Unit One Business Letter-writing.ppt

1、Session OneCourse Introduction & Unit One Business Letter-writing,Course Introduction,International Business Communication is a course to help you get familiar with The layout Special terms & Expressions Certain writing techniques Used in different steps of international trade Unlike other theory-or

2、iented courses, this one focuses mainly on Practice!,Course Introduction,The steps of international trade include: Establish business relations Making enquires Making quotations Terms of payment Packing, insurance, shipment etc. And we are going to discuss these issues one by one.,Course Introductio

3、n,Course Introduction,Unit OneBusiness Letter-writing,Contents to cover,Essentials of business letter-writing 英文商务信函写作的要点 Proper layout of business letters 英文商务信函写作的格式 Envelope addressing 如何写信封 The tendency of business letter-writing 英文商务信函写作的趋势 The way to master letter-writing skills 掌握写作的方法,1. Ess

4、entials of business letter-writing,Three Cs principle: Clearness (use simple, plain language, avoid wordy expressions which are likely to create misunderstanding) 明了 Conciseness (write short sentences and make sure one paragraph for each point ) 简洁 Courtesy (reply a.s.a.p., & the “you attitude”) 注意交

5、际礼节 And above all, “Good English” is essential!,Courtesy,Example 1. You may be satisfied with our arrangement and place orders again.,Compare： (Polite) We have received with many thanks your letter of Oct. 7, and we take the pleasure of sending you our latest catalog. We wish to draw your attention

6、to a special offer which we have made in it. (Courteous) You will be particularly interested in a special offer on page 5 of the latest catalog enclosed, which you requested in your letter of Oct.7.,Humbleness V.S. Courtesy We are extremely and sincerely sorry for the error and ask that you accept o

7、ur humble and sincere apology for the undue inconvenience suffered by you. We are concerned about the inconvenience you have suffered, and apologize sincerely. We beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 11th December. We have received your letter of Dec. 11. We beg to enclose herewith our in

8、voice. We enclose our Invoice. We are pleased to enclose our Invoice.,Courtesy,More examples: Unfortunately we cannot fill your order because you failed to send your check. We shall be glad to fill your order as soon as we receive your check.,7 Cs Principles (contd.),Clarity Short familiar words Sim

9、ple short sentences 清楚 Concreteness Be vivid, specific and definite Avoid being vague, general and abstract 正确 Completeness Include all the necessary information and data Incomplete message will result in increased loss. 完整 7. Consideration 体谅,Consideration,Consideration emphasizes You- attitude rat

10、her than We- attitude. When writing a letter keep the readers request, needs, desires, as well as his feelings in mind. Plan the best way to present the message for the reader to receive. The following points are necessary for writing a letter to embody consideration:,a. You-attitude We-attitude .We

11、 allow 2 percent discount for cash payment. .We wont be able to send you the brochure this month You-attitude .You earn 2 percent discount when you pay cash. .We will send you the brochure next month.,Consideration,b. Focus on the positive approach Example 1 (Positive) We feel sure that you will be

12、entirely satisfied. (Negative) We do not believe you will have cause for dissatisfaction.,2. Proper layout of business letters,Seven principle parts of a business letter: The letter head 信头 The date 日期 Inside name and address 信内名字地址 The salutation 称呼 The message 内容 The complimentary close 信尾客套话 The

13、signature 签名 And some other matters,1) The letter head,The letterhead is the name and address of the firm that writes the letter. It usually expresses a companys personality. It may contain the following parts: The full name of the company Address Contact details Company logo (optional) Icon of prod

14、ucts (optional) References (optional),Cathay Business Machines Import & Export Corp. 2000 Central Street, Pudong, Shanghai 201206, China Tel: (021) 59000000 Fax: (021) 59000001,1) The letter head,e.g.,1) The letter head,e.g. Company logo Reference No.,THE NILE TRADING CO.LTD. 161 Pyramid Street, Ale

15、xandria, Egypt TEL: (20-3) 4900000 FAX: (20-3)4900001 Our ref: GBD/ACM Your ref:,2) The date,The date line is generally typed two lines below the letter head, started from the left margin, or on the right hand side. Dont type the date in figures, as it may cause confusion. e.g. 12/10/06 (confusing)

16、In Britain this date would mean “12 October 2006” But In U.S. and some other countries it would mean “10 December 2006”,2) The date,Its better to type the date in full. Format: Day + Month + Year e.g. 12th October 2006 (ordinal number 序数词) 12 October 2006 (cardinal number 基数词) Or: Month + Day + Year

17、 e.g. March 1st, 2005 September 2, 2005,2) The date,Exercise: 1999年十月二十五日 25 October 1999 or October 25, 1999 2007年三月八日 8 March 2007 or March 8, 2007 1998年六月一日 1st June 1998 or June 1st, 1998,3) Inside name and address,Format: Usually at the head of the letter, sometimes (in official correspondence)

