Daily English 1244 Preparing Packages for Shipping

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:28
Explanation begins at: 4:06
Normal Speed begins at: 18:28

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,244 – Preparing Packages for Shipping.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,244. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This episode is a dialogue between Suzanne and George about sending something to someone else in a big package. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Suzanne: Pass me the packing tape. This box is ready to be sealed.

George: Wait! You can’t just send our product like that. It needs to be protected so it won’t break in transit.

Suzanne: That doesn’t speak well for our product, does it?

George: It has nothing to do with the quality of our product. It’s all about the quality of the packing. Hand me some bubble wrap.

Suzanne: Here.

George: See what I’m doing? I’m wrapping each product in two layers of bubble wrap, placing them in the box, and then filling in the gaps with packing peanuts. Got that?

Suzanne: Fine, I’ll pack it the way you want it. What about these smaller products? You want them packed in a box?

George: No, the smaller products should be shipped in padded mailers like these.

Suzanne: Should I wrap the product in bubble wrap first?

George: No, these padded mailers should protect them from impact.

Suzanne: Good. Let’s put on a label and be done with it.

George: Hold on. These boxes and mailers need to be taped up so they don’t open during shipping. Make sure all openings are sealed.

Suzanne: Okay, now are we done?

George: Sure, with this batch – just 64 more to go.

Suzanne: Uh!

[end of dialogue]

Suzanne says to George, “Pass me,” or give to me, “the packing tape.” “Packing” (packing) comes from the verb “to pack” (pack). “To pack” is to put things into a box or some other container that you are going to store or keep those items in, or send them through the mail or some other service to another person. “Packing tape (tape) is a sticky substance on one side that you put on a package or a box in order to keep it closed. There are different kinds of tape. Some tape is very thin, only a few millimeters wide; other tape is much wider.

Suzanne is asking for the packing tape. She says, “This box is ready to be sealed.” “To be sealed” (sealed) means to be closed so that nothing comes out of it. You need to “seal” a package before you mail it or send it to someone. You don’t want everything coming out of the box. George, however, says, “Wait! You can’t just send our product like that.” A “product” is something a company makes to sell to someone. So we’re talking about a business product here.

George says, “The product needs to be protected so it won’t break in transit.” “Protected” comes from the verb “to protect” (protect). “To protect” means to take care of someone or something so that it is not harmed or damaged. “To protect a product” means to make sure it doesn’t break – in this case, that it doesn’t break “in transit” (transit). The expression “in transit” means while something is being moved from one place to another, especially in the mail. Suzanne says, “That doesn’t speak well for our product, does it?”

Suzanne is saying that the fact you have to protect the product in order to ship it means that perhaps the product isn’t very good or very strong. That’s what she means by the expression, “It doesn’t speak well.” “To speak well” normally means to say good things about someone or something. Here it means to reflect on or to be an indication of the quality of the product. George says, however, that the fact they have to protect the product in order to ship it – in order to mail it or to send it – doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of their product.

George says, “It’s all about,” or it’s mainly concerned with, “the quality of the packing.” He then says, “Hand me,” meaning give me, “some bubble wrap.” “Bubble (bubble) wrap (wrap)” is something you use to pack or protect something you are sending. Bubble wrap consists of plastic sheets that have little pockets or bubbles of air. You’ve probably seen these. You can take your finger and burst, or break open, the little bubbles and they make sounds. It’s kind of fun. People like to do this sitting around watching television sometimes. Well, I don’t, but some people do.

George is saying that he wants some bubble wrap to protect the product. By the way, the word “wrap” can also be a verb. “To wrap” means to surround something with another piece of material that will protect what is inside. George says he’s “wrapping each product in two layers of bubble wrap.” A “layer” (layer) is one of many pieces of material that is covering, in this case, an object for protection. George says he’s “wrapping each product in two layers of bubble wrap, placing them,” or putting them, “in the box, and then filling in the gaps with packing peanuts.”

A “gap” (gap) is a space between two other things. It’s a place where there is a small opening between two things, we might say. You could have a gap in the door if your door is not completely closed. There’s just an inch or two of space between the door and the, what we would call, “frame” of the door that the door closes into. That’s a gap. You could have a gap, as is the case in our dialogue, in a box – between the side of the box and where the thing you put in the box is located. George says he’s going “to fill in the gaps” – that is, put something in those small spaces – “with packing peanuts” (peanuts).

Normally, a “peanut” is a small thing that you eat. It’s technically the seed of a certain kind of plant. Peanuts are very popular in the United States; people even make peanut butter, which they use on sandwiches. I don’t like peanut butter myself, but many people do – but here the word “peanut” doesn’t refer to an actual piece of food but rather a small piece of plastic, basically, that is made to look like a small peanut and is used when packing things in large boxes.

