商務(wù)英語寫作第一章

1、Chapter 1 An Overview of Business WritingvWhat is Business English?It is a part of English for Specific Purposes(ESP)is English used in business context.is especially related to international trade vWhat is the most important skill in business practices?Communication COMMUNICATIONOralWrittenNon-verb

2、al非語言交際Lie to MeBusiness English WritingSYLLABUS & REQUIREMENTSvEvery chapter- 2 hoursvScore:Final exam 60%Performance 40% Attendance (10%): absent-3 / late- 5 Class activity (10%) Homework (20%) Read news or materials about economy; write English economic report every month. Warm-up Functions o

3、f Business Writing Criteria for effective business writingMore Criteria and Techniques Approaches to organizing business writing Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part FiveContentsOverview A great deal of business is transacted in writing. Effective business writers can promote good relations w

4、ith customers, employees and the general public. Then they can help to increase their companys sales and profits. Proficiency in writing gives one a personal advantage in business; and contributes substantially to ones self-confidence.Why the ability to write effectively is a valuable business asset

5、?Overviewpage1Business writing has three functions: to inform: to persuade to entertainWhat are the functions of business writing?Page1,para2OverviewPage1-2Business writing has three functions: To inform: you explain something or tell readers something/provide information To persuade: you want to in

6、fluence the readers attitudes and want them to act. To entertain: to build goodwill（建立友善關(guān)系/良好的信譽(yù)）; you create a good image of yourself and of your organization- the kind of image that makes people want to do business with youFunctions of business writingOverviewPage1-2Most messages have multiple pur

7、poses. When you answer a question, youre informing, but you also want to build goodwill by suggesting that youre competent and perceptive and that your answer is correct and complete. Functions of business writingExample 1DocumentDescription of documentPurpose(s) of documentC l a i m s adjustment理賠理

8、賠Letter granting or denying customer request to be given credit for defective goodsJob description崗位責(zé)任說明崗位責(zé)任說明Description of qualifications and duties of each job. Used for performance appraisals績(jī)效考核, setting salaries 薪資設(shè)定, and for hiring10-K report年度財(cái)務(wù)報(bào)表年度財(cái)務(wù)報(bào)表A Form 10-K is an annual report require

9、d by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC美國(guó)證券交易委員會(huì)), that gives a comprehensive summary of a companys financial performance. Thank-you letter感謝信感謝信Letter to suppliers, customers, or other people who have helped individuals or the companyInform, build goodwillInform, persuade good candida

10、tes to apply;build goodwill (job duties match level, pay)Inform build goodwillOverviewA successful business message: the receiver interprets the msg as the sender intended it. (1) it achieves the senders purposes.Criteria for effective business writingOverview6 Cs principles1.Courtesy- 禮貌2.Correctne

11、ss-正確3.Conciseness-簡(jiǎn)潔4.Clarity- 清楚5.Concreteness-具體6.Completeness-完整Criteria for effective business writing6 Cs principles treating people with respect and friendly human concern Being very polite, even in asking the addressee to pay back the debts or refusing his demands, your letter still should b

12、e very mild and tactful. Being prompt in replying to the opposite parts letter. The reply should usually be sent on the same day. If it is impossible for you to give a prompt reply in detail on the same day, you should write a short note to the client explaining why.CourtesybookExample 2Dear Sirs, w

13、e are sorry you have misunderstood us. ( )Dears Sirs, we are sorry we didnt make ourselves clear. ( )We cannot understand why you have had trouble with these articles. ( ) We presume that there must be some reasons for you having trouble with these articles. ( ) Overview Courtesy usually involves th

14、ree aspects Using you-viewpoint Taking a positive tone Being conversationalCourtesyOverviewYou-viewpoint (you-attitude你式寫法) building goodwill: focus interest on the reader/ for persuasion and for influencing people favorably/ emphasize “you” and “your”, de-emphasize “we” and “our”; not just using se

15、cond pronouns, but placing the reader in the center of things； Read your msg. over as if you were in your readers shoes. When you use you-viewpoint in writing, avoid insincerity/ using it for good goals.CourtesyDifferent AttitudesWe/I attitude You attitudeA large sale of our products will make our c

