英语学习15-催款清欠课件

1、Section 15 CollectionI. Main Points 1. Importance of handling business documents2. Main documents in foreign tradeII. Business SayingsIII. Core Words and PhrasesIV. Typical SentencesV. Paragraph Writing and TranslatingVI. Discussion and AssessmentVII. Applied Writing1. What is debt?Debt is something

2、 owed including assets owed or some other obligations. In the case of assets, debt is a means of using future purchasing power in the present before a summation has been earned. Debt can be used as a part of the corporate finance strategy. Business debt is the debt held by businesses. As debt allows

3、 people and organizations to do things that they would otherwise not be able to do. Companies also use debt in many ways to leverage the investment made in their asset. Here we mainly mean the debt or the delayed payment in doing business.2. What is debt settlement?Debt settlement, also known as deb

4、t arbitration or debt negotiation, is an approach to debt reduction in which the debtor and creditor agree on a reduced balance that will be regarded as payment in full. Consumers can arrange their own settlements by using advice found on web sites, hire a lawyer to act for them, or use debt settlem

5、ent companies. Some settlement companies may charge a large fee up front; or take a monthly fee from customer bank accounts for their service. As long as consumers continue to make timely payments, creditors will not negotiate a reduced balance. However, when payments stop, balances continue to grow

6、 because of late fees and ongoing interest. There are five main objections to consumer debt settlement: damages credit, increased collection calls, possibility of lawsuits, tax consequences and the need to settle with all creditors. You can of course make settlement arrangements on your own if you d

7、ont need to pay a settlement or debt management company to do it for you. 3. How can you collect the business debts?If the customers account is overdue, you can send a reminder to ask for prompt payment and the customer will sometimes quickly pay you. If there is no response, make a phone call askin

8、g if they overlooked the bill; Call again in a couple of weeks if you dont receive payment; If the customer has suffered unforeseen financial difficulties you may offer to set up a payment plan; If the customer fails to adhere to a revised payment schedule you have to mail a demand letter asking for

9、 payment in full; If it still doesnt work you may need to hire a collection agency. These agencies specialize in writing letters and making phone calls to customers with outstanding balances on their accounts. They retain a portion of the amount collected as payment for their services; If this still

10、 fails you can file a lawsuit which is a last resort. II. Business Sayings1. He spends money like water. 花钱如流水，他挥金如土。2. He robs Peter to pay Paul. 借了新债还老帐，拆了东壁补西墙。3. Be just before you are generous. 先还债，后大方。4. Merry meet, merry part. 好聚好散。5. The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is the servan

11、t to the lender. 富人主宰穷人，欠债沦为奴仆。6. A hundred thieves cant strip one naked man. 要钱没有，要命一条。III. Core Words and PhrasesCredit riskLoan guaranteesInterest holidayLending moneyDebtorCredit notesCredit limitsHonorDead-beatFavorableCash flowReviewTerminateFloating assetsDebtConservatism conceptDebt collecto

12、rBorrowing propositionDLD (deadline date)BalanceCredit agreementCollection agencyDebit noteCovenantsCo-signDebt ratioBuyer creditsSecurity clauseExplanationBad debt riskCreditorTotal amountDOG (days of grace)IV. 经典句式Typical SentencesWhenever you are lending money or items to someone, always get them

13、 to sign a promissory note which legally binds them. No matter how you feel about them then, when time and friendship pass, this will be your legal proof that they owe you should they neglect their responsibility to you.We enclose a statement of account, made up to June 30, 2010, from which you will

14、 observe that there is a balance in our favor of $49,000. An early settlement would be appreciated.3. Let them know that you also have needs and one of those, in order to support your family, is to collect the money that people owe the company. They need to see this is not personal.4. In the credit

15、agreement you signed, you agreed to pay off your bill in three payments. The first payment of $10,000 is due on Nov. 18, 2009. Please send this amount now.5. Every business confronts a non-paying customer. Providing goods and services is undoubtedly your business but when dead-beat customers refuse

16、to pay, you have to suffer the loss.6. A collection agency is a business that pursues payments on debts owed by individuals or businesses. Most collection agencies operate as agents of creditors and collect debts for a fee or percentage of the total amount owed.7. You are perfectly aware that such f

