Capitulo 5, Scenas 1 e 2, Curso de conversation

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

SCENA 1: Paris, in un centro de conferentias: Petro parla a John Melville e le accusa de dishonestemente essayar finger esser un possibile cliente sue pro extraher ex ille informationes commercial confidential sur su compania. Petro deveni multo irate, e John Melville essaya calmar le, dicente que in le affaires tal practicas es commun. Gerardo Florette interveni e porta Petro via, suggerente que illes bibe alique e oblida le senior Melville.

Petro finalmente vade con Gerardo, ma non sin unes parolas menaciante a John Melville, qui pare surpren- dite e indignante e completemente sin regrets pro lo que ille ha facite. Petro e Gerardo vade a un parve café in un area de Paris que Gerardo cognosce ben. Petro se calma e demonstra un certe placer in le bonhomia del vita in le cafés parisian. Illes parla sur le conferentia, e le duo es de accordo que illo es un guasto de tempore. Ni John ni Petro ha fame, ma illes vole haber un secunde bibita e continuar lor activitates in un altere parte de Paris, sin dubito pro continuar lor libationes.

Petro: Eh, senior Melville, io ha unes parolas a dicer vos.

Melville: Si, e ...

Petro: Vos ha un memoria de me?

Melville: Certemente. Illo nunc reveni a me. Un volo inter Strasbourg e Geneva.

Petro: Vos non me diceva que vos travaliava pro nostre competition.

Melville: Vos ha ration.

Petro: E vos ha essayate elicitar de me unes informationes durante que vos fingeva esser un cliente.

Melville: Ascolta. Io vos lassava creder lo que vos voleva creder. Le commercio es un jungla, e il pare que vos non comprende su operationes.

Petro: Io debe dar a vos un bon colpo de pugno!

Gerardo: Vamos, Petro. Vamos.

Petro: Como vos dice, nos vive in un jungla. In tres annos vostre compania essera in bancarupta, e vos non habera ulle travalio.

Melville: Io crede que il essera vostre compania que perdera. Nos videra.

Gerardo: Vamos, Petro. Facer un scena hic non complira ullo. Vamos biber alique.

Petro: Sia multo caute con lo que vos facera in le futuro, Melville. Vos crede que vos es astute e intelligente, ma eventualmente vos habera grande problemas.

Gerardo: Vamos, Petro. Que nos bibe alique.

Melville: Qual es le problema que ille me offere? Io non le comprende. Io le cognosceva durante un viage in avion, e io ha demandate unes informationes sur su travalio. Illo es toto. Io non sape proque ille ha devenite tan irate.

Petro: Bon, Gerardo. Vos cognosce un bon loco ubi nos pote biber alique?

Gerardo: Si. Il ha un parve café tranquille multo vicin a iste loco, al fin del strata.

Petro: Vamos illac.

Gerardo: Ah, omne va multo melio. Tunc vos es contente de esser in Francia?

Petro: Si, il essera multo bon pro me biber alique in le terassa de un café. Io non ha potite facer illo in Geneva.

Gerardo: Ah, bon. Ma qual esseva le problema?

Petro: Le tempore es troppo frigide. E sovente il pluve.

Gerardo: Si. Le Switza es un pais curiose. E que pensa vos del conferentia?

Petro: Francamente, io es convincite que io perde mi tempore in illo.

Gerardo: Vos ha ration. Il non ha ulle nove que illes offere.

Petro: Si. Illo es un ver guasto de tempore.

Gerardo: Melville pareva espaventate. Io crede que vos vermente iva a batter le.

Petro: Io quasi lo faceva.

Gerardo: Vos vole mangiar alique?

Petro: No.

Gerardo: Anque io non ha fame. Ma io crede que un altere bibita esserea un bon idea.

Petro: Si. Io ha besonio de calmar mi nervios.

Gerardo: Garson, le mesme cosa. E non mitte tante aqua iste vice. Ah, Petro, a vostre sanitate!

