Unit 1 Business Letter Writing

1、 Unit 1 Business Letter Writing 1)信头(letterhead)1 Structure 2）编号，日期(reference and date) 3）封内名称和地址 (inside address) 4）经办人(attention)5）称呼(salutation) 6）事由（标题）(subject/caption)7）正文(body) 8）结尾敬词(complimentary close) 9）签名(signature) 10）附件 (enclosure) 11）抄送(cc to XX) 12）附言(postscript)The component part of

2、 a letterA letter consists of a number of parts, each of which is essential to the letter, or contributes in some way to its impact on the recipient. We may list them as follows :the letterhead/headingthe references the date the inside name and address the salutation     

3、60;  the subject heading/caption the opening paragraph the body of the letter      the closing paragraph the complimentary close the signature the enclosures and copiesthe postscriptParts of a Business Letter 信件组成部分Essential Parts 必要部分1. The letterhead 信头2. The date lin

4、e 日期3. The inside name and address 收信人名称地址/封内地址4. The salutation 称呼5. The body of the letter 信文6. The complimentary close 结尾敬语7. The signature 落款Optional Parts 附加部分8. The attention line 具体收信人9. The subject line 事由10. The reference notation 案号11. The enclosure 附件12. The carbon copy notation 抄送13. The

5、 postscript 附言1)LetterheadLetterhead includes senders name, postal address, telephone number, telex number, fax number, and cable address, etc. Usually letterhead is printed in the up-center or at the left margin of a letter writing paper.外贸商号的信笺，一般都印有信头，包括发信人的姓名、地址、电话号码、传真号、及E-mail等，有些会将经营项目 ，注册商标和

6、公司董事、经理等姓名一并印在信头上。如需打印，则信头位于信笺上中央或右上方。名称、地址A UK address: Air Environmental MechanicalEquipment Limited2076 West Main StreetDevon, EX14 0RAU.K. 中文名称、地址举例山东外贸职业学院中国山东省青岛市江西路62号中国地址名称用英文写Sinochem Jiangsu Import and Export CorporationJiangsu International Business Mansion,50 Zhonghua Road, Nanjing210001

7、, P.R. China 中国地名的翻译规范用汉语拼音直译;一个地名只大写第一个字母 例如：“山东青岛”Qingdao, Shandong JQing Dao, Shan Dong L可用缩写:Rd. = Road, Fl. = Floor, Ave = Avenue2)Reference and DateReference may include a file name, departmental code or the initials of the signer followed by that of the typist of the letter.参考号：为便于存档与查阅，可以为信编

8、写参考号，为避免混淆，最好标明Your ref: Our ref:The format of the date line differs from country to country. The common ones are M/D/Y(typical American), D/M/Y(typical British) 打印日期注意事项：A. 年份应完全写出，不能用(94)代替(1994)B. 月份要写英文名称，不能用数字来代替，但可以用缩写。C. 日期最好用基数字（1，2，3）。日期位置：美式：在信头和收信人名称地址之间英式：通常在收信人名称地址之下 均可以齐头，也可以靠右写法：美式：月-

9、日-年英式：日-月-年The dateThe recommended order for dates is day, month, year, with open punctuation. Thus 20 November 2004 is perfectly clear and punctuation would not add any­thing.Am.E Month Date, Year November 20, 2004Br.E Date Month, Year 20 November,2004美式日期举例英式日期举例日期写法注意事项月份最好用文字，如： 1.2nd May,

10、20- 2.2 May, 20- 3.September 21st, 20- 4.September 21, 20- 5.25 Aug. 20- 6.Oct. 10, 20- 避免月份用数字，如 11/12/20Notes：Date line is the date you send the letter, not the date when you type or write it. 3)Inside name and AddressThe inside address is the recipients address, which should be identical to the d

11、elivery address邮寄地址 on the envelope. The inside address serves as the delivery address. It is typed at the left-hand margin two lines below the date. The information should be given in a way like this:Receivers name or his official title头衔/官衔;Companys name;Number of t he house and name of the street

