商务英语函电 全套课件.ppt

,Unit One,Business Letter-writing,Part One: Teaching Aims & Requirements,1. To learn about the functions of the business letter and its importance in business activities; 2. To learn about the writing principles of business letters; 3. To study the layout of business letters, including the letter styles and the structure of the business letter, which is most important in this unit.,Part Two: Study of Business Letter-writing,I. Introduction 1. Why is letter-writing so important nowadays? Because at present many business messages are sent by way of fax or e-mail instead of traditional post, and the language and style used in the fax/e-mail message are almost the same as those used in the letter by post, letter-writing is again regarded as quite important in our international trade communicating. 2. The functions of a business letter: 1) To ask for or to convey information; 2) To deal with matters concerning negotiation of business; 3) To confirm cables, telexes, telephones or face-to-face talks, especially important ones.,3.What should a business letter be like? It should be business-like. 1) Dont use the language in literature; 2) Dont use the language in private letters. Why? The business letter plays a very important role in a transaction; it is written in order to achieve a specific purpose and often gives rise to the legal obligations of the writer. 4.What does an effective business letter require? 1) Good English 2) Good knowledge of international trade business,II. The Principles of Business Letter-writing The seven Cs : Consideration Courtesy Clarity Conciseness Concreteness Correctness Completeness,1. Consideration 体谅 It means： Take the “You-attitude” instead of “I/We-attitude”; Emphasize the positive rather than the negative approach; Get to the point immediately. Look at the following sentences and think about whether or not they are good sentences: It is regretted that the goods cannot be sent today. We are pleased to inform you that the goods will be sent tomorrow. I write to send my congratulations. Congratulations to you on your success! We do not permit outside groups to use our equipment except on a cash rental basis. You are welcome to rent our equipment.,2. Courtesy 客气 This principle means: Follow the guidelines talked under consideration. Be sincere, tactful, thoughtful and appreciative. Avoid irritating, offensive or belittling expressions. If an apology is necessary, make it courteously and sincerely. Be prompt in answering letters. Look at the following sentences and think about whether or not they are well written: You are requested to remit the amount by 10 August. Please remit the amount by August 10. We must tell you that we cant accept your price. Unfortunately, we cannot accept your price. Your letter is not clear at all. I cant understand it. If I understand your letter correctly (tactful),3. Clarity 清楚 First, be quite clear about what you want to say; Then say it in plain, simple language appropriate to the understanding level of your reader. Good, straight-forward, simple English is what is needed for business letters. There are three guidelines for observing this writing principle: Choose short, familiar and conversational instead of long, complicated and roundabout words or phrases. Construct effective sentences. Organize your ideas into a logical order.,Look at the following sentences. Are they good sentences? I hope you will be in a position to make a decision within a short time. I hope you can decide soon. The contract enclosed herewith requires your signature before it can be executed and should be directed to the undersigned. Please sign the contract enclosed and return it to me. Those who work rapidly get ill in these conditions. Those who work in these conditions rapidly get ill.,4. Conciseness 简洁 Conciseness means saying what you have to say in the fewest possible words without losing clarity, courtesy, completeness and good English. To achieve conciseness, try to observe the following suggestions: Omit stereotyped phrases and commercialese. Avoid unnecessary repetition and wordy statements. Include only relevant facts. Confine each paragraph to one idea.,Lets compare the following groups of sentences: 1) We take the liberty to approach you with the request that you would be kind enough to introduce to us some importers of stationery in your country. Please introduce to us some importers of stationery in your country. 2) Assuring you of our favorable consideration, we remain We will consider your suggestions favorably. The following are two letters with the same content. Please read them and think about which one is better. Give the reasons for your judgment.,【Letter One】 Dear Sirs， Will you ship us sometime, any time during the month of November, or even December if you are rushed, for December would suit us just as well, in fact a little bit better, 30 copies of “Barrons Practice Exercises for the TOFLE”. Thanking you to send these along to us by parcel post, and not express, as express is too stiff in price, when parcel post will be much cheaper, we are Yours faithfully, 【Letter Two】 Dear Sirs， Please ship by parcel post, by the end of December, 30 copies of “Barrons Practice Exercises for the TOFLE”. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Yours faithfully,5. Concreteness 具体 Writing concretely means making your message specific, definite and vivid rather than vague, general and abstract. A business letter should avoid emptiness in contents and vagueness in ideas. The guidelines below may help you achieve concreteness: Use specific facts and figures. Put action in your verbs. (Prefer active verbs to passive verbs or words in which action is hidden. Choose vivid, concrete and image-building words.,Look at the following sentences: 1) The preparation of new salary scales is in hand. 2) These brakes stop a car within a short distance. 3) Various aspects of this equipment make it a good choice. Think about the questions below: Can you understand the first sentence? Are the ideas expressed in the sentences concrete? If they are not, please amend them so that they become specific, definite and vivid. The revised sentences are as follows: 1) New salary scales are being prepared. 2) These Goodson Power brakes can stop a 2-ton car within 24 feet. 3) This machine is a good choice because it is more compact and less expensive than any other one in the market.,6. Correctness 正确 A business letter should contain accurate information and the writer should follow accepted standards of grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence construction, for the letter concerns greatly the rights, obligations and interests of both the buyer and the seller; moreover, it is the basis of all commercial documents (such as the contract, the letter of credit, etc.). The term correctness, as applied to business communication, means the writer should: Use the correct level of language. Include only accurate facts, terms, words and figures. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics. Apply all other relevant “C” principles.,Look at the sentences below and think about whether or not they include any grammatical errors or some other kind of mistakes. 1) We hope that you will attend to the coming Guangzhou Fair. We hope that you will attend the coming Guangzhou Fair. 2) Nothing is so important than quality and packing. Nothing is so important as quality and packing. 3) The two first items are not available. The first two items are not available.,4) Neither of the offers are acceptable. Neither of the offers is acceptable. 5) We not only built houses, but also flats. We built not only houses, but also flats. 6) While studying the report, the telephone rang. While I was studying the report, the telephone rang. 7) To our much surprise, the raincoats arrived with no caps. Much to our surprise, the raincoats arrived with no caps. Or: To our great surprise, the raincoats arrived with no caps.,7. Completeness 完整 Your business message is “complete” when it includes all the information your reader needs to act upon. Incomplete information is annoying and costly because it holds up business transactions and duplicates work. To strive for completeness, keep the following guidelines in mind: Answer all questions asked. Give something extra, when desirable. Check for the five Ws and any other writing principles.,Read the following message carefully: We are making you, subject to your reply reaching here before the 15th this month, an offer for our 100 sets Sewing Machines at 65 CFR, for shipment during November/December, and payment is to be made by L/C. Now, think about the following questions: Who may write the letter? The buyer or the seller? In which business step may this letter appear? Are there any places where there are some problems with the way of expression? Does this message contain complete information?,The answer is like this: This message is rather an incomplete one since it serves as a firm offer. First, the products quoted do not cover brand or specifications; Second, the price term is not completely written, it does not mention the port of destination; Third, the payment terms are not specific. Here is the revised message: We are making you, subject to your reply reaching here on/before August 15, a firm offer for our 100 sets (of) Sewing Machines, Bee Brand, at 65 per set CFR London for shipment during November/December and payment is to be made by a confirmed and irrevocable L/C at 60 d/s.,III. The Layout of Business Letters 1. The styles of the business letter 1) The Indented Style-traditional style Its Features: a) Each paragraph is indented four spaces; b) “Closed Punctuation” is used; c) The complimentary close is centered and so is the signature. 