Introduction to Business Letter-writing ★ Teaching Objectives 教学目标 By learning this task you will be able to: 1. Master the 5 Cs principles of a good business letter. 2. Command the structure and layout of a business letter. 3. Grasp the differences between a business letter, fax and e-mail. 4. Learn the way to write the envelope addressing. ★ Teaching Focuses and Difficulties 教学重点和难点 1. 5Cs principles of a good business letter. 2. Structure and layout of a business letter. ★ Teaching Methods 教学方法 Lecture/Group discussion/Tutorial ★ Teaching Aids and Environment 教学设施 Written sample papers/Multi-media facilities ★ Time Allotment 时间分配 Suggestion: 4 class periods. ★ Teaching Procedures and Contents 教学程序和内容 ☆Presentation 介绍 1. Lead In You have known how to write English letters which are used in common daily life. Now, you will learn another kind of writing----business letter writing. Today we will discuss the 5Cs principles of a business letter and the ten main components of the writing and the 2 major layouts of the letter. 2. How to learn this course—The approach of learning this course (1) First, you need to have a good command of English. (2) Then, you need to pay attention to the special terms in this course. (3) The best way to learn it is to read more and write more----You need to/must learn it by reading more and writing more. It is a good idea to recite some letters. It will help you a lot when you write business letters yourself. ☆Teaching Contents in Details 教学内容细节 Business, as a kind of human communication, is often transacted in writing. Traditionally, the most common form of commercial correspondence is the business letter. Every business letter is written for a specific purpose. Normally, business letters perform three functions. Some are designed to influence readers’ attitudes and actions, including sales letters for promoting products or services. Some of them, such as those which give responses to request letters, place orders, or make complaints, are intended to inform. Others are intended to entertain the readers, that is, to establish and retain their goodwill or good relationship with them. Many business letters combine two or three functions. In short, business letters are used to keep business going smoothly, efficiently, and productively. With the rapid development of modern information technology, fax and e-mail 1 are increasingly used by most companies. As variations of the business letter, they will be introduced at this unit. I. What is a Good Business Letter? The writing of effective and productive business letters is an essential skill for an individual working for a company. Different business letters about the same issue might bring about different results. Therefore, it is of vital importance to master the skill of business writing. The first step is, needless to say, to know the basic elements of a good business letter. There are five Cs principles for a good business letter, namely, Clarity, Conciseness, Courtesy, Correctness, and Completeness. (1) Clarity 清晰 Above all, the business letter must be clear and easily understood. If your letter is ambiguous, it might bring trouble to yourself as well as to your reader. While presenting an idea, you need to follow a clear logic. To avoid ambiguity and confusion, the writer should use simple and accurate words, and short and simple sentences where appropriate. Compare: *The L/C must reach us for arranging shipment not later than October 8. The L/C must reach us not later than 8 October for arranging shipment. *They bought a bicycle in Beijing in a small shop which costs $ 25.00. They bought a bicycle for $25.00 in a small shop in Beijng. *He was warned not to drink water even in a restaurant which had not been boiled. He was warned not to drink water which had not been boiled. To make his message clear, the writer must present it in well-constructed sentences and paragraphs, and include necessary transitional words or expressions to link them up. (2) Conciseness 简洁 In an effective business letter, every word, sentence and paragraph count. In other words, your letter should be concise, excluding unnecessary words and complicated business jargons. A wordy letter will waste time on both sides. If necessary, however, conciseness might be sacrificed for courtesy. ◆Shorten wordy expressions. *We have begun to export our machine to countries abroad. We have begun to export our machines. ◆Use words to replace phrase or clause. *In the event that you speak to Mr. Wood in regard to production, ask him to give consideration to the delivery schedule. If you speak to Mr. Wood about production, ask him to consider the delivery schedule. *We require furniture which is of the new type. We require new type furniture. 