# I allow myself to call you



## TheUnitedStatesOfEurope

Hi everyone, 


I am trying to translate the following (it is Business and sales-related):

"I allow myself to call you following our Meeting at the XX trade fair.

That is why I would like to set-up a meeting with you in order to introduce myself, KRAL and our technology."

My try:

"我让你给打个电话, 我们的会面在XXX(博览交易会 / 展销会 / 贸易洽谈会 ?)以后. 

这就是为什么我想组织一个会面为了介绍一下儿."

I have difficulties to translate the following: 

- I* allow myself to call* you

*- following* our Meeting

- *That is why*

- I would like *to set-up *a Meeting


Thanks a lot in advance! 
Cheers,


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## lovin4u

"我让你给打个电话(very strong attitude, like you order him to call you, and I think you mean you'll call him, passive in English 我会打给你), 我们的会面在XXX(博览交易会 / 展销会 / 贸易洽谈会 ?)以后. （在展销会会面/碰头

My translation: 
我会打给你在展销会碰头
这是为什么我想组织一个会议相互了解一下/介绍一下我和我公司的产品
 I'll call you at the fair 
This is why I'd like to introduce our products/technology of KARL on meeting

- I* allow myself to call* you
(Does that mean I will call you? 我会给打电话给你

*- following* our Meeting
会面/碰头 （I'm not sure what you said here, do you mean you will meet him? ）
- *That is why *
那是因为

- I would like *to set-up *a Meeting
我会约一个会/组织一个会议


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## SuperXW

The phrases you asked can’t be translated directly into Chinese, because they don’t fit Chinese syntax, grammar and habit (I’m not sure if they are idiomatic in English either), and I’m sorry to tell you that your translation doesn’t make too much sense.

But you can find some other expressions to convey similar meanings.
If I understand you correctly:

I allow myself to call you: 恕我冒昧“forgive me for being reckless (because I’m going to ask you something you didn’t expect)”

Following our meeting (a conference? Group discussion? Personal meeting?): 在上次会议/会面后“after our last meeting” (have to differentiate which kind of meeting. The words are different in Chinese.)

That is why: 所以“so”.

"I allow myself to call you following our Meeting at the XX trade fair.
That is why I would like to set-up a meeting with you in order to introduce myself, KRAL and our technology."
Roughly:
我们曾在xx交易会见面，所以我冒昧地给您打电话，希望与您约时间进行一次正式面谈，进一步介绍我们公司和技术。


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## fyl

I don't quite get the meaning. What does "I allow myself" mean exactly? Has the event "call you following our Meeting at the XX trade fair" already happened?


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## TheUnitedStatesOfEurope

"I allow myself" is just a British form.

Basically, we could get right to the point, at the risk of being in some context blunt, by saying: "I call you right now, because I want to have a meeting with you, after our first contact at XXX trade fair".

I just wanted in English to make the whole less abrupt and more mellow. Such a direct speech can be interpreted in the UK as blunt. 

I know that in China, people talk to each other more directly, without having the fear to be blunt. I just wanted to know if there was an equivalent of : "I allow myself", if not then let´s go for: "在上次会面后, 我给您打个电话, 因为我想组织一个会议".

However, isn´t there any other better (more polite and/or more formal and/or more Chinese) way to say it?

Thanks a lot in advance!


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## fyl

Is my understanding (as following) correct? We have met at xx trade fair, now I want to call you, and the reason I call you is that I want to set up a meeting to introduce myself, KRAL, and technology. (Should "that's why" be "that's because"?)
If so, SuperXW's suggestion is good. It is phrased in a way a little bit different from the English version: 我们曾在xx交易会见面(state the fact that we have met at xxx trade fair)，所以我冒昧地给您打电话(following this meeting, I call you, insert 冒昧 for politeness, like saying "I'm bold to call you" but it's an idiomatic way in Chinese)，希望与您约时间进行一次正式面谈(I'm hoping to set up a time for a formal conversation)，进一步介绍我们公司和技术(further introduce our company and technology)。


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## brofeelgood

"_I allow myself to_" is definitely not standard English. It sounds French - "_Je me permets_".

"_I'm calling you..._" sounds perfectly fine. It is neither impolite nor informal.

*"Hello Mr. Whoever, my name is Whatever. I'm calling you today as a follow-up to our meeting at the XX trade fair."
*
I agree with fyl. SuperXW's recommendation is excellent. 很冒昧地给您打电话 is about as humble as it gets.