2) The Block Style-modern style Its Features: a) All typing lines begin at the left-hand margin; b) “Open Punctuation” is more often used than “Closed Punctuation”; c) Sometimes the date is placed in its usual position on the right.,3) The similarities between the two letter styles: a) The inside name c) The letter is typed in single line-spacing and the paragraphs are separated by double line-spacing. 4) Summary of the two styles: a) The Indented Style-is easy to read but wastes the typing time. b) The Block Style-is more business-like and more effective. 5) The modified block style 6) The simplified style,2. The Structure of the Business Letter,A. The Seven Principle Parts: (1) Letterhead (2) Date (3) Inside Name & Address (4) Salutation (5) Body (6) Complimentary Close (7) Signature,(1) The Letterhead 信头 a) Its functions: expresses a firms personality and forms ones impression of the writers firm. b) Its styles: vary greatly but all give similar information. c) Its placement: traditionally centered at the top of the page, but nowadays it is placed at the left or right margin or some other places on the page. d) Its inclusion: company name, address, postal code, telephone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail address, web-site and the kind of business the firm handles e) Reminders: If letterhead stationery is unavailable, type the address of the writer above the date to the right for indented style and to the left for block style.,(2) The Date 日期 a) Its function: Only a dated letter has legal force.(or: An undated letter has no legal force/authority.) b) Its styles: 12th October, 2008 (somewhat old-fashioned) 12 October, 2008 (fashionable) March 1st, 2008 (old-fashioned) March 1, 2008 (most fashionable) 2008 09 18 (international standard) c) Its placement: three to six spacings below the letterhead or on the date line, at the right margin for the indented style or the left margin for the block style d) Its inclusion: day, month, year e) Reminders: Type the date in full, and never write its abbreviations. Dont give the day in figures because it may easily cause confusion (The British and the Americans do not read the date and the month in the same order.).,(3) The Inside Name It helps for the filing purposes. c) Its inclusion: the persons courtesy title, name, business or executive titles, his company name and the mailing address English Addresses may have the following parts: 1) number of house, name of house and name of street 2) name of city or town 3) country or state and its post-code 4) name of country,The Courtesy Titles used in correspondence: Mr. (or Esq.) Ms.-used for all women, married or unmarried, especially for career women. Mrs. Miss. Messrs.-used only for companies or firms whose names include a personal element. Mmes. d) Reminders: The inside name and address must be in exact keeping with the outside name and address both in contents and style. Type the address exactly as it is given to you.,(4) The Salutation 称呼 a) Its function: It is the polite greeting with which every letter begins. b) Its placement: Always type it flush with the left margin two lines below the inside name and address. (Whatever letter style you use) c) Its styles: (Br. E.) Dear Sir (Madam), (Br. E.) Dear Sirs, (Am. E.) Gentlemen: (Both) Dear Mr. X X (Both) Dear Madam or Sir. d) Reminders: Dont use Sirs alone and Gentlemen cannot be used in the singular. The courtesy title for the salutation is the same as for the inside address. When writing to individuals, always use their name if you know it. Use Ms. when you are addressing a lady whose marital status is not known or when you think this is her preference.,If you are addressing an individual whose name you do not know - the purchasing manager, director of personnel, president, and so on - use the following: The Purchasing Manager Leverett Products Corporation 1112 N. W. Lovejoy Portland, Oregon 97209 Dear Sir (or Dear Madam / Dear Madam or Sir) (It should agree with the inside name & address.) Occasionally, for special purposes (for sales letters, circulars or some other purposes) the following impersonal salutations might be used: Dear Customer: Dear Friend: Dear Audio/Video User/Enthusiast: To Whom It/This May Concern: (often in a letter of recommendation) Ladies and Gentlemen: Dear Garment Department/Corporation: (modern and fashionable address to replace the old usage “Dear Sirs” ),(5) The Message /The Body 正文 a) Its function: It is the most important part in a letter because it contains the actual message. b) Its placement: two lines below the salutation. c) Its inclusion: The opening paragraph refers to previous correspondence. The following paragraphs contain further details. The closing paragraph is a statement of your intentions, hopes or expectations concerning the next step. Consider the following two points before writing: What is your aim in writing this letter? What is the best way to go about it? d) Reminders: Write simply, clearly, courteously, grammatically, and to the point. Paragraph correctly, confining each paragraph to one topic. Use a short opening and a short closing. Avoid stereotyped phrases and commercial jargon.,Margi