2 (3) Courtesy 谦恭有礼 The principle of courtesy requires one to be thoughtful and polite in writing a business letter. If you put yourself in the reader’s shoes, considering his or her needs, problems and emotions, your letter will most probably be appreciated. Normally, punctuality is stressed as an important aspect of courtesy in business correspondence. A prompt letter is always more valued than a delayed one. Compare: *Your letter is not clear at all. I can’t understand it. If I understand your letter correctly… (tactful) Avoid irritating, offensive or belittling statements; if an apology is in order, make it gracious. For best results, and also as a matter of courtesy, answer letters promptly. (4) Correctness 正确 It goes without saying that the business letter should be linguistically correct. Incorrect grammar, improper punctuation, and wrong spelling are not allowed. Besides, the letter should be written in an appropriate style and format. Evidently, a company will leave a very favorable impression on its customers and work with high efficiency if all its business letters are clear, concise, courteous, complete and correct. Errors often occurred in business writing: *With pronouns. Our competitors were more successful than ours (us). *With adjective. The two first (first two) items are not available. *With article. We are interested in same (the same). *With verbs. Neither of the offers are (is) acceptable. It is one of the machines that were (was) delivered last week. A block of flats are (is) being built. *With adverbs. We had quite a (a quite) successful meeting. *With conjunctions. He not only built (built not only) houses, but also flats. *With participles. While studying the report, the telephone rang. (Insert ‘I was’ between ‘while’ and ‘studying’) Special attention should also be paid to names of article, specifications, quantity, figures, units, etc. (5) Completeness 完整 Like any other letter, a good business letter should be complete, providing all the information and data necessary for a specific issue. If any necessary piece of information is lacking, the reader will have to ask you for clarification, which means that you will have to write another letter. It will not only waste time, energy and money, but also damage the image of your company. 3 II. The Structure of a Business Letter 外贸函电结构 While writing a business letter, you need to follow the conventional, established format. Normally, a business letter, like a formal personal letter, contains the heading, the inside address, the salutation, the body, the closing, and the signature, etc.. Occasionally, a letter may also include special notations. Look at the form of a business letter: 1. Letterhead 信纸头衔 2. Date Line 日期 3. Inside Address 封内地址 (收件人姓名、地址) 4. Attention Line 注意事项 (Special Address 特定收信人) 5. Salutation 称谓 6. Subject Line 事由, 主题 7. Body 本文 8. Complimentary Close 结束语 9. Signature 签名 10. Reference Initials 识别记号 11. Carbon Copy Notation 抄送 12. Enclosure Notation 附件符 13. Mailing and Classification Notation 邮件分类符 14. Postscript 附笔 4 1. Heading (Letter-head) 信纸头衔 As we learned, the heading is often omitted in an informal personal letter, but is typed or hand-written in a formal personal letter. The heading of a business letter is like that of a formal personal letter. It normally consists of the letterhead and the date line. The letterhead, different from that of a personal letter, is professionally designed and printed on the stationery of most companies not merely to save the writer some time, but also to convey a favorable image of the company concerned. The letterhead contains the name of the company, printed in big letters, plus the full address of the company, typed in small letters. Many letterheads also include the telephone number, the fax number, and the e-mail address of the company. Look at page 4. e.g. Fujito Enterprises Co. 3173 kashiwara Minami-ku, Fuluoka City, Japan, 7815 Tel: (81) 44-8448022 Fax: (81) 44-8448017 2. Date Line 日期 Look at Page 4 The date line is an obligatory component of a letter since it is the most convenient way of providing a reference to your letter. As the date given in the date line specifies when a letter is written, it is possibly the easiest way to identify the letter. The date is