50 English Conversations for Office Staff
office affairs
one work attendance
dialogue 1
Mike you have been late five times this
month I remembered I just was late three
times let me check the timesheet I am
right it’s five times I estimate the
bonus for this month will be deducted
yes but why are you always late you know
there always is traffic jam in rush hour
commuting to work by bus takes me a long
time why don’t you take subway I never
really thought about it but I will give
it a try just try to be punctual
dialogue to
Mary could you tell me why I lose my
bonus last month I’m not clear you
should ask the personnel department
Wendy why do I lose my bonus you were
late three times last month but we will
lose one month’s bonus only if we are
late five times in a month it’s the old
rule and it’s different now what do you
mean
the new director has paid close
attention to our attendance since he
took the post it is laid down in the new
office rule that employees will lose one
month’s bonus if they are late three
times in a month I see
- transferring phone call
dialogue 1
hello is that X school for Japanese
training yes
may I help you I’m eager to know how
long to finish studying all the books
which are needed to get middle level
hold the line please
I will transfer the phone to miss Jang
thank you I’m sorry she is not in now
you can call back later
or leave your phone number I’d rather
have her call me back my phone number is
zero one zero five eight zero zero one
two five five
I will transmit the message to her as
soon as she gets in
dialogue to
hello new century hotel could you
transfer it to the sales manager for me
hold the line please I will put you
through operator someone else is
speaking over the wire sorry there is
terrible interference on the line I will
transfer it again by the way what is the
extension number for the sales manager
the extension number is two one to zero
let me write it down sir you are through
now
three arranging meetings
dialogue 1
Linda the meeting is scheduled for 14
o’clock this afternoon
have you made necessary arrangements yes
sir we’ll have the meeting in our
number1 conference room how about the
microphone I have got them ready
anything else I’ve put the notebooks
some paper copies of the agenda and
pencil on the table for each attendant
good how about refreshments yes they
will be served in the lobby I also
prepared coffee for the interval great
you really did a good job
dialogue to
lucy is everything ready for tomorrow’s
meeting yes the room is ready for the
meeting and here is the agenda
have you noticed everyone I have
informed everyone either by telephone or
by memo good
who will take meeting minutes is it
requisite to take minutes of course it
is necessary for such kind of meeting
sorry I ignored that why can’t you get
out of the habit of being so careless
ask Linda to do that she is experienced
ok I will tell her right now
for
Publishing notice
dialogue 1
the May Day holiday is coming
have a good rest what will you do in the
holiday it depends on how many days
we’ll have three days
are you sure of course
the notice about the holiday has been
posted on the notice board
haven’t you seen that I didn’t focus on
that you should go and see it okay I
will have a look at it at once
dialogue to
our meeting has been canceled really but
no one told me anything about it
didn’t you get the notice what notice
there haven’t been any notices this
whole week the notice was typed and
distributed to everyone two days ago
are you sure it was distributed to
everyone in the office it should have
gone around to everyone don’t you ever
look at the message posted to the
bulletin board I have a lot of work to
do and I’m usually too busy to take a
look
you should often check your inbox if not
you never know what you are missing out
you are right
five
arranging appointments
dialogue 1
hello it is Jessica from a company I
want to speak to mr. Brown he isn’t in
right now it is his secretary may I help
you
I want to make an appointment with him
when do you prefer how about Thursday
morning let me see I’m afraid he won’t
be free he will attend a meeting of a
new product analyzing wood sometime this
week be convenient for him Wednesday
afternoon is OK
dialogue to
hello this is Susan I’d like to visit
miss Wong sometime this week well let me
check her schedule she will be free
before 10:30 tomorrow morning but I’ll
be tied up at 10 o’clock tomorrow
morning how long do you think you will
spend on talking half an hour is enough
how about 9:15 that’s okay
I’ll pass on the message to her see you
tomorrow
six arranging trips
dialogue 1
Linda I’m going to Tokyo on business
next week when will you leave for how
long will you stay I’m going to set off
on 15th and come back on 23rd well I
will book ticket and room for you which
flight do you like the flight takes off
at about 10 o’clock a.m.