17、avorable terms of payment as D/A 45 days at sight were granted to you only through your repeated requests and with your promise to effect payment.8. Have you ever loaned someone money and they never paid it back as promised, and now they are avoiding you? Have you ever co-signed for someone who didn

18、t pay their debt and now you are responsible for it? Did you ever lend someone an item for a short time and they now refuse to return it?9. We are returning the check to you for your review. Please send a payment this week after you reconcile this matter with your bank. If we receive your payment by

19、 August 31, you will avoid accruing additional interest charges on your outstanding balance with us.10. Although you may have an idea what your next step will be, its necessary to use the letter to notify the customer about the consequences of continued nonpayment. It is fairly common for attorney l

20、etters to notify the customer that the next step will be to pursue the unpaid balance in court.11. We have written to you on three occasions and have not received a replay until now. We cannot understand why you have taken no action to settle your account. We regret to inform you that unless we rece

21、ive full payment within thirty days, your account will be cancelled and your credit will be terminated.12. Debt is one of the leading causes of heavy stress, making people feel hopeless and trapped. Many people lack good money management skills, making it nearly impossible for them to eliminate thei

22、r debt.V. Paragraph Writing and Translating1. 管它债务人有千种借口还是万种理由，多数公司都会训练其讨债人员从债务人那里获得付款。对于胆小的债务人，几个电话就可让他泄气，甚至叫他脸上无光。Most companies train their debt collectors to gain payment from a debtor regardless of excuses or other reasons. For timid debtors, these phone calls can be unnerving and they can even

23、 ruin the debtors self esteem. .Companies train their debt collectors to pursue outstanding balance from debtors despite their excuses or reasons. For those who are not so aggressive, a few telephone calls will discourage or even make them feel ashamed.2. 我公司3月10日及23日两次去函提醒你方，当于2月28日结清的款项共计三万六千五百美元，

24、然而至今尚未得到你方回复，实感惊讶和失望。更为令人失望的是，没有结账甚至连个解释也没有。We are both surprised and disappointed not to have heard from you in answer to our two letters of the 10th and 23rd March reminding you of the balance of US $36,500.00 still owing on our statement of the 28th February. This failure either to clear your acc

25、ount or even to offer an explanation is all the more disappointing.We wrote on the 10th and the 23rd of this March to remind you of your outstanding balance in our favor but failed to get the expected result, which is really surprising and disappointing. Worse still, we have not received any repayme

26、nt or even an explanation from you.3. 要是借款人认账并且愿意接受分批归还，那你至少也算是有可能收回来了。但为了保护自身利益最好还是白纸黑字把这个新协议写好。如果他们拒不履行，你就可以拿它作为债务凭证和他打官司。If the debtor acknowledges the debt and is willing to accept partial payments, you are at least possibly getting it back. But you still have to get this new payment agreement i

27、n writing for your own protection. If they fail to honor this, then you can use it as proof of the debt should you need to take legal action against them. If your debtor acknowledges the debt and is prepared to make repayment in installments, you are at least getting it back. In order to protect you

28、r interest, this new agreement must be put in black and white. In case of dishonor, it can serve as proof of debt in court.4. 我们有一个要求，确实很难为情。那就是，对于我方欠账人民币两万元整，还望宽限一些时日。我们要等另一客户的支票来结清这笔款项，可是，刚刚得到通知说这张支票要2009年12月28日才能到达。We have a very uncomfortable request - we are asking for an extension of time on o

29、ur bill for 20,000 RMB. We had been depending on a check from one of our clients to cover this bill. However, we have just been informed that this check will not arrive until Dec.28 2009. We dont want to but are forced to request you to grant us a grace of a few days for the amount of 20,000 RMB we

30、owe you. We thought to repay this with a cheque from one of our clients but regretfully have just learnt that the said cheque will not arrive until 28 December 2009.5. 要是债务人不能一次性全部还款，你就让他选择是按月还是按星期归还。要书面形式记下来，在有关各方签字之前还要请律师审核一下各项条款。If your debtor cant pay you the total amount all at once, give him t