12、;District, name of the town or city;State or province, ZIP code;Name of country;受信人的姓名和地址一般是列在信笺的左上方，沿左页边线写起。封内地址与信封地址写法相同。信内把收信人名称地址写明对工作有便利。对发信人而言，便利有二：一是发信时可与信封地址相互对照，避免放入信封时发生差误；二是发信后便于准确归档，便于以后查找。对收信人而言，便利也有二：一是收信人读信时，如发现信封名称地址与封内名称地址不符，可以知道是放入信封时发生错误，将信返回；二是收信后如信封与信函分离原信仍能保持完整，便于查阅。4) Attentio

13、n Line指定收信人If you want your letter attended by or directed to a specific person or department, add an attention line. This will speed up the sorting process within a company.如需注明对方经办人，希望收信商号将信迅速交经办人办理，可以在封内地址下面加Attention 或Attention of例1 Richard Thomas & Baldwins Ltd., 151 Gower Street London,SC7

14、 6DY,England Attention Mr.Cave or Attention of Purchasing Manager 具体收信人位置： 1. 收信人名称地址之下 2. 齐头式靠左，缩格式居中 3. 要加下划线表示的是承办本信件的具体个人或部门 1. Attention: Mr. H. A. Donnan, Export Manager 2. Attention of Mr. Cave 3. To the attention of Mr. Liu Ming 4. ATTN: Mr. Iverson5)The SalutationSalutation is the complimen

15、tary greeting with which the writer opens his letter. The customary formal greeting in a business letter is :这是写信人对受信人的一种称呼，其位置是在封内地址的下面空两行，目前外贸书信中一般通用的称呼语有：Dear sir , Dear Madam, Dear sirs, Dear Mesdamesmeid:m(Mrs的变形，已婚), Gentlemen(不能用单数),Dear Mr. xxxSalutation is usually typed three spaces below t

16、he inside address or the attention line, and followed by comma for “Dear Sir”, “Dear Sirs”, and a colon for “Gentlemen.”称呼后面的的标点，一般使用逗号comma或分号semicolon，美加来信中Gentlemen后用冒号colon：称呼位置：必须齐头正规场合下常用：对男士：Dear Sir, 或Dear Sirs,或Gentlemen:对女士：Dear Madam, 或Dear Mesdames,建议使用：Dear Mr. Johnson, 或 Dear Jack, 6)S

17、ubject Line or Caption LineSubject line is actually the general idea of a letter. It is inserted between the salutation and the body of the letter either at the left-hand margin for fully-blocked letter form or centrally over the body for other forms. It calls the receivers attention to the topic of

18、 the letter.事由写在称呼语下面两行，一般是在信笺中间位置，事由要简单扼要，说明商品名称，数量，信用证或合同号等即可。事由位置： 1.称呼和正文之间 2.齐头式靠左，缩格式居中 3.要加下划线表示的是该信函的主题 1. Re: Your Order No.463 2. Subject: SHEEP WOOL 3. Contract No. 89047)Body of the LetterThis is the main part of the letter. It expresses the writers idea, opinion, purpose and wishes, etc

19、., so it should be carefully planned. When writing, pay attention to the following:Write simply, clearly, courteously, grammatically, and to the point.Paragraph correctly, confining each paragraph to one topic.See that your typing is accurate and the display artistic. 这是书信的主体，表达发信人的意见。在信的开头有开头语(Open

20、ing Sentences),自成一节，在习惯上是用客套语先将收到对方的来信的日期、编号或查号、主题及简单内容加以综合叙述，使对方一目了然这封信是答复哪一封去信的。如果是第一次通信也可以利用开头语作必要的自我介绍。在信的结尾一般有结尾语(The closing Sentences), 一般用来总结本文所谈的事项，提示对受信人的要求，如希望来函或电报订货、答复询问或作必要的声明等。另起一段。如:We hope to receive your early reply.8)Complimentary CloseComplimentary close is merely a polite way of

21、 ending a letter. It is in keeping with the salutation. 结束语是一种客套用语它应与前面的称呼相呼应，后面加逗号。如：Formal: Dear Sir(s), Yours faithfully,or Faithfully yours,Gentlemen: Truly yours,or Yours trully,Less formal: Dear Mrxx, Yours sincerely or Sincerely yours,结尾敬语位置：齐头式靠左对齐，缩格式偏右正规场合下常用：1.Yours faithfully,2.Yours tru

