memos.
Bilingual secretary l Whiz-Bang Services l 2002–2004
At the time I joined the company, Whiz-Bang was an internet start-up providing tech support to a small group of clients. Two
years later, it had changed direction to become one of the most dynamic developers of hotel booking technology in the UK.
l Supported manager in the development of new client base.
l Produced technical material under the guidance of software developers.
l Created spreadsheets, managed databases and wrote reports.
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS
l Executive PA diploma, Gladstone Institute, London
l Professional development training: various programmes in marketing and human resources, including intensive residential
training to build executive PA skills, plus three months of self-financed performance coaching sessions
l BA (Hons) in German and French, Nottingham University
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
l Assistant coach, Abbey Park Stars, girls’ football team
l Secretary, Stoneygate Residents’ Association
l President, Guildhall Runners Cooperative
LANGUAGES
l Fluent in German and French
l Working knowledge of Spanish
annual turnover [)ÄnjuEl (t§:nEUvE] Jahresumsatz
assign sb. [E(saIn]
jmdn. zuteilen, zuweisen
BA (Bachelor of Arts)
hier: erster akademischer Grad in
[)bi: (eI]
Sprachwissenschaften
branch office [)brA:ntS (QfIs]
Geschäftsstelle, Niederlassung
departmental [)di:pA:t(ment&l] Abteilungsdivision
manager [dI(vIZ&n )mÄnIdZE] Abteilungs-, Bereichsleiter(in)
expense account [Ik(spens E)kaUnt] Spesenkonto, -abrechnung
fluent: be ~ in a language [(flu:Ent] eine Sprache fließend sprechen
Hons (honours) [(QnEz]
mit Auszeichnung
insurance [In(SUErEns]
Versicherung
liaison [li(eIz&n]
Kontaktperson, Ansprechpartner(in)
oversee sth. [)EUvE(si:]
etw. überwachen
resourceful [ri(zO:sf&l]
ideenreich
schedule [(Sedju:l]
Termin-, Zeitplan; (Termin) vergeben
spreadsheet [(spredSi:t]
Kalkulationstabelle
troubleshooting [(trVb&lSu:tIN] Fehlerbehebung; hier: Problemlösung
working knowledge [(w§:kIN )nQlIdZ] ausreichende praktische Kenntnisse
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 71

CAREERS FINDING A JOB
Interview
“Employers are looking for potential candidates
who are worth investing in”
Corinne Mills: a British
career coach and author
Not everyone has a straightforward
career path. New graduates, older
workers or those with career gaps
can all face difficulties when writing
their CVs. Author and career coach
Corinne Mills is the managing director
of Personal Career Management,
a British consultancy (see “For further
information” on p. 73). Business
Spotlight spoke to Mills, whose book
Career Coach is published in German
by Aumann under the title Der Karriere
Coach.
New graduates don’t have much work experience
to list on their CVs. How can
they compensate?
An employer knows that graduates
don’t have much work experience, so
what they are looking for is their potential
to become a great employee and,
therefore, worth investing in. Graduates
should think about what experience
they have, both paid and unpaid,
that could be used to demonstrate the
relevant personal qualities and workplace
skills required. For instance, a
temporary job working in a shop shows
an understanding of customer service,
an ability to work to targets and comply
with sales and financial procedures. Experience
working in a restaurant could
show that you can work under pressure,
multitask, follow health and safety pro-
cedures, etc. Non-work achievements
can also be relevant — for instance,
being captain of a sports team shows
leadership skills, or helping with a
charity event can show teamwork.
Older workers often have the opposite
problem. Should they list every job they
have ever had?
It’s not necessary to list every job
you’ve ever had, especially if your
career history goes back a while. Instead,
you can group some of those
roles together under one heading. For
example: “Pre-1990: worked in project
management roles for organizations in
the technology sector”. However, if one
of your earlier roles is directly relevant
to the job you are applying for, then
definitely include it.
What’s the best type of CV for people with
employment gaps?
If the gaps are just a few months, then
this can be minimized by putting your
employment dates as months or years
rather than exact dates. For example:
“2003–2005: university librarian”.
However, if there are quite large gaps,
then you might be better to use a CV
accounts [E(kaUnts]
charity [(tSÄrEti]
comply with sth. [kEm(plaI wID]
consultancy [kEn(sVltEnsi]
CV (curriculum vitae) [)si: (vi:]
fixed-term contract [)fIkst )t§:m (kQntrÄkt]
gap [gÄp]
interim [(IntErIm]
librarian [laI(breEriEn]
managing director [)mÄnIdZIN dE(rektE]
new graduate [)nju: (grÄdZuEt]
procedure [prEU(si:dZE]
relegated: be ~ to the ... page [(relIgeItId]
sales [seI&lz]
straightforward [)streIt(fO:wEd]
suspicious [sE(spISEs]
temporary job [)temp&rEri (dZQb]
format that puts your employment
dates on the second page of your CV.
Use the first page to include your contact
details, a profile, then a heading
such as “Relevant experience”, under
which you can provide information on
all of your relevant skills, knowledge
and experience but without mentioning
dates. The aim is to have impressed the
employer so much with the first page of
your CV that they are not too concerned
about the career gaps, which are relegated
to the second page.
How do employers react to candidates
who switch jobs frequently?
Employers are suspicious of candidates
who frequently change jobs, as they
will be concerned that you will not last
long in their company either. Grouping
some jobs together — “Between 2005
and 2008, I worked in administrative
roles within the health-care and travel
sectors” — can be an effective way of
keeping the number of jobs you list for
a certain period to a minimum. You
could also refer to some of the jobs
as temporary, interim or fixed-term
contracts. For example: “interim head
of accounts”.
Rechnungswesen, Buchhaltung
karitative Organisation
etw. erfüllen, einhalten
Beratungsfirma
Lebenslauf
Zeitvertrag
Lücke
Interims-, auf Zeit
Bibliothekar(in)
Geschäftsführer(in)
Hochschulabgänger(in)
Ablauf, Verfahren
erst auf der ... Seite aufgeführt werden
Verkauf, Vertrieb
geradlinig
argwöhnisch
Aushilfstätigkeit
72 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

iStock
For more information
BOOKS
Career Coach: Your Personal Workbook for a
Better Career, Corinne Mills (Trotman)
The Cover Letter Book: Your Definitive Guide to
Writing the Perfect Cover Letter, James Innes
(Pearson)
Cover Letters for Dummies, Joyce Lain Kennedy
(Wiley)
The CV Book: Your Definitive Guide to Writing the
Perfect CV, James Innes (Pearson)
You’re Hired! How to Write a Brilliant CV, Corinne
Mills (Trotman)
WEBSITES
Job advice and job searches: www.careerbuilder.
com; www.monster.com; www.jobs.ac.uk
Personal Career Management is the name of
career coach Corinne Mills’s company:
www.personalcareermanagement.com
A functional CV focuses on
areas of expertise rather
than on chronological order
The employer’s perspective: clear writing and simple layout preferred
b) Robert Smith
Now, let’s look at someone whose career
has not been as straightforward.
Robert Smith has several gaps in his
CV because he has changed careers.
Robert went to university to study
biology, originally hoping to become
a veterinary surgeon. But on completing
his degree, he discovered that job
possibilities were limited, so instead
of studying veterinary medicine, he
trained as a laboratory technician for
a pharmaceutical company, a job he
held for several years. Friendly and
extroverted, Robert felt isolated as
a technician and decided to train as
a medical sales representative, a job
that enabled him to have more contact
with other people. He did not
enjoy the work, however, and, seeing
little opportunity for advancement,
he decided to make a major change
by retraining as a science teacher.
Now having completed his studies,
Robert is a newly qualified teacher
applying for his first permanent
teaching position.
Because of his employment history,
Robert uses a “functional CV”
that focuses on his different areas of
expertise, rather than a chronological
one. “If your last employment(s)
have not been directly relevant to
the role you are applying for, then a
chronological CV will do you no favours,”
writes career coach Corinne
Mills (see interview on p. 72). “It
will instead raise questions about
why you are applying. Equally, if you
have had several jobs, gaps between
jobs or career breaks, then this CV
advancement
[Ed(vA:nsmEnt]
expertise [)eksp§:(ti:z]
laboratory technician
[lE)bQrEtEri tek(nIS&n]
raise a question
[)reIz E (kwestSEn]
sales representative
[(seI&lz repri)zentEtIv]
veterinary surgeon
[)vet&rEnEri (s§:dZEn]
Aufstieg
Sachkenntnis(se)
Labortechniker(in)
eine Frage aufwerfen
Außendienstmitarbeiter(in)
Tierarzt/Tierärztin
4
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 73

CAREERS FINDING A JOB
ROBERT SMITH
33 Fauntleroy Road, Haringey, London N8 8E9
Telephone: 020 256 5555 (home); 07700 424 123 (mobile)
Email: robsmith@wifi.co.uk
Newly qualified science teacher with excellent classroom and behaviour-management
skills, in addition to seven years’ experience working in the private sector, in fastpaced
science and technology positions. Patient, diplomatic approach to dealing with
pupils and parents from a wide variety of backgrounds and academic ability. Excellent
people skills, developed in the demanding role of medical sales representative.
Computer-savvy, with extensive experience as a laboratory technician in a pharmaceutical
company, where careful attention to detail was essential.
KEY SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
l Introduced after-school Teen Science Club for pupils during student placement
at Oxbow Secondary School, with visits to science and technology museums and
carefully supervised experiments in the school chemistry lab.
l Served on a staff–parent advisory committee to study proposed curriculum changes.
l Demonstrated leadership and creativity through a series of online training programmes
developed for in-house and external medical sales colleagues.
l Planned, set up and carried out controlled experiments and drug trials.
l Constructed, maintained and operated laboratory equipment.
l Analysed data and produced reports, reviews and summaries.
l Performed mathematical calculations and created graphs using computer programs.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Medical sales representative l CB Pharma l 2009–2012
Laboratory technician l GenTech Pharmaceuticals l 2005–2009
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
l Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), Science with Biology, Bishop Grosseteste
University, Lincoln
l Six-month on-the-job training programme as medical sales representative, Islington
l BTEC National Diploma Pharmaceutical Science, Bournemouth and Poole College
l BSc (Hons) in Biology, University of Bristol
format could make what is a very legitimate
work history look irregular
and troublesome.”
Robert’s CV is on the left.
4. Making a good
impression
Producing a professional-looking job
application is hard work, but it is
worth the extra effort, according to
CV expert James Innes. “Most jobseekers
don’t realize that the way
their CV is presented can often be
of more value in getting to the next
stage of the application process than
the information itself,” Innes writes.
“You will make an impression on the
reader even before they read a single
word. Presentation can make all
the difference between success and
failure.”
BS
troublesome [(trVb&lsEm]
iStock
schwierig, problematisch
INTERESTS
Travel (Ecuador, Galapagos Islands). Volunteering (Battersea Dogs & Cats Home).
Music (drummer for The Teachers, an amateur rock band)
BSc (Bachelor of Science)
hier: erster akademischer Grad in
[)bi: es (si:]
Naturwissenschaften
chemistry lab [(kemIstri lÄb] ifml. Chemielabor
computer-savvy [kEm(pju:tE )sÄvi] ifml. in Computerthemen bewandert
curriculum [kE(rIkjUlEm]
Lehrplan
drug trial [(drVg )traI&l]
Arzneimitteltest
fast-paced [)fA:st (peIst]
schnelllebig
graph [grA:f]
Diagramm
maintain sth. [meIn(teIn]
etw. instandhalten
people skills [(pi:p&l skIlz]
soziale Kompetenzen
placement [(pleIsmEnt] UK
Praktikum
postgraduate [pEUst(grÄdjuEt] Graduiertenreview
[ri(vju:]
Bericht
summary [(sVmEri]
Zusammenfassung
supervised [(su:pEvaIzd]
beaufsichtigt
volunteering [)vQlEn(tIErIN]
ehrenamtliche Tätigkeit
In the next issue Margaret
Davis provides tips for what to say
and do in a job interview.
plus For exercises on this topic, see
Business Spotlight plus
www You’ll find more examples of CVs and
covering letters at www.businessspotlight.de/careers
Margaret Davis is a Canadian journalist
and editor of the Careers section
of Business Spotlight. Contact:
m.davis@spotlight-verlag.de
74 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

