Introduction

When a company's service is not to your satisfaction, how do you complain? What's the best way to get what you want? And when has complaining been completely futile??Sam and Rob discuss people's readiness to complain and teach you vocabulary.

This week's question

The oldest recorded complaint is on a stone tablet in the British Museum. It’s nearly 4000 years old. What was the complaint about?

a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered after being bought at market.

b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied.

c) The non-payment of a bill for a banquet.

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Transcript

Note: This is not a word for word transcript??

Sam

Hello, this is 6 Minute English. I'm Sam.?

Rob

And I'm Rob.

Sam

Are good at complaining, Rob?

Rob

Of course not. I’m British! I never complain, even when I get terrible service. It’s just too embarrassing.

Sam

Well, you might be in a minority now as it seems we British are complaining more than we used to. We’ll look at this topic a little more after this week’s quiz question. The oldest recorded complaint is on a stone tablet in the British Museum. It’s nearly 4000 years old. What was the complaint about?

a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered after being bought at market

b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or

c) The non-payment of a bill for a banquet

What do you think, Rob?

Rob

I’m just going to guess at the goats. Someone bought a load of goats and fewer were delivered than were bought. That sounds good, but it’s just a guess.

Sam

OK. Well, I will reveal the answer later in the programme, and don’t complain if you get it wrong! You and Yours is a BBC radio programme about consumer affairs. On a recent programme they discussed the topic of complaining and customer service with Giles Hawke from an organisation called the Institute of Customer Service. He talks about different?sectors. A?sector?is a particular area of business. Which?sectors?does he say have most problems when it comes to keeping the complaining customer satisfied?

Giles Hawke

The?sectors?that probably have more problems than the UK average are public services, telecommunications, transport and service?sector. And there are probably some?inherent?challenges within those?sectors?- they may have more impact on a day-to-day basis. Those?sectors?which are?performing?well … travel is?performing?well, retail is?performing?well, leisure appears to be?performing?well.

Sam

So, which?sectors?are not keeping the customer satisfied?

Rob

He says that public services, telecoms, transport and the service sector have most problems.

Sam

And he says that these sectors may have?inherent?challenges. What does he mean by that?

Rob

Well, some?sectors, by their nature, are more complicated and more likely to cause problems for customers. Public services, for example, often don’t have enough money or enough staff. Telecommunications systems, such as your internet connection, are very complicated and sometimes go wrong. Bad weather can affect transport, and so on. So an?inherent?problem is a problem that is part of the nature of the thing itself.

Sam

So, those?sectors?are not?performing?well. We usually think of the word?perform?when we are talking about actors or musicians, but in a business sense to?perform?well or badly means to be successful or not, and, according to Giles Hawke, travel and retail are?performing?well in terms of customer service.

Giles Hawke goes on to talk about how people are actually making their complaints, but are modern methods taking over from the traditional letter or phone call?

Giles Hawke

We still see over 58% of complaints are made by phone or by letter so, you know, the more traditional methods of making a complaint are still?dominant, but we are seeing social media rise, although it’s still a very small part of how people complain and it tends to be used as an?escalation?point if people aren’t getting what they want?dealt with?in the first instance.

Sam

So, are people using modern methods more than traditional ones?

Rob

Actually, no. He says that phoning or writing a letter are still?dominant. This means they are still the main, most used methods for making a complaint.

Sam

Where people are turning to social media is if their complaint is not?dealt with. To?deal with?something means to sort it, to fix it – and if you complain and it’s?not?dealt with, then, he says, people turn to social media as a form of?escalation.

Rob

When you?escalate?a complaint, you take it to a higher level. Putting your complaint on social media means that a lot more people are going to see it and it might encourage a company to?deal with?the complaint.

Sam

Right, well before we receive any complaints, let’s review today’s vocabulary after the answer to the question which was about a 4000-year-old complaint. Was the complaint about:

a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered after being bought at market.

b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or

c) The non-payment of a bill for a banquet.

Rob, what did you say?

Rob

I went for a). I went for the goats.

Sam

Sorry! It was actually a complaint about the quality of copper ingots or bars that were supplied. If you knew that, very well done. If you guessed right, also, very well done. No shame to get that one wrong.

Rob

And no complaints from me!

Sam

OK. Right, now vocabulary. We had?sectors,which are particular areas of business in the economy.

Rob

Something that is?inherent?is a natural part of something. It’s usually used to describe a problem or risk that is an unavoidable part of something.

Sam

How successful a company is can be describe as how well it’s?performing.?And if something is?dominant, it means it is the strongest or most used.

Rob

And if a company doesn’t?deal with, or try to fix a problem, the customer might take the complaint to the next level on social media, which would mean an?escalation.

Sam

Thank you, Rob. That’s all from 6 Minute English this time. Do join us again soon and don’t forget to check us out online. Bye bye!

Rob

Bye!

