Upper-Intermediate - A Difference of Opinion (D2454)

A: 这个季度公司的销售额比上个季度下降了20%
zhè ge jìdù gōngsī de xiāoshòu é bǐ shàng gè jìdù xiàjiàng le bǎifēnzhīèrshí
This quarter the company's sales volume has fallen 20 percent from last quarter.
B: 这和季节性有关。每年这个时候我们的生意总是不太好。
zhè hé jìjiéxìng yǒuguān. měinián zhège shíhòu wǒmen de shēngyì zǒngshì bùtài hǎo.
This has to do with seasonal changes. Every year at this time our business is never very good.
C: 我觉得不光是季节性。以前下降额一般也就是5%左右最近我们在宣传上投入的也少,销售额当然也就下降了。还是应该增加市场部的预算。
wǒ juéde bùguāng shì jìjiéxìng. yǐqián xiàjiàng é yībān yějiùshì bǎifēnzhīwǔ zuǒyòu zuìjìn wǒmen zài xuānchuán shàng tóurù de yě shǎo, xiāoshòu é dāngrán yě jiù xiàjiàng le. háishì yīnggāi zēngjiā shìchǎngbù de yùsuàn.
I think it's not just seasonal. Before the drop in volume was only about 5 percent. Recently our investment in promotion has also been less, so of course our sales volume has fallen. We'd better increase the marketing budget.
B: 这样真的可以吗?减少市场部预算的不止我们一家公司,也不见得大家的销售额都减少了。
zhèyàng zhēnde kěyǐ ma? jiǎnshǎo shìchǎng bù yùsuàn de bùzhǐ wǒmen yī jiā gōngsī, yě bùjiàndé dàjiā de xiāoshòu é dōu jiǎnshǎo le.
Is that really possible? This reduction in the marketing budget isn't limited to our company, and everybody's sales volumes haven't necessarily fallen.
C: 但是我们减少了预算,销售额就下降了。这很明显。
dànshì wǒmen jiǎnshǎo le yùsuàn, xiāoshòu é jiù xiàjiàng le. zhè hěn míngxiǎn.
But we reduced our budget and the sales volume fell. It's obvious.
A: 这个不是肯不肯花钱的问题。预算在年前已经做好了,现在要增加不现实。
zhè ge bùshì kěn bù kěn huāqián de wèntí. yùsuàn zài niánqián yǐjīng zuò hǎo le, xiànzài yào zēngjiā bù xiànshí.
This isn't an issue of whether or not we are willing to spend money. The budget was already set a year ago. Increasing it now isn't practical.
C: 所以我当时就不同意啊。
suǒyǐ wǒ dāngshí jiù bù tóngyì ā.
So at that time I didn't agree to it!
A: 现在不是抱怨的时候。我们要想出方案。
xiànzài bùshì bàoyuàn de shíhou. wǒmen yào xiǎngchū fāng\'àn.
Now isn't the time to be complaining. We need to think up a plan.
B: 要么搞几个大型的活动。
yàome to do jǐ ge dàxíng de huódòng.
How about we put on a few big events?
C: 不是我不想,是有实际困难。
bùshì wǒ bù xiǎng, shì yǒu shíjì kùnnan.
It's not that I don't want to do that, it's just that there's real challenges.
A: 这个问题我们今天就不要争了,还是交给市场部自己解决吧。
zhè ge wèntí wǒmen jīntiān jiù bù yào zhēng le, háishì jiāo gěi shìchǎng bù zìjǐ jiějué ba.
Let's not argue about this problem today. It's better that we contact the Marketing Department themselves to resolve it.

Key Vocabulary

销售额 xiāoshòu é sales volume
下降 xiàjiàng to fall
季节性 jìjiéxìng seasonal
有关 yǒuguān concerning sth, to do with sth
宣传 xuānchuán to promote
投入 tóurù to invest
预算 yùsuàn budget
增加 zēngjiā increase
不见得 bùjiàndé not necessarily
明显 míngxiǎn obvious
现实 xiànshí actual, real
方案 fāng\\'àn plan,scheme

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