Business English Correspondence商务英语函电《商务英语函电》编.ppt

1、Business English Correspondence 商务英语函电 商务英语函电编写组 主编：湖北十堰职业技术学院 王 燕（副教授）,Unit 1 Introduction to Business English Correspondence,Teaching Objectives: Knowledge Requirements:1 To enhance students awareness of functions To influence, which means that messages included in a business letter should also in

2、fluence the readers attitudes and functions. And to entertain, which means that the ability to write communicative or informative business letters can be as conducive to you socially as the ability to converse eloquently or entertain successfully. To some extent, such letters can even help facilitat

3、e all business activities, such as timesaving, troubleshooting, inconvenience-solving and smooth transactions. They go to the hospital to cheer a sick business partner; they go to your business partner to thank him or her for entertaining you the other day or to express your appreciation and hospita

4、lity of reciprocating their kindness when you are not in the position to do so in person. They convey your best wishes, congratulations, condolences, etc.,Part Two Structural Parts and Styles of Business English Correspondence,2.1 Structural Parts of Business English Correspondence A business corres

5、pondence consists of seven standard parts, namely, the heading or letterhead, the date, the inside address, the salutation, the body, the complimentary close, and the writers signature and official position. Whenever necessary or appropriate, any of the following optional parts can be included: refe

6、rence number, attention line, subject line, enclosure (s), carbon copy notation (cc) and postscript. See the following format:,2.1.1 Letterhead (信头),The letterhead, usually printed in the up-center or at the right or left margin of a letter writing paper, contains the all necessary information about

7、 the companys name, address, postcode, telephone number or telex number and fax number, E-mail address, website and even a logo of the company. Sample 1: Golden Trading Company Ltd 12D Northern Avenue, New York, 10017 U.S.A. Tel: (01)633-3626626 Telex: (01) 45667 Fax: (01)633-3626676,Sample 2:,But w

8、hen writing on blank paper, type only the address at the right or left margin.,Sample 1: Golden Trading Company Ltd 12D Northern Avenue, New York, 10017 U.S.A. January 14, 2008 Mr. Lee Johnsons 4 Victoria Street London EW1HOEP Britain Dear Mr. Johnsons, Enclosed is our latest illustrated catalog of

9、numerical machines which you have asked. Sincerely yours, XXXX,Sample 2: Golden Trading Company Ltd 12D Northern Avenue, New York, 10017 U.S.A. January 14, 2008 Mr. Lee Johnsons 4 Victoria Street London EW1HOEP Britain Dear Mr. Johnsons, Enclosed is our latest illustrated catalog of numerical machin

10、es which you have asked. Sincerely yours, XXXX,2.1.2 Reference Number and Date (参考编号，日期),Reference numbers and letters enable replies to be linked with previous correspondence and ensure prompt reception of the letter or facilitate the addressee to identify and locate the corresponding files. The re

11、ference may include a file number, department code or the initials of the signer of the letter, sometimes to be followed by the typists initials. Failure to quote your counterparts reference number may cause inconvenience. If the letterhead includes a place for reference, they will be typed in the s

12、pace provided. Otherwise, they are typed immediately below the letterhead with “Your ref.:” to precede “Our ref.:”,Sample 1:,INTERCITY BANK Plc 58 Jalan Thamrin, Jakarta, Indonesia Telephone: 375018 Telex: 6756 Your ref.: Our ref.: PL/fh/246 12 January, 1987,Where the letterhead does not provide spa

13、ce for it, the reference number may form part of the first paragraph of the reply letter:,Sample 2: Dear Sir/Madam Thank you for your letter, reference PL/fh/246, of 12 January 1987. Or the reference may be typed as a heading: Sample 3: Dear Sir/Madam Your ref.: PL/fh/246 Thank you for your letter o

14、f 12 January 1987.,The date line is usually placed two lines below the last line of the letterhead. The date should always be typed in full and not abbreviated (e.g. November for Nov.). And the -th, -st, -nd, and -rd that follow the day can be omitted (e.g. 5 May for 5th May). Never write 94 for the

