Describe Trends in Business English - Describing Statistics, Sales and Market Trends

商務英文 — 描述市場趨勢

Hi, I’m Kasia.

嗨，我是Kasia。

In this lesson, you can learn how  to describe trends and statistics,  

本節課著重於商務英文運用，您 可以學到怎樣描述趨勢

with a focus on business English use. That means  you’ll learn how to describe sales figures,  

和統計。那意思是您會學 到怎樣描述銷售數據、

market trends, and company successes or failures.

市場趨勢以及公司成敗。

You’ll see useful language to talk  about statistics in different ways,  

您會看到用不同的方式來 談論統計的有用說法，

including how to describe line graphs, proportions  and pie charts, and comparing different trends.

包括怎樣描述折線圖、比例和派餅圖， 以及比較不同的趨勢。

Do you want English subtitles while watching  this video? Click the ‘CC’ button in the bottom  

當看本影片時，您想要有中英文字幕嗎？ 如果您想看它們，現在點擊

right now to turn on English subtitles if you need  them. On a mobile device, tap the settings button.

影片播放軟體下方的“CC”按鍵打開字幕。 在手機設備裡，敲擊設置鍵。

Now, let’s look at our first topic: how to  describe sales figures in different time periods. 

現在，我們看看第一個主題：怎樣 描述在不同時期的銷售數據。

Sales to the 18 to 35 age group increased  consistently over the year. Sales rose from  

在18-35歲年齡層的銷售一整年都 持續增加。銷售從第一季的

just under two million in the first quarter  to a little over two million by the end of Q4.

僅為200萬以下提昇到 第四季末略超過200萬。

Sales were strongest overall  to the 36 to 50 demographic,  

總體而言，銷售在36-50歲人口裡是最強勁 的，在第一季和第三季之間

with figures improving by five million between  Q1 and Q3. However, the most spectacular  

銷售數據提高了500萬。然而，在第四季 銷售數據可以看到最驚人的結果，

results were seen in Q4; sales doubled  from Q3, reaching a peak of 15 million.

銷售數據兩倍於第三季， 到達了1500萬的頂峰。

For the 51 to 65 group, results were  solid but there was only a negligible  

在51-65歲人口裡，銷售數據穩定 但是一整年只有略微增長。

increase for the full year. Sales  initially fell between Q1 and Q2,  

銷售數據在第一季與第二季之間 開始下滑，但是在

but recovered from four million in  Q2 to 6.5 million by the end of Q4.

第四季末，從第二季的400萬 回升到650萬。

Finally, sales to those aged 66 and up  decreased steadily throughout the year.  

最後，在66歲及以上的人口裡， 銷售數據全年逐步下滑。

Sales fell from eight million in the first  quarter to two million by the end of Q4. There  

銷售數據從第一季的800萬跌到 第四季末的200萬。

was a particularly pronounced decline between  Q2 and Q3, when sales dropped by three million. 

在銷售數據垂直下降300萬時，第二季和第 三季之間的衰退尤為明顯。

Look at a sentence. 

看一個句子。

What word could you use to complete the  sentence? There’s more than one possible  

您可以用什麼單字來完成句子？ 有一種以上可能的答案！

answer! Pause the video and think about  it. Try to get as many answers as you can. 

暫停影片並考慮它。試著盡您所能 找到更多的答案。

You could say: ‘Sales *increased*  from 150 million to 200 million.’ 

您能說：“Sales *increased*  from 150 million to 200 million.”

Or, you could say: ‘Sales *rose*  from 150 million to 200 million.’

或者，您可以說：“Sales *rose*  from 150 million to 200 million.”

You could also say ‘grew’, ‘improved’,  

您也可以說“grew”、“improved”、

or ‘climbed’. Note that you can only use ‘improve’  if you’re talking about something positive. 

或是“climbed”。注意，如果您在談論某些正面 的東西，您只能用“improve”。

All these verbs follow the same pattern. However, you can use them in other ways.  

所有這些單字都有相同的結構。 然而，您可以用其他方法來運用它們。

Look at two sentences. Do you know the difference? Could you explain it? 

看兩個句子。您知道區別嗎？ 您可以解釋它嗎？

Let’s do this by example. 

我們用例子來做這個。

If these are the figures, which is correct?  Did sales increase *to* 1,000, or *by* 1,000?

如果這些是數字，哪一個正確？ 銷售 *增加到* 1,000，還是*增加了* 1,000？

The correct answer is: ‘Sales increased  

正確答案是：“Sales increased

*to* 1,000’. What about ‘increased  by’? What would the numbers look like? 