usually placed two lines below the last line of the letter-head. It is usual to show the date in the order day/month/year (English practice) or month/day/year (American practice). In American way, a comma must be used between the day and the year. For the day, either cardinal numbers or ordinal numbers can be used. e.g. 29 July 2008 (English practice) July 29, 2008 (American practice) The date line is just below the letterhead. The date may be written on the left, in center, or on the right. Look at the following examples. Sample 1 Ye De Industrial Corporation 6 Jiefang RD. (S), Dezhou Shandong Prov. 253006 China Tel: 086534-2641318 Fax: 086534-2641317 E-mail: sale@yeda.com.cn January 14, 2008 Sample 2 Rabo Robeco Bank (Switzerland) Ltd 16 chemin des Coquelicots, Case Postal, CH-1212 Geneva 15, Switzerland Fax: (41) 22-341-1392 4 May, 2008 Sample 3 LUTZER PRESSER 43 Hinhede Walk #07-01 Southaven 1 Singapore 587973 July 21, 2008 5 3. The Inside Address 封内地址 As we know, the inside address, that is, the receiver’s address, is normally omitted in an informal personal letter, but written beneath the heading, flush at the left, in a formal personal letter. The inside address of a business letter is like that of a formal personal letter. It directs to a certain company, a particular department of the company or an individual, and it normally includes the name of the receiver, the street address, the name of the city and the postal code. If the letter is sent to another country, the name of the country must be written. Make sure that the inside address is identical with the address on the envelope. Normally, titles of the receivers, such as “Mr.”, “Ms.”, “Mrs.”, “Miss”, “Messrs” and “Mmes”, are used for the sake of courtesy. Nowadays, concealing the marital status of a woman, “Ms.” tends to be more frequently used than “Mrs.” and “Miss”. The inside address often includes the receiver’s job title, such as “Manager”, “CEO” (Chief Executive Officer), or “Present”. On the stationery, the inside address is usually typed flush at the left below the heading. For example: 69 Yutuo Road Lhasa, Tibet 85100 People’s Republic of China 28 February 2008 Mr. Henry Jones Asian Institute of Management 123 Paseo de Roxas, Legaspi Village 1260 Makati City Philippines The Philippines Look at Page 5. e.g. Messrs. J. Harvey & Co. English address may have the following parts: Name of house Number of house and name of street Name of city or town Country or state and its postcode Name of country Here is an example: The eagle hall 24 south bank Birmingham Alabama USA 6 4. The Attention Line 注意事项 (Special Address 特定收信人) An “attention line” is considered as a part of the inside address and it directs the letter to a particular member or department of the organization addressed. It is usually between the inside address and the salutation or above the inside address, underlined, and centered: Look at Page 5. e.g. Attention: Mr. T. C. Wong Attention of Mr. Stanley For the attention of Mr. Donald, sales manager 5. The Salutation 称谓 The salutation in a business letter, like that in a personal letter, performs the same function as the greeting “Hello” when you meet the person. In form, the salutation begins the letter. Such as “Dear Mr. Jones”, “Dear Ms. Davis”, “Dear Mrs. Schommer”. If you have a close relationship with the receiver, you can use his or her first name such as “Dear Claire” or “Dear Bill”. For example: Mr. Henry Jones Asian Institute of Management 123 Paseo de Roxas, Legaspi Village 1260 Makati City Philippines The Philippines Dear Mr. Jones/Dear Henry, If you do not know the name and the gender of the receiver, you may use “Dear Sir or Madam”. In a letter that is reproduced and sent to many persons such as a promotion letter, you can write “Gentlemen”, “Dear Sir/Madam”, “Dear User”, “Dear Reader”, or “Dear Customers”. When you write to a company and hope the letter will be delivered to a particular person or department, you can use the attention line. In this case, you should not write a person’s name in the inside address. The attention is normally typed between the inside address and the salutation, as shown in the following example: Zaozhuang Oriental Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. 