Negotiating or bargaining is an intrinsic part of life in China—and in many other places for that matter. You may talk about prices in the market or shops—or even when it comes to your monthly salary! Are you confident enough to negotiate with someone or at least know some of the ways to make a good case for, let’s say, a salary increase?
In this Podcast, you will learn:
(i) How to negotiate terms and conditions for a new or existing job
(ii) To talk about your expectations on salary levels
Dialogue:
At a meeting, two parties are negotiating:
（在会议室）
(zài huì yì shì)
(in the meeting room)
A:王立，关于薪金待遇等情况，你考虑了么？有什么想法？
Wáng Lì, guān yú xīn jīn dài yù děng qíng kuàng, nǐ kǎo lǜ le me? Yǒu shén me xiǎng fǎ?
Wang Li, in terms of salary and others, did you consider it? What do you think about it?
B:我觉都各方面很好，唯独薪水比我预想的低一些，不知您是否同意给我再提高20%？
Wǒ jué de gè fāng miàn hěn hǎo, wéi dú xīn shuǐ bǐ wǒ yù xiǎng de dī yī xiē, bù zhī nín shì fǒu tóng yì gěi wǒ zài tí gāo bǎi fēn zhī èr shí?
I think all aspects sound good. Except the salary is lower than I expected. Not sure whether you can agree to an increase of 20% for me?
A:嗯，我觉得你的提议合理，但我还要再开会确定一下。
En, wǒ jué de nǐ de tí yì hé lǐ, dàn wǒ hái yào zài kāi huì què dìng yī xià.
I think that your proposal sounds reasonable. But I still need to call a meeting to decide.
B:好的，高经理，那我等您回复。非常感谢您给我这次机会！
Hǎo de, Gāo jīng lǐ, nà wǒ děng nín huí fù. Fēi cháng gǎn xiè nín gěi wǒ zhè cì jī huì!
No problem, manager Gao. I will wait for your reply then. I really appreciate this opportunity you have offered me.
Chinese words and phrases mentioned in this Podcast:
关于……等情况：in terms of
等：etc.
薪金待遇：salary
考虑：consider
想法：idea/opinion
各方面：in all aspects
唯独：except
预想：expected
不知：a formal form of ‘不知道’
是否：a formal form of ‘是不是’
提高：increase
提议：proposal/suggestion
合理：reasonable/fair
开会：call a meeting
回复：reply
机会：opportunity