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Vocabulary for Phones, Computers and Internet

5/6/2016

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Update 2016-07-24: Added Phonescoop glossary to Telephones > General.
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Left to right: smartphone, laptop, tablet computer.
A big post with lots of vocabulary lists from online dictionaries of words related to ICT (information and communication technology): telephones, computers and networks & systems like the internet, the worldwide web and e-mail. Go to the list and click on the words to see definitions, examples, pronunciation etc.
This vocabulary can be useful for our classes on: using the telephone, mobile phones, technology, office work, digital marketing, innovation, e-mail, communication etc.

Read More
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Spelling Over the Phone

29/5/2016

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When talking on the phone or over the internet, sometimes it's necessary to spell a word or name. You need to be able to say the names of the letters used to write the word or name (if spelling a Chinese name, that means you need to give the letters of the pinyin). This is especially important when you're saying a name the other person might not be familiar with, for example telling a surname or address from a language they don't speak, like a Chinese name for a foreigner.
Here's how I'd spell my name.
  • My name's Joe. That's J - O - E.
But the names of the letters are very short and many are quite similar to each other. So sometimes the person listening on the phone or over the internet cannot hear them properly, especially if there's a bad connection or it's noisy.
​To avoid confusion & mistakes, it's common to add another word or name that begins with that letter.
You can use the following structure.
  • 1. [name of letter]
  • 2. the word/s "for" or "as in"
  • 3. [word or name beginning with that letter]
Here's how I could spell my name to make it extra clear exactly what the letters are.
  • My name's Joe. That's J for Jamaica, O for orange, E for Edward.
You can use any word or name (although it's better not to use ones that will be difficult for the listener, or that are too short). But there are also standard systems for the choice of word, called spelling alphabets.
  • Wikipedia - Spelling alphabet
 The most common is the ICAO (or NATO) spelling alphabet. Here's a table showing the letters and the word to represent each letter.
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Using the ICAO alphabet, I'd say:
  • My name's Joe. That's J for Juliet, O for Oscar, E for Echo.
Here's a useful website where you can type in a word or name and it gives you the spellin in ICAO spelling alphabet.
  • SpellOut.org
So remember, when spelling your name, address or other word on the phone, try using a spelling alphabet to make it very clear and to avoid problems.
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Mobile phone audio exercises & podcasts

19/11/2014

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Update 2017-10-08: Added Culips Chatterbox # 114, ESL Library and Podcasts in English 2.126. 2017-10-05: Added Culips Chatterbox #195 & vocab links. 2017-05-23: Fixed link for ESL Podcast #837. 2016-12-22: Changed ESLPod links to Lizhi.fm. See ESLPod Links Broken. Added ESL Podcast #203. 2016-07-22: Added DrewsESL.
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Here are some audio exercises and podcasts for English learners on the topic of mobile phones / cell phones.
Podcasts
  • Culips - Chatterbox #195 – Apps. A slow conversation in natural English about apps (short for "applications" (Collins 柯林斯 #3)), programs used for different functions and activities on smartphones.

    NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION​
    The word is app (singular) or apps (plural). It is one syllable, pronounced "ap" (singular) or "aps" (plural).

    It is not A P P. It is not three separate letters. It is not three syllables pronounced "ei-pi-pi".

    If you say "ei-pi-pi" to an English speaker, they will probably not know what you are talking about!

    You can listen to the pronunciation of the words and example sentences with these links:
    * Fanyi Baidu - "app"
    * Fanyi Baidu - "apps"


