UF 1764 INGLÉS ORAL Y ESCRITO EN EL COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL

TEMA 1. GESTIÓN DE OPERACIONES DE COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL EN

INGLÉS
1. ESTRUCTURAS LINGÜÍSTICAS Y LÉXICO RELACIONADO CON LAS OPERACIONES DE COMERCIO
INTERNACIONAL
1.1. VOCABULARIO Y EXPRESIONES EN LA OPERATIVA DE LOS DISTINTOS DESTINOS
ADUANEROS
1.2. VOCABULARIO Y EXPRESIONES EN LA NEGOCIACIÓN Y PROCESOS DE ACUERDOS
COMERCIALES CON OTROS OPERADORES
2. ESTRUCTURAS LINGÜÍSTICAS Y LÉXICO RELACIONADO CON LA CONTRATACIÓN Y
CONDICIONES DE LA COMPRAVENTA INTERNACIONAL
2.1. CONDICIONES DE CONTRATACIÓN Y FINANCIACIÓN
2.2. TARIFAS Y PRECIOS
2.3. MODOS DE PAGO
2.4. PRÓRROGAS
2.5. DESCUENTOS
3. LÉXICO Y FONÉTICA DE LAS CONDICIONES DE ENTREGA
3.1. INCOTERMS
3.2. PLAZOS DE ENTREGA
3.3. FREIGHT TERMS (CONDICIONES DE TRANSPORTE
3.4. INCUMPLIMIENTOS, ANOMALÍAS Y SINIESTROS

1. ESTRUCTURAS LINGÜÍSTICAS Y LÉXICO RELACIONADO CON LAS OPERACIONES DE

COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL
1.1. VOCABULARIO Y EXPRESIONES EN LA OPERATIVA DE LOS DISTINTOS DESTINOS
ADUANEROS
EXERCISE 1. Translate this vocabulary used in the operation of customs destinations into
English or Spanish.
ON BOARD A bordo
In bulk CARGA A GRANEL
Bulk cargo
CUSTOMS Aduana
CUSTOMS AGENT Agente de aduanas
Customs clearance DESPACHO DE ADUANAS
LOADING PORT Puerto de carga
UNLOADING PORT Puerto de descarga
Delivery note ALBAARÁN
WAREHOUSE Almacén
STORAGE Almacenaje
LICENSE Licencia
Non-tariff barrier BARRERAS NO ARANCELARIAS
Vessel NAVE
Kind of packages TIPO DE PAQUETES?
TARIC code CÓDIGO TARIC
Consignor CONSIGNATARIO
Consignee CONSIGNADO
20 FT CONTAINER Contenedor (20 y 40 pies)
To entitle AUTORIZAR, DAR DERECHO, DOTAR
CURRENCY Divisa
Shipping documents DOCUMENTOS DE EMBARQUE
ATTACHED DOCUMENTS Documentos adjuntos
Sender, shipper REMITENTE
PROFORMA INVOICE Factura proforma
Freight FLETE
Freight prepaid FLETE PAGADO
Freight collect CARGA POR COBRAR???
Method of payment MÉTODO DE PAGO
Gastos de demora
FREIGHT CHARGES Gastos de transporte
SUM ? AMOUNT? Importe
Vat IVA (Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido)
Taxes, duties IMPUESTOS
INCOTERMS Incoterms
Clean on board LIMPIO A BORDO
Marks & Numbers NÚMEROS Y ANOTACIONES? MARCAS?
Goods BIENES
WE ARE NOT HELD RISPONSIBLE FOR No nos responsabilizaremos por cualquier pérdida
ANY LOSS OR DAMAGES o daño que pueda surgir
Personal Tax ID Number Nº DE IDENTIFICACIÓN ISCA
p.p. (per procurationem), for …, on EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE
behalf of
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN País de origen/ de destino/de expedición
Tariff ARANCEL
VALIDITY PERIOD ¿????? Periodo de validez
GROSS WEIGHT Peso bruto
NET WEIGHT Peso neto
Instalments PLAZOS
PORT OF ENTRY Puerto de entrada
Corporate name NOMBRE EMPRESARIAL
Packing list PACKING LIST
STAMP / TIMBER Precinto/ sello
APPLICATION Solicitud
Processing TRAMITACIÓN, PROCESAMIENTO,
TRANSFORMACIÓN????
FREIGHT FORWARDER Transitario
Carrier TRANSPORTISTA
Endorsed ENDOSADO
FTZ (Free Trade Zone) ZONA DE LIBRE COMERCIO
CUSTOMS DECLARATION Declaración de aduanas
Además de este vocabulario, los profesionales del comercio internacional deben conocer los
principales documentos aduaneros y de transporte que se utilizan habitualmente en las
operativas comerciales en el ámbito comunitario.

CMR
CIM
Certificado de origen
Certificado fitosanitario
B/L DOCUMENTO DE EMBARQUE
AWB DOCUMENTO DE EMBARQUE AÉREO
Carta de porte para el transporte multimodal
DUA (Documento Único Administrativo)
Licencia de exportación/importación temporal
Póliza de fletamiento
Póliza de seguro

1.2. VOCABULARIO Y EXPRESIONES EN LA NEGOCIACIÓN Y PROCESOS DE ACUERDOS

COMERCIALES CON OTROS OPERADORES
EXERCISE 2. Translate this vocabulary used in conversations about negotiations, hiring and
trade agreements into Spanish or English.
De acuerdo con
Acuerdo comercial
Asistencia técnica
Todos los impuestos, tasas o tarifas aduaneras
aplicables correrán a cargo de…
Legal capacity
Additional clauses
Commission
To undertake
Compromiso
Condición
Desacuerdo
Descuento
Dietas de viaje
Registered office
On behalf of
Entrar en vigor
Llegar a un acuerdo
To be bound to …
Provisions
Fecha de vencimiento
Vinculante (ejecutable)
Día hábil
Garantía /depósito
Compensation
Acuerdo de cancelación
Ley aplicable
Amendment
NEGOTIATION, BARGAINING, DEAL Negociación
RULE, REGULATION, STANDARD, Norma, ley
NORM
CLAUSE, PROVISION, TERM Cláusula
PART, SECTION? CONTEXTO? Parte
CANCELLATION CLAUSE ¿?? Cláusula de cancelación
CONTRACT, AGREEMENT Contrato
ORDER Pedido
PENALTY Penalización
POST SALE SERVICES Servicio postventa
SERVICE PROVIDER Prestador del servicio
PROVIDE SERVICES Prestar servicios
EXTENSION Prórroga
Date of acceptance FECHA DE ACEPTACIÓN
Date of payment FECHA DE PAGO
Termination of the contract RESOLUCIÓN DEL CONTRATO
Deal ACUERDO
Effective period of the contract PERIODO EFECTIVO DEL CONTRATO
COMPLIANCE / FULFILLMENT / Cumplimiento
OBSERVATION
On demand A DEMANDA
Place of business LUGAR DE DESARROLLO HABITUAL DE
NEGOCIOS /ACTIVIDADES
Prior agreement ACUERDO PREVIO
RESPONSIBILITIES, LIABILITIES Responsabilidades
To advise ACONSEJAR, ASESORAR, RECOMENDAR
To amend or modify MODIFICAR, ENMENDAR
TO BE LEGALLY ESTABLISHED, Estar legalmente constituida
INCORPORATED
To be settled QUEDAR RESUELTO (UNA DISPUTA, POR EJEMPLO)
To be subject to SUJETO A
To confirm CONFIRMAR
To dismiss DESESTIMAR, DESCARTAR, RECHAZAR, DESTITUIR
To enter into (an agreement) CELEBRAR UN CONTRATO
To forward REMITIR
To incorporate (a company) CONSTITUIR UNA SOCIEDAD
To move MOVER
To perform LLEVAR A CABO
To place COLOCAR? DEPENDE DE A QUÉ ACOMPAÑE TO
PLACE
To return DEVOLVER
To ship ENVIAR
Adoptar/tomar medidas
Within the five working days of EN LOS CINCO DÍAS HÁBILES POSTERIORES AL
dispatch of this notice PRESENTE AVISO
Checklist CHECKLIST, LISTA DE COMPROBACIÓN
PUBLIC ENTITY Organismo público
NGO ONG (Organización No Gubernamental)
Deadline FECHA LÍMITE, PLAZO
Terms of tender CONDICIONES DE LA LICITACIÓN
 Budget
Procedure
Kick-off meeting
Subcontratación
Seguimiento
Grant

EXERCISE 3. Useful phrases and expressions that may arise in a negotiation, hiring and trade
agreements. Translate them into Spanish or English.
Hi. This is Maria from the accounting
department at Acme.
Siento molestarle otra vez pero no tengo
demasiado claro lo que dijo.
Message understood!
Right. I'll get back to you on that!
Estaré en contacto.
Got your message!
De acuerdo. Deme tiempo para pensarlo.
Todavía no lo sé.
¡Me gusta mucho la idea!
Sure, I'll get on to it right away/straight
away.
Veré lo que puedo hacer.
I'll pass the message on.
Yes, of course.
Sorry, I can't help you out there.
I'm afraid that's not possible
I'm sorry but I can't make it on Monday.
What about /How about next week?
Me va bien.
Por supuesto. Será un placer.
Gracias.
Muchas gracias. / Muchísimas gracias
¡Gracias por su ayuda!
I think we need to get together to go
over the details.
I look forward to hearing from you on
this.
I look forward to meeting you on
Wednesday.
Do you think you could ask him to send
us an e-mail?
Sure, go ahead.
OK, please go ahead and send us the
details of the offer.
We'll have to consult our lawyer
regarding this matter.
We've got to iron out our differences if
we are to make a deal.
 I'd like to propose a compromise.
We don't want to haggle over prices.
We are ready to enter into negotiations
whenever you say.
Mi colega ha redactado el acuerdo.
Las negociaciones/conversaciones para
encontrar una solución han fracasado.
Quisiéramos saber qué le parece la idea.
¿Por qué no nos explica su postura sobre esta
propuesta?
She will give you an outline of the plan.
We are willing to consider your offer but
with the following changes.
That would be acceptable as long as we
can agree on a price.
I can see your point of view.
I take your point but we must wait for
the surveyor's report before taking
further steps.
Would you consider other options?
I don't think that fits in with our plans.
Alternatively, we could take on more
dealers in the Caracas area.
Our machinery's performance is very
high.
Let's just run over the details one more
time.
Unfortunately, we can see no point in
continuing negotiations.
We are getting nowhere like this.
¡Ha sido un placer hacer negocios con ustedes!
¡Trato hecho!

2. ESTRUCTURAS LINGÜÍSTICAS Y LÉXICO RELACIONADO CON LA CONTRATACIÓN Y

CONDICIONES DE LA COMPRAVENTA INTERNACIONAL
2.1. CONDICIONES DE CONTRATACIÓN Y FINANCIACIÓN
2.1.1. Condiciones de contratación
Contracts are agreements concluded between persons or entities (e.g. corporations) in which a
party agrees to provide a service or supply goods in exchange for the payment of money or
other goods or services.
In order for a contract to be binding there must be an offer and an acceptance on the parties
involved (seller/exporter) and (buyer/importer), which entails an exchange of promises,
actions or money knows as consideration. Therefore, a contract will be binding if there is
consideration.
In the international sales contracts there are some clauses that are mandatory:
- Goods: descriptions of the products, quality, certificates, country of origin, quantity,
inspection of the goods, packaging.
- Delivery: Delivery terms (INCOTERMS), place and date of delivery, carrier and other
specifications of delivery.
- Price: total price, price per unit or unit of measurement, amount in letters and numbers,
transaction currency.
- Payment terms: means/method of payment (for example bank transfer or cheque), seller’s
bank account, time and payments arrangements: in advance, by documentary collection , by
letter of credit (backed by a bank guarantee)
- Documents: commercial invoice, transport and customs documents, certificates, etc.
- Transfer of property: goods to be delivered free from any right or claim from a third person,
the property in the goods shall not pass to the buyer until the seller has received payment in
full of the price of the goods.
- Force majeure: war, emergencies, accidents, fires, earthquakes, floods, industrial strikes.
There are other clauses in the international sales contract and they are complementary:
- Non-performance of the seller’s obligation to deliver the goods at the agreed time.
(additional time/time extension)
- Non-performance of the buyer’s obligation to pay the price at the agreed time.
(additional time/time extension)
- Lack of conformity
- Avoidance/Termination of the contract
EXERCISE 4. Relevant vocabulary to the interpretation of an international sales contract.
Translate it into Spanish or English.
On/Upon delivery
Comprador
Contraparte
Contraprestación
Contrato de compraventa internacional
Fulfilment
To acknowledge
Fault
Demora, retraso
To appoint
Place of business
To deliver
Escribir en letra
Lien
Incumplimiento de contrato
Moneda de curso legal
Notificar
To bargain
Pactar, llegar a un acuerdo
Fecha de entrega
Plazo máximo de entrega
Arbitration
Responsabilidad
Product, good
Corporate name
Organized and existing corporation
 To set over
Vendedor

2.1.2. Condiciones de financiación

One of the clauses of international sales transactions is that of financial conditions, the price of
the good or service the method of payment to satisfy the deal, extensions and discounts that
the exporter may grant to the buyer.
Regarding financing terms, they are two types of financing in the field of international sales
transaction: funding to the exporter and funding to the importer.
Funding to the exporter consists of financing the resources that the exporter or manufacturer
needs for the production of the confirmed order. This funding to the exporter is provided by
banks.
Funding to the importer consists of the easy payment terms that the export grants to the
importer to pay for the goods or service hired. In this case, the commitment of payment by the
importer will be more demanding if the exporter requests prompt payment or cash payment,
which if agreed the deferred payment to 30, 60 or 90 days.
The financing conditions from the exporter to the importer will depend, for example, on the
confidence level established between them or their trade relationship.
EXERCISE 5. Usual vocabulary presenting the clause that corresponds to the conditions of
financing in international sales contracts. Translate it into Spanish or English.

