A: Excuse me, sir, may I talk to you?

老板，打扰一下，我想和你谈谈。

B: Bill! Sure, come on in. What can I do for you?

哦，是比尔。当然可以，请进。有什么事吗？

A: Well, sir, as you know, I have been an employee of this prestigious firm for over ten years.

老板，你知道的，我在我们这家享负盛名的公司已经有十年了。

B: Yes.

是的。

A: I won't beat around the bush, sir. I would like a raise. I currently have three companies after me and so I decided to talk to you first.

老板，我就不拐弯抹角了。我想要加薪。目前有三家公司找我，但是我决定先和您谈谈。

B: A raise? Son, I would love to give you a raise, but this is just not the right time.

加薪？我也想给你加薪，但现在还不是时候。

A: I understand your position and I know that the current economic downturn has had a negative impact on sales, but you must also take into consideration my hard work, Pro-activeness and loyalty to this company for over a decade.

我理解你的处境，我知道目前经济下滑对销售产生负面影响。但是你也必须顾及一下我十余年的辛勤工作，积极主动以及对公司的忠诚。

B: Taking into account these factors and, considering I don't want to start a brain drain, I'm willing to offer you a ten percent raise and an extra five days of vacation time. How does that sound?

考虑到这些因素，而且我也不想人才外流，我愿意给你加薪10%，另外额外给你五天休假，这样如何？

A:Great! It's a deal! Thank you, sir.

太好了！就这么定了！谢谢老板。

B: Before you go, just out of curiosity, what companies were after you?

走之前，我出于好奇问一下，什么公司在挖你？

A: Oh, the electric company, the gas company and the water company!

哦，电力公司、燃气公司和自来水公司。

prestigious

有声望的；久负盛名的

例句：

Yale is a prestigious university.

耶鲁大学是名牌大学。

Her first novel won a prestigious literary prize.

她的第一部小说就获得了一个颇有声望的文学奖。

beat around the bush

拐弯抹角

例句：

Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you came here to say.

别拐弯抹角了，告诉我你来这里想说什么。

W can't keep beating around the bush like this. It's because sooner or later, they are going to find out.

我们不能再这样拐弯抹角了。因为他们迟早会发现的。

直奔主题

Cut to the chase.

Go straight to the point.

I would like a raise.

我要加薪。

I want/would like a raise.

I would like to ask for a raise.

我要加薪。

例句：

He was so happy when he got a raise that he didn't stop smiling for a week.

当他加薪了之后，他非常高兴，整整一周笑地合不拢嘴。

downturn

（商业；经济的）衰退

a downturn in economy/sales/trade/business

经济/销量/贸易/商业衰退

例句：

We are going through a severe downturn in economy/economic downturn.

我们正在经历严重的经济衰退。

How long will the economic downturn last?

经济衰退还要持续多久？

The downturn is making compaines rethink their strategies.

经济衰退正在迫使企业重新考虑自己的战略。

impact

影响

a positive/negative impact on...

对...有正面/负面影响

take into consideration

考虑

Before you decide which employee to promote, you should also take into consideration whether their skills would be better used at their current position or in their new position.

在你决定提拔哪位员工之前，你应该考虑他们的技能是否在当前职位上，或是新的职位上被更好的发挥。

loyalty

忠诚

loyalty to...

对...忠诚

例句：

His loyalty to the company is unshakable, so we can count on his vote.

他对公司的忠诚是不可动摇的，所以我们可以指望他的投票。

decade

/?deke?d/

十年

a period of ten years, especially one that begins with a year ending in 0,for example, 1980 to 1989.

take into account

考虑；顾忌；重视

例句：

We must also take into account the time factor in achieving our plans and our actions.

在实施计划和开展行动时，我们必须将时间因素也考虑在内。

brain drain

人才流失

例句：

If the brain drain becomes an irreversible trend, a vicious circle will take shape in chinese academia.

如果人才流失成为一种不可逆转的趋势，那么中国学术界将会形成一种恶性循环。

out of curiosity

处于好奇

out of courtesy/respect/vanity/envy/anger

处于礼貌/尊重/虚荣/嫉妒/愤怒

例句：

He asked the question out of curiosity rather than out of his desire for knowledge.

他提出这个问题是出于好奇心，而非出于求知欲。