89 Qingtan Road, Zaozhuang Tex: 086632-3394455 Shandong 277101 China Fax: 086632-3394466 April 3, 2007 Cargolux Airlines International S.A. Units 615-616, North Tower Concordial Plaza, 1 Science Museum Tsimshatsul East Kowloo, Hong Kong Attention: Marketing Manager Dear Sir/Madam, 7 6. The Subject Line 事由 Look at Page 6~7. The subject heading is regarded as a part of the body of a business letter. It enables the reader to identify the topic of the letter at a single glance. Because of this, it facilitates effective communication. Usually it is typed two line-spacing below the salutation, underlined, to call attention to what content the letter is about. e.g. Dear Mr. Steven Your order No.456 Dear Sirs Printed cotton piece goods (印花棉布匹) Dear Sirs Subject: New product catalogue 7. The Body of the Letter 正文 The body is the most important part of a business letter. It contains the message you want to pass to your reader. While writing the body of the letter, you should follow a few basic principles: ● Strong opening (开门见山), write clearly and to the point; ● Be sincere, polite, and thoughtful; ● Confining each paragraph to one topic; ● Use an appropriate tone and style; ● Write naturally and avoid jargons; ● Make sure you make no grammatical mistakes and typing correctly. Normally, the first paragraph discusses any previous communication or introduces the issue you are going to write about. Besides, it intends to establish or deepen a friendly relationship with the receiver. (Opening Paragraph/Beginning) (1) Thank you for your letter of December 12, 2006 (2) We are pleased to receive your letter dated 3 January, 2007. (3) It is our pleasure to inform you that…. (4) Please be informed that… The middle section of the body is where you provide the most important information. Here, you should demonstrate all the facts that the receiver needs to know, or supply reasons for which a business transaction is conducted, etc. In this part, the ideas must be logically presented in one or more paragraphs. This section normally ends with a statement that the receiver should take an action or what action the writer may take. (Transitional Paragraph/Purpose) The body of the business letter often ends with a simple paragraph that consists of one or two simple sentences. The following are among the most frequently used ones. (Closing Paragraph/Ending) (1) We look forward to hearing from you. (2) If we can be of further help, please do not hesitate to contact us. (3) Once again, we thank you for your kind cooperation. (4) We apologize again for the mistake. 8 8.The Complimentary Close 结束语 The complimentary closing is a courteous way of bringing a letter to an end. It must agree in tone with the salutation. If you use the formal salutation like “Gentlemen” or “Dear Sirs”, you should use a formal complimentary closing such as “Yours very truly”. If your salutation is “Dear Mr. Jones” or “Dear Mr. Parks”, you had better use a semi-formal closing such as “Sincerely yours”. When only the first name of the receiver is used in the salutation, like “Dear Kate”, or “Dear Adam”, you need to use an informal closing such as “Yours”. For example: Formal Semi-formal Informal Salutation Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Mr./Mrs./Miss×× Dear Linda, Complimentary Close Very truly yours, Yours very truly, Very sincerely Yours, Very cordially yours, Sincerely yours, Cordially sincerely, Yours sincerely, Sincerely, Cordially, Yours truly, Yours, Normally, the formal and semi-formal closings are used interchangeably. “Yours sincerely” and “Sincerely yours” are preferred by many people. If you write to a superior in a formal letter, you should use “Yours respectfully” or “Respectfully yours” as a complementary closing. 9.The Signature 签名 Signing your name is a very important way of personalizing a business letter. You should sign your name in full and intelligible scrip. Normally, your signature is followed by your typed name and job title. For example: Very sincerely, Chief Executive Officer Kate Rogers (Signature) Kate Rogers Yours sincerely, Graeme Sparks (Signature) Graeme Sparks Look at page 8 9 10. Special Notations 特殊符号 The business letter may contain one or more special notations, which contain useful data. There are five kinds of special notations: (1) reference initials; (2) carbon copy notations; (3) enclosure notations; (4) mailing and classification notations; and (5) postscripts. (1) The Reference Initials 识别记号 In business transactions, the person who signs the letter, or writes the letter may not be the one who types it. In this case, reference initials may be used. The signer’s initials come first, in all capital letters, followed by a slash or colon and then the typist’s initials in capital letters or