aIt has just occurred to me that there is still another possibility to ensure a prompt delivery of the goods.
我刚想起来了,还有一种可能性确保即期交货。
bAnd that is?
什么可能性?
aHow about making Hong Kong the port of shipment instead of New York?
把交货港从纽约改为香港怎么样?
bI'm afraid we can't agree to that. We concluded the business with you here in Houston, and the goods you ordered are manufactured in New York. We wish to point out that all orders accepted by us are shipped from New York or Seattle. Hong Kong is out of the question.
aIt's like this. There are only one or two ships sailing a month from New York to Osaka, while sailings from Hong Kong are quite frequent. If shipment were effected from Hong Kong, we could receive the goods much earlier.
bI see. You want to have your goods shipped from New York to Osaka via Hong Kong, where they can be transshipped. Is that the idea?
原来是这样。你想经由香港中转把货从纽约运到大阪,是不是?
aYes, exactly, because I want these goods on our market at the earliest possible date.
对,就是这样,因为我们想把商品尽可能早地投放市场。
bYour idea may be a good one, but the trouble is that there are risks of pilferage or damage to the goods during transshipment at Hong Kong. How about shipping them from Seattle instead of NewYork? You may choose either one as port of shipment. It makes no difference to us. There are more sailings from Seattle than from New York.
aIt sounds all right to me, but I will have to think about it. I'll give you a definite answer tomorrow. If I choose Seattle, will it be possible for you to ship the goods by the end of March?
我是觉得不错,但我得想一想,明天给你答复。如果我选择西雅图,你们能在三月底前交货吗?
bWe'll try our best. Anyway, we assure you that shipment will be made not later than the first half of April.