Petro: E al vostre!

Gerardo: Vos sape, post iste bibita, io crede que nos debe essayar un altere café. Io cognosce un altere multo proxime a iste que serve multe cosas excellente ex le cocina francese.

EXERCITIO 1: Pro ordinar cosas in cafés.

Guida: Eh, ben, io ha le impression que Petro va haber un vespere interessante. Nunc io volerea comprender melio le vocabulario que on usa pro commandar cosas in un café:

Un homine: Bon vespere.

Garson: Que vole vos ordinar?

Un femina: Io volerea un bira, per favor.

Garson: Que typo de bira? Bottilia? Ex le valvula?

Un femina: Bottilia, per favor.

Garson: Brun o clar?

Un femina: Un clar.

Un homine: Quanto a me, io crede que io volerea un whiskey.

Garson: Si?

Un femina: Un bira e un whisky, per favor.

Garson: Vos vole qualque con le whiskey? Coca Cola? Soda? Glacie?

Un homine: Glacie, per favor.

Garson: Le total pro omne illo es trenta septe euros.

Un homine: Gratias.

Garson: Gratias.

Un homine: A vostre sanitate.

Un femina: Al vostre.

Guida: Io spera que Petro non bibeva troppo heri vespere. Ille ha multo a facer hodie.

SCENA 2: Paris, al officios de Trans Infra: Le matino post lor vespere de biberages, Petro e Gerardo es un pauco malade, specialmente Petro, e Gerardo da a ille un pauco de aspirina e un consilio assatis stranie pro remediar su grandissime dolores de capite. Post que Petro ha inglutite su aspirina, ille deveni un pauco minus malade, e un senior Legrand le apporta a un sala de conferentias e le presenta a unes altere personas qui travalia pro Trans Infra.

On da a Petro un invitation pro presentar un discussion sur le projecto de Geneva, e ille accepta. Ille suggere que illes organisa cata mense reuniones regular de ingenieros senior de maniera que omnes pote intercambiar e actualisar le informationes que illes ha accumulate sur le transporto urban, addente que cata reunion esserea in un citate europee differente.

Quando Petro fini su discussion, le senior Legrand parla sur su opposition al projecto. Ille dice que ille non pote inviar su ingeniero le plus senior a un reunion cata mense sin interrumper le travalios essential de su officio de un maniera inaccaptabile. Ille pote inviar al reunion un ex su ingenieros plus juvene, ille dice, ma non un veterano. Petro essaya explicar al senior Legrand le importantia del presentia del ingeniero le plus senior, ma sin successo.

Gerardo: Bon die, Petro.

Petro: Bon die, Gerardo.

Gerardo: Como sta in iste momento?

Petro: Non multo bon. E vos?

Gerardo: Non multo melior.

Petro: Ubi es omne le membros de iste conferentia?

Gerardo: In le sala de conferentias apud nos.

Petro: Esque io pote haber un café ante vader illac?

Gerardo: Naturalmente.

Petro: E duo tablettas de aspirina?

Gerardo: Aspirina? Io debe haber un bottilia de tabletas in alicun parte. Ah, eccc los.

Petro: Gratias. Io spera que illos vos adjuvara.

Gerardo: Inverte vos con le capite in le solo.

Petro: Que?

Gerardo. Pone vostre capite in le solo e vostre pedes in le aer.

Petro: Inverter me con le capite in le solo? Que face illo?

Gerardo: Illo vos adjuvara. Omne vostre sanguine descende verso le capite.

Petro: Illo me pare periculoso.

Gerardo: Al contrario. Illo es multo bon.

Petro: No, gratias. Esque vos ...

(Le senior Legrand entra.)

Senior Legrand: Nos vos attende.

Petro: Io vade ibi.

Gerardo: Io vos presenta le senior Legrand.

Senior Legrand: Omnes es in le sala. Nos vos attende.

