浅谈商务英语函电在对外贸易中的作用_英语论文

1 Introduction

The early years of our new century have been a period of unprecedented technological advancement. From cell-phones to 3G online, from test massaging to PC faxing, our communications tools and techniques are becoming ever more sophisticated. Today we are able to organize, transmit, and use information at speeds unimaginable only a few years ago and we anticipate future developments that are equally unimaginable today. Nevertheless, the “information superhighway” notwithstanding, communicatio ns technology has not supplanted communications know-how. We still require information and ideas to be expressed in clear, completely, and the person who can compose such information is a part of business organization. Therefore, business correspondence language still continues to be a highly marketable skill in today?s workplace.

From the perspective of linguistic carrier, business correspondence should be used in a business environment. It belongs to ESP① (English for special purposes, the English need by a particular group of learners could be identified by analyzing the linguistic characteristics of their specialist of work or study.), and emphasizes the special communication in the specific circumstances. It is a comprehensive discipline which is combined with English writing and foreign trade practice with content, difficulty and practicability of nature. It has a very difference from the nature of ordinary English or other specialized English in content or formally. It involves foreign trade practices each part. Mainly includes: Establishing business relations; Enquiries and Replies; Quotations, Sales Letters, Offers and Counter Offers; Orders, Acceptances; Sales confirmation and Purchase contract; Payment; Packing; Transport and Insurance; Complaint, Claim and Settlement etc. Thus it can be seen although the business correspondence is not the foreign trade practice lesson, but involves the operational method in the foreign trade. This paper will from the linguistic features, the textual structure, and the lexis three parts to analyze the characteristics of business correspondence.

2 The meaning of Business English Correspondence

2.1 The meaning of Business English Correspondence

Business English correspondence is Electronics letters that help people communicate in the field of foreign trade working language in writing , In the foreign trade knowledge as the background , Language as a carrier of foreign trade。Business English correspondence is one of the main ways of foreign business communication 。But, In today's highly developed information technology ，The letters are not limited to paper, or it can be E-mail, fax or MSN 。It is a letter issued to encoding and decoding process of the receiver 。Smooth encoding and decoding process is using the correspondence communication process。The most commonly used include ：The purpose of establishing business relations、enquiries、An offer、reply、The contract of sale、Packing、insurance、compensation、arbitration ect .

2.2 The characteristics of business English correspondence

Business English correspondence is frequently used in international business contacts，Is carry out foreign trade business and related business activities of the foundation and important tool 。Therefore, Be familiar with the use and Correct understanding of the new characteristics of business English correspondence，Is premise and condition of business activities smoothly .

2.2.1 Linguistic features of Business Correspondence

Language is a means of communication. This may seem like a foolishly simple observation to make, but remember that for communication to be completed successfully a sender must

convey his or her message so that the receiver not only receives, but also understands, the message. If language is not used clearly and accurately, the communication process cannot be successfully completed.

A simple rule to remember is that the English you use in your everyday business should be the same good English used by people in all walks of life. Granted, there may be terms intrinsic to your industry, but there is not a special type of ……business English?? to be learned and used when writing business letters. Good English is good English.

Business correspondence is one of the common styles in the international business activities. Because of its production and service in various commercial business scopes, reflecting the professional and business-related content. Therefore, the wording, syntax, expression style, meaning and content has the style of the business. Cooperation and competition, rights and obligations, faith and claim, goods delivery and payment will always be topics for the business people. Each expression should be tried to be concise and accurate, strong and mild, firm but not tough, rigorous and without losing humorous. It is usually to be used strictly

“7Cs②” principles of writing, that is Clear, Complete, Concise, Concrete, Constructive, Conversational and Correct.

Clear

The goal of clarity is that the reader understands precisely what you are saying. The language of your correspondence should be adapted to the recipient. This means that you write in a matter-of-fact, conversational tone. Use specific examples the reader can relate to. Don?t assume that your reader understands the jargon of your trade. Remember, most letters will be read by people other than the recipient of the letter. These people may be unfamiliar with the technical language or jargon you use. Clarity also means organizing your correspondence or letter so each paragraph deals with only one main idea and presenting your ideas in a logical order. Your letter should not be a collection of random ideas. It should be single-minded in its purpose.

