English for Conference & Meeting

I. Standard Terms & Glossary:

1. Agenda consists of: = Mata acara sidang/rapat terdiri dari:

a. Tentative Agenda = a. Mata acara sementara
b. Adopted Agenda = b. Mata acara yang telah diterima
c. Amended Agenda = c. Mata acara yang diterima dengan
perubahan

2. Agenda of the Meeting = Mata acara sidang / rapat

a. Opening = a. Pembukaan
b. Election of Officers = b. Pemilihan pimpinan sidang
c. Business Arrangements = c. Pengaturan sidang / rapat
d. Consideration of the Agenda = d. Penyepakatan agenda sidang / rapat
e. Agenda Items = e. Rincian agenda sidang yang telah
disepakati / diterima
f. Other Business = f. Lain-lain
g. Closing = g. Penutupan

3. Business of Meeting = Peraturan umum yang menyangkut hak

dan kewajiban peserta sidang / rapat
(Ketertiban Jalannya Sidang)

4. Conference Management = Pengaturan jalannya sidang / rapat

5. Ground Rules = Kode etik
6. Informal Discussion = Pembicaraan-pembicaraan informal
7. Joint Communiqué = Komunike bersama
8. Joint Declaration = Deklarasi bersama
9. Joint Press Release/Statement = Pernyataan pers bersama
10. Mediator = Penengah

11. Overview = Pandangan umum

12. Plenary Session = Sidang pleno
 13. Points of Order = Tata cara prosedur / Tata tertib
14. Points of Procedure = Peraturan prosedural
15. Rapporteur = Sekretariat Konferensi / Rapat

16. Standard Procedures = Prosedur tetap

17. Standing Rules = Peraturan yang telah disepakati
sebelumnya
18. Summary Record = Laporan umum dari pokok-pokok yang
telah diperbincangkan
19. Treaty = Perjanjian
20. Verbatim Record = Catatan dari perbincangan lisan

Nine out of ten businessmen believe that half of the time they spend in meetings to be wasted
(Sembilan dari sepuluh usahawan percaya bahwa separuh waktu dalam rapat terbuang percuma)
Those who are unable to learn from past meetings are condemned to repeat them
(Mereka yang tidak dapat memetik pengalaman dari rapat masa lalu pasti akan mengalami hal yang sama lagi)

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II. Standard Phrases & Patterns:

General Language Points (Kaidah Bahasa Umum)

1. Tentative Statement:
Menggunakan kata would, could, might agar pernyataan bersifat sementara
dan tidak kaku (dogmatis).
Pernyataan kaku (dogmatis).
That is unacceptable (Itu tidak dapat diterima).
Pernyataan tidak kaku / terbuka negosiasi (tentative)
That would be unacceptable (Itu mungkin tidak akan diterima).
That could be unacceptable (Itu mungkin tidak diterima).
We could expect them to accept our proposal.
That would not meet our requirements.
It might be the most important point for us.

Exercises: Put would in the following.

1. I prefer to meet before that.
2. We hope to be able to complete before the end of the year.
3. We expect them to accept our proposals.
4. Flying has definite advantages.
5. I am not able to give a guarantee at this stage.

2. Opinions / Suggestions in Interrogative:

Menyampaikan pendapat / saran dalam bentuk pertanyaan.
Could we ask the UN to finance the project?
(Apakah PBB dapat membiayai proyek ini?)
Is that too late?
Could we cancel the meeting?
Would it be a good idea to have lunch now?
Would that be an effective way?

Exercises: Change the following into questions.

1. Friday would be convenient.
2. We would need another meeting fairly soon.

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 3. It would be a good idea to involve the Japanese.
4. We have got to increase our promotion.
5. They can raise some of the finance themselves.

3. Suggestions in Negative:
Menambah n’t (not) pada saran-saran
Couldn’t we ask the UN to finance the project?
(Apakah PBB kiranya dapat membiayai proyek ini?)
Isn’t that too late?
Wouldn’t that be an effective way?
Wouldn’t Friday be convenient?
Couldn’t we take a break for a while and have a cup of coffee?