Gerardo: Bon die, seniores. Ecce Petro Minelli del projecto de Geneva. Io va seder me e lassar le parlar.

Petro: Gratias. Eh, ben, como Gerardo vos ha dicite, io ha venite pro parlar a vos sur le projecto de Geneva. Io suppone que vos ha apprendite alicun detalios sur illo.

Senior Legrand: No. Nos non sape ullo sur iste projecto, e nos spera que vos pote dar nos le detalios le plus importante sur illo.

Petro: Ah, multo ben. Nostre idea es de establir un systema de centralisation de informationes in Geneva. Nos ha un parve centro illac dirigite per Catherina De Sanctis. Nostre travalio consiste de centralisar e coordinar informationes general e specialisate pro omne le projectos de Marex Mundial e de Trans Infra. Nos anque habera le rolo de un corpore de consiliatores general pro omne nostre projectos. Assi nos potera centralisar nostre capacitates de formar strategias pro responder a nove conditiones de disveloppamento in areas de marketing e de technologia. Nos es specialmente interessate in le technologia nove. Ecce un exemplo: Si le governamento de un citate nos demanda un melior systema de transporto urban, nos volera haber le information pro presentar a illo un grande serie de optiones includente autobuses, taxis, trams, trainos subterranee in combinationes efficiente e economic. Naturalmente, pro presentar un optime serie de optiones, nos habera
un departamento de recercas cuje informationes essera continuemente actualisate. Pro adjuvar nos in iste effortios nos propone reunir nostre personal le plus senior cata mense in reuniones pro excambiar ideas e informationes que nostre departamento de recercas non potera extraher ex le fontes jam establite, que sovente non ha accesso a informationes completemente actualisate ...

Senior Legrand: Attende un momento.

Petro: Si?

Senior Legrand: Si io comprende ben, vos vole que nostre ingenieros principal se reuni cata mense?

Petro: Si. Tal reuniones es un parte importante de nostre planes. Esque vos non lo sapeva?

Senior Legrand: No. Io justo nunc lo ha apprendite de vos.

Petro: Eh ben, si. Haber tal reuniones es nostre intention.

Senior Legrand: Ubi?

Petro: Como?

Senior Legrand: Ubi va a occurer tal reuniones?

Petro: Hmm. Eh ben, on pote discutar illo plus tarde. Ma nos habeva pensate que iste conferentias poterea haber loco, pro exemplo, un mense hic, le proxime mense in Geneva, tunc in London, tunc in Frankfurt--un serie de reuniones in cata citate.

Senior Legrand: Si io comprende ben, vos vole que nostre ingenieros principal vade un o duo dies cata mense a tal reuniones?

Petro: Isto es nostre idea, si.

Senior Legrand: Pro parlar de disveloppamentos nove?

Petro: Exactemente.

Senior Legrand: Isto es impossibile.

Petro: Impossibile? Proque?

Senior Legrand: Io sape que le projecto de Geneva es importante. Vos nos ha explicate exactemente pro que.

Petro: Si, il es multo importante. Io crede que il non ha ulle dubita de illo.

Senior Legrand. E vos vole que nos pone un de nostre ingenieros principal a vostre disposition cata mense.

Petro: Si, exactemente.

Senior Legrand: Ma io non pote permitter que mi ingeniero principal vade a reuniones in omne le citates de Europa omne le tempore. Il ha troppo travalio a facer. Vos deberea contentar vos con un ex nostre ingenieros juvene.

Petro: Io sperava que nos poteva arrivar a un arrangiamento sur illo.

Senior Legrand: Mi ingenieros senior ha multe travalio que exige lor attention continue. Illes simplemente non pote vader a vostre reuniones. Le precio esserea negliger detalios importante de lor travalio.

EXERCITIO 2: Explicar situationes.

Guida: Le viage de Petro a Paris non habeva resultos multo favorabile pro ille. Petro habeva multe cosas a dicer durante iste reunion, e unes ex le cosas que ille diceva causa problemas. Io volerea practicar le typo de linguage que on usa in tal situationes.