15、 year of 1994, or 08 for the year of 2008. The following two are recommended: September 15, 1994 (American practice) 15 September 1994 (British practice),Sample 4:SKYVIEW ENTERPRISES7111 Terrazzo Place Sarasota, Fl 33031 (813) 5981026January 20, 1995,Note: avoid writing dates in figures only, for in

16、stance, 03/02/2009, since it could be quite confusing because British form follows the order of day, month and year while the American practice is to write in the order of month, day and year. So 03/02/2009 could be taken as either March 2, 2009 or February 3, 2009.,2.1.3 Inside Address (封内名称和地址),Th

17、e inside address and name of the addressee is typed at the left-hand margin about 24 lines below the date line. The inside address of a letter to an individual consists of the addressees courtesy title, name, business or executive title and address. Courtesy titles, such as Mr., Mrs., Miss, Messrs.

18、and Mmes., Esq., are the most common ones frequently used in correspondence. Esq. is sometimes used instead of Mr. for certain class of people, such as judges or magistrates, and should always follow the personal name.,Sample 1: William Carlos, Esq. However, Doctor, Professor, Colonel or Sir, and ot

19、her special titles are used instead of Mr. or Esp. to precede the addressee while his or her official position or qualifications, such as Ph.D., President, etc. follows.,Sample 2: Dr. Earnest K. North Prime Minister Sir Edwards H. Wells, M.P. Sir Howard G. Joseph, Bt. (or Bart.) (NOTE: Bt. and Bart.

20、 are abbreviated forms for Baronet),It has become customary to use Ms. instead of Mrs. or Miss as the courtesy title for all women, married or single in recent years. And Messrs. and Mmes. are abbreviated form of the French words Messieurs and Mesdames respectively, used only for firms or companies,

21、 the names of which include personal elements. Sample 3: Messrs. Goldwyn arrange the paragraphs logically so that your letter reads easily and moves naturally toward the aim or purpose you wish to arrive at; Begin each sentence with a capital letter and end it with a period or other punctuation; Wat

22、ch your spelling and grammar; Keep your letter cheerful, concise, correct, complete and conversational.,The length of your letter does not matter, but just make sure that your short letter does not sound abrupt, and that your long, chatty letter does not ramble on and on until the reader becomes con

23、fused and bored. It is a wonderful quality in writing to beware what and when to say and when to stop. It is customary to refer to the previous correspondence or to state the specific purpose of the letter in the first paragraph of the body while the addressers request, permission or denial, approva

24、l or disapproval, plans and expectations will be conveyed in the last paragraph. The opening sentence of the first paragraph of the body should compel addressees interest and attention while the closing sentence of the last paragraph of the body should inspire whatever action or response is desired.

25、,2.1.8 Complimentary Close (结尾敬词),The complimentary close of a letter is the goodbye before you sign your name and slip your letter into its envelope. It is typed two or three spaces below the body of the letter, beginning about in the middle of the page. Only the beginning letter of the first word

26、should be capitalized; and a comma is inevitable at the end. The wording varies according to the type of letter, and according to the degree of friendship and intimacy with the addressee. It is best to conform to the conventional closings in business and social letters. However, always be sure that

27、the salutation must be in conformity with the subsequent complimentary close as suggested earlier. The following salutations and their corresponding complementary closes are the most commonly frequented in modern business correspondence. Examples of the Formats of Salutation and Corresponding Comple

28、mentary Close (see the following chart):,2.1.9 Signature and Official Position (签名),The signature is the signed name or mark of the person who writes the letter or the firm which he or she represents. It is crucial to ensure that all of your letters and related documents are signed before they are s

29、ent out because such official documents without a signature are not legal-binding. It is written immediately below the complimentary close and somewhat to the right, so that it ends just about in line with the right-hand margin of the letter. There are three guidelines to observe:,1. To sign with a

