04 书信规范.doc

Section 4 Formatting Your Business LetterMain Points Basics about a business letter? Business letters are correspondence exchanged among businesses for the purposes of 1. establishing and consolidating business relations2. completing business deals, and3. in some cases, settling disputes, if anylanguage used in business correspondenceBusiness letters are written in formal English. Parties involved in business correspondenceBusiness to business Intermediaries: Brokers, Business agencies, Independent traders: whole-sale companies, retailers, manufacturersService providers: Bankers, Insurers, Shipping companiesGovernment agencies, customs offices Parts of A Business Letter1. Letter head 2. Reference number3. Date of writing4. Attention line5. Inside address6. Salutation7. Subject line8. Body of the letter9. Complimentary remark10. Signature11. Enclosures12. Carbon copy recipients13. Post script1. Letter headThis part is usually printed on the top of business stationeries and gives the basic information about the organization originating the letterLetter head comprises Name of the company, and the organization logo, if anyReturn AddressTelephone number, fax number, email box, and website, if anyIn the past, there is also the telegraph address and telex number2. Reference numberMost business letters, like other documents, are numbered for the sake of filing and indexing purposesEach company may have its own system of indexing and 3Date of writingGood English requires dates be given in full, i.e., months should be written in their full form rather than shortened form. 4. Attention lineThis refers to the person to whom the subject matter is to be addressedIf can be omitted if the letter is not referred to a specific person or the person is referred to in “inside address”5. Inside addressThis gives the name of the person to whom the subject matter is addressed, the name of the company, its address, and in some cases, telephone number and fax number, if any6. SalutationSalutation in English correspondence usually start with the word “Dear” which is just a way of being formal rather than its literal meaning of being intimateWhen the readers name is not known, the salutation is often given as Dear Sir, Sirs, Madam, etc.If you know the person who you are writing to, it is always preferable to address the reader by his or her name7. Subject lineUnderneath the salutation it preferable but not always necessary to insert a subject line to indicate the theme of the letter before the body of the letter starts8. Body of the letterThis part is the main part of a letter and it contains the message intended to convey to the readerThe body of a letter can take either indented style of format or blocked style of format, depending on the writers preference9. Complimentary remarkAfter everything has be presented in the letter body, it is a time to bring the letter to an end. The necessary closing is always a phrase that is related to the salutationWhen a letter starts with a salutation without mentioning the readers name, the phrase “Faithfully yours” is applied, while a letter directly addressed to a particular person calls for a more intimate closing such as “Truly yours” or “Sincerely yours”10. SignatureAfter the closing remark comes the signature of the person who is responsible for the message sent over and is, of course, should be given in handwriting and followed by a printed name and the position of the person signing the letter to given authority to the letter11. EnclosuresBusiness letters often carry appendixes which must be indicated in the form of enclosuresIt is always put after the signature and the number of or the specific items of the appendixes should be listed 12. Carbon copy recipientsThis shows the person who is also related to the matter discussed in the letter and to whom the letter is also sent13. Post scriptIn its ordinary sense, it is used to complement the letter body, but since this can be an indication that the write may not plan the letter thoroughly, PS is rarely used in modern correspondence. If it is used, it serves more to emphasize certain points covered in the letter rather than make up for the omitted items.Basic requirements for a well composed business letter 7 ”Cs”ConsiderationCourtesyClarityConcisenessCorrectnessConcretenessCompletenessBusiness Writing Guideline简洁明了 得体周到 准确无误 全面规范be concise and clear, courteous and considerate, concrete and correct, complete and professional.II. Business Sayings1. Money is power. 有钱就有势。2. No pains, no gains. 不劳无获。3. One false move may lose the game. 一着不慎，满盘皆输。4. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. 抱最好希望，作最坏打算。5. Wealth is nothing without health. 失去健康，钱多没用。6. Advice is something the wise dont need and fools wont take. 智者不需忠告，愚者不听劝告。III. Core Words and Phrasesn 要求课前背诵重要术语IV. Typical Sentencesn 要求首先思考如何翻译？有多少不同的路径？变换词性、主语、从句会产生什么不同的效果？V. Paragraph Writing and Translatingn 1. 要知道如何根据目的和收件人来设计写作的格式。适应性不仅仅局限于内容，因为格式虽然是表层的东西但也相当重要。