Un homine: Il es necesse que vos explica le situation como illo es nunc.

Un femina: Eh, ben, ecce como illo es:

Un homine: Parla nos sur le nove projecto.

Un femina: Nos nunc es al puncto de comenciar un nove projecto.

Un homine: Parla nos sur le reunion.

Un femina: Lo que es necesse es que nos nos reuni regularmente.

Un homine: Un vice cata mense in Paris.

Un femina: Lo que es necesse es que nos nos reuni regularmente in Paris cata mense.

Un homine: Pro discuter nove projectos.

Un femina: Lo que es necesse es que nos nos reuni regularmente cata mense in Paris pro discuter nove projectos.

Un homine: Mentiona quando on va discuter iste detalios.

Un femina: Nos pote arrangiar le questiones de detalio plus tarde.

Un homine: Probabilemente.

Un femina: Nos pote probabilemente arrangiar le questiones de detalio plus tarde.

Un homine: Nos potera discuter los.

Un femina: Nos potera discuter questiones de detalio quando nos nos reuni le proxime vice.

Un homine: In Paris.

Un femina: Nos potera discuter questiones de detalio quando nos nos reunira le proxime vice in Paris.

Guida: Nos nos reunira de novo in Paris. No. Io non crede que io saperea parla sur tal cosas--al minus in iste momento. Ma que nos retorna a Petro, qui ha volate desde Paris a su officios in Geneva.

---

SCENE 1: Paris, in a conference center: Peter speaks to John Melville and accuses him of dishonestly pretending to be a possible client of his to extract from him confidential commercial information about his company. Petro becomes very irate, and John Melville tries to calm him, saying that in business such practices are common. Gerardo Florette intervenes and takes Petro away, suggesting that they have a drink and forget about Mr. Melville.

Petro finally goes with Gerardo, but not without directing some menacing words to John Melville, who seems surprised and indignant and completely without regrets about what he has done. Petro and Gerardo go to a small cafe in an area of Paris that Gerardo knows well. Petro calms down and takes a certain pleasure in the bonhomie of Paris cafe life. They talk about the conference, and the two agree that it is a waste of time. Neither John nor Petro are hungry, but they want to have a second drink and continue their activities in another part of Paris, no doubt to continue their drinking.

Petro: Hey, Mr. Melville, I have some things to say to you.

Melville: Yes, uh ...

Petro: Do you remember me?

Melville: Certainly. It's coming back to me. A flight. Between Strasbourg and Geneva.

Petro: You didn't tell me that you worked for our competition.

Melville: You're right.

Petro: And you tried to get some information from me by pretending to be a customer.

Melville: Listen. I let you believe what you wanted to believe. Business is a jungle, and you don't seem to know how it works.

Petro: I ought to slug you here and now!

Gerardo: Come on, Petro. Let's go.

Petro: As you say, we live in a jungle. In three years your company will be in bankruptcy, and you will be out of work.

Melville: I think it will be your company that will lose. We'll see about that.

Gerardo: Come on, Petro. Making a scene here will not accomplish anything. Let's go get a drink.

Petro: Be very careful about what you will do in the future, Melville. You think that you are smart and astute, but eventually you're gonna have some big problems.

Gerardo: Come on, Petro. Lets go drink something.

Melville: What is the problem with this guy? I don't understand him. I got to know him during a plane trip, and I asked him some questions about his work. That's all. I don't understand why he's gotten so mad.

Petro: Okay, Gerardo. Do you know a good place where we can go drink something?

Gerardo: Yes. There is a small, quiet cafe very near this place, at the end of the street.

Petro: Let's go there.

Gerardo: Ah, everything's going much better. So are you happy to be in France?

Petro: Yes, it'll be very good for me to have a drink at some sidewalk cafe. I haven't been able to do this in Geneva.

