领先商务英语函电电子教案Chapter1课件

BusinessLeaderCorrespondenceChapterOne

StructureandLayoutof

aBusinessLetterWarm-upActivitiesIntroductionKeyWordsPartsofbusinessletterLayoutofbusinessletterTeachingObjectivesPrinciplesofbusinesswritingTeachingProcedureformatofbusinessletter

Learnaboutthebackgroundknowledgeaboutstructureandlayoutofabusinessletter;learnaboutthetechnicaltermsaboutabusinessletter

Teachingobjectivesmasterthekeywordsandsentencepatternsinabusinessletter;masterthewritingtechniquesofabusinessletterLet’swatch

avideoclipandthinkaboutthewordsthatoccurtoyou.ThensummarizethewordsconnectedwithBusinessEnglishCommunication.

Questionsforpairwork:Whatisthevalueofbusiness?Howwillyoubuildtheloyaltywithyourcustomer?Warm-upActivities

I.IntroductionBusinessEnglishisstandardEnglishappliedtospecificbusinesspurposes.Intoday’shighlydevelopedandtoughlycompetitivebusinessworld,fewinternationalbusinesstransactionscanbecarriedoutsuccessfullywithoutcorrespondenceatsomepoint.Therefore,businesscorrespondenceisstillabasicactivityinvolvedintrade,andremainsaveryimportantformofcommunicationevennowadays.交易Businessletters,includingcables,telex,e-mailsandfaxesarethesilentsalesmenofcompanies,representingitsclosecontactwiththeoutsideworldanddeliveringtheircompanies’imagestothepublic.Businesslettersarewrittenforexchanginginformationandbridgingoverthedesiresbetweenbuyersandsellers,andtheyareoftenanarrangementorregardedasevidenceofacontract.Therefore,efficientletterwritinginEnglishisveryessentialandindispensableininternationaltrade.电传电报

Everybusinessmessageisdesignedtoachieveaspecificbusinessobjective.Itssuccessdependsonwhatitsaysandtowhatextentitinducesafavorableresponsefromthereader.Goodqualitypaper,anattractiveletterheadandneatappearanceofdocumentshelpachieveagoodimpressionofthecompany,buttheyarelessimportantthanthemessagetheycarry.Themo-steffectivelettershouldbeeasytoreadandeasytounderstand.Theymustbefriendlyandcourteous.

目标信头

Inordertowriteagoodandeffectivebusinessletter,thewritershouldbeequippedwiththefollowingskills:agoodcommandofstandardEnglish;knowledgeofbusinesstheoriesandpractice;knowledgeoftechnicaltermsandskillsinsalesmanship.II.Principlesofgoodbusinesswriting

Businesslettersplayanimportantroleindevelopinggoodwillandfriendlytraderelationships.Abusinessletterisconsideredsuccessfulwhenthereceiverinterprets

themessageasthesenderintendedandatthesametimeitachievesthesender’spurposes.Inordertomeettheseobjectives,thewritershouldalwaysbearinmindtheessentialqualitiesofbusinessletters,whichcanbesummarizedinthefollowing7Csprinciples.1.Clarity

Thewritershouldtrytoexpresshimselfclearly,sothereaderwillunderstandcorrectly.Toachievethisobjective,thewritershouldbequiteclearaboutwhathewantstosay,andconveyhismeaningwithappropriatewordsincorrectsentencestructures.

Useexpressionswithprecise/accuratemeaning.Don’tusewordswithvaguemeaningsuchas‘seem’‘perhaps’‘maybe’‘almost’.Avoidambiguoussentences.Forexample,‘Itisestimatedthat…’;‘itseemslike…’;‘WeperhapscandeliverthegoodsinApril.’

