introduction 1.What is a business letter? The letter is a common business communication medium. The most effective letters are messages from real people to other real people. Business letters should develop goodwill is a principle of vital significance. Letter-writing is an essential part of business. The letter is often evidence of a contract.

Ways to finalize international trade: i. Correspondence (80%) 2.Why should we learn the course? Ways to finalize international trade: i. Correspondence (80%) ii. Fairs & Exhibition (10%) iii. Mutual visits by trade delegations(10%)

Correspondence / Communication in writing 函：Business letters 电：Telegrams, telexes, faxes & E-mails

3.The nature & goal of the course - An English course combining international trade with English. Goal - To cultivate the ability of negotiating international trade in English, especially in English correspondence.

4. Requirements for writing business letters Good command of English Knowledge of business theory and practice Knowledge of technical terms Knowledge of psychology Skills in salesmanship

5. Seven guidelines of writing business letters- 7Cs Clarity Conciseness Courtesy Correctness Concreteness Consideration completeness

Clarity means One sentence for one meaning only. There must be logical relationship between relevant sentences. No reversion or repetition is allowed to appear. In a simple and direct way.

Conciseness means All the words/sentences and paragraphs in a letter must be clear cut and straight forward. Three aspects should be paid attention to:

Conciseness (1) Using simple words instead of phrases or sentences. e.g.: — “soon” instead of “in the near future” — “Please” instead of “Will you be kind enough to...” — “now” instead of “at the present moment” etc —“We are pleased to...” for “It gives us much pleasure to...” .

Conciseness (2) Avoiding repetition of words in a same sentence. e.g.: — “Please quote your lowest price for your best quality.” for “Please quote your best price for your best quality.”

Courtesy means Being very polite, even in asking the addressee to pay back the debts or refusing his demands. Being prompt in replying to the opposite party’s letter.

Unit 1 Structural Parts and Styles of Business Letters Objectives: To give a brief introduction to structural parts and styles of business letters To enable you to become aware of structural parts and styles of business letters To do exercises to familiarize the structural parts and styles of business letters

1. Structural Parts of Business Letters A business letter has eight structural parts: (a) the heading (letter-head )(信头), (b) the date(日期), (c) the inside address(封内地址), (d) the salutation(称呼), (e) the body of the letter(正文), (f) the complimentary close(结尾谦称), (g) the signature (handwritten and then typed)(签名), and (h) any added notations(注释).

Golden Trading Company Ltd. 1.1. Heading (信头) Sample: Golden Trading Company Ltd. 34 Northern Avenue, New York, U.S.A. Tel: 1234567 Telex: 2345667GBC Fax: 4455666

1.2. Date There are different ways of writing the date. The following two are recommended. September 15, 1994 15 September 1994 (Note the Omission of the comma)

1.2. Date Sample: SKYVIEW ENTERPRISES 7111 Terrazo Place Sarasota, Fl 33031 (813)598 – 1026 January 20, 1995

1.3. The Inside Address (封内地址) Examples of the inside address: (1) To an individual in a company Mr. George F. Moore Advertising Manager Price & Patterson 234 Seventh Avenue New York 5, New York U.S.A.

1.3. The Inside Address (封内地址) Examples of the inside address: (2) To an anonymous official in the company Sales Manager Office Systems Pty Ltd 124 Oak Street Chatswood NSW 2067 Australia

1.3. The Inside Address (封内地址) Examples of the inside address: (3) To a company Messrs, Kato & Co., Ltd 2 Nichome, Ginza Nishi Chuo--ku, Tokyo

Here are some ways to write the salutation. Dear Sirs/Gentlemen —— to a company Dear Sir —— to a man if you do not know his name Dear Madam —— to a woman if you do not know her Dear Mr Smith —— to a man Dear Mrs Smith —— to a married woman Dear Miss Smith —— to an unmarried woman Dear Ms Smith —— to a married or unmarried woman Dear John —— to a friend or someone you know well

1.5. The Body The body of the letter is the message that the writer has to convey to the recipient.

1.6. The Closing Notice the following chart, which gives the appropriate complimentary close to use with various salutations. Style Salutation Complimentary Closes Very Formal My dear Sir/ Madam, Respectfully/Respectfully yours, Formal Dear Sir/ Madam, Gentlemen/Sirs, Yours truly, Yours faithfully, (British usage) Less Formal Dear Mr./Mrs. Satterby, Sincerely yours, (American usage) Personal (Implying personal relation.) Dear Mr./Mrs. Grimshaw, Dear John, Cordially, Best regards, (British usage)

To sign with a rubber stamp is a form of discourtesy. 1.7. Signature The signature is the signed name or mark of the person who writes the letter or the firm which he or she represents. It is written in ink immediately below the complimentary close. To sign with a rubber stamp is a form of discourtesy.

