正文部分

Reduce the price 降低价格

A:I'm afraid your price is much too high. You know our order is a sizable one. 恐怕你方的价格太高了。你知道为我们的订货量相当大。
B:May I ask what size of your order is? 请问你方订货量有多大？
A:500 dozens. 500打。
B:You can hardly call it a sizable order, can you? 你很难称这个订货量相当大，对吧？
A:But still it is an order of some size, moreover, we are not your new customers. I hope you will leave us some margin to cover the advertising expenses. 还是比较大的，更何况，我们都是你们的老客户了。我希望你们留给我们一点利润空间以抵消广告花费。
B:Then what's your idea? 最好是45美元一打。
A:45 dollars per dozen is the best we can do. 最好是45美元一打。
B:You mean we reduce the price and your counter-offer is too wide. The best we can do will be a reduction of 3 dollars. I must say it is our lowest price and we can't go any further. 你的意思是我方再降10美元。对不起，你的还盘价和我们的报价相差太远了。我方最多降3美元。我得说这是最低价，我们不能再降价了。

重点讲解

1.I'm afraid that...恐怕……，通常不用that，用以有礼貌地表达可能令人不快的信息。

I can't help you, I'm afraid.
对不起，我帮不了你的忙。

But I'm afraid of losing again.
恐怕这一次我又要失败。

I'm afraid I have to leave now.
恐怕我现在必须离开了。

2.marginn. 边缘；利润，余裕；页边的空白 vt. 加边于；加旁注于

profit margin [经]利润率

continental margin 大陆边缘

gross margin [经]毛利

wide margin 广泛的回旋余地；广泛的利于行事的权力

Some analysts doubt that the unit can ever regain a 20 per cent margin.
一些分析师怀疑，该部门可能再也无法实现20%的利润率。

That margin and other market failings add up to 20% to the cost of every sack.
这么一让价再加上其他市场弊端使得每袋粮成本损失高达20%。

But the future gains from selling low-margin hardware businesses may be limited.
不过，出售低收益的硬件业务所得长远来看是有限的。