商务英语信函的写作原则与技巧英文版毕业论文

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1、黑龙江科技学院毕业论文论文题目(Topic): The writing principles and techniques of Business English letters 作者(Writer): 宋国华 学号(Number): 33 班级(Class) 09 商务英语 指导教师(Tutor): 吴春蕾 2012年 6月 18 日摘 要随着全球经济的发展及我国对外贸易的不断扩大， 商务英语信函在国际贸易中的地位也越发重要。商务英语信函是国际贸易双方进行书面商务信息沟通的重要手段,其撰写的成功与否对企业的业务有着极其重要的影响。商务英语信函的写作是有规律可循的,即应遵循一定的写作原则和采用

2、一些写作技巧,以使商务信函表意准确,语言流畅,更易于贸易双方的沟通与理解。关键词: 商务英语信函；写作原则；写作技巧 Abstract With the development of the globe economic and the continuous enlargement of our foreign trade, business English letters become increasingly important in the international trade. Business English letters are the major means of writt

3、en communication between two parties in the international trade, and their writing is very important to the business of the enterprise. Fortunately, some writing principles and techniques can be used. In order to make the business letters accurate, verbal fluency, easier communication and understand

4、ing for the trading parties, we should follow certain writing principles and use some writing techniques.Key words: Business English letters; writing principles; writing techniquesContents中文摘要 Abstract 1. Basic parts of a Business English letter . 12. The writing principles of Business English lette

5、rs 3 2.1 Conciseness 3 2.2 Clarity 3 2.3 Completeness . 3 2.4 Concreteness . 4 2.5 Courtesy 4 2.6 Correctness 5 2.7 Consideration 53. The writing techniques of Business English letters 6 3.1 Simple words best 6 3.2 Adopt the right tone 6 3.3 Note the use of jargon . 6 3.4 Use active voice rather tha

6、n passive voice . 6 3.5 Vary sentence length 7 3.6 Have suitable paragraphs length 7 3.7 Pay attention to first and last impressions 7 3.8 Check your letters 7Conclusions . 8致谢 . . 9参考文献 10目 录摘要 Abstract 一、 商务英语信函的基本构成 1二、 商务英语信函的写作原则 3(一) 简洁原则 3(二) 清晰原则 3(三) 完整原则 3(四) 具体原则 4(五) 礼貌原则 4(六) 准确原则 5(七)

7、体谅原则 5三、 商务英语信函的写作技巧 6(一) 简单的词，效果最好 6(二) 采用恰当的语气 6(三) 注意专业术语的使用 6(四) 多使用主动语态 6(五) 变换句子的长度 7(六) 善于规划段落长度 7(七) 注意第一印象 7(八) 检查信函 7小结 8致谢 9参考文献 10 The writing principles and techniques of Business English letters 1. Basic parts of a Business English letter Most business letters have 7 standard parts. Th

8、ey are: letterhead, date, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary close, and signature. We appropriate, any of the following optional parts can be included: attention, subject, enclosure, postscript.1.1 Letterhead The letterhead expresses a firms personality and is generally printed on the f

9、irms stationery. It helps to form the impression of the writers firm. Styles vary considerably, but they all give similar information, usually containing all or some of the following elements: the companys name and address, postcode, telephone number, fax number, e-mail address, even web address. Th

10、ey may be positioned in the center, or at the left margin for the block style, or flush at the right margin for the style.1.2 DateBusiness letters should have the correct date typed under the letterhead. The date should be typed or written in full, not in abbreviated form since the date records when

11、 the letter is written and may serve as an important reference. It is usual to show the date in the order of date /month/ year/ (British practice), or month / day / year. (American practice).Regarding the date line, pat attention to the following points:A. Year should be typed in full. Avoid abbrevi

12、ation. For example, 2003 cannot be replaced by 03.B. Month is preferably spelled out in letters, to avoid confusion. For example, 12/11 can be November 12 or December 11.C. Day either cardinal number or ordinal numbers can be used. So the recommended forms for the date are as followings: October 25,

