英語商用email整理－DEJA VU Chaircat

呼~~~其實這是雙週報的內容

整理完之後想說也放在這邊吧(笑)，因為來源很多，有混亂的地方就.....如果可以的話跟我說吧

有一些是中英對照，有一些是直接從書上截取出來，因此只有中文。

WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS
General guidelines

Plan before you write.
1) Look up the words you need before you start.
2) Note the points you want to make, and order them into logical paragraphs.
下手前先計畫與準備：把會用到的字先查起來。
把要打的要點寫下來，按照邏輯順序排好。

Subject
Keep it simple and clear.
不清楚、冗長的主旨欄會使email容易被對方忽略或是刪除。避免用含糊的字眼，像是”Reply your email”，直接著眼在對方要求或詢問的重點較好。”Urgent”等特殊字眼，要在真的有必要時再用。
主旨欄一行大約容納的了25-35個字，再加上不知道對方的電腦螢幕跟視窗是不是跟這邊的一樣大，所以愈簡短、重點擺在愈前面愈好。如果哪天在主旨欄出現一長串的Re:Re:Re:Re:Re….或是Fw:Fw:Fw:Fw:Fw:…就是該清理一下讓真正的主旨出頭天的時候了。太多***來強調標題時，可能會招來反效果。

Salutation-- A good first impression
1)It's important to always open your email with a greeting, such as "Dear Lillian,". Make sure you check the gender of the addressee (the recipient), as well as the correct spelling of the person's name and title.
2)Use Ms. for women and Mr. for men.
3)You can use Mrs. for a woman if you are 100% sure that she is married.
4)Using extremely formal traditional phrases like "Dear Sir" is increasingly out of date. The best bet is to write "Dear Mr. / Ms." and then the person's last name.
5)When you already have a working relationship, it's fine to just use their first name (e.g. "Dear John").
6) Depending on the formality of your relationship, you may want to use their family name as opposed to their given name, i.e. "Dear Mrs. Price,". If the relationship is more casual, you can simply say, "Hi Kelly," If you’re contacting a company, not an individual, you may write "To Whom It May Concern:"
7) Use Dear Sir or Madam if you don't know their name.

一定要確定收信人的性別、對方的名字拼法跟職銜是否有誤。基本上稱呼男性用Mr.；女性用Ms.。如果很確定對方已經結婚，可以用Mrs.。非常正式傳統的慣語如"Dear Sir" 越來越過時。(正式的email仍會用Dear+…。)但是最好是寫"Dear Mr. / Ms."加上對方的姓。當和對方有相當的工作關係，可以只寫他們的名字(例如"Dear John")。
根據與對方之間關係親疏的禮節，可以稱呼他們的姓而非他們的名字，例如：”Dear Mrs. Price,”。如果關係較為親近些，可以簡單的說：”Hi Kelly,”。當不知道對方名字時，可以稱呼為”Dear Sir or Madam”。如果正在與一家公司而非個人聯繫，可以寫”To Whom It May Concern:”

若是知道對方姓名，一定要以對方名字來發信

	組成規則	example
一般email，知道對方名字	Dear+ Mr./Ms.+姓氏或名字	Dear Ms. Price:
一般email，認識對方	Dear +名字	Dear John
一般email	Mr.+姓氏 Ms.+姓氏	Mr. Anderson Ms. Baker
跟對方很熟	名字	John:
不知道對方性別時	Dear+名字+姓氏	Dear Pat Jones:
真的不知道對方姓名時	Dear Sir(s) or Madam Dear Friends Dear Colleagues Dear Fellows Dear Members Everyone	Dear Sirs: Dear Sir or Madam: Dear Friends: Dear Colleagues: Dear Fellows: Dear Members: Everyone:
發信給特定部門/部門人員	Dear+部門名稱 Dear+部門人員職銜	Dear Customer Service: Dear Marketing Director:
正與一家公司而非個人聯繫	To Whom It May Concern	To Whom It May Concern:

