《外贸函电》陈岩峰编；Shirin Boroumand Selph著|(epub+azw3+mobi+pdf)电子书下载

图书名称：《外贸函电》

【作　者】陈岩峰编；Shirin Boroumand Selph著

【页 数】 131

【出版社】 广州：暨南大学出版社 , 2013.09

【ISBN号】978-7-5668-0513-3

【价 格】20.00

【分 类】对外贸易-英语-电报信函-写作

【参考文献】 陈岩峰编；Shirin Boroumand Selph著. 外贸函电. 广州：暨南大学出版社, 2013.09.

图书封面：

图书目录：

《外贸函电》内容提要：

本书是一本介绍外贸函电全面详细的书。本书首先介绍了外贸函电的格式、结构及基本写作原则，然后分别从商务来往中各阶段可能遇到的问题及写信需要提及的内容、注意事项等进行全面、详细的阐释。本书为需要用到外贸函电的各方人士提供了翔实、丰富的范例参考与指导。

《外贸函电》内容试读

Unit 1 Rules of a Good Writing

1.1 Introduction

Writing effective business letters is an essential skill for all business people whoengage in the international trade.It defines and solidifies all aspects of the businesspartnership,including trade negotiations,the conditions and expectations betweenexporters and importers.Although the current popularity of communication via the

Internet,telephone and fax is widely used in the international economic exchangeand trade activities,the international business letters are still of particularimportance.

The four main functions of a business letter are:1)to convey or to ask for information;2)to make or to accept an offer;

3)to deal with details concerning business negotiations;4)to remind the recipient of the sender's existence.

Therefore,a well-written business letter is an essential tool for companiesengaged in the foreign trade and commercial activities.Students majoring in

International Trade and Business English should learn the basic principles andprocedures of writing a business letter.

1.2 Principles of writing a Business letter

The principles for writing an effective business letter include clarity,conciseness,courtesy,completeness,and accuracy.

1.2.1 Clarity

The primary goal of a business letter is to state your purpose clearly,so that the

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letter is not misunderstood.When you are sure about what you want to say,expressyourself in plain,straightforward,and simple words.When the writer expresseshimself or herself more clearly,the reader understands more easily and can respondmore quickly.Thus,the process of communication becomes more efficient.Toachieve clarity,the writer needs to pay close attention to the following guidelines:

1)Make sure that the sentence is structured properly to convey what you want

to communicate;

2)Do not use ambiguous sentences and needless jargon;instead,try to useplain,simple words and short sentences;

3)Each paragraph should contain only one idea and should flow naturally intothe next paragraph.

If you can follow the above guidelines,you will have clarity in your businessletter writing.

1.2.2 Conciseness

Conciseness means writing or saying something in the fewest words.To achievethis,try to avoid wordiness or redundancy.Clarity and conciseness often go hand-in-hand.The elimination of wordy business jargon can make a letter easier to read andhelp eliminate misunderstandings.The author should use straightforward words toreplace complex phrases or clauses.Wherever possible,choose the single word overthe elaborate phrase.Your goal should be to express yourself in simple language sothat your message is clear at first reading.The purpose of writing a letter is to makeyourself understood easily,not to show how you can write long and complicatedsentences.However,a concise letter is not necessarily a short one.Sometimes aletter dealing with a multiplicity of matters cannot avoid being long.

1.2.3 Courtesy

Courtesy means being polite;of course,it is important in business corres-pondence writing.Being polite is a basic principle of business.The courteous writershould be sincere and tactful,thoughtful and appreciative.Courtesy is not only usingpolite phrases such as“your kind inquiry”,“your esteemed order",or“yourvalued customer",but also showing consideration for your correspondent.Courtesy isthe quality that enables us to decline to do a favor and at the same time keep a friendor to refuse a customer's request for credit without sacrificing all hope of future

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Unit I Rules of a Good Writing

business.

Reply to all correspondence promptly.If possible,answer them the same dayyou receive them.It is impolite to keep your correspondent waiting for an answer.Ifyou cannot deal promptly with a letter seeking information,explain why and whenyou will write again.This creates an impression of efficiency and helps to build agoodwill.

Try to understand and respect your correspondent's point of view;resist thetemptation to insist that you are right and they are wrong.If his or her suggestions areunfounded or their criticisms seem unfair,carefully construct your reply with tastefulrestraint and convey your point of view without sounding offensive.If you receivecorrespondence that is rude or sharply worded,resist the temptation to reply insimilar terms.Instead,answer the letter courteously;you lower your dignity if youallow the writer to set the tone of your reply.

Two people or parties,who are doing business together,have both commonand contradictory interests.It is very important to keep in mind distinctions betweenoverlapping concepts:courtesy overdone may amount to flattery and sincerityoverdone may amount to featherbrain.In short,any virtue overdone will producesome undesirable effect,and propriety is the watchword in distinguishing the rightcourse from the wrong.

1.2.4 Completeness

A business letter is successful and functions well only when it contains all thenecessary information.An outline helps you write a full and complete letter.

Thoroughly review the letter to ensure that it contains all the details that have beendiscussed,and answer all of your client's questions.Incompleteness is impolite,andcan create an unfavorable impression of your company.The client may decide to workwith a different firm that can provide them with all of the information needed to makeeducated business decisions.

