Раздел 3. Перевод в деловом общении. Бизнес и финансы.

Текст № 1

Empty Shelves in America? (A Study of Breakdowns in Communication)

Several years ago, at a reception which followed (after) a long day of negotiations, a vice-president of an American oil company and his Russian counterpart were having an informal conversation through an interpreter. The Russian said: "My wife spends so much time shopping, but she comes home empty-handed just about every time" (referring to the empty shelves and long lines in the then Soviet stores). The American nodded and said: "My wife is exactly the same way. She spends hours going to all kinds of stores without buying a single thing." They smiled, for here were two men who really "understood" one another.

Communication is important in every business. In energy business, for instance, communication is especially crucial because without it things (everything) can literally explode. While most of us think that the worst kind of communication breakdown occurs when people fail to understand each other's words or actions, there exists a more dramatic (serious) and potentially damaging kind of communication breakdown — when people are convinced that they understand each other and are headed towards reaching an agreement, but are in fact miles (if not light-years) apart.

This is precisely the kind of communication breakdown that is observed repeatedly during negotiations, meetings, seminars and other formal or informal events involving representatives of Western oil companies and Russian ministries and associations. While some of the numerous examples are seemingly amusing, others are not only costly (cost a lot) but often result in "inexplicable" delays in negotiations, frustration with the intended future partner, and, in many cases, total failure of an undertaking (enterprise).

Every failure also yields useful lessons, however. This article will attempt to reveal some of the causes leading to breakdowns in communication and discuss ways of preventing their occurrence.

First of all, it may help us to keep in mind (take into account) that vast cultural differences exist, and will continue to exist, between the peoples of the former Soviet Union and the West. These differences will affect negotiations and business dealings (contacts) despite the rapid changes taking place in Russia and other republics. The people of the newly formed Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have acquired their life-long experience under the old system and it may take several generations before the communication gap between the West and the people of the Community can be narrowed to the level currently existing between the United States and Western Europe. At the same time, effective business communication between the West and the former Soviet Union is essential today.

Raphael Baron ("The Russian Petroleum Investor Newsletter")

Упражнение № 1. Макроэкономика.

New economic team, slowdown in the pace of reforms, in charge of economic policy, stabilization is underway already, galloping inflation, to create new jobs and yield profits, "golden mean", state ownership, has a right to exist, to carry out economic reforms, pre-tax profits have doubled, to attract foreign investors, productions rose by 11%, to issue new shares, shareholders meeting was held, the company was being audited, government has asked for new grain credit, Export-Import Bank granted new loans to..., talks were suspended, privatization plans, to offer a 12.5% stake in the huge company, growth rate average over 8%, investments poured into the country, industrialization was going ahead, government was forced to cut expenditures, a crash on stock exchange, high interest rates, dumping prices, low economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 3.7%,macroeconomics indicators; trade surplus, trade deficit, exports rose 3% and imports slipped 6%, a 40% stake in a company, privatisation programme, tender results, emerging markets, stock exchange, capital flight, exports have nearly doubled, signed a contract, natural gas supplies, to close a deal, economic and trade relations between both states, complete liberalization of trade, customs clearing, to carry out transactions, to maintain close contacts, to introduce new currency, tough monetary policy, to close a deal.

Упражнение № 2. Экономика и финансы.

IMF has delayed payments, low tax revenues, to put the economy on track, to develop oil field, production-sharing agreement, foreign partners, industrial output, to set up a new company, economic stagnation, economic slump, economic recovery, blue chip companies ("blue chips"), to announce lower electricity tariffs, economic growth, competitiveness, to increase bilateral trade, trade turnover, consumer goods, dumping low quality products, arms exports, several major JVs were launched; to help build nuclear power plant, hydropower station; to boost trade exchanges by 200 mln USD, to sign a memorandum, to create a Free Trade Zone, to complete construction of a food processing plant, the total cost of the project is estimated at 57.5 mln USD, purchasing power, demand and supply, consumer demand, multilateral talks, bilateral trade rose by 25% last year and amounted to 4.7 bn USD, production-sharing agreement, emerging markets, the two companies are to merge soon, software developers, dumping prices, corporate financing, merger and takeover.

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