TIPS AND TRENDS CAREERS
All in a day’s work
Muss man jede Frage beantworten können? Und warum
müssen sich Arbeitnehmer zunehmend den Schreibtisch
mit Kollegen teilen? Margaret Davis antwortet. medium
Communication
Say you don’t know
It’s OK to admit that you don’t have all the answers. “Believing
you should know everything can be very restrictive, as
it closes your mind to other sources of knowledge and other
opinions,” says executive coach Sandra Cunningham. “Letting
go of this idea can be very liberating,” Cunningham told the
Financial Times.
There are exceptions, though. “If you’re at a board meeting
and you were sent a report beforehand to read, it’s reasonable
to expect you to know the report’s main points,” says organizational
psychologist Hazel Carter-Showell.
Image Source
Hands-on poet:
Edmund de Waal
©KHM
board meeting
[(bO:d )mi:tIN]
ceramicist [sE(rÄmIsIst]
executive coach
[Ig)zekjUtIv (kEUtS]
exhibit sth. [Ig(zIbIt]
liberating [(lIbEreItIN]
porcelain [(pO:s&lIn]
pottery [(pQtEri]
restrictive [ri(strIktIv]
senior vice president
[)si:niE )vaIs (prezIdEnt]
sick day [(sIk deI]
Away from your desk
Exhibition
The New York Times describes Edmund
de Waal’s work as “poetry
written in porcelain”. The British ceramicist
has exhibited his pottery installations
in many major museums,
and now, he will do so for the first time
in Austria, at the Theseus Temple in
Vienna until 5 October: www.khm.at
Vorstandssitzung
Keramiker(in)
Führungskräftetrainer(in)
etw. ausstellen
befreiend
Porzellan
Keramik, Töpferware
einschränkend; hier:
hinderlich
Ressortleiter(in)
Krankentag
Photodisc
How’s that again? You don’t
need to have all the answers
Trend
Sharing spaces
Do you have your own desk in an office? Or do
you sit wherever there’s a free spot? More and
more workers have a “non-territorial office”. According
to Susan Chapman, senior vice president at
American Express, traditional offices are in use only
half of the time because of holidays, sick days
and travel. “These are just not things we want to pay
for,” Chapman told The Wall Street Journal. Management
professor Kimberly Elsbach says most workers
get used to nonterritorial
offices —
but some are unhappy
that they
cannot personalize
their workspace.
Be neat: you probably
won’t sit here tomorrow
5/2014

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e

MANAGEMENT WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
When Superman died
Superman musste sterben, damit er zu neuem Leben erweckt werden konnte.
Vicki Sussens berichtet von einem Werbegag, der Geschichte machte. medium
Superman: a big success after his death
The background
The popular comic series Superman,
introduced by DC Comics in 1938,
had lost some of its magic by the
1990s. A revamp in the 1980s hadn’t
stopped falling sales. In 1992, DC editors
decided to modernize the character.
As writer Jerry Ordway said at
the time: “People thought of Superman
as their grandfathers’ hero.” To
make him appear more human, the
editors decided to give the story a
dramatic turn: Clark Kent, both journalist
and Superman, would tell Lois
Lane, his colleague and love, his real
identity, and the two would marry.
The problem
Warner Brothers, which owns DC
Comics, had already decided to use
the wedding idea in a new TV series
called Lois & Clark: The New Adventures
of Superman, so the comic
version was put on hold. This meant
that the DC team had to create a new
story arc. In a brainstorming meeting,
the team sat with arms folded, angry
and with no ideas, says editor Mike
Carlin in Superman Doomsday: Requiem
& Rebirth, a documentary on
the death of the superhero. Ordway
then famously said, “Let’s kill him”
— a joke he made every time the
team worked on a new story. Carlin
realized they had found their idea.
The solution
“The world was taking Superman
for granted, so we said, ‘Let’s show
what the world would be like without
Superman’,” explains Carlin. The
superhero had been made to appear
dead in other issues, so this time, it
had to seem real. He would come
back to life — but only after the readers
had been “tortured” long enough,
as editor-in-chief Jenette Kahn says
in the documentary. The team then
wrote a story that would make both
Superman characters and readers
grieve at the hero’s loss. Indeed, the
writers themselves — including Carlin
— fight tears in the documentary
as they describe his death. Writer
Karl Kesel says that, when Lois holds
Superman in her arms while he is
dying, it is like a “punch to the gut”.
What happened next
DC Comics announced the death of
Superman before the first of the multiissue
story The Death and Return of
Superman came out in November
1992. It created a media storm. One
comic-book dealer wrote to Carlin
that DC Comics had no more right to
kill this “national figure” than Walt
Disney had to kill Mickey Mouse.
The issue of Superman in which the
superhero died (vol. 2, no. 75) sold
out on the first day, with people
queuing to buy it. A special edition
included an obituary and a black
armband. All in all, six million copies
were sold, and the rest of the series
enjoyed record-breaking sales. When
Superman returned, DC Comics was
accused of using a gimmick to improve
sales. However, they certainly
gave the superhero a spectacular rebirth
— and made comic history. BS
accuse sb. of sth.
[E(kju:z Ev]
black armband
[)blÄk (A:mbÄnd]
documentary
[)dQkju(mentEri]
doomsday [(du:mzdeI]
editor [(edItE]
editor-in-chief
[)edItEr In (tSi:f]
gimmick [(gImIk]
granted: take sb./sth.
for ~ [(grA:ntId]
grieve at sth. [(gri:v Ät]
issue [(ISu:]
obituary [E(bItSuEri]
on hold: put sth. ~
[Qn (hEUld]
punch to the gut
[)pVntS tE DE (gVt]
queue [kju:] UK
revamp [(ri:vÄmp]
sales [seI&lz]
special edition
[)speS&l i(dIS&n]
story arc [(stO:ri A:k]
torture sb. [(tO:tSE]
jmdn. einer Sache
beschuldigen
Trauerbinde
Dokumentarfilm
der Jüngste Tag; auch:
Supermans Kontrahent
Redakteur(in)
Chefredakteur(in)
Trick
jmdn./etw. als selbstverständlich
hinnehmen
etw. betrauern
Ausgabe
Nachruf
etw. aufschieben, erst
mal auf Eis legen
Schlag in die
Magengrube
Schlange stehen
Um-, Neugestaltung
Umsatz
Sonderausgabe
Handlungsbogen
jmdn. foltern
plus Find reading-comprehension exercises
on this article in Business Spotlight plus
78 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

EXECUTIVE EYE MANAGEMENT
People to be nice to
Für das Wohlbefinden am Arbeitsplatz ist das Verhältnis zu Mitarbeitern und Vorgesetzten
von entscheidender Bedeutung. Unser Management-Experte Adrian Furnham nennt Ihnen
Personenkreise, mit denen Sie es sich nicht verderben sollten.
medium
As most of us know from experience,
there are some people at work
who can make your life hell. You
don’t have to be a psychologist to understand
the power of office politics.
Some people simply have more influence
than others — including some
of the “little people”, who aren’t in
managing positions. Never underestimate
the effect they can have on your
working life if they decide they don’t
like you. Here is a list of those you
should butter up:
l Security staff. To many people,
they are just nameless workers
who watch you coming and going.
But wait until you lose your
office key, or want to go to work
at the weekend. Think about their
power to refuse you things. So be polite
and helpful to these useful people.
asset [(Äset]
Vermögenswert; hier:
Gewinn
butter sb. up
jmdm. Honig ums Maul
[)bVtEr (Vp] ifml.
schmieren
cross sb. [krQs]
jmdn. verärgern
entrepreneurial
unternehmerisch
[)QntrEprE(n§:riEl]
file (sth.) [faI&l]
Datei; etw. ablegen
geek [gi:k] ifml.
Computerfreak
human resources (HR) Personal(abteilung)
[)hju:mEn ri(zO:sIz]
keep the show on the road den Betrieb am Laufen
[)ki:p DE )SEU Qn DE halten
(rEUd] ifml.
legal action [(li:g&l )ÄkS&n] rechtliche Schritte
misery [(mIzEri]
Qual(en)
pay negotiation
Gehaltsverhandlung
[(peI nIgEUSi)eIS&n]
performance data Leistungsdaten
[pE(fO:mEns )deItE]
promotion [prE(mEUS&n] Beförderung
remains [ri(meInz] Überbleibsel, Überreste
reveal sth. [ri(vi:&l] etw. offenlegen
IT staff: you need them, and
they know what you do
Invite them to your office parties —
you need them to like you.
l IT staff. They have more power than
you think. First, you need them when
systems crash, files are lost and new
user-unfriendly technology is introduced.
Also, they can see everything
you do on your computer. Remember
the case of a boss who threatened to
“Good relations can make the difference
between joy and misery at work”
reduce his IT staff by half. They then
revealed all the dubious websites he
had been looking at. These geeks also
often have entrepreneurial talents. Include
them in team meetings and ask
for their suggestions.
l Secretaries. Yes, we realize they are
not called that any more and that
they don’t do typing, filing or photocopying.
Many “personal assistants”
keep the show on the road.
They know who in the organization
knows what and whom to contact.
They may also know people’s secrets.
So don’t cross them — ever!
l Human resources (HR). They have
privileged information, such as salaries,
and also the performance data
that is important for your promotion
Fuse
and pay negotiations — and for potential
legal actions between you and
the firm. Avoid jokes that call HR
people “human remains”.
l Bosses. This is obvious. Help them
see you as an asset to the firm and
someone to be trusted. Remember,
they have the most influence over
your career.
To keep on the good side of all
these people, you have to be skilled
at reputation management. But the
effort is worth it. Good relations can
make the difference between joy and
misery at work.
BS
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).
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 79

TECHNOLOGY ELECTRONICS
A touch of
electricity
A good
connection:
Bare paint lets
you create
huge electrical
circuits
Licht schaltet man per Schalter ein —
oder einfach durch Berühren einer Wand,
die mit leitfähiger Farbe gestrichen wurde.
Shane Hickey erklärt die Funktionsweise
dieser elektrischen Farbe. advanced
It is not surprising that there is a
light switch near the door in the
meeting room of Bare Conductive’s
London office. What is surprising
is that the switch is painted on to
the wall. More surprising still is that
people in the company say the switch
does not need to be there at all. You
could, in theory, touch the wall anywhere
and the light would come on.
The light switch acts as an illustration
of the young company’s
main product: an electric paint — or
“paintable wire” — that can be applied
to paper, wood, cement and textiles,
among other materials, and that
becomes conductive once it dries.
From its most simple use of lighting
up a small bulb on a birthday card to
creating an oversized controller for
computer games or painting an entire
“electric wall”, the conductive paint
has been employed in many ways.
Its creators were four students who
developed the liquid while working
on a final-year project at the Royal
College of Art. Isabel Lizardi, Matt
Johnson, Bibi Nelson and Becky
Pilditch wanted to investigate whether
they could print an electrical circuit
on to the human body, and decided
to try to develop an electric paint.
After looking at the ingredients of
existing conductive paints, the group
examined how they could mix a conductive
powder into paint. Their first
attempt was to mix copper powder
with glue, and they eventually came
up with a formula using carbon. Further
development of the concept led
to the non-toxic paint they now sell.
They started the company in 2009.
“We were quite rigorous in our
analysis of existing materials,” says
Bibi Nelson. The formula for the
paint “is based on a lot of similar
paints in that they were made in a
similar way — without realizing it at
the time”. She explains that the four
were simply interested in creating the
paint as quickly as possible for their
project. “It was just to prove the idea
— we never imagined that afterwards
we would need to develop it for manufacture.”
After the body paint was introduced
to the public at a student de-
bare [beE]
bulb [bVlb]
carbon [(kA:bEn]
conductive [kEn(dVktIv]
controller [kEn(trEUlE]
copper [(kQpE]
electrical circuit
[i)lektrIk&l (s§:kIt]
glue [glu:]
rigorous [(rIgErEs]
hier: unisoliert
Glühbirne
Kohlenstoff
leitend, leitfähig
hier: Spielkonsole
Kupfer
Stromkreis
Klebstoff
genau, gründlich
Alamy
80 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