Corto plazo
Crédito comercial
Bank charges/fees
Largo plazo
Medio plazo
Pagadero a la presentación
Pagadero a la vista
Pagadero a plazo
Pago diferido, aplazado
Póliza de crédito
Post-financiación
Pre-financiación
Bank loan
Interest rate

Fecha de vencimiento
Vencimiento único
Bank rate
Acreedor
Deuda
Deudor
Fab prime rate of
interest
Transferencia de fondos
Financiación
Letter of indemnity
 Tariff
Tariff item
Tax
Transferencia bancaria
(cash) Withdrawal

2.2. TARIFAS Y PRECIOS

EXERCISE 6. Vocabulary relating to prices and tariffs. Translate it into Spanish or English
Accounting information
IVA incluido
Gastos adicionales
Additional premium (A/P)
The seller has to bear the costs
Amount of tax
Cargos, gastos/costes
Liquidación
Compensation
Línea de crédito
Deductions (Ded)
Disbursements
Libre de carga, gratuito
Importe bruto
Maintenance fee
Money order
Importe neto
Pago en cuotas
Orden de pago
Tasa de cambio
Tasa de interés
Repayment
Tax base
Taxes, duties or customs fees
Time draft
To be payable in advance
Transfer in advance
Plazos anuales
Budget deficit
Deflación
Deuda
Ingreso
Per cápita
PIB (Producto Interior Bruto)
PNB (Producto Nacional Bruto)
Sector primario (agricultura)
Sector secundario (industria)
Sector terciario (servicios)
Productive sector
Budget surplus
Labour force
Unemployment rate
 Tasa de inflación
Tipo de cambio
Tipo de interés
Poverty line
A la hora de interpretar tarifas, precios o informes comerciales hay que identificar qué divisa
es (foreign currency)
AUD
BRL
CAD
CNY
AED
Euro EUR /
€
Great Britain Pound/Pound GBP/£
Sterling
Indian Rupee INR
JPY/¥
RUB
CHF
United States Dollar USD/$ ....................................................................................

In the international sales transactions whose origin or destination is the UE the amounts will
be in euros. If the origin or destination is the USA the amounts will be in US dollars. In the
operations with third countries, it is common that rates and prices are expressed in euros or
dollars, according to the economic or commercial influence.
When establishing an export price list should include basic information such as validity period,
product description, unit of measurement and final customer sale price.
The order is a document generated by the sales department for internal use and whose
mission is to launch the manufacture of the goods or the preparation of the goods in the event
that they are in stock.
We can find the following information in an order:
- Seller/exporter, buyer /importer: razón social, NIF, dirección y datos de contacto del
vendedor y razón social, NIF, dirección y datos de contacto del comprador.
- Delivery address/ship to: dirección de entrega de la mercancía (intermediario, distribuidor,
almacenes, etc.)
- Order number and date (número de pedido y fecha): se indica el número de pedido según la
secuencia interna del comprador, así como la fecha en la que se envía la hoja de pedido.
- Description of products/items/goods: cantidad, color, peso, unidad de medida,
características, referencia, envase y embalaje.
- Quantity: indica la cantidad para cada uno de los productos solicitados.
- Terms of sale, transport (freight) and payment (condiciones de venta, transporte y pago):
Indica las condiciones de venta (Incoterms) y el transporte (medio de transporte, embalaje,
etc.), el plazo de producción y entrega acordado con el proveedor y las condiciones de pago
(medio de pago, divisa, etc.).
- Unit price: Indica el precio por unidad, por unidad de medida y descuentos si corresponde.
- Subtotal/total: indica el importe final del pedido sin impuestos (subtotal) y el importe final
del pedido con impuestos incluidos (total).
Por otra parte, en relación con las facturas, los campos y conceptos obligatorios que hay que
señalar en ellas son comunes para un cliente nacional e internacional. Su conteniso
(conceptos, léxico y estructuras lingüísticas uniformes) se comprenden de manera global.
EXERCISE 7. Translate this vocabulary relating to pro forma and commercial invoices into
Spanish or English.
Advance payment
Down payment
Cantidad
Certificaciones
BIC (Bank Identifier Code)
IBAN (código internacional de cuenta bancaria).
Buyer/Sold to
Description (of goods/services)
Condiciones de pago
Condiciones de transporte
Condiciones de venta
Folds
Consignee
Intermediate consignee
Divisa
Factura comercial/ Factura pro forma
Facturación
Mode of shipment
Amount/total due
Tax
IVA (Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido)
Package marks
Merchandise
Method of payment
NIF (Número de Identificación Fiscal)
Miscellaneous charges
Pago
Pagadero a 30, 60, 90 días sobre la fecha de factura
Item/good
Referencia
Seguro
Sin valor comercial
Tipo de cambio
Tipo impositivo
Unidad de medida

Además del léxico característico, también es importante conocer la estructura en la que se

divide una factura pro forma o comercial y con qué información se debe cumplimentar:

- Seller/exporter, buyer /importer: razón social, NIF, dirección y datos de contacto del
vendedor y razón social, NIF, dirección y datos de contacto del comprador.
- Consignee: destinatario de la mercancía en caso de no ser enviada directamente al
 comprador o destinatario intermedio (agente de aduanas, distribuidor, etc.).
- Invoice number: indica el número de factura. La numeración de la factura es propia del
vendedor.
- Purchase order number: igual que el número de factura, la numeración del orden de copra
también es propia del vendedor.
- Terms of sale, transport (freight) and payment: Indica las condiciones de venta
(Incoterms) y el transporte (medio de transporte, embalaje, etc.), el plazo de producción y
entrega acordado con el proveedor y las condiciones de pago (medio de pago, divisa, etc.).
- Quantity: indica la cantidad para cada uno de los productos solicitados.
- Description of products/items/goods: calidad, color, peso, unidad de medida,
características, referencia, envase y embalaje.
- Unit price: Indica el precio por unidad, por unidad de medida y descuentos si corresponde.
- Amount/total due: indica el importe final de la factura con impuestos incluidos y el
vencimiento de la misma.

2.3. MODOS DE PAGO

International methods of payment are agreements between the buyer and the seller to
determine the time for payment of the goods or service. This time for payment is in relation to
the shipment and/or delivery of the goods or service.
The most important METHODS OF PAYMENT IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE
are
CLEAN PAYMENTS:
- Open Account
- Advance Payment or Cash in Advance (CIA)
DOCUMENTARY COLLECTIONS:
- Documents against Payment (D/P)
- Documents against Acceptance (D/A)
LETTERS OF CREDIT (L/C):
1) There are two types of clean payments:
Open account. It is a transaction where the goods are shipped and delivered before payment
is due, which is usually in 30 to 90 days. So, the exporter sends the goods, the invoice and
shipping documents to the importer and expects payment. Obviously, this option is the most
advantageous option to the importer in terms of cash flow and cost, but it is consequently the
highest risk option for an exporter.
Cash in advance=advance payment
The exporter receives full payment before shipment. It is the most secure for the exporter,
because he will only send the merchandise once he has received the payment or transfer of
funds. However, it is the least attractive for the buyer, because the importer needs to rely fully
on the exporter (it can create cash-flow problems)

2) Documentary collection =Documentary remittance

Using a documentary collection /D/C), the seller/exporter authorises the bank to transfer
documents to the buyer/importer after the contractually agreed payment has been made.
A key document in documentary collections is the bill of exchange or draft.
This payment can be done at sight (D/P: document against payment: the buyer has to pay
before receiving the title to goods and the delivery documents) or a deferred payment (D/A:
document against acceptance: upon his acceptance of a bill of exchange that undertakes to
pay on maturity of draft at a specified future date.
3) A letter of credit (LC) also known as documentary credit. It is one of the most secure
instruments available to international traders.
An LC is a commitment by a bank (the issuing bank) that payment of the goods will be made to
the exporter, if he submits to the issuing bank the documents listed in the LC in compliance
with the terms and conditions stated in the LC.
An LC is useful when reliable credit information about a foreign buyer is difficult to obtain, but
the exporter is satisfied with the creditworthiness of the buyer’s foreign bank. An LC also
protects the buyer because no payment obligation arises until the goods have been shipped or
delivered as promised.

Other international methods of payment are as follows:

Bank transfer is the order of payment that emits a bank by order of the importer to the
exporter's bank account to meet in payment of the goods purchased. This means of
payment involves a high degree of trust between the parties.

The cheque is a payment document in which the drawer indicates the amount of money
that is going to be withdrawn from his/her bank account, either the cashier’s cheque or
nominative cheque.
A check typically involves three parties, (1) the drawer who writes the check, (2) the payee,
to whose order the check is made out, and (3) the drawee, the bank which has the drawer's
checking account from which the check is to be paid.
A cheque is always payable at the time of presentment.

Bank guarantee is the contract under which a bank agrees to exercise the functions of
guarantor, is that to say, to deal with the payment of the debt from the importer to the
exporter in the event that the first failed to fulfil payment obligations.

A bill of exchange (letra de cambio) is a written unconditional order issued by the drawer
and addressed to the drawee to pay a fixed sum of money to the payee at a predetermined
future date.
Bills of exchange are similar to checks and promissory notes. They can be drawn by
individuals or banks and are generally transferable by endorsements. The difference
between a promissory note and a bill of exchange is that
Bill of exchange Promissory note
1. There are three parties: drawer, 1.There are two parties: maker and payee
drawee and payee. 2. There is an unconditional promise to pay.
2. There is an unconditional order to pay. 3. It does not require any acceptance since it
3. It requires an acceptance of the is signed by the persons who is liable to pay.
drawee before it is presented for 4. In a promissory note, the maker cannot pay
payment. to himself.
4. In a bill of exchange, the drawer and 5. It is issued by the debtor.
the payee may be one person.
5. It is issued by the creditor.
 A promissory note or note is a written promise to pay issued by the buyer (the maker of
the note) in favour of the seller (the payee). This promise specifies to pay a specified sum of
money to a designated person or to his or her order, at a defined time or on demand (at 30,
60 or 90 days). Although is similar to a Bill of Exchange, it does not always carry the same
legal rights. A promissory note is issued by the debtor; not by the creditor as happens in the
bill of exchange.

In the negotiation process, the importer will choose the least expensive method of payment
(bank transfer), while the exporter will try to include a payment method that minimizes the
payment uncertainty (letter of credit)
In international sales of goods there are some risks during the execution of the transaction.
One of these risks is the default risk of the goods sent by the exporter. This risk can be avoided
by opening a documentary of credit. To minimize this risk is often used a risk coverage. This
risk cover can be got by, for example, the hiring of specific insurances with insurance
companies or by means of the negotiation of an instrument offered by the banks themselves.
EXERCISE 8. Match the payment methods (1-6) with the definitions (a-f)

1. Advance payment.
2. Cash on delivery.
3. Open account.
4. Document against payment.
5. Documentary credit.
6. Bank guarantee.

a) Customer pays immediately on receiving the goods. This service is usually provided by the
post office.
b) Used to cover financial risk in international transactions e.g. if a buyer does not pay.
c) The exporter supplies the goods and the importer/customer pay for them at an agreed
date in the future.
d) Involves the buyer’s and the seller’s bank. It is a promise made by the opening bank that
payment will be made on receiving documents that comply with the terms agreed.
e) Also called cast against documents (CAD). It means that the exporter has full control over
the documents until payment has been made by the importer.
f) Customer/importer has to pay for the goods before they are shipped.

EXERCISE 9. Listening. Read the text and complete the blanks. Audio (Pista 20)
Speaker 1 Open account
We mainly do …………………………………….. in Europe, where most of our
…………………………………….. expect us to give them open account terms. Obviously, this
…………………………………….. is good for the buyers, but not for …………. as
…………………………………….. because we don’t really have ……………….. control over the payment
process. We can ask the …………………………………….. to pay at a certain date or within a
…………………………………….. period, but we can never be sure they will pay them. To protect
ourselves against non-payment or customer insolvency, we usually take out credit insurance.
Speaker 2 Letter of credit
With customers we haven’t …………………………………….. business with before, we
…………………………………….use a letter of credit. It allows us to agree detailed terms with the
…………………………………….., which can’t be changed once they have been fixed. Above all, it’s
one of the most secure …………………………………….. in foreign trade. The buyer’s and
seller’s…………………………………….. work together and offer the seller a commitment to payment.
With a documentary credit like this we can be …………………………………….. that we’ll be paid for
the goods we supply.
Speaker 3 Advance payment
We’re a small …………………………………….. specializing in high quality computer hardware. Our
company policy is that ……………………………………..have to pay up front. That means the
customers …………………………………….. the money before we …………………… the hardware to
…………………… . Because we’re a small business, our cash flow situation doesn’t
…………………………………….. us to offer customers longer credit …………………………………….. .
We wouldn’t be able to cope with delayed payment or customers not paying at all. For us as
sellers, it’s …………………………… secure payment method. We know, of course, that most of
…………………….. customers would prefer other payment facilities.
EXERCISE 10. Three people are talking about payment methods in their companies. Listen
and complete the table.
LOW RISK METHOD OF PAYMENT How secure is it for the seller?
(very secure, secure, not secure)
Company
A
HIGH Company B
RISK Company C

EXERCISE 11. Listen again and say which of these statements are true or false according to
the recordings.
1. Most of their European customers expect open account facilities.
2. Open account terms are good for the exporter.
3. They can take out special insurance against the risk of non-payment.
4. A letter of credit is often used for customers you have worked with for a long time
5. A letter of credit is a very secure payment method.
6. Most customers do not like advance payment.

EXERCISE 12. LETTER OF CREDIT SAMPLE. Translate it into Spanish.