“Packing peanuts,” then, are small pieces of plastic – what we would call “Styrofoam” – in the shape of peanuts that are used to protect things that are being mailed and sent in a box. Suzanne says, “Fine, I’ll pack it the way you want it. What about these smaller products? You want them packed in a box?” Suzanne speaks somewhat informally here. Notice she doesn’t say, “Do you want them packed in a box,” but simply, “You want them packed in a box?” You know she’s asking a question, and the “do” (technically the auxiliary or helping verb) is implied.

George says, “No, the smaller products should be shipped in padded mailers like these.” “To ship” (ship) something means to send it, either in the government mail service or using some private delivery service such as DHL or FedEx or UPS here in the United States. George is telling Suzanne to ship or send small products in “padded mailers.” The word “pad” (pad) refers to something that is used to protect something else. “Padding” is protection that you put around something. Bubble wrap is a kind of padding.

A “padded mailer” (mailer) is an envelope that has padding in it. When you buy the envelope, there is already a kind of bubble wrap or padding that is part of the envelope and is used to protect what’s inside the envelope or the mailer. Suzanne says, “Should I wrap the product in bubble wrap first?” George says, “No, these padded mailers should protect them,” meaning the products, “from impact” (impact). “Impact” is the moment when two things hit each other, often causing damage.

So, what George is saying here is that the padded mailers will protect the products inside even if the mailers hit something else. Suzanne says, “Good. Let’s put on,” or let’s attach, “a label and be done with it.” A “label” (label) is usually a piece of paper that is put on something such as a box to tell you either what is inside the box or to whom you are sending the box. You can’t ship a box through the mail without telling the postal service where it’s going. That information about whom you are sending it to goes on the label.

The expression “be done (done) with it” means simply that we are finished with something and no longer have to worry about it. If someone says, “Let’s be done with it,” he means let’s finish this and no longer worry about it. George, however, says, “Hold on,” meaning “wait.” “These boxes and mailers need to be taped up so they don’t open during shipping.” “To tape up” is a phrasal verb which means basically to put tape on something. There isn’t a difference in meaning, or much of a difference, between “to tape a box” and “to tape up a box.” The “up” provides a little bit of emphasis.

George says, “Make sure all openings are sealed.” An “opening” (opening) is the same as a gap, when two things are not closed completely. Suzanne says, “Okay, now are we done?” George says, “Sure, with this batch – just 64 more to go.” A “batch” (batch) is one of many groups of items that are handled or taken care of at the same time. If you have to send, for example, 100 boxes, you might take care of them in batches of 10 boxes each. First you do these 10 boxes, then you do the next 10 boxes, and so on.

George says to Suzanne that they are done with this batch, and they just have “64 batches more to go,” meaning left to finish. Suzanne doesn’t sound very happy about that at the end of the dialogue.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Suzanne: Pass me the packing tape. This box is ready to be sealed.

George: Wait! You can’t just send our product like that. It needs to be protected so it won’t break in transit.

Suzanne: That doesn’t speak well for our product, does it?

George: It has nothing to do with the quality of our product. It’s all about the quality of the packing. Hand me some bubble wrap.

Suzanne: Here.

George: See what I’m doing? I’m wrapping each product in two layers of bubble wrap, placing them in the box, and then filling in the gaps with packing peanuts. Got that?

Suzanne: Fine, I’ll pack it the way you want it. What about these smaller products? You want them packed in a box?

George: No, the smaller products should be shipped in padded mailers like these.

Suzanne: Should I wrap the product in bubble wrap first?

George: No, these padded mailers should protect them from impact.

Suzanne: Good. Let’s put on a label and be done with it.

George: Hold on. These boxes and mailers need to be taped up so they don’t open during shipping. Make sure all openings are sealed.

Suzanne: Okay, now are we done?

George: Sure, with this batch – just 64 more to go.

Suzanne: Uh!

[end of dialogue]

If there are gaps in your knowledge of English, a good way of filling them is to listen to the dialogues written by our wonderful scriptwriter – the one, the only, Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

Glossary

packing tape – thick, strong, clear tape (a plastic strip that is sticky on one side) used to close boxes and packages

* How many rolls of packing tape do you think we’ll need to pack up dishes and all the other kitchen stuff?

to be sealed – to be closed so that nothing can come in or out

* These freezer bags are sealed once they’re closed and no air can get in our out.

to protect – to take care of someone or something so that it cannot be damaged or hurt

* We need to teach young children to protect themselves from disease by washing their hands after using the bathroom.

in transit – in motion; while being moved from one place to another, especially in the mail

* Our records show that your order has been shipped. It is currently in transit and should arrive by the middle of next week.

to speak well – to say good things about someone or something; to be a positive indicator of the quality or value of something

* These testimonials speak well for our superior customer service.

bubble wrap – plastic sheets that have many pockets or bubbles of air, used to protect fragile (easily damaged) items when they are moved

* They carefully placed the wine glasses in bubble wrap before putting them in the box.

to wrap – to surround something with a protective or decorative cloth, paper, or plastic layer

