But also because clients often confuse these two very similar words.

但也因為我的客戶經常會混淆這兩個非常相似的詞。

And what I found was, well, it's kind of normal if you confuse these words, too.

我發現，如果你也混淆了這兩個詞彙，是很正常的。

Hi, I'm your English coach, Christina, and welcome to Speak English with Christina, where we eliminate your blockages and increase your confidence in business English communication step by step.

嗨，我是各位的英語教練 Christina，歡迎來到 Speak English with Christina，我們將在這裡消除你的障礙，逐步增強你對商務英語溝通的信心。

Customer or client?

要用 customer 還是 client？

Two words, basically, to indicate a person who pays money for something.

這兩個字基本上都是指花錢買東西的人。

Simple, right?

很簡單吧？

Nah, this is English; it's never simple.

不，這是英語，它從來就不簡單。

And, as I explored the explanations on the Internet, I found things like, "It's best to think of a client as a particular type of customer."

當我在網路上搜尋相關解釋時，我發現了諸如：「最好把 client 視為一種特殊類型的 customer」之類的內容。

"A client buys services, so, in some sense, he or she is a customer. And customers can buy services, too, instead of physical goods."

也有人說：「Client 購買服務，所以說，從某種意義上來看，這個人就是 customer。而 customer 也可以購買服務，而不是實物商品。」

Client vs. customer is one of the biggest mysteries in the business world.

「Customer 還是 client」是商業界最大的謎團之一。

Well, I love a good challenge, so, let's try to demystify the difference.

我喜歡挑戰，所以讓我們來搞清楚它們的差異。

To make the difference between client and customer, there are two things to consider:

要區分 client 和 customer 有兩點需要考慮：

What the person buys and the relationship between the seller and the buyer.

購買者買的是什麼，以及買、賣方之間的關係。

So, for example, a client buys personalized or highly professional services, like legal advice, coaching, graphic design, real estate, consultations, etc.

舉例來說，client 購買個人化或高度專業化的服務，如法律諮詢、培訓、平面設計、房地產、諮詢等。

And the seller-buyer relationship for a client, there's a notion of relationship, accompaniment, help, and support.

就 client 的買、賣家關係而言，有一種關係、陪伴、幫助和支持的概念。

Now, a customer, what they buy is products or services that they choose at the moment and pay for with an immediate money transaction.

至於 customer，他們購買的是當下選擇的產品或服務，並透過即時金錢交易進行付款。

The seller-buyer relationship for a customer, there's a notion of immediate financial exchange, where the customer pays money and gets a product or service immediately.

Customer 在買、賣方關係中，有一種即時金融交換的概念，即 customer 付錢就能立即獲得產品或服務。

So that adds some clarification, but what if you're still not sure if you have clients or customers?

這樣就有了一些釐清，但如果你仍然不確定自己是擁有 client 還是 customer 呢？

Let's go a step further in trying to solve one of the biggest mysteries in the business world.

讓我們更進一步試圖解開商業世界中最大的謎團之一。

So, you have clients if your business is a law firm, a coaching or consulting business, a web or design agency, a real estate agency, an insurance agency, or an advertising agency.

所以說，如果你的公司是律師事務所、培訓或諮詢公司、網路或設計公司、房地產公司、保險公司或廣告公司，你就是服務 client。

You have customers if your business is a retail store, a supermarket, a restaurant, software-as-a-service products, a bakery, cafe, or other similar business, or a service station or garage.

如果你的公司屬於零售店、超市、餐館、軟體即服務產品、烘焙坊、咖啡廳或其它類似企業，或是服務站或車庫，你的客人就是 customer。

And let's take it one step further:

讓我們更進一步：

Is one word more formal or sophisticated than the other?

一個詞比另一個詞更正式或更高級嗎？

No.

不。

Don't think that the word customer is more general, shallower, or less sophisticated.

不要認為 customer 這個字更籠統、更膚淺或較不高級。

No, you can still make your services personalized and have lawyer-buyers, even if you're dealing with customers.

不，即使你面對的是 customer，你還是可以讓服務個人化，並擁有律師買家。

What's important is how you treat your buyers, whether they are customers or clients.

重要的是你如何對待你的買家，無論他們是 customer 還是 client。

And, the final step:

最後一步：

What if you still confuse the two and use the wrong word?

如果你還是混淆了兩者用錯詞，怎麼辦？

Now, no one will throw rotten tomatoes at you.

好了，不會有人向你扔爛番茄的。

They won't feel insulted and they won't think that you speak bad English.

他們不會覺得受到侮辱，也不會認為你英語說得不好。

I promise.

我保證。

And I think we did it.

我想我們完成了。

In about five minutes, we solved one of the biggest mysteries in the business world.

在大約五分鐘的時間裡，我們解開了商界最大的謎團之一。

So, I think that you and I both deserve a coffee.

所以我認為喝杯咖啡是我們應得的。

Oh, wait, before you go, can I ask you two things?

哦，等等，在你們離開之前，我能要求你們兩件事嗎？

Go to christinarebuffet.com and sign up for my free newsletter so that I can continue helping you become more confident in business English.

前往 christinarebuffet.com 並註冊、訂閱我的免費電子報，這樣我就能繼續幫你們更自信地使用商務英語。

And the second thing, let's take a few more steps together to continue increasing your confidence.

第二件事是，讓我們一起再前進幾步，繼續提升你的自信。

I created a playlist for you where you'll discover why "they" is a singular pronoun, how to use the infinitive and -ing correctly, and we'll clarify how to use prepositions like "at", "in", or "on".

我為你們建立了一個播放清單，你們將在其中了解為什麼 they 是單數代名詞、如何正確使用不定詞和 -ing，以及如何使用介係詞 at、in 或 on。

Just click over there to continue learning with me and I'll see you in the next video.

只要點擊這裡繼續和我一起學習，我們下一部影片再見。

See ya.

再見啦。