18、 placed at the foot, in the bottom left-hand corner. It should be in line with the left-hand margin, blocked form is always preferred. Usually two lines below the date.,sample:,Cathay Business Machines Import & Export Corp. 2000 Central Street, Pudong, Shanghai 201206, China Tel: (021) 59000000 Fax:

19、 (021) 59000001 October 15, 2005 Mr. Smith The Sales Manger Date Universal software, Inc. Inside name and address 2468 Oak Street San Francisco CA94105 U.S.A.,3) Inside name and address,Information included: Full name of the recipient (if it is known and use the courtesy title such as: Mr. Mrs. Miss

20、 and Ms.) Business title of the recipient (if it is known) Name of the company Name and number of building, name of street Name of town or city and Postal Code Name of country,3) Inside name and address,The use of “Messrs” “Messrs” (abbr. from French Messieurs) is the plural form of Mr. It is used o

21、nly for companies or firms, the name of which include a personal element e.g. Messrs. J. Harvey & Co. Messrs. Macdonald & Evans,The use of “Messrs” It is not used in the following cases: When an individual is addressed: The chief accountant Edward Collins & Co., Ltd When the company name is imperson

22、al: Cabinet Industrial Co. When a courtesy title is already included: Dr. H. Willis & Co. Ltd. When the title begins with “The”: The Robinson Furniture Co.,4) The Salutation,The salutation is the greeting with which every letter begins. We can use: Dear Sir, Dear Sir or Madam, (avoid sexual discrimi

23、nation) Dear Gentlemen / Sirs: (more American style) Dear Ladies or Gentlemen (recent tendency: no punctuation marks),Pay attention to the difference in punctuation marks!,4) The Salutation,More examples of other courtesy titles: Dear Dr. Watson, Dear Prof. Young We Chinese tend to address people by

24、 their official or business title, for example: 张总 President Zhang 王主席 Chairman Wang,5) The message,Write simply, clearly, courteously, grammatically. And to the point. Paragraph correctly, confining each paragraph to one topic. Avoid stereotyped phrases (套话)and commercial jargon（商业术语）.,6) The compl

25、imentary close,Like the salutation, it is purely a matter of custom and a polite way of bringing a letter to a close. It is placed two lines below the final line of the body of the letter, against the left hand margin or on the center or to the right of the page (according to your firms preference).

26、,6) The complimentary close,The most commonly used are: Yours faithfully, / Faithfully yours, (formal, standard practice in Britain, but old fashioned in U.S.) Yours sincerely, / Sincerely yours, (informal, usually between people known to each other, commonly used in U.S.) Yours truly, / Truly yours

27、, (informal, commonly used in U.S.) Best wishes,/ Best regards, (informal),7) The signature,Every business letter should be signed in ink. A typed signature alone is no good form. Format: Generally two lines below the complimentary close Placed either against the left-hand side margin, in the center

28、 or on the right, depending on where the close is placed.,7) The signature,e.g. Sincerely yours, Frederick B. Prentice Assistant Manager Overseas Sales Department,7) The signature,Information included: Handwritten signature Typed signature Business title And sometimes department name,8) Other matter

29、s,References (参考号码) Sometimes letterhead provide spaces for reference. e.g. Or it may form part of the first paragraph. e.g.,Dear Sir: Thank you for your letter, reference ALM/PS, of 15th September.,8) Other matters,References (参考号码) Or the reference may be typed as a heading. e.g. It helps the read

30、ers to quickly connect the letter to a particular issue or order.,Dear Sir: Your Ref: ALM/PS Thank you for your letter of 15th September.,8) Other matters,2. “For the attention of” (请呈交某某人) It is used when you want the letter to be handed to a particular person. e.g.,The Secretary The Ajax Electrica

31、l Co., Ltd Fernhall Drive REDBRIDGE, Essex IG4 5BN England For the attention of Mr. T. Waterhouse Dear Sir:,Two lines above the salutation, centered, underlined.,8) Other matters,Please read page 6 8 carefully to understand some other formalities in business writing. Subject headings (标题) Enclosures

32、 (附件) “Per Pro.” signature (经代理人) Identification marks (标号) Postscript (P.S.) (附言) Margins (页边距) The second page (请翻页),2. Proper layout of business letters,The two most common styles of layout Semi-indented style (缩行式) P.11 Block style （齐头式）P.12,2. Proper layout of business letters,Semi-indented sty

33、le (缩行式) Traditional style All the paragraphs are indented six or even ten spaces Only the inside name and address is in block form The date line is usually on the right-hand side Complimentary close is placed in the center or close to the right of center(中间靠右),2. Proper layout of business letters,Block style （齐头式） Very modern All t