WriteinplainEnglish.“plain”meanssimple,clearandeasilyunderstood.ExpressingyourselfinsimpleEnglishwillmakeyourmessageclearatfirstreading.Inshort,good,straightforwardandsimplelanguageiswhatareneededforbusinessletters.2.ConcisenessConcisenessmeanssayingthingsinthefewestpossiblewords.Aconcisebusinesslettershouldsaythingsbrieflybutcompletelywithoutlosingclarityandcourtesy.FollowthePrinciple‘KISS’(KeepItShortandSimple).Usenomorewordsthanwhatareneededtomakeyourmeaningclear.Busybusinessmenandwomentodaydonothavetimetoreadlongdocuments,andtheywelcometheartofletterthatisdirectandtothepoint.Inmostcases,keepyoursentenceshortandavoidtheover-frequentuseofsuchconjunctionsas‘and’‘but’‘however’,forthesewordsmakesentenceslonger.Don’tbewordy.Useplain,familiarwordsandprefershortwordstolongwords,thesinglewordtotheelaboratephrase.Avoidusingsuchpaddedexpressionsas“itshouldbenotedthat…”,“duetothefactthat…”andetc..Examples:Iaminreceiptofyourletterof8Julywhichwereceivedtoday.(×)Thankyouforyourletterof8July.(√)Ishouldbegladifyouwouldbegoodenoughtoadvisemewhenitwouldbeconvenientforustoarrangetomeettodiscussthismatterfurther.(×)Pleaseletmeknowwhenwecanmeettodiscussthis.(√)Werequirefurniturewhichisofthenewtype.(×)Werequirenew-typefurniture.(√)Don’thesitatetocontactme.(×)Pleasecontactme.(√)Pleasefeelfreetocontactme.(√)

3.Courtesy

Courtesyis,notinusingpolitephrases,butinshowingasincereYou-attitude.Itisthequalitythatenablesustorefusetoperformafavorandatthesametimekeepafriend.Thecourteouswritershouldbesincere

andtactful,thoughtfulandappreciative.Dealpromptly.Answerlettersonthedayyoureceivethemifyoucan.Respectthereceiver,respecttheirviews,andrespecttheircustomsandhabits.

Takeafriendlyandmodesttone.Forexample,Cold,aloof

Friendly,warm

Yourletterhasbeenreceived.Yourcomplaintisbeinglookedinto.Itisregrettedthatthegoodscannotbedeliveredtoday.

Wehavereceivedyourletter.Wearelookingintoyourcomplaint.I’msorrywecannotdeliverthegoodstoday.

Useactiveinsteadofpassivevoice.Activevoicemakesthetonemoreinterestingandlively,givesyourwritingafocus,showsresponsibilityandismorepersonalandnatural.Butpassivevoicemakesyourwritingvague,deniesresponsibilityandcreatesadistancebetweenyouandyourreader.

Neveraccuseyourreaderofmakingamistake.Neverbeunsympathetic,condescendingorrude.Alwaysbegratefulforafavor.Alwaysbesincereandclear.4.Consideration

ConsiderationemphasizesYou-attituderatherthanWe-attitude.Whenwritingaletter,keepthereader’srequest,needs,desires,aswellashisfeelingsinmindandtrytoputyourselfinhisplace.Planthebestwaytopresentthemessageforthereadertoreceive.

Usethelanguageandmessageforthereceiver’sneeds.It’salsobettertofocusonthepositiveratherthanthenegativeapproach.Positivewritingwillgivethereaderabetterimpressionandultimatelyimproveitseffectiveness,whilenegativelanguagetriggersnegativeresults.Forexample:IfyoudonotreturnyourformbeforeAugustyouwillbetoolatetoattendtheconference.(Negative)Pleasereturnourformby31Julysothatwecanregisteryournamefortheconference.(Positive)Iwritetosendmycongratulations.(Negative)Congratulationstoyouonyourpromotion.(Positive)Wewon’tbeabletosendyouthebrochurethismonth(Negative)Wewillsendyouthebrochurenextmonth.(Positive)

Avoidirritatingexpressionslikethese:ourfailuretoreply;yourneglect;yourrefusal

tocooperate;youfailto;youhaveignored;itisnotourfault;youcannotexpect;wemust

insist;youshouldknow.5.ConcretenessTomakethemessagespecific,definiteandvividisthekeypointofconcreteness.Avoidbeingtoogeneral,vagueandabstract,especiallywhenthewriterisrequiringaresponse,solvingproblems,makinganofferoracceptance,etc..Alwaysaimtoincludeallnecessarydetailsinyourletterssuchasdates,times,figures,sumofmoneyandtechnicalwords.发盘接受Forexample:Themeetinghasbeenpostponed.(Vague)ThemeetinghasbeenpostponedtoMonday14Julyat10o’clock.(Concrete)Thesebrakescanstopacarwithinashortdistance.(Vague)TheseGoodsonpowerbrakescanstopa2-toncarwithin24feet.(Concrete)Variousaspectsofthisequipmentmakeitagoodchoice(Vague)Thismachineisagoodchoicebecauseitismorecompactandlessexpensivethanotheroneinthemarket.(Concrete)

