English at Work – Episode 44 : Computer crisis

Transcript of the podcast

…Anna: (Banging on computer) It’s frozen. Nothing will work

.Tom: Yeah and all my football scores… I mean company accounts… have disappeared

?Paul: Can anyone get their computers to work? Or is just me

Narrator: Welcome back to the offices of Tip Top Trading where, as you can hear, there appears to be a bit of computer trouble. Everyone’s work seems to have disappeared. This is serious so who can sort it out

Denise: Leave it to me I’ll sort it out. (Pressing computer keys) You just need to switch it off… and on again … like that. (Computer noises)

!Anna: Hold on, let’s check… Denise! All my documents have gone now

.Denise: Oh, sorry, I was just trying to help. You’ll just have to call I.T. Support, look, here’s their number

?Anna: ‘It’ Support

Narrator: No Anna not ‘it’ but I.T. Support – information technology – sometimes called Computer Support. Most big companies have them. These are the people who sort out your computer problems and get everything working again. But be careful, they might ask some tricky questions

?Anna: OK, thanks. But what should I say to them

Narrator: Tell them: “I am having problems with my computer”, then say “the screen keeps freezing” and “I seem to have lost some documents”. Tell them “I have turned the computer off and on but that hasn’t fixed it”. Finally, ask if they can help – please

Anna: Well, I’ll give it a try. Here goes. (Dials number and it rings)

?IT Man: I.T., Dave speaking, how can I help

.Anna: Oh hello Dave – I’m having some computer problems – in fact everyone is here

?IT Man: Right. What system are you using

?Anna: What system

?IT Man: Yeah, what are you using? PC, laptop, Windows XP

.Denise: Tell him it’s Windows 7

.Anna: Erm… it’s Windows 7 on a PC

?IT Man: Good, good, this should be easy. Were you using many applications when it crashed

?Anna: Applications

?IT Man: Did you have lots of things open – documents, spreadsheets, videos, other software

.Anna: Well, I suppose I did

?IT Man: Right, well… Anna isn’t it

.Anna: Yes

IT Man: Right, well Anna, try pressing control, alt, delete, at the same time – after that try opening Windows again

.Anna: OK. (Shouting over to Tom) Tom, could you open the windows please

?!Tom: What eh? The windows

.Anna: Yes. Dave says so

.IT Man: No, no, no. Open Windows 7 on your computer

Anna: Oh, silly me! (Taps on keyboard) No, the screen just freezes. I’m a bit worried because I think I’ve lost some documents

.IT Man: Hmmm. In that case the only thing to do is reboot it

?!Anna: Reboot it? You mean kick it

.Denise: No! Reboot means turn it on and off again

Anna: Oh I see. No Dave, I have already tried turning it off and on again but that hasn’t fixed it. What am I going to do

?IT Man: Don’t panic! I’ll come and have a look. You’re on the 2nd floor right

Narrator: Oh dear. This is a bit worrying but I’m sure Dave, the IT man, will get things sorted. Remember if you have important documents, it’s best to back them up on a memory stick just in case you have a problem like this. Let’s remind ourselves of the phrases we might use if we have to call computer support

I am having problems with my computer
The screen keeps freezing
I seem to have lost some documents
I have turned the computer off and on but that hasn’t fixed it
?Can you help, please

(Lift doors open)

?IT Man: Oh hi. Is Anna here

.Denise: She’s over there

…Tom: (Under the desk) So Anna, I’m just going to unplug the screen and put the wire back in here

.Anna: OK Tom but are you OK down there? Mind your head

.IT Man: Excuse me, are you Anna? I’ve come to fix your… computer

.Anna: Oh, hello… you must be… Dave. I really like your hair

!Tom: (Hits head on table) Ow

.IT Man: Thanks. You look rather lovely. I’d better take a look at your computer

!Tom: Don’t worry, it’s OK, I think I’ve fixed it

Narrator: Looks like Tom has a rival. Is Anna going to fall for the charms of Dave, the IT man, or is he just going to upgrade her software? This could get very interesting – but there’s still work to be done – so join us again soon for English at Work. Bye