sign conference in Eindhoven, interest
started to build. Soon, an email
from Sony Music arrived, saying they
had an artist who wanted to use the
paint in a music video. In the film,
dancers’ feet and hands were painted.
Then the dancers stood on circles
of the dried paint, which were
connected to computers. In this way,
the dancers became part of a circuit.
When their hands were touched by
the DJ Calvin Harris, various drums
and beats would sound. Harris called
the system a “humanthesizer”, short
for “human synthesizer”.
The film became popular on the
web, and the four young people received
a flood of suggestions about
what the paint could be used for. In
2010, the inventors dropped the idea
of making body paint because of the
complex regulations on cosmetics.
But they were convinced there was a
business opportunity in their “paintable
wire”, and were soon able to
attract financing.
Besides paint, the company makes
pens for drawing lines of circuits. It
sells kits that allow children to learn
about electronics by drawing their
own greeting cards with small lights
on them, or by building paper houses
that are illuminated inside.
5/2014
Concert posters that play music when you
touch them are a possibility
crowdfunding
[(kraUdfVndIN]
electrical engineer
[i)lektrIk&l )endZI(nIE]
for a living [)fEr E (lIvIN]
iconic [aI(kQnIk]
kit [kIt]
knit [nIt]
pick sth. up [)pIk (Vp]
plug sth. in [)plVg (In]
responsive [ri(spQnsIv]
trade fair [(treId feE]
Crowdfunding,
Schwarmfinanzierung
Elektroingenieur(in)
als Broterwerb
kultig
Bastelsatz
stricken
(zufällig) von etw.
erfahren; etw. in die
Hand nehmen
etw. anschließen,
einstecken
reagierend, reaktiv
Messe
The paint’s makers say that it lets
people get really creative. Potential
users see different possibilities. “We
go to a trade fair and an electrical
engineer picks this up and starts asking
detailed questions,” says Matt Johnson.
“But then someone else comes
who knits for a living and they want
to make their knitting responsive.”
Concert posters that play music
when you touch them have also been
discussed. One artist has mixed the
paint with oil in a lamp, so that when
the lamp is turned to one side, the
light goes on or off. A blogger painted
large buttons on a cushion to use
when playing games on her computer,
and invitations to a party become
musical instruments when they are
plugged in.
How it works
Bare Conductive has now expanded
to eight people, and the firm has
received £450,000 (€553,000) from
seven private investors. In 2013, to
finance development of its Touch
Board programmable circuit, the company
used Kickstarter.com, a crowdfunding
website, which allows individuals
to invest in projects directly
(see Business Spotlight 6/2013,
pp. 72–75). The campaign produced
eight times the amount needed. Product
sales are expected to be greater
than £1 million (€1.2 million) this
year, according to Johnson.
Along with success comes criticism
of why the paint has no specific use.
“I think it is that people aren’t comfortable
because they want a simple
story about [how] we are going to
reinvent something iconic,” says
Johnson. “And we say, we know it’s
great — but we don’t know where it
is going to end up yet.”
BS
© Guardian News & Media 2014
Bare Conductive’s black paint can be spread using a brush, roller, pen or
any other means. It contains carbon, which conducts electricity when the
paint dries. It can be used to fix broken electronics, such as remote controls,
and hobbyists can use it to create things such as drums that function through
touch. In addition to paint, the firm offers paint pens and kits with greeting
cards and electronics. These are sold through the Science Museum in London,
in RadioShack electronics shops in the US and on the company’s website:
www.bareconductive.com
bare [beE]
hier: unisoliert
carbon [(kA:bEn]
Kohlenstoff
conduct electricity [kEn)dVkt ilek(trIsEti] Strom leiten
conductive [kEn(dVktIv]
leitend, leitfähig
kit [kIt]
Bastelsatz
remote control [ri)mEUt kEn(trEUl] Fernbedienung
Be creative: children and adults can play with electronics,
thanks to a new paint that conducts electricity

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Ideas and inventions
Gibt es Neuigkeiten? Carol Scheunemann präsentiert technische
Innovationen und neue wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse. medium
War of the words
ou arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your
“Yfamily to greet you, but the house is empty. Something’s
not right. Where is everyone? And what’s happened here?”
This message introduces Gone Home, which calls itself a “story exploration video game”.
Using audio logs, notes, photographs and objects, players piece together the tale and uncover
hidden truths about missing family members. Gone Home is a prize-winning example
of video games that are based on storytelling. Reviewers talk about the “literary quality”
of the games, placing them somewhere between novels and films. Some games even ask
the players to act as authors. Elegy for a Dead World is an “experimental writing game”
based on British Romantic-era poetry, in which players share their tales online. Storium is a
storytelling and role-playing game that “lets you and your friends create and tell any story
you can imagine — together”. Will there be a happy ending? You decide.
What would poets do?
Video games tell stories
iStock
In the news
Liam F1
Name of an “urban wind turbine” that can be
installed on rooftops. The company claims that it
produces 80 per cent of the maximum possible
energy yield. Traditional wind turbines offer at the
most 50 per cent efficiency.
2,300
Source: DeArchimedes.com
Number of rivers in the UK tested for their water
quality since 1991. Rivers are cleaner now than at
any time since testing began.
Source: Cardiff University
Did you know?
What do ants and the internet have in common?
When searching for food, each individual ant moves
randomly. However, mathematical analysis shows
that groups of ants use collective problem-solving
strategies. Their search goes from chaos to order.
Scientists say understanding such behaviour could
help to optimize the results of internet searches.
Source: “Chaos-order Transition in Foraging Behavior of Ants”, Lixiang Li,
Haipeng Peng, Jürgen Kurths, Yixian Yang, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
700 pounds
(318 kilograms) Amount of weight the 2015 Ford
F-150 truck has “lost” through the use of aluminium
rather than steel for the body panels. Earlier
models weighed around 5,500 pounds
(nearly 2,500 kilograms).
Source: www.ford.com
Ford
audio log [(O:diEU lQg]
body panel [(bQdi )pÄn&l]
elegy [(elEdZi]
forage [(fQrIdZ]
randomly [(rÄndEmli]
reviewer [ri(vju:E]
Romantic era
[rEU(mÄntIk )IErE]
transition [trÄn(zIS&n]
wind turbine
[(wInd )t§:baIn]
yield [ji:&ld]
Sprachaufzeichnung
Karosserieteil
Elegie, Klagegedicht
nach Futter suchen
zufällig, wahllos
Rezensent(in)
Zeitalter der Romantik
Übergang
Windrad; -kraftanlage
Ertrag
Heavy duty: Americans’
favourite truck weighs less
5/2014

LANGUAGE FOCUS TECHNOLOGY
Helicopters
Am Lärm seiner Rotorblätter ist ein Hubschrauber
schon von weitem zu hören. Claire Hart erklärt die
Bau- und Funktionsweise dieser Flügel. advanced
We usually hear helicopters before
we see them. It’s the sound of the
rotor blades that makes us look to
the sky. Most helicopter rotors have
two to six blades, and the number
of blades in the main rotor is based
on the helicopter’s weight and how
much lift is required.
The helicopter’s rotor blades are
convex, or rounded, on the top, but
flat underneath, which allows the
blades to push air downwards and
create lift. A tail rotor acts against the
main rotor’s torque, which is a force
that rotates an object around its central
point. Without a tail rotor, the
torque effect produced by the main
rotor would cause the helicopter to
turn in circles.
The main rotor is connected to a
swash plate, a mechanical system
that transfers steering commands
from the flight controls to the blades.
The swash plate lets the pilot control
the helicopter’s flight by changing
the angle of the blades individually.
Using pedals, the pilot controls the
tail rotor to turn or to adjust the
position of the helicopter.
When the amount of lift produced
by the rotor is greater than the weight
of the helicopter, the landing skids
slowly leave the ground. Helicopters
can fly backwards, sideways, go
straight up or down, and can hover,
which is when they remain nearly
motionless in the air.
BS
Claire Hart is a university instructor and
in-company trainer. She also writes
business and technical English lesson
plans. Contact: clairehart@gmail.com
Vocabulary
airborne [(eEbO:n]
altitude [(ÄltItju:d]
angle [(ÄNg&l]
anti-torque [)Änti (tO:k]
blade grip [(bleId grIp]
cockpit [(kQkpIt]
collective control [kE)lektIv kEn(trEUl]
cyclic pitch lever [)saIklIk (pItS )levE]
directional flight [dE)rekS&nEl (flaIt]
drive shaft [(draIv SA:ft]
flight controls [(flaIt kEn)trEUlz]
forward flight [)fO:wEd (flaIt]
fuselage [(fju:zElA:Z]
gearbox [(gIEbQks]
heading [(hedIN]
helicopter [(helIkQptE]
hover [(hQvE]
Jesus nut/pin [(dZi:zEs nVt/pIn]
landing skid [(lÄndIN skId]
lift [lIft]
nap-of-the-earth (NOE) flight
[)nÄp Ev Di (§:T flaIt]
no-tail rotor (NOTAR) [)nEU (teI&l )rEUtE]
offset sth. [)Qf(set]
pedal [(ped&l]
rotate (sth.) [rEU(teIt]
rotor blade [(rEUtE bleId]
rotor mast [(rEUtE mA:st]
rotor wash [(rEUtE wQS]
rotary motion [)rEUtEri (mEUS&n]
stabilizer bar [(steIbElaIzE bA:]
swash plate [(swQS pleIt]
tail boom [(teI&l bu:m]
tail rotor [(teI&l )rEUtE]
thrust [TrVst]
torque (effect) [(tO:k (E)fekt)]
Exercise: Up in the air
Tick true (T) or false (F) for each statement.
in der Luft, schwebend
Höhe (über NN)
Winkel
Drehmomentausgleich
(Rotor-)Blatthalter
Cockpit, Pilotenkanzel
kollektive Rotorblattverstellung
Steuerknüppel für die zyklische
Blattsteuerung
Richtungsflug
Antriebswelle
Flugsteuerung
Horizontalflug
Rumpf
Getriebe
Flugrichtung, Kurs
Helikopter, Hubschrauber
Schwebeflug; schweben, in der Luft
stehen bleiben
Jesus-Schraube, -Mutter
Landungskufe
Auftrieb
Flug in sehr geringer Flughöhe
„kein Heckrotor“, ohne
Heckrotorkonfiguration
etw. ausgleichen
Pedal, Fußhebel
sich drehen, rotieren; etw. drehen
Rotorblatt
Rotormast
Rotorabwind
Dreh-, Rotationsbewegung
Stabilisator
Taumelscheibe
Leitwerksträger
Heckrotor
Vortrieb
Drehmoment(wirkung)
a) Heavier helicopters usually have more rotor blades. ❏ ❏
b) Helicopters and aeroplanes can remain nearly motionless ❏ ❏
in flight.
c) Rotor blades are rounded on both sides to create lift. ❏ ❏
T
F
Answers on page 64
iStock
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 83

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84 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

6/2014 PREVIEW
Successful job interviews
After studying all the job advertisements, you have written a
strong job application, and now you’ve been invited for an
interview. In the final part of our special Careers series, we tell
you what to do and say to help you get the job you want.
Big Cheese Photo
iStock
Foto: Michael Brown
iStock Editorial
Working with the US
The United States is the world’s leading
economy and an important trading partner
for Europe. In our Intercultural feature, we
look at how to do business with Americans.
LANGUAGE
ENERGY
Improve your business
vocabulary with
our 20-page guide:
SKILL UP!
A meeting of minds
Meetings may not always be fun, but they are an essential part
of working life. Bob Dignen provides ten key tips for making
your meetings both more effective — and more enjoyable.
also:
Email: linking phrases
Grammar: showing interest
English for... relocation
Business Spotlight 6/2014 is on sale from 15 October 2014
5/2014 www.business-spotlight.de 85

