外贸英语函电Module 1Fundamentals of Business Writing
模块1外贸函电写作的基本要义Module1Fundamentals of 
Business Writing模块●1
外贸函电写作的
基本要义Learning GoalsKnow about the basic structure and format of business letters and emails.Get familiar with the 7C writing principles in business correspondence and be able to revise messages based on them.Be able to apply proper structure, format and writing principles to actual business correspondence.LeadinSituation: Youre a salesperson. Youre now given a task to write an email to your client.Questions: 1. Do you think you can write randomly, or need to follow some kinds of format？2. What are the general purposes of business writing？To fulfill these purposes, which principles shall we follow？Task
1Writing a Business LetterThe structure and format of business letters are constantly changing in international trade. For instance, with the degree of familiarity increasing between trade partners, business letters become less formal than before. However, there are still some usual practices that should be followed in terms of structure and format.Section 1Structure of a Business LetterSampleA wellconstructed business letter is often made up of the parts structured in the following way.Usually, there are fourteen parts in a standard business letter. However, only seven of them are necessary for a daily business letter.Necessary PartsOptional PartsLetterhead
Date
Inside name and address
Salutation
Body
Complimentary close
SignatureReference number
Attention
Subject
Reference notation
Enclosure
Carbon copy
Postscript1. Letterhead （信头）A business letterhead is a preprinted heading on documents like letters, memos, and notes. The heading is centered at the top of the letter; sometimes it is in the topright corner or the topleft corner. Usually, companies use printed paper with a heading at the top.The heading can create a typical identity or vivid image of a company. It bears basic information of the company such as name, logo, address, postcode, telephone number, fax number, email, website, etc. An Example of HeadingChina Petroleum Guangzhou Branch
Room 3802，Floor 38, Petroleum Building, No.198 East Xiaogang Road, 
 Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510541, China
Tel: +86 208566 8590; Fax: +86 8566 8592
mail: cpgzb@sina.com
Website: cpgzpetrol.com.cn2. Reference number （发文编号/参考编号）Reference number always appears on the left margin with one or two lines below the letterhead, no matter which format is used.A reference number is often used for identifying, filing and tracing back in the future. It usually contains departmental code, chronological number, etc.It is generally marked “Our ref: ” and “Your ref: ” to avoid confusion. Our ref: WF/0604
Your ref: DF0905Our ref: WF/ml0604
Your ref: DF/ds09053. Date （日期）The date is often located below the reference number with one or two lines; it appears on the left margin or in the middle right.The date provides the evidence or reference of time when the letter is written; it consists of day, month and yearThe format of the date according to the following table.RecommendedOctober 12，201912 October 2019Acceptable, but
not RecommendedOctober 12th，2019
12th October 2019
Oct12，2019Oct12th，2019Not Acceptable2019/10/1210/12/2019October，12th，20192019101210122019October，12，2019201910121012201919/10/1210/12/194. Inside name and address （信内姓名及地址）It begins with one or two lines below the date and should always be left justified, no matter which format is used.It includes the receivers basic information such as name, address, telephone number, email, etc.  Example 1Example 2David Smith
Purchasing Manager
Importing Department
America Thomas Trading Co., Ltd.
