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Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

BUSINESS LETTERS

This information will help you write business letters required in many different situations, from applying for a job to requesting or delivering information and will also highlight strategies for effective business writing in general.

PRINCIPLES TO KEEP IN MIND Business writing is different

Writing for a business audience is usually quite different than writing in the humanities, social sciences, or other academic disciplines. Business writing strives to be crisp and succinct rather than evocative or creative; it stresses specificity and accuracy.

When you write a business document, you must assume that your

Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

audience has limited time in which to read it and is likely to skim. Your readers have an interest in what you say insofar as it affects their working world. They want to know the «bottom line»: the point you are making about a situation or problem and how they should respond.

Business writing varies from the conversational style often found in email messages to the more formal, legalistic style found in contracts. A style between these two extremes is appropriate for the majority of memos, emails, and letters. Writing that is too formal can alienate readers, and an attempt to be overly casual may come across as insincere or unprofessional. In business writing, as in all writing, you must know your audience.

In most cases, the business letter will be the first impression that you make on someone. Though business writing has become less formal over time, you should still take great care that your letter's content is clear and that you have proofread it carefully.

Pronouns and active versus passive voice

Personal pronouns (like I, we, and you) are important in letters and memos. In such documents, it is perfectly appropriate to refer to yourself as I and to the reader as you. Be careful, however, when you use the pronoun we in a business letter that is written on company stationery, since it commits your company to what you have written. When stating your opinion, use I, when presenting company policy, use we.

The best writers strive to achieve a style that is so clear that their messages cannot be misunderstood. One way to achieve a clear style is to minimize your use of the passive voice. Although the passive voice is sometimes necessary, often it not only makes your writing dull but also can be ambiguous or overly impersonal. Here's an example of the same point stated in passive voice and in the active voice:

PASSIVE: The net benefits of subsidiary divestiture were grossly overestimated. [Who did the overestimating?]

ACTIVE: The Global Finance Team grossly overestimated the net benefits of subsidiary divestiture.

The second version is clearer and thus preferable.

Focus and specificity

Business writing should be clear and concise. Take care, however, that your document does not turn out as an endless series of short, choppy sentences. Keep in mind also that «concise» does not have to mean «blunt» – you still need to think about your tone and the audience for whom you are writing. Consider the following examples:

After carefully reviewing this proposal, we have decided to prioritize other projects this quarter.

Nobody liked your project idea, so we are not going to give you any funding.

Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

The first version is a weaker statement, emphasizing facts not directly relevant to its point. The second version provides the information in a simple and direct manner. But you don't need to be an expert on style to know that the first phrasing is diplomatic and respectful (even though it's less concise) as compared with the second version, which is unnecessarily harsh and likely to provoke a negative reaction.

Business letters: where to begin

Reread the description of your task (for example, the advertisement of a job opening, instructions for a proposal submission, or assignment prompt for a course). Think about your purpose and what requirements are mentioned or implied in the description of the task. List these requirements. This list can serve as an outline to govern your writing and help you stay focused, so try to make it thorough. Next, identify qualifications, attributes, objectives, or answers that match the requirements you have just listed. Strive to be exact and specific, avoiding vagueness, ambiguity, and platitudes. If there are industry – or field-specific concepts or terminology that are relevant to the task at hand, use them in a manner that will convey your competence and experience. Avoid any language that your audience may not understand. Your finished piece of writing should indicate how you meet the requirements you've listed and answer any questions raised in the description or prompt.

Formatting business letters

Block format is the most common format used in business today. With this format, nothing is centred. The sender's address, the recipient's address, the date and all new paragraphs begin at the left margin, like this:

Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

There are other, slightly different ways of formatting a business letter, where for example paragraphs are indented or the date is typed on the right hand side. You can see examples of these in the sample letters.

Formatting business email

When using email in business, most of the guidelines for standard formatting in business letters apply. Here are a few differences:

•Choose a subject line that is simple and straightforward. Refrain from using key words that might cause an email to go into another person's trash box.

•Repeat the subject line in the body of the email, beneath the salutation (as with a letter).

•Use the «cc» address line to copy more than one person with your correspondence.

•You can request a receipt for important letters. The system will automatically let you know when someone has opened your email.

•Instead of a signature, include your typed name, and below it include your email address, business name and address, phone and fax number, and website if appropriate.

Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

•Remember that people often print out emails, so your own email address and the subject line would be lost if you had not included them in the body of the email.

•Internal electronic mail may be formatted more like a memo than a formal letter.

WRITING A BUSINESS LETTER

The term «business letter» makes people nervous. Many people with English as a second language worry that their writing is not advanced enough for business writing. This is not the case. An effective letter in business uses short, simple sentences and straightforward vocabulary. The easier a letter is to read, the better. You will need to use smooth transitions so that your sentences do not appear too choppy.