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## TheUnitedStatesOfEurope

brofeelgood said:


> "_I allow myself to_" is definitely not standard English. It sounds French - "_Je me permets_".
> 
> "_I'm calling you..._" sounds perfectly fine. It is neither impolite nor informal.
> 
> *"Hello Mr. Whoever, my name is Whatever. I'm calling you today as a follow-up to our meeting at the XX trade fair."
> *
> I agree with fyl. SuperXW's recommendation is excellent. 很冒昧地给您打电话 is about as humble as it gets.


Great brofeelfgood! Thanks a lot for the nice and informative input as well as for the double-check!  
However, I disagree with: *""I allow myself to" is definitely not standard English."*

Well, just like in another thread,  that I recently created, people are not always acquainted with expressions, idioms, languages codes and the cultural codes / mindset beneath them, as well as what they convey.

Why? Because English tends to get simplified and influenced by American English, especially when it comes to Business.

In the UK, People will use more stuff like: "I allow myself to...[ex: send you an email]" or "May you please [ex: confirm the meeting?]" or "it might be...[ex: a problem]" rahter than: "I send you this email" or "can you confirm the meeting?" or "it is a problem", which are much more direct and don´t reflect the British culture/way of thinking or British courtesy of language. I´ve been said in the UK that my manners were abrupt, when not using "mellow" words to "wrap" my requests/questions/statements. Unlike Americans, British People are not as straightforward.

Other example, people forget to decipher, what underlying meaning an idiom can convey (see below, cf. a former a thread of mine):

- Yours sincerely (formal without first contact)
- Yours faithfully (formal, yet you already met the Person or know the Person a bit)
- Best regards (a bit more cordial)
- Kind regards (cordial)
- Regards (familiar, you know the personn well)
- Cheers (used with friends or Close Business contacts - used at a much lesser extent in the USA)
- Cheerio (very familiar way to say cheers - very British)


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## brofeelgood

Sorry to be blunt, but that's just plain wrong. I am a native speaker of English, and was brought up and formally educated in the British variant of the language. What you've quoted is neither mainstream AE nor BE.

I allow myself to...[ex: send you an email]  - I have taken the liberty to send you an email.

May you please [ex: confirm the meeting?]  - Could you kindly confirm the meeting?

"it might be...[ex: a problem]"  This is correct in construct, but it has a very different meaning to "It is a problem". I'm fairly certain even AE speakers draw a clear distinction between the two.

I'm not sure what the relevance of the list of valedictions is, but for what it's worth, you have more or less got the gist of it.


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## Skatinginbc

"_I allow myself to call you _following our Meeting at the XX trade fair.  _That is why_ I would like to set-up a meeting with you in order to introduce myself, KRAL and our technology." ==> That whole thing sounds like "_Colorless green ideas sleep furiously_".  It twists my brain.

I guess this is what you mean:
某某先生您好_, _我是KRAL公司的$$$_, _曾在XX貿易展覽會上, 與您見過面.  我之所以冒昧打電話來, 是想與您約個時間, 進一步介紹我們的公司和技術。"I'm taking the liberty of calling you so that we can set up an appointment..."


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## Mamanunique

I understand after reading the above comments:
冒昧请您*跟进*我们上次在贸易会上的会面（所谈的事情），这也是我*当时*想要跟你们组织个会议介绍我、KRAL以及我们的科技的原因。


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## coolfool

*allow*: *vt*.

1. _The American Heritage of the English Language_: to permit to have
*Ex*: allow oneself a little treat.

2. _Merriam-Webster's Advanced Leaner's English Dictionary_: to permit (sb.) to have or do sth.
*Ex*: He allows himself (to have) many luxuries.

3. _Oxford Advanced Leaner's English Dictionary_: to let sb./sth. do sth.; to let sth. happen or be done
*Ex*: She won't allow herself to be dictated to.

4. _Cambridge Advanced Leaner's English Dictionary_: to make it possible for sb. to do sth., or to not prevent sth. from happening; permit
*Ex*: At the weekend I allow myself (_= I permit myself the special pleasure of having_) a box of chocolates.

Conclusion: I'm unable, on the one hand, to find out the slightest trace of the meaning of 冒昧, it may, on the the other, mean 高兴 or 荣幸 or ... on the contrary, according to the last example.


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## Skatinginbc

When one says "I allow myself (= I permit myself the special pleasure of having) a box of chocolates," he implies that eating chocolates is normally prohibited by himself because, for example, he is overweight and chocolates are not good for his health.  If you interpret "I allow myself to call you" as "I permit myself the special pleasure of calling you", you imply that "Normally I would refrain myself from calling you because talking to you is not good for me although it is a pleasure."


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