22、ly,3.Faithfully yours,4.Truly yours,建议使用：Yours sincerely, 或 Sincerely yours,When using continuation sheets, plain paper空白纸张 of the same quality as the letterhead must be used and typed with a heading to show:The number of the sheet (in the center of the page);The name of your correspondent客户 (on the

23、 left-hand side)The date of the letter (on the right-hand side)9)The SignatureIt is common to type the name of the writers firm or company immediately below complimentary close. 结束语的下面，应将行号的名称用大写打出，必须由负责人签名，签名的下面为使对方了解签名人的姓名、职位，可以打字注明。Never sign a letter with a rubber stamp.外国函件都必须由负责亲笔签名，用橡皮戳说明该信并非

24、本人亲自过目，只是通函，不为人重视。落款10)EnclosureIf something is enclosed, note it below the signature.如信中有附件时，应在签名下注明Encl.或Enc.如附件不止一件应注明2 Encls or 3 Encls,或详细列明如下：Encls: 2 InvoicesEnc: 1 B/L 1 Photo 1 Certificate 附件位置： 落款之下，左对齐说明该信件有附件 1. Enclosure 2. Enc. 3. Encl. As Stated 4. Enclosure: Brochure11)The Carbon Cop

25、y NotationWhen copies of the letter are sent to others, type c.c. below the signature at the left margin.如果函件要抄送其他有关单位，同时使对方也知道已抄送其他单位，可在信件最后的左下角注明“CC to xxx” or “CC xxx”抄送位置： 附件之下，左对齐表示该信件同时抄送给他人 1. 明抄：cc Marketing Department 2. 暗抄：bcc Mr. Simpson 12)PostscriptIf the writer wishes to add something

26、he forgot to mention or for emphasis, he may add his postscript two spaces below the carbon copy notation.信写完后，如果想起还有要紧的要说，可以在信末加P.S. 引出补叙的话，然后由发信人签署本人简笔签名(本人姓名的第一个字母)。2.Writing Principles of the Business Letters7 “C” Courtesy 礼貌By courtesy we mean trading people with respect and friendly human conc

27、ern. In order to make a business letter courteous, try to avoid irritating, offensive, or belittling statements. To answer letters promptly is also a matter of courtesy. Following rules should be followed:Change the commanding tone into requesting tone;Use mitigation平静 and avoid overemphasizing your

28、 own opinion or irritating your partner.Passive voice should be adopted accordingly;相应的采用被动语态Try to avoid using the word with forcing tone or arousing unpleasantness.Use expressions about joy and willingness, thanks and regret, etc.语言要有礼且谦虚，及时地回信也是礼貌的表现。 Comparison:Tell us more detailed information

29、on your requirements? (poorer)告诉我们你们的具体要求。Will you please tell us more detailed information on your requirements?(better)请告诉我们你们的具体要求好吗？You can make shipment a little later, that is, by June 10. 你们可以装运晚一点，即六月十号。You might make shipment a little later, that is, by June 10.你们可以考虑晚一点装运，即六月十号。We cant del

30、iver the goods all at one time.我们不可能同时交货。Im afraid we cannot deliver the goods all at one time.恐怕我们无法同时交货。Comparison:You did not enclose the price list in your letter.你们没有在信中附价格单。The price list was not enclosed in your letter.贵方信中没有附价格单。We must refuse your offer.我们拒绝贵方报价。We regret that we are unable

31、 to accept your offer.很遗憾我们不能接受贵方报价。We have received with many thanks your letter of 20 May, and we take the pleasure of sending you our latest catalog. We wish to draw your attention to a special offer which we have made in it.（polite）You will be particularly interested in a special offer on page 5

32、 of the latest catalog enclosed, which you requested in your letter of 20 May. （courteous）2) Consideration 体谅：Consideration means thoughtfulness.Consideration emphasizes You-attitude rather than We-attitude. Keep the readers request, needs, desires, as well as his feelings in mind.In addition, we sh

33、ould try to discuss problems in a positive way rather than in a negative way. The following points are necessary for writing a letter to embody consideration:You-attitude:You earn 2 percent discount when you pay cash. We will send you the brochure next month.We allow 2 percent discount for cash paym

