Locate the person


Make request

 

Make arrangement


Close the call

Kişiyi Belirleyin

Rica Edin

Düzenleme Yapın

Telefonu Kapatın

Ask for the person

If the person you want to speak to answers the call, this part is simple. If the receiver gives her name when he answers your call, you can skip to the next stage. If the receiver does not give his name, you can confirm that you have the right person:

Hello, is that Mr Mall ?

More often the number that you have will connect you to an operator or secretary. In this case you will have to ask to speak to Mr. Mall :

Hello, I'd like to speak to Mr. Mall , please.

If Mr. Mall is not available, you will need to find out when you can speak to him:

Could you tell me when he will be available?

If the person you are calling has a busy schedule, you may have to call several times. When you are finally connected, it is best to pretend that this is your first call. Do not mention how difficult it was to make contact!

Sometimes, you will not know the name of the person who might be able to help you. In this case, you can state your request and then say:

Could you connect me with someone who might be able to help me?

Locating someone at a company can be frustrating if you are passed from person to person. Try not to let your frustration show!

Make a request

Making a request involves three stages: introducing yourself, giving background, and making the request itself.

Introduce yourself by giving your name and explaining who you are:

I'm ...., I'm a first-year student at the University of Istanbul....

If you have been given the receiver's name by someone else, you should also mention this:

Yahya Hoca of the Economics Department suggested that I call you....

Give the background to your request by explaining why you are making it:

I'm doing a project on work experience and I need to arrange a visit to a company in your field....

Make your request politely and clearly. Make sure that the receiver knows exactly what agreeing to your request will involve: how much of her time will it involve and what will she or her staff will have to do:

I wonder if I could pay a visit to your office for an hour or so sometime in the next two weeks, to talk to one of your staff about....

Make arrangements

If the person you are calling agrees to your request, it is important to make a clear arrangement. If you are arranging a meeting, for example, arrange the time and place and make sure you know where to go and what to do when you get there. Make a note of all the information so that you do not need to call back again to find out something you have missed.

If the person you are calling cannot agree to your request, he may modify it. Listen carefully and try to fit in with his schedule.

If the person you are calling cannot agree to your request at all, ask if he knows someone else who can help:

Do you know anyone else who might be able to help me?

Whether the receiver can help you or not, thank her and close the call politely.

Close the call

As the caller, it is your job to close the call when you have got the information you need. Unless the receiver shows that he wants to talk, it is not polite to chat once your business is finished. If there is a difficult silence at the end of the call, it is probably because you are not doing your job of closing the call. You can do this by confirming the arrangement:

teyid etmek için

So, I'll come to your office on Monday at 10....

thanking the receiver ( aranana teşekkür)

Thank you very much for your help....

and saying goodbye ( veda etmek )

Goodbye....

In each case, wait for the person's response before you go on to the next stage. Wait until you have heard the person say goodbye before you hang up.

Telephoning skills

Making and receiving telephone calls can be difficult in English. Here are some things to know and hints to help you.

Spelling

If you need to spell your name, or take the name of your caller, the biggest problem is often saying vowel sounds:

'a' is pronounced as in 'may'
'e' is pronounced as in 'email' or 'he'
'i' is pronounced as in 'I' or 'eye"
'o' is pronounced as in 'no'
'u' is pronounced as 'you'

Saying consonants

'g' is pronounced like the 'j' in 'jeans'
'j' is pronounced as in 'DJ' or 'Jane'
'w' is pronounced 'double you'
'x' is pronounced 'ex'
'y' is pronounced 'why'
'z' is pronounced 'zed' (rhymes with 'bed' in British English), or 'zee' (rhymes with 'sea' in American English).

Tip: Until you feel confident that you are using the correct pronunciation, keep a note of how you say these letters by your telephone.

Giving numbers

Here's a phone number:
0171 222 3344

And here's how to say it:
"Zero-one-seven-one, triple two, double three, double four".

OR
"Zero-one-seven-one, two-two-two, three-three, four-four".

Pausing
When you say a seven digit number, separate the number into two blocks of three and four, pausing after each block.

Each digit is spoken separately. (The British typically don't say this – they will read double numbers as "double five" or "triple two.")

Saying email addresses

@ is pronounced 'at'
For instance, yahoo@yahoo.com is "yahoo, at, yahoo, dot, com".

/ is "forward slash".

\ is "back slash"

- is called a "hyphen" or a "dash".

_ is an "underscore".

Example telephone dialogues

These dialogues give you examples of the language you will hear or want to use on the phone.

Getting through ( Doğru Kişiye Ulaşmak İçin )

You: "Can I speak to (Hakan bey), please?" or "Is (Hakan bey) there, please?"

Siz:"Hakan bey'le görüşebilirmiyim"

veya " Hakan bey oradamı lütfen"

Receptionist: "May I ask who's calling?" or "Could I have your name, please?"

Sekreter:"Kim Arıyor" veya "Lütfen Adınızı Öğrenebilirmiyim"
You: "Yes, this is Sibel Sarıca speaking".

Siz: " Evet benim adım Sibel Sarıca"

American people don't identify themselves when they make or receive a phone call. Even at home, they normally pick up the phone and say "Hello". (It's best not to ask for their name or ask who you are speaking with as you may be viewed with extreme suspicion and, probably, they will refuse to give their name.)

Telephoning

Telephoning in a language which is not your own is not easy. You should be aware that the person you are speaking to may have difficulties too. Therefore keep the following points in mind:

Speak clearly. ( Açık ve Net Konuşun )Try to avoid difficult words and long sentences if it is not necessary to use them.

Don't speak too fast. ( Çok Hızlı Konuşmayın)Many people speak too fast when they're nervous.

Confirm. ( Onaylayın ) what you have understood. This is especially important if the other person gives addresses or dates.

Be polite. ( Nazik Olun )Start and end the conversation politely. Try to avoid being too direct. In English this is often done by using would. Compare: I want some more information - I would like to have some more information.

Be efficient. ( Etkili Olun ) Make sure that you have prepared the call in advance and that you know what you want to say and how you want to say it.

Know the telephone alphabet. ( İngiliz alfabesini harflemeyi öğrenin )This is important if you must spell names and addresses. You should also know the names of common symbols which are used in names and addresses, such as the hyphen ( - ) and the tilde (~) and the email 'at' sign (@).

Listen carefully, ( Dikkatle Dinleyin ) so that you do not need to ask the other person to repeat information.