Gerardo: Ah, good. But what was the problem?

Petro: The weather's too cold. And it often rains.

Gerardo: Yeah. Switzerland is a funny country. And what do you think about the conference?

Petro: Frankly, I'm convinced that I'm wasting my time there.

Gerardo: You're right. There's nothing new that they are offering.

Petro: Yeah, it's a real waste of time.

Gerardo: Melville seemed really scared. I think that you were really gonna hit him.

Petro: I almost did so.

Gerardo: Do you want to eat something?

Petro: No.

Gerardo: I'm not hungry either. But I think that another drink would hit the spot.

Petro: Yeah. I need to calm my nerves.

Gerardo: Waiter, the same thing. And go easy on the water this time. Ah, Petro, to your health!

Petro: And to yours!

Gerardo: You know, after this drink, I think that we ought to try another cafe. I know another one near here that serves some really good French food.

EXERCISE 1: Ordering things in a cafe.

Guide: Well, I get the feeling that Petro will be having an interesting evening. Now I'd like to understand better the vacabulary used for ordering things in a cafe.

A man: Good evening.

Waiter: What do you want to order?

A woman: I would like a beer, please.

Waiter: What kind of beer? Bottled? Draft?

A woman: Bottled, please.

Waiter: Dark or light?

A woman: Light.

A man: Me, I'd like a whiskey.

Waiter: Yes?

A man: A beer and a whiskey, please.

Waiter: Do you want something with the whiskey? Coca Cola? Soda? Ice?

A man: Ice, please.

Waiter: The total for all that is thirty-seven euros.

A man: Thanks.

Waiter: Thanks.

A man: To your health.

A woman: And to yours.

Guide: I hope Peter didn't drink too much yesterday evening. He has a lot to do today.

SCENE 2: Paris, at the offices of Trans Infra: On the morning after their evening drinking, Petro and Gerardo are a little hung over, especially Petro, and Gerardo gives him some aspirin and some rather strange advice for taking care of his really bad headaches. After Petro has taken his aspirin, he becomes a little less sick, and a Mr. Legrand takes him to a conference room and presents him to some other people who work for Trans Infra.

Peter is given an invitation to present a discussion on the Geneva project, and he accepts. He suggests that every month they hold regular meetings of senior engineers so that everyone can exchange and update the information they have accumulated on urban transport, adding that each meeting would be in a different European city.

When Petro finishes his discussion, Mr. Legrand expresses his opposition to the project. He says that he can't send his most senior engineer to a meeting every month without unacceptably interrupting the essential work at his office. He can send one of his younger engineers to the meetings, he says, but not a veteran. Petro tries to explain to Mr. Legrand the importance of the presence of his most senior engineer at these meetings, but without success.

Gerardo: Good morning, Petro.

Petro: God morning, Gerardo.

Gerardo: How're you doing right now?

Petro: Not all that well. And you?

Gerardo: Not much better.

Petro: Where are all the others who are going to be at this conference?

Gerardo: In the conference room next to us.

Petro: Can I have some coffee before going in there?

Gerardo: Naturally.

Petro: And two aspirin tablets.

Gerardo: Aspirin? I should have a bottle of tablets somewhere. Ah, here they are.

Petro: Thanks. I hope they'll help you.

Gerardo: You might try standing on your head.

Petro: What?

Petro: Yeah. Stand on your head?

Petro: Stand on my head? What will that to?

Gerardo: It'll help you out. All your blood will go down to your head.

Petro: That seems dangerous to me.

Gerardo: On the contrary. It helps out a lot.

Petro: No, thanks. By the way, ...

(Mr. Legrand comes in.)

Mr. Legrand: We're waiting for you.

Petro: I'm coming.

Gerardo: I'd like to introduce Mr. Legrand to you.

Mr. Legrand: Everyone is in the conference room. We're waiting for you.

Gerardo: Good afternoon, gentlemen. This is Petro Minelli of the Geneva project. I am going to take a seat and let him speak.

