在展示廳里，一位華籍陶瓷制造商正和美國進口商談話。

Importer: What beautiful art ceramics you make.
你們制作的陶瓷作品真美。

Manufacturer: I learned the craft from my father. Then I studied ceramic engineering at school.
我跟我父親學習陶藝。然后我又在學校攻讀陶瓷工程學。

Importer: All your hard work looks as if it's paid off.
看來你的心血沒有白費。

Manufacturer: Yes, I have 50 employees. I hope to become the biggest exporter of ceramics in Taiwan.
沒錯，我現(xiàn)在擁有五十名員工。我希望能成為臺灣最大的陶瓷出口商。

Importer: Well, the demand for ceramics is increasing in my country.
我們國內(nèi)對陶瓷的需求量愈來愈大。

Manufacturer: Yes, a large proportion of our sales are to the U.S.
是的，我們大部分產(chǎn)品銷往美國。

Importer: The development of ceramics in your country has been remarkable. You carry on a centuries-old tradition and keep pace with modern technology at the same time.
貴國陶瓷業(yè)的發(fā)展的確不同凡響。你們延續(xù)了古老的傳統(tǒng)，同時又與現(xiàn)代科技一同進步。

Manufacturer: Yes, our research in the field has been yielding good results. And we're deeply grateful to your country's technicians for their considerable assistance.
是的，在這方面的研究已有了不錯的成果。也很感激貴國技術人員的協(xié)助。

Importer: Tell me about your designs.
給我介紹一下你們的設計好嗎。

Manufacturer: How do you like this one?
您覺得這個如何?

Importer: It's beautiful.
很美。

Manufacturer: This is an eight-foot decorative vase. It's hand-made and the inlaid designs are etched in. It takes 45 days to make. Its retail price will be US$3,000.
這是個八尺高的裝飾花瓶。完全手工制造，而且雕刻部分設計采用蝕鏤法刻入。制造過程耗時四十五天，零售價為三千美元。

Importer: The result is certainly worth the effort. How about this design over here?
這樣的成品確實值得這番功夫。這個式樣呢?

Manufacturer: This vase is still in the experimental stage.
這個花瓶還在實驗階段。

Importer: Why is that?
為什么?

Manufacturer: It's quite expensive to make and because of its small size, buyers balk at its high price. We feel we could sell more if we could reduce the price.
這個式樣的制造成本相當高，而且因為體積小，顧客看到這樣高的價錢就裹足不前。我們想如果售價降低，將能賣出更多。

Importer: Well, you mustn't tamper with quality. It's the high quality of Chinese ceramics that attracts American buyers.
嗯，你可不能在質量上動手腳。美國的顧客就是看上了中國陶瓷的高質量。

Manufacturer: That's why a reduction in price can never be made at the expense of quality.
正因為如此，降低價格的同時，并不能以犧牲質量為代價。

Importer: Well, thank you for showing me your beautiful ceramic ware. I was so impressed by your designs and the high quality of your pieces.
嗯，謝謝你為我展示這些美麗的陶藝品。你們的設計和產(chǎn)品質量讓我印象深刻。

（來源：SOHU教育 英語點津 Annabel 編輯）