每日口說挑戰一分鐘學會如何有禮貌地投訴 (How to complain politely - English In A Minute)

【Transcript】

Hey folks, Ken here. Today we’re discussing a very simple topic, yet it’s something we have to remind ourselves once in a long while, which is “How to complain politely”. Yup, that’s right, people complain all the time, if not screaming out loud, we would complain silently in our thoughts. Well, why do we complain? That’s easy because something doesn’t fit our expectations which brings us stress and discomfort. And you know what? It’s important to complain, it’s a healthy thing to do for us to tell others how we truly feel. However, we must learn to separate our temper from our true complaints, and the quickest way to do that is to be polite.

First, we can begin by saying, “I would like to”. For example, as you’re just beginning to dig into your pasta in a restaurant, and you found a strand of hair in your food. Instead of screaming, “Ugh! There’s hair in my food, I’m gonna sue you!”, you can try saying, “Hi, I would like to speak to the manager. Yes, I'd like to complain, please”. See what just happened? You went from scaring people to having a well-educated conversation.

You can also try saying, “I’m unhappy, unsatisfied about...”. For example, when you ordered food delivery and nothing showed up at your door after 2 hours, you can call customer service and say, “Hello, I’m unhappy about my late delivery, I’d like to cancel the order and apply for a refund at this point. Thank you.” That’s right, whatever you do, don’t lose your temper, because that affects your judgment.

If you’ve ever been a waiter/waitress or a customer service personnel then you can definitely relate to how unfair it is to be yelled at in the face when you have absolutely no idea why the customer is furious, and on top of that, there really isn’t much you can do to address the issue. After all, you’re just here getting paid for the 8-hour duty, and things would really be easier if customers can simply be a little more polite and tolerant.

Alright, I’m sure there are a bunch of other ways you can show politeness in a conversation, I don’t wanna list them out because nobody wants to listen to the same old stuff all over again. Just remember, respect others as you would respect yourself.

And now, here’s our [sentence of the day]

Hi, I would like to speak to the manager. Yes, I'd like to complain.

【Vocabulary words】

1. speak (verb tenses: speak/spoke/spoken)
to say words, to use the voice, or to have a conversation with someone

Ex: She speaks very highly of (= says good things about) the new principal.
她對新校長評價很高。

2. manager
the person who is responsible for managing an organization

Ex: I would like to speak to your manager. 我想找你經理談談。

3. complain (noun form: complaint)
to tell someone formally that something is wrong

Ex: If the service was so bad why didn't you complain to the manager?
如果服務品質這麼差的話，你為甚麼不向經理投訴呢？

【Epilogue】

Alright and that’s all the time we have for today.
In the U.S., someone who’s always complaining out of the tiniest matter,
and always looking for the manager, is called a “Karen”
These people would demand justice and right for themselves,
but seldom realize that they’re simply acting crazy and unreasonable.
Let me know if you’ve ever met a “Karen” before in the comment sections.

Folks, remember to be polite.
And I’ll see you guys again next week. Bye!

☺'Hi I would like to speak to the manager. Yes, I'd like to complain.'
「嗨，我想要找你們的經理。對，我想要投訴。」
【心得】能夠那麼理智，冷靜地投訴的人應該不多?!
■speak [spik] (vi.&vt.) 說話、談話、談論；說；(不用言語)表明、顯示；陳述(意見)
(vi)發言；講話；演講；提要求、請願
(vt.) (會)說、(會)講(某種語言)
■manager [ˈmæn.ədʒɚ] (n.C) 經理、主管；(商店、公司等的)負責人；(團體、劇團等的)監督；(歌手、演員或其他表演者的)經紀人；(家事、財政等的)當家人；幹事；{英式用法}(議會中)處理兩院共同事務的委員；(運動隊的)主教練
■complain [kəmˋplen] (vi.&vt.) 抱怨、發牢騷、訴說(病痛等)[(+to/about/of)] [+that]；控訴、投訴[(+to/about/of)] [+that]

The Taiwanese way of complaining? Shouting at the manager, punching servers in their face, posting complaints on Facebook...

#There is a very fine line between fantasy and reality

'Hi I would like to speak to the manager. Yes, I'd like to complain.'

