Assimil - Business French

BUSINESS FRENCH par

PeterDUNN et Alfred FONTENILLES

Illustrations de J.-L. Goussé

�

B�P. 25 94431 Chennevières-sur-Marne Cedex FRANCE ©

ASSIMIL 1998

ISB N : 2-7005-0211-6

FOREWORD

This bo.o.k is aimed at all tho.se who. have already learnt the vocabulary and essential mechanisms o.f everyday language and wish to. tackle, with co.nfidence, the wo.rld o.f business from a French standpo.iilt. In o.rder to. make this bo.o.k mo.re attractive, we have cho.sen to. introduce the vo.cabulary and expressio.ns belo.nging to. this particular field by fo.llo.wing the career paths o.f two. yo.ung graduates, pro.ducts o.f different educatio.nal systems: a grande école, which has no. equivalent in the Anglo.-Saxo.n wo.rld, and the university. The gradual integratio.n o.f o.ur hero.es, Anne and Frédéric, in the corpo.rate wo.rld seemed to. us to. be the best way to. achieve an authentic and co.herent presentatio.n o.f the language o.f business. There is a third character, Geo.rges, a senio.r executive who. has climbed the ladder thanks to. hard wo.rk and internal promo.tio.n and who. plays an impo.rtant part in the ending to. o.ur story. . Thro.ugh his example, we wanted to. illustrate a third path which can lead to. respo.nsibilities and which is being widened by the co.nstant develo.pment o.f co.ntinuing educatio.n. The chapters which make up this bo.o.k are based o.n perfectly realistic discussio.ns which bring the sto.ry to. life.

A BOOK A BOUT LANGUAGE OR A BOUT BUSINESS? . Witho.ut claiming to. take the place o.f a management textbo.o.k, we have attempted to. make the main techniques accessible to. the uninitiated, even if, at times, we have simplified them to. the extreme in arder no.t .to detract fro.m the o.verall co.mprehensio.n. Indeed, we felt that o.ur o.bjective - to. supply the learner with the necessary to.o.ls to. gain a sufficient degree o.f o.peratio.nal co.mmand required an understanding of business terminology in context. It is o.bvio.usly that much easier to. remember the translatio.n o.f wo.rds like "balance sheet" o.r "pro.fit and lo.ss acco.unt" when o.ne has grasped their meaning in o.ne's o.wn language.

m

FRENCH, THE FRENCH-SPEAKING WORLD AND EUROPE The choice of a multinational company, headquartered in a predominantly French-speakiilg country is not gratuitous. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the language of business is not a strictly Franco-French area. There are the immediate neighbours (Switzerland and Belgium), Quebec, across the Atlantic, and numerous countries in the Near and Middle East. We have also taken care, whenever it was possible, to place the dialogues in a European and international context. The business world is becoming a global village, divided only by time zones. The recordings of the dialogues and the comprehension exercises bring out the differences of pronunciation. By listening carefully and repeatedly, the listener will be able to sharpen his perception of the main differences in the sounds of vowels and consonants.

HOW IS THE BOOK PRESENTED? Each of the fortY chapters comprises: a dialogue in French together with its translation in English. (For the idiomatic expressions, we have avoided word-for-word translation in favour of an equivalent expression, further from the original but closer to . the real meaning). •

sorne notes in English explain 'or complement the vocabulary information introduced by the dialogue. •

or

a document in French is used to illustrate, shed light on or develop the subject dealt with in the dialogue. •

Ci)

a ''point de repère" in English - indicated by the symbol - adds an interesting cultural dimension, statistical or anecdotal, to give the leamer a better understanding of the French-speaking corporate world. •

•

practice exercises of various kinds are proposed:

* comprehension: formulating the allswers to the questions asked by using a complete sentence - written or oral - inspired by the dialogue. * translation: from English into French, in order to facilitate the assimilation of vocabulary, expressions or constructions presented in the chapter.

IV

* vocabulary tests: with blanks or limited choice. * true or false * applications: they range from the writing of CVs, letters, memos or reports, to more specifie exercises linked with the interpretation and the use, in context, of the documents and financial statements. They require on the part of the reader greater adaptability, more reflection or common sense. Each exercise has its solution on the opposite page: - possible - but not only - answer to the questions asked, - translation using the vocabulary of the chapter concemed, or - "suggested" answer for the exercises of a more subjective nature. You should not hesitate to repeat ail these exercises in order to check your acquisition and the speed of your reflexes. Do not ailow yourself to be discouraged by those applications which require you to draft something in writing. For one thing, you will not be penalised and for another, they will train you to face up to real situations, such as looking for a job, for example, or to acquire quickly a sufficient level of operational commando Finally, in order to bring a lighter touch after the exercises, a box presents sorne food for thought in the form of quotations or advice on how to act in certain situations. •

This format is the same in each chapter. To conclude, an English-French glossary covering ail the terms used in the book, will enable you to do two things: * to frnd the meaning of certain, often technical, words or expressions, appearing 'in the documents or certain exercises but not explained in specifie notes. * to use this book to go from English to French, without resorting to any other reference work. So now you are ready to get to know Anne, Frédéric and Georges and the many other characters they meet in various situations.

v

The authors wish ta express their thanks to Patricia Cicolella of Société Générale, Cannes, for her help and advice in the drafting of sorne documents and ta Air France for kindly allowing Gênal personnel ta travel on its domestic and intemationallines. Thanks also ta Catherine Père and Sébastien Dunn for their coup de main.