This is the cornerstone of effective communication and requires considerable effort on the writer?s part. It includes writing to the reader?s level of understanding, but not down to the reader. It means using language, words, and phrases that reader understands, while avoiding all jargon and unfamiliar words and phrases. It involves coherently and logically ordering

thoughts and ideas structuring paragraphs so that each idea has its own place in the correspondence. Good narratives are designed to make the desired impact. Remember, it is writer?s obligation to clearly communicate so that the reader can understand, not the other way around.

Be clear and s traightforward in correspondences. Write what you mean. Don?t write in circles, making reader guess what you mean. Take the following example of a writer who wants to tell a customer about an important organization:

My correspondence was initiated to inform you of the high caliber of programs and activities of an organization in which I have enjoyed being involved over the past few years. The County Business Association has served to keep me informed of, and actively involved in, the current political and economic issues affecting small businesses through its monthly breakfast meetings with interesting and impressive speakers, its newsletter on legislative activities in Washington, and several other programs outlined in the attached letter.

There are many pr oblems with this example. Let?s start by examining the clarity and directness of the statement. Since the writer of the letter wants to inform the reader about an important organization, why didn?t the writer come right out and do so by writing:

I am writing to you about the high-caliber programs and activities offered by the County Business Association, an organization in which I have been involved for the past few years.

In the writer?s version of the letter, it is not until the second sentence of the par agraph that we even learn the name of the important organization. If you are writing about a particular subject, and that subject happens to be an organization, why not get its name right up front so the reader might enjoy learning about it throughout the rest of the letter instead of being left in suspense?

Instead of using many words (……my correspondence was initiated to inform you of . . .??), why not say simply, ……I am writing to you about . . .??? If you come right out and say what you mean instead of beating around the bush, not only are you going to grab your reader?s attention right away, but you also stand a stronger chance of convincing your reader that he or she should go on reading and find out more about what you have to say.

Complete

Good writing includes all the information necessary to make the point and promote whatever the correspondence requests. The data must be designed with a purpose in mind.

Random details and thoughts however colorful and interesting, only confuse and the reader if they are not relevant to the issues being raised. Stay on track and make sure you have provided the reader with enough information to encourage the action you seek.

Make sure all the information what the reader needs to know. (Do not include details that are interesting but not relevant.) The biggest problem with leaving out information is that the reader has to make assumptions. For example, do not say, “When we last spoke about the situation,” when you can say, “When we spoke on June 8 about hiring a new adm inistrative assistant.”

Remember that the reader cannot read the writer?s mind. The reader can only guess at what the writer left out.

To write business correspondence should pay attention to the information of the other party needed, and whether you have completely answered the question. If the buyer accepts the offer, the seller should be quoted in the relevant content by buyer to write the correspondence of accepting the offer

Generally speaking, use 5Ws ( who, what, when, where, why) and “1h”( how) to c heck what you wrote letters is complete, who orders, and what the ordered goods, when the shipment should be effected, and goods be shipped to where, what terms of payment, if you have special request should also explain why. That can be list as follows:

Dear Sirs:

Re: Sweaters

With reference to your letter of May 8, we are pleased to accept your offer as per your Quotation Sheet No. 1/ 01/ 2005 for the follow:

50 doz. Cashmere sweater, small, CIF Hamburg US＄150.00 per doz.

70 doz. Cashmere sweaters, medium CIF Hamburg US＄180.00 per doz.

50 doz. Cashmere sweaters, large CIF Hamburg US＄200.00 per doz.

Packing: Each Sweater to be packed in a poly bag, per dozen in a tin lined carton, with 10 dozen to a wooden case.

Payment: 100 % by irrevocable letter of credit and drawn at sight.

Delivery: May/ June.

We trust you will give this enquiry your prompt and careful attention.

Yours Truly

Concise

A concise letter eliminates all unnecessary words. Why use four wo rds, “in as much as,” when you can use one word, “because”? This is not to say that you can?t write long letters, but the longer the letter, the more ineffective it becomes. It is better to write a short letter with attachments than a long, detailed one. Short letters are read and remembered; long letters are skimmed and filed.

