礼节美语lesson 118 Getting Out of Debt 1

 

Jane: (knock knock) Hi, Vincent...got a second?

 

Vincent: Sure, Jane...come in. Grab a seat. What's on your mind?

 

J: Well, I know this doesn't fall under your responsibilities, but I really need some advice. Do you mind?

 

V: Not at all. Shoot.

 

J: Ok...I'll just say it: I'm quite heavily in debt and I need advice on how to get out of this hole I'm in.

 

Jane问Vincent有没有时间，got a second? 请别人坐，可以说grab a seat. Vincent让 Jane - shoot. Shoot在这儿不是开枪，而是“说吧”。原来，Jane是因为债务缠身，heavily in debt, 让Vincent帮她出主意，to get out of this hole，摆脱困境。

 

V: I see. Is this mainly credit card debt?

 

J: Yes. But there's a mortgage and car payments as well.

 

V: You know what? I'm going to ask Anna Wang to join our conversation. She's our company's financial expert.

 

(Picks up phone) Anna? Would you mind joining me for a second? Thanks.

 

J: Oh. I don't want to be a burden.

 

V: No...it's really no problem. Millions of people have fallen into debt and it's great that you are trying to take positive action. Oh, hi Anna. This is Jane.

 

Anna: Hi Vince. Hi Jane.

 

Jane不光信用卡欠了很多钱，还有房贷和车贷。Vincent请公司的财务专家Anna来咨询。注意听，Jane欠了多少钱。

 

V: Jane wants advice on how to get out of credit card debt.

 

A: Ah. That's a popular problem these days. Can I ask how much you owe?

 

J: Um...it's kind of embarrassing...but Ok...25,000 dollars.

 

A: Jane, I'm going to be blunt: if I were you, I'd cut up all my credit cards today.

 

J: All of them?

 

A: Well, you might keep one for emergencies, but the point is: stop using the cards.

 

Jane一共欠了两万五千美元。Anna说，I'm going to be blunt，我直话直说：要是我，今天就把信用卡都剪碎。The point is: stop using the cards，关键是：不能再刷卡了。

 

V: I never used to pay attention to the fine print, but one day I looked up the details from my bank and I discovered I got charged 14% interest!

 

A: Yes, you really have to read the fine print. In Jane's case though, I'd recommend actually canceling the cards.

 

J: Can't I get the bank to lower my interest rates?

 

V: Sure, but you also want to stop new spending. When you buy something with a credit card, you think you are paying what the price tag says. But really there are a lot of extras.

 

消费者一定要注意信用卡的fine print，合同细则，Vince的银行就收他14%的利率。刷卡购物，你以为付的是商品标价，the price tag, 可实际上有很多额外收费, a lot of extras。Jane具体该怎么做？我们下次继续听。