Exercises: Change the previous examples in the same way.

4. Introductory Phrases:
Menggunakan kata pengantar agar pendengar menjadi focus dalam mendengar
With respect to …..
As a matter of fact …..
Actually …..
To put it bluntly …..
In those circumstances …..
Frankly (speaking) …..
To be honest …..
In fact …..
(Sehubungan dengan ……..)
(Sebenarnya ……..)
(Sebenarnya ……..)
(Secara terus terang ……..)
(Dalam keadaan tersebut ……..)
(Secara terus terang ……..)
(Sejujurnya ……..)
(Sebenarnya ……..)

Examples & Exercises:

1. Actually, John, the financial manager is not too bright here at the head office.
2. Frankly Speaking, I disagree with his idea.
3. As a matter of fact, we are doing the wrong things at the moment.
4. With respect to the globalization demand, we have to improve all.
5. In fact, this system has been out of date.
6. In those circumstances, we ……….
7. To be honest, I would ………

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5. Statement with “I’m afraid”:
Menggunakan I am afraid untuk menyatakan kekhawatiran (unhelpfulness)
Couldn’t we meet again later this week? I’m afraid, We couldn’t.
Would next Tuesday be convenient? I’m afraid, I am tied up all day.
Could I have a clarification for this anymore? I’m afraid, you couldn’t. We
have already come to an end of the meeting.

Exercises: Answer these questions naturally using I’m afraid

1. Can we meet again later this week?
2. Could you guarantee delivery by late September?
3. Do you know the Chairman personally?
4. Where is the annual report?
5. I thought you were going to bring the details today?

6. Using Qualifiers:
Menggunakan kata kualifikasi slight, a little bit, some, a bit of, short untuk
melembutkan pernyataan.

A disagreement (suatu ketidaksepakatan).

A slight disagreement (agak ada ketidaksepakatan)

… too early (terlalu dini)

… a little bit too early (sedikit terlalu dini)

A problem (ada masalah).

A bit of problem (ada sedikit masalah)

A delay (ada keterlambatan)

A short delay (ada sedikit keterlambatan)

Exercises: Add qualifiers to these.

1. That would leave me with a problem.
2. I have doubts about that.
3. We have a disagreement with our German colleagues.
4. We need changes before we can submit the proposal.
5. I think there must be a misunderstanding between us.

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7. Not + Very + Positive Words:
Menghindari kata-kata bersifat negatif langsung, diganti dengan pola di atas.

That is a destructive approach (Itu suatu pendekatan yang destruktif).

That is not a very constructive approach (Itu suatu pendekatan yang tidak
terlalu konstruktif).

Your suggestion is impractical (Saran anda tidak berguna).

Your suggestion is not very practical (Saran anda tidak terlalu praktis).

That is a useless line of argument (Argumentasi itu tidak ada ujung

pangkalnya).
That is a not a very useful line of argument (Argumentasi itu tidak begitu
mengikuti alur pikiran yang bermanfaat).

You are childish in this case (Anda kekanak-kanakan dalam hal ini).
You are not very smart in this case (Anda belum matang dalam hal ini).

I think the room is dirty for the meeting (Saya kira ruangan ini terlalu kotor
untuk rapat).
I think the meeting room is not very clean (Saya kira ruang ini tidak terlalu
bersih untuk rapat).

Exercises: Change these sentences in a similar way.

1. That’s inconvenient.
2. This year’s figures are bad.
3. That’s a negative way of looking at the problem.
4. That proposal is insensitive to local conditions.
5. I am unhappy with that idea.
6. They rejected what we said.

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8. Using Comparatives:
Menggunakan perbandingan sebagai alternatif untuk menghindari Deadlock.
It is dangerous to delay a decision. It would be better if we take a vote on
this. (Sangat berbahaya jika kita menunda keputusan. Akan lebih baik jika
diadakan pemungutan suara).
Wouldn’t April 29 be more convenient? (Bukankah tanggal 29 April kiranya
lebih tepat?).
It might be more appropriate to apply this system in our office than the
existing one (Mungkin kiranya lebih cocok menggunakan sistem ini di kantor kita
dibandingkan sistem yang sekarang).