BANK LETTERHEAD
Irrevocable Letter of Credit Number: XXXXX
Date of Issuance: XX / XX / XXX
Expiration Date: XX / XX / XXXX

Beneficiary:
Scottsdale Insurance Company
8877 North Gainey Center Drive
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258

Applicant:
Named Insured
 Address
City / State / ZIP

Attention:
At the request of NAMED INSURED, and for the account of NAMED INSURED, we hereby
issue our irrevocable Letter of Credit number XXXXX available by the beneficiary’s draft
(s) at sight drawn on BANK NAME.
This Letter of Credit is for an AGGREGATED amount not to exceed a total of United States
Dollar AMOUNT OF LETTER ($XX,XXX.XX) and subject to the following:
This Letter of Credit is automatically renewable without amendment for additional
one year periods from the present expiry date or on future expiration date, unless
30/60/90 days prior to such expiration date we shall notify you in writing by registered or
courier mail that we elect not to renew this Letter of Credit. This Letter of Credit is payable
against presentation of a sight draft and the original of this Letter of Credit.
Availability: By payment at our counters via courier at our office located at:
BANK NAME AND ADDRESS.

Sight drafts drawn under this Letter must contain the clause:
“Drawn Under BANK NAME Letter of Credit No. XXXXX Dated XX / XX / XXXX”.
We hereby agree with you that drafts drawn under and in compliance with the terms of this
Letter of Credit will be duly honoured on presentation to the drawees on or before
EXPIRATION DATE unless automatically extended as above stated at the office together with
this Letter of Credit on or before that date.
This Letter of Credit is subject to the uniform customs and practices for documentary
credit (DATE OF REVISION), International Chamber of Commerce Publication No. MOST
CURRENT.

BANK NAME
___________________
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE
Send to William Thomas/ Finance Dept.

2.4. PRÓRROGAS
Extensions/Deferrals are another important aspect that should be fixed in the corresponding
clause of the international sales contract. The extensions that will be mainly negotiated are
delivery date extension by the exporter and payment deadline deferral by the importer.
According to the nature of the sales transactions and the commitments, for example, the
exporter with his suppliers or the importer with his final customers, these extensions can be
negotiated and agreed the so-called “days of grace “for the fulfilment of the signed on every
party.
EXERCISE 13. Vocabulary relating to extensions. Translate i tinto English or Spanish.
Deferral/extensio
n
Pago aplazado
Deferred transfer
Efectos pendiente de cobro
Periodo de gracia
Pagar a plazos
 Nueva fecha de vencimiento
Overdue fee
Fecha de pago
Aplazamiento
A pagar en cuotas mensuales de 200 €
Financiar

EXERCISE 14. Example of Extension letter. Translate it into English.

125, Line Street
Leeds LS8 2PS

24 de marzo de 2014

Mr. Paul L. Cohen, Director Ejecutivo

Bluegrass State Skills Corporation
300 East Broadway
3rd Floor, Old Capital Annex
Munich, KX 40502

Estimado Sr. Cohen:

Debido a circunstancias imprevistas y al actual clima económico, no seremos capaces de
completar nuestra formación dentro del plazo de un año y/o cumplir nuestro umbral de
empleo requerido. Nuestra actual beca finaliza el 26 de mayo de 2014. Nos gustaría solicitar
una prórroga de 3 meses (máximo 6 meses permitido) para que tengamos tiempo para
completer nuestra formación y/o elevar nuestro umbral. Entendemos que solo se conceda
una prórroga por beca.
Gracias por considerar nuestra petición. Por favor, póngase en contacto conmigo si necesita
cualquier información adicional o tenga alguna pregunta.

Atentamente,
Jane Doe
Directora de formación
ABC Manufacturing

2.5. DESCUENTOS
Suppliers or sellers often adjust their basic price to reward customers for certain responses,
such as early payment of bills, volume purchases and off-season buying. So, the most common
types of discounts are:
- Trade discount
- Cash discount
- Quantity discount or rappel
- Seasonal discount
(explanations)

Other discounts: discontinued products, launching offers.

Vocabulary relating to discounts:
Un 10% de descuento
Con descuento
Ahorro de un 10%
Rebajado en un 10%
 Discount bond
Descontable, deducible
Un descuento especial/un gran descuento/un
descuento pequeño/un descuento
considerable

EXERCISE 15. Useful sentences relating to discounts. Translate them into English or Spanish.
Nuestros presupuestos/precios están sujetos a un descuento
del 6% por pago al contado.
Los precios de nuestro catálogo son menores para nuestros
clientes habituales.
Si necesita más de 400 unidades, podemos ofrecerle mejores
precios.
Podemos ofrecerle un 5% de descuento si paga dentro de un
mes.
Estamos de acuerdo con un descuento del 15% por pronto
pago y entrega antes de diciembre.
Normalmente no damos descuentos a los clientes particulares,
pero debido a su larga relación con nuestra compañía le
descontaremos un 10% del precio de venta al público.
Queremos agradecerle por el descuento comercial del 10%
/por el descuento por cantidad del 5%.
We will certainly take
advantage of the cash
discount you offered. 
Nos gustaría señalar que el descuento del 10% que nos ofrecen
es bastante bajo y esperamos que sea revisado en el futuro
próximo.
Hemos decidido aceptar el descuento del 15% que nos ofrecen.

EXERCISE 16. Complete the sentences with the words below.

changes /business/ offer / order / acceptable /stumbling /block / bargain / the payment
terms /expenses /settled
1. We agree that ……………………………….. should be a bank transfer before receiving the goods.
2. It has been a pleasure doing ………………………………. with you!
3. What kind of discount would you give us on a large ……………………………….?
4. We could ………………………………. an extra 2% reduction.
5. That won’t be ………………………………. for us. Sorry.
6. Regarding the transport ………………………………. the seller will pay for them in case goods
should have to be returned.
7. I see you drive a hard …………………………….!
8. Good, so it is ………………………………. then. We will start delivering next month
9. Price seems to be the only ………………………………. in our negotiation, doesn’t it?
10. We shall consider your offer but we need some ………………………………. in the contract!
3. LÉXICO Y FONÉTICA DE LAS CONDICIONES DE ENTREGA
3.1. INCOTERMS
Incoterms regulate two fundamental aspects within the international sales contract: transport
risks and insurance and transport expenses.
Transport risks determine when and place of the process of transport of the goods the risks of
loss, breakage or catastrophe must be assumed by the seller or the buyer.
Insurance and transport expenses determine up to what stage and place of transport of the
merchandise costs and insurance correspond to the exporter or importer.
EXERCISE 17. Read the text
The term Incoterm is an abbreviation for International Commercial Terms. Incoterms are a
series of pre-defined commercial terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce
(ICC). They are widely used in International commercial transactions. A series of three-letter
trade terms related to common contractual sales practices. The Incoterms rules are a uniform
set of rules to clarify the costs, risks and obligations of buyers and sellers in international
commercial transactions. 
The Incoterms rules focus on these two key aspects of the transaction:
 Which party – buyer or seller – is responsible for arranging and paying for
transport (and associated activities such as loading or unloading), import and export
procedures, ensuring the goods etc.?
 At what point in the journey does responsibility for the consignment transfer from
seller to buyer? This becomes important if the goods are lost or damaged in transit.
The Incoterms rules are accepted by governments and legal authorities around the world. They
are intended to reduce or remove altogether uncertainties arising from different
interpretation of the rules in different countries.
The Incoterms 2020 revision divides the rules into two groups – there are four Incoterms rules
whose use is reserved for transport of goods by sea or inland waterway, and seven rules that
can be used for any transport mode or more than one means of transport.
The rules can also be usefully arranged in these four groups. This classification gradually
increases the seller’s responsibility for the delivery, costs and risks assumed.
- The seller delivers the goods at the disposal of the buyer at the seller’s premises– EXW
- The seller delivers the goods to the carrier or another person nominated (elegido) by the
buyer at the seller’s premises or another named place – FCA; FAS; FOB
- The seller contracts and pays the carriage until the named placed/port of destination.
The buyer bears the risk of transport (loss or damage) on the main transport – CFR; CIF;
CPT; CIP
- The seller bears all costs and risk until the named place of destination – DAP; DDU;
DDP

EXERCISE 18. Answer the following questions:

1. What are the International Commercial Terms?
2. What is the abbreviation for International Commercial Terms?
3. Who publishes Incoterms?
4. Where are they used?
5. How many letters does an Incoterm have?
6. Why are the Incoterms so important?
7. What are Incoterms intended to?
8. Who accepts Incoterms?
9. How many Incoterms are listed at present?
10. Who pays the import taxes in a DDP contract?
11. Who is responsible for the carriage of the goods to the destination in a CIF contract?

What does each of these acronyms stand for? After that, translate them into Spanish.
Incoterms for any Mode or Modes of Transport:
 EXW -
 FCA -
 CPT -
 CIP -
 DPU -
 DAP -
 DDP -

Incoterms for Sea and Inland Waterway Transport Only:

 FAS -
 FOB -
 CFR –
 CIF –

EXERCISE. Incoterms. Fill in the gaps.

“E” Term
loading / the seller’s premises / the buyer/ the seller
a. The seller makes the good available to the buyer at ………..
b. ………………….. is responsible for all the carriage.
c. The buyer is responsible for …………….. the goods onto a vehicle.
d. ……… is not obliged either customs or export clearance.

“F” Terms
Export customs clearance / main carriage / appointed carrier
e. The seller is obliged to deliver the goods to the buyer’s… ……….., where the seller fulfils
his obligation to deliver.
f. The seller is also responsible for the …………….. .
g. Buyer arranges the …………….. from the loading port to the port of discharge.

“C” Terms
Transferred / transported /insuring
h. The seller arranges and pays main carriage, but risk is ……….. when goods are shipped,
before main carriage.
i. In CIF and CIP, the seller is responsible for arranging carriage to the named place, and
also for ………………… the goods.
j. CFR and CIF are restricted to goods…………….. by sea or inland waterways (bulk cargos
or non-containerised goods).
“D” Terms
Between / to / for
k. The seller is responsible for transporting the goods ……… the destination, with shipping
and clearance included. Risk passes after main carriage.
l. An important difference……………….. DAP and DPU is the buyer’s responsibility for
unloading in DAP.
m. DDP represents the maximum obligation …… …….. the seller.

3.2. PLAZOS DE ENTREGA

3.2.1. Delivery time(s) /Delivery deadline(s)
In international sales transactions, in addition to the Incoterms, delivery times/delivery
deadlines must also be defined. The delivery time is the time between the placement of an
order and the delivery of the product by the manufacturer or the seller. Besides, the exporter
should forecast if the goods ordered are in stock. However, in certain cases, the goods are not
in stock; it takes place what is called stock-out (=out of stock),is that to say, the item or items
cannot be fulfilled from the current inventory).
Lead time + shipping time =delivery time
Sometimes, delivery times can be longer due to multiple factors that may occur both in the
production period of the goods and in the same transport. For example, an exporter is unable
to manufacture the product ordered on time due to delays in the delivery of the raw material
or in the case of transport, for issues related to the own logistics, can lengthen the time
management of the documentation at the customs office.
EXERCISE 19. Vocabulary found in international sales contract relating to delivery times.
Translate it into English or Spanish.
Circunstancias imprevistas
Gastos de demora
Días naturales
FIFO
LIFO
Fuera del control del exportador
Force majeure
Materia prima
Supplier
Retrasos por causa justificada
Delays
Rotura de stock
Pedido en firme, confirmado
Stock
Urgent

3.3. CONDICIONES DE TRANSPORTE

Freight terms are all those aspects to take into account from packaging, packing and labelling
of the goods to the means of transport to be used, amongst others.
EXERCISE 20. Vocabulary relating to freight terms in an international trade operation.
Translate it into English or Spanish.
A tiempo
Avión
Barco
Buque granelero
Buque maderero
Box
Camión refrigerado
Cargo
Cargar
Condiciones de entrega
Contenedor
TEU
FEU
LCL
FCL
Time schedule
Capacity (of a container)
Descargar
Embalaje
Empaquetado/envase
Estiba
Etiquetado
Hora estimada de llegada
Hora estimada de salida
Ferrocarril
Flete pagado por adelantado / flete debido
Grúa
Grupaje
Horario
Cargo surveyor
Logística
Manipulación (de la carga)
Marks/marking
Medios de transporte
Mercancías peligrosas
Muelle
Palé
Paquete
Por avión/por barco/por camión/por tren
Recargo
Recepción de mercancías
Packing list
Seguimiento (de envíos)
Transporte
Transporte aéreo
Transporte marítimo
Transporte terrestre
 Transporte ferroviario
Transporte por carretera
Transporte multimodal
Transbordo

3.4. INCUMPLIMIENTOS, ANOMALÍAS Y SINIESTROS

When importing and exporting products in the international trade there is always a risk that
the delivery may be delayed or that some of the products are damaged or lost in transit.
Therefore, it is suitable to ensure the goods against loss, damage or delay in transit.
EXERCISE 21. Vocabulary. Translate it into English or Spanish.
Accidente
Fault
Avería
Cierre de fronteras
Armed conflict
Dañado
Daño
Defecto de fabricación
Defect/fault
Diligencia
“actos de Dios”
To file a claim
Golpe
Guerra
Huelga
Incendio
Breach/unfulfilment
Inundación
Naufragio
Harm
Piracy
Reclamación
Rejection of goods
Revueltas sociales
Riesgo
Rotura
Servicio de atención al cliente
After-sales service
Siniestro
Terremoto

General speaking, this type of questions are reflected in the international sales contracts
through standard clauses such as force majeure or delivery delays.
In the event that any of these circumstances occur a claim process will be opened by the
importer to the exporter or the transport company to ensure that their rights are met as
defined in the international sales contract.
The kind of claim chosen (friendly, extra-judicial or judicial) and its solution by the exporter or
the company of transport will depend on the circumstances that may have caused the breach
of contract.
EXERCISE 22. Reading. After reading this document, answer the questions below.