lowercase letters. These initials are typed at the left bottom below the signature. For instance, if the letter is written and signed by Martha Rogers, the Chief Executive Officer, and typed by her secretary Linda White, the reference initials will be like this: Yours sincerely, Martha Roger Chief Executive Officer MR/lw The reference initials may also be typed as “MR:lw” or “MR/LW”. If the signer is Tony Ducket, the writer Jerry Brawner, and the typist Holly Nguyen, the reference initials will be “TD/jb/hn” or “TD:jb:hn”. (2) The Carbon Copy Notation 副本(抄送) From time to time, it is necessary to send a copy of the letter to people or departments other than the receiver. In this case, the carbon copy notation is used to indicate to whom the copy is sent. The initials of “carbon copy” in capital letters or in lowercase letters followed by a colon is used and typed below the enclosure notation (if any) at the left bottom. For example: CC: Mrs. Cynthia Stech Mr. Larry Bumpass cc: Human Resources Department cc: Mr. Robin Waldergrave 10 (3) The Enclosure Notation 附件符 The enclosure notation is used to remind the reader that some material besides the letter itself is enclosed in the envelope. It may be shorted as “Enc.” or “Encl.”. If two or more things are enclosed, you may indicate precisely what they are. The enclosure notation is normally placed below reference initials. Enclosure Enc. Encl. Enclosures (3) Enclosures: Contract Map of the factory Catalogue of products (4) The Mailing and Classification Notation 邮件分类符 Occasionally, a business letter could be about a critical issue and the writer does not want anyone other than the receiver to read it. In this case, the writer may write “Confidential” beneath the date line. If a business letter requires special treatment by the post office, the words “Registered” or “Special delivery” may be written both on the stationery and the envelope. “Registered” can be written either beneath the dateline or beneath the reference initials. For example: April 1, 2007 Confidential Registered RS: js Encl. Registered (5) The Postscript 附笔 If you want to add something after finishing the letter or to bring something to the attention of the receiver, you may use a postscript. Normally, a postscript is indicated by “P.S.” one space beneath the notation if any. LT/wt/po CC: Mr. George Stem P.S. We will increase the price of the portable recorder from $123 to $ 145 in June. 11 The following is an example with all those special notations: Tianjin Red Sun Industrial Co., Ltd. 47 Dongma Road, Nankai District Tianjin 300090 China E-mail: redsun@chinapages.com Tel: +86-22-27250987 Fax: +86-22-27250988 4 March, 2007 Jane Williams Purchasing Manager Cezanne Appliance Manufacturer Rombliere 73602 Moutiers, France Dear Mr. Williams, I am glad to tell you that we have found another potential user. A customer of Shenyang, Liaoning Province would like to try your heat exchanger. If this customer is satisfied with the product, it could help us to penetrate into the big market in Northeast China, a highly important industrial base in this country. As you know, Japanese and American heat exchangers are very competitive, both in quality and in price. This customer offers us a good opportunity by agreeing to use your product on a trial basis, as a result of my special effort. If possible, please supply three free heat exchangers, according to the specification indicated in the form enclosed. I am looking forward to your reply. Yours sincerely, Wei Chengli (Signature) Wei Chengli International Business Manager WC/qy CC: Mr. Feng Weixing Encl. Registered P.S. Mr. Gao You is going to visit your company next month. 12 III. The Layout of a Business Letter 外贸函电的格式 In current use there are two main patterns of layout in a business letter: the traditional indented style (缩进式,空格式) and the modern blocked style (垂直式, 齐头式). The traditional indented style following traditional British practice takes in the first line of each paragraph in the body of the letter, five spaces for pica and six for elite type. The blocked style is quite common now because it is efficient, saving a certain amount of typing time. In the blocked style all typing lines including the date, inside name and address, the salutation, subject heading, complimentary close, and the writer’s designation or the title of office all should begin at the left-hand typing margin. And one line-spacing between paragraphs is recommended to give a letter clear appearance. Business letters with the blocked style form, along with open punctuation or mixed punctuation, are paragraphed by equal line spaces. For open punctuation pattern, the end of the date line, the inside address line, the salutation, the complimentary close and the signature block lines are unpunctuated, but comma is necessary between the day and year in the date line. While the mixed punctuation pattern requires an absence of punctuation marks from the date line, the inside address lines and the signature block lines except a colon or comma after the salutation, the complimentary close. Look at Page 9~10~11. 