商务英语函电Unit 2 Faxes and E-mails-OK

1、Unit Two Faxes & E-mails8/15/20221Part One: Teaching Aims & Requirements1. Help students to learn about the advantages of the fax and e-mail;2. Help students to study the formats of the fax and e-mail;3. Advise students to note the questions when using the fax and e-mail.2Part Two: Study of FaxI. Wh

2、at is the fax (telefax)? Fax is derived from the Latin word“fac simile”, meaning“makesimilar”or“makeacopy”. It is a mode of international telecommunications, which has been increasingly in use over the world. It is characterized by using the advanced electronic data interchange (EDI) procedures to m

3、ake true-track duplicates of original writings and send to the desired destinations. As this is true-track transmitting, any letters, documents, diagrams, patterns or pictures can be used for dispatch.3A fax message is sent by use of a facsimile transceiver. Any business firm who wants to install th

4、is machine at its unit, may send an application to the local responsible post and telecommunication department. Fax is usually transmitted through the international or domestic direct telephone. It is charged according to the number of minutes the call actually lasts and the number of pages transmit

5、ted.8/15/20224II. The advantages of the faxFax is a modernized communication means superior to the telegram, telex, and telephone, and is the summary of the advantages of all other communication methods except e-mail.It has the following superiorities over letter, telegram, telex and telephone:1. Th

6、e contents that can be used for transmission ranges over a wide field. In cables and telexes, generally speaking, only English and a few characters can be transmitted; while in facsimiles, all languages (including Chinese, either printed or handwritten), characters, diagrams, patterns, pictures, etc

7、., can be sent.52. It is fast in transmitting, even faster than the telex. In sending out a telex, we have to, first of all, make an English draft of the message. Then, type it on a paper tape. And finally, check the draft to see if there are errors or mistakes in it before we actually start transmi

8、tting. Nevertheless, fax transmitting does not require these steps. When the line is connected, what you desire to send away will be immediately transmitted (usually within a few seconds) if it is fed into the fax transceiver. Thus, it saves time as well as labour.3. It is cheap in cost. As the fax

9、is dispatched through the telephone and charged according to the number of minutes the call actually lasts, what it can transmit in one minute is much more than that a cable or a telex does during the same time. Thus, it saves more expenses.64. It is simple as well as convenient to use.There is no n

10、eed to use abbreviations. The English language you use for your message is just the same as what you use for your letter sent by post. It has several special functions, such as automatically transmitting and receiving messages, and correcting errors in the course of transmission. It is more convenie

11、nt than emails because any sheet of A4 paper can be put through a fax machine, and because they can also be used by companies without computers or internet access.5. It can provide a written record of what you have transmitted, not like e-mail which can only leave an electronic record.7III. The form

12、at of the faxThe format used for faxes varies greatly. Different companies have different styles of formats for their business persons to use. However, the official fax forms of a great number of firms include the company logo, or at least the firms name, which is in large print. The conspicuous“Fac

13、simile”,“TELEFAX” , “Telefax Message” or “Fax Message” takes an attention-grasp line. Besides the company logo/ name and one of the TELEFAX titles, all fax forms contain lines or boxes for the addressee, the writer and the date, as in the following example:8 Letterhead Date: FacsimileTo: X X XCompan

14、y: X X X Corp.Fax No: X X No. of pages:_From: X X Page 1 of 2Dear Mr. X X X, Body/MessageYours sincerely,(Signed)9IV. What are to be noted when using the fax?With the rapid development of international trade, it is expected that the documents sent by EDI will be used as negotiating documents and acc

15、epted by the international business circle. Therefore, they will be more and more used in the days to come. However, at present, we should pay special attention to the following points while adopting this communicating device:1. Since the fax transmitting is similar to the duplicating by a copying m

16、achine, it is easy to make imitations of true documents. Thus, care must be taken when we take this method. As for routine business letters, notes or advice that may not bring about legal obligations, we may send by fax. Otherwise, we should by all means avoid using this.8/15/2022102. In internation

17、al business circle, different country holds different views about the legal force of a fax message. Certain states or districts (e.g. Hongkong) deem it of no legal force (in international trade). Usually, the fax is used at the negotiating stage prior to a transaction and on problems about after-ser

18、vice under a technology trade contract. Of course, the fax can also be used in other business situations. Yet, one thing to be remembered is that, for an urgent message that concerns legal obligations, it is advisable to confirm it by e-mail; and for a message of no urgency, confirm it by letter.3.

19、If you are sending a fax message to an organization about the production information, orders or other types of written information, which needs two or more pages, then a cover letter or fax cover sheet (封面页) is needed in order to let the operator know from whom the message originates, to whom the fa

20、x is directed, as well as the total pages of the fax message. 11e.g. Figure 1: Fax Cover SheetFax Cover SheetDate:_ Time:_ Number of Pages:_ (Including Cover Sheet) To: Name:_Organization:_Fax Number:_Office Phone:_From: Name:_Organization:_Fax Number:_Office Phone:_*If any part of this transmission

21、 is missing or not clearly received, please contact the sender as soon as possible.*Subject:_Comments:_8/15/2022124. If you are sending a onefax message, you may omit the fax cover sheet. However, do include your organizations name, address, fax/telephone number in the message.5. Sometimes an attent