Exercises: Offer these proposals with a comparative.

1. It’s appropriate to wait a few weeks (It would be better to confirm soon).
2. An earlier delivery date is helpful.
3. It is a good idea to take a long term view.
4. The World Bank is anxious to support this kind of project.
5. NGOs provide funds for project like this.
6. Mr. Carlos Alberto is a good person to be a technical manager.

9. Using Continuous Forms:

Menggunakan bentuk continuous untuk kejadian dengan waktu berkelanjutan,
atau untuk pernyataan yang lebih fleksibel dan mengundang respon (Simple
form: the listener is excluded; Continuous form: he/she is included).
Kejadian yang telah selesai sebagai fakta yang lengkap.
We intended to hold a conference next year (Kami berniat untuk mengadakan
konferensi tahun depan).
Kejadian sudah selesai, tetapi masih menjadi pemikiran yang dapat berubah.
We were intending to hold a conference next year (Kami semula berniat
untuk mengadakan konferensi tahun depan).

We were discussing the problem yesterday (Kitakan membahas masalah

itu kemarin).
I was wondering if you had come to a decision yet. (Saya sungguh ingin
tahu apakah anda telah membuat keputusan).

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10. Stressed Words / Stressed Auxiliaries:
Menekan ucapan pada Kata / Kata Bantu tertentu untuk mengubah makna.
We are quite interested to hold the meeting next Wednesday
(Kami agak tertarik untuk mengadakan rapat hari Rabu depan).
Suatu Kualifikasi: quite interested, but not very.
We are quite interested to hold the meeting next Wednesday
(Kami sangat tertarik untuk mengadakan rapat hari Rabu depan).
Suatu Ketertarikan: very interested.

We have decided that the conference is going to be held next year

(Kami telah memutuskan bahwa konferensi akan diselenggarakan tahun depan).
Suatu Pernyataan biasa.
We have decided that the conference is going to be held next year
(Kami telah memutuskan bahwa konferensi benar-benar akan diselenggarakan
tahun depan). Suatu Penegasan.

We are quite interested in your suggestion. (moderate).

We are quite interested in your suggestion (very).

It is rather a large house. (moderate).

It is rather a large house (very).

Exercises: Say these sentences so that you give the meaning very.
1. We were quite pleased with their proposal.
2. We will be quite disappointed if we can’t reach agreement today.
3. We think that is quite a useful contribution to the discussion.
4. He is quite capable of helping us out of our difficulties.

Stress quite in these sentences – make sure you understand them very well.
5. That is quite different from our own suggestion.
6. We are quite satisfied with the preliminary figures.
7. We are quite certain we can deliver by the end of this month.

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III. Formal Meeting Procedure:
1. Opening:
 Ladies and Gentlemen, I declare the meeting open !
(Hadirin yang terhormat, dengan ini sidang secara resmi saya nyatakan dibuka).
 Excellencies, / Distinguished Delegates, / Ladies and Gentlemen, I call the
meeting to order !
(Para Yang Mulia, Para Delegasi yang terhormat, Hadirin yang terhormat, dengan
ini sidang secara resmi dibuka).
 Right, shall we get started?
 Let’s get down to business, shall we?

2. The Minutes:
 May I read the minutes? (membacakan notulen rapat sebelumnya)
 Would someone move that the minutes of the last meeting be accepted?
 Has everyone seen the minutes?
 Can we take the minutes as read?

3. The Agenda:
 Has everyone received a copy of the agenda?
 The first item on the agenda today is…..
 I would like to add an item to the agenda.
 Could we delete item 5 from the agenda?

4. The Subject:
 The purpose of today’s meeting is ….
 The first problem we have to consider is ….
 Perhaps we should first look at…..

5. Giving the Floor: (memberi kesempatan bicara)

 I would like to give the floor to Mr. ….

 (Mrs. Martha), would you like to say something about this?
 (Mr. Sudarto), I think you know something about this problem.
 Have you got anything to say, (John)?
 What are your views on this, (Bob)?