13、 2011 or 25 October, 2011.1.3 Inside address The inside address consists of the name and the complete address of the receiver. We include the address in the letter although it already appears on the envelope because the envelope is usually thrown away. Then the letter itself, which is to be kept on

14、file, can indicate for whom the massage was intended. It is usually placed two spaces below the date line, aligned with the left margin. If the letter is address to a group, the inside address includes only the address and the group name. If it is to a person, use either a courtesy title or a profes

15、sional title. Care should be taken to address the recipient as exactly as it appears on the envelope of the letter.1.4 Salutation Salutation is the complimentary greeting with which every letter begins. Salutation can be followed by a comma or a colon. Colon is formal in American business letters, c

16、omma in British. Be sure to salute to the correct addressee appearing in your inside address or in the attention line. The customary formal greeting in a business letter is “Dear Sir(s), Dear Madam (s), Dear Ms” or an official title like “President or Doctor”. If the receiver is known to the writer

17、personally, a less formal and warmer greeting is used: “Dear Mr White, Dear Ms John”.1.5 Body Body is the most important part of a letter since it contains the actual message. The body of the letter deserves special attention no matter how brief it may be. It is advisable to bear the following princ

18、iples of “7Cs” in mind when writing this core part. Then careful planning and logical arrangement are needed for the paragraphs. A typical 3-paragraph letter would like the following: The opening paragraph introduces the letter. Keep the first sentence short and easy to understand and keep the openi

19、ng paragraph short, probably no more than two or three lines. A short opening paragraph is easier to read, and it does not intimidate the reader. The middle paragraph supports the first paragraph and provides more information. Here, try to bring in your involvement or what service or information you

20、 can offer.The closing paragraph is the summary of the letter; it stresses the action that you want to the reader to take; it states exactly what you want the reader to do, and it leaves the impression of the courtesy. Like any goodbye, jog the readers memory if there is something that you want the

21、reader to do, but keep the closing short and friendly.1.6 Complimentary close The complimentary close is simply a polite way to end a letter. The expression for the complimentary close should match the salutation. It appears in the middle of the page and two lines below the closing sentence for inde

22、nted layout while it starts at the left- hand margin for fully blocked letters. Only the initial letter in the first word of any complimentary close is capitalized.1.7 SignatureThe signature is the signed name or seal of the writer. It is generally put two lines below the complimentary close. It sho

23、uld be signed by hand and in ink. Under the handwritten signature, the signers name and his or her position are usually followed. 2. The writing principles of Business English lettersBusiness English letters play an important role in the development of goodwill and friendly trade relationship. They

24、should be friendly and courteous, easy to read and easy to understand. In writing a business letter, there are certain principles for you to follow. Called “7Cs”, they are: conciseness, clarity, completeness, concreteness, courtesy, correctness and consideration.2.1 ConcisenessConciseness means to w

25、rite the fewest possible words without sacrificing completeness and courtesy. A concise business English letter saves time and expense for both sender and receiver. Conciseness contributes to emphasis. By eliminating unnecessary words, you help make important ideas stand out. To achieve conciseness,

26、 try to observe the following suggestions： 2.1.1 Shorten or Omit Words or Expressions As few words as possible should be used to give complete and clear meanings. The expression of the long-winded plays no role in the sentence. For example, “at the present time”, we can use now to express the same m

27、eaning .As is clearly the latter better reflect the principle of conciseness.2.1.2 Avoid Unnecessary Repetition Sometimes repetition is necessary for emphasis. But if the same thing is said several times without reason, the Business English letter becomes boring. For example , “Will you ship us any

28、time during the month of December，or even November if you are rushed，for November would suit us just as well.” In this sentence, what the writer want to express is the reader can ship by the end of November shipment, so we put the sentences into Please ship us by the end of November, that will be ab