Vocabulary

a sector

an area of business within the economy, for?example: the telecommunications sector

inherent

a natural part of something, usually a difficulty or risk, that can’t be avoided

to perform

if a company is performing well, it is being successful

dominant

strongest, most used

to escalate (adj, noun: escalation)

to take something to a higher level, for?example to escalate a complaint if you are not satisfied with the first response

to deal with (a problem or complaint)

to try to fix a problem or resolve a complaint

雙語版Transcript

Hello, this is6 Minute English. I'm Sam.

大家好，這里是六分鐘英語，我是薩姆。

And I'm Rob.

我是羅伯。

Are good atcomplaining, Rob?

羅伯，你擅長投訴嗎？

Of course not.I'm British!

當然不。我是英國人！

I nevercomplain, even when I get terrible service.

我從不投訴，即使我得到很差的服務。

It's just tooembarrassing.

那太尷尬了。

Well, you mightbe in a minority now as it seems we British are complaining more than we usedto.

好吧，你現(xiàn)在可能是少數(shù)，因為我們英國人似乎比以前投訴得多了。

We'll look atthis topic a little more after this week's quiz question.

在本周的小測驗之后我們會進一步討論這個話題。

The oldestrecorded complaint is on a stone tablet in the British Museum.

被記錄下來的最久遠的投訴是在大英博物館的一塊石碑上。

It's nearly4000 years old.

它有近4000年的歷史。

What was thecomplaint about??a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered afterbeing bought at market, b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or c)The non-payment of a bill for a banquet?

投訴的內(nèi)容是什么？a)在市場上買到的山羊數(shù)量不正確，b)所供應銅條的質(zhì)量，還是c)沒有支付宴會賬單？

What do youthink, Rob?

你覺得呢，羅伯？

I'm just goingto guess at the goats.

我猜是跟山羊有關。

Someone boughta load of goats and fewer were delivered than were bought.

有人買了許多的山羊，送來的比買下的少。

That soundsgood, but it's just a guess.

聽起來不錯，但這只是個猜測。

OK. Well, Iwill reveal the answer later in the programme, and don't complain if you get itwrong!

好的。稍后我將在節(jié)目中揭曉答案，如果你答錯了不要投訴??！

You and Yoursis a BBC radio programme about consumer affairs.

Youand Yours是BBC廣播一個關于消費者事宜的節(jié)目。

On a recentprogramme they discussed the topic of complaining and customer service withGiles Hawke from an organisation called the Institute of Customer Service.

在最近的一期節(jié)目中，他們與客戶服務協(xié)會的賈爾斯·霍克討論了投訴與客戶服務方面的話題。

He talks aboutdifferent sectors.

他談到了不同行業(yè)。

A sector is aparticular area of business.

行業(yè)是一個特定的商業(yè)領域。

Which sectorsdoes he say have most problems when it comes to keeping the complainingcustomer satisfied?

當談到令投訴的客戶滿意方面時，他說哪些行業(yè)的問題最多？

The sectorsthat probably have more problems than the UK average are public services,telecommunications, transport and service sector.

問題可能超過英國平均水平的行業(yè)是公共服務、電信、交通和服務行業(yè)。

And there areprobably some inherent challenges within those sectors - they may have moreimpact on a day-to-day basis.

這些行業(yè)可能存在一些固有的挑戰(zhàn)——它們可能對日常生活有更大的影響。

Those sectorswhich are performing well … travel is performing well, retail is performingwell, leisure appears to be performing well.

那些經(jīng)營良好的行業(yè)……旅游業(yè)經(jīng)營良好，零售業(yè)經(jīng)營良好，娛樂產(chǎn)業(yè)經(jīng)營良好。

So, whichsectors are not keeping the customer satisfied?

所以哪些行業(yè)沒有讓客戶滿意呢？

He says thatpublic services, telecoms, transport?and the service sector have most problems.

他說公共服務、電信、交通和服務業(yè)面臨的問題最多。

And he saysthat these sectors may have inherent challenges.

而且他說這些行業(yè)可能存在固有挑戰(zhàn)。

What does hemean by that?

他那么說是什么意思？

Well, somesectors, by their nature, are more complicated and more likely to causeproblems for customers.

嗯，有些行業(yè)從本質(zhì)上說就比較復雜，更容易給客戶帶來麻煩。

Publicservices, for example, often don't have enough money or enough staff.

例如，公共服務常常沒有足夠的資金或足夠的員工。

Telecommunicationssystems, such as your internet connection, are very complicated and sometimesgo wrong.

電信系統(tǒng)，比如你的網(wǎng)絡連接，是非常復雜的，有時會出錯。

Bad weather canaffect transport, and so on.

壞天氣會影響交通等等。

So an inherentproblem is a problem that is part of the nature of the thing itself.

所以固有的問題是事物本質(zhì)的一部分。

So, thosesectors are not performing well.

因此，這些行業(yè)經(jīng)營不善。

We usuallythink of the word perform when we are talking about actors ormusicians,?but in a business sense to perform well or badly means to besuccessful or not,?and, according to Giles Hawke, travel and retail areperforming well in terms of customer service.