what’s your requirement about the hotel
you could book the hotel which has
company credit agreement with our
company I got it after I receive
confirmation of the ticket and hotel I
will give you a list about the trip
agenda please remind me to bring my
passport and other important things okay
dialogue to
Ivy when do I leave for New York you are
flying out next Wednesday morning from
Capital International Airport when it’s
the meeting scheduled finally next
Thursday that’s the 25th well what about
the location yes I think I’ve found the
ideal spot not far from John Kennedy
International Airport a five-star hotel
well how about my report to the head
office you’ll report to the head office
on 29th after finishing the meeting I
will notify you after I discuss the
details with Emily fine let me know what
happens you may rest assured
seven arranging interviews
dialogue 1
Lucy there is a vacancy in our office I
want to get someone to fill it
these are resumes I received recently I
think we can choose from them well you
will choose five candidates and inform
them to come and have interviews when is
suitable for the interview let me check
my schedule first Thursday morning is
okay how about at 8:30 at our number one
conference room on Thursday morning okay
what should I pay attention to you when
I choose please pay special attention to
their English skills okay I see
dialogue to
mr. Brown do you still remember the want
ad certainly how was that going we
posted an advertisement online last
month and these are the materials from
all the applicants good we should choose
10 candidates through the first round
then have them come back for a second
interview who will be charge of the
first round and second round separately
the personnel department will run the
first round then I will handle the
second round myself how many people do
we need this time three people what
should I do to make preparations for the
interview you need make 10 interview
notices and inform them the time and
place
eight
room reservation
dialogue 1
Linda have you booked the room in
Guangzhou yes I have booked a deluxe
suite in Hilton Hotel my schedule was
changed a little
I must go to hefei first is it necessary
to booked a room in hefei yes booked a
twin room for both 12th and 13th
anything specific the room with shower
and nice view okay I have already
written them down
dialogue to
I’d like to reserve a twin room from
20th to 25th sorry there is no twin room
available for those days how about a
double room I’m afraid not
is there any single room available yes
$50 a room per night does the room rate
include breakfast yes it includes
Chinese breakfast how many do you want
two single rooms for five days well
could you tell me your name and phone
number
Wang ping my phone number is zero one
zero eight four five seven six three
four five
nine booking tickets
dialogue 1
hello this is booking office for airline
tickets hello I want to book the tickets
to Balto okay could you tell me the date
of the tickets you want on March 7th
which flight to you prefer CA 1 1 2 1 2
tickets ok I will book them for you
dialogue to
hello is that mr. Lee yes is that Peter
yes you can make out my voice of course
you are my frequent visitor where are
you going this time I will go to Seoul
next Tuesday is that 25th yes it is
is there any discount for the ticket let
me have a look the flight on 10 p.m.
