面对紧急事件 Facing a Critical Issue

在Sandoz以"维护健康为宗旨"的行销策略成功地将奶粉销到中南美洲的四年后，突然有医学团体指责该公司的奶粉对婴儿的成长毫无帮助，震惊了Sandoz全体。公司高级主管立刻群集，共商应对大计。

英文正文

Vincent: I hate to say it, but what the papers are saying may be right. No powder is as good as mother's milk. If a mother stops using her own milk and only uses the powder, it could actually hurt the baby.

Sam: Hm. I see your point, but can we please stick to the main subject here? We did a lot of research to make sure our powder had the biggest amounts of all the things a child needs.

Vincent: You said the biggest amounts. The biggest amounts don't always mean the right amounts. New research says each area has different environmental conditions. Our powder may be good for children in the places where we tested, and not so good in other areas.

Grace: So what you are saying is that our powder really can hurt children?! This is terrible. Well, I can see that suing is a bad idea. Let's see how the alternatives stack up against each other; we take the product off the market right away, or leave it there and try to quickly make special powders for each area.

Vincent: he results of the second option are easy to foresee. It will take too long to do the research. There are too many areas. More children may be hurt while we wait, so someone will blow the whistle on us for sure. It's better not to jump the gun.

Grace: Sam, which option do you think is our best bet?

句型总结

●　 引回会议主题

1. I see your point, but can we please stick to the main subject here?
2. I see what you mean, but I think we're off the main point.
3. That's all very well, but I don't see that it has anything to do with today's meeting.
4. That's not the point. We're here to discuss...

"stick to"有‘坚持；固守’的意思，在此解释为‘维持、固定在…’；"main subject"是‘主题’。这句话表示已听清楚对方所言，但是请对方不要离题太远。在集体讨论的场合中，难免会有扯到不相关或不重要事情的时候，这时主席就应警觉地要求众人把握会议的重点。

●　 后果可想而知

1. The results (of the second option) are easy to foresee.
2. What will result with the second option is easy to predict.
3. What will happen with the second option is easy to tell.
4. What we'll end up with by using the second option is easy to tell.

"foresee"是‘预见；预料’。这句话是说‘某件事的结果可想而知’。此句型为半正式用法，习惯上多用于结果不乐观时。这句话虽然表示此案不可行，但并无贬低提案者的意思，因此较不易得罪人。

●　 征询选择

1. Which option do you think is our best bet?
2. Which option do you feel is our safest course?
3. Which option do you believe is the best?
4. Which option do you suggest will be best in the long term?

"bet"原指‘打赌；赌注’，在此比喻为‘最佳选择；最佳方案’。此句型适用于询问他人内心最中意的方案为何，不过其意并不仅限于圈选而已，还要求对方表示选择此案的原由。如果不想将发言局限于所提过的方案，还可在句尾加上"or is there another way"，让对方有提出新方案的机会。

●　More 回归主题

在会议桌上发言，有时兴之所至，旁征博引以致不能遏止的情况，常是在所难免的。但要如何再回到刚才的主题呢？以下就为您提出几种说法：

较正式的
To go back to what I was just saying, ...
To return to the main point, ...
Going back to what I said before, ...
Getting back to my original point, ...
As I was saying, ...
Getting back to the main focus of the meeting, ...
As I had said before we got off the topic, ...
Getting back to the point I was originally trying to make, ...
Getting back to the subject of today's meeting ...

较口语的
To get back on track,...
Getting back to where we were before (sidetracked),...