VI

CONTENTS

1

FOREWORD

II

CHAPTERS

1

2

3 4

5

Jeunes diplômés

1

L'autre voie

11

L'entretien

23

Jeune femme cadre

35

Les premiers pas

47

6

Profession vendeur

59

7

Un �onflit social

69

8

Portrait d'un autodidacte

81

9

Le client est roi

91

10

La banque, partenaire privilégié

103

12

La tournée

123

13

La gestion des ressources humaines

133

14

Changement de cap

143

15

L e déjeuner d' affaires'

155

16

L e langage des chiffres

1 67

17

Sa majesté l' ordinateur

181

18

Responsable export

1 93

n ' Usine portes ouvertes

19

Secrétaire ou assistante

20

Initiation

113

?

à la finance internationale

205 215

21

Recherche, développement, . . et espionnage

227

22

Négocier

239

à l'étranger

VU

23

Étude de marché

25 1

24

Investir en bourse

263

25

Pour réussir le marketing mix

275

26

Ouverture

à l' est

285

27

La publicité, mode d'emploi

295

28

Le contrôle de qualité

'305

29

La gestion du risque

3 17

30

L'écologie incontournable

329

31

Le verdict du marché

341

32

Stratégie internationale

353

33

Un mariage de raison

365

34

Le conseil d' administration

377

35

Les Confiseries strasbourgeoises : état EMMD t=. PEtl

�

rou;rouR' rRéS 'fbt

122

CHAPITRE 12 ! = 1 La tournée (1) Fr�déric commence une tournée en Champagne accompagné d'Etienne, jeune étudiant d' école de commerce, quifait un stage de vente. (2)

1.

Étienne : Vous occupez-vous souvent de stagiaires ?

2.

Frédéric : Non. En fait, vous êtes le premier, car je suis relativement "jeune" dans la société. Si j ' ai bien compris, votre école nous envoie régulièrement des étudiants ?

3.

Étienne : Oui, parce que le stage est intégré dans notre cycle normal d'études.

4.

Frédéric : Ça, je sais. Il faudra donc que je rédige un rapport d'évaluation... (3)

S.

Étienne : J'espère que je vous donnerai toute satisfaction. (Changeant de sujet) Votre voiture est très confortable.

6.

Frédéric : Il le faut bien quand on y passe autant de temps, et pas toujours sur autoroute.

7.

Étienne : Elle est gourmande ?

8.

Frédéric : Non, pas du tout. C'est une voiture de fonction et la société ne nous confie pas des bolid�s. Nous avons besoin de véhicules spacieux pour transporter le matériel de promotion des ventes et des échantillons de nos différentes gamme s de denrées non périssables. Je dois non seulement rendre visite à nos clients habituels, mais aussi dénicher les clients potentiels et prendre contact avec eux. (4) Étienne : Par où commence notre tournée ?

9. 10.

Frédéric : Par une chaîne de supérettes à Épernay. (5)

NOTES (1)

123

tournée : round or tour, depending on the profession. Être en tournée : to be on the road.

CHAPTER 12 On the road Frédéric has set 9ff on the road to visit customers in the Champagne region accompanied by Etienne, a young business-school student who is carrying out a sales placement. 1.

Étienne: Are you

2.

Frédéric: No. In fact you're the first one, because l'm relatively 'young' in the company. If 1 understand correctly, your school regularly sends us . students?

3.

Étienne:

4.

Frédéric: 1 know

often in charge of traiqees?

Yes, because the placement is an integral part of our normal study programme. that. So

1 '11 have to write an evaluation report...

5.

Étienne: 1 hope you'll be perfectly satisfied with me. (Changing subjects) Your car's very comfortable.

6.

Frédéric:

7.

Étienne: Does it consume a lot?

8.

Frédéric:

9.

Étienne: Where do we begin the rounds?

10.

It has to be, when you spend so much time in it, and not always on motorways.

No, not at aU. It's a company car, and the company doesn't give us racing cars. We need vehicles with plenty of room to carry sales promotion material and samples of our different ranges of non-perishable goods. 1 not only have to visit our regular customers, but also track down potential customers and enter into contact with Them.

Frédéric:

With a chain of mini-markets in

Épernay.

NOTES (suite) (2)

Champagne : the former province of Champagne is now part of the administrative region of Champagne-Ardennes, composed of four départements.

(3)

rapport d'évaluation : the mark obtained for such a placement is taken into account for the final degree.

(4)

matériel de promotion des ventes : promotional material for display stands at points of sale, advertising leaflets (flyers), free gifts (freebies), etc.