World Gourmet Products Distributions

20, Chestnut Road
4W 5JT London-United Kingdom
March 10th, 2014
Aceites de la Sierra Sur
Attn. Mr. Carlos Sánchez
Export area manager
Dear Mr. Sánchez,
First of all, we would like to thank you for your prompt answer to our request for
information regarding your extra virgin olive oil and olives.
Finally, we have decided to place an order for the following items:
8 boxes containing 5 500 ml glass bottles each of extra virgin arbequina olive oil
12 boxes containing 8 1000 ml plastic bottles each of virgin picual olive oil
30 boxes containing 250 150 gr packages each of table olives manzanilla variety
15 boxes containing 100 100 gr tins of table olives gordal variety
As per our conversation, the production and delivery deadline would be of 6 weeks from the
receipt of this order.
As far as the transport terms are concerned, we are interested in having each box wrapped
separately in a 3 pallet consignment in total: 1 pallet for the olive oil and 2 pallets for each
reference of table olives.
Following your export price list, prices should be as follows:
500 ml glass bottle virgin olive 4.7 euros each
1000 ml plastic bottle picual 5.6 euros each
150 gr manzanilla package 0.80 euros each
100 gr gordal tin 0.5 euros each
We would like to know if we could get a prompt payment rappel of 2% for this order as we
got for our previous order.
With regards to the labelling, could you include units of measurement in ounces and fluid
ounces?
Please remember we agreed delivery terms FOB port of Santander.
Please confirm receipt of the order, keep in touch.
Regards,
Emily Newton
Import Department

a) ¿En qué consiste el pedido realizado por World Gourmet Products Distribution?
b) ¿Cuál es el importe del pedido según la tarifa de precios de exportación de Aceites de la
Sierra Sur? Indique el total en euros y en libras esterlinas.
c) ¿Qué medios de transporte se van a utilizar en la entrega de esta mercancía?
d) ¿Qué condiciones de entrega y transporte se han pactado?
e) Indique qué implican para el importador y el exportador las especificaciones de la condición
de la mercancía pactada.
f) En la etiqueta de cada uno de los envases, determine el valor en “fluid ounces” and “ounces”
que deberá aparecer.
g) Determine el día aproximado de entrega de la mercancía en Londres.
h) ¿Qué tipo de descuento está solicitando el distribuidor británico al exportador español?

TEMA 2. PRESENTACIONES COMERCIALES EN INGLÉS

1. ESTRUCTURAS LINGÜÍSTICAS Y LÉXICO HABITUAL EN LAS PRESENTACIONES COMERCIALES
EN INGLÉS
1.1 FÓRMULAS DE MARCADORES CONVERSACIONALES: SALUDO, PRESENTACIÓN, DESPEDIDA,
AYUDA, INTERACCIÓN
1.2. ARGUMENTACIÓN COMERCIAL Y CARACTERÍSTICAS DE LOS PRODUCTOS
1.3. CONCLUSIONES, DESPEDIDA Y CIERRE DE LAS PRESENTACIONES COMERCIALES
2. REDACCIÓN Y DOCUMENTACIÓN COMPLEMENTARIA PARA REFORZAR LOS ARGUMENTOS
DE LA PRESENTACIÓN
2.1. ELABORACIÓN DE GUIONES PARA LA PRESENTACIÓN DE EMPRESAS, PRODUCTOS Y/O
SERVICIOS EN FERIAS, VISITAS Y CARTAS
3. SIMULACIÓN DE PRESENTACIONES COMERCIALES ORALES IN INGLÉS
3.1. CONTRASTES DE REGISTROS FORMALES E INFORMALES Y FÓRMULAS HABITUALES
3.2. ENTONACIÓN Y PUNTUACIÓN DISCURSIVA BÁSICA

1. ESTRUCTURAS LINGÜÍSTICAS Y LÉXICO HABITUAL EN LAS PRESENTACIONES

COMERCIALES EN INGLÉS
a) INTRODUCING YOURSELF AS A SPEAKER AND THANKING THE AUDIENCE FOR COMING
1. Good morning / afternoon ladies
and gentlemen.
1. Hello/Hi, everyone.
2. Mi nombre es…/Permítanme presentarme, soy el
… (cargo) en (empresa). / O Trabajo para …
2. Para aquellos que no me conocen, soy …
3. En primer lugar me gustaría dar las gracias a todos
por asistir/venir a mi presentación (hoy).
3. I’m happy/delighted that many of
you could make it today.

b) INTRODUCING YOUR SUBJECT

El tema de hoy / de esta tarde es …
Hoy vamos a hablar sobre …
I would like to talk about
…

c) EXPLAINING THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENTATION AND HOW THE TALK IS STRUCTURED
 Hoy/Esta mañana explicaré … /les pondré al día sobre
…
He dividido mi presentación en 3 partes: a, b y c.
En primer lugar …, en segundo lugar, …en tercer lugar
…
Empezaré por …
Luego/Después de esto …
Finally
…………………………………………….

d) GIVING EXAMPLES
Let me give you an
example.
Voy a ponerles un ejemplo.
Por ejemplo, …
Como pueden ver este gráfico muestra …

EXERCISE 1. Listening.
A manager is updating her group on some problems they’ve been having with one of the
company’s product lines. Listen to this excerpt from her informal presentation and say
whether the following sentences are true or false. Correct the false sentences.

EXERCISE 2. Look at these sentences from the presentation and replace some words with the
words or phrases from the box.
After that / begin / I’m/ realize / responsible for / sections / turn

1. I’ll start off by showing you …

2. I’ve divided my presentation into three parts.
3. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Gordon Smith.
4. Then I’ll move on to the problems.
5. I’m the project manager in charge of our Dubai building project.
6. I’m aware that you’re all busy preparing for the annual meeting.

EXERCISE 3. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate preposition.

1. The purpose ……… my talk today is ……… update you …… new developments …….. R&D.
2. What I want to do is ……… present altenatives ……… existing booking procedures.
3. My aim is ……… show you how ……… cut costs ……… IT support.
4. The objective of my presentation is ……… give you an overview ……… the British job market.
5. Our goal is ……… determine our sales target ……… next year.
6. I am here today ……… report ……… my/our company’s investment plans.
1.1 FÓRMULAS DE MARCADORES CONVERSACIONALES: SALUDO, PRESENTACIÓN,
DESPEDIDA, AYUDA, INTERACCIÓN
GREETINGS
EXERCISE 4. Complete the answers of these formal and informal greetings.
GREETING ANSWER
Formal Good morning / Good morning, Sir
Good morning, Madam
Good afternoon/ Good evening
How do you do?
(I’m) pleased to meet you.
Nice to meet you/Good to meet you
It’s a pleasure to meet you.
How are you?
Good to see you again. / Nice to see you again.
How is everything?
How’s it going?
How are you getting on?
What’s up?
Informal What’s new?

EXERCISE 5. The following presentations are classified from the most formal to the most
informal. How would option C reply?
My pleasure / I’ve heard so much about you / How do you do? / Me too / Nice to meet
you too
1) A. May I introduce Mr Stevenson?
B. How do you do?
C. …………………………………………………….
2) A. I would like to introduce you to Mr. Cork.
B. I’m delighted to meet you
C. ………………………………………………………
3) A. Let me introduce you to Tom Francis.
B. Nice to meet you.
C. …………………………………………………
4) A. I’d like to meet John
B. I’d be glad to meet you
C. ………………………………………………….
5) A. This is Mary
B. Pleased to meet you
C. ……………………………………………………..

INTRODUCTIONS
a) INTRODUCING YOURSELF a) INTRODUCING YOURSELF
FORMAL INFORMAL
-I am John Carter -I’m John
-My name is John Carter -Hi! I’m …
-I would like to introduce myself. My name is
…

b) INTRODUCING SOMEONE ELSE b) INTRODUCING SOMEONE ELSE

 FORMAL INFORMAL
-May I introduce you to Mr. Swanson? -This is …
-I would like you to meet Mr. Swanson - These are …
-I would like to introduce you to Mr. Swanson Tony, this is Leila. Leila, this is Tony.
-Let me introduce you to Mr. Swanson
-It’s my pleasure to introduce Dr. Swanson
-Have you two been introduced (each other)?

EXERCISE 6. Read the following introduction involving three people: (sometimes we are
introduced to a group of people)
A: The introducer (who knows both B and C), B: Introducee (knows A but not C)
C: Introducee (knows A but not B).
Practice it with a classmate.
A: Have you two met each other? A. It’s my pleasure to introduce Miss Jones.
B: No, we haven’t. B. How do you do?
A: Ben, this is Carol. Carol this is Ben. C. How do you do?
(B and C smile and shake hands.)
B: Nice to meet you Carol.
C: Nice to meet you too, Ben.
A. I’d like to introduce you to Mr. Smith. A. Let me introduce you to Tom Ryder.
B. I’m glad to meet you. B. Pleased to meet you.
C. The pleasure is mine. C. Nice meeting you.
(In the first example I can add their positions as well:
A: Ben, this is Carol, my Personal Assistant. Carol, this is Ben, our Project Manager, the
manager of our subsidiary in Los Angeles.
Follow-up:
After you have been introduced to someone, it is polite to ask a few general questions* to get
acquainted.
For example,
B: Where are you from, Carol?
C: I’m from Connecticut.
B: Connecticut, which part?
C: Hartford, the capital. How about you, Ben?
B: Nebraska—a place called Bellevue. It’s near Omaha.
C: How do you know Alan (A)?
B: He is my friend from college.
FAREWELLS
Good-bye
Stay in touch.
Formal
It was nice meeting you
I hope to see you soon.
Good night
Bye/ Bye bye
Cheers! (UK)/Cheerio! (UK)
See you./ See you later
Informa See you soon
l See you in a bit /See you in a while
See you tomorrow / See you next week/ See you on Monday
 See you at noon/ See you at midnight/ See you in the evening/ See you at night
Take care /Take it easy
Get better /well soon
Have a nice day!
Have a good … week/weekend/ journey/flight!

EXERCISE 7. How do you say goodbye in the following situations?

1. Después de una convención internacional. Habrá una reunión en dos semanas.
2. Termina la jornada laboral el viernes y te despides de tus compañeros de la oficina.
3. Unos clientes, que ya conoces, te han visitado en tu oficina.
EXERCISE 8. Complete the following dialogue with the expressions of the table below.
Goodbye / Have a good flight / And you? / Thank you / How are you? / I’m great /
Take care of your cough!
A. Good morning, Mrs Trump. …………………………………………………..
B.Not bad. I have a terrible cough but not so serious. …………………………………………………..
A. ………………………………………………….. . I’m going to the airport to take a flight to be in for an
international meeting.
B. Oh! That is great. …………………………………………………..
A. Thank you very much. …………………………………………………..
B. ………………………………………………….. . …………………………………………………..
A. Bye.

EXERCISE 9. Listening. Write down 35 sentences regarding the topic “Introductions and
Greetings”. (Audio 9)

d) HELP AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

1. OFFERING HELP /ASKING FOR HELP
EXERCISE 10. Change the following sentences in a formal or informal style.
FORMAL INFORMAL
Can I help you?
Is there anything I can do for you?
Can you give me a hand with these boxes?
Can you explain your schedule in more detail?
Would you mind telling the price
again?

2. APOLOGIZING (explanations)
3. GIVING THANKS (explanations)

1.2. ARGUMENTACIÓN COMERCIAL Y CARACTERÍSTICAS DE LOS PRODUCTOS

- Be clear and precise
- Be convincing
- Developing a single idea
- Do not exaggerate
- Find out about new fields of knowledge
- Avoiding typical mistakes
- Convincing customers to acquire your products
- If you purchase this new product /service for your company, it can impress your boss
 - If you purchase this new product /service for your company, it can save you money

1.2.1. Argumentación comercial: cómo describir correctamente las características de los

productos; los adjetivos en inglés: sus reglas; los grados del adjetivo: el comparativo y el
superlativo; adjetivos irregulares
EXERCISE 11. Translate these connectors into English or Spanish. They must be used to
prepare a sales argument.
Además En primer lugar
Además de Comparado con
Al final En/Con relación a, con
respecto a/de
At the beginning Por cierto
Sin embargo This is (the
A pesar de reason) why
Aunque
In accordance En conclusión
with
En este sentido Por lo tanto
As far as (…)is Por este motivo
concerned
Por un lado
Como Por otra parte
resultado/consecuencia
Last but not least Según

EXERCISE 12. Complete the sentences with the words from the box.
According to / apart from / concerns / moreover / regarding / with regard
1. I’ll give you an overview of some figures ……………………… to car exports.
2. ……………………… , I’d like to tell you something about the new software.
3. Let’s now turn to the next question which ……………………… customer service.
4. ……………………… a few spelling mistakes, the new brochure is very good.
5. Let me give you some details ……………………… our Chinese factory.
6. ……………………… the handbook, the scanner is user-friendly.