PEOPLE MY WORKING LIFE
Denis Elioni: Post-office manager
Als 10jährige fand sie es cool, wenn jemand Briefmarken verkaufte. Heute bietet sie selbst
Postdienste in einem Dorf in Kroatien an. Vicki Sussens sprach mit ihr.
easy
Foto Luigi Opatija
Languages: Croatian, English and Italian.
We have many German tourists,
but I don’t speak German.
Skills needed: You need to be good
with people and to be able to sell.
Happy at work: Denis Elioni loves working with locals and tourists
Current job: I run the post office in
Mošćenička Draga, a holiday town
on the northern Adriatic coast.
Job description: I work in the post office
with two postmen. I do all the
postal work, but sell small things
like postcards, books, stationery and
things for the beach, too. I also sell
television services or other Croatian
Post services. And I answer telephone
enquiries, usually from older people
who don’t have computers.
Age and family: Forty-two, married,
with two daughters, Michaela (16)
and Simona (9).
OK — but costs are going up all the
time, especially in the tourist season.
Working hours and holidays: Monday to
Friday, eight hours a day. I close for
30 minutes for lunch. I have 28 days
of holidays.
Why did you choose this job? I decided
to do this job when I was ten years
old. My sister and I used to go to the
post office for my mother and I loved
it. It seemed so cool to sell stamps!
And I always wanted to work in
Mošćenička Draga. It is small, I like
the people and it is so beautiful. I can
see the beach from here.
Main changes in the business: Before we
got computers, about 15 years ago,
we wrote everything by hand. There
are also many new online postal services.
With online shopping starting,
a lot more parcels are also being sent.
And as more people learn about this
beautiful area, we get more tourists.
Least favourite part of the job: Counting
the money at the end of the day.
Favourite part of the job: This is my
second home. I like the people in
Mošćenička Draga. In winter, there
are mostly older people, who often
come to pour their hearts out to me.
In summer, it is hectic, but I love all
the different kinds of people. I was
shy before I started this job, but now
I have opened up. I hope to work
here until I retire. BS
Home: I was born in Lovran, near
Rijeka, and have always lived there.
Years in the job: I’ve been with Croatian
Post for 22 years and have been
running this post office for two years.
Pay: I make €620 a month. Most
Croatians earn very little, so this is
Training for the job: I went to college
for four years after school to get a
postal diploma. Then, I first had to
deliver post before working in an office.
Now, I go on training courses
about three times a year, for example,
to learn about the postal services we
are offering, selling skills or how to
improve communication.
Adriatic coast
Adriaküste
[eIdri)ÄtIk (kEUst]
Croatian [krEU(eIS&n] Kroate/Kroatin; kroatisch
enquiry [In(kwaIEri] Anfrage
make (money)
(Geld) verdienen
[)meIk ((mVni)]
open up [)EUpEn (Vp] aufgeschlossener werden
parcel [(pA:s&l]
Paket
pour one’s heart out to sb. jmdm. sein Herz
[)pO: wVnz (hA:t )aUt tu] ausschütten
shy [SaI]
schüchtern
stationery [(steIS&nEri] Schreibwaren,
Bürobedarf
86 www.business-spotlight.de 5/2014

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BusinessSpotlight
SKILL UP!
VOKABELTRAINING LEICHT GEMACHT
AUSGABE 28
The news
media
also:
From “pub” to “publication” | Print or digital media?

CONTENTS
BREAKING NEWS
How do you get your news in the morning? From newspapers, apps or
maybe via social media? I find it hard to choose between these options,
so I turn on the radio, switch on my computer and check for Twitter trends
on my smartphone — all before breakfast. In this Skill Up!, we present
the language you will need to talk about the news media.
We’re on air in Picture This! (pp. 4–5). Live broadcasts are stressful
for journalists and producers. In fact, people who work in the media
are generally having a stressful time right now. Traditional media companies
can no longer afford to focus purely on print products. In Word
Bank (pp. 6–7), we present an overview of print and digital products —
and new business models. Turn to In Focus (pp. 10–11) to learn how
these new formats are changing the way journalists and editors work.
Long story short... whether you work in the media or not, we think you’ll
find useful media expressions for work in Essential Idioms (pp. 12–13).
In our dialogue in Small Talk (pp. 16–17), a news junkie discusses the
value of listicles. We also look at new trends, including news-snacking.
Are you hungry for the news?
Deborah Capras, deputy editor
bs.deputyeditor@spotlight-verlag.de
SKILL UP!
Start and end your week with one news
item in English — from a newspaper,
smartphone app or online. On our website,
you’ll find new business stories
every week. To help you improve your
vocabulary, we provide translations of
difficult expressions in context. Go to
www.business-spotlight.de/news
www.
Skill up! online
On our website, you’ll find selected
vocabulary from this guide in our
Word of the Day section. To listen
to the words, definitions and example
sentences — and to download
the MP3 file of each word — go to
www.business-spotlight.de/skill-up
2 SKILL UP! ISSUE 28

Alamy/Mauritius
What kind of news do you want?
CHECKLIST: WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Below, you will find the contents of this issue of Skill Up! and a checklist of what you should
be able to do with confidence after studying this guide. Ask yourself what you can really do.
If you can’t say yes to every statement, go back and spend more time on learning the relevant
vocabulary. Don’t forget to read our Skill Up! tips and do the online exercises!
wContents Page(s) Checklist Not yet A little Yes!
Picture This!
Live on air 4–5 I can use the correct terms to talk about how TV news is ❏ ❏ ❏
presented and I have learned key expressions with “news”.
Word Bank
Print and digital 6–7 I can talk about traditional and new media formats. I also ❏ ❏ ❏
media
know the key terms for different business models.
False Friends
Announcing the 8–9 I can identify the false friends presented here — and use
Romans
the correct translations.
❏ ❏ ❏
In Focus
Creating content 10–11 I know the various jobs in the media industry and can talk ❏ ❏ ❏
about the work that people do.
Essential Idioms
Records and leaks 12–13 I can correctly use idiomatic expressions to talk about ❏ ❏ ❏
media events and business situations.
Close Relations
The publishing 14–15 I know how to use the different members of the “pub” ❏ ❏ ❏
business
family and understand a range of “public” collocations.
Small Talk
News junkies and 16–17 I can make small talk about the kind of news I enjoy
listicles
reading — and explain how I prefer to get my news.
❏ ❏ ❏
Your Profile
This is my news 18 I feel more confident using the vocabulary in this guide. ❏ ❏ ❏
Preview 19
ISSUE 28
SKILL UP! 3

PICTURE THIS!
Bernhard Förth
2
1
4
5
3
10
6
7
9
8
It’s hectic in the
newsroom
LIVE ON AIR
New technology has given us the 24/7 news cycle. We can watch the news anywhere and
anytime. Here, we present vocabulary for talking about the news, especially on TV.
1. news presenter Moderator(in), Nach-
(US news anchor) richtensprecher(in)
apologize [E(pQlEdZaIz] sich entschuldigen
cause offence Ärgernis erregen
2. live coverage Liveberichterstattung,
-übertragung
topical event aktuelles Ereignis
3. news ticker Nachrichtenticker
glitch
Panne
mix-up
Verwechslung
4. international Auslandskorresponcorrespondent
dent(in)
break a story mit einer Geschichte
als Erste(r) herauskommen
cover sth.
über etw. berichten
report from the scene vor Ort berichten
5. eyewitness Augenzeuge/-zeugin
6. on air auf Sendung
broadcast live live senden
follow sth. in real time etw. in Echtzeit / live
miterleben
7. technician Techniker(in)
slip up ifml.
einen Fehler begehen
8. newsroom Nachrichtenredaktion
9. producer Produzent(in)
freak out ifml. ausflippen
10. screen Monitor, Bildschirm
newsfeed
Nachrichteneinspeisung
4 SKILL UP! ISSUE 28

What are they saying?
Producer: You have to apologize for the glitch, Kate. Now!
Kate: I’m so sorry. There seems to have been a mix-up on the
ticker. We apologize for any offence we may have caused.
Bad news
travels fast
English proverb
The news
24/7 news cycle Nachrichten rund um
ifml.
die Uhr
hard news
etwa: seriöse Berichterstattung
newsagent
Zeitungshändler(in);
Zeitungskiosk
news alert
Vorschau
news angle
Perspektive
news blackout Nachrichtensperre
news bulletin [(bUlEtIn] Nachrichtenbulletin, -teil
newscast US
Nachrichtensendung
news coverage Berichterstattung
news desk
Nachrichtenredaktion
news digest [(daIdZest] Kurzfassung
news flash
(eingeblendete) Kurzmeldung
news item [(aItEm] (einzelne) Nachricht
news source
Nachrichtenquelle
news summary Nachrichtenüberblick
newsworthy
berichtenswert, (für die
Öffentlichkeit) interessant
on the news
in den Nachrichten
soft news
etwa: Boulevardberichterstattung
the news
die Nachrichten(sendung)
yesterday’s news Nachrichten von gestern
How’s the coverage?
blanket coverage umfassende Berichterstattung
media coverage Medienberichterstattung
press coverage Presseberichterstattung
rolling coverage laufend aktualisierte
Berichterstattung
saturation coverage flächendeckende
[)sÄtSE(reIS&n] Berichterstattung
SKILL UP!
It may have an “s” on the end, but the word
“news” is singular: “The news is on at 9 p.m.”
News organizations
broadcasting
broadcast media
commercial broadcaster
public broadcaster
radio station
TV channel/station
Rundfunk; Fernsehen; Ausstrahlung
von Rundfunkund
Fernsehsendungen
Rundfunk- und Fernsehmedien
kommerzieller Sender
öffentlich-rechtliche Rundfunk-
und Fernsehanstalt
Rundfunksender
Fernsehsender
The team
announcer
graphic designer
meteorologist [)mi:tiE(rQlEdZIst]
programme editor
subeditor UK
weathergirl
weatherman
Ansager(in)
Grafiker(in)
Meteorologe/Meteorologin
Programmredakteur(in)
Redakteur(in)
Wetterfee
Wetterfrosch
It’s a live broadcast:
say something
iStock
ISSUE 28
SKILL UP! 5

WORD BANK
Keeping an eye on
the news
PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA
Most people get their news from a variety of sources. Here, we present vocab-
ulary for talking about print and digital options.
The media
Fleet Street UK die britische
Presse
mainstream press Publikumspresse
media conglomerate Medienkonzern
[kEn(glQmErEt]
media event Medienereignis
media landscape Medienlandschaft
networks: the ~ US die Medienkonzerne
wire services Nachrichten- und
Presseagenturen
SKILL UP!
Generally, “media” is treated as a plural noun. We
say: “The media have contacted us about the accident.”
However, when we use “media” to mean
“TV, radio, internet and the press all together”,
it is treated as a singular noun: “The media was
criticized for the way it reported the accident.”
Print
(back) issue
(alte) Ausgabe
broadsheet (newspaper) großformatige (seriöse) Zeitung
[(brO:dSi:t]
front page
Titelseite
gossip rag [(gQsIp rÄg] ifml. Klatschblatt
national newspaper überregionale Zeitung
newspaper supplement Zeitungsbeilage; Feuilleton
tabloid [(tÄblOId]
Boulevardzeitung,- blatt; -presse
tabloid press
Boulevardpresse
trade journal
Fachzeitschrift
Photos.com
How often?
daily
weekly
monthly
bimonthly
[baI(mVnTli]
quarterly
täglich
wöchentlich
monatlich
zweimonatlich,
alle zwei Monate
vierteljährlich
The details
copy
(front-page) splash ifml.
headline
lead (US lede) [li:d]
scoop ifml.
spread
standfirst UK
strapline
subheading
(Zeitungs-)Text; Exemplar
Titelaufmacher
Schlagzeile; Überschrift
Vorspann und Einführungstext
Sensationsnachricht
Doppelseite
Vorspann
Verkaufssatz, Werbeslogan
Zwischenüberschrift
6 SKILL UP! ISSUE 28