“Brevity is the soul of wit.”William Shakespeare once wrote. Plainly put, keep letters short and to the point. Do not pad your communication if the padding does not address the main point or contribute to the correspondence?s goal. Readers will be annoyed, not impressed, by verbiage that obstructs rather than expedites the communication process.

Be concise, direct, and unambiguous in your correspondence. Some- times when you think you are communicating clearly in a business letter, the reader receives a different message from the one you intended. If such ambiguity is present in your letters, you can never be sure that the reader will understand your message. Ambiguous language is another problem with the example paragraph above. The writer wrote:

The County Business Association has served to keep me informed of, and actively involved in, the current political and economic issues affecting small businesses through its monthly breakfast meetings with interesting and impressive speakers, its newsletter on legislative activities in Washington, and several other programs outlined in the attached letter.

The writer did not mean to suggest that the current political and economic issues were af fecting small businesses as a result of the County Business Association?s monthly breakfast meetings. Because of careless wording, however, the sentence could be read to mean exactly that. The writer may be defensive and quip, ……Well, you knew what I meant,?? and in this case would be correct. But if we have to read something twice to make sure of its meaning, then the chances are that it was not written clearly in the first place. The writer could have written: Through monthly breakfast meetings with interesting speakers, a newsletter on legislative activities in Washington, and several other programs, the County Business Association has kept me informed of and involved in the current political and economic issues affecting smaller businesses.

This version leaves little doubt in the reader?s mind about the writer?s intended meaning.

The meaning of an ambiguous passage often cannot be detected as easily as in the above example. A classic example is the following:

The loan officer approved the loan for David Marshall because he was obviously of superior moral fiber.

From what is written above we cannot tell who is of superior moral fiber, the loan officer or Mr. Marshall. The pronoun ……he?? can refer to either the loan officer or Mr. Marshall. To avoid ambiguity, the sentence could be written:

Because David Marshall was obviously of superior moral fiber, the loan officer approved the loan.

Or: Because the loan officer was of superior moral fiber, he approved the loan for David Marshall.

3 Function and superiority of business English correspondence in

foreign trade

3.1 The function of business English correspondence in foreign trade

“The traditional foreign trade activities ，Every transaction includes: buyer、seller、bank、transport、The tax、customs、The commodity inspection and so on，Business operation process is very complicated，The efficiency is low，and Cycle is long，More and more not adapt to the need of the rapid development of foreign trade business \”。Business English correspondence becomes an organic whole repeatedly will involve all parties through the Internet，and among them some or all of the business process to the Internet .Corresponding with the traditional foreign trade activities,

The basic function is as follows ：

3.1.1 Looking for trade partners

Looking for trade partners is the premise to develop foreign trade。Under the traditional way，weather buyer or seller have to pay a high price for finding suitable trading partners。Moreover, Use of business English correspondence looking for trade partners, not only can save a lot of manpower and material resources, but also is not limited by time and place。On the one hand ，Enterprise can through the establishment of their own website or with the help of relevant foreign trade business English correspondence platform to provide potential customers worldwide supply and demand information relating to the products and services, attract relevant trade customers ；On the other hand ，Enterprises can take the initiative to get to the Internet search all kinds of economic and trade information ,and find the ideal trade partner .

3.1.2 Consultation and negotiation

“Consultation and negotiation are a foreign trade business necessary procedures, are also a key link in the process of trading success ”. Under the traditional way ，As a result of the limitation of time and space ，Consultation and negotiation process was long and not economic 。The Internet is not only a convenient and low cost communication function, and has high efficiency, large capacity of information processing ability. And the Internet is a very important function on international business consultation, negotiation activities。Buyers and sellers can use email, newsgroups, and discussion groups to understand real-time market and commodity information, negotiate trade transactions, And if you have further requirements, available online whiteboard meeting to exchange instant graphical information .Carries on the consultation and negotiation can through the Internet across the face to face discuss the restrictions, offers a variety of convenient different communication way 。

3.1.3 Order online and pay

E-mail interactions in business English correspondence can use website online ordering, can be realized through the participation of Banks and credit card companies and

online payment. Order online is usually provided in the product introduction is very friendly interactive frame format of the order ，When the customer after we received your purchase order ，System will use transaction confirmation form to ensure that the order thank you for your information ，And Ordering information encryption methods may be adopted to make customers and merchants business information from leaking 。Foreign trade online payment is very convenient that it can directly pass through the Internet for delivery of the software, video, intangible products such as consulting services trade ，And can save a lot of overhead 。In addition，With the continuous development of network security technology ，The advantages of online payment in foreign trade will be more obvious .