No.1207 Denny Street Seattle City
Washington 27532
The U.S.A. Ms. Jane Smith
Sales Manager
Textile Import and Export Corporation
No.31 West Green Street
Florida 33402
The U.S.A.5. Attention （送交人/送交部门）The attention line is placed on the left margin with one or two lines below the inside name and address.This part is not a must in official or business letters. It is used when the writer wishes to lead the letter to a particular person or department when the letter is addressed to a company.Below are some examples.（1） Attention: Mr. David Smith, Purchasing Manager.（2） ATTN: Mr. David Smith, Purchasing Manager.（3） For the attention of Mr. David Smith, Purchasing Manager.（4） Attention: Importing Department.6. Subject （主题）The subject is often located either on the left margin or in the middle with one or two lines below the attention line, but sometimes it can be set in the middle below the salutation with one or twoline space.It calls the receivers attention to the topic of the letter, and it can also serve as a guide for filing.The subject may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, italicized or CAPITAL LETTERS. Here are some examples.（1） Subject: Confirming Order and Sending Contract（2） Subject: Confirming Order and Sending Contract  （3） Subject: Confirming Order and Sending Contract（4） Subject: CONFIRMING ORDER AND SENDING CONTRACT（“Subject” is also written as SUBJECT; Sub.; Re.; SUB; RE.）7. Salutation （称呼）The salutation follows the subject line below one line. It is always leftjustified, no matter which format is adopted.It is used to greet the receiver and show politeness.It usually begins with “Dear” followed by the receivers name with the official title, job title or professional title if any.8. Body （正文）The body is often positioned either on the left margin or indented fourletter to the right. It appears one or two lines below the salutation. It is the most important part of a business letter because it expresses the writers ideas, opinions, purposes, wishes, etc. It includes three parts: opening, middle and closing. The body is the main part of a letter, and therefore should be carefully planned.9. Complimentary close （结尾敬语）It appears below the last paragraph of the body with one or twoline space. It can convey the writers courtesy and respect to the receiver. As a polite way of ending the letter, it should match the form of salutation and the signature.The following examples show the matching punctuation between the salutation and complimentary close.PunctuationWith comma “，”
（Britain English）With colon “:”
（American English）Without punctuationSalutationDear Mr. David Smith，Dear Mr. David Smith: Dear Mr. David SmithComplimentary closeYours respectfully, 
Mabel LiYours respectfully, 
Mabel LiYours respectfully
Mabel Li10. Signature （签名）The signature is located below complimentary close leaving one or two lines, whether it should be leftjustified or in the middle right depends on the format the writer has selected. The signature gives authority to the contents of the letter or confirms the legal power of the letter.Signature ExampleMabel Li
Mabel Li
Sales Manager
Guangzhou Sunshine Toy Company11. Reference notation （经办人代号/口述人及打印人）The reference notation is placed on the left margin with one or twoline space below the signature. It indicates who should take the responsibility for the letter if any dispute happens. It shows the initials of the person who dictated the letter and the initials of the typist or secretary who typed the letter.Note: The dictators name and the typists name are divided by a slash “/” or colon “:”.For example, if the dictator is Mabel Li and the typist is Susan Wu, we may write in the following format.
ML/SW; ML: SWML/sw; ML: swml/sw; ml: sw12. Enclosure （附件）The enclosure appears on the left margin with one or twoline space below the signature. It reminds the receiver that there are documents attached to the letter. Here are the examples.Enclosure/Encl/Enc: Sales contract （1 copy）Enclosures/Encls/Encs: Sales contract （2 copies）13. Carbon copy （副本抄送）The carbon copy is positioned on the left margin below the enclosure with one or two lines.It informs the receiver that this letter has been sent to someone else at the same time.If you do not want the receiver to know to whom else you send this letter, you can use the function of “b.c.c.” （short for “blind carbon copy”） to send the copies.Carbon CopyBlind Carbon CopyCopy to Mr. Stephen/General Manager
CC: Mr. Stephen/General Manager
（Cc, cc）BCC: Mr. Stephen/General Manager
（Bcc, bcc）
Copy to Guangzhou Sunshine Toy Company
CC: Guangzhou Sunshine Toy Company
（Cc, cc）BCC: Guangzhou Sunshine Toy Company
（Bcc, bcc）