What do you look at first?
byline [(baIlaIn]
Zeile mit dem Namen des
Verfassers / der Verfasserin
caption
Bildunterschrift
classified advertisement Kleinanzeige
column [(kQlEm] Kolumne
commentary [(kQmEntEri] Kommentar
cover story
Titelgeschichte
editorial [)edI(tO:riEl] Leitartikel
feature [(fi:tSE]
Sonderbeitrag; Feuilleton
infographic [)InfEU(grÄfIk] Informationsgrafik
leader UK
Leitartikel
main topic
Hauptthema
masthead [(mA:sthed] US Impressum
news in brief
Kurznachrichten
obituary [E(bItSuEri] Nachruf
pull-quote US
optisch hervorgehobenes
Textzitat
straight news
(unkommentierte) Nachrichten,
Meldungen
think piece
ausführlicher Kommentar
Media today
l Total circulation has stayed the
same this year.
l Back issues are as popular as
digital editions.
l We have over 100,000 Twitter followers.
l Our Facebook referrals have increased
digital traffic.
l Native advertising has become
popular online.
l Page views always go up after a
major media event.
l Have news aggregators, like Google
made it harder for the media?
Print business
advertising revenue
advertorial
[)ÄdvE(tO:riEl]
circulation (figures)
newsstand sales
paid circulation
print subscriber
source of revenue
surreptitious advertising
[)sVrEp(tISEs]
total circulation
trial offer [)traIl (QfE]
Werbeeinnahme
Advertorial
(redaktionell
aufgemachte
Anzeige)
Auflage(zahlen)
Einzelverkauf
verkaufte Auflage
Printabonnent(in)
Einnahmequelle
Schleichwerbung
Gesamtauflage
Schnupperangebot
Digital business
digital copy
digital edition
digital-first publication
digital magazine
digital subscription
homepage
(metered) paywall
native advertising
news aggregator
[(ÄgrIgeItE]
pay-per-view
digitales Exemplar
digitale Ausgabe
Zeitung/Zeitschrift, die als
erstes digital erscheint
digitale Zeitschrift,
E-Paper
E-Paper-Abonnement
(Internet-)Startseite
Bezahlschranke
Werbung im natürlichen
Umfeld
Nachrichtenaggregator
Abrechnung im Einzelabrufverfahren
Digital success?
digital traffic
Zahl der Besucher(innen) einer Website
Facebook referral [ri(f§:rEl] Empfehlung auf Facebook
hit
Zugriff (auf eine Website)
mobile reader [(mEUbaI&l] elektronisches Lesegerät
page view
Seitenaufruf
social-media distribution Verteilung in sozialen Netzen
Twitter follower
Follower(in) auf Twitter
unique visitor [ju:(ni:k] einzelne(r) Besucher(in)
iStock Editorial
Digital traffic is going up
ISSUE 28
SKILL UP! 7

FALSE FRIENDS
ANNOUNCING THE ROMANS
There are many words in German and English that sound similar but have very different
meanings. They are “false friends”. Learn the correct translations of these terms.
Getty/Thinkstock
iStock
advertisement
What’s Annonce in English?
Annonce = advertisement, ad
“How much does an advertisement in your newspaper
cost?”
announce
It’s not announce!
announce sth. = etw. bekanntmachen, ankündigen
“As soon as they announce the winners, post it
online.”
Other translations
announcement = Bekanntmachung, Ankündigung
“I’m not surprised by the announcement. I knew he
wanted to leave.”
Getty/Thinkstock
What’s Roman in English?
Roman = novel
“You can make more money from writing novels
than writing for a magazine.”
novel
It’s not Roman!
Roman [(rEUmEn] = Römer(in); römisch
“It was the Romans who worshipped Venus.
The Greeks worshipped Aphrodite.”
iStock
Roman
8 SKILL UP! ISSUE 28

channel
sender
iStock
iStock
What’s Sender in English?
Sender = (TV) channel, (TV/radio) station
“The TV in my hotel room has over 100 different
channels.”
It’s not sender!
sender = Absender(in), Einsender(in)
“If the address is incorrect, the letter will be returned
to sender.”
reading
matter
What’s Lektüre in English?
Lektüre = reading matter
“My hairdresser’s has a great choice of
reading matter.”
It’s not lecture!
lecture = Vortrag; Vorlesung
“There’s a lecture tomorrow morning on the
future of publishing.”
lecture
iStock
Skill up! Audio
You can do an exercise on
Business Spotlight Audio
Stockbyte
YOUR PROFILE
Write down your own example sentences for the false friends on this page.
ISSUE 28

IN FOCUS
CREATING CONTENT
Who are the people in the media and what do they do? Here’s an overview of some of the
important positions today — and some of the regular tasks they involve.
Freelance journalist:
ready to file
Authors and freelance journalists
write and file a story to the media organization.
They often decide on the angle after
a discussion with the editor-in-chief or
commissioning editor.
SKILL UP!
All good journalists tell stories
that answer the questions “Who?”,
“What?”, “When?”, “Where?”,
“Why?” and “How?”. If you have to
tell a story, see if you answer the
five “Ws” and the “H”, too. Prepare
it before you tell it!
Copy editors have to edit the content and
tweak the text so that it is easier to read.
Today, they often have to fact-check, too.
Social-media editors are
responsible for promoting content
on Twitter, Facebook and other
social-media sites.
Data analysts monitor users and
traffic on the websites and report
to the editors.
10 SKILL UP! ISSUE 28
Photos.com

The people
author
citizen journalist
commissioning editor
copy editor
data analyst [)deItE (ÄnElIst]
deputy editor
designer
editor
editorial journalist [)edI(tO:riEl]
editor-in-chief
freelance journalist [(fri:lA:ns]
investigative reporter [In(vestIgEtIv]
managing editor
photojournalist
proofreader
reporter
social-media editor
staff writer
Autor(in)
Bürgerjournalist(in)
verantwortliche(r) Redakteur(in)
Korrektor(in)
Datenanalyst(in)
stellvertretende(r) Chefredakteur(in)
Layouter(in)
Redakteur(in); Lektor(in)
Redakteur(in)
Chefredakteur(in)
freie(r) Journalist(in)
Enthüllungsjournalist(in)
geschäftsführende(r) Redakteur(in),
Chef(in) vom Dienst
Fotojournalist(in)
Korrekturleser(in)
Berichterstatter(in)
Redakteur(in) für soziale Medien
angestellte(r) Journalist(in)
Citizen journalists
have no formal training
and do not work
for a media organization.
They may write
a blog or use social
media to share their
ideas.
Did someone fact-check
the celebrity stories?
Best practice for journalists and editors
corroborate sth. etw. bekräftigen
edit sth.
etw. (redaktionell) bearbeiten
fact-check sth. etw. auf Richtigkeit überprüfen
promote sth. etw. unterstützen, verbreiten
question sth. etw. hinterfragen
quote sb.
jmdn. zitieren
repackage sth. etw. neu aufbereiten
research sth. etw. recherchieren
share sth.
etw. mitteilen
tag sth.
etw. verschlagworten; taggen
tweak sth.
etw. optimieren; verbessern
tweet sth.
etw. twittern
verify sth.
etw. belegen, überprüfen
write sth.
etw. schreiben
In more detail
curate content Inhalte kuratieren
decide on an angle einen Standpunkt festsetzen
engage the reader den Leser / die Leserin
ansprechen
file a story
einen Bericht einsenden
optimize for search für die Websuche optimieren
write a catchy eine eingängige Einleitung
lead-in [(li:d In] schreiben
iStock Editorial
The goal!
build readership
drive traffic to the site
monetize content
[(mVnItaIz]
monitor users
retain readers
track readers
einen Leserkreis aufbauen
Besucher(innen) auf die
Website lenken
Inhalt zu Geld machen
Nutzer überwachen
Leser(innen) behalten
Leser(innen) rückverfolgen
ISSUE 28
SKILL UP! 11

ESSENTIAL IDIOMS
RECORDS AND LEAKS
The media is interested in great stories and secret information. In our short dialogues, we
focus on useful idioms for talking about this topic.
SKILL UP!
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.
It made the headlines:
someone leaked it
First, the idiomatic way
Nick: Oh, no. It’s made the headlines! Our decision to close
the Leeds office, I mean.
Kate: But we haven’t gone public with it yet.
Nick: Exactly. So who leaked the story to the press?
Now, more simply
Nick: Oh, no! People know about our decision to close the
Leeds office because the press have written about it.
Kate: But we haven’t officially told anyone yet.
Nick: Exactly. So who gave the secret information to the
press?
Check the translations
make the in die Schlagheadlines
zeilen kommen
go public with etw. öffentlich
sth.
bekannt machen
leak sth. to der Presse etw.
the press zuspielen
Getty Image News
First, the idiomatic way
Kate: I managed to uncover the truth.
Nick: The truth? About what?
Kate: I know who spilled the beans. It was
Paul.
Nick: I knew he was bad news!
Now, more simply
Kate: I managed to find out the truth.
Nick: The truth? About what?
Kate: I know who revealed the secret information.
It was Paul.
Nick: I knew he was an unpleasant person!
Check the translations
uncover the truth
spill the beans ifml.
bad news ifml.
die Wahrheit aufdecken
auspacken, nicht dichthalten
ein fieser Kerl
Be very careful: don’t
spill the beans!
iStock
ISSUE 28

Don’t forget to keep
me posted
Check the translations
what’s the latest? was gibt’s Neues?
break the news to sb. jmdm. die Nachricht überbringen
keep sb. posted jmdn. auf dem Laufenden
halten
iStock
First, the idiomatic way
Kate: So, what’s the latest? Have you decided
what to do about Paul?
Nick: I’ve no choice. We have to fire him.
Kate: I’m not surprised. When are you going
to break the news to him?
Nick: This afternoon.
Kate: Keep me posted.
Now, more simply
Kate: So, what’s the most recent news? Have
you decided what to do about Paul?
Nick: I’ve no choice. We have to fire him.
Kate: I’m not surprised. When are you going
to tell him?
Nick: This afternoon.
Kate: Tell me what happens.
First, the idiomatic way
Nick: Tell me, Paul, when did you decide to
dish the dirt?
Paul: Look, I really thought I was talking off
the record.
Nick: I don’t want to hear it. Long story
short? You’re fired.
Paul: Well, I’ve got news for you. I quit!
With reporters, you’re
never off the record!
Now, more simply
Nick: Tell me, Paul, when did you decide to
tell everyone what you knew in order to
damage us?
Paul: Look, I really thought I was talking unofficially
and that it wouldn’t be used.
Nick: I don’t want to hear it. I’ll get to the
main point without wasting any time.
You’re fired.
Paul: Well, I’m telling you something you
don’t know. I quit!
Check the translations
dish the dirt ifml. jmdn. öffentlich bloßstellen
off the record inoffiziell, nicht zur Mitschrift
bestimmt
long story short um es kurz zu machen
I’ve got news for you ich muss dir mal was sagen
Skill up! Audio
You can do an exercise on
Business Spotlight Audio
iStock
ISSUE 28
SKILL UP! 13

CLOSE RELATIONS
THE PUBLISHING BUSINESS
Old and new media is all about how and where you publish. Here, we present useful expressions
for the world of publishing that begin with “pub”.
pub
+ lic public + ation
publication
+ ist publicist
+ ity publicity
+ ize publicize
+ ly publicly
SKILL UP!
“Pub” is short for “public
house” — it’s a place for
the public. Journalists like
pubs as people often reveal
secrets there, especially
after a beer or two. If
you’re in the UK, go to a pub
and try to find out the news
from the local people.
+ lish publish + able
publishable
un +
unpublishable
+ ed
published
un +
unpublished
+ er
publisher
+ ing
publishing
re +
republish
+ ed
republished
self- +
self-publish
+ ed
self-published
+ ing
self-publishing
iStock Editorial
From “pub” to “unpublished”
pub UK Kneipe
public öffentlich; staatlich
publication Veröffentlichung; Herausgabe
publicist Presseagent(in)
publicity Werbung, Reklame
publicize sth. etw. an die Öffentlichkeit bringen;
Werbung für etw. machen
publicly in der Öffentlichkeit, öffentlich
publish sth. etw. veröffentlichen; herausgeben,
verlegen
publishable zur Veröffentlichung geeignet
published
publisher
publishing
republish
republished
self-publish
self-published
self-publishing
unpublishable
unpublished
veröffentlicht, erschienen; herausgegeben
Verlag; Verleger(in); Herausgeber(in)
Verlagswesen; das Herausgeben
etw. wieder/neu veröffentlichen,
herausbringen
neu erschienen
etw. im Eigenverlag herausbringen
im Eigenverlag erschienen
das Herausgeben im Eigenverlag
zur Veröffentlichung nicht geeignet
unveröffentlicht
14 SKILL UP! ISSUE 28