    In this Culips podcast they talk about how you can use an app store to download and install apps on your phone.
    They talk about the app ecosystem (the whole world of people making and offering many different apps and related services) on different smartphone operating systems / platforms (COMPUTING), like Apple's iOS and Google's Android, and the differences between them. (And they comment that nobody uses Windows Phone or BlackBerry any more.)
    They talk about apps for utilities (useful things, especially small programs for your computer or smartphone), online banking, weather, translation & dictionaries, social media ( like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook), online shopping (also called m-commerce if done on a mobile phone), language learning, making notes, grocery lists and to-do lists, even horoscopes.
    They talk about games like chess, and puzzles like sudoku.
    They talk about apps for texting / messaging / chatting (e.g. WhatsApp, SnapChat, Telegram, WeChat/Weixin, Facebook Messenger, Kakao Talk), and the problem of people using different ones that can't communicate with each other. Except for SMS texting /messaging which works with everyone. (Note: very few non-Chinese people use WeChat /Weixin, so if you want to text them, you'll probably need to use a different app.)
    They discuss paying for apps (which supports the developers who create the apps) compared to using advertising-supported free apps.
    They also compare using a phone app with using a website on a computer (e.g. their bank offers two ways to access the banking service: both a website and an app. Which way is better? It depends if the app is comprehensive and streamlined and has caught up with (REACH SAME STANDARD) the website or if the website has better functionality. Also some apps have bugs (Collins 柯林斯 #3  & 双语例句 >  错误).) The man Andrew mentions that he's much better at typing on a real keyboard than on his phone's touchscreen, which is why he is resistant to doing some tasks in apps on his phone (although he does now have a Bluetooth keyboard).
    They also discuss room / space / memory on your phone: downloading and installing apps uses up your phone's storage space, so you might need to add a memory card, but iPhones don't have expandable storage (权威例句) / expandable memory.
    They discuss different models of smartphone like the Apple iPhone 6Plus (which the woman Morag "inherited", probably meaning that one of Morag's relatives got a new phone and then gave Morag their old one because they weren't using it any more) and the Android phone the Nexus 6P and their different benefits, like memory and screen size. Once Morag tried the iPhone, she totally fell for it (she fell in love with it) because of the apps. The man Andrew says he's a diehard Android fan.
  • More info on apps for mobile phones: Wikipedia - Mobile apps
    More info on app stores: Wikipedia - App store
    ​
  • Podcasts in English - Level 2.126 - Not just a phone. A short intermediate conversation about a person's favourite apps on her phone.
  • Culips - Chatterbox #114 – Cell phones
  • ESL Library - Smartphones​. A short podcast about the evolution of smartphones and how we use them.
  • ESL Podcast 179 – Shopping for a Cell Phone
  • ESL Podcast 647 – Using a Smartphone
  • ESL Podcast 810 – Switching Cell Phone Plans 
  • ESL Podcast 341 – An Annoying Cell Phone User
  • ESL Podcast 203 – Text Messaging
  • ESL Podcast 837 – Driving While Calling and Texting 
  • ESL Podcast 1224 – Setting Timers and Alarms. Nowadays usually done with our smartphones. Discusses key vocab like: set [#3] an alarm, go off [#5], the snooze button, ring tone etc.
  • Business English Pod - BEN 14 - Battle of the Mobile Platforms
Audio + exercises
  • DrewsESLFluencyLessons.com - English Cell Phone Vocabulary
  • British Council - Mobile Phones
  • Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab - A Free Cell Phone!
  • ELLLO #429 - Phones
  • ELLLO #882 - Text Messaging
  • ELLLO #464 - Children with Phones
  • Breaking News English -  EU OKs Mobile Phones on Planes
  • Listen a Minute - Mobile Phones

See also:
  • ​GALESL - Vocabulary for Phones, Computers & Internet
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Update to ESL Links & Telephone English

3/5/2014

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businessman on phone & laptop
Image from www.celalteber.com
Today I've done quite a bit of work on my ESL Links > Telephone English page.
I got rid of some dead links, reorganized others, and added some new ones, like the British Council page on conference calls, Business English Pod (including lessons on taking and leaving messages), BBC Business Language to Go and TalkEnglish page on business phone calls.
  • Telephone English
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Podcasts about Business Telephone Calls

23/9/2013

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UPDATE 2017-3-6: All ESLPod.com links changed to Lizhi.fm. For more info, see this post: ESLPod Links Broken.
Update 2016-5-22: Added several more BEP podcasts and 1 more ESLpodcast.

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In our course on Business Communication, we have a class on telephoning, with topics like answering the phone, leaving/taking messages, setting up & changing appointment, making/respondng to complaints etc.
​
Here are some useful ESL podcasts you can listen to about making business phone calls.