6.Correctness

Asappliedtoabusinessmessage,correctnessmeansappropriateandgrammaticallycorrectlanguage,factualinformationandaccurateandreliablefigures,aswellastherightformsandconventions.

Toguaranteecorrectnessofabusinessletter,thewritershouldalwaysbearinmindthefollowing:Chooseonlyaccuratefacts,wordsandfigures.Beclearaboutthemeaningofallthetermsandjargonsused.Behonestaboutthethingsyousay.Usethecorrectleveloflanguage.Observeallthewritingprinciples.专业词汇商业术语7.Completeness

Abusinesslettershouldincludeallthenecessary

information,

foranincompletemessagemay

result

in

increased

communicationcosts,

lossofgoodwill,salesandvaluedcustomers.

Itisessentialtocheckthemessagecarefullybeforeitissentout.Allinall,goodbusinessletterwritingistowritesimply,andinaneasyandnaturalwayjustlikeonefriendlypersontalkingtoanother.

1.letterhead信头8.date日期

2.reference编号

9.insideaddress封内地址3.attentionline指明收信人10.salutation称呼

4.subjectline事由行11.body正文

5.complimentaryclose结尾敬语12.signature签名

6.enclosurenotation附件

13.carboncopynotation抄送

7.postscript附言III.PartsofabusinessletterBroadlyspeaking,mostbusinesslettersarecomposedofthefollowing13parts.

Amongthem,letterhead,reference,date,insideaddress,salutation,body,complimentaryclose,andsignaturearestandardfactorsandmustbecontainedintheformalbusinessletters.Theothersareoptionalparts.Whethertouseoptionalpartsdependsonthespecificsituation.Theapproximatelocationsofthesepartsinbusinesslettersareasfollows:LETTERHEADDateReferenceNumberInsideAddress______________AttentionSalutationSubjectLine_Body_____________________________________________________________________ComplimentarycloseSignatureEnclosureRemarksCarbonCopyPostscript1.Letterhead

Letterheaddesigns,expressingthepersonalityofacompany,varywithbusinessorganizationsandaregenerallyprintedonthecompany’sstationery.Usually,itmaybepositionedatthecenterorattheleftmarginonthetopofthepage.Abusinessletterheadcontainsallorsomeofthefollowingelements:thesender’scompanyname,postaladdress,postcode,telephonenumber,telexnumber,faxnumber,andeventhelogoofthecompany(somepictureorsloganforasymbolofthecompany).Ifasheetofletterpaperdoesnothaveaprintedletterheadonit,thenameandaddressofthesender’scompanyshouldbetypedontheleftorrightmargin.Forexample,NewWorldComputers,Inc.1881LongBeachStreetLosAngeles,CA90025Tel:(213)6860000

Fax:(213)6860001有限公司加州2.Date

Everylettershouldbedated—neversendoutaletterwithoutadate.Thedateshouldbeplacedtwolinesbelowtheletterheadeitherontherightorontheleft,whichdependsonthestylesyoudecidetouse.

Thenamesofmonthsarepreferablyspelledoutinfullandnotabbreviated.Avoidusingfigures,becausepracticetowritedatesvariesindifferentcountries.Englishpracticefollowstheorderofday,monthandyear,whileitistheU.S.practicetowriteintheorderofmonth,dayandyear.Forexample,6/8/2010couldbetakenaseitherJune8orAugust6,2010.Therecommendedformsfordatesareasfollows:June14,201014June2010

ThereisagrowingtendencythattheDAYisexpressedincardinalnumbers,e.g.1,2,3,insteadofordinals,e.g.1st,2nd,3rd,4th…,becausewhendatingaletter,beginnersareapttowrite1th,2th,3th,21th,22th,23th,and31th,or11st,12ndand13rd.

