商务礼节美语第166期:Getting Out of Debt 还清债务(上)

　　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. Grab¹ 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 mortgage² 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 blunt³: 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。

1 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

2 mortgage   

n.抵押，抵押贷款；vt.抵押

参考例句：

• He's having a lot of trouble paying his mortgage every month.他付每月的抵押借款利息有很大的困难。
• The bank refused to accept any mortgage on land.银行拒绝接受任何土地抵押。

3 blunt   

adj.（刀子）钝的，不锋利的，迟钝的，直率的

参考例句：

• The axe is too blunt to cut down the tree.斧头太钝，砍不倒树。
• She is rather blunt in speech.她说话很直率。