30、rubber stamp is a form of discourtesy. Always sign by hand, in ink and in full name above the typed name. 2. Since handwritten signature is illegible, the full name of the signer must be typed legibly below so there can be no doubt or misleading as to the spelling of the signers name. And its accomp

31、anying title must be typed behind or below the signers typed name when necessary. 3. It is common practice to write for, pp or per pro before the signature when signing on behalf of someone else. Frequently the name of the firm represented is used in the signature, with the name of the addresser imm

32、ediately below it.,Sample 1: Yours faithfully, THE INTERNATIONAL TRADING COMPANY (Signature) Catty Gresham Marketing Manager Or,Sample 2: Yours faithfully, (Signature) Catty Gresham Marketing Manager Or,Sample 3: Yours truly, For Hubei SILK IMPORT otherwise they may get lost, delayed or even misplac

33、ed in todays mechanical mail-sorting. To ensure swift, accurate delivery of your letter and at the same time to impress the addressee soundly, it is advisable to address the envelope neatly, correctly and completely. The quickest way possible to antagonize your correspondent is to write or type thei

34、r name and address illegibly or imprecisely. Try to arrange the writing on the envelope so that it looks balanced and inviting to the eye. It is customary to use professionally designed business envelopes with the return address printed in the upper left corner of the envelope. In such case, the add

35、resser is supposed to just add his or her name single-spaced above the return address with the block form applied.,While the addressees name and address begins slightly below the middle of the envelope, a little far toward the left, but leaving enough space to get even a long name or address in with

36、out crowding. Either full block or indented arrangement can be applied to ensure legibility. Always bear in mind that the addressees name and address on the envelope are identical with the inside name and address on the stationary. Special notations or directions should be typed or written in the lo

37、wer left-hand corner of the envelope, such as Private (私人信) , Personal (个人信) , Confidential (机密信), Please forward or Attention of; while mailing instructions, if not previously typed or printed on the envelope, should be typed or written at the upper right-hand corner under the postage stamp or stam

38、ps, such as “Per SS Empress of Canada” (由“加拿大皇后”轮寄递), “Via Suez” (经由苏伊士运河寄递), “Via Air Mail” or “Par Aviation” (航空), “Via Air Mail Registered” (航空挂号), “Registered” (挂号邮件), “Express” (快递邮件), “Parcel Post” (包裹邮件), “Printed Matter” (印刷品), “Ordinary Mail” (平信), “Immediate” or “Urgent” (急件), “Samples of

39、Merchandise” (货物样品), “Sample of no commercial value” (无商业价值样品, 即赠品). Last but not the least, dont forget to write down the postcode or zip code after the citys name or states initials to facilitate mechanical mail-sorting and to avoid inconveniences. The following is the way a properly addressed env

40、elope looks like:,Postal authorities prefer slanting arrangement as it is easier to read. The following is the way a properly addressed envelope looks like:,4 Fax Writing,Fax, the abbreviated form for facsimile, is an extremely convenient communication service in the 21st century with the populariza

41、tion of easy-handling fax machines installed in most companies, corporations, units and even in some families. Apart from the layout, a fax is much like a letter with the remarkable features: It is as convenient as international phone calls and telex, but less costly than the latter; Abbreviations a

42、re dispensable in sending faxes and the message can be received unattended during a 24-hour service. And the style depends much on the purpose of the fax. They are likely to be informal if sent within companies, among friends or between business partners who have already built up close business rela

43、tionships. However, the fax of establishing business relationships should never be informal.,Sample:,Part Three Essential Qualities of Business English Correspondence,A major potion of the business in the world today is conducted by means of correspondence. Therefore, it is of extreme importance to

44、be able to write attractive, well-groomed business correspondenceletters that represent ones self and ones firm to best advantage. No smart, forward-minded business person would long tolerate a rude, careless or untidy salesperson or representative. However, floods of letters go out everyday that re