*to* 1,000."那”increased by"呢？ 數據看上去像是什麼？

If sales increased *by* 1,000,  the numbers might look like this. 

如果銷售數據*增加了* 1,000， 數據可能看上去像這個。

The same rule works with the other verbs you saw  before: ‘rise’, ‘grow’, ‘improve’ and ‘climb’.

同樣的規則適用於您之前看到的其他動詞： ”rise“、”grow“、”improve“和”climb“。

Look at one more sentence: 

再看一個句子：

How many words could you use  to complete this sentence? 

您可以用多少個單字來 完成這個句子？

You could say ‘decrease’, but again  there are other possibilities;  

您可以說”decrease“，但是同樣 有其他的可能性；

‘fall’ and ‘drop’ are also common. You could also  use ‘decline’, although it’s rarer as a verb.

”fall“和”drop“也是常用的。您也可以用 ”decline“，儘管它比較少做動詞用。

You can use the same patterns you saw before.  For example, you can say that something  

您可以用您之前看到的相同 結構。例如，您說某樣東西從

decreased from something to something.  Or, you can use ‘by’ after these verbs.

什麼數據減少到什麼數據。或者，您 可以在這些動詞後面用”by"。

Finally, many of these verbs can also be used  as nouns. For example: ‘There was a large  

最後，這些動詞裡有很多可以擔當名詞用。 例如：“There was a large

increase in sales figures in  the first quarter of the year.’ 

increase in sales figures in  the first quarter of the year.”

‘There was a steady fall in  advertising revenues throughout 2019.’ 

“There was a steady fall in  advertising revenues throughout 2019.”

‘We experienced a sudden drop  in web traffic in August.’ 

“We experienced a sudden drop  in web traffic in August.”

In some cases, the noun form is  different, as in ‘grow - growth’, 

在一些例子裡，名詞形式是不同的， 像是“grow - growth” ，

or ‘improve - improvement’. You can use these nouns in the way you just saw.  

或者“improve - improvement”。您可以用您剛才 看到的方法來用這些名詞。

For example: ‘There was a steady growth  in advertising revenues throughout 2019.’

例如：“There was a steady growth  in advertising revenues throughout 2019.“

Now, you should have many  different ways to describe trends.  

現在，您應該會有很多不同 的方法來描述趨勢。

Let’s see how you can describe  percentages and proportions.

我們來看看您可以怎樣描述 百分比和份額。

More than half (55%) of our sales were vehicle  insurance. The second highest performer was  

我們的銷售超過一半 (55%)是汽車保險。 銷售業績第二好的是

home insurance, making up one-fifth of policies  sold. Life and health insurance each comprised  

家庭保險，佔已售保單的五分之一。 生命和健康保險各佔

ten per cent of total sales, while travel  insurance accounted for the smallest  

銷售總額的10%，與此同時， 旅行保險所佔銷售份額最小，

percentage of sales, at just five per cent. If you want to talk about percentages and  

僅有5%。如果您想談論 百分比和份額，

proportions, you’ll need to use different language  compared to talking about trends and quantities.

您會用到不同的比較說法 來談論趨勢和數量。

Look at some sentences you  heard in the presentation. 

看看您在簡報裡聽到的一些句子。

Can you remember the missing words? Pause the  video and try to find the answers. If you want,  

您能記住空白處的單字嗎？暫停影片並 嘗試找出答案。如果您想，

you can also go back and review the presentation.

您也可以回頭複習一下。

Ready? Let's check.

準備好了嗎？我們來檢查一下。

To talk about proportions, you might need to  talk about fractions, like in sentence one.

要談論份額，您可能要講 分數，像是句一那樣。

Do you know other words for fractions in English? 

您知道分數的其他英文單字嗎？

You can say ‘a third’, ‘a quarter’, ‘a fifth’,  and so on. Then, you can add words like  

您可以說“a third”、“a quarter”、“fifth”， 類似這樣的。然後，您可以

‘more than’ or ‘less than’ to  describe things more accurately.

添加單字像是“more than”或 “less than”來描述事情更準確。

For example: ‘Less than a third of customers  said they would recommend us to a friend.’ 

例如：“Less than a third of customers  said they would recommend us to a friend.”

‘More than three quarters of  purchases were through our website.’ 

“More than three quarters of  purchases were through our website.”

You might also need verbs like  ‘comprise’ or ‘account for. 

您也許需要像是“comprise”  或“account for”。

A similar verb is ‘make up’. You heard ‘The  second highest performer was home insurance,  

一個簡單的動詞是“make up”。您聽到“The  second highest performer was home insurance,

making up one-fifth of policies sold.’ You can use these verbs with percentages  

making up one-fifth of policies sold.” 您可以用百分比或分數來

or fractions. For example, you can say ‘Clothing  sales accounted for 80% of our revenue last year.’ 