Be concise and clear.
1) Clear and organized structures
2) The easier it is to read a letter, the better.
3) Keep sentences and paragraphs short and simple.
4) Use straightforward vocabulary to avoid any misunderstanding.
5) Ask direct questions.
6) Rewrite any sentence that does not seem perfectly clear.
7) If the recipient is not a native English-speaker, it is preferable to avoid words and expressions that are too technical or complicated.
8) Clearly introduce your purpose in the first paragraph
9) Using words like "first, second, next, and finally" are guides to the reader that you're making a new point.
10) No need to describe all the details in one email. You can always end the email with a phrase like "If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me," which invites the reader to ask you for more information.
清楚且有組織的一封信，可以顯得專業。信愈容易讀愈好，有時不必太拘泥於文法問題，重點在對方讀得懂、可以溝通。段落分明，句子不冗長。用詞清楚明瞭不模稜兩可，以避免不必要的誤會，任何不清不楚的句子都要重新整理一下。有話要問就直接問。如果收件者並不是英語系國家的人，要小心不要用太過艱澀難懂或是技術性的字。及早明確的說出來信目的。不用在一封信裡塞一堆細節，有需要時可以在最後問一句"If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me,"對方有需要會問，到時再回答。
可多用” first, second, next, and finally”讓對方更容易讀下去或是可以用條列式、分點敘述的方法讓對方清楚的知道重點在哪。結尾句子時可以在次強調這封信的重點，或是打上交辦事項
另外，因為不知道對方的營幕大小，是用什麼收信軟體、視窗開多大…的考量之下，要特別注意發出去的信件內文是不是會造成對方閱讀不便。自己電腦編輯的樣子不一定就是對方會看到的樣子。
以下提供常見的兩種email格式抉擇，到底要不要齊頭?

Closing remarks

Before ending your email, it's polite to thank your reader one more time as well as add some courteous closing remarks. You might start with "Thank you for your patience and cooperation." or "Thank you for your consideration." and then follow up with, "If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know." and "I look forward to hearing from you."

在結束電子郵件以前，再感謝一次受文者以表現禮貌。可以用感謝來結尾，也可以用一些希望收到回信…一些句子來結尾。

用在結尾的慣用感謝句在更後面一點的地方會有詳細整理。

除了感謝之外的結尾語(略舉幾例)

I look forward to hearing from you.	期待再次聽到您的消息
I am looking forward to your reply.	期待收到您的回音
If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know.	如果有任何疑問，請不要猶豫就跟我說
If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me	如果有任何問題，就直接問我吧

End with a closing

1) The last step is to include an appropriate closing with your name.

2) Review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it's truly perfect

電子郵件的最後一步，包括了適當的結尾辭與署名。還有回過頭檢查拼字、用語、語氣是否OK。讀讀看是不是通順、合乎邏輯、夠精簡清晰、有禮貌、有說服力、完整。

列舉數個常見結尾語

Best regards,	「敬上」、「謹上」、「商安」官方標準說法。 “Best regards”的雙生兄弟有：”Regards,” “Warm regards,”…等等
Sincerely,
Thank you,	感謝時用，雙生兄弟有”Thanks,” “Thanks in advance,(先謝了)”
Yours truly,	「謹啟」
Truly yours,	「謹啟」
Yours faithfully,	「謹啟」這一個是英式用法，應該會較少用
Later,	「再連絡」
Ciao,	「再連絡」(義大利文打招呼)可能會看到外國人寫。與對方關係好。
All the best,	「祝一切安好」非正式及私人郵件結尾，與對方關係好。
Cheers,	「工作愉快」非正式及私人郵件結尾，與對方關係好。
Best wishes,	「祝一切安好」非正式及私人郵件結尾，與對方關係好。
Take care,	「保重」非正式及私人郵件結尾，與對方關係好。

Thank the recipient

If you are replying to a client's inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, "Thank you for contacting ABC Company." If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, "Thank you for your prompt reply." or "Thanks for getting back to me." If you can find any way to thank the reader, then do. It will put him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more courteous.
如果你正回覆一個客戶的問題，你應該先表達感謝。例如：如果某人詢問你的公司有些問題，你可以這樣說：「Thank you for contacting ABC Company.」如果某人已經回覆你寄的其中一封電子郵件，要確實地說：「Thank you for your prompt reply.」或「Thanks for getting back to me.」如果你可以找到任何機會感謝受文者，那就做吧。這會使他對方感到備受重視，並且將使你顯得更有禮貌些。