16、ompany more profitable.We are in need of fund and you must payWe can not offer you any refund Obviously you forget telling us the colorA good sale of the products will benefit youTo maintain your excellent credit, please remitYou could obtain a refund ifPlease indicate your choice of colorOverviewAc

17、cent on Positive Language Positive words emphasize the pleasant aspects of the goal and tend to put the reader in the right frame of mind. They also create the goodwill atmosphere.CourtesyOverviewAccent on Positive Language State ideas using positive languageCourtesyDont forget to submit your report

18、We cant ship your goods untilYou neglect to indicate the specificationRemember to submit.You will receive your goodsPlease send the complete specification OverviewAccent on Positive Language Avoid using second person pronouns when stating negative ideas E.g. You made numerous mistakes on this page.

19、This page contains numerous mistakes. CourtesyOverviewAccent on Positive Language Use passive voice to convey negative ideasCourtesy Susan did not proofread this proposal carefully. Susan completed the job two months behind the schedule. The proposal was not proofread carefully. The job was complete

20、d two months behind the schedule. OverviewAccent on Positive Language Use the subjunctive moodCourtesyNegative I cannot accept the recommendation. I am not able to accept your invitation. subjunctive mood I wish I could accept the recommendation. I could accept your invitation if I were to cancel my

21、 meeting onOverviewAccent on Positive Language Include a pleasant statement in the same sentence E.g. Your personal ratings for communication ability were satisfactory. Your personal ratings for communication ability were satisfactory, but your rate for technical competence was excellent.CourtesyOve

22、rviewConversational Style: warm and natural language. Whatever you talk about in the letters, the language you use should be the same as if you met the person on the street, at home, or in the office.CourtesyPage 56 Cs principles correct grammar, punctuation and spelling; choosing the correct level

23、of language and using accurate information and data.CorrectnessExample 3Enclosed is the copy of receipt. ( )Enclosed is a copy of the receipt. ( )I am looking for another sales channels. ( )I am looking for other sales channels. ( )Profits were down in 1998, the Board blamed the recession. ( ) Comma

24、 splice逗號(hào)連接逗號(hào)連接6 Cs principles to write in the fewest possible words without sacrificing completeness and courtesy Suggestions: Shorten or omit words or expressions Include only relevant facts Avoid unnecessary repetitionConcisenessShorten or omit words or expressionsIf possible, a word should be us

25、ed instead of a phrase, a phrase instead of a clause, a clause instead of a sentence, and a sentence instead of a paragraph.Cluttering PhrasesShorter substitutionsat the present timenowfor the purpose offorfor the reason thatsince, as, becauseIn the near futuresoonIn view of the fact thatSince, beca

26、usePrior to the startbeforeA draft in the amount of USD1000A draft for USD1000Shorten or omit words or expressionsIn addition, we should also eliminate surplus words.With surplus wordsEliminate surplus wordsThere are 5 rules that should be observe5 rules should be observedIn the period between June

27、and August they found the errorBetween June and August they found the errorIt came at a time when we were busyIt came when we were busyHis performance was good enough to enable him to qualify for the promotionHis performance was good enough to qualify for the promotionLeather depreciates in value sl

28、owlyLeather depreciates slowlyWe will ship these shoes at a later dateWe will ship these shoes laterAs a matter of interest, I am interested in learning your planI am interested in learning your plan.Include only relevant factsThe effective concise message should omit not only unnecessary wordy expr

29、essions but also irrelevant material. To make sure you include only relevant facts, you should: Stick to the purpose of your writing Omit information obvious to your reader1. Avoid unnecessary background material or explanations, excessive adjectives, pompous words. Avoid unnecessary repetitionSomet

30、imes repetition is necessary for emphasis. But if the same thing is said several times without reason, the message becomes boring. The following are 3 ways to prevent unnecessary repetition. Use a shorter name after you have mentioned the long one once. Use pronouns and initials rather than repeatin

