The printer is on strike and the hotline speaks English — how to describe a technical problem clearly on the phone in three steps.
B1 · Monologue · 3 Min. · free
Tip: listen to the episode twice before you start the test. · Worksheet (PDF)
✓ To the comprehension testYou may also like
Transcript
Key phrases
Language notes
In this episode an office manager fails at English-speaking support — and learns a three-step structure for technical problems on the phone: describe the problem precisely, say what you have tried, say what you need. Plus the classic false friend: "bekommen" is "to get", never "to become".
Vague descriptions like "the printer is broken" or the Denglish "it doesn't go" (from "es geht nicht") force support into a long question-and-answer game. English support culture expects three facts in the first sentence: which device, what exactly happens, since when. "The label printer prints blank labels. It started this morning, after an update" — a good agent needs nothing more to start the diagnosis.
The false friend "bekommen/become" is stubborn because the words sound almost identical. But "to become" means "werden": "I become an error message" literally says you turn into one. Correct is "to get" or "to receive": "I get an error message", "We got your invoice". Memory hook: what you receive, you "get" — what you turn into, you "become".
Step two — "I have already restarted the printer and checked the cable" — uses the present perfect with "already" and saves the call from the standard questions. In British and Irish hotlines, visibly clearing the simple fixes gets you escalated to second-level support faster. Step three phrases the request actively: "Could you talk me through the next steps?" is polite, clear and shows you want to work along.
Keep practising: Learn business English online — with real teachers from Simmonds, since 2004.
Frequently asked questions
Level B1 (CEFR). The monologue uses simple, clear everyday technical English; the vocabulary list explains all eight key terms bilingually.
In three steps: describe the problem precisely ("The label printer prints blank labels. It started after an update"), say what you have tried ("I have already restarted the printer") and say what you need ("Could you talk me through the next steps?").
"To get" means "bekommen/erhalten", "to become" means "werden". "Ich bekomme eine Fehlermeldung" is "I get an error message" — "I become an error message" would mean you turn into one yourself.
In the online business English courses from Simmonds Language Services (englisch-lehrer.com/online): live lessons with real teachers on Zoom, for companies and individuals across Germany. You start with a free consultation about your language needs.
Episodes are produced with high-quality AI voices (Hume) and editorially reviewed by our trainer team — the same method as our interactive lessons.
The podcast trains your ear — in our online lessons you practise the conversation yourself, with real teachers. For companies across Germany since 2004.