45、flect discredit upon the firm they represent, letters that antagonize as surely as an offensive or ill-mannered individual. Such letters can do more harm than good, for most often they destroy the very confidence and goodwill they seek to establish and maintain.,Great importance, therefore, must be

46、attached to the physical aspects and wording of your business correspondence. As to the formerthe physical aspects of your business correspondence, take pride in whatever you send out, just as you take pride in your own appearance. Sign and send out only letters that are well edited, faultlessly nea

47、t and inviting as well as pleasing to the eyes, to be short, letters that make a delightful first impression. This can be achieved by means of good quality stationery, neat typing, even spacing, short paragraphs, correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. Yet some may argue that the evolving informa

48、tion technology has badly impaired the traditional communication channel. However, there is no denying that the above-mentioned strategies still remain advisable, desirable and effective in contemporary communication, even when it comes to E-mail communication.,And as to the latterwording of your bu

49、siness correspondence, the following 9 Cs are the golden guidelines to abide by which help realize an eye-pleasing, well-groomed business correspondence. those 9 Cs are can be cited as: Correctness (正确), Clearness or Clarity (清楚), Completeness (完整), Conciseness (简洁), Courteousness or Courtesy (礼貌),

50、Concreteness (明确), Consideration (体谅), Conversationalness (亲切随和) and Constructiveness (建设性). The first seven are never new to most of us for they have long been adopted and abided by while the last two may seem strange to some of us. Conversationalness (亲切随和) and Constructiveness (建设性) are two curre

51、nt guiding principles which best convey the contemporary trends in the wording and tone of modern business correspondence according to western scholars. Conversationalness (亲切随和) refers to the practice of informal, plain, homespun, everyday English, which is more eye-catching and convincing than ton

52、gue-twisting, unfamiliar words, to achieve an entertaining, easygoing and natural style of business correspondence. in other words, write as you would talk or converse; and Constructiveness (建设性) refers to the practice of optimistic expressions or positive approaches in business correspondence to wi

53、n over support or to arouse sympathy.,3.1 Courteousness or Courtesy 礼貌,Courtesy always pays handsome dividends even in letters. It is hard to resist someone who is making efforts to be sincere or friendly. Courteousness, as an outstanding feature and guideline of business correspondence, is not mere

54、 politeness. To achieve this, a sincere YOU-attitude or subjunctive mood must be adopted as well as the practice of prompt reply. 例1： We have received with many thanks your letter of 20 May, and we take the pleasure of sending you our latest illustrated catalog. We wish to draw your attention to a s

55、pecial offer which we have made in it. (Polite) IMPROVED: You will be particularly interested in a special offer on page 15 of the latest illustrated catalog enclosed, which you requested in your letter of 20 May. (Courteousness),例2： I will be glad if you will clear this balance as soon as possible.

56、 (Polite) IMPROVED: I would be glad if you would clear this balance as soon as possible. (Courteousness) 例3： This email is to inform you of an important change in our policy concerning transportation. IMPROVED: Since you are our important customer, we are writing to let you know about our important

57、policy change in transportation. (Courteousness: be sure to avoid any word or sentence that interferes the one-to-one relationship of equals.),例4： You obviously made a mistake by sending us the wrong goods. IMPROVED: Thank you for your prompt delivery. However, the goods that reached us were not the

58、 ones we ordered. (Courteousness: be sure not to accuse your reader of a deliberate error or to show resentment at having to write or explain a situation.),3.2 Consideration 体谅,To achieve Consideration, more stress must be imposed upon YOU-attitude rather than WE-attitude or I-attitude. Another appr

59、oach is to bear customers requests, needs, desires, complaints as well as their feelings in mind and plan the best or moat appropriate way to render the message, most often by way of the positive approach instead of the negative one. Try not to take yourself or your position so seriously that your letter or reply sound stilted, officious or superior; try to make others feel how much they knownot how little; how important they are not how unimp