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6. Taking the Floor: (mengambil kesempatan bicara)

 Mr. Chairman, may I take the floor for a while?

 Excuse me Mr. Chairman, may I say something please?
 Mr. Chairman, may I submit the following proposal?
 With the Chair’s permission, I would like to take up the point about….
 Could I just make a point about……?
 Could I say something here, please?

7. Finishing a Point:
 Has anyone got anything further they wish to add before we move on to the
next item on the agenda?
 Has anyone got anything further to add?

8. Directing:
 We seem to be losing sight of the main point. The question is ….
 This is not really relevant to our discussion. What we are trying to do is….
 Could you stick to the subject please?
 Let’s not get sidetracked. The issue under discussion is …. (keluar dari
pokok permasalahan)

9. Keeping Order:
 We cannot all speak at once; (Mr. Dalton), would you like to speak first?
 (Mrs. Wilson), would you mind addressing your remarks to the Chair,
please?
 I shall have to call you to order, (Mr. Simpson). (untuk tertib)

10. Moving to a New Point:

 Could we move on to item 4 on the agenda?
 Now, I would like to turn to ….
 Can we go on now to …..

11. Postponing Discussion:

 (Well), Ladies and Gentlemen, with your approval, I propose to defer this
matter until we have more information at our disposal. (Menunda)

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  If no-one has any objection, I suggest that we leave this matter until our
next meeting.
 Perhaps, we could leave this for the time being. We can come back to it
later.

12. Proposing:
 Mr. Chairman, may I submit the following proposal?
 With the Chair’s permission, I move that …. (mengemukakan usul)
 Mr. Chairman, I’ll second that motion. (orang kedua mendukung) (usulan)
 I would like to propose the motion that….
 Would anyone like to second the motion?

13. Moving to a Vote:

 Perhaps, we should take a formal vote on this.
 Can I ask for a show of hands? (mengangkat tangan menerima / menolak)
 Let’s put it to the vote.
 Could we take a vote on it?
 Can we move to a vote on this?

14. Voting:
 In the event of a tie, I would like to remind you that I have the casting vote.
(jumlah suara mendukung & menolak sama) (Pemilihan untuk memutuskan jika
hasil sama)
 Those for the motion, please? / Those against?
 Any abstentions? (tidak memberikan suara)
 The motion is carried unanimously. (diterima secara mutlak)
 The motion has been rejected by 6 votes to 5.

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IV. Miscellaneous for Meeting:

1. Prakata – Memulai:
 First of all, we must bear in mind……….
 There are …… (three) … points I’d like to explain …
 I would like to make a few remarks concerning…
to comment on the problem of….
to mention briefly that…

2. Memberikan pujian:
 You have raised an important point there.
 That’s a very interesting question.
 You deserve a lot of credit for all the work you’ve done

3. Memberikan contoh:
 I’d like to give you a description as the example.

4. Menginterupsi:
 May I interrupt you for a moment?
 Could I come in at this point?
 Could I say something about…?
 I wonder if I could comment on …..
 I would like to add something here, if I may?
 Before we go any further, may I point out….
 Coming back to what I was saying…..
 With your permission, I’d rather finish what I was saying.
 First, I would like to reply to Mr. …. and then I would like to comment on…..

5. Menyimpulkan:
 I’d like to conclude by stating that …
 In conclusion, I would like to review that …
 Now, we come to the summary of the subject.
 Briefly, the main points that have been made are…..
 Well, at this stage, I feel I should summarize the matter as it stands….

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6. Meminta / Memberikan pendapat:
 What is your opinion of….?
 What do you think of…..?
 I would like to hear your view on….
 I would like to ask Mr. ……to give us his view on…
 I would like to invite Mr. …..to present his view on….
 Allow me to give the floor to Mr. …..
 I think Mr. …….is more qualified than I am to deal with this question.
 In my opinion / According to my opinion that …
 From my point of view…
 As far as I’m concerned….