29、le to clearly express the writer s intention, and not have to constantly repeat.2.2 Clarity Clarity means your purpose and the words are clear to your readers so that the reader will not misunderstand what you are trying to convey. Clarity is the most important principle of English Business Letter W

30、riting. A business letter is effective only when it communicates the necessary ideas to its readers with clarity. Be certain about what you wish to say, express it in plain, simple words, and present it in well-constructed sentences and paragraphs, if necessary, in tables or graphs. Avoid ambiguity

31、and expressions that are liable to misunderstand. Accurate, straight-forward, and simple English is preferred in business letters.2.3 CompletenessCompleteness means your message contains all facts that the receiver needs for the reaction you desire, so Business English letters are complete when they

32、 contain all the necessary information. The letters were sent before audit expression information integrity is the most basic requirement. Keeping the following guidelines in mind will help you achieve completeness:2.3.1 Make all point detailed Evidence must be precisely stated .The significance of

33、the facts in relation to the problem must be shown. The treatment of each section of the article must be complete or the reader may misunderstand that particular sections. The analysis is a basis for the conclusions, and the conclusions are a basis for the recommendations. 2.3.2 Answer all questions

34、 asked If you need to reply to an inquiry containing one or more questions, answer all questions clearly stated and implied. If you have no information on a particular question, you must say so clearly, instead of omitting an answer. If you have unfavorable information in answer one or more question

35、s, handle our reply tactfully.2.4 Concreteness Concreteness means being specific, definite, and vivid rather than vague and general. Concreteness is always stressed, especially for business letters calling for a specific reply, such as trade terms, shipment, packaging, specifications and characters

36、of goods, figures and dates.The following guidelines can help us write concretely: Use specific facts and figures, Put action in verbs, Prefer active voice to passive voice, Choose vivid, image-building words, Pay attention to word order, Putting modifiers in right place.For example, Poor: Please se

37、nd your proposal to us as soon as possible. Better: Please send your proposal to us before October 10. 2.5 Courtesy Courtesy is not merely politeness with mechanical insertions of “please” and “thank you”. Rather, true courtesy needs to use tactful tone and respectful expression to show the honest a

38、ttitude, and sincere politeness.Answer letters promptly, for punctuality will please your recipient who hates waiting for days for a reply.Adopt the right tone in the writing. Before you begin to write, think carefully about the way in which you want to influence your customer, and then express your

39、self accordingly, being persuasive, firm, or apologetic.Avoid courtesy blunders in your letters. Discrepancy often occurs in business, but it should be handled and settled with diplomacy and tact without ill with on either side. Never show your anger in a business letter. Avoid suspicion, accusation

40、 and talking down. Never use irritating, offensive and belittling statements. For example,Poor: We are sorry you have misunderstood us.Better: We are sorry we did not make ourselves understood clearly. 2.6 Correctness The term correctness, in addition to proper grammar, punctuation and spelling, als

41、o means appropriate tone and accuracy of information. Using the right level of language can help convey the real message without causing offence even if it is a letter of complaint or an answer to such a letter. For example, “Ill, were” seems too colloquial and no formal, we should change it as “I w

42、ill, we are” in business letters. Accurate information is of primary concern to business writers since business letters involve the rights, the duties, and the interest of both parties. Accurate figures and exact terms are particularly important as they are the basis of all kind of business document

43、s. Therefore, we should neither overstate nor understate, because overstatement might throw you in an awkward position while understatement would lead to less confidence and hold up trade development.2.7 Consideration The interrelationship between the sender and the receiver profoundly affects commu

44、nicative effectiveness. Consideration means the writer prepares the writing with the reader in mind and tries to put yourself in his or her place. To indicate you are considerate, you can use the followings:2.7.1 Focus on “You” Instead of “I” and “We” Your readers are usually more concerned about th