takes 20% off okay I will book that one
business-class ticket yes I will go
there by myself well I’ve already booked
it for you
ten receiving and sending a fax
dialogue 1
hello this is green life company hello
this is a and Q company I’d like to send
a fax to your company could I ask whom I
will deliver it to please hand it over
to your sales manager
well how many pages does it include five
pages including the title page hold on
please
I will check if there is enough paper
okay okay it’s good to go send it please
dialogue to
hello is that ABC company hello speaking
please
it is Linda on the line and I’d like to
send a fax to your company could I ask
how many pages it includes ten pages in
total wait a moment
it needs printing papers okay please
pass on the fax to mr. brown all right
the electoral graph is ready and I’m
going to give you fast mile signal
eleven
word-processing
dialogue 1
Mary do you have a free moment yes what
can I do for you the speech draft needs
to be done word processing what are the
requirements for that all the numbers
should be in italics and the title
should be in larger font size anything
else
could you please double-spaced it so I
can make corrections sure when do you
need it could you finish it by three
o’clock this afternoon
no problem
dialogue to
Lucy would you please type this report
for me of course
could I get it before 13 o clock I need
it this afternoon if I do it right now
it should not be a problem
good please print it out on the laser
printer okay would you like this report
done in a formal or informal style a
formal style I see I will call you if I
finish it
twelve using photocopier
dialogue 1
Susan would you please copy this
contract for me of course
how many copies do you want 10 copies
please by the way could you magnify the
letter by 1/3 the original document is
not very clear you can make it a little
darker alright
do remember to use the b5 paper I see
would you like to staple these for you
yes thank you
dialogue to
Lucy why doesn’t the copy machine work I
don’t know
as it was okay just now let me have a
check look there is no reaction when I
press the button it should be no - you
know you that add toner is displayed on
the small screen oh dear how silly of me
I didn’t see that you are really an
expert at it
thank you you flatter me
13 computer problems
dialogue 1
crashed again this computer must be out
of date already the CPU is Pentium isn’t
it it is a Pentium 4 if you install more
memory you can use it fairly well if you
use it just as a word processor you can
use quite an oldsman we used to work
with one in my former company what are
you using for word processing I’m using
ms word I cannot see who doesn’t use it
now that is not necessarily true I’m
using WPS
dialogue to
my computer has gone all haywire did you
follow the instructions closely I’ve
tried many times which made me in
despair what’s the matter I can’t access
my disk you got me there I also missed
the password of the computer you have to
ask Peter for help right otherwise I’m
spinning my wheels give him a call
14
file management
dialogue 1
hello Jessica I’m the new secretary
Amy hello what can I do for you mr.
Brown told me that you were good at file
management so I want to consult you on
it okay do you know the file management
system of our company yes I attended a
training class before I started working
in this office what is the essence of
filing do you know the essence of filing
is to bring together in a single folder
or file all papers relating to a
particular subject that is what we call
one customer one file
dialogue to
would you please file these reports for
me yes should I file them in ascending
alphabetical order okay
will you also make copies and file them
using both methods yes I will can you
also list all the documents in those old
files when do you expect it to be
finished before next Monday all right
thank you for all the trouble you’ve
taken it’s my job
fifteen
staff training
dialogue 1
marry I will help you familiarize with
your work thanks a lot that is your desk
just near the window it looks fine is
that my computer yes and the duplicating
machine is over there what is my duty
your main duty is to answer the phone
calls and transfer them to the person
wanted what if the person wanted is out
in that case you are supposed to ask the
caller to leave a message I see is
anything else I should do you are
responsible for keeping all files in
order
dialogue to
David let me introduce every department
to you in our company that’s so nice of
you thank you
then this is the Quality Control
Department the advertising department is
the neighbor of it where is the human
resources department it’s on the third
floor the finance department is also
over there is the president’s office on
the third floor as well no it is on the
second floor
sixteen making remittance
dialogue 1
I’d like to send money to America would
you please tell me how to make a
remittance it is my pleasure
there are three modes of remittance
available what are they
telegraphic transfer mail transfer and
demands draft what are the differences
among them telegraphic transfer is the
fastest but the fee for it is the
highest how about others both take a
longer time and the formalities for
demands draft are more complicated I
prefer mail transfer please fill in the
application for remittance
dialogue to
hello I want to remit some money could
you tell me what I should do what’s the
reason for the remittance we’ve just
received a shipment from Germany you
need to present us with your contract
and import customs declaration I have
brought them with me then you should
complete a remittance application form