One of the most effective ways of highlighting the positive qualities of a product or service is
the use of comparatives and superlatives.
The adjective has three degrees:
POSITIVE DEGREE
COMPARATIV Superiority
E
DEGREES OF THE Equality
ADJECTIVE DEGREE
Inferiority
SUPERLATIVE DEGREE
(explanation)

EXERCISE 13. Fill the gaps with the comparative or superlative form of the adjectives given.
1. This armchair is ……………………………………………… the old one. (comfortable)
2. Trains are ………………………………. than aeroplanes. (slow)
3. I bought the ……………………………….souvenir I could afford. (expensive)
4. In this classroom there are …………………….. girls than boys. (many)
5. Mary is ……………………….. girl in the class. (thin)
6. That TV set is ………………………….. of all. (cheap)
7. You are ……………………. here than there. (safe)
8. July is ……………………………..….. January. (hot)
9. Tim is ……………………………. than Peter. (talented)
10. Tom is …………………….. student than his sister. (good)

EXERCISE 14 Comparatives. Fill the table.

happy: young: funny:
high: big: well:
sad: respectful: interesting:
busy: clean: famous:
small: playful: far:
red: clear: large:
pink: smart: ugly:
peppy: serious: short:
fast: curious: tall:
old: disgusting: badly:
soft: studious: salty:
wet: active: heavy:
detailed: good: easy:
intelligent: cute: comfortable:
careful: slow: sweet:

EXERCISE 15. COMPARATIVE OR SUPERLATIVE

1. The people in Ireland are some of................................. (friendly) in the world.
2. He looks much .......................... (good) with short hair.
3. That was probably ........................... (bad) meal I’ve ever had in a restaurant.
4. My new office is ............................ (tiny) as my last one.
5. When we checked in, Frankie’s luggage was .................................. (heavy).
6. Is transport here ................................. (expensive) as in your country?
7. We think this design is .................................... (interesting) than that one.
8. The trains in Japan are ....................................... (modern) I’ve ever travelled on.
9. Tyler is ............................... and .................................. person I know. (happy, kind)
10. MinWoo is ....................................... student in our class. (hard-working)
11. Who is .......................... (clever), you or your brother?
12. I’ve got .......................(little) money than you.
13. Your design was ...........................................of all the ones I saw. (pretty)
14. We stayed at ............................... hotel in town. (cheap)
15. Our hotel was.......................... all the others in the town. (cheap)
16. The United States is large but Canada is …………………… (large)
17. What's ………………………. river in the world? (long)
18. He was a bit depressed yesterday but he looks………………….. today. (happy)
19. It was an awful day. It was ……………………….. day of my life. (bad)
20. What is …………………………. sport in your country? (popular)
21. Everest is ……………………. mountain in the world. It is ………………. than any other mountain.
(high)
22. We had a great holiday. It was one of the…………………….. holidays we've ever had.
(enjoyable)
23. I prefer this chair to the other one. It's ………………….. (comfortable)
24. What's ……………………… way of getting from here to the station? (quick)
25. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have got three daughters. …………………….. is 14 years old. (old)
26. Sarah dresses ……………………..informally than her mother. (more or better)
27. She drives ……………………….. carefully than her sister. (less or worse)
28. Of the three women, Julia drives ……………………………… carefully. (worse or least)

EXERCISE 16. Vocabulary used to express the characteristics, advantages and strengths of a
product/service. Translate it into English or Spanish.
advertencia capacidad de
respuesta
low cost característica
beneficios consejos útiles
calidad Como iba
diciendo …
cantidad demo
packaging turnover
estamos encantados de reliability
presentarle …
flexibilidad funcionamiento
forma innovación
fortaleza innovador
handling checklist
instructions
lanzamiento longitud
las 4P del marketing mix: mantenimiento
precio, producto, promoción y
punto de venta
model Let me continue
by explaining …
newness práctico
novelty precio
objetivo value for money
performance safety
resultados esperados safe
tamaño variety
frágil ventaja
tecnología punta/de vanguardia versatilidad
feasibility feasible

EXERCISE 17. Look at this list or steps and put them into the correct order.
…. make the …. distribute the product …. fix the price of the product at
product a profit.
…. advertise it …. understand what consumers need
or want

EXERCISE 18. Read the text and answer the questions below.
 Today's business world is very complex but the basic principle is still this: companies make
products they want to sell at a profit. What makes it complex is that consumers are
becoming more and more demanding, and there is more and more competition with other
companies which offer similar products so that consumers have a wide range of choice.
Therefore companies must plan their activities very carefully: the way they market their
products can mean the difference between them and competitors.
Marketing is the process of identifying and satisfying customers' needs. This process must
be satisfactory for both sides: for the company because it must sell at a profit and for the
consumer because he must be happy with the product so that he will buy it again.
Marketing involves different activities. The first one consists of identifying the consumer's
needs and wants, that is what the consumer needs and what he wants to buy. This activity
involves market research, that is the process of collecting and analysing information about
the market for a new or existing product. The objective of market research is to help the
company identify the target market, that is the specific consumer group that will buy its
~product. A company needs to decide this before it starts to produce a product.
There are different methods of market research which can be used: questionnaires,
telephone or personal interviews, comments on the Internet. They all consist of questions
that give the company information about, for example:
- the customer's profile: his age, interests, lifestyle, etc.
- the features of a product that customers want
- the price they are willing to pay
- the features of a product that they like or don’t like

1. What is the final objective of any company?

2. Why do consumers have a wide range of choice?
3. What is the function of market research?
4. How can a company carry out market research?
5. What do these different methods consist of?
6. What type of information can a company get with market research?

Now read the text again and find definitions for these words:
1. marketing
2. market research:
3. target market:

EXERCISE 19. Royal Sport is a sportswear company. It is now planning to launch a new model
of training shoes. This is the market research questionnaire they have prepared before they
start design and production. What information does Royal Sport want? Match the
information to the question numbers from the questionnaire.

1. Are you male or female?

2. How old are you? 15 – 20 / 21 – 30 / 31 – 40 / Over 40
3. How many trainers have you got? 1 pair / 2 pairs /3 pairs / More (please specify
number)
4. How often do you buy a pair of trainers? Once a year / Twice a year / Three times a
year / More (please specify how often)
5. Are your trainers for a specific sport? If yes, what sport?
Yes - No / Tennis / Football / Jogging / Basketball / Other (please specify sport)
6. Where do you buy your trainers? Sports store / Discount store / The Internet /Other
(please specify place)
 7 What are the features you look at, when buying your trainers? Design / Price / Brand
name / Comfort / Popularity
8 How much are you willing to spend on your trainers?
9 Which is your favourite brand of trainers?

a. The average age of people who buy trainers

b. What influences their choice
c. If there are more men or more women interested in this article
d. The competitors
e. The place they usually go for their shopping
f. If they wear trainers every day or only when they do sport
g. lf their potential customers buys many trainers
h. What consumers think is the right Price

EXERCISE 20. Choose a popular product you know of the product categories in the table
below. Then, try to identify the possible profiles for each product, including the information
required: age, gender, competitors and price.
rucksack / watch / car / PC

EXERCISE 21: Marketing mix.

After selecting its target market with market research, a company must take decisions about

the so called marketing mix. This is the combination of 4 Ps:

Match the Ps to their definitions.

I. Product: …. a. the distribution of the product
2. Price: … b. the method to persuade consumers to
3. Promotion: … buy the product
4. Place: … c. the type of goods to produce
d. the cost of the product to the buyer

What exactly do the 4 Ps involve? Complete with the names of the 4 Ps.
1.………………… involves the money spent by the consumer plus the profit for the company.
2. ………………...involves how and where consumers can buy the product.
3 ………………….involves giving the product a name, an image, a design, a packaging, a quality.
4 ………………….involves deciding how to make consumers know about the product and
persuade them to buy it.

EXERCISE 22. Listening (AUDIO 15)

PRODUCT
John Newman works in the Research and Development Department of a company that
produces make-up products for teenagers. Listen to him speaking about the importance of
packaging in marketing and choose the right options.

1) If a company wants to sell a successful product, it has to

A) sell it at a competitive price. B) differentiate it from competitors.
2) A) Packaging plays an essential role in marketing strategy. B) Advertising plays an essential
role in marketing strategy.
3) What attracts a consumer at first is
A) the look of a product. B) the marketing strategy chosen by a company.
4) Packaging
A) is simply a container for a product. B) is not simply a container for a product.
5) Packaging helps to
A) protect a product and identify a brand. B)identify a product and sell a product

PRICE
Read the text about setting a price for a product and complete the sentences below.
Setting a price is not easy. If the price is too high, consumers will not buy it. If it is too low,
consumers will buy it but the money earned by the company may not be enough to cover
the costs. Every company hopes to make a profit. This means that it must be sure that the
price is higher than the cost of producing it. However, there are other factors to be
considered. For example, it may be useful to see what competitors do: if they offer similar
products, their price can be a good starting point. Also, if a company has used market
research to ask potential customers what price they are willing to pay for its product, this is
another important factor.
After setting a product's price, a company may decide to offer discounts which means
offering reduced prices to customers who buy large quantities of a product, who pay cash,
who buy a product out of season or at the end of a season, that is during sales.

1 Setting a price is not easy because …………………………………………………………………………………….

2 The three factors to consider when setting a price are …………………………………………………….
3 A discount is a …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4 Discounts can be offered to customers who ……………………………………………………………………
PLACE
Place refers to the distribution of a product, that is the process of getting a product from the
producer to the consumer. Between the producer and the consumer there are intermediaries
like wholesalers, who buy from producers and sell to retailers, and retailers who buy from
wholesalers and sell to consumers. The majority of consumers buy from retailers, but there are
different types of retailers.

Look at the table below and complete it with examples.

Type of Retailer Description Examples
Department store Large store with different departments for different
articles
Shopping centre/ Many different shops in the same place
Mall
Factory outlet Store that sells articles from a specific manufacturer at
discounted prices
Specialty store Store that sells one type of article from different
manufacturers at regular prices
Discount store Store that sells brand name articles at discounted prices
Internet Websites where consumers buy directly
Outlet Mall with stores that sell designer articles at low prices
PROMOTION
Promotion is the element of the 4 Ps that people associate most with marketing. It is a form of
persuasive communication that motivates consumers to buy a product. The most popular
methods of promotion are advertising and sales promotions.

Sale promotions
Look at these examples of sales promotions and match them with the definitions.

1.free gifts (or freebies) a) certificates that offer discounts on particular products and
2. samples can
3. coupons be found in newspapers or on the product
4. buy one, get one free b) cards given by stores or supermarkets that give
offers advantages
5. loyalty cards to owners: building up points to get gifts from a catalogue or
discounts
c) extra objects included with a product at no extra cost
d) small sized version of a product offered free
e) an offer of getting 2 products for the price of one

EXERCISE 23. Listening (AUDIO 16)

Listen to Ann Moore, a marketing consultant, talking about advertising and complete the
text.
To start with, I'd like to give a definition of (1) …………………………………….. and to specify its
objectives.
Advertising is the process of communicating (2) ……………………………………..about a product and
of persuading people to (3) ……………………………………..it. There are different advertising media
with advantages and disadvantages. Let's start with (4) …………………………………….. which has a
great impact on consumers. TV adverts can be shown several times a day but people can
decide not to watch them. Then, (5) _…………………………………….. or magazines. It is true that
they both reach a large number of (6) ……………………………………..but the limit is that they are
static, so they may have less impact than TV adverts because they don't attract consumers'
attention
so much. Billboards and (7) …………………………………….. displayed outdoors can be effective only
if they are (8) …………………………………….. but people may not notice them. Finally the (9)
……………………………………. . Of course advertising over the Internet is the way to reach the
largest number of consumers and it has a 'total' impact: sight, sound and motion. But
consumers may ignore it and (l0) ……………………………………..it off.

Read the text above and complete the table.

Media Advantages …………………….. Disadvantages ………………………….
TV

Newspapers and magazines

Billboards and posters

Internet
1.3. CONCLUSIONES, DESPEDIDA Y CIERRE DE LAS PRESENTACIONES COMERCIALES
EXERCISE 24. Translate the following vocabulary and expressions into English or Spanish.
A continuación, será un placer contestar a sus
preguntas
Explicación
Duda
Esperamos que esta presentación les haya
resultado interesante
¡Gracias por venir!
¡Gracias por su tiempo/atención!
Háganos llegar sus comentarios
No duden en ponerse en contacto con nosotros
Observación
Les mantendremos informados
Pregunta
We remain at your disposal for any
further information you may need
Si tiene(n) alguna pregunta, por favor,
proceda/este es el momento.
Si tiene(n) alguna pregunta, interrúmpanme en
cualquier momento.
Hacedme las preguntas que queráis en
cualquier momento durante mi charla.

EXERCISE 25: Fill the gaps with the appropriate interrogative pronoun:
Whose/ How much/ Where /How /When /What /How many /Why /How long / Who /How
far /How often /Which /What time
1. ________ is that car? It’s €150,000.
2. ________did you put the keys? Over there, on the table.
3. ________ did you get to the stadium? By metro.
4. ________ do you usually wake up to go work? At half past six.
5. ________ was the shipping arriving two days later? Because of the snowstorm in the
Midwestern States.
6. ________ coat is this? It’s mine.
7. ________ is she talking about? Her new bank account.
8. ________ people work here? About one hundred.
9. ________ have you been working in this company? For three years.
10. ________ do you spell consignment? c-o-n-s-i-g-n-m-e-n-t
11. ________ is she? She is my new secretary.
12. ________ means of transport do you usually take to go to work? None. I usually go by foot.
13. ________does CWO stand for? Cash with order
14. ________ is the office from the port? It’s a ten-minute drive
15. ________ do they have English lessons? Twice a week.
16. ________ is one of those people who gives meaning to the term “diligent”? His boss.
17. ________ was the new service’s name?
18. ________ do I have to wait for the new service to be available?
19. ________ are you charging this tax?
20. ________ idea is this?
2. REDACCIÓN Y DOCUMENTACIÓN COMPLEMENTARIA PARA REFORZAR LOS
ARGUMENTOS DE LA PRESENTACIÓN
2.1. ELABORACIÓN DE GUIONES PARA LA PRESENTACIÓN DE EMPRESAS, PRODUCTOS Y/O
SERVICIOS EN FERIAS, VISITAS Y CARTAS
EXERCISE 26. Translate the following abbreviations into English or Spanish.
ASAP
Attention Attn.
BCC Con copia oculta
CC Con copia
CEO Director ejecutivo
Co.
e.g.
Encl.
For the Attention of FAO
FYI
Forwarded FW/Fwd
That is (id est) i.e.
Mr.
Mrs.
Ms
Incorporated Inc.
No./ #
Postscript P.S.
Referring to RE
Ref.
RSVP Se ruega respuesta
VP Vicepresidente

Ejemplo de un guion para la preparación de la presentación de un vino a un importador

estadounidense en el marco de la feria de productos gourmet Summer Fancy Food de Nueva
York. Según el correo, se tratarán los siguientes temas: presentación de la bodega: misión,
visión y enología; gama de productos y premios otorgados; presentación del vino Demira:
datos sobre la producción y cosecha, notas de cata y maridaje; condiciones de pedido,
transporte y entrega; y comentarios.
EXERCISE 27. Translate this summary into English.
De gcornejo@bodegaselmirador.com
Para: gallagher_@nysff.com
En copia: mason_p@nysff.com
Asunto: Presentación del vino Rioja Demira y de las Bodegas Mirador
Estimada Sra. Gallagher:
Conforme a nuestra última conversación, le envío los puntos de
nuestra presentación que se llevará a cabo en la feria Summer Fancy
Food de Nueva York en dos semanas:
- Presentación de las Bodegas Mirador: misión, visión y
enología
- Gama de productos y premios otorgados
 - Presentación del vino Demira: datos sobre la producción y
cosecha (variedad de uva tempranillo) notas de cata y
maridaje
- Condiciones de pedido, transporte y entrega)
- Observaciones
Agradeceríamos si nos confirmase la hora y el lugar de la
presentación del martes, 1 de julio.
Si tiene cualquier otra sugerencia a esta propuesta, háganoslo saber
tan pronto como sea posible.
Saludos,
Gabriela Cornejo
Directora del departamento de Exportación
Bodegas Mirador

EXERCISE 28. Translate this letter into Spanish.