31、he option to make monthly or weekly payments. Put it in writing and have a lawyer look over the terms before getting it signed by all parties involved. If a debt can not be repaid in full all at once, you can allow your debtor to choose either to repay monthly or weekly. The arrangement has to be pu

32、t in writing and be reviewed by a lawyer before it is signed by parties concerned.VI. Discussion and Assessment首先讨论商务英语写作时常常遇到的词语搭配的问题。然后分析美国运通公司的业务广告词，讨论其语用策略对于商务英语写作该如何追求简洁的启示。最后分析一篇习作，看看如何实现句子的联贯？1）讨论：词语搭配（collocation）一般指的是某些词经常紧密结合在一起使用的这种语言现象。它在语言学习中的重要性是语言学家和教学实践者所共识的。Sinclair（1988）曾指出学习重点应该放在

33、核心词汇构成的典型组合搭配上。McCarthy（1990）也强调：“语言中充满了各种搭配能力很强的组合，因此词语搭配应该成为词汇学学习的一个中心层面。” 商务英语写作的时候，对这类搭配要予以高度的重视。例如，getting your debt under control; place an order with you; send her a letter with the amount past due; our legal staff will have to take action to collect the balance on your overdue account等等，不胜枚举

34、。这些搭配，稍不留意就可能出错。词语搭配受到词或词组的意义的影响，体现意义的词汇搭配应该放在语篇中加以掌握。2) American Express Credit Card: Dont leave home without it. 美国运通公司（American Express）是一个多元化经营的全球性金融服务公司，主要提供签账卡、信用卡、旅行支票、商业服务及国际银行服务等业务。其普通股在纽约证券交易所上市，为道琼斯指数成份股之一，07年被商业周刊列为世界最具价值的品牌第15位。原文Dont leave home without it突出了运通卡在金融、贸易中的重要作用以及给人们生活带来的巨大便

35、利，采用祈使句提示人们“没有带上它，你就别离家”。翻译时如果照此直译，对中国读者和客户而言，就显得过于平淡。采用拟人化手法，将“它”改为“她”，译为“千万带着她，要么别离家”，可以增添不少倍受关怀的感觉，对偶句式简洁明快，尾部押韵便于传诵，但却无形中限制了用户的范围，似乎暗示运通卡多半仅限于母亲、妻子或是情人对于男士的关爱。考虑到中国文化的影响，“离家”也很容易让人产生“少小离家”、“离家出走”的伤感，而且命令式口气似乎也令人难于接受。如果改为“运通卡，运通卡，出门可要带上它”，虽然准确地传达了原意，但口头表达程度太高导致格调过低。为了避免上述消极因素，体现运通公司在中国业务拓展的情况与中国经

36、济蓬勃发展的实际，可改译为“运通卡在手，伴你走九州！”、“运通在手，好运长久！”、“君行千里，运通相随！”、“神游五湖，运通四海！”等，显得颇具动感，符合公众诉求。从这一公司的宣传口号可以看出，精简的语言具有更为强大的感染力，这也是商务英语写作所应该追寻的目标。3）习作分析：我们愿与贵公司继续以往来帐的方式进行交易，但所有账款应于三十日之内结清，这也是贵公司已经同意了的。贵方第7856账户应付款项早已过期，尚欠一万英镑。这次是第二次催促结账，望收到此信后立即支付。学生习作：We are willing to continue by the current account way to carr

37、y on the transaction with your firm, but all credits should settle account within 30 days, this was also your firm has already agreed. Your account No. 7856 manipulation was already out of date, still owed 10,000 pounds. This is the second time we urge you to pay. Please immediately pay after you re

38、ceive this letter.习作粗略看来意思基本与原文意思接近，但如果用商务英语写作的标准来衡量，就会发现很多缺陷。比如，We are willing to continue by the current account way to carry on the transaction with your firm很不严谨；but all credits should settle account within 30 days没有正确地使用被动语态；this was also your firm has already agreed中式英语味道特重；This is the second

