“I beg your pardon.” (通常, 一说pardon对方会自动较慢地再说一遍, 甚至rephrasing以较简明的英语表达。)
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your points (ideas, view, suggestion, proposal, comment etc.). Would you please repeat?”
“As English is my second (or third) language, would you please speak slower (or please use simple English)”
“As English is not my mother tongue, please don’t use slang. (or please use formal English)”
让对方说清楚点时会说: “Would you please further elaborate your view on…...”
有时有些事关重大的要点, 我会confirm immediately by means of repeating the key points:
“Do you mean : first……; second……”
“To avoid misunderstanding, I am going to repeat your points, please correct me if I am wrong……”
“You just mentioned that …… Right? OK, I would confirm it in writing later.” (letter/memo for confirmation or clarification would be issued later, there was no email 30 years ago.)
后来, 发觉“Sorry, I didn’t catch your points. Would you please repeat?” 这句颇有用, 就在对方repeat之际, 争取了思考对策的时间。