Sender
Hogarplus
Valencia
Spain
December 15th, 2016
Recipient
Home Textile Inc.
Vermont, VT
United States of America

Dear Mr Law,
Please find enclosed invoice No. 45GP32 covering our last shipment made last week.
These are the key features of said shipment:
Description of goods:
- 200 square purple cushions 40 x 40 cm
- 1,500 round red cushions 50 cm diameter
- 800 white cotton blankets
- 2,500 pieces of bath towels with green and white strips model Andal
- 900 vanity sets
Delivery conditions: FOB Port of Valencia
Transport conditions: Palletized, labelling in English
We remind you the payment date of this invoice is 90 days after reception date by bank
transfer, both terms agreed on our international sales contract.
Yours sincerely,
Pedro Carro
Export assistant
Hogarplus

3. SIMULACIÓN DE PRESENTACIONES COMERCIALES ORALES IN INGLÉS

(explanation)
3.1. CONTRASTES DE REGISTROS FORMALES E INFORMALES Y FÓRMULAS HABITUALES
EXERCISE 29. Formal and informal registers. Translate them into English or Spanish.
TÉRMINO FORMAL TÉRMINO INFORMAL Traducción
 Recomendado para las presentaciones
comerciales
1. LATIN/FRENCH ANGLO/SAXON BASED
BASED (phrasal verbs)
(single-word verbs)
To cause
To get in touch with Ponerse en contacto
con
To depart Salir, partir
To increase
To postpone, to delay
To put up with Aguantar, tolerar
2. UNCOMMON COMMON VERBS
VERBS
Disculparse, pedir
disculpas
Parecer
Enviar
To inform Informar, avisar
Preguntar
3. TRANSITIONS
ASAP Tan pronto como sea
posible
Finalmente
Para resumir
Also Además
Therefore, Thus Por lo tanto
If
Whereas Mientras (que)

EXERCISE 30. Modalidades formales e informales en contextos de agradecimiento,

despedida, sugerencias, ofrecimientos, saludo y solicitud de ayuda:
Context FORMAL INFORMAL
Gratitude Thanks/Cheers for your offer!
Farewells See you!
Suggestions Shall we go out for lunch?
Offers Do you want a cup of coffee?
Greetings How do you do?
Request for Tell me the price again, please.
help

3.2. ENTONACIÓN Y PUNTUACIÓN DISCURSIVA BÁSICA

(explanation)
EXERCISE 31. Reading comprehension.
1. Una empresa española importadora de mobiliario de oficina se desplaza a Hong Kong para
visitar a su proveedor, el cual ha preparado una presentación de su nueva gama de mesas de
escritorio. A esta presentación asisten la empresa española, el proveedor de Hong Kong y un
socio del mismo representando a una empresa situada en Shanghai. Con anterioridad a la
presentación, se produce la siguiente conversación:
(Walking to the company facilities)
Supplier: How do you do, Mr. Losada? Welcome to Hong Kong!
Importer: I’m doing well, Mr. Zhao. Thank you for inviting us, we appreciate it.
Supplier: This is Mr. Chan, our business partner in Shanghai.
Importer: Pleased to meet you, Mr. Chan.
Business partner: Pleasure, Mr. Losada!
Supplier: So, how was your flight?
Importer: Long, but it was worth it, Hong Kong is beautiful.
Supplier: It is, have you seen around?
Importer: Not yet! Would you mind giving us some recommendations?
Supplier: I would love to! You should visit the Peak Tower where you can see the whole city;
then grab something to eat at the East harbour Seafood Restaurant where you can order
delicious seafood.
Importer: Which are the main typical dishes in Hong Kong?
Supplier: Our typical dishes are made from vegetables such as rice and soy, e.g. fried rice
and tofu. As you may know, agriculture employs over 300 million people in China and the
country ranked first in worldwide farm output, although there are other big industries here:
China’s cotton textile industry, machine manufacturing industry, energy industry and the
automobile and steel industries.
Business partner: By the way, recent studies reveal our GDP ranks 24 th worldwide and our
unemployment rate is 4.10%.
Importer: That’s impressive given that China have billions of people!
Supplier: Yes, in this sense, our head of government, Xi Jinping, is doing a great job in
keeping the unemployment rate as low as possible.
Business partner: Gentlemen, we are here; Mr. Losada, these are our main facilities.
Importer: Finally! I was eager to be here. May I see the new desks?
Supplier: Of course! Please, follow me.
(Checking out the desks)
Importer: Thank you very much Mr. Zhao, Mr. Chan, I really enjoyed the tour.
Business partner: You’re welcome, Mr. Losada. We hope to see you again!
Supplier: Enjoy Hong Kong, Mr. Losada. I’ll keep you updated!
Importer: I appreciate it. Goodbye!
Supplier: Goodbye!
Now, answer the following questions:
a) Which places does the supplier recommend for sightseeing to the importer?
b) Which are some Chinese typical dishes according to the supplier?
c) What is the most important industry in China?
d) What is China’s unemployment rate?

EXERCISE 32. Speaking. El director del departamento de Exportación para América del Norte
de la empresa COMEX envía a un contacto de Canadá el siguiente correo electrónico en el que
le informa del orden del día de su próxima visita a España:
Dear Mr Prats,
We acknowledge receipt of your last e-mail confirming the visit to our premises of your
company representatives from Canada next Septembre 20 th.
As we agreed, we intend to organize a visit of our factory and premises and finally, we will
make the presentation of our new range of products with the following contents:
- Our company: mission, vision, organizational chart, activity and products.
- Range of products: description and channel distribution.
- Canada sales conditions: packaging, labelling, delivery and transport terms.
We are looking forward to welcoming you soon.
Best regards,
North America Export Area Manager
COMEX

Tras la lectura de este correo electrónico, prepare una presentación comercial de al menos 10
minutos que incluya los siguientes puntos:
- Descripción detallada de las características del producto y de la operación propuesta.
- Información sobre la empresa: actividad, productos y servicios utilizando de manera
apropiada el léxico técnico empleado en el entorno profesional.
- Despedida y agradecimientos pertinentes.

TEMA 3. NEGOCIACIÓN DE OPERACIONES DE COMERCIO

INTERNACIONAL EN INGLÉS
1. ESTRUCTURAS LINGÜÍSTICAS Y LÉXICO HABITUAL EN PROCESOS DE NEGOCIACIÓN DEL
COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL
2. INTERACCIÓN ENTRE LAS PARTES DE UNA NEGOCIACIÓN COMERCIAL
2.1. PRESENTACIÓN INICIAL DE POSICIONES
2.2. ARGUMENTOS
2.3. PREFERENCIAS
2.4. COMPARACIONES
2.5. ESTRATEGIAS DE NEGOCIACIÓN
2.6. CONTRASTES DE REGISTROS FORMALES E INFORMALES Y FÓRMULAS HABITUALES
3. SOLICITUD DE CONCESIONES, RECLAMACIONES Y FORMULACIÓN DE EXPRESIONES EN
SITUACIONES DE NEGOCIACIÓN
3.1. MOSTRAR DUDA, ACUERDO Y DESACUERDO
3.2. CONTRADECIR EN PARTE
3.3. CLARIFICAR LAS OPINIONES Y REFORMULAR
3.4. EXPRESAR CONTRASTE Y CLASIFICAR
4. FÓRMULAS DE PERSUASIÓN EN UNA NEGOCIACIÓN INTERNACIONAL
5. SIMULACIÓN DE PROCESOS DE NEGOCIACIÓN DE EXPORTACIONES E IMPORTACIONES DE
PRODUCTOS
5.1. CONTRASTES DE REGISTROS FORMALES E INFORMALES Y FÓRMULAS HABITUALES
5.2. ENTONACIÓN Y PUNTUACIÓN DISCURSIVA BÁSICA

1. ESTRUCTURAS LINGÜÍSTICAS Y LÉXICO HABITUAL EN PROCESOS DE NEGOCIACIÓN

DEL COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL
EXERCISE 1. Usual vocabulary in international trade negotiation and in relation to the parties
involved. Translate it into English or Spanish.
Agente
Approval of the agreement
Alcanzar un acuerdo
Adoptar medidas
Mutual gain
Deadlock
To give in to our counterpart’s
position
Ganga, chollo
Compromise
Commitment
To compromise
Cross-cultural communication
Comunicar de forma persuasiva
Conflicto de intereses
Conseguir objetivos/intereses
Dirigir una negociación
Hard-style negotiation
Soft-style negotiation
Estrategia
Factores que influyen en el proceso de
negociación
Fases de la negociación
To make/cut a deal
To craft an agreement
To fail
Ganar-ganar
Ganar-perder
Habilidades de negociación
Hacer concesiones
Pre-negotiation research
De mala fe
Malentendido
Bargaining range
Negotiating table
 Negociación cara a cara
Business negotiation
Zero-sum negotiation
Negative-sum negotiation
Positive-sum negotiation
Day-to-day negotiation
Objetivo
Obstáculo
Oportunidad
Parte
Stakeholder
Perder-perder
Planificación y ejecución de estrategias/tácticas
Poder de negociación
Poder de persuasión
Proceso de negociación
To reconcile differences
Renegociación
Dispute resolution/settlement
Constraint
Negotiation outcomes
Reto
To break off (negotiations)
Simulación
Táctica
Técnica de negociación
Tener éxito

2. INTERACCIÓN ENTRE LAS PARTES DE UNA NEGOCIACIÓN COMERCIAL

To facilitate the interaction between the parties, a widespread resource is to start with a
question that is going to facilitate the beginning of the conversation.
INGLÉS ESPAÑOL
¿Comprobaste si las mercancías están
dañadas?
Have you all received a copy of the
agenda?

To change the topic of the conversation we can use structures like: by the way, changing the
subject for a minute …
INGLÉS
Changing the subject for a minute, what
kind of insurance do you think we should
ESPAÑOL
A propósito /Por cierto, ¿cuál es tu opinión del
nuevo catálogo?
Hay otra cosa que quería preguntarte. ¿Podéis
hacerme un descuento si pido una cantidad
mayor?
 have?
Antes de que me olvide la reunión anual ha
sido retrasada al primer fin de semana de
mayo.

To let the speaker know that we are listening to him and understanding what he says, you can
use the following resources:
I see That’s great Oh really? Yeah
Righ Oh dear! Yes, of course Okay
t

To reinforce the topic of the conversation, to save time or to recapitulate:

- Anyway …
- In any case …
- Well, as I was saying …
- To return to what we were talking about
If we don't remember any specific word we can use structures like:
- … or something. ...
- … or something like that. …
- A sort of …/a kind of …/ a type of …
To ask to take the floor in working meetings (formal settings):
- Sorry to interrupt but …
- Excuse me …
- If I may, I’d like to say that….
- If you allow me, I’d like to comment on that …
To finish a conversation in a business meeting:
- Okay. I’ll see you next Monday.
- Well, I think that’s all for now. I’d better be off.
2.1. PRESENTACIÓN INICIAL DE POSICIONES
To start a meeting the following opening structures can be used:
- Thank you all for coming here today.
- Shall we start?
To carry out the initial presentation of positions phrases can be used:
- The aim of this meeting is to talk about …
- Today /This morning I’d like to discuss …
INGLÉS ESPAÑOL
What I would like to do this morning is to
talk to you about the new measures to
boost consumption.
Lo que necesitamos saber es cómo responder
a las expectativas de nuestros clientes para
aumentar nuestras ventas.
 Lo que tenemos que hacer es mejorar nuestra
gestión de ventas para expandir nuestro
negocio en el extranjero.
What I would like to do is to listen to your
positioning first.

2.2. ARGUMENTOS
I think, I feel, I believe, From my point of view, According to, I like /love/dislike/hate …
INGLÉS ESPAÑOL
¿Crees que el envío llegará a tiempo? Creo
que sí /Creo que no.
Pienso que estás equivocado sobre esta
oferta.
Trate de ver el problema desde el punto de
vista del cliente.
According to the customer, the goods that
he ordered were delivered to him in poor
condition.
Me gusta como hablas a los clientes.
I don’t approve of what your boss said
yesterday.
Me encanta/me gusta hacer negocios con tu
empresa.
No me importa recibir los artículos la semana
que viene porque no los necesito
urgentemente.
Este mal tiempo no me preocupa porque el
envío está asegurado.
We are all in favour of finding ways to save
money.
Estoy en desacuerdo con los términos del
nuevo contrato.

EXERCISE 2. Listening and Speaking.

Which of these do you think are advantages (A) and disadvantages (D) of tariffs? Write A or a
D beside each sentence.

A) Local companies can compete with foreign companies. A

B) Prices are higher for consumers.
C) There is no problem of unemployment.
1 D) Competition is reduced so free trade is inhibited.
E) Tariffs make governments richer.
F) People are encouraged to buy more local products than foreign products.
G) There is less choice for consumers.