3.Reference

Thereferencenumberisgenerallyusedasausefulindicationforfilingandlinkingwithpreviouscorrespondence,soitmustbeeasilyseen.Itisoftenplacedtwolinesbelowtheletterhead.Thereferencemayincludeafilenumber,departmentcodeor/andtheinitialsofthesignerfollowedbythatofthetypistoftheletter.Itisoftentypedinshortformas“OurRef.:”forthesender’sreferencenumber,and“YourRef.:”fortherecipient’s.Ifbothparties’referencenumbersareused,theoppositeparty’sisusuallywrittenfirst.YourRef.:2010009OurRef.:10201来文号

Sometimes,theinitialsofthewriterandthetypistareusedinthispart.Normally,theinitialsofthewritercomefirstincapitalletters,thenaslant,andthentheinitialsofthetypistincapitalorsmallletters.Forexample,ifJohnSmithdictatestheletterandEllenWilliamstypestheletter,thereferenceinitialsshouldbeJS/EWorJS/ew.Insomeletters,youmayfindthereferenceinitialsattheendoftheletteronleftmargin,twolinesbelowthesignature.Insomecases,thereferencenumbersandinitialswillbeusedtogether,twolinesbelowtheletterhead.Forexample,OurRef.:10201JS/EW4.InsideAddressTheinsidenameandaddressistypedattheleft-handmarginbelowthedateline.Itappearsexactlythesamewayasontheenvelope,insinglespacing.封内地址

Generallyspeaking,theinsidenameandaddressshouldcontainsomeorallpartsofthefollowing:nameofthereceiver,departmentname,companyname,suiteorroomnumber,streetaddress,city,postcode,state/provinceandcountry.Itisimportanttoincludethepostcode(zipcodeintheU.S.A.)inordertofacilitatemechanicalmailsorting.

Whentheletterisaddressedtoacompany,theinsidenameandaddressshouldbewrittenasfollows:1KiddieKorner,Inc.#202-418RichardsStreetVancouver,B.C.CanadaV6B3A7

“Messrs.”,anabbreviationfortheFrenchword“Messieur”,isusedonlywhenthecompanyisnamedafteroneormorepersons,suchas“H.Woods&Co.Ltd.”,“Smith&Robinson”,etc..2Messrs.H.Woods&Co.LtdNessonHouse,NewellStreetBirminghamB33ELUnitedKingdom

Whentheletterisaddressedtoanindividualinthecompany,theperson’snameshouldbeprecededbyacourtesytitle.CourtesytitlesusedinaddressesareMr.foraman;Mrs.（followedbythehusband’ssurname)foramarriedwoman;Missforanunmarriedwoman;andMsforbothmarriedandunmarriedwomen,butinthatcasethemarriedwomangenerallyuseshermaidennameinsteadofherhusband’sfamilyname.Whenthereceiverholdsaspecialtitle,suchasDoctor,Professor,orSir(whichmeansthatthemanisaKnight),useitinsteadofMr.orMs.Ifyoudon’tknowwhetherthereceiverisamanorawoman,omitcourtesytitleandgivethefullname.Businesstitle,suchasmanager,director,etc.maybetypedafterthereceiver’snameonthesameline,oronaseparatelinebelowthename,especiallywhenyoufindthatthetotallengthofthereceiver’scourtesy,fullnameandbusinesstitleappeartoolongonasingleline.3Mr.FredJohn,VicePresidentH.Woods&Co.LtdNessonHouse,NewellStreetBirminghamB33ELUnitedKingdomOr:Mr.FredJohn,VicePresidentH.Woods&Co.LtdNessonHouse,NewellStreetBirminghamB33ELUnitedKingdomIfthenameofaspecificpersonisunavailable,youmayaddressthelettertothedepartment,followedbythenameofthecompany.4SalesManagerKiddieKorner,Inc.#202-418RichardsStreetVancouver,B.C.CanadaV6B3A7Or:CustomerServiceDepartmentKiddieKorner,Inc.#202-418RichardsStreetVancouver,B.C.CanadaV6B3A75.AttentionLineTheattentionlinemaybeusedifyouwishtoaddressthelettertoaparticularpersonordepartmentofthecompany,butyoumayonlyknowthesurnameofthepersonandthuscannotwritethenameintheInsideAddress(whichneedsacompletename),oryoumayexpectyourlettertobepromptlyattendedtoanyothermemberofthecompanywhotakescareofthebusinessofthereceiverwhenheorsheisabsentfromoffice.