okay do you have enough balance in your
account yes we want to remit two hundred
thousand US dollars how do you want to
remit by telegraphic transfer okay now
please fill in this form
17
mailing letters
dialogue 1
hello I’d like to send a letter do you
wish to send it as an ordinary or a
registered letter I will send this
letter by ordinary mail how much is it
is it local or out-of-town I will send
it to Shanghai the postage is 1 yen
could I ask where I can find the zip
code there is a forum about zip code on
information desk you can also write down
the address and stick the stamp over
there will be dropped in the mailbox or
be given to you both are ok
dialogue to
hello I want to ask for international
Express mail service
what will you send some documents please
fill in the expressway bill first does
it like this you should sign your name
in the blank delivered by okay anything
else I need to weigh it in order to
confirm the postage okay how much is it
totally 120 yen when will it be there it
takes three days including today
you
chatting in workplace
one
pressure in work
dialogue 1
Lucy you are spending too much time
working do you think so well there is
too much work at hand I just cannot stop
you see working long hours has a greater
negative impact on women than men Oh
why do you say so women are willing to
be emotional eaters and tend to turn to
food as an escape once they had much
more pressure I think so
dialogue to
Rose you look so tired is there anything
wrong yeah one of my customers is so
boring I even don’t know how to deal
with please relax yourself first it’s no
big deal I know I should I feel too
tired just have a break first all right
to payment of work
dialogue 1
how much yearly bonus did you get last
year only 5000 yuan not too much to tell
you the truth I think so but I could do
nothing with that how much did you
expect around 10,000 yawn it is indeed a
little higher come on buddy
I’ve been working so hard during the
whole year
dialogue to
how much do you get every month I get
money not by month I’m working on
Commission what is the rate I can get
four percent commission on everything I
sell I see sounds good but I’m not the
lucky dog every month
three job hopping
dialogue 1
you’re very bright and breezy today
something good must have happened to you
you’re absolutely right I got a new job
at NEC how wonderful what will you do
there I’m in research and development it
suits me perfectly how are you getting
on are you still working on the project
yes that’s right why not make a change
then there are many companies looking
for professionals to tell you the truth
I really like this job here
dialogue to
I plan to hand in my notice letter in
the next few weeks following the spring
festival holiday have you made your
decision yes many friends of mine plan
to start working for a new employer
after the festival are you unsatisfied
with the money or the boss neither just
because of the career and prospect you
mean you hope to start a totally new
business in the new year yeah I think
it’s time to challenge myself good luck
for
further study and going abroad
dialogue 1
when did you graduate it from your
college I graduated in 2008 why didn’t
you get a further study you mean to
study for a master’s degree yeah
there is great pressure upon the job
market for bachelors I have to work to
support my family as soon as possible my
parents health are not very good I see
dialogue to
I know you graduated in 2005 and then
you went on study for a master’s degree
yes what you said is right your major is
English haven’t you ever thought of
going abroad not ever I think English is
only a tool of communication
I choose law as my major in my further
study period I think it is sensible in
this way you have a more bright future
five
carpooling for work
dialogue 1
Bob I can’t wait until my car is
repaired taking the bus every day is
killing me come on Jack it can’t be that
bad but it really is taking this morning
for example the subway was so packed
like sardines this morning I got totally
squished by about a hundred busy
commuters on the way to work why not get
a carpool that’s a good idea but I don’t
know who I can get a carpool with
dialogue to
how do you come to work every day I come
to work by car oh it is so convenient
for you not so much
Beijing has banned vehicles with even in
odd-numbered license plates on alternate
days since last year now vehicles with
different and numbered license plates
are banned on alternate days you can’t
drive your car every day in this way yes
you can try to find someone who is on
your way home and get a carpool going
eight office romance
dialogue 1
I’m having this huge crush on Lily I’m
going to try and see if I can invite her
to dinner this weekend the boss had told
us not to mix love and work that’s silly
what I do on my own time is no one
else’s business
besides it’s pretty hard to meet people
outside of the office when we spend long
hours here well but I heard that she is
already seeing somebody I’m just talking
about a dinner not a date but most
starts with a dinner and then it gets
out of hand okay okay stop now if you
don’t mind I’ve got some work to do
dialogue to
I think nowadays young people spend more
and more time in offices yes it leads so
many of them to be single but at the
same time office romance is fairly
common these days are you for or against
that it depends why do you say this way
it is not surprising that romance
springs up in the office yet romantic
involvement is loaded with dangers for
both the employees and for their
employers and remember not to date with
the boss what you said is reasonable