商务英语信函写作中的语言特点及写作技巧 全英文
1 IntroductionBusiness English can be regarded as an application of English language in commercial occasions, aiming at enabling speakers to communicate and interact effectively using the most correct and clearest business language. Business English Correspondence is an important carrier of international commercial activities which is used to deli ever information, address commercial issues and as a way of communication.Lexicon is an important factor of a passage. In the writing of business English correspondence, we should pay particular attention to the selection of lexicon. Different words may carry different meaning and even the mood of them can be very distinct. Therefore, it is of great necessity to do research of the features of lexicon in the writing of business English correspondence.This thesis attempts to do some researches on the following subjects: To have a good knowledge of characteristics of lexicon in business English correspondence. To make sense of the reason why the business English correspondence have such requirements of lexicon. To provide some suggestions that learners can improve their writing skills.2 Description of Business English correspondence2.1 Definition of business English correspondenceNowadays more and more people choose to work in companies and do commercial work. As China joined the WTO, enterprises are all choosing to open their markets and expand them into the international world, thus making English inevitably become the most used language in the world. And in this way a new subject appeared that we call it “business English”. In terms of business English, we refer to the language used in order to adapt to the job market whose contents include a lot of aspects (Kansi, 1983; 134). Unlike the general English learners, people who learn business English are more targeted and specialized.Business correspondence means the act of communicating by means ofcorrespondences or the correspondences between correspondents (菱, 2000; 87). It is the main way for traders to do business, exchange commercial information and consult and give answers to commercial questions in international trade. Besides, it is a reflection of different cultures, social backgrounds and representative of interests of both parties of a trading activity. Business English correspondences is different from personal correspondences, for it is more formal and can be a legal document for both enterprises to do business transaction and deal with commercial disputes. This is a serious problem that business English correspondence writers should pay attention to.Different from the state correspondence or personal correspondences, business English correspondences has its own characteristics both in the article style and language (Ober, 1998; 98). In particular, it is high demanded of the correctness and standards of language. The business correspondence should be clear, concise, concrete, and of courtesy in language.2.2 Assortment of business English correspondenceIt can categorize business correspondences into three kinds. They are as follows: The first kind is in accordance with the letters’ content. We have invitation letters, selling letters, employing letters, and etc. In terms of the role the business letters plays in commercial activities of enterprises, we have negotiating letters which aims at address a dispute, friendly letters which is used to keep a friendly touch with another company, and etc. The last is the correspondence, which is used to give some information .The information may be good or bad.In a word, we can classify the business correspondences from different perspectives just as the way mentioned above. Sometimes, each kind is not so isolated from others. Besides we have mentioned above, there are also many kinds of business English correspondences such as letters for setting up business relationships, conclusion of business, sales contract or confirmation, sales promotion, order and fulfillment, products shipment, shipping advice, insurance, claim, asking for an agent, processing trade, compensation trade, and etc.2.3 Function of business English correspondenceToday it has come into an information society with the development of information technology and the Internet. Business English correspondences plays an important part in international trading activities due to its courtesy, completeness, conciseness and other good features in order to obtain and deliver information, make effective communication, address related issues in commercial activities and maintain good and normal operating relations. Business correspondence means the act of communicating by means of letters or the letters, which pass between correspondents (菱, 2000; 76) .It is the main way for traders to do business, exchange commercial information and consult and give answers to commercial questions in international trade. Besides, it is a reflection of different cultures, social backgrounds and representative of interests of both parties of a trading activity. Business English letters is different from personal letters, for it is more formal and can be a legal document for both enterprises to do business transaction and deal