39、time we urge you to pay和 Please immediately pay after you receive this letter由于句子结构过于简单导致连贯性很差，为什么不使用连接词或非谓语动词把这些句子好好的组合起来呢？此外，整体方面显得结构散乱、平淡无奇。 建议改写：We would like to continue to trade with you on open account terms, but your bills must be paid within 30 days as agreed. Your balance on account No. 78

40、56 is long overdue and stands at GB10,000. This is a second reminder, so please send payment on receipt of this letter VII. Applied WritingA. Write a demand letter to the buyer who failed to pay you for specific reasonsa) laying out the reasons why the other party owes you money;b) suggesting possib

41、le solutions;c) stating that if you fail to get satisfaction you plan to go to small claims court;d) politely hoping for their cooperation in this respect.B. Sample writingWithdrawal of Credit on Past Due Account Withdrawal of Credit on Past Due Account January 9, 2009CharlotteXxx. Company Inc.Road

42、357, Street, District, City, State, Dear Charlotte,Your goodwill is extremely important to us. That is why we have allowed you to continue to charge purchases to your account in spite of your outstanding balance.You have been too good of a customer in the past to have to go through this procedure, b

43、ut unless we receive your payment we have no other alternative, due to our company policy.We cannot, however, allow this to go on indefinitely, no matter how much we value our relationship. We must insist that you contact us and let us know what is happening, or send us your payment to clear up your

44、 outstanding balance, before we can fill another order on credit.Please let us hear from you.Yours, trulySometimes prompt payments can not be expected, what kind of letters shall we write?What tactics can be used in writing letters for collecting?How to write a letter to offer such a reply?现将支票退还贵方，

45、敬请核对。待贵方与银行协调妥当后，请于本周内付清款项。如能于8月31日前结清，贵方即可避免因为未结清款项而导致的额外利息支出。Im returning the check to you for your review. Please send a payment this week after you reconcile this matter with your bank. If we receive your payment by August 31, you will avoid accruing additional interest charges on your outstandi

46、ng balance with us.现将支票退还贵方，敬请核对。待贵方与银行协调妥当后，请于本周内付清款项。如能于8月31日前结清，贵方即可避免因为未结清款项而导致的额外利息支出。Our method is as simple ad it is effective. First, we send out a letter that is both imaginative and skillful. It commands respect. And it gets results. Most collection problems are solved at this point.For mo

47、re reluctant debtors we send a trained expert who is tactful and persuasive and can hold your goodwill.We appreciate your prompt payment for your recent order. We look forward to more years of serving your needs.Recently your account has become overdue. Several notices making you aware of this were

48、mailed with you monthly statements. One again, you are being asked for immediate payment of $ 87. 50.Your trust with us can still be kept by paying the full amount of $ 87. 50. pay today and avoid jeopardizing your credit reputation.We are in business to serve our customers and cannot afford to spen

49、d too much time trying to collect the $87. 50 you owe us. One seek from the above date, we will turn your account over to our lawyer. We hope you prefer to make your payment to us rather than to have our lawyer contact you.We assumed that failure to pay these open items was an oversight on your part

50、 and that our letter would bring a prompt response and enable us to continue extending credit. We regret to see that they are still unpaid, and the delinquent status of your account leaves us no alternative but to remove your company from our list of credit customers.Again we call your attention to

51、your loan payment due March 15. If there is some reason for the delay, please let us know.It bothers us to have to say this, but we request that you pay the $ 260. 20 owed to us. If we dont receive your check by November 30, we will by required to turn your account over to a collection agency.There

52、must be a reason for not paying your account. Whatever the reason, we would be happy to discuss it with you. We can make arrangements for smaller payments over a longer period of time if that would help you. We must hear from you or receive a check within the next 15 days. Your credit record is at s

53、take.Is there a problem, either with the furniture or your ability to make monthly payments of $ 146.00? Please contact us by phone or letter or come in to our store to discuss this matter with us. You sill find us fully cooperative with you in rewriting the contract if that will help you.Our deadli

54、ne of January 29, for receiving your check for $829.40 was yesterday. We received no response to our letter of January 14.This may be because of a misunderstanding about the timing of your payments. You initial payment was due two months after the purchase date, with monthly payments thereafter. It is understandable, however, if you assumed you w