Hey folks, Ken here. Today we’re discussing a very simple topic, yet it’s something we have to remind ourselves once in a long while(偶爾), which is “How to complain(抱怨v.) politely(有禮貌地)”. Yup, that’s right, people complain all the time(一直,總在發生), if not [screaming out高喊] loud(大聲地adv.), we would complain silently in our thoughts. Well, why do we complain? That’s easy because something doesn’t fit our expectations(期待n.) which brings us stress and discomfort. And you know what? It’s important to complain, it’s a healthy thing to do for us to tell others how we truly feel. However, we must learn to separate(/ˈsep.ə.reɪt/使分開v.) our temper(脾氣,情緒) from our true complaints(/kəmˈpleɪnt/抱怨n.), and the quickest way to do that is to be polite(有禮的). First, we can begin by(從...開始) saying, “I would like to”. For example, as you’re just beginning to dig(挖v.) into your pasta(/ˈpɑː.stə/義大利麵) in a restaurant, and you found a strand(/strænd/縷,股n.) of hair in your food. Instead of screaming, “Ugh! There’s hair in my food, I’m gonna sue(控告v.) you!”, you can try saying, “Hi, I would like to speak to the manager. Yes, I'd like to complain, please”. You see what just happened here? You went from scaring people to having a well-educated(有教養的) conversation.

◆ go from ... to : 從... 到 ...

You can also try saying, “I’m unhappy, unsatisfied(不滿意的) about...”. For example, when you ordered food delivery(運送,投遞n.) and nothing *showed up(到達,露面) at your door after 2 hours, you can call customer service(客服n.) and say, “Hello, I’m unhappy about my late delivery, I’d like to cancel the order and *apply for(申請) a refund(/ˈriː.fʌnd/退款n.) at this point. Thank you.” That’s right, whatever you do, don’t *lose your temper(發飆), because that affects your judgment(判斷n.). If you’ve ever been a waiter/waitress or a customer service personnel(/ˌpɝː.sənˈel/職員) then you can definitely *relate to(理解) how unfair it is to be yelled at in the face(直接對你吼叫) when you have absolutely no idea why the customer is furious(/ˈfʊr.i.əs/怒不可遏的), and *on top of that(除此之外), there really isn’t much you can do to address(/əˈdres/處理v.) the issue.

◆ relate to sth : (phr.) 理解；認同；與…産生共鳴
The culture that he describes is so different from mine that I sometimes find it hard to relate to. 他所描述的那種文化和我所處的文化如此迥異，有時我覺得很難理解。

◆ on top of sth : 除（尤指令人不快之事）之外（還）
We missed our flight, and on top of that we had to wait seven hours for the next one. 我們沒趕上飛機，而且下一班還得再等七個小時。

After all(畢竟), you’re just here getting paid for the 8-hour duty(/ˈduː.t̬i/職務), and things would really be easier if customers can simply be a little more polite and tolerant(/ˈtɑː.lɚ.ənt/寬容的). Alright, I’m sure there are a bunch of other ways you can show politeness(禮貌n.) in a conversation, I don’t wanna list them out because nobody wants to listen to the same old stuff all over again. Just remember, respect(尊重v.) others as you would respect yourself.

1. speak /spiːk/ v. 談話；談論 = to say words, to use the voice, or to have a conversation with someone
(verb tenses: speak/spoke/spoken)

She speaks very highly of the new principal(校長).

◆ speak well/highly of sb : 對……給予高度評價，讚揚 = you say good things about them
Both spoke highly of the Russian president.

◆ speak ill of sb = you criticize them.
It seemed she found it difficult to speak ill of anyone.

2. manager /ˈmæn.ə.dʒɚ/ n.（商店，公司等的）負責人；主任，經理 = the person who is responsible for managing an organization
I would like to speak to your manager.

3.1 complain /kəmˈpleɪn/ vi. 抱怨，發牢騷；訴說（病痛等）= to tell someone formally that something is wrong
If the service was so bad why didn't you complain to the manager?

3.2 complaint /kəmˈpleɪnt/ n. 抱怨；抗議；怨言；抱怨的緣由

【Epilogue】Alright and that’s all the time we have for today. In the U.S., someone who’s always complaining out of the tiniest matter, and always looking for the manager, is called a “Karen”. These people would demand justice and right for themselves, but seldom realize that they’re simply acting crazy and unreasonable. Let me know if you’ve ever met a “Karen” before in the comment sections. Folks, remember to be polite. And I’ll see you guys again next week. Bye!

Boss: No escalating the call and no refunds

不禮貌的人就先輸了。

Day429