1.8.1. Reference Numbers (文号) 1.8. Notations (记号, 注释) 1.8.1. Reference Numbers (文号) Sample: INTERCITY BANK Plc 58 Jalan Thamrin · Jakarta · Indonesia Telephone 375018 Telex 6756 Mr. S Basuki Your ref: Jakarta Furnishings Our ref: PL/fh/246 7 Jalan Arjuna Jakarta 12 January 1987 Dear Mr Basuki Office furniture We are expanding our offices in Jakarta and we will need extra desks, lights, chairs and filing cabinets. Please send us your catalogue with your prices, sizes and colors for these items. Yours sincerely (Signature) Office Manager

1. 8. 2. The Attention Line 1. 8. 3. The Subject Line 1. 8. 4 1.8.2. The Attention Line 1.8.3. The Subject Line 1.8.4. Identification Initials 1.8.5. Enclosure 1.8.6. Carbon Copy 1.8.7. “Per Pro” Signature 1.8.8. Postscript (附言) Sample: P. S. ··· to see you at the Annual Sales Meeting at the Hillside Plaza on January 10. P. S. I understand the special entertainment is great.

2. Formats or Styles of Business Letters Full-block style Modified block style Modified block, blocked paragraphs Modified block, indented paragraphs

Full Block Style (完全平头式) All typing lines, including those for the date, Inside name and address, salutation, subject heading, each message paragraph and complimentary close, begin at the left-hand margin.

Kenneth Beare 2520 Visita Avenue Olympia, WA 98501 September 12, 2000 Jackson Brothers 3487 23rd Street New York, NY 12009 Dear Sirs, _________________________________ Yours faithfully   (Signature)

Modified block, blocked paragraph Except the date, complimentary close and signature, all typing lines begin at the left-hand margin.

Kenneth Beare 2520 Visita Avenue Olympia, WA 98501 September 12, 2005 Jackson Brothers 3487 23rd Street New York, NY 12009   Dear Sirs, _________________________________ Yours faithfully   (Signature)

Modified block, indented paragraphs All typing lines begin at the left-hand margin except the date, complimentary close and signature lines; paragraphs are indented.

Kenneth Beare 2520 Visita Avenue Olympia, WA 98501 September 12, 2005 Jackson Brothers 3487 23rd Street New York, NY 12009   Dear Sirs, >>>>_________________________________ _______________________________ Yours faithfully   (Signature)

3. Addressing envelopes Name of the addressee Number and street City, state, and zip code Country

英文信封的写法 英文信封的写法和中文信封的写法完全不同： 1.收信人的全名和地址要写在信封中间。发信人的全名和地址要写在信封的左上角。 2。地址的写法是由小到大。

Example JOSEPH E LANGLEY STAMP 3504 JACKSON ROAD BATON ROUGE LA 70803 MR CRADY E.CROMWELL 3654 PARK ROAD NORTHERIDGE CA 91324

4. The opening and conclusion of business letters To expect an answer to expect no answer Opening To reply a letter To initiate a contact

4.1 Opening 4.1.1 Thanks for receiving a letter We thank you for Thank you for We appreciate We were pleased to receive Please accept our thanks for your letter (inquiry, e-mail, fax etc.) of …

4.1.2 In reply to a letter We are pleased to reply to your letter (inquiry, e-mail, fax, etc.) of … We are pleased to reply to In answer to In response to In reply to

4.1.3 Referring to something your letter (inquiry, e-mail, fax, etc.) of … With reference to In reference to Referring to We refer to

4.1.4 Reply to the requests As requested As required As instructed According to In accordance with the request/ In compliance with instruction In conformity with in your letter of …

4.1.5 Expression of pleasure We were gratified We were glad It was a pleasure to learn from your letter of … that …

4.1.6 Expression of regrets or surprise We regret We were sorry We were surprised to learn from your letter of … that …

4.1.7 To initiate a contact Your company has been recommended to us by … We have learnt from … that … The name of your reputable firm has come to us through… We have had your name and address given to us by …

4.2Conclusion 4.2.1 To expect an answer We shall be glad to have We hope to be favored with We shall be obliged for We are waiting for We shall appreciate We look forward to a/an/your reply (answer, favorable news, comment etc.)

from you about/concerning/in this respect/in this matter. We trust to hear We hope to hear We shall be glad to hear Please let us hear

4.2.1 To expect no answer We thank you for the services you rendered in this matter. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We appreciate your patronage and hope that the pleasant relationship established between us will continue. Your favorable cooperation will be greatly appreciated.

We apologize for the delay in replying to your letter. We regret the trouble we are causing you. Please accept our apology for the inconvenience we have caused you. We regret that we are unable to be of assistance to you. We regret that we can’t meet your requirements.

Exercise 1. Please Correct the many mistakes in the following letter and separate the message into two paragraphs.

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES CO. Exercise ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES CO. P. O. Box 3259 XXXX, XXX 22th January 199... The Manager Messrs. Clarke &. Smith Co. Ltd. 68 High Street London EC 4 England Dear Sir We thank your letter of 17th January, asking us details and prices of our electric heaters. We are pleasure in enclosing our latest price list and catalogue, together with Model X - 4's details. Please do not reluctant to write when you require further information, which shall always have our best attention. Yours faithfully, Electrical Appliances Co. Ltd. Manager Answer

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES CO. Exercise ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES CO. P. O. Box 3259 XXXX, XXX 22 January 199... The Manager Messrs. Clarke &. Smith Co. Ltd. 68 High Street London EC 4 England Dear Sir Thanks for your letter of 17th January, asking us for details and prices of our electric heaters. Enclosed please find our latest price list and catalogue, together with Model X - 4's details. Please do not be reluctant to write when you require further information, which shall always have our best attention. Yours faithfully, Electrical Appliances Co. Ltd. Manager Return