22、ion line is used when the message is addressed to a company.E.g. To: ABC Company From: John Smith Attn: Ms. Mary Owen, Manager Date: October 28, 2009 Fax No.: 0086-10-123456 Page: 16. Make your message as clear and concise as possible in order to save your expense, for the fax is charged mainly by t

23、he number of pages you send.13Part Three: Study of E-mailI. What is the e-mail? E-mail (also called mail, net-mail), the short form for electronic mail, is one of the popularly-used functions in Internet. It is sent by use of the computer and the Internet. Being the modernest communication service,

24、it can send a message to any person in the world who has an e-mail address within a very short time. Nowadays, it is sometimes sent and received by mobile phone.E-mail message can be the same as a letter or can include sound and pictures as well. It has more contents and carries more information tha

25、n a letter does, which can be prepared by computer or word processor. 14II. The advantages of the e-mail1. It can be communicated as fast as international phone call and fax. 2. It is cheaper than an international phone call and fax.3. The message can be sent easily.4. The contents for transmission

26、cover a large field.5. E-mail creates flexibility in the workplace.6. It reduces telephone interruptions.15 III. The format of the e-mail1. The Header (Heading)2. The Salutation3. The Body4. The Complimentary Close5. The Signature16HeaderThe heading of a business email consists of six distinct infor

27、mation fields. They are located at the corner of the email template, below the tool bar. 1. FROM: The senders email address appears here. (automatically generated by the software)2. TO: The recipients email address is typed here.3. CC: carbon copy (BCC): blind carbon copy 4. DATE: This is the date a

28、nd time the message was sent. (automatically generated)5. SUBJECT: (It is optional, but an efficient practice to use.) Capitalize all the key words. Make it as clear and concise as possible.6. ATTACHMENT: The attachment option is a handy tool to indicate that computer files which are too large to be

29、 downloaded in the email itself are included in the transmission.8/15/202217SalutationThe salutation is a friendly way to begin your email message when it goes outside your firm. The majority of business emails have an informal tone.“Dear Sirs” or “Gentlemen” are often used to salute a company. The

30、former is the British way while the latter is the American way. “Dear Sir” is used to salute a head of an organization.In semi-formal letters, “Dear Mr. X X” is used to address a man and “Dear Madam” or “Madam” is used to address a woman. If you are writing to a person whom you are not familiar with

31、, use his or her full name. e.g. “Dianna, ” “Ellen Wang,”When the message is addressed to several people, “Hello all/folks” or “Greetings” or “Hi” or “Hello” is common. “Hi/Hello/ (+)first name” is a typical way of email greetings used in America.Greetings in Japan and China tend to be more formal a

32、nd traditional.8/15/202218 BodyThe language used for e-mail is less formal, more to the point and more speech-like.The writing principles for the body are conciseness, clearness and keeping to the point.The matters to be noted are just the same as what are talked about in business letter-writing.Mos

33、t email messages are less than three paragraphs in length and fit into the first screen. If the message is too large, it would be better to write a short covering letter and have the details in an attachment.8/15/202219Complimentary CloseThe majority of business emails have an informal tone. The exp

34、ressions below are often used:Best regards.All the best.Thank you for your help.Thank you, BBFN. (Bye bye for now.)8/15/202220SignatureA signature block should contain all the information a recipient might require in order for him to respond to an email. It should begin with the Senders Name, Job Ti

35、tle, and Business Organization. A Physical Location, Phone Numbers, Email Address, and Web-site should follow. As the handwritten signature is illegible and hard to recognize, a printed signature is always followed after it.You may also use Signature Files, which can be attached to every letter you

36、send, usually including details of contact and other relevant information. If you are in business, you should almost certainly use an email signature in your communications.21e.g. Elena Zhang (Initials should not be used.) Elena Zhang (Initials should not be used.) Services Department The National B

37、ank Tel: (8610) 6666-7777 E-mail: elena.zhangAnother example for signature: Peter Connor Peter Connor Owner/Managing Editor The White Company Bellvue, CO 80512 Voice: 970.493.84XX Fax: 970.493.84XX Email: peter web site: 22IV. What are to be noted when using the e-mail?Effective use of e-mail requir

38、es a clear sense of the purpose for writing, as well as a clear statement of the message. When you use the e-mail to transmit your business message, pay attention to the following items:1. The level of formality for email messages depends on the purpose and audience.Therefore, you need to distinguis

39、h between formal and informal situations. If you write an email message to your customers, suppliers or other business partners, you need to use the formal business letter format and adopt the appropriate writing tone. If you write to a friend or a close colleague, you may use the informal format.23

40、2. Email is meant for quick, simple communication.As a general guide, that means roughly 4 or 5 paragraphs at most. Do not send dense or lengthy messages. Due to the limitations of formatting and layout, anything much longer than that is probably best sent as a separate attachment. Answer emails pro

41、mptly, i.e. observe the “48 hour” principle.3. Follow the guidelines talked under the Seven “C” Principles of business letter-writing.4. Do not use email if the message needs to be private or secure. Email is not secure. Dont send anything over email that you wouldnt want anyone else to read. Its too easy to forward. Besides, in some firms, the email administrator has the ability to read any and all email messages.245. Do not use all capital letters. In email messages, capitals are the equivalent of shouting and always make your reader difficult to