Theattentionlineisconsideredapartoftheinsideaddress.Placewiththelefthandmarginorinthecenterofthepage,itisusuallyinsertedbetweentheinsideaddressandthesalutationorabovetheinsideaddress,withdoublespacingaboveandbelowit.Thelinemaybeginwiththeword“Attention”,orthesimplifiedform“Attn”followedbyacolon,orwiththeexpression“Fortheattentionof”,andfollowedbythereceiver’snameandbusinesstitleifavailable.Thispartisgenerallyunderlined,andmaybecapitalizedaspreferred.Forexample,1.Attention:ExportDept.2.Attn:ExportDept.3.FortheattentionofMr.Johnson,AssistantManager4.AttentionofMs.Edison,GeneralManager.6.SalutationIfneithertheattentionlinenorthesubjectlinesused,thesalutationisgenerallyplacedattheleftmargintwolinesbelowtheinsideaddressandtwolinesabovethebodyoftheletter.Iftheletterisaddressedtoacompanyratherthantoanindividual,DearSirsorMmes(BritishEnglish),orLadiesandgentlemenorGentlemen(AmericanEnglish)wouldbeused.Iftheletterisaddressedtoamanorawomanwhosenameyoudonotknow,useDear

SirorDearMadam,foritcanbeusedtoaddresstoapersonofwhomyouknowneitherthenamenorthesex.

Whenyoudoknowthenameofthereceiver,thesalutationtakestheformofDearfollowedbyacourtesytitleandthereceiver’ssurname.Initialsandfirstnamesarenotgenerallyusedinsalutations:DearMr.Smith,DearMs.John,DearProf.Hobart,orDearDr.Walter.Somebusinessmenprefertobecalledbytheirfirstname.Whenyouandyourcorrespondenthavebecomefriendlytoeachotherthroughbusinessdealings,andwhenheorsheaddressesyoubyyourfirstname,youmayalsousehisorherfirstnameasthesalutation.TheBritishtendtoendasalutationwithacommawhileAmericanswithacolon.Inmodernbusinessletters,nopunctuationmarksareusedinthesalutation.7.SubjectLineThesubjectlinegivesabriefindicationofthethemeortopicoftheletter,andoftenisregardedasapartofthebodyofabusinessletter.Usuallyitisplacedtwolinesbelowthesalutationandabovethebody,andtypedinblocklettersorinitialcapitalsorunderlined.Thelinecanbeginwithorwithout“Re:”or“Subject:”.Forexample:1.Re:OurCatalogueNo.82.Subject:OurOrderNo.1234.3.AirconditionersModelFG2118.Body

Thisisthemostimportantpartofanybusinessletter.Itistypedtwolinesbelowthesalutation,orbelowthesubjectline,ifany.Inletters,paragraphsaresingle-spacedanddoublespacingisusedbetweenparagraphs.Thefirstlineofeachparagraphstartsatthelefthandmargin(orisindentedassomepeopleprefer).

Thebodyofthelettershouldbecarefullyplannedandparagraphedinlogicalordersothatyourletterreadseasilyandmovesstepbysteptowardtheaimyouwishtoachieve.Thereisnostrictruleregardingthecontentoftheletter,butitusuallycontainsthreeparts:theopeningparagraph,themiddleparagraph(s),andtheclosingparagraph.Theopeningparagraphreferstoanypreviouscorrespondenceorintroducethepurposeoftheletter,oftenconsistingofonlyonesentence.Themiddleparagraph(s)supportstheopeningand/orprovidesadditionalinformation.Theclosingparagraphisalsorelativelyshort,andservesasarequest,suggestion,orlookingtothefuture.And,rememberonlyonetopicineachparagraph.