搭配那些動詞。例如，您可以說“Clothing  sales accounted for 80% of our revenue last year.”

Or, you could say ‘Clothing sales accounted  for four-fifths of our revenue last year.’

或者，您可以說“Clothing sales accounted  for four-fifths of our revenue last year.”

Again, you can add a modifier, like ‘more than’  or ‘approximately’, if you need to. For example:  

同樣，如果您需要，您可以添加一個修飾 的，像是“more than”或“approximately”。

‘Clothing sales accounted for approximately  four-fifths of our revenue last year.’ 

例如：“Clothing sales accounted for approximately four-fifths of our revenue last year.“

Or: ‘Clothing sales accounted for just  under four-fifths of our revenue last year.’ 

或者：”Clothing sales accounted for just  under four-fifths of our revenue last year.“

In this way, you can describe a wide range  of figures as precisely as you need to.

用這種方式，您可以依您的需要 精確描述各種數據。

Let’s move on to our next point:  describing rates of change.

我們進入下一個重點： 描述變率。

In Europe, the number of new customers fluctuated  between 2017 and 2020, but overall numbers  

在歐洲，在2017年到2020年間的新客戶 有波動，但是數據整體

remained constant, with figures for 2020 very  close to those for the beginning of the period.

持平，2020年的數據非常 接近那些初期的數據。

In Asia, numbers increased in every year, but  between 2019 and 2020 there was a dramatic rise,  

在亞洲，數據每年增長，但是2019年和2020 年間，有一個顯著的升高，

reaching a peak of 30 million  new customers gained in 2020.

並在2020年到達3000萬 新客戶的頂峰。

Customer acquisition in the  Americas saw steady growth,  

在美洲地區的客戶獲取以每年大約

with numbers rising by around  five million each year.

500萬的數據持續增長，

In the Middle East and North Africa, the number  of new customers collapsed between 2017 and 2018,  

在中東和北非，2017年到2018年間 的新客戶數量在銳減，

reaching a low point of just half a  million in 2018. Customer acquisition  

在2018年到達僅50萬的低點。 然後，客戶獲取數據

figures then levelled off, with only small  fluctuations over the remaining period. 

趨於平衡，在接下來的 時期裡波動很少。

Let’s look at some language  you saw in the presentation. 

我們來看一下您在簡報裡  看到的一些說法。

Look at the highlighted words. Imagine that you  want to explain what they mean to a colleague  

看看突出顯示的單字。想像您想要解釋 這些單字的意思給一個

who hasn’t seen them before. How would you  explain the words in English? Think about it! 

之前從未看過這些的同事知道。您要怎樣用 英文解釋這些單字？考慮一下！

If a figure fluctuates, it moves up and  down, but the overall change is small.  

如果數據波動，它上移和下移， 但是總體變化是小的。

Here, it means that the  number increased and decreased  

這裡，它意思是數據在不同的 年份裡增加和減小，

in different years, but that the number  in 2020 was close to the number for 2017. 

但是2020年的數據是 接近2017年的。

A dramatic rise means a really large, sudden  increase. ‘Dramatic’ is a strong word,  

一個急劇升高意思是一個真正大的、突然的增加。 “Dramatic”是一個程度強烈的單字，

so don’t overuse it – save it for exceptional  cases. If you want other words to describe  

所以不要濫用它 — 省下來，用它在特殊 事例上。如果您想用其他的單字來描述

a large increase, you could say ‘a significant  rise’, ‘a considerable rise’ or ‘a large rise’.

一個很大的增加，您可以說“a significant  rise”、“a considerable rise”或“a large rise”。

Remember that ‘increase’ can also be used as  a noun, so you can say ‘a dramatic rise’ or ‘a  

記住“increase”也可以當做一個名詞，所以您可以說 “a dramatic rise”或“a

dramatic increase’. You can say ‘a significant  rise’ or ‘a significant increase’, and so on. 

dramatic increase”。您可以說“a significant  rise”或“a significant increase”，類似這樣的。

‘Steady growth’ means that something increases  at a constant rate over a period of time.  

“Steady growth”意思是某事在一個時間期間 以一個恆定的速率增加。

You can also say ‘gradual growth’ or  ‘continuous growth’, with a similar meaning. 

您也可以說“gradual growth”或 “continuous growth”，有一個類似的意思。

Finally, in sentence four,  ‘collapse’ means to decrease  

最後，在句四，“collapse”意思 是在一個很短的期間

by a large amount in a short time. ‘Collapse’ has  the meaning of something negative or destructive.  

