1 Meeting People

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
UNIT 1: MEETING PEOPLE
Word
account
accountant
accountancy /
accounting
accounts
actually
apprentice
apprenticeship
architect
area
assistant
attend
Examples + remarks
I've opened an account with Barclay's Bank.
My sister is a qualified accountant.
Translation
compte
comptable
comptabilité
The accounts for last year showed a profit of $2
million. / To do or keep the accounts.
Profit and loss account : compte de pertes et profits
Labour costs have actually fallen.
[ "faux-ami" / actuellement : at present]
My brother works as an apprentice electrician.
He's serving an apprenticeship as a printer.
comptes, comptabilité
en fait, en réalité
apprenti
apprentissage
architecte
Only cheeses made in this area may be labelled
"Roquefort".
personal assistant [PA] : secrétaire de direction
I have just found a job as a shop assistant [vendeur].
Students have to attend classes [assister aux cours].
Only 12 people attended the meeting last night.
région, zone
assistant, auxiliaire
assister à
expert comptable,
commissaire aux comptes
bilan comptable
auditor
The auditor's report shows the company's accounts
have been kept properly.
balance sheet
It's a healthy company with a strong balance sheet.
be good at
I'm good at French, but bad at accounting.
≠ be bad at : être mauvais dans
être bon dans
be in
I am in the computer business.
travailler dans (un domaine
d'activité)
be responsible for
≈ to be in charge of / ≈ to deal with
He is responsible for recruiting and training new staff.
être responsable de
bike
business
business
administrator
business card
businessman
busy
buy, bought, bought
chief executive
officer
colleague
= a bicycle
to do business, to be in business
vélo
les affaires
James works as a hospital administrator.
business administration : gestion administrative
administrateur
He gave me his business card.
carte de visite
He was a successful businessman before becoming a
writer.
She's busy now - can you phone later ?
to be busy : être occupé
homme d'affaires
occupé
Robert bought that car for £2000.
acheter
The CEO is the person with the most important position
in a company.
PDG : président directeur
général
A colleague is a person you work with.
collègue
comic book
communicate
commuter
We communicate with each other by e-mail.
commuting
Commuting from Brighton to London every day is very
tiring.
company, companies
computer
construction
business
corporate (adj.)
corporate law
This train is packed with commuters every morning.
Which company do you work for ?
insurance company : compagnie d’assurance
The information is stored on computer.
I work in computers.
He is in the construction business : Il est dans la
construction (l'industrie du bâtiment).
We'll have to launch an advertising campaign to
reinforce our corporate identity.
corporate lawyer : juriste d'entreprise
BD, bande dessinée
communiquer
pendulaire, "banlieusard"
trajets réguliers,
migrations pendulaires
société, entreprise
ordinateur
construction (industrie du
bâtiment)
d'entreprise
droit des entreprises
currency, currencies
The local currency is the Swiss franc.
The Euro has replaced several European currencies.
devise, unité monétaire
data
It's possible to store a lot more data on a DVD.
données
deal with
We only deal with [ = to do business with]
companies which have a good credit record.
avoir affaire à, avec
describe
She describes the new apprentice as shy.
décrire
develop, developed
Corsica has developed its economy around the tourist
industry.
développer
I work in the sales division.
département, division
My father is a doctor.
médecin
earn one's living
What do you do for a living? I'm a secretary.
She earns a living as a music teacher.
gagner sa vie
employ
How many people does your company employ ?
employer
employee
The number of employees in the company has fallen
over the past decade.
employé (e)
The shoe factory is the largest employer in the area.
employeur
Steve's still looking for full-time employment.
emploi
ingénieur
division
doctor
employer
employment (Unc.)
engineer
enterprise
estate agent
executive
management
financial controller
find out about
fishing
foreign
forget, forgot
forgotten
formal
I am an engineer.
Don't forget this is a commercial enterprise - we're
here to make money.
An estate agent is someone whose business is to buy
and sell houses.
entreprise
agent immobilier
Executive management : a group of people who have
the power to make decisions.
organe de direction,
comité directeur
I need to find out more about that foreign firm.
contrôleur financier
se renseigner, découvrir
pêcher, aller à la pêche
My dad loves to go fishing along the river.
Can you speak any foreign languages ?
[ ≠ stranger: inconnu / to go abroad : aller à
l'étranger]
étranger, d’un autre pays
Let me write down that date before I forget it.
oublier
≠ informal
formel ≠ informel
free time (Unc.)
fridge
get bored
grow, grew, grown
hate +-ing
He writes poetry in his free time.