with commercial disputes. All in all, we summarized its function as follows: First, it can improve the working efficiency of foreign trade and reduce the cost. Second, it helps enterprises to seek more new clients and deepen their relations with the companies. Third, the business English letters can promote the foreign trade economy. And finally it is bound to play an important role in fulfilling the globalization of trade.3 Basic writing principles for business correspondence3.1 PolitenessBeing polite is an important principle in business circles. A polite correspondence can help you win others’will. Therefore, it is appropriate to use more frequently words such as “please”, “I will be highly appreciated that...”, It is our pleasure to…”and etc. There are inevitably conflicts and disputes in businesstransactions. And it is politeness that can function as a lubricant to break deadlocks. When doing compensation, making complaints, and refusing to accept some requests, business English correspondences’ writers must be more polite and try to use words not so imperative. When responding to others’correspondences, the writers shall also use polite words no matter how bad the attitude of the other party is. First, the writers should be good at using passive sentences, which can make your words more temperate. For example, the sentence“You made a very careless mistake” may be better if it is changed into “ A very careless mistake was made”. Second, the writers should be good at using question sentences to show politeness and euphemism and conditional sentences to make your recommendations sounds more tentative and euphemistic.3.2 Conciseness and CompletenessEmphatic and descriptive words are good ways to make business English correspondence more effective. Writers can choose abbreviated words in foreign trade fields that are familiar to people. Besides, the sentence structure should be concise and simple. Writers should use more words to replace complex sentences and try to maintain the completeness and make sentences more concise (Baugh, 1986; 39). For instance,“As what you have requested...”can be simplified into “As requested...”.Moreover, it is a key factor to keep the completeness of information. Some words used in our daily life such as “the above mentioned”,“the former”,“respectively”should not be used in business correspondences as much as possible. Make sure provide complete information to let the other party be clear at the first glance.3.3 Clearness, Concreteness and CorrectnessClearness is the most important principle in business English correspondence. An unclear correspondence may cause misunderstanding and ambiguous and even trading loss. Therefore, writers should pay attention to select correct words and make your sentences structure is absolutely right.In business English correspondences writing, the information that is delivered should be concrete and vivid to avoid the risk of ambiguity. Correctness not only requires that grammar, syntax, and marks and spelling be right, but the commercial technical terms should be represented appropriately. The communicative effects will be greatly damaged if mistakes are made in spelling, person, punctuation marks, tense, and etc. Besides, writers should use more formal words. For example, abbreviations as “I’ll”, “we’re” should not be used.4 Lexicon and writing principles of business correspondence4.1 The Definition of lexicologyIn the Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary, the definition of lexicology is the study of the form, meaning and behavior of words. Technically, lexicology is a branch of linguistics concerned with the study of the vocabulary of a given language. It deals with words, their origin, development, history, structure, meaning and application. The term lexicology contains two Greek morphemes: lexikon and logie. The former means “word”, the latter means “learning”or “the study of” (Nation, 2001).4.2 Review of studies on lexical features4.2.1Review of studies on lexical features in English for Specific PurposesEnglish has been more and more frequently used in various circles. We have summarized this situation as workplace English including tourism English, law English, medical English and etc. And in this thesis, we mainly focused on its use in business field that is “business English”. We are now living in a globalized world, and after China entering the WTO, our country’s commercial activities are increasing rapidly, which makes business English become an indispensable language tool forcommunication in the world’s economical activities. Business English correspondence is one of the most effective ways in international communication .A good knowledge of English is the important foundation for writers to write a good and effective business English correspondence. In the meanwhile, there are many other factors should be paid attention to, such as avoiding Chinglish, having knowledge of the background knowledge of western culture, keeping eye on the trading style of the other party and etc. In one word, with the continuous changes of the forms of commercial activities, the business English correspondences must change accordingly.4.2.2 Former studies