Salutation

First and foremost, make sure that you spell the recipient's name correctly. You should also confirm the gender and proper title. Use Ms. for women and Mr. for men. Use Mrs. if you are 100 % sure that a woman is married. Under less formal circumstances, or after a long period of correspondence it may be acceptable to address a person by his or her first name. When you don't know the name of a person and cannot find this information out you may write, «To Whom It May Concern». It is standard to use a comma (colon in North America) after the salutation. It is also possible to use no punctuation mark at all. Here are some common ways to address the recipient:

•Dear Sirs, If you are addressing the company rather than a person within the company;

•Dear Sir or Madam, If you do not know the name of the person who will receive the letter;

•Dear Sir, Dear Madam, If you know the name of the person but wish to remain extremely formal;

•Dear Mr, Mrs, Ms, or Miss Smith, If you know the name of the person or have a formal relationship with him/her. Use Ms if you are writing to a woman and do not know her married status. Although Ms is used more and more when writing to a woman whether or not you know her married status, not all women like to be addressed as Ms;

•Dear Jim, If the person is a close business contact, with whom you are already on first name terms, or friend.

•Sir, Madam, Used only for legal communications, formal complaints, letters to the editor, to convey anger, etc.

First paragraph

In most types of business letter it is common to use a friendly greeting

Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

in the first sentence of the letter. Here are some examples:

•I hope you are enjoying a fine summer.

•Thank you for your kind letter of January 5th.

•I came across an ad for your company in The Star today.

•It was a pleasure meeting you at the conference this month.

•I appreciate your patience in waiting for a response.

After your short opening, state the main point of your letter in one or two sentences:

•I'm writing to enquire about...

•I'm interested in the job opening posted on your company website.

•We'd like to invite you to a members only luncheon on April 5th.

Second and third paragraphs

Use a few short paragraphs to go into greater detail about your main

point. If one paragraph is all you need, don't write an extra paragraph just to make your letter look longer. If you are including sensitive material, such as rejecting an offer or informing an employee of a layoff period, embed this sentence in the second paragraph rather than opening with it. Here are some common ways to express unpleasant facts:

•We regret to inform you...

•It is with great sadness that we...

•After careful consideration we have decided...

Final paragraph

Your last paragraph should include requests, reminders, and notes on

enclosures. If necessary, your contact information should also be in this paragraph. Here are some common phrases used when closing a business letter:

•I look forward to...

•Please respond at your earliest convenience.

•I should also remind you that the next board meeting is on February 5th.

•For futher details...

•If you require more information...

•Thank you for taking this into consideration.

•I appreciate any feedback you may have.

•Enclosed you will find...

•Feel free to contact me by phone or email.

Closing

Here are some common ways to close a letter. Use a comma between the closing and your handwritten name (or typed in an email). If you do not use a comma or colon in your salutation, leave out the comma after the closing phrase:

• For letters beginning Dear Sir, Dear Sir or Madam, – Yours, Yours faithfully, Yours truly;

Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

•For letters beginning Dear Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms. – Your sincerely,

Yours;

•For letters beginning Dear Jim, – Best wishes, Kind regards, Warmest regards.

PRACTICE ACTIVITIES

Activity 1. Here are three extracts from letters that break some rules. Decide what is wrong with each one and underline any mistakes or faults. Rewrite each extract in your own words.

Thank you very much for your letter of 15 January, which we received today. In answer to your enquiry we have pleasure in enclosing an information pack, giving full details of our services. If you would like any further information, do please contact me., by phone or in writing and I will be pleased to help. I hope that our services will be of interest to you and I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely.

There are a number of queries that I would like to raise about your products and I would be grateful if you could ask a representative to get in touch with me with a view to discussing these queries, and hopefully placing an order if the queries are satisfactorily answered.

Activity 2. Look at this rather confusing memo. What makes it difficult to follow? Decide how it can be improved. Redraft it together in your own words.

Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

Activity 3. You and your partner are colleagues who work in the same office. Write short letters to make the following complaints and apologies.

1.Apologize because you've forgotten to get last year's sales figures from the Sales Manager. Now she has left the building.

2.Complain because your colleague made a long-distance private call on the office phone.

3.Complain because your colleague should have faxed New Orleans, not written a letter. A fax is quicker and more reliable than airmail.

4.Apologize because you have made an appointment for your colleague to see the Managing Director in five minutes' time – it was the only time the MD was free this week.

5.Complain because your colleague didn't contact the Computer Manager before sending in an order for some computer software.

Activity 4. You are area sales representative for an importer. The customer is chief buyer for a mail order company or chain store. You know this customer well. Write him a letter to give this information.

•The alarm is in white.

•Batteries are not required, as it connects with the mains supply.

•Each alarm is packed in a sturdy brown cardboard box.

Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

•The product is ready to use.

•You will have stock in two weeks.

•The wholesale price of the product is £400 for a carton of 20 (£44.95

retail).

Карташова А.В. «Перевод в сфере делового общения». Учебное пособие, 2010 год

APPENDIX: BANK OF USEFUL PHRASES