To achieve completeness,keep the following questions in mind:Why are youwriting the letter?Have you answered your client's questions clearly and precisely?

Did you include facts supporting your statements?Did you communicate clearly whatyou expect from the reader?Use specific facts and figures,choose vivid,image-building words,and make sure you use modifiers in the right place.If you havegiven the answers to all these questions,you have a complete letter.

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1.2.5 Accuracy

A business letter must contain appropriate and grammatically correct sentencesas well as factual and accurate information.While you are proofreading thedocument,special attention should be paid to form and convention,as well as tocontent.Double check the spelling of articles,specifications,quantities,andanything else that specifically apply to the message you are conveying.To avoidcommon grammatical errors in business writing,pay special attention to how you usepronouns,adjectives,articles,verbs,adverbs,conjunctions,and participles.

Factual errors are the result of lack of careful attention.Errors in pricequotations or delivery dates are oversights caused by careless typing and insufficientproofreading.To avoid mistakes,use a variety of references to check and recheckyour facts.

Careful attention to details,thorough proofreading,and the diligent use ofreferences will eliminate errors in business letter writing.

1.3 The writing process

1.3.1 Preparation

1)What are your reader's interests

When writing a business letter,it is very important to know your reader'sinterests.Ask yourself,what is the reader's cultural and economic background?

When you have found out your reader's interests,think about how you can adaptyour message to one that your reader will understand from his or her perspective.Toadapt your message,begin by visualizing your reader.Form a mental picture of whatthe reader knows about the subject,what his or her educational level is,and howhe or she thinks.Your correspondence must create a good first impression.To achievethis,"put yourself in the reader's shoes"and try to imagine how he will react towhat you write.Constantly ask yourself,"What are the reader's needs,wishes,interests,problems,and how can I successfully meet them"and "If I were toreceive this letter,how would I feel about it".

The following paragraphs are examples from the annual reports of two differentcompanies.The writer of the first report apparently viewed his readers as not being

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well-informed in finance.The writer of the second report regarded his readers asbeing well-informed in finance,such as stockbrokers,financial managers,financial analysts,and bankers.

Paragraph①

The company had a total sale of 117 million dollars in 2009,which was slightlyhigher than 2008.After deducting all expenses,the company had a net balance of380,458 dollars.The increase in profits allowed the company to increase your annualdividend payments 50 cents per share paid over the last 10 years.

Paragraph②

The total of investments and advances in three.unconsolidated corporatesubsidiaries and the 50%owned companies was 42 million dollars as of December31,2009.The excess investments in certain companies over the net asset value were$189,000.The corporation's equity in the net assets as of December 31,2010 was49 million dollars.

What do you think about the writing?Which one is clearer?Perhaps you thinkeach one is good,perhaps you do not understand both of them.The answer dependsupon who read them.Use different words for different audiences,and that is whatyou should try to do.

2)Collect related information

Collect the information that you may need to refer to when writing your letter,such as past correspondence,information from other employees that have knowledgeof the company you are writing to,sales and inventory records,warranties,andproduct descriptions.Then,use the collected information to evaluate an applicant,acknowledge an offer and predict the reader's reaction.After referring to theinformation you gathered,try to impartially judge what the reader's reaction will be:positive,negative or somewhere in between.You can't be sure of what the reader'sresponse will be to your letter's objective.The only thing you can do is apply yourknowledge of the reader to a specific situation and use your best judgment.3)Plan your letter

Many business letters are short and routine and can be written or dictatedwithout any special preparation,while others must first be thought about andplanned.Jot down all the points you wish to cover and then arrange them in a logical

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order so that your letter can be read smoothly and fluently.If your letter is in reply toone received,underline those parts which seek information,or on which commentsare necessary.This will ensure that your reply is complete and easy to understand.

1.3.2 Writing effectively

As we have already mentioned,it is important to keep in mind the principlesfor effective business letter writing.Let us go into further details on how to applythese principles to write more effectively.1)Choose the right tone

Tone is the manner of expression in speech or writing.If a letter is to achieve itspurpose,its tone must be right.Before writing,think carefully about the way youwant to influence your reader.You should use right tone and adopt properattitude.Ask yourself,what do you want this letter to do,and then express yourselfaccordingly.Being persuasive,apologetic,obliging,firm and so on,depending onthe effect you want to produce.2)Write naturally and sincerely

When you write or dictate a business letter,try to create a genuine interest inthe person you are writing to,concerning his or her problems and challenges.Besincere;say what you have to say with sincerity and respect.Express your thoughts inyour own words and in your own way.Be yourself.In this way what you say wouldsound natural if read over the telephone.

3)Prefer the active voice to the passive one

Generally speaking,an active voice is preferred rather than a passive voice.Anactive voice conveys stronger and livelier ideas.Using the active voice,the subjectdoes the action while in passive voice it receives the action.For example:

(1)The results were reported in our July 9th letter.

(2)We reported the results in our July 9th letter.

(3)Our office would like this problem to be brought before the board.

(4)This office requests that the secretary bring this problem before the board.

However,your decision on which kind of tone to be used is not simply a matterof choice.

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