on lexical features of English business correspondenceLexicon plays an important part in writing. And in business English writing, the lexicon is of more significance. Many scholars have made many researches of the language and lexicon in business English correspondences from various perspectives. They studied many aspects such as the lexicon meaning, function, correctness, and etc. Therefore, it is of much research value to do research in this aspect. This thesis tried to explore more meaningful things expecting to provide some useful information to the readers and business English learners (勇斌, 2005; 196).4.3 The Lexical Features Represented in Courtesy and ConsiderationIt has mentioned that there are 7Cs principles in business writing, here, I’ll divide them into 3 classifications to illustrate the lexical features in each classification. The first classification is lexical features represented in courtesy in courtesy and consideration. In business correspondences, we often use some polite words to express our kindness to other. And we often use some special words to present consideration to the other party. So from some aspect we can say that the consideration for the other party is also show our courtesy. The second classification is lexical features represented in conciseness and completeness. As I mentionedabove, business correspondence should be concise, but that doesn’t mean that the less the better. At the same time, we should notice that we give the complete information that needed. The last classification is lexical features represented in clearness, concreteness and correctness. These three principles have one common target that is to make the business correspondence be accurate and not to be misunderstanding.4.3.1 Use polite wordsEnglish business correspondences is an important way of commercial communication and play many roles such as delivering information, building cooperative relationship, promoting company’s operations and strengthening communication in commercial activities (汤军, 1998; 148). To achieve commercial goals successfully, it is essential to use polite and appropriate language. According to Leech (Leech, 1983; 236), there is a set of Politeness Principle (PP) that socially governs communicative behavior. The Politeness Principle (PP) is formulated as follows: Minimize (other things being equal) the expression of impolite belief, and maximize (other things being equal) the expression of polite beliefs.4.3.2 Use positive wordsThe meaning of word is combined with conceptual meaning and associative meaning. He former one is the core of a word and the associative meaning is a combination of a word’s emotional and stylistic meaning. Words of positive emotional meaning will deliver an unhappy feeling on readers. In English business correspondences, words of positive meaning can send people an emotion of delight, happiness and positiveness and make them feel respected, thus making words more acceptable. Therefore, in English business correspondences, words that can express gratitude and praise are often used. For instance, We would be very grateful if you could let us take delivery before the selling season. It gives us much pleasure toreceive the catalogue and samples you sent us. In a word, it is more acceptable to choose words of positive meaning in English business correspondences.4.3.3 HedgesHedge words are those have certain core meaning in language while not all the sense of them are definite（伍铁平, 1999;143）. They are different from semantic ambiguity. They have their unique characteristics and rich pragmatic function. Using hedge words appropriately will make correspondence language more polite instead of affecting its preciseness of language.Hedges can be divided into two kinds. On one hand, we can use some words or expressions that can change the original meaning of discourse. For example, we can use “a little, roughly, greatly, approximately “ and etc. On the other hand, we use words that do not change the true condition of discourse but can soften the language mood (楚君, 2004; 71). In commercial activities, there are some inevitably disputes that can not be avoided in the cooperation of both trading parties because of some interests conflicts and contradictions. In those situations, writers could use hedges to deliver their information more quickly in order to give both parties more space to save their trade and face, thus easily changing their way of trading. For example, the sentence “We can not agree with the price you offer.” may be changed into “I am afraid that we can not agree with the price you have set’. And in this way, your words can be more acceptable by the other party.4.3.4 Use more modal verbsModal words have modal meaning and modal meaning is the courage of a verb that can express the speaker’s attitude towards and emotion to the subject he talks about. Whether the language is polite depends on whether the modal words are strong. Modal words like “could, might, would, should” and etc. more of negotiable mood that can make language mood more euphemistic and are often used in English business letters.4.4 The lexical features represented in conciseness and completeness4.4.1 Choice