ESL Pod
ESL Pod has lots of useful podcasts for intermediate & upper-intermediate learners. Usually a short conversation followed by explanation of the words, idioms & ideas; followed by the conversation again at normal speed for native English speakers.
  • ESL Podcast 363 – Using the Telephone
  • ESL Podcast 132 - Getting Through on the Phone
  • ESL Podcast 190 – Taking a Phone Message
  • ESL Podcast 246 – Understanding Addresses 
  • ESL Podcast 471 - Trying to Get Off the Phone
Business English Pod (BEP)
Business English Pod has many podcasts for learning business English, some for advanced learners, some for intermediate learners.
The audio is free. For some podcasts, you have to pay for other resources, but others might have free resources like "Quiz & Vocab".
  • BEP 21 A – Telephone Skills: Starting a Call.
  • BEP 69A: Answering a Phone Call in English.
    Also available as a video. For students in China: Direct video download (MP4, 45mb).
  • BEP 21 B – Telephone Skills: Taking and Leaving a Message.
  • BEP 22c – Telephone Skills: Making Enquiries.
  • BEP 23c – Telephone Skills: Getting Action.
  • BEP 15c – Telephoning: Asking for Help.
  • BEP 143 INT – Meetings: Teleconferences (Part 1)
  • BEP 144 INT – Meetings: Teleconferences (Part 2)
  • Skills 360 – Telephone Tips (Part 1) with Quiz & Vocab.
  • Skills 360 – Telephone Tips (Part 2) with Quiz & Vocab.
All their telephone English podcasts listed here:
  • Business English Pod - Telephoning
More Telephone English
I also have a few more links for telephone English here on my website, mostly shorter exercises for beginner and intermediate levels.
  • G.A.L.E.S.L. - Telephone English
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Q&A: Job Interviews on the Phone

20/11/2012

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Question from my Hiknow student Vicky:
Dear Joe,
Soon I'll have a telephone interview with a headhunter. I am a little nervous about it, so I want to know if I should do some preparation for the interview and which aspects I must be careful about.
Looking forward to your reply.
Thanks!
Answer:
Great to hear you've got an interview. I've posted some links to useful job interview tips on my blog. However those aren't specifically for phone interviews. Here are a few useful lists for preparing for phone interviews:
  • Jobsearch.About.com - Phone interviews
  • Monster.com - Mastering the Phone Interview
  • Forbes - How to Ace a Job Interview on the Phone
I think some of the most important of those preparation tips are:
  •  prepare as if for a face-to-face interview: it gives you a better energy that they can hear.
  • practice: try with a friend or family member before the real interview.
  •  make sure you have no sound problems: ensure a good connection and a quiet room.
I wish you all the best and I'm sure you'll do well :)
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Tips for Successful International Meetings & Calls

2/5/2011

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With communications technology like the Internet and the telephone system, people in different places, cities, countries, continents and time zones can talk to each other.

My students do it when they have conference calls with customers, suppliers or colleagues in other countries. I do it every time I give a class online. So this is an issue that affects all of us.

I just found an article with tips on making these communications successful, from GigaOM, a website focused on online business.
  • GigaOM - 7 Tips for Successful International Meetings
It includes some things I already knew or use, like an international time Meeting Planner, to help me check time in China (where my students are) and Mexico (where I now live). (I also use a small free program from Microsoft called Time Zone, for Windows XP. It's a clock that can show the time in 5 different places.)

It also discusses language and preparation issues, like speaking slowly and sending documents in advance.
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MS Time Zone showing time, date and day in 5 places.
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    G.A.L.E.S.L. / joe3

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  • Home
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  • ESL Links
    • Links during Online Classes
    • General English
    • TOEIC
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    • Online Conversation / Language Exchange
    • Listening
    • Vocabulary
    • Grammar
    • Verbs
    • Business English
    • Telephone English
    • Other Links
  • Articles
    • Q & A: Help with International Accents, Page 1 >
      • Accents page 2: Ask them to slow down
      • Accents page 3: Get to know other accents
      • Accents page 4: Using online accent resources: IDEA
      • Accents page 5: Using online accent resources: Speech Accent Archive
      • Accents page 6: Using online accent resources: Map Your Voice
    • Case Study: BMW and Rover
  • Conversation Issues
    • Nice to meet you
    • How have you been?
    • Where are you? / Where are you from?
    • meet a problem
    • colleagues
    • -ed [versus] -ing
    • borrow [versus] lend
    • "or" questions
    • Relax myself
    • Sorry for my late
    • Name card
  • Search
  • About / Contact
  • Sound Problems
    • Feedback & Echo
    • No Sound
    • Fans
    • Interruptions
    • Volume Level