From the pub to
publication
The public and the press
public figure Persönlichkeit des öffentlichen
Lebens
public house UK Gaststätte; Kneipe
public image öffentlicher Auftritt
public opinion öffentliche Meinung
public outcry öffentlicher Aufschrei, Entrüstung
der Öffentlichkeit
public pressure Druck der Öffentlichkeit
public relations Öffentlichkeits-,
Pressearbeit
public television öffentlich-rechtliches
Fernsehen
Fixed expressions
go public an die Börse gehen
go public with sth. etw. öffentlich bekannt
machen
in public
in der Öffentlichkeit,
öffentlich
in/out of the public im Blickpunkt der Öffenteye:
be ~ lichkeit stehen / nicht
stehen
in the public der Allgemeinheit bedomain:
be ~ kannt sein; urheberrechtlich
nicht geschützt sein
in the public im öffentlichen Interesse
interest: be ~ liegen
the general public die Allgemeinheit;
die Öffentlichkeit
Digital Vision
Use the family: publish
l He’s a public figure, so we’re publishing
the story. We can easily argue
that it’s in the public interest.
l She’s constantly in the public eye,
but she’s managed to keep her
children out of it.
l There was a public outcry when we
published pictures of him smoking
cannabis. He gave in to public
pressure and resigned.
l Can Twitter really change public
opinion?
Publishing
publication day
Erscheinungstag
publish and be damned etw. schreiben und verurteilt
werden
publishing company/house Verlagshaus
publishing industry Verlagswesen
publishing platform Verlagsplattform
publish on demand auf Abruf veröffentlichen
publish or perish publizieren oder krepieren
trade publication Fachzeitschrift
IN ACTION: PUBLIC AND PUBLISH
➜ If something is in the public domain, it is not protected by copyright and can be used by anyone:
“Of course we can use the text from one of Shakespeare’s plays. They’re in the public domain.”
➜ Information that is in the public domain is not secret. It is available to the general public:
“Thanks to Edward Snowden, a lot of classified information is now in the public domain.”
➜ The expression publish and be damned is used when someone wants to publish something that
will probably be criticized, possibly because it says something unpopular or shocking:
“Most tabloids have a publish-and-be-damned approach.”
➜ In the academic world, it’s important for professors to publish articles and books about their
work. If they don’t, their career may suffer. Use the expression publish or perish to express this:
“The pressure to publish or perish may be stronger in the US.”
➜ A company that goes public starts selling shares to the public. If you go public with something,
you reveal private or secret information to everyone:
“When do you want to go public with the decision that we’re going public?”
ISSUE 28
SKILL UP! 15

SMALL TALK
NEWS JUNKIES AND LISTICLES
Here, we present vocabulary to talk about the type of news people read — and how they get
their news. It can make a good topic for small talk.
Situation:
Bill and Mo work together. Mo is reading Bill’s newspaper,
which leads to a debate about the way new
websites are presenting information.
Bill: I’m surprised to see you with your head in my
newspaper. Did someone steal your tablet?
Mo: No, the battery ran out and I’ve forgotten my
charger.
Bill: Another plus point for print. Come on — give it
back.
Mo: I will — just let me finish this report. I’m on the
last paragraph.
Bill: So now you can’t put it down. That’s ironic from
someone whose primary news source is a website
of listicles.
Mo: You read them, too. Don’t deny it.
Bill: Yeah, I do. They’re churnalism at it’s worst, but
they’re pretty addictive, too. As clickbait, they
work. They stand out and grab your attention.
Mo: And they go viral when they’re accompanied by
some paparazzi shot or a funny sound bite.
Bill: Exactly. They’re always popping up in my news
feeds, and even I find it hard not to click. I like
factoids as much as the next person.
Mo: And they’re great for people with a short attention
span — like me. They’re short and sweet.
Bill: But where do you go for hard news?
Mo: You mean when I don’t want to read the gossip
columns or useless facts? You tell me. You’re the
serious news junkie.
addictive: be ~
charger
churnalism
[(tS§:nElIzEm]
clickbait [(klIkbeIt]
deny sth.
factoid [(fÄktOId] US
gossip column
[)gQsIp (kQlEm]
go viral [)gEU (vaI&rEl]
grab sb.’s attention
hard news
listicle [(lIstIk&l]
news junkie ifml.
paparazzi shot
[)pÄpE(rÄtsi SQt]
paragraph
pop up
primary news source
put sth. down
run out
short and sweet
short attention span
sound bite
stand out
süchtig machen
Ladegerät
Churnalismus
Kurztext zum
Anklicken mit großer
Aufmachung und
wenig Inhalt
etw. leugnen
Nachrichtenfetzen
Klatschkolumne
sich rasend schnell
verbreiten
jmds. Aufmerksamkeit
erregen
etwa: seriöse
Berichterstattung
Listicle (Artikel mit
der Aufmachung
einer Liste)
Nachrichtenjunkie
Paparazzi-Foto
Absatz
eingeblendet werden
Hauptnachrichtenquelle
etw. weglegen, zur
Seite legen
hier: leer werden
kurz und schmerzlos
kurze Konzentrationsspanne
kurzes, prägnantes
Zitat
hervorstechen
iStock
Can you choose:
print or digital?
ISSUE 28

media-mesher
“When I watch something on
TV, I sometimes tweet about it
or post comments about it on
Facebook at the same time. I
often check the same story online
from other sources, too.”
iStock Editorial
SKILL UP!
Listicles are not a new phenomenon, but they
are incredibly popular on the internet right
now. They are a way of presenting information
in a condensed format — with bullet
points. You could use this format as part
of your learning programme. Read a short
news item — a story in Business Spotlight
or at www.business-spotlight.de/news —
and try to condense the main points in three
to five bullet points. Use a heading such as
“Three things I need to know about...” or
“Five things that surprised me about...”.
news-snacking
“I probably check for news
updates on my mobile devices
at least five times a day, but
I spend less than 20 minutes
reading the news each time.”
Bad news for journalists
clarification Klarstellung
[)klÄrEfI(keIS&n]
correction Richtigstellung
libel [laIb&l] Verleumdung,
üble Nachrede
plagiarism Plagiat
[(pleIdZE)rIzEm]
retraction Widerruf
Today’s readers
In the past, a family would all sit
down to watch the news together. Today,
a family may be sitting together
in the same room, but they could all
be consuming the news in different
ways: TV, radio, newspapers, tablets,
laptops as well as smartphones, too.
What are they doing?
prosumer
“I read the news, but I
also upload photographs,
comment on articles online
and write my own blog.”
Good news for readers
award-winning articles preisgekrönte Artikel
[E(wO:d )wInIN]
compelling stories faszinierende Geschichten
data-driven journalism datenbasierter Journalismus
[(dZ§:nE)lIzEm]
hard facts
nackte Tatsachen
hard-hitting journalism knallharter Journalismus
media-stacker
“If I’m streaming a film on my tablet, I
can check news updates on my smartphone
app and read Facebook posts from
friends on my laptop.”
Your primary
news source?
ISSUE 28
SKILL UP! 17

YOUR PROFILE
THIS IS MY NEWS
Personalize this guide by adding your own example sentences — which should reflect
words and expressions you need in order to talk about your circumstances.
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS?
What’s the first thing you read in a newspaper, magazine or on a news site? Write down the sections. If you
read the headlines first, our exercises in Business Spotlight plus will help you to understand the language.
What do you think about the work that journalists and reporters do? List the most important tasks below.
At work, you will need to give people good news and bad news. Create a short dialogue below in which you
update a colleague. Use expressions from Essential Idioms (pp. 12–13).
SMALL TALK: NEWS TRENDS
How do you get your news? Could you convince a colleague to read or listen to the news in the same way?
Write down your arguments below, using expressions from Small Talk (pp. 16–17).
18 SKILL UP!
ISSUE 28

PREVIEW
Getty Images
ENERGY
IMPRESSUM
HERAUSGEBER UND VERLAGSLEITER:
Dr. Wolfgang Stock
CHEFREDAKTEUR: Dr. Ian McMaster
STELLVERTRETENDE CHEFREDAKTEURIN:
Deborah Capras
GESCHÄFTSFÜHRENDE REDAKTEURIN (CvD):
Maja Sirola
AUTORIN: Deborah Capras
REDAKTION: Margaret Davis, Hildegard Rudolph,
Michele Tilgner
BILDREDAKTION: Sarah Gough (Leitung),
Thorsten Mansch
GESTALTUNG: loop grafikdesign München
PRODUKTIONSLEITUNG: Ingrid Sturm
VERTRIEBSLEITUNG: Monika Wohlgemuth
MARKETINGLEITUNG: Holger Hofmann
ANZEIGENLEITUNG: Axel Zettler
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
LITHO: Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH, 33311
Gütersloh
DRUCK: Rotaplan Offset Kammann Druck GmbH,
93057 Regensburg
© 5/2014 Spotlight Verlag, auch für alle
genannten Autoren, Fotografen und Mitarbeiter.
Cover photograph: iStock
ISSUE 28
Far too
high?
How to
lower the
cost
Where would we be without energy? In
the next issue of Skill Up!, we provide
you with the language you will need to
discuss this topic.
FALSE FRIENDS: damp, sticker
ESSENTIAL IDIOMS: back burner
IN FOCUS: Feel the energy
also:
SMALL TALK:
Save energy,
save money
iStock

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BusinessSpotlight
100
KEY
VERBS
FOR BUSINESS
Mit Sprachtest
Your language survival guide

Übung macht
den Meister!
Das Übungsheft zu Ihrem Sprachmagazin:
Die Extra-Dosis Sprachtraining – flexibel & e≤zient!
Ihr
Magazin-
Upgrade
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abo@spotlight-verlag.de

Stop and think!*
Agood knowledge of vocabulary is
the key to speaking English well at
work. And one of the most important
vocabulary elements is verbs — the
“doing words” that express actions,
states and events. In this special booklet, we present 100 key verbs for
your job, covering such topics as talking about your company, meetings
and negotiations, and dealing with problems. We also give you extra
information, such as the irregular forms, pronunuciation and key word
partnerships. And at the end of the booklet (p. 18), you can take our
special test. We look forward to your feedback.
Impressum
HERAUSGEBER UND VERLAGSLEITER: Dr. Wolfgang Stock
CHEFREDAKTEUR: Dr. Ian McMaster
STELLVERTR. CHEFREDAKTEURIN: Deborah Capras
GESCHÄFTSFÜHRENDE REDAKTEURIN: Maja Sirola (CvD)
REDAKTION: Margaret Davis, Hildegard Rudolph,
Michele Tilgner
AUTOREN: Deborah Capras, Carol Scheunemann,
Ian McMaster, Hildegard Rudolph
BILDREDAKTION: Sarah Gough, Thorsten Mansch
GESTALTUNG: loopgrafikdesign München
VERTRIEBSLEITUNG: Monika Wohlgemuth
MARKETINGLEITUNG: Holger Hofmann
ANZEIGENLEITUNG: Axel Zettler
PRODUKTIONSLEITUNG: Ingrid Sturm
VERLAG UND REDAKTION: Spotlight Verlag GmbH
Postanschrift: Postfach 1565, 82144 Planegg
Hausanschrift: Fraunhoferstraße 22,
82152 Planegg, Telefon: (0049) 89 856 81-0
Internet: www.business-spotlight.de
LITHO: Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH, 33311 Gütersloh
DRUCK: teNeues, 47906 Kempen
© 5/2014 Spotlight Verlag, auch für alle genann ten Autoren,
Fotografen und Mitarbeiter.
Ian McMaster, editor-in-chief
i.mcmaster@spotlight-verlag.de
Contents
Show and tell 4
Hire and fire 6
Give and take 8
Pick and choose 10
Mix and match 12
Rise and fall 14
Crash and burn 16
Live and learn (test) 18
*Many expressions in English, like
“stop and think”, have the form “verb
and verb”. Each chapter in this booklet
has a headline in this form, whose
meaning we explain to you.
Business Spotlight 3