of concise wordingWriters of business English correspondences, when write a business English correspondence, redundancy of words should be avoided. Try to make the words and sentences more clear. Too many detail descriptions should also be avoided as much as possible. For example, in the sentence “We have begun to export our machine to countries abroad”, the word “export” and “countries abroad” are of the same meaning. And in this case, we suggest that “countries abroad”should be omitted. Emphatic and descriptive words are a good way to make business English correspondence more effective. Writers can choose abbreviated words in foreign trade fields that are familiar to people. Besides, the sentence structure should be concise and simple. Writers should use more words to replace complex sentences and try to maintain the completeness and make sentences more concise (Baugh, 1986; 94). For instance,“As what you have requested...” can be simplified into “As requested...”. Moreover, it is a key factor to keep the completeness of information. Some words used in our daily life such as “the above mentioned”,“the former”,“respectively”should not be used in business correspondences as much as possible. Make sure provide complete information to let the other party be clear at he first glance.4.4.2 Synonyms in pairsSynonym is another important word form used in business English correspondences. It refers to words of the same or almost the same meaning but have different spelling forms or sound different. These words are often used in business English correspondences. For instance,”we have some terms and pacts needing you to check carefully”.It is very common to use a great deal of synonyms in business correspondences. On one hand, the use of synonyms reflects the diversity and flexibility of language in business English correspondences. On the other hand, these synonyms have a little difference in the meaning or usage, which can indirectly reflect the preciseness of business English. Such as goods, commodity, merchandise, shipment, freight, cargo and consignment. These words that we listed here all can refer to things in commercial trading. But if we use different words, we refer to the same thing. However, there should be noted that we can not still mix them together or just take them as one word. Because they are divided into accordance with various link of international trade, they represent different links. Shipment and cargo are generally referred to things in transportation, while merchandise, goods, commodities are more likely to refer to things when they are sold or bought. Therefore, this is a special feature of lexicon in business English correspondences that deserving learners to pay their attention to.4.4.3 Use AffixLanguage is changing with the development of our society and business English, as an application of general English in commercial activities is changing as well. And the great waved of the economy’s globalization bring more opportunities for business English. In the lexicon of business English, the most striking feature is that the usage of some new prefix and affix, which contributed the birth of some new words in business area. For example, the prefix e-, eco-, tel-, and suffix -ism ,and etc. Some new words made from them such as e-commerce, tele-message, eco-friendly, endism, and etc.4.4.4 Use abbreviationsAbbreviations are an important part of business English lexicon that formed in the long-term commercial practices. The use of abbreviations can make your expression more concise and clear and they are frequently used in commercial activities. Abbreviations are often represented by the capitalized correspondences,such as L/C (correspondence of credit), B/L (bill of landing), EAT (estimated arrival time), ASAP (as soon as possible), and etc.4.5. The Lexical features represented in clearness, concreteness and correctness 4.5.1 Choice of precise wordingIn business correspondences, there are some special expressions and words that re not so frequently used in situations of daily life. These words almost do not appear in general English .In some cases, they are used in ordinary English, but will have different meaning in business English. This is also a lexical feature of business English correspondences. For example, in the phrase “on the terms and conditions”, the words “ term” and “condition” are both of the meaning “in some situation or with some requirements”. In our daily life, there is no need to use the two words of the same meaning at the same time, while in business English correspondences, they are must be used together like above to guarantee that the letters are precise and rigorous. In another example, the word “advise” in the phrase “advise sb of sth”is used as the meaning “give a suggestion or recommend” in daily usage. But in business English correspondences, it means “notice”. There are a lot of such words in business English. For instance, the word “offer”generally refers to “provide or supply sth”, while in business English correspondences it can used as of the a meaning associated with the stocks. Again, in insurance industry, “the word “policy”means “the credit to prove you make an insurance”rather