Task 7. Read the passage filling in the missing words. Choose from the following:

(conversation; purposes; hand; project; contact; joint; a memo; added, process; information; contract; attached)

Memos are usually exchanged between people who have already established … and are getting further business done on a project. … is part of an ongoing … between colleagues, whether the colleagues are within the same company or working together on a … project involving several companies.

In technical environments, memos are often sent so that they can be … to the project file, creating a paper trail that may be useful later if a history of the … is needed for legal or management … .

Letters, on the other … are more formal documents used to initiate correspondence or formally acknowledge the transmittal of … . For example, a technical … may begin with a letter of transmittal accompanying the project proposal and end with another letter … to the final report, while the project file fills with memos during the work process. In these instances, a letter serves as a type of legal … (complete with signature) and as a polite, firm handshake signaling the important milestones of the project.

Task 8. Speak on:

1. Memos as the best means of conveying messages in the house.

2. Letters as the formal type of correspondence.

3. E-mail as the fastest means of sending messages.

UNIT 2

TYPES OF MEMOS

Study the following topical vocabulary to help you read and translate the text below

multiple		численний
to destine		призначати
formal		офіційний
clarification of a task		з’ясування завдання
to keep abreast of		бути в курсі справи
casual conversation		випадкова розмова
to jot down		зробити короткий запис
finesse		майстерність, тактовність
forecast		передбачення
at the outset		з початку
to disarm hostility		позбавляти ворожості
credibility		правдоподібність
intake		споживання
expatriate		емігрант

Memos can be informal messages intended primarily for a single purpose and a single reader or general notices intended for multiple readers. For example, a project update memo sent first thing in the morning from the supervisor to the staff is probably destined for the project file and is informative to all of the people involved. Later in the day one of the engineers on the project may send a memo to a colleague asking for clarification of a task. The first memo is a typical general notice that management sends to keep people abreast of what’s happening, the second, though still kept as part of the record, is more of a casual conversation not meant for anyone but the specific addressee.

While many kinds of memos are mailed daily in the business world, the most common types for technical communicators are: good news messages; bad news messages; informative messages; requests for action, and message of transmittal. For instance, during an environmental cleanup project, writers may send the following messages:

From	To	Purpose
Engineering vice president	City manager	To forward the proposal for the cleanup job (message of transmittal)
Project leader	City council	To explain the phases of the site cleanup (informative messages)
Site manager	Project leader	To request additional field test equipment (request for action)
Project leader	Environmental Protection Agency	To give positive results of field tests (good news message)
Engineering vice president	City council	To give reasons for delays and cost overruns (bad news message)

There are just a few of the many memos that may be exchanged during the phases of such project. Each has a distinct purpose and should not be jotted down quickly and dashed into the mail. Some memos have particular formats readers expect to see, and all of them create positive or negative impressions for the recipients. Composing them requires finesse that can only come with planning and careful writing.

Here are some examples of memos.

Example 1.