A Chinese ceramics2 manufacturer talks with an American importer.
Importer: What beautiful art ceramics you make.
Manufacturer: I learned the craft3 from my father. Then I studied ceramic engineering at school.
Importer: All your hard work looks as if it‘s paid off.
Manufacturer: Yes, I have 50 employees. I hope to become the biggest exporter of ceramics in Taiwan.
Importer: Well, the demand for ceramics is increasing in my country.
Manufacturer: Yes, a large proportion4 of our sales are to the U.S.
Importer: The development of ceramics in your country has been remarkable5. You carry on a centuries-old tradition and keep pace with6 modern technology at the same time.
Manufacturer: Yes, our research in the field has been yielding7 good results. And we‘re deeply grateful8 to your country‘s technicians for their considerable assistance.
Importer: Tell me about your designs.
Manufacturer: How do you like this one?
Importer: It‘s beautiful.
Manufacturer: This is an eight-foot decorative9 vase. It‘s hand-made and the inlaid10 designs are etched11 in. It takes 45 days to make. Its retail12 price will be US$3,000.
Importer: The result is certainly worth the effort. How about this design over here?
Manufacturer: This vase is still in the experimental stage.
Importer: Why is that?
Manufacturer: It‘s quite expensive to make and because of its small size, buyers balk13 at its high price. We feel we could sell more if we could reduce the price.
Importer: Well, you mustn‘t tamper14 with quality. It‘s the high quality of Chinese ceramics that attracts American buyers.
Manufacturer: That‘s why a reduction in price can never be made at the expense of 15 quality.
Importer: Well, thank you for showing me your beautiful ceramic ware. I was so impressed by your designs and the high quality of your pieces.
在展示厅
一位华籍陶瓷制造商正和美国进口商谈话。
进口商：你们制作的陶瓷作品真美。
制造商：我跟我父亲学习陶艺。然后我又在学校攻读陶瓷工程学。
进口商：看来你的心血没有白费。
制造商：没错，我现在拥有五十名员工。我希望能成为台湾最大的陶瓷出口商。
进口商：我们国内对陶瓷的需求量愈来愈大。
制造商：是的，我们大部分产品销往美国。
进口商：贵国陶瓷业的发展的确不同凡响。你们一方面延续了流传几世纪的古老传统，同时又和现代科技同步。
制造商：是的，在这方面的研究已有了不错的成果。也很感激贵国技术人员的协助。
进口商：请替我介绍一下你们的设计。
制造商：您觉得这个如何?
进口商：很美。
制造商：这是个八尺高的装饰花瓶。完全手工制造，而且雕刻部分设计采用蚀镂法刻入。
制造过程耗时四十五天，零售价为三千美元。
进口商：这样的成品确实值得这番功夫。这式样呢?
制造商：这个花瓶还在实验阶段。
进口商：为什么?
制造商：这式样的制造成本相当高，而且因为体积小，顾客看到这样高的价钱就裹足不前。
我们想如果售价降低，将能卖出更多。
进口商：嗯，你可不能在质量上动手脚。美国的顾客就是看上了中国陶瓷艺的高质量。
制造商：正因为如此，降低价格的同时，并不以牺牲质量为代价。
进口商：嗯，谢谢你为我展示这些美丽的陶艺品。你们的设计和质量让我印象深刻。
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