The Use of Speaker phone

善用电话免提

陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作。他今天在走廊里遇到了美国同事Amy。

(Office ambience)

A：Chen Hao, you look pleased about something. What is it?

C：我刚才发现电话上有个叫speaker的键，只要按下去，就不用再拿着话筒说话了。

A：It is called a speaker or speaker phone, 中文可能是叫免提功能。

C：这真是太方便了。我可以一边打电话，一边干别的事。

A：Speakerphone is a great convenience, but you need to be careful about when and how you use it.

C：不能随时用吗？

A：You need to consider whether the person to whom you are speaking is comfortable being placed on speaker phone.

C：这跟他们有什么关系啊？

A：Because it is like broadcasting your entire call to other people who might be listening.

C：Broadcast？我还是不太明白。

A：When you place someone on speaker, anyone passing by or in close proximity can hear both sides of the conversation.

C：对呀，那又怎么了？

A：The person on the other end may not be comfortable with other people overhearing what he is saying, especially if he isn't aware that he is on speaker.

C：噢，你是说对方可能不想让别人听见他跟我说些什么。

A：Exactly. Always ask permission before putting people on speaker phone.

C：谢谢你的忠告，免得我得罪人。

下午下班得时候，Amy又遇到了陈豪。

A：Chen Hao, how was your day?

C：还记得我们说的speaker phone吗？有个客户打电话给我问资料，我就问他能不能把电话放在speakerphone上，这样我就可以一边找资料，一边跟他通话了。

A：What did he say?

C：他说没问题，还谢谢我征求他的意见。可是我隔壁的Joe很不高兴，因为我们的谈话干扰了他的工作。

A：That is another point you need to be aware of regarding speaker phones. Using them in your cubicle when others are working in adjacent cubicles is inconsiderate.

C：既然有这么多限制，那这种功能不是白费了吗？

A：You can use it, just be thoughtful. Another reason that people use speaker phones is to be able to have a conversation or phone meeting when everyone involved cannot be present physically.

C：就是说,销售部主任正好出差，而咱们俩要是用一个电话跟他开电话会议就可以用speaker phone了吧？

A：Yes, with speaker phones, not everyone has to be in the same room to have a meeting.

C：Amy，你再提醒我一遍，什么时候该用speaker phone, 什么时候不该用？行吗？

A：It's really simple. Don't put people on speaker phone without asking permission and don't use speaker phone when it may disturb others.

C：好，我记住了。