Rose Nassif Travers

Ueli Maurer on CNN – oh no!

Leave a Comment / General English

Ueli Maurer on CNN: Oh no!

It is a rare event to see a Swiss politician being interviewed on CNN. An interview that can last just a couple of minutes can be seen around the world by millions of viewers. 

 

So, when Swiss President Ueli Maurer’s visit to US President Donald Trump made the headlines, for American viewers it was a hope that Switzerland would become the middle man between the USA and Iran during a time of crisis.  

2 Minutes of Fame

For the Swiss, it represented a chance to be viewed favorably by the world. After all, the President of every country represents all of its citizens.  For myself, an American with Swiss citizenship, I was holding my breath that President Maurer would do a good job. The anticipation can best be described as watching an amateur athlete from your hometown participate in an Olympic event for the very first time.

What a pity! We are all saying the same thing.  Who organized this interview?  Did he really say: It’s nothing for the publicity? And who was the person helping out with partial translations not brave enough to get on camera? Is that the best we could do?

Going viral

The video is now going viral. There are those who do see the humor in it and are asking well-known comedian, Trevor Noah, who actually is half Swiss half South African, to do a skit based on the interview.  Others are even trying to get the well-loved Saturday Night Live crew to do a satire, as they are professionals at imitating Trump with the help of actor Alec Baldwin. 

Yes – of course. Really, I get it.  This short CNN video is worthy of satire.  But at the same time, my heart goes out to Ueli.  I run an English school focused on helping business professionals improve their English, to prepare them for interviews and other crucial situations that can make or break their career.  President Maurer – I would love to help you.  You might get a second chance.  Could you choose me to help you through it?   We are just a phone call away:  www.thebostonschool.com.

Here’s the way we wanted you to appear – check him out speaking all three Swiss languages fluently during his presidential acceptance speech.

For more reading or listening practice in English, please choose from our latest blogs.

 

 

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vittore-buzzi-central-africa-medical-care

IELTS prepares a medical team for international mission

Leave a Comment / IELTS news

This article below is sourced from the ielts.org website.

IELTS assists Vietnam military hospital with their peacekeeping aims

A military hospital in Vietnam is one step closer towards being part of a United Nation peacekeeping mission in South Sudan after many of their staff improved their English skills by preparing for IELTS.

175 Hospital, based in the south of Vietnam, was chosen to send a medical team to establish a level two field hospital in South Sudan as part of one of the first peacekeeping missions the Vietnamese People’s Army has undertaken overseas.

As part of being accepted by the UN, the hospital had to prove the English language proficiency of its staff, with the required level set at an IELTS band score of 5.5. 

To assist the team, the Australian Defense Attache Office of The Australian Embassy in Vietnam, program sponsors, joined with IDP’s ACET language school to deliver intensive English courses.

After three months of committed study and dedication, 17 staff members sat IELTS and achieved the target score, meaning the hospital team is now one step closer to deployment.

Warwick Freeland, Managing Director-IELTS at IDP Education, said this example reinforces that IELTS is a global test that allows people to achieve significant milestones.

“We are proud that IELTS is playing a role in helping 175 Hospital begin their peacekeeping mission. 

Our globally consistent test and scoring system provides a high level of trust in a candidate’s English language skills, which is vital ahead of 175 Hospital embarking on such an important mission,” Mr Freeland said.

IELTS is the world’s leading high-stakes English language test for study, work and migration. Its results are trusted by more than 10,000 organisations around the world, including many national medical regulatory bodies.

Original Source: https://www.ielts.org/news/2018/ielts-assists-vietnam-military-hospital-with-their-peacekeeping-aims

If there’s a special mission in your company that you need to prepare your team for, why not consider IELTS? Mock & Intensive IELTS Preparation Courses now available. 

Would you like to complete a short English medical vocabulary quiz?

We suggest you start at No 1 and we hope you score really well.

Good luck.

Do you want to learn English?


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Business English Skills 5 minute read

Winning a New Client – Your First Step

Leave a Comment / Business Emails

First Contact with a Potential Client: Sample E-Mail

 
Finding new clients is not easy.  The first step can be either a phone call, a visit to a booth at a trade show or writing a introductory e-mail.

Keep it simple and to the point by including these 5 key parts shown below.  Of course, there are many phrases and ways to cover these points.  We have included 10 standard phrases that you may find helpful to keep a neutral, friendly but professional tone.  
 

5 Parts of Introductory Sales E-Mail/Letter:

Here are 5 parts that I recommend including in an introductory e-mail to a potential client.  For each part, I have included 2 useful phrases each.

  1. Introduce your company (Useful Phrases No. 1-2)
  2. Explain why you are interested in their company/products (Useful Phrases No. 3-4)
  3. Explain more specifically why you would like to meet (Useful Phrases No. 5-6)
  4. Request a meeting (Useful Phrases No. 7-8)
  5. Close politely (Useful Phrase No. 9-10)

10 Useful Formal Phrases:

  1. We will be launching (name of product/service)… Our concept is to…
  2. I represent Company XYZ, a quality supplier of home automation devices in your vicinity.
  3. As you (may) know, …
  4. We feel we have great potential…
  5. We noticed on your website …
  6. … we would be interested in learning more about …
  7. We hope to organize this meeting…
  8. Would it be possible to arrange a meeting to discuss…?
  9. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
  10. Feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience.

E-Mail Sample:

  • To:  sales@acomfy-home.com
  • From: Sun and Shade Shoppe
  • Date:  15 March 20xx

Dear Comfy Home Representative,

We will be launching Sun and Shade Shoppe on Cape Cod at several locations this June.  Our concept is to offer environmentally friendly solutions to summer homeowners.

As you know, Cape Cod is a beach area which is a popular summer tourist attraction. We feel we have great potential in becoming successful if we can offer products that our competitors do not currently have available.

We noticed on your website that you offer several solutions for automatic blinds and awnings and would be very interested in learning more about them. Could we arrange a meeting with a Comfy Home sales representative to show us your latest technology?

We hope to organize this meeting by the end of the month so that our three shops can be fully stocked and employees trained by our launch date: 1 June 20xx.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,

Janice Prommer
Purchasing Manager
Sun and Shade Shoppe

Extra Notes:

The e-mail above  reflects a formal style of writing very similar to what would formerly be written in a letter.

To adapt it to a letter format, you would need to change the address, of course, but also the closing, too.  I would recommend using “Sincerely” instead of “Best regards”.

 

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