14. Postscript （备注、附录）The postscript is leftjustified following carbon copy by one or two lines.It is used deliberately to draw the readers attention to a point the writer wishes to emphasize or something he forgets to mention.Example: P.S.: The sample will be mailed to you within three days.Section 2Layout of a Business LetterUsually, the way of laying out a letter includes line spacing, indenting （缩进）, underlining, CAPITALIZING and so on. Although formality in modern business letters tends to become less conventional （传统的） and more conversational （非正式的）, it still follows a more or less set pattern determined by custom. Many business companies adopt a particular format or layout of a letter and standardize it throughout the entire organization.（1）Full Block Style （most often used）（2） Modified Block Style （also popular）（3）Indented Style （an older format, less popular now）The whole text or part is aligned or starts from the left margin. Paragraphs are singlespaced, not indented, but with a double space between paragraphs.A modified block differs from full block style in that the date and signature lines begin at the centre of the page line.New paragraphs are indented to the right of the left margin. Other parts are moved farther to the right half of the page. Task
2Writing a Business EmailCompared with traditional letters, an email has the advantages of convenient sending and receiving, fast delivery, wide communication objects, free delivery, safe and easy to save. Emails have greatly facilitated communications and exchanges in business circles.Sample1. Recipient （收件人）（1） To multiple recipients, the writer can separate them by using a comma （，）or a semicolon （:）.（2） CC. CC means carbon copyWhen an email is copied to one or more recipients, both the main recipient （whose address is in the “To:” field） and the CCd recipients （whose address is in the “CC:” field） can see all the addresses to which the message was sent.（3） BCC. When a message is blind carbon copied, neither the main recipient nor the BCCd recipients can see the addresses in the “BCC:” field.2. Subject （主题）The subject line often determines whether an email is opened and how the recipient responds. The followings are some tips on how to write the subject of an email.（1） Always write a subject. Although the email system allow us to send an email without a subject, an email with a blank subject line may be deleted, lost, or may immediately irritate the recipient, who is forced to open the email to figure out what its about.（2） Keep it short. A typical inbox reveals about 60 characters of an emails subject line, while a mobile phone shows just 25 to 30 characters. Nowadays emails are very often opened on mobile devices, which means longer subject lines will get cut off. The writer should get right to the point in about 6-8 words.（3） Write a clear and specific topic. The subject line should communicate exactly what the email is about so that the recipient can prioritize the emails importance. Avoid writing generic and vague subject lines; instead, try to make them short but informative.Not RecommendedRecommendedSubject: ProposalSubject: Product XYZ Case Study Proposal     Subject: Electronic Toys ConferenceSubject: Invitation of Electronic Toys Conference, Guangzhou Aug. 14-16 （4） Ask for a response. If you need a response, make it clear in the subject line by saying “please reply” or “thoughts needed on ××× topic”. If not, simply start the line with “Please read” or add an “FYI” to the end.（5） Set a deadline in the subject line, if necessary. For example, after the emails topic, you could say: “Please reply by Friday.”3. Salutation（称呼）The salutation is also leftjustified. It could be the receivers name with the official title, job title, etc. Please refer to Task 1.4. Body （正文）The body of a formal email typically elaborates on the purpose of the email. Although the body contains detailed information, its important to write clearly and concisely. Another important aspect is choosing the right font, size, color, and spacing.For writing emails in English, here is the list of some web safe fonts—aka email safe fonts—that the writer may use with a 100% guarantee that they will render in recipients inboxes as planned: Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana, Courier New, Tahoma, Georgia.The writer should keep the number of colors to the minimum, with no more than 3 colors in an email. Use a bold font, a different font, red color or CAPITAL LETTERS only when we want to highlight one sentence or a phrase. Heres an example.Hi!

Thanks for ordering our thermal bottles! Were offering a coupon code to use at Weichi Shop.

Use coupon code IMNEW for 30% OFF!
5. Complimentary close（结尾敬语）The closing the writer choose should match the tone of the rest of the email. Formal closings include “Sincerely” and “Thank you” while less formal messages can use “Cheers” “Talk to you soon!” or “See you later!”（This is similar to a business letter. Please refer to Task 1 for more details.）6. Signature （签名）An email might be signed off with the writers name （first and last name）, title, company name, etc.Many email systems allow us to add a signature block （签名档, a personalized block of text automatically appended at the bottom of an email message） to every email we create. Setting a signature block in OutlookA professional email signature block usually contains information such as: ●First name and last name.●Title or position.