34、ent. We won't be able to send you the brochure this month.Focus on the positive approach:We feel sure that you will be entirely satisfied. (Positive)We do not believe you will have cause for dissatisfaction. (Negative) 3) Completeness 完整A business letter should include all the necessary informat

35、ion. It is essential to check the message carefully before it is sent out.As you work hard for completeness, keep the following guidelines in mind:Why do you write the letter?What are the facts supporting the reasons?Have you answered the questions asked?一封商业信函应概况了各项必需的事项，如邀请信应说明时间、地点等，确忌寄出含糊不清的信件。4

36、) Clarity/Clearness 清楚意思表达明确，要注意：Avoid using the words which have different understanding or unclear meaning避免使用有歧义的文字;Pay attention to the position of the modifiers注意修饰语所放的位置：Pay attention to the rationality in logic:注意语言的逻辑性Comparison:We sent you 5 samples yesterday of the goods which you requeste

37、d in your letter of May 25 by air.(Ambiguous)我方根据你方五月二十五日来函要求，昨日航邮5份样品给你。We sent you, by air, 5 samples of the goods yesterday which you requested in your letter of May 25.(Clarity)根据你方五月二十五日来函要求，我方于昨日航邮5份样品给你。5)Conciseness 简洁Conciseness is often considered to be the most important writing principle

38、 and language feature.Conciseness also means you should clearly express what you would do in a short and pithy style 短小精悍的写作方式of writing as possible as you can.Avoid using wordy expressions:避免废话连篇Avoid unnecessary repetition:避免不必要的重复 Using short sentences, simple words and clear explanations:短句、单词的运

39、用Avoid the out-of-date commercial jargons and try to use modern English.不要使用过时的语言，要运用现代英语。 Comparison：We would like to know whether you would allow us to extend the time of shipment for twenty days and if you would be so kind as to allow us to do so, kindly give us your reply by fax without delay.(w

40、ordy)Please reply by fax immediately if you will allow us to delay the shipment until April 21.(concise)They attend the Guangzhou Trade Fair for the purpose of finding a business partner.They attend the Guangzhou Trade Fair to find a partner.Out of date commercial jargons:Due to the fact that 由于的事实T

41、erminate 结束Attached hereto 随函附Acknowledge receipt of 确认收到Inst. 本月Up to this writing 在写这封信的时候Modern English:As, because or sinceEndEnclosed is/areThank you forI receivedThis monthSo far6)Concreteness 具体:Make the message specific, definite and vivid. Try to heed the following tips:Complete with the 6W

42、s: Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?Concreteness in action: using specific language to make our information more concrete and convincing;Using concrete words.Compare:ST858L 5-Band Stereo Radio Cassette Recorder is full functions.ST858L 5-Band Stereo Radio Cassette Recorder can delivers superb FM/MW/

43、LW/SW1/SW2/FM Stereo band reception. Full auto-stop and automatic quick program search (AQPS system).自动快速搜索系统We have drawn on you(以为付款人) as usual under your L/C.We have drawn on you our sight draft No.345 for the Invoice amount, US $560.00, under your L/C No.234 of the China Bank.7)Correctness 正确:Co

44、rrectness not only refers to the correct grammar rules, contents, and forms, but also accuracy in style, language and typing. Usually, mistakes with tone can be avoided by using the following techniques:Place more emphasis on the reader than yourself;把重点放在读者身上，而不是你身上；Avoid extreme cases of humility,

45、 flattery, and modesty;避免过度谦卑、奉承和谦虚Avoid condescension ,kndi'senn; 避免傲慢Avoid lecturing 避免说教Grammar mistakes often occurred in business writing:With pronounsWith verbsWith conjunctionsWith subjectsAvoid using overstatements:Accurate numbers:Capital letters:North, South, East, WestThe name and the

46、 brand of a commodity:The name of documents:The name of the transportation tools:Layout of a Business Letter 商业信函的格式Three major formsIndented Form 缩格式Blocked Form 齐头式Modified Blocked Form 改良齐头式缩格式示例齐头式示例改良齐头式示例3 Form1) Full Block FormIn the full block form, all typing lines, including those for the date, the inside name and address, the salutation, the subject heading and the complimen