Now listen to two people discussing protectionism and tariffs and number the advantages
and the disadvantages in the order you hear them, the first one is done for you. (1 D)
EXERCISE 3. SPEAKING. What do you think? Are you in favour of … or against …
- advertising promotes excessive consumerism?
- should countries encourage tourism?
- school plays a more important role than family in shaping one's personality?
2.3. PREFERENCIAS
I prefer, I want, I like, I would prefer …
(explanations)
2.4. COMPARACIONES
EXERCISE 4. Translate the following sentences into English using comparative and superlative
forms.
1. El PIB per cápita de Marruecos es menor que el de Alemania.
2. Vuestros plazos de entrega no son tan rápidos como solían ser.
3. Nuestra nueva empresa de logística es más rápida que la anterior.
4. Su precio de exportación de este mueble es más caro que el de los competidores.

2.5. ESTRATEGIAS DE NEGOCIACIÓN

(explanation)
Useful language for negotiating
The negotiation implies a number of separate phases:
1. STATING AIMS.
- The first thing I’d like to discuss is …
- What we hope to achieve is ...
- We would like to reach an agreement on …
2. IMPOSING CONDITIONS.
- We could do business with you on condition that you gave us an open account.
- We can’t accept that unless …
3. FOCUSING THE DISCUSSION.
- The key issue here is …
- Now what we need to talk about is …
4. MOVING TO ANOTHER TOPIC.
- The next thing we have to discuss is …
- Since we're in agreement, let's move on to the next topic.
5. CALLING ON A SPEAKER.
- I’d like to ask Paul for his (point of) view.
- Paul, do you have anything to add at this point?
6. AGREEING WITH THE PROPOSAL.
- That’s fine/OK for me.
- I would accept …
7. DISAGREEING WITH OR REJECTING A PROPOSAL.
- I’m afraid that’s not exactly what I had in mind.
- That’s not how we see it.
- I can’t accept it.
8. ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION.
 - Could you be more specific?
9. BARGAINING.
- If we give you an extra discount will you increase the size of the order?
- If you offered an extended guarantee we could see a way of reducing the price.
10. CHECKING EVERYONE AGREES.
- Do we all agree?
- Are we all in agreement with the decision?
11. SUMMARISING WHAT HAS BEEN SAID.
- To sum up …
- To recap…
- So what I think we’ve said is that …
12. POSTPONING A DECISION OR PLAYING FOR TIME.
- I’m afraid I will need more time before we can make a decision.
13. ENDING THE NEGOTIATION.
- I think we’ve covered everything.
- Ok. It’s a deal.
2.6. CONTRASTES DE REGISTROS FORMALES E INFORMALES Y FÓRMULAS HABITUALES
To express preferences:
INFORMAL or LESS FORMAL FORMAL
I want to ask you a favour. I wish to ask you a favour.
I ‘d prefer to ask you a I would like to ask you a favour.
favour. I’d rather ask you a favour.

To express our argument in an informal and colloquial way we will use the verbs “to think” y
“to feel”, while the verb “to believe” is more formal.
INFORMAL FORMAL
I think you are wrong about this offer. Will he sign the contract? I believe not.

To express our point of view:

IN MY VIEW (formal)/FROM MY POINT OF VIEW (formal) / IN MY OPINION (it’s the most
formal)
- Try to see this problem from the carrier’s point of view.
To contradict someone in a formal and polite way in English we will use the following
structures:
- I don’t think so.
- Not really.
- Are you sure?
When the contradiction is quite explicit you would use the structures:
- I beg to differ.
- I tend to disagree.
If we want to contradict someone in a more formal way:
- I can’t along with that.
- I wholly and totally disagree.
If we want to contradict someone in a less formal way (in a colloquial way), we will say:
 - No, it isn’t.
- You’re wrong.

EXERCISE 5. Relaciona la columna de la derecha con la de la izquierda para asociar qué

estructura o expresión es utilizada en cada para caso para (reforzar un tema, cambiar de
tema, pedir aclaraciones, etc.)
A. Pedir a alguien que participe
B. Reforzar un tema
C. Empezar una reunión
D. Resumir lo que se ha dicho
E. Expresar una preferencia
F. Expresar una opinión
G. Finalizar una reunión
H. Pedir aclaraciones
I. Comprobar que todos están de
acuerdo
J. Estar de acuerdo con la
propuesta
k. Posponer una decisión
L. Pasar a otro tema
M. Cambiar de tema
1. Let’s get started, shall we?
2. It’s OK for me.
3. Why don’t you explain your position regarding this
proposal?
4. Changing the subject for a minute…
5. Can you be more precise?
6. I’d rather you sent the items tomorrow.
7. The next item on the agenda is …
8. I think you are wrong about …
9. I don’t think we can commit ourselves just yet.
10. To return to what we were talking about …
11. Is it decided then?
12. Ok. It’s a deal.
13. To recap…

3. SOLICITUD DE CONCESIONES, RECLAMACIONES Y FORMULACIÓN DE EXPRESIONES

EN SITUACIONES DE NEGOCIACIÓN
3.1. MOSTRAR DUDA, ACUERDO Y DESACUERDO
3.1.1. Duda (Doubt)
To express doubt we can use the following expressions:
1. Adverbs to express doubt: “possibly”, “probably”, perhaps”, “maybe”
- I will probably sign the contract tomorrow.
2. Adjectives to express doubt: possible, uncertain, likely …
- It’s possible that I sign the contract tomorrow.
3. Doubt like noun:
- I have doubts on…
4. Modal verbs to express doubt: should, may, might
- El envío debería llegar mañana por la mañana.
- Puede que importe algunos productos más este año.
- Pudiera ser que importara algunos productos más este año.
5. Verbs to express doubt: to doubt, to think
 - Puede que esté equivocado, pero creo que va a cerrar.
3.1.2. Agreeing and Disagreeing
The agreement and disagreement can be expressed in a formal and informal way:
FORMAL INFORMAL
I completely/entirely/totally agree. Right
Yes, definitely. Sure
Yes, I go along with that. Fine
Yes, I agree with that Great
wholeheartedly.
I don’t agree. Ridiculous
I can’t go along with that. No way
I disagree with that completely. Over my dead body!
For me that is out of the question. You’re joking!

EXERCISE 6. Read the dialogue and put the sentences in the correct order.
..1.. Ann : As you know, a new Swedish customer, FCF Corporation, has just contacted us for
a very large order of our crash helmets. We have to discuss what terms to give him. I mean
price, discount and payment terms. Let's start with price. What do you think?
….. Alex: I agree with you. So let's tell him that we can't and ask him to pay when he
receives the goods.
….. Ann: Yes, Alex, I think you're right. It's a good price. But his order is very large, so I think
we should give him a good discount, let's say 15%.
….. Ann: OK, 10% then. Now, he asks to pay after 30 days. I'm sure that we've never given
these terms to any of our customers for their first order.
….. Alex: I don't agree. 15% is too high. Let's make it 10%.
….. Ann: All right. I agree. I'll send him an email immediately.
….. Alex: Well, I don't think we should change our catalogue price which is very competitive.

3.1.3. También / Tampoco

(explanations)
EXERCISE 7. Translate these sentences into English.
1. A. Va a importar algunos productos. B. Yo también.
2. A. Nosotros no contratamos a un transitario. B. Tampoco la otra empresa.

3.1.4. Expresar un acuerdo relativo

- To some extent … /Up to a point …
- Yes, but on the other hand …

3.2. CONTRADECIR EN PARTE

3.2.1. Tactful disagreement
- I don’t think so.
- Not really.
- Yes, perhaps …
EXERCISE 8.Translate these sentences into English.
1. Sí, quizás lo que dices es verdad, pero no debes olvidar que la mercancía debe estar allí el
jueves.
2. A. Este contrato es muy confuso. Hay algunas cláusulas que no necesitamos. B. Comprendo
lo que quiere decir, pero no podemos deshacernos de ellas.
3.2.2. Strong disagreement
- No, it isn’t.
- Surely not.
- You’re wrong.
- I can’t go along with that.
- I wholly and totally disagree.
3.3. CLARIFICAR LAS OPINIONES Y REFORMULAR
- Pardon?/ I beg your pardon.
- Sorry, I don’t quite follow you.
- Would you mind repeating that, please?
3.4. EXPRESAR CONTRASTE Y CLASIFICAR
To express contrast we use “connectors”:
DESPITE =IN SPITE OF
ALTHOUGH= THOUGH =EVEN THOUGH
HOWEVER =NEVERTHELESS =YET
BUT
WHILE =WHEREAS
To classify we can use the following expressions in English:
FIRST(LY), SECOND(LY), THIRD(LY) …
ON THE ONE HAND … /ON THE OTHER HAND
EXERCISE 9. Relaciona la columna de la derecha con la de la izquierda para asociar qué
estructura o expresión es utilizada en cada para caso para (reformular, mostrar acuerdo,
etc.)
A. She went to an international trade last month. So did we. 1. Reformular
B. Although the salary was not well-paid, he accepted the 2. Mostrar acuerdo
job.
C. I can’t go along with that. 3. Contradecir
D. I will probably do an intensive French course this autumn. 4. Expresar contraste
E. Would you mind repeating that, please? 5. Expresar duda

4. FÓRMULAS DE PERSUASIÓN EN UNA NEGOCIACIÓN INTERNACIONAL

(EXPLANATION)
5. SIMULACIÓN DE PROCESOS DE NEGOCIACIÓN DE EXPORTACIONES E
IMPORTACIONES DE PRODUCTOS
EXERCISE 10. Example of a simulation of a negotiation process concerning import and
export related products. Translate it into English or Spanish.

Thomas: Vamos a empezar ¿de acuerdo? Hoy me gustaría debatir si seguimos

exportando nuestros productos a Irlanda. Me gustaría oír vuestras opiniones al respecto.
 ¿Puedes ponernos al corriente, Paul?
Paul: Sí. Como todos vosotros sabéis, establecimos un centro regional en Galway hace un
año y medio. Esperábamos que fuera el lugar desde el cual está actividad podría
expandirse a otras áreas de Irlanda. Desgraciadamente, tengo que decir que ha tenido un
impacto menor al esperado y, como yo lo veo, va a ser bastante difícil recuperar gran
parte de nuestra inversión.
Thomas: Gracias, Paul. ¿Cuál es tu opinión sobre esto, Steven?
Steven: Well, if you remember I told everybody at that time that I was against of Galway
as a location. We should not have set up there. If you want to establish yourselves firmly
in the Irish market you’ve got to be in the capital city.
Thomas: Gracias, Steven. ¿Qué opinas sobre esto, Emily? ¿Piensas que Steven tiene
razón?
Emily: No, no estoy de acuerdo en absoluto. Galway es un gran mercado y Wicklow es
correcto desde un punto de vista geográfico. Realmente pienso que debemos darles más
tiempo.
Steven: Well, I guess you have a point, but what about the rest of Ireland? You have to
be in Dublin, like I said.
Ann: Pienso que el personal local no es lo suficientemente competente para ese trabajo;
no han hecho lo que se les ha contratado que hicieran. Nunca responden cuando trato
de ponerme en contacto con ellos.
Thomas: Is that true?
Steven: Sí, eso me ha ocurrido en varias ocasiones.
Paul: Look, why don’t we bring in an Irish consultant to analyse the situation for us?
Frankly, we need more information about what is going on.
Thomas: De acuerdo. Buscaré una empresa de consultoría especializada en
exportaciones en las próximas semanas.

5.1. CONTRASTES DE REGISTROS FORMALES E INFORMALES Y FÓRMULAS HABITUALES

EXERCISE 11. Formal and informal register. Complete the table.
contexto formal informal
Presentación Given the current situation, we would
inicial appreciate it if…
de posiciones
Exposición This is why you have to take
de argumentos our proposal.

Expresión Any questions?

de duda
Expresión Do you agree with this?
de acuerdo
Contradecir We won’t take your offer.
en parte
Clarificar Could you please explain this for me
reformular again?

5.2. ENTONACIÓN Y PUNTUACIÓN DISCURSIVA BÁSICA

(explanation)
EXERCISE 12. De entre las siguientes oraciones en un proceso de negociación de una operación
de exportación e importación en inglés, identifique cuáles corresponden al registro formal y al
registro informal.

a) The transaction will cost about 15 grand.

b) Send me the details as soon as possible!
c) We are aware you might accept these terms.
d) It sounds Greek to me!
e) Would you mind explaining to us what do you expect from this session?
f) You are kidding me, aren’t you?
g) I am not going to pay a buck for that.
h) Last but not least, I would like to take some minutes to talk about our project results.
i) This is your final offer?
j) Could you please confirm the production deadlines for this new item?
k) We would appreciate if you could think over modifying the method of payment.
l) Anything else?
m) We are afraid we could not accept your conditions as they currently are.
n) I am not happy with that, explain it again!
o) Please let us know if you would require any other information on this point.

