1、Chapter 1Layout of English Business LetterMain Contents 1.1 Introduction 1.2 New words and expressions 1.3 Tips for composing English business correspondence 1.4 Layout of English envelopes 1.5 Layout of English letters 1.6 Formats of English lettersDiscussion 1. What should we pay attention to when
2、 we compose an English business letter? 2. Do you know the components of an English business letter? 3. What are the formats of business English letters?1.1 Introduction Foreign trade correspondence is of great importance in international trade and business communication. Quite a large part of busin
3、ess of the world is conducted by means of correspondence. This course mainly dwells on 12 types of foreign trade letters widely used in foreign trade.1.2 New words and expressions of Chapter 1 to be conducted by means of correspondence well-groomed business letters to be embodied in the layout of th
4、e letter an even appearance to be cluttered (with ) at the top to sit lopsidedly on either side to lay lopsided stress on to plan your margin 通过信函进行 修饰得体的商业信函 在信件的布局中体现 整齐划一的外表 顶端混乱地堆集 着 两边不对称摆放 片面强调 从而安排你的页边空白 to bear in mind that on the preceding page to be single-spaced triple spaces between para
5、graphs a wordy letter misspelled words a typographical error to prejudice the reader against you the proper use of punctuation the full block form 记住 在前一页 设置单倍行距 段落间的三倍间隔 用词累赘的信件 拼写错误的单词 排版错误 使读者对你产生偏见 恰当使用标点符号 (信件) 顶格式 the indented style the simplified form in compliance with your request to be sub
6、ject to our final confirmation irrevocable Letter of Credit to be available by draft at sight a heavy demand for the goods the reference and date to begin a letter with a salutation 缩进式 简化式 遵照贵方的要求 以我公司最后确认为准 不可撤消的信用证 凭即期汇票可获(支付) 对该产品的大量需求 提及的事情与日期 用尊称作为一封信的开头 the subject line the complimentary clos
7、e the enclosure of the letter carbon copy notation the postscript of/to a letter the icon of products a miniature of the products the initial of the signer abbreviation of Messieurs a courtesy title the customary formal greeting to be scrapped and retyped 主题行,事由 信尾客套话 信的附件 副本符号 信后附言 产品图标 产品缩图/缩型 签名者
8、姓名首字母 “诸君”一词的缩写词 礼貌头衔 惯例的正式问候 (信件) 被废掉重新打 to sign by hand and in ink illegible handwriting to sign a letter with a rubber stamp integrated circuit boards peripheral equipment the elements of a toolkit a revocable vote at the upper left corner the name of the recipient 用墨水手写签署 难以辨认的笔迹 用橡皮印章签署信件 集成电路板
9、 外围设备 工具包中的基本物件 可废弃的选票 在左上角 接收者的名字1.3 Tips for composing business correspondenceDiscussion What tips are given in this chapter about composing business correspondence?1.3.1 Even spacing (1) The letter should present an even, well-balanced appearance, neither cluttered in any part nor arranged lopsid
10、edly on one side. (2) Wide margins make the letter more readable and inviting. (3) Most business letters are single-spaced between lines, with double spaces between the paragraphs. (4) When paragraphs are indented, they should all line up with the same distance from the margin.1.3.2 Short sentence a
11、nd paragraph Short sentences and paragraphs are easy to read and inviting to the eyes. A new paragraph should be used for a new thought or idea. Ideas should be expressed as simply and briefly as possible.1.3.3 Correct layout A layout is an overall design of a page, book, etc., including elements su
12、ch as page, type size, font, and the arrangement of titles, etc. The layout of the business letter covers “forms of the letter” and “parts of the letter”. One form should be adopted from the beginning to the end of the letter.1.4 Layout of envelopes When you write an envelope, you should put your na
13、me and address at the upper left corner of the envelop and the recipients name and address in the center of the envelope.Your nameAddress50%30%Recipients NameAddress Generally, the information about the recipient is laid out in the following order: (1) recipients name (if known); (2) company name; (
14、3) address or post office box; (4) city, state, and postal code; (5) country (if it is an international mail).Susan JonesABC Company1234 main StreetNewtown, NY20022USA1.5 Layout of letters1.5.1 Three parts of a business letter the pre-message; the message; the post-message. The structure of a letter
15、 is demonstrated in the tables below illustrating the position of each part in a letter.1.5.2 Sixteen segments of a business letter1.5.1 Layout of pre-message (1) Letter head (2) Date (3) Inside address (4) Attention line (5) Reference number (6) Subject line (7) Salutation(1) Letterhead (信头) Compan
16、ies normally have their own letterhead templates, customized with the logo, company name and address. Many companies also add a phone number, fax number, e-mail address or website to the letterhead. The letterhead can be on the left side of the page, in the middle, or on the right.Example of letterh
17、eadTotal Communications1234 NE Central RoadCamas, WA 98607Phone: 360-555-1212Fax: 360-555-1515T(2) Date All business letters should be dated. The date includes the day, month and year. There are two basic forms of dates, e.g. The American form: September 2, 2010 The British form : 2 September 2010(3
18、) Inside address (信内收信人地址) The order of the inside address includes the recipients name, title, the company, then the street, city, state or province, postal code, and country (if necessary), Example:Charles StaplesGeneral Manager7 Studios11943 Montana AvenueLos Angeles, CA90049USA(4) Attention line
19、 (指明收信人) The attention line is optional. It is used when the inside address includes only a company name. its function is to tell to whom the letter should go. We can use such abbreviations as “Att” or “ATT”, Examples: Att: Charles Staples, Game Designer ATT: Sales Manager(5) Reference (指涉) A refere