13 Briefly in Chinese,商业书信有以下各型式: ■ Block Style (齐头式) 除了 Letterhead (信纸头衔)已印刷于公司专用信纸的中央顶端,其他各项 则集中于信纸的左端。 ■ Indented Style (缩入式) Inside Address、Signature ,乃至本文之中的各个段落的起头处,都向内缩入。 ■ Modified Block Style (折衷式) Inside Address、Body、Stenograph Reference、Enclosure 等都列于左端,Date、 Complimentary Close、Signature 则靠右。 ■ Modified Block Style with Indented Paragraphs (折衷、段落缩入式) 本文中的各段落起头处向内缩,其余部分与 Modified Block Style 相同。 另外,商业书信的标点还分为 Open Punctuation 及 Closed Punctuation 两 种 。 Open Punctuation 就 是 Inside Address 的 各 行 末 , 以 及 Salutation , Complimentary Close 之后都不加任何标点。而 Closed Punctuation 则是在 Inside Address 的各行末加 Comma 逗点,最后一行末加 Period 句号。此外,Salutation 之后也加 Comma 逗点或 Colon 冒号,Complimentary Close 之后要打上 Comma 逗点。再者就是折衷以上的两种 Punctuation,将 Inside Address 打成 Open,将 Salutation 及 Complimentary Close 打成 Closed 的 Mixed Punctuation 型式。 综合以上的 Style 及 Punctuation,归纳出商业书信可以下列的四种形式书写: (1) Block Style, Open Punctuation (2) Indented Style, Closed Punctuation (3) Modified Block Style, Mixed Punctuation (4) Modified Block Style with Indented Paragraphs, Mixed Punctuation (Commonly used) 14 IV. Envelope Addressing 信封地址 Look at Page 12 Many companies use professionally designed envelops with the return address printed at the left top. The envelop helps to convey the image of a company. If you use such an envelope, you should just add your name above the return address. If you use a plain envelope, you need to write your name and address at the left top. Use single space and block style. The receiver’s name and address are always placed in the center of the envelope. You must make sure that they are identical with the inside address on the stationery. The stamp should be attached at the right top, and the mail classification beneath the stamp. Basically, the addressing of the envelope for a business letter is the same as that for a personal letter. Occasionally, attention is typed on the envelope of a business letter. Below are two samples: Sample 1 Li Xiangnan, General Manager Snow Air-Conditioner Co., Ltd. STAMP 6 South Shengli Road, Yongchuan Sichuan Province 632160 China Registered Mr.David Parks Investment Director Powermaster Tools Corporation 3 Winnall Manor Road Winnall, Wicherter Hampshire SO98 4HJ U.K. Sample 2 William Jones 26 Cowpepper Road, Jericho Oxford OX2 6DP England STAMP Sales Manager China National Pearl, Diamond, and Gem Import and Export Corporation 30 North Dongdan Street Beijing 100020 P.R. China By Air 15 V. Fax 传真 Look at Page 13 As ordinary business letters often takes a long time to reach the receivers, many firms resort to fax or e-mail daily communication to enhance their efficiency. A fax cover-sheet is the page you send with details of the sender and the recipient and what the fax is about. Apart from the layout, a fax is like a letter, and the style you use depends on the purpose of the fax. For example, faxes which are sent within companies, or faxes between people who have built up a close bushiness relationship are likely to be quite informal. However, if you are contacting someone for the first time, you can use the same style as a formal letter. Most businesses use pre-printed fax cover-sheets. Here is an example of an informal fax from one business associate to another. BK Computers 12D Elgin Street Industrial Estate Maidstone, Kent MD34 6BN Tel: (01) 622-7279020 Fax: (01) 622-2324431 FAX To: Adrian Alexander From: Alan Simpson Re: Office supplies cc: Hi Larry Fax: (01) 14-2267887 Date: 30 July 2008 Page: 3 It was good to see you at the trade fair in Frankfurt last week. We made some interesting contacts which I am following up at the moment. As promised, I am sending you details of our new range of office supplies. Just let me know if you need any more information. I’m sure I’ll see you in September in Toronto. Kind regards Alan 16 VI. E-mail 电子邮件 Look at Page 14 With the rapid development of the internet, e-mail is increasingly used in business