TEMA 4. CONTEXTO SOCIO-PROFESIONAL DE LAS OPERACIONES DE

COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL
1. CONTENIDOS SOCIOCULTURALES Y SOCIOLINGÜÍSTICOS EN ENTORNOS PROFESIONALES
INTERNACIONALES
2. ELEMENTOS SIGNIFICATIVOS EN LAS RELACIONES COMERCIALES Y PROFESIONALES
2.1. REGISTRO FORMAL, NEUTRO E INFORMAL
2.2. RELACIONES PROFESIONALES EN DISTINTO GRADO DE FORMALIDAD
3. DIFERENCIACIÓN DE USOS, CONVENCIONES Y PAUTAS DE COMPORTAMIENTO SEGÚN
ASPECTOS CULTURALES DE LOS INTERLOCUTORES
3.1. CONVENCIONES SOCIALES: TABÚES RELATIVOS AL COMPORTAMIENTO
3.2. FÓRMULAS DE CORTESÍA Y TRATAMIENTO DE USO FRECUENTE
3.3 CONVENCIONES EN LA CONVERSACIÓN Y VISITAS COMERCIALES: PUNTUALIDAD,
OFRECIMIENTOS DE COMIDA, TIEMPO DE ESTANCIA, EXPRESIÓN DE EXPECTATIVAS DEL
ANFITRIÓN
3.4. COMPORTAMIENTO RITUAL: CELEBRACIONES Y ACTOS CONMEMORATIVOS
4. GIROS Y MODISMOS ADECUADOS AL CONTEXTO DEL COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL
5. ASPECTOS DE COMUNICACIÓN NO VERBAL SEGÚN EL CONTEXTO CULTURAL DEL
INTERLOCUTOR
5.1. EL SALUDO
5.2. LA POSICIÓN DEL CUERPO Y LAS EXTREMIDADES
5.3. LA MIRADA
5.4. LAS DIFERENCIAS DE GÉNERO
5.5. PROXIMIDAD FÍSICA Y ESFERA PERSONAL

1. CONTENIDOS SOCIOCULTURALES Y SOCIOLINGÜÍSTICOS EN ENTORNOS

PROFESIONALES INTERNACIONALES
EXERCISE 1. Negotiating across cultures. Which do you consider to be the most important for
a successful negotiator? Put them in order of importance (1=very important, 9=not so
important)
A good negotiator is someone who …
- focuses strongly on personal objectives.
- tests the understanding of the other party frequently.
- structures the discussion clearly and flexibly.
- highlights common ground between the parties.
- undermines the position of others strongly.
- focuses on the long term.
- spends a lot of time in planning.
- uses a lot of questions to explore options.
- fixes a clear agenda and sticks to it.

Cultural differences and negotiation

- Communicate effectively with your international negotiator
- Adapt your approach to your negotiator’s culture.
- Understand your counterpart’s negotiation process.
Multinational Negotiation
How the culture influences in the negotiation
Factors of the negotiation Rank of cultural answers
Objective of the negotiation Contract – Relationship
Attitudes to the negotiating process You lose, you win – Everyone wins
Personal style Informal – Formal
Communication Direct – Indirect
Sensitivity to the time High – Low
Emotiveness High – Low
Format of the agreements Detailed – General
Process to come to the agreement From bottom to top – From top to bottom.
Organization of the negotiating team A leader – Consensus (agreement)

Risk assumption (Asunción de riesgos) High – Low

EXERCISE 2. Listening. Chen Zhu works for an electronics company based in Shanghai. Listen
to Chen talking about her experience of negotiating with an American company.
1. What was the purpose of the negotiation?
2. What was the most challenging thing for Chen in the negotiation?
3. What was the biggest difference in negotiation style between the two companies?
4. What didn’t the American company want to do and why not?
5. What does Chen describe as frustrating in the negotiating style of the American company?
6. What was the biggest lesson for Chen about how to negotiate internationally?
EXERCISE 3. Listening. Listen to a manager using different influencing techniques to persuade
a team member to accept the leadership of an international project. Number the techniques
1-6 in the order she uses them.
- Offer benefits.
- Convince with logic.
 - Listen first and then suggest.
- Emphasise willingness to share.
- Be convinced yourself.
- Stress commonality.
-
Varieties of English
Differences between American and British English
(explanation)
SPELLING:
British English American English
-OUR -OR
Colour, flavour odour, humour, favour, Color, flavor, odor, humor, favor,
favourite, neighbour favorite, neighbor
-ISE -IZE
Recognise, analyse, criticise Recognize, analyze, critisize
-ENCE -ENSE
Licence, defence, practice License, defense, practise
-L -LL
Fulfil, enrolment, skilful Fulfill, enrollment, skillful
-QUE -K
Cheque, chequer Check, checker
-OGUE -OG
Catalogue, analogue, dialogue Catalog, analog, dialog
-RE -ER
Centre, metre, litre, theatre, Center, meter, liter, theater

EXERCISE 4. Vocabulary. Translate the following vocabulary into British and American English
British English American English Traducción
……………………….. ……………………………
Otoño
Factura
Galletas
Capó
Maletero
Aparcamiento
Farmacia
Ascensor
Gasolina
Correo
Código postal
Billete de ida y
vuelta
Horario

2. ELEMENTOS SIGNIFICATIVOS EN LAS RELACIONES COMERCIALES Y PROFESIONALES

2.1. REGISTRO FORMAL, NEUTRO E INFORMAL
(explanation)
2.2. RELACIONES PROFESIONALES EN DISTINTO GRADO DE FORMALIDAD
- VERTICAL REGISTER
- HORIZONTAL REGISTER
3. DIFERENCIACIÓN DE USOS, CONVENCIONES Y PAUTAS DE COMPORTAMIENTO
SEGÚN ASPECTOS CULTURALES DE LOS INTERLOCUTORES
BASIC RULES AND HABITS
EXERCISE 5. Reading. Algunos profesionales extranjeros dan consejos a tener en cuenta
cuando visites su país o para establecer relaciones con clientes procedentes de allí.

Hello! My name is Alice Southton. I’m from America and you should take into account
the following things when visiting USA.
American meetings are casual(relaxed) and informal; sometimes they take place while
having lunch. However, they are serious in content. Although they are not very formal,
you should wear a smart suit, appearance is quite important for us. We are usually quite
punctual but being fifteen minutes late is not considered rude.
You shouldn’t expect an American person to give you a business card in your first
meeting, maybe next time. In a meeting, you should get straight to the point, for
American people “time is money”.

Hello! My name is William Spencer and I’m from the UK. There are certain things you should
bear in mind when having a meeting or doing business with British people.
As you know you must be very punctual. It is crucial for us as being late is considered rude.
So, be on time. Physical appearance is also quite important, wearing a good suit and driving
an expensive car would be quite positive. First impressions are sometimes decisive!
The British are reserved, but we are also friendly and helpful to foreigners.
We usually work from 8.30 to 17.00 with a break for lunch, so you must be careful when
arranging a meeting. When we meet someone, we normally shake hands but shakehands
are light and women extend their hand to men first. Then, say “How do you do?” and after
that we normally exchange business cards that must be written in English, the international
business language

Hello! My name is AIka Katsuko and I’m from Japan. Maybe Japanese have the strictest rules
of social and business behaviour.
Seniority is very important and so a young businessperson shouldn’t be sent to a business
meeting with an older Japanese man. Business cards should be exchanged immediately
when we meet someone as our position in our company is essential. Those business cards
must be given and received with both hands. You must read them carefully before keeping
them in your business card holder, never inside a pocket.
You shouldn’t touch the name, as it is thought it contains a part of that person’s soul. Your
business card should be printed double sided (English on one side and Japanese on the
other) showing your rank clearly. If it contains golden letters, it will be considered a sign of
good luck. The oldest person will give first his businesscard to the youngest and never on
the contrary.
You shouldn’t expect the Japanese to shake hands. You should bow your head every time
you meet someone and the first bow of the day should be lower than when you meet the
same person thereafter.
You should arrive in time, at least 10 minutes before or even earlier if your meeting is with
senior executives.
 Hi! My name is Aadesh Ranjan and I am from India. Some pieces of advice when visiting
Middle East are the following:
In India, we never use our left hand for greeting, giving or receiving business cards. We
normally shake hands to greet people but you mustn’t touch women, not even to greet
them.
Here people are so polite that when we have to give a negative answer, we don’t normally
get straight to the point. Our meetings are usually long and slow, so don’t be impatient. For
us those meetings take time! We are usually very hospitable and so you should drink or eat
what you are offered at any time.
You will not find local women in high posts in our companies but it is common to find
foreign women.

EXERCISE 6. They are true or false the following statements:

1. In America, meetings are casual and informal.
2. Being fifteen minutes late in America is considered quite rude.
3. They usually give you a business card in a meeting with an American person.
4. You must be very punctual in the UK.
5. You should exchange business cards in the UK.
6. You can give and receive a business card with one hand in Japan.
7. You should bow and shouldn’t shake hands when you are with a Japanese person.
8. You mustn’t drink whatever you are offered when you visit India.
9. You mustn’t touch women if you visit the Middle East.
10. You must use your left hand to exchange business cards with someone from India.

3.2. FÓRMULAS DE CORTESÍA Y TRATAMIENTO DE USO FRECUENTE

EXERCISE 7. Translate the following sentences into English
¡Salud! (en un brindis)
¡Salud! (tras un estornudo)
Felicidades, enhorabuena
¿Habla inglés?
¿Me entiende?
No se moleste
¡No hay de qué!
No se preocupe
Disculpe/con permiso
¡Buena suerte!
Aquí tiene.
No hablo español.
No importa.
¿Le puedo ayudar?
Ni una (sola) palabra
¿Cómo dice?/Perdone, disculpe
Siento molestarle.
(Muchas) gracias/se lo agradezco
muchísimo.
Bienvenido.
¿En qué puedo servirle?
¿Te apetecería un cigarrillo?
¿Desea algo para beber?
 Es muy amable.
¿Puedo …?
…………………………………………………………………… Le agradezco que

3.3 CONVENCIONES EN LA CONVERSACIÓN Y VISITAS COMERCIALES: PUNTUALIDAD,

OFRECIMIENTOS DE COMIDA, TIEMPO DE ESTANCIA, EXPRESIÓN DE EXPECTATIVAS DEL
ANFITRIÓN
3.4. COMPORTAMIENTO RITUAL: CELEBRACIONES Y ACTOS CONMEMORATIVOS
Three reasons for which business leaders should celebrate the traditions of their companies:
- Traditions make your company stand out from the crowd.
- Traditions foster a sense of shared identity
- Traditions remind us of past challenges and of how far we’ve come
4. GIROS Y MODISMOS ADECUADOS AL CONTEXTO DEL COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL
EXERCISE 8. Translate the following idioms suitable for the international trade.
Black market
Business is
business
Cash cow
To be in bad books
To be in the black
To be on time
To gain the upper
hand
To get a foothold
To give someone a
ring
To jump on the
bandwagon
To sell like hot
cakes
To throw the
money down the
drain
To break the ice
Free hand
To give a blank
cheque
To have an ace up
one’s sleeve
To have the back to
the wall
To hold all the aces

5. ASPECTOS DE COMUNICACIÓN NO VERBAL SEGÚN EL CONTEXTO CULTURAL DEL

INTERLOCUTOR
BODY LANGUAGE IN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Human beings communicate through a variety of channels. In conversation we express our
ideas and feelings not only with words but also through facial expressions, voices tones and,
gestures.

In business negotiation, body language plays a significant role in the communication. Some
studies show that up to 90 percent of communication is nonverbal. Through you might say one
thing, your body movements may indicate something entirely different.

Example: a frown is a sign of displeasure. Nodding one’s hand means agreement “Yes”. Waving
an outstretched hand with open palm is the gesture for “Good bye”. Leaning back in one’s seat
or yawning at a talk or lecture shows lack of interest, boredom.

TYPES OF BODY LANGUAGE

Body language or kinesics can be understood by recognizing the following six important
aspects:

1) Distance between people conversation

Watch an Arab and an Englishman in negotiation. The Arab will move forward to be closer, but
the Englishman will keep moving backward.

Here, distance between two is the key factor. Different people have different ideas about the
proper distance between people conversing. According to studies, it seems there are four main
distances in American social and business relations: intimate, personal, social, and public.

Intimate distance ranges from direct physical contact to a distance of about 45 centimetres;
this is for people’s most private relations and activities, between man and wife, for example.
Personal distance is about 45-120 centimetres and it most common when friends,
acquaintances and relatives. If we stretch the arm, we can touch the person with whom we are
maintaining the conversation.

Social distance is about 120-360 cm and it is common with people who work together or
people doing business.

Public distance from 360 cm and it is common for speakers in public and for teachers in
classrooms.

2) Physical appearance and physical contact

Physical apperance plays an important role in creating first impression.

In English-speaking countries, physical contact is generally avoided in conversation among

ordinary friends or acquaintances. Merely touching someone may cause an unpleasant
reaction. If someone touches another person accidentally, he/she usually utters an apology
such as “Sorry”

3) Eye contact
Eye contact varies greatly according to the culture to which you belong. Some consider direct
eye contact as something rude or disrespectful or even something inappropriate. In many
Asian cultures (China, Japan) avoid looking at a person of the opposite sex or to a superior is
interpreted as a sign of respect. Japanese people think the less eye contact, the higher the
level of esteem. The same happens with African and Latin American cultures that look to a
superior could be interpreted as a challenge or a sign of disrespect. However, in the United
States and in most of Europe is considered appropriate and even necessary since it indicates
interest and that you are paying attention.

Regarding the cultures of the Middle East, especially the Muslims direct eye contact between
women and men is not well seen.

4) Facial expressions

Facial expressions can vary from one culture to another. For instance, in some US businesses, it
is considered acceptable to frown and yell, but not to cry. But the Japanese in situations of
strong emotion it is considered acceptable to smile or laugh, but not to frown or cry.

5) Gestures

A same gesture can difer from one culture to another. For example

- the forefinger near lips with the sound “shah”, which is a sign for silence in UK and
America, means disapproval, hissing in China.
- The hand sign for OK (the circle formed with the thumb and first finger), which has the
similar meaning in most of Western Europe, is an obscene gesture in some societies
(Brazil, Mediterranean countries…)
- Nodding your head up-and-down to indicate “yes” and shaking your head lefto-to-right
to indicate “no” is widespread. However, in some cultures indicate the opposite.
- The thumbs-up gesture is a positive sign in most of the world, but in some cultures it is
considered a rude gesture.
- The V-shaped hand gesture with the index finger and middle finger may mean victory
or peace in the United States, but in some countries it could be interpreted as an
obscene gesture.

6) Posture
People from different culture learn to sit, to walk and to stand differently.
When you are sitting legs should remain together or in front of the other slightly and a relaxed
posture, a comfortable seating position, uncrossed arms indicate openness. When you are
standing weight has to be evenly distributed, shoulders back and head held high. On the other
hand, abrupt movements, shifting seating movements, crossed arms or legs may signal
disinterest or an unwillingness to listen.
Receptive people look relaxed with open hands, displaying the palms, indicating openness to
discussion.
By contrast, people who aren’t willing to listen may lean back in the chair or protectively fold
their arms across their chest.