7. Meminta Kejelasan:
 I’m afraid I do not understand what you mean.
 I’m afraid I didn’t quite get your last point. Could you go over it again please?
 I’m afraid there seems to have been a slight misunderstanding.
 Could you give us some details about ….?
 I’m sorry, but could you be a little more precise?
 I’m sorry I didn’t quite follow what you said about …
 I’m afraid I don’t have enough information at my disposal to answer that.
 I think we can leave the problem of…… aside for a moment, the real issue is….

8. Meminta perhatian:
 Could I have your attention, please?
 Well, everybody! May I have your attention?

9. Menyatakan setuju / tidak setuju:

 I agree entirely with your point of view.
 I think we are in agreement on……
 I agree with you on the whole, but it could be said that…..
 I totally/completely disagree with you.
 I respect your opinion, of course, however…..

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10. Memberikan rekomendasi, usulan, saran dan oposisi:
 I strongly recommend that……. / I can thoroughly recommend that…
 In our view, it is high time that…..
 I would like to propose that…
 I am fully in favour of…..
 I would certainly endorse such a proposal….
 With certain reservations, I would support your proposal.
 I am totally opposed to the proposal.
 I see no valid reason for supporting the proposal.
 Without substantial changes, I cannot give the proposal my support.

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V. Official Phrases for International Meeting:

1. Sebutan untuk Ketua Sidang:

 Mr. Chairman, may I submit the following proposal?
(Saudara Ketua, boleh saya menyampaikan usul sebagai berikut?).
 With the Chairman’s permission, may I submit …. ?
(Dengan izin Saudara Ketua, boleh saya menyampaikan …..?).
 Chairwoman (Ketua sidang wanita)
 The Chair (Ketua sidang pria maupun wanita):
With the Chair’s permission, may I submit ….. ? (Mr. Chair = wrong)
 Tentative Chairman (Ketua Sementara)

2. Ungkapan oleh Ketua Sidang:

a. Opening (Pembukaan):
 Excellencies, / Distinguished Delegates, / Ladies and Gentlemen,
I declare the meeting open !
(Para Yang Mulia, Para Delegasi yang terhormat, Hadirin yang terhormat, dengan
ini sidang secara resmi saya nyatakan dibuka).
 Excellencies, / Distinguished Delegates, / Ladies and Gentlemen,
I call the meeting to order !
(Para Yang Mulia, Para Delegasi yang terhormat, Hadirin yang terhormat, dengan
ini sidang secara resmi dibuka).

b. Election of Officers (Pemilihan Pimpinan Sidang):

 Excellencies, / Distinguished Delegates, / Ladies and Gentlemen,
we will now proceed to the next item: the election of officers. Are there any
proposals for the election of Chairman?
(Para Yang Mulia, Para Delegasi yang terhormat, Hadirin yang terhormat, kita
sekarang lanjut ke acara berikutnya, yaitu pemilihan ketua sidang, apakah ada
usulan?).
 His Excellency, Mr._______/ the distinguished (Chief) delegate Mr.
_______ from _______ is elected as Chairman (Vice Chairman,
Secretary/Rapporteur) of the meeting. Thank you.
(Yang Mulia Tuan _______, ketua delegasi yang terhormat Tuan. _______ dari
_______ (negara) telah terpilih.

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  Are there any other candidates for the position of Chairman (Vice Chairman,
Secretary/Rapporteur) of the meeting? I see none. His Excellency,
Mr._______ is elected as Chairman (etc.).
(Apakah ada calon lain untuk Ketua (Wakil Ketua, Sekretaris/Notulen) sidang?
Saya tidak lihat ada yang lain, maka Yang Mulia Tuan _______, terpilih sebagai
_______ (dsb.).

c. Business Arrangements (Pengaturan Sidang):

 Excellencies, / Distinguished Delegates, / Ladies and Gentlemen,
we will now proceed to the next item: the election of officers. Are there any
proposals for the election of Chairman?
(Para Yang Mulia, Para Delegasi yang terhormat, Hadirin yang terhormat, kita
sekarang lanjut ke acara berikutnya, yaitu pemilihan ketua sidang, apakah ada
usulan?).

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