3.1.4 Transaction management

Foreign trade business activities involving the multiple functions of government departments and numerous facilities, such as finance, insurance, transportation services, the management of the foreign trade transactions includes regulations on the market 、Tax collection and administration、Customs, trade disputes to arbitration and so on .In the process of traditional operation ，Enterprises must alone to deal with all relevant units, must spend a lot of manpower and material resources, and to take up a lot of time .Business English correspondence to achieve paperless trading management, network of foreign trade ，Make engaged in import and export business enterprise complete some or all of the settlement and claims through the Internet to handle related to banking, insurance, taxation, transportation, electronic paper and electronic documents, and it can Save time and cost of the transaction process .

3.2 The superiority of business English correspondence in foreign trade

Business English correspondence provide enterprise virtual global trade environment ，and It can improve the business level and service quality .Its advantages as follows：

●Improve the communication speed ，especially within the scope of the international

communication speed .“Business English correspondence on the one hand breaking the barriers of space and time, on the other hand, provides abundant information resources ●”, for various social economic elements of the combination of provides more possible ，it

will affect social economic layout and structure .

●Save the potential expenses ，for example：Email saves communication for postage，

and electronic data interchange is greatly save the link cost management and staff .

●Adds to the customer and the supplier's contact .

●Improve the quality of the service ，It can be in a quick and convenient way to provide

information about enterprises and their products and customer services required .

●Provides an interactive sales channels .It enables businesses to get the market feedback in

time, improving itself .Business English correspondence has redefined the traditional circulation mode ,reduce the intermediate links ，It makes the producers and consumers of the direct trading becomes possible ，and to a certain extent, changed the way of

economic operation of the society as a whole .

●Provide the all-weather services, namely, 365 days a year 24 hours a day service .

●The most important point is that increased the competitiveness of enterprises, business

English correspondence.

4 The role of business English correspondence in foreign trade

Compared with the traditional way of foreign trade business operation ，Business English correspondence in foreign trade advantage is very obvious ，Specific performance in as follows ：

4.1 Significantly reduce the cost of foreign trade

Compared with domestic trade ，Quantity of foreign trade documents, handling the high cost. “Through the business English correspondence in foreign trade, can save about 90% of file processing cost, and can shorten the time of presentation, settlement, remittance, to speed up the capital turnover, also can save interest costs, cost advantages and remarkable." Lower transaction costs Also the performance due to reduced a lot of intermediate link, and It make both buyers and sellers can directly through the network for business activities, trading cost decreased obviously. “In traditional foreign trade business，due to a large number of middlemen participation，Foreign importers pleased are often domestic production enterprises 5-10 times the price of delivery ”。Now, there have a lot of foreign trade, business English correspondence platform directly put the manufacturing enterprises in China and overseas importers of supply and demand information integration on the Internet

，Let them deal directly on the Internet . Due to reduced intermediate segment ，It makes China's export enterprises and foreign importers are gained .

4.2 Improve the trade efficiency

Use of business English correspondence in foreign trade, buyers and sellers can use standardization, the electronic format of the contract, bill of lading, insurance certificate, invoice and draft l/c, etc., It makes all sorts of relevant documents on the web can achieve instant transfer, It greatly saves the document transmission time ，and it can effectively reduce paper documents in the data input lead to all kinds of error, to improve the trading efficiency of the effect is very obvious. In traditional foreign trade ，All of its programs including contract, negotiate, customs declaration, rent a boat booking warehouse, insurance and payment and settlement, etc ,It must be by manual work ，Transaction efficiency is low ，High error rate, the limitation of time. And handle the related business through Internet ，It can not only minimize the artificial participation, but also it is not restricted by time ，so It enhances the flexibility of business processes, to bring more convenience to customers .

