最近看到很多新人对于自己成单状况不理想的原因做了剖析，将出不了单归咎于英语差。而事实真的是这样的么？诚然，英语在外贸中的作用不言而喻，但是英语并非核心，它只是一个载体，或是说一个工具。身边有许多人靠着蹩脚的英语做出了相当好的业绩。
Recently, lots of initiates analyze on the reasons why they can’t close orders and blame their poor English. Is that so? Indeed, the fact that English is of great importance in foreign trade is self-evident while it’s not the core of foreign trade but a carrier or an instrument. There are still many people who achieve great results with their poor English.
 
举个简单的例子，我们要砍一棵相当粗的树，我可以用电锯，几分钟搞定；还可以用两个人拉的大锯，个把小时也可以搞定；还可以用小钢锯，估计一两天也差不多；什么锯都没有，水果刀慢慢抠。
Take a simple example that we are going to cut a big tree. It takes me a few minutes if I utilize electric saw. We can finish it within a couple of hours if we use hacksaw. We can also spend one or two days using small saw to cut the tree. Without any saws, we can just use our fruit knife.
 
只要坚持，目的总能达到，只是快慢，不是能否。
We can eventually achieve our goals as long as we stick to them despite of time efficiency.
 
你也许会认为，这效率也太低了。然而这只是个比喻，现实中差距并没有那么大，关键是你愿不愿意去付出时间去努力。
Perhaps, you consider it as a method with low efficiency. However, it’s just a metaphor and there is a small gap in reality and it depends on whether you are willing to devote your time on that.
 
英语，无非两个内容：邮件和口语沟通。
Speaking of English, we mainly refer to emails and oral communication with foreigners.
 
►量力而为。既然你英语差，就不要指望辞藻有多华丽，用很多的从句，就写短句，表达得越清楚越好。
Do your utmost. Since your English is not good, then don’t you expect that you can speak or write outstanding English such as plenty of subordinate clauses. Just stick to using short sentences and do your best to make yourself clear.
 
举一个例子：我出生在中国，一个人口有13亿的国家。 I was born in China, which has a population of 1.3 billion. 如果是考试，这句话绝对要比 I was born in China, and in China, there is a population of 1.3 billion 分数高！
Let me take a example: The sentence “I was born in China, which has a population of 1.3 billion” is much better than the sentence “I was born in China, and in China, there is a population of 1.3 billion”  in the test!
 
然而外贸业务不是考试，没有人给你评分，你要做的就是通过最简单的语言，表达清楚你要传达的意思。
Nevertheless, foreign trade is not just an examination. Besides, no one gives a mark to you. What you are up to is to convey the needed information clearly with simple language.
 
所谓函电，真正起作用就是其承载的内容，内容越清楚，函电作用就越大。
For correspondence, it works with its contents. The clearer they are, the more helpful it will be.
 
►找一些范文，例句并背诵下来，接着应用到函电中，所谓照葫芦画瓢就是这个意思。
Find and recite some model essays or example sentences and then apply them to the correspondence which is considered as an imitation.
 
►打任何一个电话之前，腹稿也好，笔记也好，想明白你要说的内容，哪怕你听不懂对方说的，也不要纠结，而是把你要说的说完，然后给他个邮箱。
Before dialing, you are supposed to make mental notes or take down what you are going to say in writing. And even if you don’t understand them, just convey your intentions and give them an email address.
 
►不用畏惧自己说英语时表现差，有机会就说，抓住机会同时委婉要求对方说慢点。熟能生巧，自然会越来越流利。
Don’t be afraid that you have bad performance when speaking English. Grab opportunities to speak and require them to speak slowly. Practice makes perfect and then you English will be more and more fluent.
 
►说自己邮箱的时候，遇到对方听不清楚的字母，用单词来代替，例如d for dog， p for pig，这样能确保对方不会搞错你的邮箱。
When telling customers your email addresses, replace letters with words if they can’t get the right letter such as d for dog, p for pig.
 
►类似上述一条，我们可以先把要说的用中文写出来，逐条翻译，这样能够确保更有条理。
Similar to the above-mentioned reminder, we can write out what we are going to say in Chinese and have a detailed translation so that we can make sure it’s self-consistent.
 
►其实某些客户的英语比你的还差，有什么好担心？
Well, there is no need to worry since some customers speak English worse than you.
 
当然话说回来了，要想在外贸行业走得踏实，长久，英语必须要提高起来。一开始，你的确是个新人，不停地pardon无可厚非。但是待到你已经从事外贸多年，还是这样，就说不过去了。
Anyway, you have got to improve your English as long as you intend to have a steady and promising future in foreign trade. At the beginning, indeed you are an initiate and no one can blame you for your consecutive “Pardon”. But it doesn’t make sense if you are still the same after several years in foreign trade.
 
特别提示：
Special hint：
如果你的英语真的不好，而对于客户反馈过来的信息，有着你掌握不全甚至误解的可能性时，一定要谨慎，向同事或其他人求证，以避免进一步的谬误。
Supposing that your English is terrible and you are likely to misunderstand customers’ feedback, be cautious and seek help from colleagues or others for fear of further mistakes.