31、g long names.1. Get rid of all needless repetition of phrases and sentences.1. Use China Telecom to indicate China Telecommunications Company when the latter one has been mentioned before.2. Instead of First Automobile Works again and again, use it or FAW.6 Cs principles short familiar words and sim

32、ple short sentences are better.(your writings are totally understood with just one reading.) Suggestions: Choose proper, short and familiar words Make ideas clear Use short sentences Have paragraphs of suitable lengthClarityChoose proper, short and familiar wordsChoose proper words to make the messa

33、ge easy to understand,e.g.: As to the steamers sailing from Hong Kong to San Francisco, we have bimonthly direct services ( )1. We have two direct sailings every month form Hong Kong to San Francisco. ( )poorbetterMake ideas clearPut one idea in a sentence, put one topic in a paragraph, and put one

34、subject in a letter.Use short sentencesShort sentences lead to clear meaning and easy understanding. The average sentence length is about 17-20 words. You can use sentences containing 3-40 words. If more than 40 words in a sentences, youd better rewrite it into more than one sentences.Have paragraph

35、s of suitable lengthIn business writhing, its suitable 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 readers may be impressed that you topic is not adequately supported.6 Cs principl

36、es vivid, specific and definite rather than vague, general and abstract especially when you are requiring a response, solving problems, making an offer 報(bào)盤 or acceptance 接受, etc.ConcretenessExample 4 Our apples are excellent. ( )Our apples are juicy, crispy and tender. ( )Smithton Company is our big

37、buyer. ( )Smithton Company did more than one million USD worth of business with us in 2005. ( )ConcreteConcrete6 Cs principles include all necessary information and data because information and data can help senders get receivers responses and achieve desired objectivesCompletenessExample 5Suppose y

38、ou are writing a letter to your supplier telling him that his goods were not delivered on time. What kind of information should you include in your letter? Complete message Reminding him of his promise of timely delivery. What losses has this caused you? Asking for compensation if there is any agree

39、ment on that. Expecting no such thing will happen again.Real situationsuggestionOverviewBusiness writing, in general, has more and more assumed a friendly, easy and conversational style.The primary concern in business writing is to communicate information. Thus, we will need to pay more attention to

40、 communicating effects.More Criteria and Techniques 溝通效果溝通效果OverviewSingling Out Your Reader you should write for his/her particular situation. What you say throughout the letter should make it clear that the reader is getting individual treatment. E.g. We look forward to the possibility of sending

41、our executives to you in the years ahead. We look forward to hearing from you.More Criteria and Techniques Page 11OverviewBuilding goodwill One sure way to build goodwill is to do a little more than you have to do for your reader. E.g. In a refusal letter, it will make the reader feel much more comf

42、ortable if you explain and justify your refusal. More Criteria and Techniques Page 11OverviewUsing the readers name It makes the reader feel that his/her identity as an individual is recognized. Use it once or twice in the letter, but no so often.Avoiding anger Anger destroys goodwill. Most comments

43、 made in anger do not provide needed information. Such comments take many forms: sarcasm, insults and exclamations. but when positive words have not brought desired results, negative words may be justified.More Criteria and Techniques 48Overview Deductive approach 演繹法 It begins with the general and

44、ends with the specific. Sometime this is informally called a “top-down” approach. (direct) Inductive approach 歸納法 It is usually described as moving form the specific to the general. Informally, we sometimes call this a “bottom up” approach. (indirect )Approaches to organizing BWPage 12OverviewDirect

45、ness in good news and routine messages Good news or routine messages follow a direct orderthe message begins with the main idea.- deductive approach Present good news and routine messageBegin with the main idea(present good-news or routine information);Followed by supporting details;End with goodwil

46、lApproaches to organizing BWPage 12Overview2. Indirectness in bad news messages An indirect order consists of four parts:a bufferreasons supporting the negative decisiona clear, diplomatic statement of the negative decisiona helpful, friendly, and positive close.Approaches to organizing BWPage 12Overview2. Indirectness in bad news messages An indirect order consists of four parts:a bufferExamples of a buffer As you mentioned, prompt delivery is so important that we have been making every effort to accomplish it. We appreciate your writing to us about the quality of our product