* Do you have special paper to wrap Heidi’s birthday present?

layer – one of many pieces of material covering an object or person, especially to provide protection or warmth

* It’s going to be cold today, so dress in several layers.

gap – an opening or hole; a place where two pieces do not meet, leaving a small opening

* There’s a gap at the bottom of our front door, which lets in cold air and creates a draft.

packing peanuts – small pieces of Styrofoam (light, foam-like plastic) in the shape of peanuts (a type of nut) used to fill a box around an object in an effort to protect it against damage

* They bought a new scanner, and it was sent to them in a box filled with packing peanuts.

shipped – sent using the mail or a similar delivery service

* If we ship overseas, the package may take up to four weeks to arrive.

padded mailer – a large paper envelope that is lined with plastic filled with bubbles of air, used to protect the items inside the envelope

* Will you mail the jewelry in a small box, or in a padded mailer?

impact – the moment when two items hit each other forcefully, often causing damage

* The investigator was able to prove that the driver had been sending a text message at the moment of the impact.

label – a piece of paper with words and images that is permanently attached to the front or side of a container, used to indicate what is in the package and how to use it

* The law requires that cigarette package labels display health warnings.

to be done with (something) – to finish something completely and no longer think or worry about it

* Just write the essay and be done with it! Stop procrastinating.

taped up – with many pieces of tape (a plastic strip that is sticky on one side) covering all the openings of something so that it is sealed (cannot be opened)

* These boxes were taped up so well that it was almost impossible to open them.

opening – a gap that allows access; a place where air or items can come in and out of a container

* This opening in your new shirt is for your neck, not for your arm.

batch – one of many groups of items that are processed, handled, or dealt with at the same time

* Please begin processing this batch of invoices. I should have the next batch ready for you this afternoon.

Comprehension Questions

1. Which of these things provides the most protection from impact?
a) Packing tape
b) Bubble wrap
c) Labels
2. What does Suzanne mean when she says, “That doesn’t speak well for our product”?
a) George seems to know a lot about the product.
b) The product seems too easily broken.
c) Shipping the product will be very expensive.

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

layer

The word “layer,” in this podcast, means one of many pieces of material covering an object or person, especially to provide protection or warmth: “It’s difficult to see what the actress looks like under so many layers of make-up.” Or, “The doctor cut through several layers of material to remove the cast from Keith’s leg.” A “layer” can also be a material that covers the surface of something: “Paleontologists are carefully removing layers of rock and sand to expose the dinosaur bones.” When talking about organizations, a “layer” is one section of the management or reporting structure: “His new job is just two layers down from the CEO.” Finally, when talking about hairstyles, “to layer” means to cut hair so that the pieces on top are shorter than the pieces on the bottom: “Do you want me to layer your hair, or would you like to have it all the same length?”

label

In this podcast, the word “label” means a piece of paper with words and images that is permanently attached to the front or side of a container, used to indicate what is in the package and how to use it: “Read the entire label carefully before taking this medication.” Or, “The design of the label has the power to influence consumers’ buying decisions.” A “label” can also be a descriptive phrase used for an entire group of people, often without justification: “It isn’t fair to assume that all men deserve a ‘sexist’ label.” Finally, when talking about clothing, a “designer label” refers to expensive clothes created by a popular maker: “These designer-label jeans cost almost as much as my monthly rent!”

Culture Note

USPS Shipping Restrictions and Prohibited Items

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has a long list of “shipping restrictions” (rules about items that cannot be shipped, or may be shipped only under certain conditions) and “prohibited” (not allowed) items. Some of the rules apply only to international shipments, and a “subset” (a smaller group) of those rules apply to “domestic” (within the country) shipments.

For example, “aerosols” (cans whose contents are under a lot of pressure, released in a spray by pressing a small button) like “hairspray” (a liquid used to keep one’s hair in a particular style) and “fire extinguishers” (spray bottles filled with chemicals used to put out fires) are never allowed in USPS mail, because they “carry” (have) the risk of “explosion” (blowing up; breaking into small pieces in a sudden and violent way). “Matches” (small sticks with tips used to produce a fire) and “lithium batteries” (items using a particular chemical to provide power to electronic equipment) are not allowed in the mail because they present a fire “hazard” (danger).

Alcohol and most cigarettes and other tobacco products cannot be sent through the mail. If someone reuses a box that originally was used for alcohol, all labels for the alcoholic beverage must be “removed” (taken off) before the box can be sent through the mail.

Certain live animals, like insects and “reptiles” (animals like lizards) can sometimes be sent through the mail, but there are many packaging requirements and they can be sent only when “adequate” (sufficient; meeting the minimum characteristics) is available. Finally, “perishable items” (items like food that will “spoil” (go bad) quickly) may be sent, but only “at the sender’s risk” (with only the sender being responsible if the items are in poor condition when they arrive).

Comprehension Answers

1 - b

2 - b