= refrigerator
The film was so uninteresting [= boring] that I got
bored and left.
I grow my own vegetables in my garden.
I hate having to wait for people.
head office
≈ headquarters
The head office is the main office of a company.
headquarters
≈ head office
The company's headquarters are in London.
health and safety
hobby, hobbies
home town
including
information (Unc.)
inside
interest
international
introduce
introduce oneself to
someone
invest in
jeweller
job
journey
health and safety at work = santé et sécurité au
travail
Susan's hobbies include reading and cooking.
Geneva was Jean-Jacques Rousseau's home town.
The price is £25.50, including postage and packing.
Ask me if you need further information.
Her car was locked and the keys were inside.
Ben has shown an interest in learning French.
temps libre
réfrigérateur
s'ennuyer
croître, cultiver
détester
siège social, bureau
principal
siège social, bureau
principal
santé et sécurité
hobby, passe-temps
ville d’origine
y compris
information
dedans
intérêt
June, let me introduce you to Bob.
international
présenter (quelqu'un)
May I introduce myself ? My name is Bob Wilson.
se présenter à quelqu’un
Oliver made a fortune by investing in antique furniture.
investir dans
bijoutier, joaillier
CNN brings you all the latest international news.
I bought this bracelet at the local jeweller's (shop).
Mary got a job as a waitress at the local restaurant.
It's a 15-minute journey by car or by train.
emploi
trajet
know, knew, known
There are instructions telling you everything you need
to know.
well-known ↔ unknown: bien connu, célèbre ↔inconnu
connaître
late
Sorry I'm late for school - I overslept.
en retard
lawyer
learn
leave, left, left
let's + verb
liaise
listen to
love + -ing
lovely
main
make sure
manager
I want to see my lawyer [ = attorney US] before I say
anything.
law firm : étude d'avocat
law suit : poursuite judidiciaire
What's the best way to learn a language ?
≠ teach, taught, taught : enseigner
avocat, juriste
apprendre
I left work at four o'clock last Friday.
partir, quitter
Let's go ! : Allons-y !
impératif (1ère pers. plur.)
≈ to be in contact with, to work with
She liaises with health and safety representatives.
collaborer, être en contact
I love listening to rock music.
écouter
aimer (beaucoup)
You look lovely in that dress, Jessica.
charmant
I'll meet you outside the main entrance.
Our main objective is to raise the firm's productivity.
principal
I wanted to make sure you had received my mail.
s'assurer de
She's one of our regional sales managers.
directeur, gérant
What kind of music do you like listening to ?
managing director
manufacture (v + n)
MD / A managing director is in charge of a large
company or organization. [ = chief executive officer
(CEO)]
Deputy managing director : directeur adjoint, sousdirecteur
[ ≠ directeur d'école : headmaster]
He works for a small firm manufacturing watches.
The firm is engaged in the manufacture of computer
software.
manufacturer : un fabricant
directeur, directeur
général
fabriquer (v), fabrication
(n)
marketing and sales
He chose a career in marketing and sales.
Marketing et ventes
match
Match the words on the left with the pictures on the
right.
relier, faire correspondre
meet
/ meeting
- Nice to meet you.
- Fifty people attended the meeting.
rencontrer, faire la
connaissance de / réunion
erreur
mistake
We have made a mistake in our calculations.
name
first name: prénom / Christian name : prénom
surname / last name : nom de famille
Prénom, nom et prénom
nationality
opposite
organize
person (singular),
people (plural)
personal stereo
He has British nationality.
nationalité
The chemist's is opposite the bank.
The course was organized by a training company.
vis-à-vis, en face de
organiser
There is only one person at the reception desk and so
many people waiting for their tickets !
une personne, des
personnes
personnel matters
The personnel manager deals with personnel matters.
position
What's his position in the company?
He's a sales representative.
He's the deputy managing director.
There were four candidates for the position of
manager.
practise
You must practise speaking English regularly.
practice : expérience, pratique, entraînement
prefer +-ing
I prefer working in the morning.
private company
A private (limited) company is a business that may not
offer its shares [= actions] for sale to the public.
produce
product
production
production facilities
profile
property
development
reception desk
receptionist
recruit
recruitment (Unc.)
remind
We produce 100 cars per hour.
That new product sells very well.
Wine production has risen this year.