45、emselves than about you. They are more interested in your writing when they see the pronoun “you” rather than “I, we”. Try to give the consideration to the receivers wishes, demands, interest and difficulties by adopting their viewpoint. For example,Poor: I am happy to tell you Better: You will be h

46、appy to know 2.7.2 Use “Positive sentence” instead of “Negative sentence” Usually, negation tends to sound critical of the reader and disappointed on the part of the writer, while positivism sounds encouraging to both parties. It would serve the function of effective communication if we sometimes tu

47、rn negative messages into positive ones. Compare the following:Poor: We hope you wont be dissatisfied with the new range of our electric products. Better: We are sure you will be satisfied with the new range of our electric products.3. The writing techniques of Business English letters Business lett

48、ers are letters written between one firm and another to convey and exchange information, news, ideas or opinions. But a business letter is effective only if it reflects in the mind of the receiver a true image of the thought conveyed by the writer. We should be skilled in using some writing skills e

49、xcept certain writing principles. The following guidelines will help us write effectively:3.1 Simple words bestMore simple and common words, less lengthy and uncommon words, in order to reduce misunderstandings. And the readers can quickly understand the meaning what you want to express. For example

50、, “never” instead of “under the no circumstances”, “as you requested” instead of “as per your requested”, “expedite” “speed up” instead.3.2 Adopt the right toneIf a business letter is t achieve its purpose, its tone must be right. Before beginning to write think carefully about the way in which you

51、want to influence your reader. Ask yourself, “What do I want this letter to do?” and then express yourself accordingly, being persuasive, apologetic, obliging, firm and so on, depending on the effect you want to produce. As we all know, people would like to hear that something could be done and what

52、 they could get.3.3 Note the use of jargonThe frequent use of the jargon and acronyms is a major feature of the English Business Letter Writing. In order to avoid resulting in serious losses, we should be skilled in using the terms. There are many Business English terminologies. For example, insuran

53、ce policy, premium, letter of credit or L / C, CIF, FOB, container, bill of lading.3.4 Use active voice rather than passive voice Generally, active voice produces a more concise and powerful sentence than passive voice. An active construction immediately identifies the sentences subject so readers c

54、an quickly understand and visualize who is doing what. Because of this clarity, the active voice is almost the best choice in composing documents that are intended primarily to exchange information, such as foreign trade letters and memos.In business writing, the passive sentence is usually used to

55、state something unpleasant or something that has been done improperly by the reader to make the writing more objective and courteous. For example, Poor: Your letter of June 12 was received by us today. Better: We received your letter of June 12 today.3.5 Vary sentence length Short sentences lead to

56、clear meaning and easy understanding, but overlong sentences may obscure the intention with too much information and being confusing. However, a series of short sentences may seem boring. It works better to vary. The average sentence length is about 15-18 words. This is the best length the reader to

57、 understand quickly the meaning. Therefore, we had better use long sentences and short sentences interchangeably so that we can give a deep impression on the readers.3.6 Have suitable paragraphs length The opening paragraph and the concluding paragraph length should not exceed 3-4 lines. If an openi

58、ng paragraph is too long, it can make the readers feel tired and do not want to take the time to read on. A concluding paragraph should be also concise, clearly and completely expresses what you mean. In addition, the body paragraph should be no more than eight lines. In business writing, it is suit

59、able for paragraphs to contain 7-8 lines. If a paragraph is too long, it may make the main idea unclear and lead to a loose structure. If a paragraph is too short, your reader may be impressed that your topic is not adequately supported. 3.7 Pay attention to first and last impressionsThe letters you

60、 send out must create good first and last impressions. To achieve this, “put yourself in your readers shoes” and try to image how he will feel about what you write. Avoid old-fashioned phrases, such as “We are in receipt of your letter” “We have for achnowledgement your letter” Although they are grammatically correct, they tend to be dull. Avoid the kind of ending introduced by a participle. Thanking you in anticipat