Top ten ways to say “Thank you” in an English email/十種電子郵件表達"感謝"之意的方式

開頭感謝最有效來表達感謝之意就是開門見山。如果在未來的日子你仍然需要獲得他人的協助，在信件中適當的語氣能讓閱讀者感受到被感謝是相當重要的。

Thank you for contacting us.	如果某人詢問關於你的公司服務項目，可以在信的開頭使用這個句子，來表達感謝他們對公司感興趣的意願。
Thank you for your prompt reply.	當客戶或同事在很短的時間回覆上次來信，你可以這樣來表達感謝之意。如果不是在很短的時間回覆的話，就不需要加上“prompt”或也可以這樣表示「Thank you for getting back to me.」
Thank you for providing the requested information.	詢問某人問題後，對方利用一些時間來回覆了。可以利用這個句子來表達非常感激他們所做的一切。
Thank you for all your assistance.	如果某人以他們的方式給予協助，就可以感謝了。如果想要更明確表達感謝他們所做的一切，可以使用這個句子：「I truly appreciate ... your help in resolving the problem.」
Thank you raising your concerns.	即使你的客戶或經理人已寫下他們表達對於你在工作上的關心之意或一些意見，仍然可以再感謝一次。表示非常重視他們。或者也可以這樣寫：「Thank you for your feedback.」

結尾感謝閱讀者通常會在信的開頭表達感謝之意，如果在信的結尾重複表達感謝之意，代表你希望在未來能獲得對方的協助，並且能獲得正面回應。

Thank you for your kind cooperation.	如果需要對方的合作協助某事，那就先表達感謝他們的合作。
Thank you for your attention to this matter.	與上面一個句子相同，這個句子暗示對方的任何協助將獲得感激。
Thank you for your understanding.	如果所做一切將使對方感到不便或負面的影響，可以使用這個句子。
Thank you for your consideration.	如果在請求一個好處或機會，譬如申請一個新的工作，可以在結尾使用這個句子。
Thank you again for everything you've done.	這個句子通常放在句末，與前面幾個句子在使用上有些不同。如果在信的開頭已表達感謝之意，就可以使用這個句子，希望能再次感謝他們過去付出的所有熱忱。

Tone
1) Write as you would speak in a business conversation.
2) The tone should be friendly and polite.
3) Although opening an e-mail to your friend with "Hey" is fine, it’s best not to write a potential business partner that way.
4) it's best not to use demanding words like "I want." "I would like" is more respectful, and "I am interested in" is a good choice if you're making an initial proposal or still exploring ideas.

書寫語氣像在進行商務交談一樣保持禮貌和友善。假想如果和對方面對面，是不是會說出同樣的話來檢視是不是語氣太強或會令人不悅。另外，雖然寫給你朋友的e-mail開頭"Hey"很好，但最好不要以這種方式寫給潛在的客戶夥伴。語氣不要太強，例如，最好不要使用類似需求的字彙像是"I want."。"I would like"過度有禮，如果要表達出不計畫或是仍在想點子時"I am interested in"是一個個很好的選擇

Dates

January 15th, 2007, or 15 January 2007)

為了不造成日期混淆之後要澄清會麻煩(2010/11/3到底是2010年11月3日還是2010年3月11日)，寫出月份，只有日期跟年分用數字表達。第二點是在信中提到日期時的幾種說法。

Remember this word order principle :

Who - Does - What - How - Where - When
(Subject - Verb - Object - Manner - Place - Time)

Examples :
Mr. Brown will travel by plane to London on Monday, June 5th.
A technician will install the equipment in your office on Tuesday morning.
I will confirm the transport arrangements as soon as possible.

句子的基本結構是   who does what how where when
                      人動   做怎麼   地   時
                     主詞動詞物件如何在哪什麼時候

Avoid old-fashioned words
Although they are used in legal documents and contracts, words like 'herewith', 'hereby', 'herein', 'aforementioned', etc. are rarely used in letters.
The following style of sentence is preferable :
You will find more information on our products in the enclosed brochure."

雖然法律文書中會用一些已經不怎麼使用的舊字，但是在書信中已經不使用這類的字了。多用簡單的字彙、避免累贅的說法。使用縮寫要三思，(像是ASAP (as soon as possible), aka (as known as), BTW (by the way), FYI (for your information)…)要對方解讀的出才行。

舊式		現行
acknowledge receipt of…	承蒙…	received, Thank you for…
attached hereto	在此附上	attached, (I’m) attaching
attached please find	在此附上，敬請查照	attached, (I’m) attaching
pursuant to your request	依照你的要求	as your request
Please don’t hesitate to call me.	請不要客氣，與我聯絡	Please call me.