Show and tell
“So, as you
can see...”
The company’s history
Mark Proctor is talking about his
family business to a group of potential
investors.
Wavebreak Media
“Our company was founded
in 1930 by my grandfather to
manufacture office furniture.
He also created a network to
distribute his products and
broadened the product range.
My father came on board in
1955 and set up factories in
ten countries. I took charge in
1985, planned the restructuring
of the company and…”
Did you know?
The expression “show
and tell”, used mainly
in North America, comes
from a teaching method
in which young pupils
bring in items to class
and talk about them
with their classmates.
The company’s plans
Mark goes on to talk about his
plans for the business.
“Going forward, we are planning
to scale up our business
by going public within the next
12 months. In particular, we
are going to expand our operations
in China and plan to
launch in Brazil and India. Our
other priorities are to appoint
a new head of finance and to
unveil a new product range.”
head of finance
[)hed Ev (faInÄns]
product range
[(prQdVkt reIndZ]
restructuring
[)ri:(strVktSErIN]
Finanzchef(in)
Produktpalette
Umstrukturierung
4 Business Spotlight

Key verbs for company presentations
appoint sb. [E(pOInt]
jmdn. ernennen
~ a new head of finance eine(n) neue(n) Finanzchef(in) bestimmen
broaden sth. [(brO:d&n]
etw. verbreitern
~ appeal Attraktivität erhöhen
~ a product range eine Produktpalette erweitern
come on board [)kVm Qn (bO:d]
an Bord kommen
~ as CEO als Geschäftsführer(in) einsteigen
(come – came – come)
distribute sth. [dI(strIbju:t]
etw. verteilen
~ information Informationen verbreiten
~ a product ein Produkt vertreiben
expand sth. [Ik(spÄnd]
etw. ausdehnen
~ a business ein Unternehmen ausbauen
~ operations die Geschäftstätigkeit ausweiten
found sth. [faUnd]
etw. gründen
~ a company eine Firma gründen
go public [)gEU (pVblIk]
an die Börse gehen
(go – went – gone)
launch sth. [lO:ntS]
etw. lancieren
~ a campaign eine Kampagne starten
~ a product ein Produkt einführen
manufacture sth. [)mÄnju(fÄktSE]
etw. herstellen
~ a product ein Produkt herstellen
~ an excuse eine Ausrede konstruieren
scale sth. up [)skeI&l (Vp]
etw. vergrößern, erhöhen
~ a business ein Unternehmen ausbauen
~ operations die Betriebstätigkeit heraufsetzen
set sth. up [)set (Vp]
etw. aufstellen
~ a business ein Unternehmen gründen
~ a network ein Netzwerk aufbauen
(set – set – set)
take charge of sth. [)teIk (tSA:dZ Ev]
für etw. die Verantwortung übernehmen
(take – took – taken)
unveil sth. [)Vn(veI&l]
etw. enthüllen
~ a product range eine Produktpalette vorstellen
Business Spotlight 5

Hire and fire
Tell us: why
did you apply?
SITUATION: Matt Clark
has heard that ACME
is recruiting sales staff.
He knows his own company
will be downsizing
soon, so he decides to
apply for a job as regional
sales manager.
He wants to quit before
he’s laid off.
As I fulfil all the requirements
for the position of regional sales
manager at your company, I am
submitting my application for
your consideration.
Did you know?
The expression “hire
and fire” refers to how
a company employs and
dismisses its employees.
The term suggests
that a company hires
quickly, but that it fires
people frequently, too.
6 Business Spotlight
l Generated record sales and new
contacts on a monthly basis.
l Monitored competitors in the
market and compiled monthly
reports.
l Achieved a ten per cent increase
in client satisfaction.
l Overhauled the bonus system to
the company’s satisfaction.
l Streamlined the workflow and
reduced the staff costs.
l Oversaw training of new employees.
l Established excellent rapport
with clients and colleagues.
application
[)ÄplI(keIS&n]
competitor [kEm(pEtItE]
sales manager
[(seI&lz )mÄnIdZE]
Bewerbung
Mitbewerber(in)
Vertriebsleiter(in)
Monkey Business

Key verbs for job applications
achieve sth. [E(tSi:v]
etw.erreichen
~ an increase eine Erhöhung erreichen
apply for sth. [E(plaI fO:]
sich um etw. bewerben
~ a job sich um eine Stelle bewerben
compile sth. [kEm(paI&l]
etw. erarbeiten, erstellen
~ a report einen Bericht erstellen
downsize (sth.) [(daUnsaIz]
(etw.) (sich) verkleinern, verschlanken
~ a department eine Abteilung verschlanken
establish sth. [I(stÄblIS]
etw. aufbauen, gründen
~ a company eine Firma gründen
~ excellent rapport with sb. ein ausgezeichnetes Verhältnis zu
jmdm. aufbauen
fulfil sth. [fUl(fIl]
etw. erfüllen
~ requirements Anforderungen erfüllen
generate sth. [(dZenEreIt]
etw. erzeugen
~ contacts Kontakte knüpfen
~ sales Umsätze erwirtschaften
lay sb. off [)leI (Qf]
jmdn. entlassen
(lay – laid – laid)
monitor sb./sth. [(mQnItE]
jmdn./etw. überwachen, beobachten
~ the market den Markt beobachten
overhaul sth. [)EUvE(hO:l]
etw. überarbeiten, überprüfen
oversee sth. [)EUvE(si:]
etw. beaufsichtigen
~ training eine Ausbildung betreuen
(oversee – oversaw – overseen)
quit (sth.) [kwIt]
(mit etw.) aufhören
~ (a job) (eine Stelle) kündigen
(quit – quit/quitted – quit/quitted)
recruit sb. [ri(kru:t]
jmdn. anwerben, einstellen
~ staff Personal einstellen
streamline sth. [(stri:mlaIn]
etw. straffen
~ the workflow den Arbeitsablauf straffen
submit sth. [sEb(mIt]
etw. einreichen, vorlegen
~ an application eine Bewerbung einreichen
~ a CV einen Lebenslauf vorlegen
Business Spotlight 7

Give and take
Getting ready
Peter Hollis and Angela Parks are
preparing for an important negotiation
about new machinery.
Peter: I think we really need to
approach this in a different
way. We should think about
how the new machinery
would impact productivity.
Angela: Absolutely! And then
bargain hard to negotiate
the best possible deal.
Peter: Absolutely! Although I’m
contemplating whether we
shouldn’t postpone this investment
till next year.
Angela: No, I think we should
definitely do it this year.
Peter: OK. Can we just go over
the technical details... ?
Did you know?
The expression “give
and take” refers to a
situation in which two
parties reach a compromise
by each giving
something that the other
wants and taking something
that they want.
Monkey Business
Doing the deal
Angela is leading the negotiations
with the supplier, James Moore.
Angela: So, you can assure us of
delivery by the end of the year?
James: We will do everything to
ensure we get it to you on time.
Angela: Is that a yes?
James: A definite yes! I will take
personal responsibility for that.
Angela: Great. And about the
price … could you tweak that
a little, as discussed?
James: Of course. We won’t bill
you for the new design and
we’ll stipulate in the contract
that you can deduct three per
cent if you pay in full this year.
Angela: Perfect. It’s a deal!
supplier [sE(plaIE]
Tell us: can you
tweak this?
Zulieferer/Zulieferin
8 Business Spotlight

Key verbs for meetings and negotiations
approach sth. [E(prEUtS]
sich etw. nähern
~ a task eine Aufgabe angehen
~ a person an eine Person herantreten
~ a destination sich einem Reiseziel nähern
assure sb. of sth. [E(SO:r Ev]
jmdm. etw. zusichern
bargain [(bA:gIn]
handeln, feilschen
bill sb. for sth. [(bIl )fO:]
jmdm. etw. in Rechnung stellen
contemplate sth. [(kQntEmpleIt]
etw. betrachten, über etw. nachdenken
~ an idea über eine Idee nachdenken
deduct sth. [di(dVkt]
etw. abziehen
~ a sum of money einen Betrag abziehen
~ expenses Ausgaben abziehen
ensure sth. [In(SO:]
etw. gewährleisten, sicherstellen
~ a delivery eine Lieferung garantieren
~ a result ein Ergebnis gewährleisten
go over sth. [)gEU (EUvE]
etw. durchgehen
~ the details die Einzelheiten durchgehen
~ the figures sich die Zahlen ansehen
(go – went – gone)
impact sth. [Im(pÄkt]
sich auf etw. auswirken
~ productivity die Produktivität beeinflussen
~ a company sich auf eine Firma auswirken
negotiate (sth.) [nI(gEUSieIt]
verhandeln; etw. aushandeln
~ a deal über ein Geschäft verhandeln
~ a price einen Preis aushandeln
~ a situation über eine Sachlage verhandeln
postpone sth. [pEUst(pEUn]
etw. verschieben
~ an investment eine Investition hinausschieben
~ a meeting eine Sitzung verlegen
stipulate sth. [(stIpjuleIt]
etw. vertraglich festlegen
~ terms and conditions Bedingungen vereinbaren
~ a deadline eine Frist festsetzen
tweak sth. [twi:k]
etw. verbessern, optimieren
~ a price einen Preis nachbessern
~ a process einen (Arbeits-)Ablauf optimieren
Business Spotlight 9

Pick and choose
Selling well:
we’re all happy
Did you know?
Closing the deal
Liam talks about a new client.
Angela: Liam, I heard you closed
the deal with the Indian firm!
Liam: It was hard work. Six firms
were competing with us. The
buyer took forever to evaluate
the proposals. Now, we have to
process the order quickly.
Angela: So what are the conditions?
Liam: They promise to purchase
1,200 pieces per year, which
we deliver in monthly batches
of 100. However, I quoted the
price based on one shipment,
not 12. To save money, we’ll
ship the batch in bulk, but
they must declare the pieces
individually.
The expression “pick and
choose” refers to a situation
in which you have
a range of alternatives
available. You compare
these and select carefully
to get the best and
most desirable option.
10 Business Spotlight
Handling the order
Angela and Liam discuss further
details of the order.
Liam: The shipments will be
tracked electronically. We
will invoice only after they
have inspected the merchandise.
Any pieces they
reject will be destroyed, not
returned. The customer can
also exchange the products
for a full five years.
Angela: Five years? That’s generous!
Well, at least our quality
is good.
batch [bÄtS]
in bulk [In (bVlk]
merchandise
[(m§:tSEndaIz]
shipment [(SIpmEnt]
Charge
unverpackt
Ware(n)
Sendung, Lieferung
iStock

Key verbs for buying and selling
close sth. [klEUz]
etw. schließen
~ a deal ein Geschäft abschließen
compete (with sb. for sth.) [kEm(pi:t]
(mit jmdm. um etw.) im Wettbewerb stehen
~ for an order um einen Auftrag konkurrieren
declare sth. [di(kleE]
etw. erklären
~ goods Waren angeben, deklarieren
~ a state of emergency einen Notstand ausrufen
deliver sth. [di(lIvE]
etw. liefern
~ a shipment eine Sendung (an)liefern
~ a speech eine Rede halten
evaluate sth. [i(vÄljueIt]
etw. bewerten
~ a bid ein Angebot bewerten
exchange sth. [Iks(tSeIndZ]
etw. austauschen, umtauschen
~ experiences Erfahrungen austauschen
~ merchandise Waren umtauschen
inspect sth. [In(spekt]
etw. prüfen, untersuchen
~ a shipment eine Warensendung prüfen
invoice (sb.) for sth. [(InvOIs fO:]
(jmdm.) etw. in Rechnung stellen
~ for services Dienstleistungen in Rechnung stellen
process sth. [(prEUses]
etw. bearbeiten
~ an order einen Auftrag abwickeln
~ information Informationen aufbereiten
purchase sth. [(p§:tSEs]
etw. (ein)kaufen
~ goods Waren (ein)kaufen
quote sb./sth. [kwEUt]
jmdn./etw. nennen
~ a price einen Preis anbieten
~ a person eine Person zitieren
reject sb./sth. [ri(dZekt]
jmdn. ablehnen; etw. zurückweisen
~ a product ein Produkt zurückweisen
~ a person eine Person ablehnen
ship sth. [SIp]
etw. versenden, verschicken
~ merchandise Waren versenden
track sth. [trÄk]
etw. verfolgen
~ an order einen Auftrag verfolgen
~ sb.’s progress jmds. Fortschritt(e) überprüfen
Business Spotlight 11

