A: Excuse me, how long will this airmail parcel take to arrive?
B: It usually takes 10 to 15 days, but recently, due to the pandemic, many flights have been cancelled, so the shipping times will be considerably longer. It’s not possible to confirm when it will reach the destination.
A: Heavens, in two weeks’ time, my friend will be off on a business trip, so the parcel absolutely must arrive before then.
Photo: Chen Yi-chia, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者陳宜加
B: Alternatively, you could send it by express mail instead, this way it will be loaded onto the airplane quicker, and the arrival time is typically four to five days, although at the moment this is still subject to delays.
A: So how much will it cost to mail it by express?
B: It will be NT1,260. Sending it by the ordinary parcel service will be NT$1,105.
A: 請問這航空包裹大概多久會寄到呢？
B: 一般是十到十五天，但是最近因為疫情的關係，很多航班都取消了，所以郵遞時間會大幅延誤，實際到達日期沒辦法確定。
A: 天哪，可是再過兩個禮拜，我朋友就要出差了，包裹一定要在這之前寄到才行。
B: 不然你可以改寄國際快捷，這是能讓它最快搭上飛機的方法，寄達時間一般是四到五天，不過現在也是有延誤的情況。
A: 那寄快捷要多少錢啊？
B: 一千兩百六十元。寄普通包裹的話是一千一百零五元。
(Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱)
Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
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