內大量地減少。“Collapse”有 某事是負面的或毀滅性的意思。

Generally, if something collapses,  then it doesn’t exist any more.

通常，如果某樣事物坍塌了， 那麼它不會存在了。

‘Collapse’ can be a verb or a noun.  You can use it as a noun like this:  

“Collapse”可以是一個動詞或名詞。 您可以把它當做名詞用，像是這個：

‘After the collapse of the company,  thousands were made redundant.’

“After the collapse of the company,  thousands were made redundant.”

Now, let’s look at our final point.

現在，我們看看最後一個重點。

2020 was a strong year for our vehicle insurance  arm. In fact, in the second half of the year,  

對我們的車輛保險部門而言，2020年是銷售 強勁的一年。事實上，是在下半年，

sales hit their highest levels ever, which made  a significant contribution to our record profits  

銷售數據達到有史以來的最高水平， 為我們今年創紀錄的利潤

for the year. The home insurance division  also did well, with a solid performance  

做出重大貢獻。家庭保險部門 也表現不錯，在2020年一整年

throughout 2020. Although life insurance  constituted a small proportion of our total,  

表現穩定。儘管生命保險  僅構成我們總額的一個小份額，

sales nonetheless outperformed expectations, and  we’re hoping to build on that growth in 2021.

不過，銷售業績超過預期，我們希望 2021年在那個增長的基礎上繼續。

On the other hand, our health insurance  division had a disappointing year,  

另一方面，我們的健康保險部門 有表現令人失望的一年，

with sales falling well below expectations.  Challenging market conditions led to a significant  

銷售遠遠低於預期，充滿挑戰的市場 條件明顯地增加

increase in customer acquisition costs, meaning  that profitability was also negatively impacted.  

了客戶獲得成本，盈利能力 也受到負面影響。

Sales of travel insurance were also poor,  although broadly in line with predictions. 

旅行保險的銷售也很糟糕， 儘管與預期幾乎一致。

Look at some sentences from the presentation  relating to a strong sales performance. 

看看簡報裡與強勁銷售數據 表現有關的一些句子。

Can you remember or guess the missing words?  Pause the video and try to find your answers. 

您能記得或猜猜空缺的單字嗎？ 暫停影片並試著找出您的答案。

Let’s take a look. 

我們來看一下。

Sales figures can be strong if they’re  better than expected. You can also use  

如果它們是比預期的要好，銷售數據 可以是強勁的。您也可以用

general words like ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. In sentence two, you can also say ‘reached’.  

一般的單字，像是“good”或“excellent”。 在句二，您也可以說“reached”。

If sales hit their highest levels ever, then  you could say that you set a new record.

如果銷售數據達到有史以來的最高水平，那麼 您可以說您創造了一個新紀錄。

You set a new record when you reach a level  which is better than you ever have in the past. 

當您到達一個比您過去任何時候都好 的水平時，您創造了一個新紀錄。

In sentence three, ‘outperform’ means to  perform better than expected. The opposite verb  

在句三，“outperform”意思是 表現比期待的要好。反義動詞是

is ‘underperform’, so if figures are  

“underperform”，那麼如果數據是

worse than expected, you could say that  a department or a company underperformed. 

比期待的糟糕，您可以說一個部門 或一間公司表現不佳。

What about if sales were poor?  Look at three more sentences. 

如果銷售數據很差呢？ 再看三個句子。

Can you remember the missing words? You know what  to do! Pause the video and get your answers now. 

您能記得空缺的單字嗎？您知道要 做什麼！現在暫停影片並給出您的答案。

Could you remember? Let’s look together. If sales are worse than you expected,  

您記得住嗎？我們一起來看看。 如果銷售數據比您期待的要低，

you could also describe them as  ‘weak’, ‘poor’, or just ‘bad’. 

您也可以描述它們是 “weak”、“poor”、或是“bad”。

In sentence two, ‘challenging’ means  something like ‘difficult’. ‘Challenging  

在句二，“challenging”意味著某些像是 “difficult”的事情。“Challenging

market conditions’ means that doing business  and making sales is harder than it normally is. 

market conditions”意思是做業務或 行銷比以往更難。

Don’t forget: the presentations contain  many more examples of language you can use  

不要忘了：簡報包含更多的您可以 用來描述市場趨勢

to describe market trends and company performance.  

和公司表現的說法事例。

Review them several times and find words  and phrases which you can use in your work!

複習它們幾次，找到可以在您的 工作裡用的單字和片語！

Thanks for watching!

感謝觀看！

See you next time!

下次見！