Chapter One An Introduction to Foreign Trade Correspondence （外贸函电写作介绍）

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 主要内容 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5

Objectives be familiar with the layout of business letters. know the formats of business letters. know how to address the envelope.

Warming-up Questions An Overview of Foreign Trade Correspondence 1 What is the structure of an English letter? Name the ways of communication you know

Telex Telegram Telephone Ways of communication Letter Fax E-mail

Broadly speaking, the functions of trade correspondence letters may be said to be: to deal with matters concerning business to make or to accept an offer to ask for or to convey information

A good trade correspondence letter is very essential and important for a businessman. While doing a business, it usually includes establishing business relations, inquires, offers, counteroffers, acceptance, orders and declining orders, terms of payments, packing and shipment, etc.

1.Consideration 2.Clarity 7. Courtesy 6. Completeness 3.Conciseness Criteria for Effective Foreign Trade Correspondence 1.Consideration 2.Clarity 7. Courtesy Seven criteria 6. Completeness 3.Conciseness 5. Correctness 4. Concreteness

1.consideration Identify the audience. Determine the size and composition of the audience. Analyze the audience’s desires, problem, circumstance, emotions. Analyze the audience’s possible reaction. Determine the audience’s level of understanding. Analyze the audience’s needs. ( informational, motivational, emotional, practical needs)

2.Clarity Choose Proper, Short and Familiar Words Make Idea Clear Use Short Sentences Have Paragraphs of Suitable Length

Include Only Relevant Facts 3. Conciseness Shorten or Omit Words or Expressions Avoid Unnecessary Repetition

4. Concreteness The writing should be specific, definite and vivid rather than vague, general and abstract. Abstract Concrete A significant loss A 53 percent loss In the near future By Thursday noon Light in weight Feather light The majority 70 percent

Employees want to keep their jobs they will work hard for promotions. 5. Correctness Business writing should be correct in grammar, punctuation, spelling, information, figures, etc. Wrong Sentences Correct Sentences My research report in business communication took a long time to prepare. And turned out badly. My research report in business communication took a long time to prepare and then turned out badly. ( Fragment) Profits were down in 1998, the Board blamed the recession. Profits were down in 1998. The Board blamed the recession. ( Comma splice) Employees want to keep their jobs they will work hard for promotions. Employees want to keep their jobs. They will work hard for promotions. ( Run-on sentence)

6. Completeness Your business writing is complete when it contains all the necessary information and data the reader needs．If any necessary piece of information is lacking, the reader will have to ask 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.

7. Courtesy Singling Out Your Reader Using the Reader’s Name Avoiding Anger (Sarcasm, Insults, and Exclamations) Response in Time

3 Construction of Effective Sentences and Paragraphs Unity Coherence Conciseness Emphasis

2. Construction of Effective Paragraph Creating a Topic Sentence Supporting a Topic Sentence with Details Connections between Sentences

4 1.信头 2.日期 7.签名 Seven Basic Parts 6.结尾敬语 3.封内地址 5.正文 4.称呼 Structure of Foreign Trade Correspondence 1.信头 2.日期 7.签名 Seven Basic Parts 6.结尾敬语 3.封内地址 5.正文 4.称呼

Return

5 Formats of Letters and Envelops 1.信头 letter Head 2.日期 Date 3.封内地址 Inside Address 4.称呼 Salutation 5. 正文 Body 6.结尾敬语 Complimentary Close 7.签名 Signature 8.事由 Subject 9.附件 Enclosure a 参考号 Ref.No. b 经办人 Attention Line c 抄送 Carton Copy

Layout of a Business Letter Letterhead Generally, a letterhead will include the company logo, company's name, address, telephone number, fax number and email address, and the web address if available. Inside Address Always include the recipient's name, address and postal code. Add job title if appropriate.