Whenwritingthemessage,keepinmindtheprinciplesofgoodcommunication“7Cs”,andavoidstereotypedphrasesandcommercialjargon.Withtheexceptionofsalesletters,businesslettersareusuallyonepagelong,butsometimesitisimpossibletowritetheentireletterononesheetofpaper.Whenusingthesecondorcontinuationsheets,choosetheplainpaperofthesamequality,sizeandcolorasthefirstpageandtypewithasecondheadingtoshowthenumberofthesheet;thenameofyourcorrespondent;andthedateoftheletter.9.ComplimentaryCloseThecomplimentarycloseissimplyapolitewaytoendaletter.Twolinesbelowthelastlineofthebody,thecloseisplacedatthelefthandmargin,ontherightorinthecentreofthepage,accordingtothestylesyouprefer.Theexpressionusedforthecomplimentarycloseshouldmatchthesalutation,asshownbelow:DearSirsDearSirsorMmesDearSirDearSirorMadam

YoursfaithfullyFaithfullyyours

Formal—verycommonlyusedinBritainGentlemenLadies/Gentlemen

YourstrulyTrulyyours

Formal—verycommonlyusedinAmerica&CanadaDearMr.WoodsDearMs.Woods

Yourssincerely/Yoursfaithfully/Bestwishes/Kindregards(U.K.)Informal—usedbetweenpersonsknowntoeachotherSincerelyyours/Trulyyours/Bestregards(U.S.)DearPeterDearEmily

Yoursever/(With)bestwishesInformal—usedbetweenpersonsfamiliar

Onlytheinitialletterinthefirstwordofanycomplimentarycloseiscapitalized,andacommashouldbeplacedaftertheclose.10.SignatureThewriter’ssignaturecanconsistofthenameofthecompany,ahandwrittensignature,atypewrittensignatureandabusinesstitle,whichissometimesfollowedbythenameofthedepartment.Sincethenameofthecompanyisalreadyincludedintheletterhead,itcansometimesbeomittedinthesignature.Thesignatureisnormallyinablockformwiththefirstlettersofalltypedlinesaligned.Itshouldbeplacedtwolinesimmediatelybelowthecloseatthelefthandmargin,inthecenterorontherightofthepage,dependingonwherethecomplimentarycloseisplaced.So,belowthecomplimentaryclose,leaveenoughspace(3-4lines)forthewritertosign.Underthehandwrittensignature,thesigner’snameshouldberepeatedbytyping,sincethehandwrittensignaturemaybeillegible.Then,thebusinesstitlemayfollowthetypednameonthesamelineorbeplacedonthelineunder.Thelatterpositionispreferred.2

Yourstruly,Yourstruly,H.Woods&Co.Ltd(signature)(signature)Ms.EmmaWilliams

FredWoodsAssistantManager

PresidentOverseasSalesDepartment

3

4

Yoursfaithfully,Yoursfaithfully,perproChinaMotorbikeCorporation

formarketingmanager(signature)(signature)WUFangWangJianglin

Everybusinesslettershouldbesignedbyhand,inink.Neversignwithasealorrubberstamp.Andasignatureinpencilorcrayonisrudenesstothereceiver.11.EnclosureNotation

Ifsomethingisenclosedwiththeletter—suchasacheck,catalogue,orcopyofanotherletter—attentionshouldbecalledtoitbywriting“Enclosure”,“Enclosures”,oritsabbreviation“Enclosure”,atleasttwolinesbelowthesignatureatthelefthandmargin,ortwolinesbelowthereferenceinitials(ifany).Themarkingmaybeinanyofthefollowingways:1Enclosures(4)2Encl.1pricelist1catalogue3Enc.Insurancepolicy4Encl:asstated12.CarbonCopyNotation

Whenyouwantyourcorrespondenttoknowthatacopyoftheletteristobesenttosomeotherperson,itisusualtoindicatethisbytypingC.C.orc.c.followedbytwospacesandthenameofthereceiverofthecopy.Usually,itisplacedatthefootofthelettertwolinesbelowthesignatureorimmediatelybelowtheenclosurenotation.Manycompaniesarenowusing“P.C.”(forphotocopy).Forexample:C.C.:Mr.