Petro: Thanks. Okay, as Gerardo has told you, I have come to talk to you about the Geneva project. I suppose you have learned some details about it.

Mr. Legrand: No. We don't know anything about this project, and we hope that you can tell us about its most important details.

Petro: Ah, very good. Our idea is to establish an information-centralization system in Geneva. We have a small center there led by Catherina De Sanctis. Our work consists of centralizing and coordinating general and specialized information for all the projects of Marex Mundial and Trans Infra. We also will have a general advisory role for all our projects. Thus we will be able to centralize our capabilities for forming strategies to respond to new conditions of development in areas involving marketing and technology. We are especially interested in new technology. Here's an example: If the government of a city asks for a better system of urban transport, we want to have the information for presenting to it large range of options including buses, taxis, light rail, and heavy rail in cost effective and efficient combinations. Naturaly, to present an optimal series of options, we will have a research department whose knowledge base will be continually
updated. To help us in these efforts we propose to hold monthly meetings of our most senior personnel so they can exchange ideas and information that our research department cannot extract from the usual sources, which often don't have access to the latest information ...

Mr. Legrand: Wait a minute.

Petro: Yes?

Mr. Legrand: If I understand correctly, you want our our principal engineers to meet once a month?

Petro: Yes. Such meetings are an important part of our plans. Didn't you know that?

Mr. Legrand: No. I've just now found out about this from you.

Petro: Uh, yes. Holding such meetings is our intention.

Mr. Legrand: Where?

Petro: What?

Mr. Legrand: Where are you going to hold these meetings?

Petro: Hmm. Well, we could discuss that later. But we had thought that these conferences could take place, for example, here one month, the next month in Geneva, then in London, then in Frankfurt--a series of meetings in each city.

Mr. Legrand: If I understand correctly, you want my chief engineer to go take one or two days out of each month to go to these meetings?

Petro: That's our idea, yes.

Mr. Legrand: To talk about new developments?

Petro: Exactly.

Mr. Legrand: This is impossible.

Petro: Impossible? Why?

Mr. Legrand: I know that the Geneva project is important. You have explained to us exactly why.

Petro: Yes, it is very important. I think there is no doubt about that.

Mr. Legrand: And you want us to put one of our principal engineers at your disposal each month.

Petro: Yes, exactly.

Mr. Legrand: But I can't allow my principal engineer to go to meetings in all the cities of Europe all the time. There is too much work to do. You should content yourself with one of our junior engineers.

Petro: I was hoping that we could arrive at some arrangement about that.

Mr. Legrand: My senior engineers have a lot of work that requires their ongoing attention. They simply cannot go to your meetings. The cost would be neglecting some important details of their work.

EXERCISE 2: Explaining situations.

Guide: Petro's trip to Paris did not have very favorable results for him. Petro had a lot of things to say during this meeting, and some of the things he said caused a few problems. I would like to practice the type of language that people use in these situations.

A man: It is necessary for you to explain the situation as it is now.

A woman: Okay, here is how it is:

A man: Tell us about the new project.

A woman: We are now about to start a new project.

A man: Tell us about the meeting.

A woman: What is needed is for us to meet regularly.

A man: Once a month in Paris.

A woman: What is needed is for us to meet regularly once a month in Paris.

A man: To discuss new projects.

A woman: What is needed is for us to meet regularly once a month in Paris to discuss new projects.

A man: Mention when the details will be discussed.

A woman: We can arrange questions of detail later on.

A man: Probably.

A woman: We can probably arrange questions of detail later on.

A man: We will be able to discuss them.

A woman: We will be able to discuss questions of detail when we meet next.

A man: Where? In Paris?

A woman: We will be able to discuss questions of detail when we meet next in Paris.

Guide: We will meet once again in Paris No. I don't think that I could speak about such things, at least not at this moment. But let's return to Petro, who has flown from Paris to his offices in Geneva.