礼节美语118讲

Jane找上司Vincent, 可不是为了工作。

Jane: (knock knock) Hi, Vincent...got a second?

Vincent: Sure, Jane...come in. Grab a seat. What`s on your mind?

J: Well, I know this doesn`t fall under your responsibilities, but I really need some advice. Do you mind?

V: Not at all. Shoot.

J: Ok...I`ll just say it: I`m quite heavily in debt and I need advice on how to get out of this hole I`m in.

Jane问Vincent有没有时间，got a second? 请别人坐，可以说grab a seat. Vincent让 Jane - shoot. Shoot在这儿不是开枪，而是“说吧”。原来，Jane是因为债务缠身，heavily in debt, 让Vincent帮她出主意，to get out of this hole，摆脱困境。

V: I see. Is this mainly credit card debt?

J: Yes. But there`s a mortgage and car payments as well.

V: You know what? I`m going to ask Anna Wang to join our conversation. She`s our company`s financial expert.

(Picks up phone) Anna? Would you mind joining me for a second? Thanks.

J: Oh. I don`t want to be a burden.

V: No...it`s really no problem. Millions of people have fallen into debt and it`s great that you are trying to take positive action. Oh, hi Anna. This is Jane.

Anna: Hi Vince. Hi Jane.

Jane不光信用卡欠了很多钱，还有房贷和车贷。Vincent请公司的财务专家Anna来咨询。注意听，Jane欠了多少钱。

V: Jane wants advice on how to get out of credit card debt.

A: Ah. That`s a popular problem these days. Can I ask how much you owe?

J: Um...it`s kind of embarrassing...but Ok...25,000 dollars.

A: Jane, I`m going to be blunt: if I were you, I`d cut up all my credit cards today.

J: All of them?

A: Well, you might keep one for emergencies, but the point is: stop using the cards.

Jane一共欠了两万五千美元。Anna说，I`m going to be blunt，我直话直说：要是我，今天就把信用卡都剪碎。The point is: stop using the cards，关键是：不能再刷卡了。

V: I never used to pay attention to the fine print, but one day I looked up the details from my bank and I discovered I got charged 14% interest!

A: Yes, you really have to read the fine print. In Jane`s case though, I`d recommend actually canceling the cards.

J: Can`t I get the bank to lower my interest rates?

V: Sure, but you also want to stop new spending. When you buy something with a credit card, you think you are paying what the price tag says. But really there are a lot of extras.

消费者一定要注意信用卡的fine print，合同细则，Vince的银行就收他14%的利率。刷卡购物，你以为付的是商品标价，the price tag, 可实际上有很多额外收费, a lot of extras。Jane具体该怎么做？我们下次继续听。

礼节美语119讲

Jane向上司Vincent和财务专家Anna请教，如何才能摆脱信用卡债务。Anna建议说：

A: You have to freeze everything and reevaluate your position. Figure out exactly - to the dollar - how much you owe and who you owe it to.

J: How can I get the credit card companies to stop calling me a hundred times a day?

V: (Chuckles) They can be quite persistent, can`t they?

A: They need to be convinced that you`re serious about getting your finances in order. You will probably need to go down and speak with a bank representative.

V: Your bank should be willing to reduce your debt if you can work out a repayment schedule.

Anna建议Jane "freeze everything and reevaluate your position", 冻结一切财务活动，对现状重新评估，看自己到底欠谁钱、欠多少钱。

要想让信用卡公司别没完没了地打电话催债，stop calling me a hundred times a day, 就要让他们相信，你真心想把债务付清，get the finances in order。 Anna还建议Jane去找银行，work out a repayment schedule，就如何分期分批还清债务达成协议。

J: I think I made a bad decision with my car as well. I chose the five-year payment plan, but with the interest, it`s actually much more expensive than the three-year plan.

A: It`s very important that you do the math before you sign any papers. Can I be blunt with you?

J: Yes. I can take it.

A: You can`t be financially healthy if you`re lazy. Many people make really bad decisions just because they`re too lazy to really figure it out.

V: I`m sure guilty of that.

J: Yes. I agree. I`m going to start paying better attention.

没错，在任何贷款协议上签字之前一定要do the math，把帐算清楚。Anna说，很多人在财务上犯错误都是因为懒得去算这笔帐。Vincent承认，他就是这样的人，I am sure guilty of that. 言归正传，Anna要还清债务，具体有哪些步骤呢？

V: So let`s see if I can summarize the plan. One: Stop spending. Two: Talk to the banks and work out a deal... and three: Pay closer attention to the fine print.

A: That`s pretty much it. Becoming a financially healthy person is possible, but it takes exercise.

J: So basically my brain needs to go to the gym.

A & V: (mild chuckle)

J: Thank you both very much. I appreciate your good counsel.

第一：不能再随便花钱。第二：跟银行谈，work out a deal设法达成还钱的协议。第三：以后务必注意财务协议的细则。Anna打比方说，要做一个财务上的健康人是可能的，但需要练习。 Jane也开玩笑，说要让自己的大脑去健身房去锻炼。