Am Telefon

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Low signal ...
Schlechter Empfang...

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The scenario

Allie and Frances have recently returned from a conference in a country hotel, while Saurabh has been travelling around the country training company salespeople on a new product. They have all been back in the office for a meeting and have now met up for a quick lunch together before heading out to other meetings.

• Allie: Hey, Saurabh, bet you're glad to be back! You were away for ages, how many training sessions did you do?
• Saurabh: Yeah, it was quite a while. I think I did about 11 in total; once or twice I did two a day, but generally just one. There was all the travelling between venues, though, I got really tired of that.
• Frances: We only had to travel to one place for the conference, but honestly, that was enough. I don't like driving at the best of times, and this was way out in the sticks.
• A: Did you have problems with your sat nav?
• F: How did you know? Sat nav, phone, nothing seemed to work. I really thought I was going to get lost, but luckily I'd thought to download directions onto my phone before I set off. Else who knows where I would have ended up ...
• A: I drove round in circles for about an hour before I ended up stopping at a village pub to ask for help. They had WiFi ...
• S: Glad I didn't have to drive everywhere! But I did have phone problems.
• F: What happened? Did you lose it again?
• S: Thanks Frances, and no, I did not lose my phone again. But some of the places I had to get to meant travelling through definite black spots. I was on a call to head office several times, getting info on the venue and the participants, when the call just cut out.
• A: Oh, I hate it when that happens.
• F: Yeah, me too. Did they realise that you were travelling, if they did, surely they would have understood.
• S: Ha, well, if they didn't in the beginning, then by the third time I had to call back they did!
• F: I was on a call to that new supplier in Vietnam when the call dropped the other day. For no reason that I could figure out. Why does it just do that?
• A: Did you manage to get back to them?
• F: I did, but they were slightly peeved, as though I was just being rude.
• S: Phones can be a real nightmare. I always tell people that I'm on my mobile, that way I figure most people will understand if the call drops or goes sort of fuzzy.
• A: Yeah, what's the word for that? I mean we can say pixelated for a photo that gets those square sort of bits in it, but what do we say for a phone, for audio?
• S: Hey, that's a great question! I've never really thought about it but you're right, is there a word for distorted audio? And, if so, what is it?
• F: Um, 'distorted'?
• A: Nah, right, funny, but surely there's another word? Anyway, I hear what you're saying, Saurabh, good idea to mention that you're using a mobile, I think. Especially for overseas calls, just so that there is no misunderstanding.
• S: Yup. And what I do if I'm in an area with a low signal is always say so, I let the person I'm talking to know and if possible I suggest calling back later. It's always so annoying to be on the receiving end of a call when you can't hear the other person properly and have to keep asking them to repeat what they just said.
• F: I hear you!