20、nce may be an order number, part number or date. “Re” and “Ref” are the most common abbreviations. Examples: Re: Order No.789 Ref: PO No. 345 Sometimes, “Your ref” is used to indicate to which letter we reply; “Our ref” is used as the reply letters reference number. Examples: Your ref: CNN/255 Our R
21、ef: 1234/BD(6) Subject line (事由) The subject line shows the general idea or the purpose of the letter. It features a word or tow, or a short phrase. Examples: Sub: DELAY OF DELIVERY Sub: Request for price lists Usually, reference numbers and subject information are combined together to facilitate un
22、derstanding. Example: Re: Account No. FG1234Billing dated 10-4-09Error in Billing Sub: Order No. 1234Price Reduction(7) Salutation (尊称) A salutation is a way of greeting the reader or addressee. The name is usually combined with “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Miss.”, “Ms.”, or an official title like “President” or
23、 “Doctor”, etc. A salutation often ends with a comma. Examples: Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Mrs. Jones, Dear Peter, Dear President Jones, Dear Professor Qin, If the addressees name is not known, you may use his title, or address the letter to his department or may say as the following examples. Dear Sales
24、Manager,Accounting Department Dear sirs, Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlemen,1.5.2.2 Layout of message (8) Opening (9) Body (10) Closing sentences (8) Opening sentences (开头语) The opening sentences give the reader a general idea about what your letter is going to say. e.g. In response to your letter of M
25、ay 15, Your letter has been received and we are pleased to say that After reading your advertisement Our Sales Manager, John Jones, suggested that I contact you regarding (9) Body (主旨段落) The body gives more details, asks questions, presents points of view, etc. usually, a good foreign trade letter i
26、s not very long. Extra information other than the subject the letter deals with is kept out.(10) Closing sentences (结尾语) The closing sentences of a letter can be an expression of gratitude, a suggestion or a request. Examples: Thank you for your attention. Your assistance in this matter is appreciat
27、ed. I would appreciate your mailing this information today. Please call me. Our supply is limited. Act now!1.5.2.3 Layout of the post-message (11) Complimentary close (12) Signature (13) Identification initials (14) Enclosure (15) Copies (16) Postscript (11) Complimentary close (信尾客套话 ) The complime
28、ntary close is always followed by a comma and only the first letter is capitalized. The close can be formal or informal, depending on whether you are familiar with the addressee. Examples of formal complimentary closes: Very truly yours, Yours cordially, Respectfully yours,Examples of Less formal co
29、mplimentary closes: Best regards, Cordially, Yours truly,Examples of Informal complimentary closes: Best wishes, Warmest regards, See you in the near future,(12) Signature The signature is put at the left margin, leaving three lines space for the handwritten signature before the typed name, title an
30、d/or department. It usually looks like this: Sincerely, John Smith Sales Department (NORTHWEST COMMUNICATION)(13) Identification initials (作者/ 打字员姓名缩写) Identification initials are the initials of the person who dictates the letter in uppercase characters and then the initials of the person who types
31、 the letter in lowcase characters.DG/bm(14) Enclosure (附件) Enclosures are optional it is used when you put something into the envelop together with the letter. We often use the abbreviation “Encl.” or “Enc.” . “Attachments” is also acceptable. It is usually signified below the identification initial
32、s, on the left margin. e.g. Enc. 4 samples 1 Encl. Price List 2 Encl. Category List Attachments (15) Copies (抄送 ) This part is often initialed as “CC”. It stands for “Carbon Copies”, which means to send a copy of your letter to someone other than the recipient. e.g. CC: Jean Goecks CC: Sales Manager
33、(16) Postscript (附笔) The postscript is used to add further information to the letter. It is always abbreviated as “PS”, “P.S” or “PSS”. P.S. Hope to see you at the trade fair on August 10. PSS Be sure to place your order soon!1.6 Formats of English Business Letters 1.6.1 Block format The most common
34、 layout of a business letter is known as block format, esp. in the USA. Using this format, the entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs. 1.6.2 Modified block format Another widely utilized format is known as modified block format. In this type, t
35、he body of the letter and the senders and recipients addresses are left justified and single-spaced. However, for the date and closing, tab to the center point and begin to type. 1.6.3 Semi-Block format The final, and least used, style is semi-block. It is much like the modified block style except t
36、hat each paragraph is indented instead of left justified.1.7 Font English Business Letters Another important factor in the readability of a letter is the font. The generally accepted font is Times New Roman, size 12, although other fonts such as Arial may be used. When choosing a font, always consid
37、er your audience. If you are writing to a conservative company, you may want to use Times New Roman. However, if you are writing to a more liberal company, you have a little more freedom when choosing fonts. Attention: Keep in mind that different organizations have different format requirements for their professional communication. While the examples provided here contain common elements for the basic business letter (genre expectations), the format of your business letter may need to be flexible to reflect variables like letterheads and templates. Our examples are merely guides.