Mix and match
Product management
Raphael White is product manager
for kitchen blenders. He’s telling
June Lione about the new model.
Raphael: We’re designing a
blender just for men. They
can add a coffee grinder or
cocktail shaker as options.
June: Are you sure about that?
Shouldn’t we research the
market more thoroughly?
Raphael: Who’s got time for
that? The blenders will be
assembled in our factory,
so we’ll face some production
challenges. I’ll have to
benchmark the processes to
make sure we maintain our
quality standards.
Did you know?
The expression “mix
and match” refers to a
selection of separate yet
complementary products.
Examples include clothing
and accessories, or
software options and
pieces of equipment.
12 Business Spotlight
Teamwork: designing new products
Project management
June has joined Raphael’s project team.
Raphael: I’ve scheduled delivery of
the parts from our new supplier.
June: Have they confirmed that they
will meet our deadline?
Raphael: No, they can’t commit to
an exact date. I can’t predict the
delivery, but I estimate the goods
will arrive before the 15th.
June: Will you try to collaborate
with the team, too? We have to
update our report with that date.
Raphael: OK, I’ll delegate that task
to you, then.
coffee grinder
[(kQfi )graIndE]
kitchen blender
[(kItS&n )blendE]
supplier [sE(plaIE]
Kaffeemühle
Küchenmaschine
Lieferant(in)
iStock

Key verbs for product and project management
assemble sth. [E(semb&l]
etw. zusammenbauen
~ a machine eine Maschine montieren
benchmark sth. [(bentSmA:k]
etw. als Maßstab/Leistungsstandard nehmen
~ a process einen (Arbeits-)Ablauf standardisieren
~ sth. against sth. etw. als Vergleichsgröße gegen etw. anwenden
collaborate (with sb.) [kE(lÄbEreIt]
(mit jmdm.) zusammenarbeiten
~ on a project an einem Projekt zusammenarbeiten
commit (to sth.) [kE(mIt]
sich (zu etw.) verpflichten
~ to a target sich für ein Ziel einsetzen
~ (oneself) to a principle sich zu einem Grundsatz bekennen
confirm sth. [kEn(f§:m]
etw. bestätigen
~ a date einen Termin bestätigen
~ an order einen Auftrag bestätigen
delegate sth. [(delIgeIt]
etw. delegieren
~ a task eine Aufgabe übertragen
design sth. [di(zaIn]
etw. entwerfen
~ an object einen Gegenstand konstruieren
estimate sth. [(estImeIt]
etw. (ab)schätzen
~ costs Kosten schätzen, veranschlagen
face sb./sth. [feIs]
jmdm./etw. begegnen, entgegentreten
~ a challenge einer Herausforderung gegenüberstehen
~ a person jmdn. konfrontieren
maintain sth. [meIn(teIn]
etw. (aufrecht)erhalten
~ a standard einen Standard beibehalten
~ a building ein Gebäude instand halten
predict sth. [pri(dIkt]
etw. vorhersagen, prophezeien
~ an event ein Ereignis vorhersagen
research sth. [ri(s§:tS]
etw. erforschen
~ a market Marktforschung betreiben
schedule sth. [(Sedju:l]
etw. (zeitlich) festlegen, planen
~ delivery den Liefertermin festlegen
~ a meeting eine Sitzung anberaumen
update sth. [)Vp(deIt]
etw. aktualisieren
~ a report einen Bericht aktualisieren
~ software Software aktualisieren
Business Spotlight 13

Rise and fall
Going up — or maybe down
Did you know?
A financing plan
Head of finance, Sue Hay, and CEO
Sam Ford discuss a project budget.
Sue: I’ve drawn up a preliminary
plan. We have to raise
$2.5 million.
Sam: Are you sure you’re not
overstating the costs?
Sue: Well, I’ve broken them
down by department. The
biggest amount is allocated
to production.
Sam: So, how are we going to
procure funding?
Sue: Our holding company will
contribute $1 million. And
the bank will grant us a loan
of $500,000, which we’ll
have to repay over ten years.
“Rise and fall” is used to
refer to gaining power,
wealth or influence, only
to lose it later. It can refer
to civilizations, firms
or individuals. In the context
of finance, share
prices also rise and fall.
Finding funds
Sue and Sam look for other sources of
money for the project.
Sam: Do we have any possibility of
financing the project internally?
Sue: Well, we do have reserves, but
they’re earmarked for other purposes,
so we can’t tap them for
this project. And we can’t divert
money from our foreign offices.
Sam: What about private investors?
Sue: Provided we cap costs and
freeze salaries, at least one investor
will back the project.
Sam: Well, I’m sure we can
convince other investors that
their investment will soon pay off.
department [di(pA:tmEnt]
funding [(fVndIN]
preliminary [pri(lImIn&ri]
Abteilung
Finanzierung
vorläufig
Getty Images
14 Business Spotlight

Key verbs for finance
allocate sth. [(ÄlEkeIt]
etw. zuweisen, zuteilen
~ costs Kosten umlegen
~ tasks Aufgaben vergeben, zuweisen
back sb./sth. [bÄk]
jmdn./etw. unterstützen
~ a project ein Projekt unterstützen
cap sth. [kÄp]
etw. deckeln
contribute sth. [kEn(trIbju:t]
etw. beisteuern, zuschießen
~ funds Mittel zuschießen
~ (money) (Geld) spenden
convince sb. [kEn(vIns]
jmdn. überzeugen, überreden
divert sth. [daI(v§:t]
etw. abzweigen, umlenken
draw sth. up [)drO: (Vp]
etw. entwerfen
~ a plan einen Plan erstellen
(draw – drew – drawn)
earmark sth. for sb./sth. [(IEmA:k fO:]
etw. für jmdn./etw. vorsehen
freeze sth. [fri:z]
etw. einfrieren
~ salaries Gehälter einfrieren
(freeze – froze – frozen)
grant sb. sth. [grA:nt]
jmdm. etw. gewähren
~ a loan ein Darlehen/einen Kredit gewähren
overstate sth. [)EUvE(steIt]
etw. zu hoch angeben
pay off [)peI (Qf]
sich auszahlen
pay sth. off
etw. abbezahlen
pay sb. off
jmdn. auszahlen; bestechen
(pay – paid – paid)
procure sth. [prE(kjUE]
etw. beschaffen
~ goods Waren beschaffen
raise sth. [reIz]
etw. erhöhen; aufbringen
~ money Geld aufbringen; aufnehmen
~ prices Preise erhöhen
repay sth. [ri(peI]
etw. zurückzahlen, tilgen
~ a loan ein Darlehen / einen Kredit zurückzahlen
tap sth. [tÄp]
etw. anzapfen
~ reserves Reserven anzapfen
~ telephone wires Telefonleitungen anzapfen
Business Spotlight 15

Crash and burn
Did you know?
Computer problems
Zoe is having problems with her
computer, and so is her colleague
Brian.
Zoe: Sorry to bother you again,
Brian, but can you access
the database?
Brian: No, I think the server
has crashed.
Zoe: It breaks down every day!
I thought IT had resolved
all the issues with the new
software.
Brian: Apparently not. This is
really affecting our work.
The whole investment has
totally backfired. I’ve yet to
see how we’re going to benefit
from it.
Zoe: Shall I find out who’s
dealing with it?
If you say that something
will “crash and
burn”, you believe that
it will fail spectacularly.
It comes from the image
of a crash followed by a
fire that completely destroys
everything.
iStock
How can I sort
this out?
A perfect solution?
Zoe finds the answer. While one
person works, the others can relax.
Zoe: Brian, I spoke to Joy. She’s
taking care of it — and she
apologized profusely. She
says they’re troubleshooting
the problem right now.
Brian: How long will it take?
Zoe:They should be able to
sort it out in an hour.
Brian: Great. Well, let’s not
waste any time. While
they’re working hard, do you
want to grab a coffee?
Zoe: I’d love to! Just let me get
my jacket.
16 Business Spotlight

Key verbs for problems
access sth. [(Äkses]
etw. betreten; auf etw. zugreifen
~ a database auf eine Datenbank zugreifen
~ a company’s premises ein Firmengelände betreten
affect sb./sth. [E(fekt]
sich auf jmdn./etw. auswirken
~ sb.’s work jmds. Arbeit beeinflussen
~ sb.’s health jmds. Gesundheit schaden
apologize [E(pQlEdZaIz]
sich entschuldigen
~ profusely sich vielmals entschuldigen
~ for the inconvenience sich für die Unannehmlichkeiten entschuldigen
backfire [)bÄk(faIE]
fehlschlagen; nach hinten losgehen
benefit from sth. [(benIfIt frQm]
aus etw. Nutzen ziehen
bother sb. [(bQDE]
jmdn. belästigen
break down [)breIk (daUn]
zusammenbrechen
(break – broke – broken)
crash [krÄS]
abstürzen
deal with sth. [(di:&l wID]
sich mit etw. befassen
~ with a complaint einer Beschwerde nachgehen
~ with an issue sich mit einem Problem befassen, mit einem
Problem fertigwerden
(deal – dealt – dealt)
grab sth. [grÄb] ifml.
(sich) etw. schnappen
~ a coffee schnell einen Kaffee trinken
~ an opportunity eine Chance wahrnehmen
resolve sth. [ri(zQlv]
etw. lösen
~ an issue ein Problem beheben
~ a matter eine Angelegenheit klären
~ one’s differences seine Differenzen beilegen
sort sth. out [)sO:t (aUt]
etw. klären, in Ordnung bringen
take care of sth. [)teIk (keEr Ev]
sich um etw. kümmern
(take – took – taken)
troubleshoot [(trVb&lSu:t]
Störungen beheben
~ a problem ein Problem analysieren und beheben
waste sth. [weIst]
etw. vergeuden, verschwenden
~ an opportunity eine Chance ungenutzt lassen
~ time Zeit verschwenden
Business Spotlight 17

Live and learn
How well have
you learned the
verbs presented
in this booklet?
Find out by doing
our test.
It’s time to pick
and choose
Show and tell
1. “The company _____ in 1964.”
a) founded b) found c) was founded
iStock
2. “We’re planning to _____ public in six months’ time.”
a) go b) make c) do
Hire and fire
3. “I’ve _____ the training of the whole sales team.”
a) oversaw b) overseen c) overseeing
4. “He was _____ at the end of last year.”
a) laid off b) laid up c) laid back
Give and take
5. “Can you _____ with them so that we get a better price?”
a) bargain b) contemplate c) handle
6. “I can _____ you that we will deliver on time.”
a) insure b) ensure c) assure
18 Business Spotlight

Pick and choose
7. “If you’re not happy with the quality of the product, you can _____ it.”
a) evaluate b) exchange c) experience
8. “What price did they _____ you for a bulk order?”
a) declare b) track c) quote
Mix and match
9. “We all _____ on the design. It really was a team effort.”
a) collaborated b) delegated c) maintained
10. “We can’t _____ to a date until we’ve spoken to the head of production.”
a) confirm b) commit c) schedule
Rise and fall
11. “How much can we _____ for the investment?”
a) earmark b) remark c) trademark
12. “Can we _____ the parent company for funding?”
a) nap b) rap c) tap
Crash and burn
13. “The investment has been a disaster. It’s totally _____.”
a) backdated b) backfired c) backstabbed
14. “I need a break. Do you want
to _____ a quick coffee?”
a) grab
b) take
c) waste
Answers
1–c; 2–a; 3–b; 4–a; 5–a; 6–c; 7–b; 8–c; 9–a; 10–b;
11–a; 12–c; 13–b; 14–a
Did you know?
Use the expression “you
live and learn” to show
that you have learned
something that is new,
and often surprising:
“I had no idea that we
had to pay. Oh well, you
live and learn!”
Business Spotlight 19

Besser mit
Sprachen!
Land und Leute verstehen –
und nebenbei die Sprache lernen.
Jeden Monat neu.
Jederzeit
kündbar!
www.spotlight-verlag.de/flex