transactions. Compared with the traditional business letter, e-mail is much more efficient and economical. An e-mail message sent from one of them can reach another in seconds, while a business letter may take days or even longer. In addition, it saves money for paper and postage. In practice, e-mail is bringing about efficiency revolution in business. However, the e-mail message used in business is a variation of the business letter. The main parts of an e-mail message are roughly the same as those of a business letter. To be specific, the salutation, the body of the letter, the complimentary close, and the identification of the writer are the same. What is special about the e-mail is its address. Look at the samples: (Situation: East Asia Semi-Conductor Ltd. is not capable of providing what a Canadian manufacturer requires. Now Henry Lager, Marketing Assistant of East Asia Semi-Conductor Limited sends to the latter a message as below: ) Sample 1 Receiver: mrogers@Lmail.cencol.on.ca CC: hlager@online.sh.cn Subject: Re: Parts Requested Date: Attachment: Dear Mrs. Martha Rogers, I do understand the difficult situation. However, we have a couple of reasons why we are unable to provide the requested parts at this time: (1) Our capacity is very limited at the moment; (2) We do not have any raw material in stock. We will, however, keep on checking our abilities to provide the parts and inform you as soon as possible in case such an opportunity arises. Looking forward to your comments. Yours sincerely, East Asia Semi-Conductor Ltd. Henry Lager, Marketing Assistant P.S. Our Marketing Manager will contact you when he comes back from Finland. 17 (Situation: Elisa Huang, Secretary of Shanghai Hua Dong Micro-Electronic Ltd., sends a message to Liu Xiaohua, a clerk of Wela Service Corporation, asking her to book a hotel room. The message reads as follows :) Sample 2 Subject: Shangri-La Date: Wed, 29 March 2007 13 : 13 From: Elisah@huangdong.com To: Xiaohualiu@wela.chinapages.com CC: Guhong@guomai.sh.cn Dear Sir, We would be obliged if you would arrange the hotel accommodation for Mr. William Ghost on July 15, 2007 at Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai. Kindly note the price should be USD 90 + 15% and a good view. Please advise us of your confirmation before tomorrow. Thanks and best regards. Very truly yours, Shanghai Hua Dong Micro-electronic Ltd. Elisa Huang Secretary Notice that the date in e-mail message is omitted because the computer will indicate the time and the date automatically. As the e-mail address is not sufficient to identify the writer, the name of the writer’s company, and the name of the writer are written at the end of the e-mail message. 18 VII. The Tendency of Business Letter-writing 书写外贸函电的趋向 Now it has given way to more modern approach to write a business letter, which is direct and concise. American business people consider that the spoken style used in business letters produces a friendly atmosphere. But English business people are more reserved and more dignified. However, it is noted that the style of modern business letters tends to be something like a piece of conversation by post. The language used can be formal or informal according to the relevant situation. Whether in British style or in America style, conventions of wording, punctuation, sentence structure and grammar must be observed. Otherwise it will distract the reader’s attention and lose the reader’s respect and confidence. Because a business letter is a message of goodwill and a representative of the firm in which the writer is working. Its style and appearance must be in keeping with this function. And it must have a quite dignity and personality. VIII. The Way to Master Business Letter-writing Skills 掌握外贸函电书写技巧的方法 As is know, a large part of international business is conducted by means of correspondence, therefore it is very important for the person involved in the international business to learn how to write good business letters that express his ideas accurately and clearly to enable readers to understand easily. As textile and garment business correspondence always relates to textile and garment business in the field of international trade, it requires specialized knowledge to handle. The ability of writing good business letters can be cultivated through study and practice. Whether there is an opportunity, one should practice writing and make amendment till to meet his intended objectives. Then he will improve his writing skills greatly. 19