4.3 Improve customer satisfaction

Due to the jet lag exists all over the world，It is very inconvenience for international business negotiations ，For enterprise ，Under the traditional condition ，It provides a day, 7 days a week 24 hours customer service often feels tired 。However, the use of business English correspondence can do 7 x 24 all-weather service, any customer can any time anywhere in the world, get related businesses of all kinds of business information from the Internet. If we can not get the ideal answer ,we can inquire the form by email, As long as firms respond in a timely manner ，and it can make the visitors get a satisfactory reply 。Business English correspondence, all-weather, continuous operation can make the world within the scope of the customer get the required information at any time, bring more orders for export enterprises, and can greatly improve the success rate of trade.

4.4 Expand trade opportunities

The Internet as a global network, eliminate the regional boundaries, to reduce the tangible and intangible barriers in foreign trade has a positive meaning. Doing business on the Internet, not only without the restrictions of the religious beliefs, and there is no racial discrimination ，Even the difference between company size and economic power is no longer important .In developed countries, especially in the United States urges shall be exempted from customs duties, foreign trade, business English correspondence achieve this on the one hand, vigorously promoted the development of foreign trade, promote the foreign trade business rapidly increase; On the other hand, also promoted the development of the world within the scope of the business English correspondence, It makes the global economic integration process forward more quickly .

4.5 Reduce the dependence on the physical infrastructure

Traditional enterprises to develop foreign trade business must have corresponding infrastructure ，for example, Office space, storage facilities, office products, retail stores, etc .

Compared with domestic trade ，It carries on the degree of foreign trade dependence on physical infrastructure is much higher .Therefore，Use of business English correspondence in foreign trade can significantly reduce investment in physical infrastructure . For information products ，for example, Electronic versions of newspapers and magazines, audio-visual entertainment and computer software, information consulting, etc .，If the product itself can clinch a deal online and online delivery, warehouse implementation sales counter, is completely unnecessary. The whole sales link can be implemented on the Internet from product development, order, payment to the delivery. Due to reduce or eliminate the reliance on physical infrastructure, most corporate savings can be delivered to the customer.

4.6 Change the cost structure of foreign trade

In traditional foreign trade transactions ，Cost refers to in the process of buying and selling the information they need to search, contract and cost of implementation, after-sales service, etc .，Also, business English correspondence can greatly save the spending . Some of the survey show：“In traditional foreign trade ，A import and export business to deal with business related documents about 200-200 ，and the business process for up to one or a few months ；But paper, writing, printing and error of total spending about 7% of the value”；Moreover，“All of the information sharing between companies ，70% is in the purchase order ”，Application of business English correspondence, can discover potential order for additional information, simplify the data handler, shortening the period of foreign trade documents processing, reduce enterprise inventory level, eliminating the human intervention in the process of information transmission, so as to reduce the cost. According to the statistics，“Business English correspondence can save the enterprise transaction cost 5% to 10%

”.But，Business English correspondence in traditional trade costs again the new cost such as technology, security, legal, However, in comparison with two general cost is greatly decreased .

5 conclusion

In a word , In foreign trade activities ,We must be good at using business English correspondence, and realize the use of business English correspondence in foreign trade ，It not only change the enterprise's own production, operation, management, and impact to the traditional trade mode . Its most obvious sign is significantly lower cost of foreign trade, trade efficiency greatly improve, improve customer satisfaction, expand the trade opportunity, make the global economic integration process forward more quickly .

Only fully application of business English correspondence, and give full play to the role, to help the establishment of trade relations with both sides on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, set up their own good business image, promote foreign trade activities of mutual communication and information communication, in order to gain the success of the deal, realize win-win situation

Acknowledgement

I would like to take this opportunity to appreciate all those who helped me during writing this thesis. My deepest gratitude goes first and foremost to Ms zhang, my supervisor, for her constant encouragement and guidance. She has walked me through all the stages of the writing of this thesis. Without her consistent and illuminating instruction, this thesis could not have reached its present form. Her useful advice and help made my paper much more mature than before. I benefit a lot from her valuable suggestions.

Second, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Ms Hu, who always help and encourage me in the study over the past three years. She gives me great confidence in learning English. I am also greatly indebted to the teachers at the Department of English: Ms ge, Ms kong and so on, who have instructed and helped me a lot in the school life.

Last my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerations in

me all through these years. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates for their kind assistance in the course of my preparing the thesis. I have benefited from discussions with them concerning both the subject and the content.

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