Date 02/01/03 2002年1月3日 Chinese way 2003年2月1日 American way 2003年1月2日 British way To avoid confusion, it is a common practice to write months in words.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Dear Sirs or Madams, Salutation If unsure to whom you should address a letter, you should use the following salutations: Dear Sir or Madam, When addressing a group of people, use one of the following salutations: Ladies and Gentlemen: Dear Sirs or Madams, Gentlemen:/Dear Sirs, (if all the readers are male) Ladies:/Dear Madams, (if all the readers are female)

Body of a letter The body of a business letter typically has three paragraphs:          1.introductory paragraph         2.one or more body paragraphs 3.concluding paragraph

Complimentary Close Yours faithfully,(Faithfully yours,) Yours sincerely, (Yours very sincerely,) Yours truly,( Very Truly Yours,) Capitalize only the first word in the complimentary close, and follow all phrases with a comma.

ELECTRONICS LTD. Harold Jones manager Signature Company’s name Your signature typed signature (job title) ELECTRONICS LTD. Harold Jones manager

Format of Letters 缩行式(Indented format) 封内地址和其他需要分行的地方的后一行,都比前一行缩进二格或三格。 信的正文,每一段的开始一行都缩进若干格。

平头式(Block format) 每一行都是从左边开始取齐,成一垂直线。

Return 混合式(Semi-blocked format) 前两种格式的混合体。信的正文部分采用平头式，作者的地址、日期、结尾敬语及签名采用缩行式。 Return

Addressing the Envelope Return

10 Business E-mail Basics 1. Prompt Responses Not responding promptly can leave an impression that you do not consider the sender's e-mail of any importance. The electronic mailbox should be checked at least once a day and responses should be prompt, preferably within 24 hours.

2. Subject Field Be sure to fill in the SUBJECT, indicating clearly what the topic of the e-mail is, or your mail may be deleted as a junk mail. 3. Level of Formality Never assume a position of informality in your business e-mail. It is your business's image you are branding.

4. Addressing It is suggested that the highest level of courtesy should be used (Hello, Mr. Anderson, Dear Ms. Smith, Dr. Osborne, etc.) until your new contact states, "call me Andy" or "you can call me Diane", Keep it formal until it is clear the relationship dictates otherwise. You will also be able to get clues by how they approach you and their tone. Return

5. To, From, Bcc and Cc （1）To: The addresses in the 'To' are for the people you are directly addressing. In the TO: field be sure to have your contact's name formally typed. John B. Doe - not john b doe or JOHN B DOE. The later two give the perception of lack of education or limited experience with technology.

（2） Cc: The addresses in the 'Cc' are for the people you are indirectly addressing. Don't over do it here. Copy only those who need to be copied. If you're listed in the Cc: field you are being FYI'd and a reply is not mandatory unless you have something relevant to add to the conversation.

（3）Bcc: The addresses in the 'Bcc' are like 'Cc' except that the addresses in 'To' and 'Cc' do not know that the addresses in the 'Bcc' are included in the conversation. The 'To' and 'Cc' addresses are blind to the 'Bcc' addresses. As you can imagine, use of the 'Bcc' is somewhat unethical and therefore its use is discouraged.

6. Attachments All e-mail accounts have capacity limits. Do you think your relationship with a potential new customer is enhanced when you send them that 5M Power Point presentation they didn't request and you fill up their inbox shutting down their e-mail causing subsequent business correspondence to bounce as undeliverable?

If you ever need to send a file over 200,000 in size you need to compress it or zip it up. And, even then, business courtesy dictates you ask the recipient first if it is O.K. to send a file of that size, confirm they have the same software/version you do and what is the best time of day to do so to ensure they are available to download the large file and keep their e-mail flowing. Return

7. Down Edit Your Replies Don't just hit reply and start typing. Removing parts of the previous e-mail that do not apply to your response. 8. Common Courtesy Always have a salutation and sign off with every e-mail. 9. Signature files Keep your signature file at around 4-6 lines, Web site link, company name, and slogan or phone number.

10. Check For Spelling And Grammar If you don't check to be sure e-mail is correct, people will question the caliber of other work you do. Use proper capitalization and punctuation, and always check your spelling. Remember that your spellchecker will catch misspelled words, but not misused ones. It cannot tell whether you meant to say "from" or "form," "for" or "fro", "he" or "the." Return

Voice Mail Information Before you make a phone call, think of the information you’ll need if you must leave a voice mail message. Summarize the purpose of your message in a sentence or two. Give your name and phone number early in the message. Speak slowly and distinctly. Give the recipient enough information to act. Tell when you’ll be at your desk to receive a return call.

Thank You!