(5)

Épernay : together with Rheims (Reims), one of the two capitals of Champagne wine.

124

.

CHAPITRE 12

·

11.

Étienne : Ce sont des magasins d'alimentation en libre service, n ' est-ce pas ?

12.

Frédéric : C'est exact, mais leur surface ne dépasse pas 400 m2• Ces supérettes, qui sont installées dans des quartiers très peuplés, assurent un écoulement régulier à presque tous nos produits.

13.

Étienne : Avez-vous toujours affaire à la même personne là où vous passez ?

14.

Frédéric : Dans une supérette, je vois .généralement le gérant. Dans des entreprises individuelles comme les épiceries, je vois le patron ou sa femme.

15.

Étienne : En quoi consiste votre travail ?

16.

Frédéric : D 'abord, je reçois des informations directes des distributeurs sur ce qui marche ou sur ce qui ne marche pas.

17.

Étienne : Quand la marchandise reste sur les étagères, c'est que ça ne marche pas !

18.

Frédéric : C'est évident. Ensuite, je remplis les bons de commande où doivent figurer les références des articles demandés, la quantité, le prix et, le cas échéant, le mode de règlem�nt. Enfin, chaque visite doit faire l'objet d'un compte­ rendu détaillé qui permet de contrôler et de mesurer notre performance individuelle et d'obtenir un meilleur aperçu du marché au jour le jour. Vous en trouverez un exemplaire dans le dossier que je vous ai remis avant le départ. (6)

19.

Étienne : Comment s ' effectuent les livraisons ?

20.

Frédéric : Par l 'intermédiaire de la direètion régionale, avec nos propres camions et camionnettes.

21.

Étienne : Et les factures ?

125

CHAPTER 12 11.

Étienne: They're self-service food stores, aren't they?

12.

Frédéric: That's right, but their surface area is no bigger than 400m2•

13.

These mini-markets, which are located in densely-populated districts, guarantee regular sales for nearly all of our products.

Étienne: Do you always deal with the same person in the places you

visit?

14.

Frédéric: ln mini-markets, 1 usually see the manager. With sole

15.

Étienne: What does your work consist of?

16.

Frédéric: Pirst of aIl, 1 get information direct from the retailers about what is selling and what is not selling.

17.

proprietorships, like' grocers' , 1 see the owner or his wife.

Étienne: When the goods stay on the shelves, that's because they're not

selling!

18.

Frédéric: Obviously. Then 1 fill in the order forms, which must show

19.

Étienne: How are the deliveries carried out?

20.

Frédéric: Through the Regional Sales Office, with our own lorries and

21.

Étienne: And the invoices?

the references of the goods required, the quantity, the price and, if necessary, the means of payment. And finaIly, for each visÏt, 1 have to do a detailed report which makes it possible to control and measure our individual performance, and to obtain a more accurate day-by-day view of the market. You'll find a copy of that in the file 1 gave to you before we set off.

vans.

NOTES (suite) (6)

compte-rendu. détaillé : see Document.

126

CHAPITRE 12 22.

Frédéric : La facturation est entièrement informatisée. Tout se traite par ordinateur.

23.

Étienne : Vous ne passez jamais dans les hypermarchés ? ,

24.

Frédéric : Non. Les hypermarchés, comme les supermarchés, font en général partie de puissants groupements qui disposent de leur propre ceIitrale d'achat. Les commandes sont négociées directement avec la Direction générale. (La voiture ralentit) Nous arrivons au péage. (7)

25.

Étienne : J' aperçois un panneau indiquant "Aire de services à 1 0 kilomètres". Il est encore un peu tôt pour goûter à la boisson du pays ! Je vous invite à prendre un café. (8)

26.

Frédéric : Avec plaisir. J'en profiterai pour faire le plein à la station-service.

27.

Étienne : Vous roulez au diesel, je suppose ? (9)

28.

Frédéric : Bien sûr, même si ça pollue plus que le sans plomb ...

NOTES (suite) (7)

centrale d'achat : central purchasing organisation. Such centralisation of orders makes it possible to obtain big rebates (or volume discounts) from suppliers.

(8)

la boisson du pays : Étienne is referring here to Champagne, of course.

(9)

diesel : France is the European leader for the use of the diesel engine, taking both private cars and commercial vehicles together.

127

CHAPTER 12 22.

'

Frédéric: The invoicing is completely computerised. Everything is

processed by computer.

23.

Étienne: You never visil superstores?

24.

Frédéric: No. Superstores, like supermarkets, generally be10ng to powerful groups, which have their own central buying office. Orders are negotiated directly with general management. (The cars slows down) We're coming up to the toll.

25.

Étienne: l can see a sign saying 'Services: 1 0 kilometres'. It's still a little early to taste the local drink. Let me offer you a coffee.

26.

Frédéric: With pleasure. 1'11 take advantage of the stop to fill up at the petrol station.

27. 28.

' Étienne: Your car mns on diesel, l suppose. Frédéric: Of course, even if it pollutes more than unleaded...

� «rot �i�ttË

\

lrol1