當我們談論演員或音樂家時，我們通常會想到"表演"這個詞，但在商業(yè)意義上，"經(jīng)營得好"或"經(jīng)營得不好"意味著成功或失敗。而且根據(jù)賈爾斯·霍克的說法，旅行業(yè)和零售業(yè)在客戶服務方面經(jīng)營良好。

Giles Hawkegoes on to talk about how people are actually making their complaints, but aremodern methods taking over from the traditional letter or phone call?

賈爾斯·霍克繼續(xù)談到人們實際上是如何投訴的，但是現(xiàn)代方法取代了傳統(tǒng)的信件投訴或電話投訴嗎？

We still see over58% of complaints are made by phone or by letter so, you know, the moretraditional methods of making a complaint are still dominant,?but we areseeing social media rise, although it's still a very small part of how peoplecomplain,?and it tends to be used as an escalation point if people aren'tgetting what they want dealt with in the first instance.

我們?nèi)钥吹匠^58%的投訴是電話投訴或信件投訴，你知道的，以更傳統(tǒng)的方法進行投訴仍占主導地位，但我們看到社交媒體興起，盡管仍是小部分的人以這種方式投訴，如果人們一開始沒有得到想要的處理，它往往會被用作事件升級點。

So, are peopleusing modern methods more than traditional ones?

所以人們使用現(xiàn)代方法投訴比使用傳統(tǒng)方法投訴多嗎？

Actually, no.

事實上，不是。

He says thatphoning or writing a letter are still dominant.

他說，打電話或?qū)懶磐对V仍占主導地位。

This means theyare still the main, most used methods for making a complaint.

這指的是它們?nèi)匀皇侵饕?，最常用的投訴方法。

Where peopleare turning to social media is if their complaint is not dealt with.

人們轉(zhuǎn)向社交媒體的原因是他們的投訴沒有得到處理。

To deal withsomething means to sort it, to fix it – and if you complain and it's not dealtwith, then, he says, people turn to social media as a form of escalation.

解決某事指的是對它進行處理、修正——如果你投訴卻沒得到處理，那么人們就會轉(zhuǎn)向社交媒體作為一種升級形式。

When youescalate a complaint, you take it to a higher level.

當你把投訴升級時，你會把它提升到一個更高的等級。

Putting yourcomplaint on social media means that a lot more people are going to see it andit might encourage a company to deal with the complaint.

把你的投訴放到社交媒體上意味著會有更多的人看到它，這可能會促進公司處理投訴。

Right, wellbefore we receive any complaints, let's review today's vocabulary after theanswer to the question which was about a 4000-year-old complaint.

好的，在我們收到任何投訴之前，讓我們揭曉問題答案然后復習一下今天的詞匯。那個問題是關于一個有4000年歷史的投訴。

Was thecomplaint about:?a) An incorrect number of goats that were delivered afterbeing bought at market. b) The quality of copper bars that were supplied, or c)The non-payment of a bill for a banquet.

投訴的內(nèi)容是：a)在市場上買到的山羊數(shù)量不正確。b)所供應銅條的質(zhì)量，還是c)沒有支付宴會賬單？

Rob, what didyou say?

你說是什么，羅伯？

I went for a).I went for the goats.

我選了a)。我選了山羊那個選項。

Sorry! It wasactually a complaint about the quality of copper ingots or bars that weresupplied.

很遺憾！它實際上是對所供應銅錠或銅條質(zhì)量的投訴。

If you knewthat, very well done.

如果你知道的話，那你做得很好。

If you guessedright, also, very well done.

如果你猜對了，也很好。

No shame to getthat one wrong.

答錯了也并不丟臉。

And nocomplaints from me!

我不會投訴的！

OK. Right, nowto vocabulary.

好的?，F(xiàn)在詞匯部分。

We had sectors,which are particular areas of business in the economy.

我們學了"行業(yè)"，這是經(jīng)濟中的特殊商業(yè)領域。

Something thatis inherent is a natural part of something.

固有的事物是事物的自然組成部分。

It's usuallyused to describe a problem or risk that is an unavoidable part of something.

它通常用來描述一個問題或風險是某事物不可避免的部分。

How successfula company is can be describe as how well it's performing.

一個公司的成功程度可以用它的經(jīng)營情況來描述。

And ifsomething is dominant, it means it is the strongest or most used.

如果某物占主導地位，意思是它是最強的或使用最多的。

And if acompany doesn't deal with, or try to fix a problem, the customer might take thecomplaint to the next level on social media, which would mean an escalation.

如果一家公司不處理或試圖解決一個問題，客戶可能會在社交媒體上將投訴帶到下一個等級，這意味著升級。

Thank you, Rob.That's all from 6 Minute English this time. Do join us again soon and don'tforget to check us out online.

謝謝你，羅伯。以上就是本期六分鐘英語的全部內(nèi)容。下次再加入我們，不要忘記在線查看我們的內(nèi)容。

Bye bye!