≈ factory, plant
baladeur, Walkman
questions relatives au
personnel
poste, emploi, situation,
fonction
s'exercer, s'entraîner,
mettre en pratique
préférer
compagnie privée
produire, fabriquer
produit
production
usine
She has the right profile for the job.
Write a personal profile.
profil, portrait
Someone who makes money by buying land and building
on it is a property developer [promoteur immobilier].
promotion immobilière
Please leave your key at the reception desk.
I used to work as a hotel receptionist.
We'll have to recruit a receptionist.
Remind me to phone that customer tomorrow.
[≠ to remember : se rappeler, se souvenir]
(guichet de) réception
réceptionniste
recruter, embaucher
recrutement
rappeler
representative
Someone who travels around, usually within a particular
area, selling their company's products is a sales
representative.
représentant
Research and
development
All our profits are re-invested in research and
development to try and launch new products.
Recherche et
développement
responsibility, -ies
responsible
retirement
right-hand side
secretary
sell, sold, sold
shipbuilding
shipping
single
skill
skilled
solicitor
specialize in
spend
staff (Unc.)
take
It's your responsibility to ensure the project finishes
on time. [≈ duty, duties; tasks]
Mills is responsible for a budget of over $5 million.
Ministers are directly responsible to the President.
She took early retirement ( = She retired at an earlier
age than usual) last year.
responsabilité
responsable
retraite
≠ left-hand side
sur le côté droit, à droite
My secretary will phone you to arrange a meeting.
I sold him my car for £600.
secrétaire
vendre
Belfast was famous for its shipbuilding industry.
construction navale
The cost is $205 plus $3 for shipping.
The fruit is picked and artificially ripened before
shipping. [ = sending goods by ship, land or air]
He's been single for so long now, I don't think he'll
ever marry. [≠ married /≠ divorced /≠ widowed: veuf]
The four basic skills are reading, writing, listening and
speaking.
transport /
(frais de) transport
célibataire
capacité(s), compétence(s)
The company has highly skilled workers.
qualifié, formé
I'm a solicitor. I specialize in corporate law.
notaire, avoué, avocat (Br)
se spécialiser en
- dépenser (argent)
- passer (du temps)
le personnel
prendre
That lawyer specializes in divorce cases.
How much money do you spend on clothes?
How many hours a week do you spend studying?
I'd like to welcome a new member of staff.
It takes her 20 minutes to go to work.
talk (v + n)
- to talk to : parler à
- to give a talk : faire une présentation
parler, conférence
tie
I have to wear a shirt and tie at work.
cravate
toss a coin
Let's toss a coin to decide who will go first.
[heads : face / tails : pile]
jouer à pile ou face
toy
trading, trade
traffic
trainee
training (Unc.)
training course
travel
trip
unavoidably
unusual
Trade in ivory has been banned since 1990.
jouet
commerce, trafic (de)
There wasn't much traffic on the roads.
trafic
Mark is our new trainee accountant.
[fellow trainee : camarade stagiaire]
stagiaire
We received training in every aspect of the job.
formation
They're going away on a training course next week.
stage de formation
voyager, aller
Most toys are produced in China.
She travels to work by car.
The boss is away on a business trip and won't be back
until next week.
How was your trip ? Not bad, thanks !
[a one-day trip : excursion]
≠ avoidably : qui peut être évité
I was actually on time, which is unusual for me.
voyage
inévitablement
inhabituel
wear, wore, worn
porter (habits)
Tracey is wearing a simple black dress.
The winner of this match will play Federer in the semifinals. [to win, won, won]
to work for : Mr Smith works for our New York branch.
to work with : I've worked with them for a long time.
to work as : I work as an accountant.
[ un travail : a job]
winner
work (v + n)
Country
☺
Argentina
Austria
Brazil
China
France
Germany
Hungary
Italy
Japan
Malaysia
Norway
Portugal
Russia
Scotland
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
The Netherlands
The United Kingdom
Turkey
United States
Europe
Nationality
☺
Argentinian, Argentinean
Austrian
Brazilian
Chinese
French
German
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Malay, Malaysian
Norwegian
Portuguese
Russian
Scottish
Spanish
Swedish
Swiss
Thai
Dutch
British
Turk, Turkish
American
European
gagnant
travailler, travail
Language
☺
Spanish
German
Portuguese
Chinese
French
German
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Malay
Norwegian
Portuguese
Russian
English
Spanish
Swedish
French, German, Italian
Thai
Dutch
English
Turkish
English
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