n Know how to format the piece of writing depending on purpose and recipient. Appropriateness is not limited to content, because format is also extremely important however superficial.n 1. 要知道如何根据目的和收件人来设计写作的格式。适应性不仅仅局限于内容，因为格式虽然是表层的东西但也相当重要。n 2. 齐头式书信格式是当前流行的商务信函行文格式并已为众多注重效率的专家所认可，因为这种方式省去了许多不必要的键盘输入。对于读者而言，左边平整的格式看起来比缩进式更具时代的特色。n 2. 齐头式书信格式是当前流行的商务信函行文格式并已为众多注重效率的专家所认可，因为这种方式省去了许多不必要的键盘输入。对于读者而言，左边平整的格式看起来比缩进式更具时代的特色。n This block style is the current business letter writing style standard and has been approved by efficiency experts because it saves keystrokes. To readers, this flush left style looks more contemporary than the indented paragraph style. n 3. 要学好商务书信的结构。结构不同于格式，格式适应于信函的审美部分而结构指的是内容本身。商务写作通常是直截了当，将最为重要的部分集中在前面几段。n 3. 要学好商务书信的结构。结构不同于格式，格式适应于信函的审美部分而结构指的是内容本身。商务写作通常是直截了当，将最为重要的部分集中在前面几段。n Learn the structure of a business letter. Structure is different from the format. Format applies to the aesthetic part of the letter, while structure refers to the content itself. Business writing is usually straightforward and generally includes the main gist of the piece in the first few paragraphs. 4. 人们喜欢自己收到的信息听起来就像是来自某个别人的而不是冷冰冰的机器，为了达到这一目标，不管什么商业环境下的信函都要越让人觉得自然就越好。People like to get messages that sound like they come from other certain people and not cold machines. To that end, all letters in the business environment should sound natural as much as possible.5. 我们很高兴地告诉你们，我们对各种真皮手工制的提包有兴趣。对高质量的时装提包这里有稳定的需求，虽然销售数量不特别多，但能卖到好价格。We are glad to inform you that we are interested in hand-made handbags in a great variety of genuine leather. There is a steady demand here for fashion handbags of high quality and, although sales are not particularly high, good prices can be obtained.VI. Discussion and Assessment商务英语写作是一门实践性很强的课程，在此展开关于提高写作技能的一些讨论。下面第一例为学生习作，先看看有什么地方需要改进？如何改进？然后思考自己平时在商务写作时是否遇到难于解决的问题？如何通过背书、查考和合作方式加以解决？ 1）讨论：俗话说，“巧妇难为无米之炊”，商务英语写作也是如此。背诵常用的核心词汇和经典句式，储存在自己的大脑，完成语言的输入（input）对语言习得具有积极的正面意义。在实际工作中，许多商贸文书都是在电脑前面直接完成的，几乎没有时间找模板来依葫芦画样，所以首先要重视语言的输入。其次，语言的输出（output）对语言习得也同样具有积极的正面意义。即语言的应用能促使语言学习者从语意的理解转到语言知识的应用和巩固。实践恰恰是应用语言的最好机会。实践是课堂教学的延伸，课堂教学如何与实践活动相互结合，关系到组织能力，交际能力，思维能力和创新能力的培养和发展。教学的目标就是将课堂所学到的语言技能应用到实践当中去，解决实际问题。为了培养这种实际能力，使自己真正成为独立的学习者和研究者，学生还需要学习如何使用图书馆、如何利用互联网来获取知识、寻求答案，这样才有可能独立地提出问题，独立地寻找答案，独立地解决问题。另外，还要积极的参与课堂讨论。在课堂上，要关注同学们是怎么写的？他写得好的地方在哪里？哪些地方很有创意，值得借鉴？哪些地方存在欠缺，需要改进？自己是不是会犯同样的错误呢？如何客观地评价他人习作中的优劣？怎样从他人的语用失误中吸取方面教训？在写作时对于特定意思的表达，我们自己能否根据需要写出不同的表达模式加以对比分析决定取舍方案并进行综合自评？总之，共同参与式外语教学理论就是要鼓励学生成位独立自主的学习者、研究者和应用型人才。2）示例：我们生产这些产品差不多已有半个世纪了，在世界各地均有销售，客户完全满意。相信质量和工艺都符合你方的要求。习作：These products, we have produced half a century and they have saled in all over the world. Our customers all satisfied. We trust the quality and the art can meet your request.“生产这些产品差不多已有半个世纪”说明“已经开始、还在生产并且仍将继续”，就应该使用现在完成时We have been producing these products才合乎时态；they have saled中的sale的意思是“销售”但是应该用动词却误用了sale这个名词，应改为sell的过去分词，在此最好使用现在完成时的被动语态；all over the world前面多了一个介词in导致词组破坏，改为in every corner of the world也可；“客户满意”可以说是customers are all satisfied 而不是customers all satisfied“客户全部去满足某事”；另外，“要求”是requirement不等于request“请求”，而art的含义是“艺术”，用来表达“工艺”不妥 建议改写：We have been producing these products for almost half a century and they have been sold well throughout the world to the full satisfaction of all our customers. We are confident that both the quality and the workmanship would meet your requirements. VII. Applied WritingA. Write a business letter to inquire about the product information of a certain company. Your letter should contain the following information:a) date of writing; b) return address; c) recipients address; d) salutation or greeting; e) message or body of the letter;f) closing g) signature with printed name and position. B. Sample writingMarch 28, 2009Name of SenderAddressName of ReceiverAddressDear Mr. Yang: This letter is typed in blocked style. Note that all lines begin at the left margin except the date, complimentary close, and signature block. They start from the center, or slightly to the right off center on the page. Some authors refer to this form as the “modified block with block paragraphs.”This style is usually typed with mixed or standard punctuation. The salutation is followed by a colon, and the complimentary close, by a comma. This form of punctuation is widely used in most business correspondence. To facilitate typing the date and the closing lines, set the tabular stop at the center or slightly off to the right of the paper so that you can tabulate it whenever you wish.Remember to always leave a space between the salutation and the name, so the person who is sending this has plenty of room to sign the letter.Sincerely,MonicaSignature n What are the two main formats and how to pick a good style? Blocked / indented stylesn What is blocked format?n Which is by far the most popular format in use nowadays?n What is the semi-blocked format/n What are the basic requirements in writing attractive business letters?Tendency of business letter writingn How can we make use of the winning tactics? n Know our aims.n Be aware of the facts n Understanding the readern Compose a draft-n -Use good paper & envelopen -Type or write according to t