than the ordinary meaning “principles”. Therefore, it is of great necessity for writers of business English writers to pay attention to this.4.5.2 Preference of concrete words to abstract wordsIn business English correspondences, writers should make sure that the information that they deliver is specific, correct and vivid as possible as they can. Try to compare the following sentences: “We have sent to you as usual under your L/C”. “We have sent to you our sight draft No. 231 of the Central Bank.” By comparison, itis apparent for us to see that information of the second sentence is more specific, which make readers can clearly make sense of the information the writer want to deliver at their first glance. However, the first one is so general that readers can understand what does the sentence mean after careful thinking.4.5.3 Use simple words to make sure of clearnessIn business English correspondences, the principle clearness is of great significance as well. It refers to deliver the information that writers try to pass on clearly and directly without causing any misunderstanding or bringing any trouble for both trading parties. A clear expression has been an important link to make sure of effective commercial communication all the time and thus become the objective and standard of business English writing. If the receivers of the business English correspondences can not make sense of what the writers intention is, the correspondence will be bound to turn out to be meaningless no matter how figured and magnificent the language is . And in some cases, such correspondences that cannot deliver correct and clear information may even cause misunderstandings and trading losses.To solve this problem, firstly, we can choose to use simple words that familiar to us. In doing trading communication, we had better use words that are simple and in line with their regular expressing ways, either verbally or in the written form. It should be noted that words that are complex, strange and ambiguous should be avoided. Secondly, writers should organize the structures of sentence and paragraph. And in those correspondences, writers had better make sure that the passage is rigorous while words and expressions are simple and clear. Thirdly, some determined words should be closely follow the words that that they modify, which can avoid ambiguity. For example, the sentence “Those who work rapidly get ill in these conditions.” In this sentence, the position of “rapidly” leads to two different understandings of this sentence. Readers may get confused that which word does the word “rapidly” modify, “work” or “conditions”? If we change the sentence into “ Those who work in these condition get ill rapidly, the meaning that the sentence isgoing to deliver will become very clear.There is another problem. In a sentence, writers should note that words of two meanings should not be used. For instance, “We shall take a firm line with the firm.”In this sentence, the first “firm”means “strong and tenacious”, but the second “firm” means “corporation or company”. It is very easily for readers to get confused. Therefore, this sentence may be changed into “We shall take a strong line with the firm”. And thus the meaning of the whole sentence will be very clear.5 ConclusionBushiness English correspondence is very worth in researching. It has its own particular lexical features. This thesis studies the lexical features on the basis of collected data and tries to explain these features form the aspect from writing principles. After the author analyzed the authentic data collected from foreign trade companies, it is found that there exist some specific lexical features of business English correspondences, such as preference of concrete words to abstract words, choice of precise wording, use positive words and use simple or common words instead of difficult words. Business English correspondence is one of the most effective ways in international communication. A good knowledge of English is the important foundation for writers to write a good and effective business English correspondence. In the meanwhile, here are many other factors should be paid attention to, such as avoiding Chinglish, having knowledge of the background knowledge of western culture. In one word, with the continuous changes of the forms of commercial activities, the business English correspondence must change accordingly.。
商务英语信函的语言特点及翻译研究
商务英语信函的语言特点及翻译研究1. 正式性：商务英语信函的语言要求正式、规范，体现出商务活动的认真和严肃。
信函开头通常会用到一些礼貌用语和称谓，例如“Dear Sir/Madam”或者“To whom it may concern”。
2. 清晰明了：商务英语信函的语言要求简洁明了，表达清晰，避免使用模棱两可或者难以理解的词语和表达方式。
需要用简单明了的词汇和句子结构来传达信息。
3. 专业性：商务英语信函涉及商务活动，因此需要使用与商务相关的专业词汇和术语，确保信息的准确性和专业性。
商务英语信函还需要使用正确的商务礼仪，例如感谢和道歉的表达方式。
4. 一致性：商务英语信函的语言要求一致性，即在同一封信函中使用相同的语气、语调和表达方式。
这有助于提高信息的连贯性和可读性。
翻译研究是商务英语信函的重要组成部分之一。
商务英语信函的翻译需要考虑翻译的准确性和专业性，同时还需要考虑到文化差异和商务礼节的特点。
在进行商务英语信函的翻译时，翻译人员需要遵循以下几个原则：1. 信函的准确性：翻译人员需要确保翻译的准确性，将原文中的信息完整地传达给读者。
在进行翻译时，需要注重语义和语境的理解，避免产生歧义或者误导。
2. 专业性：商务英语信函涉及到专业术语和行业特殊性，因此翻译人员需要熟悉相关的背景知识和专业术语，以确保翻译的专业性和准确性。
3. 文化差异：不同的国家和地区在商务礼节和表达方式上可能存在差异，翻译人员需要了解不同文化背景下的商务礼仪和表达方式，以避免文化冲突和误解。
4. 语言风格：商务英语信函的翻译需要根据读者的语言习惯和文化背景选择合适的词汇、句子结构和表达方式，以确保翻译的流畅和可读性。
英语商务信函写作要点与范例
商务信函是商业领域中的一种重要沟通工具，用于与商业伙伴、客户和供应商之间进行书面沟通。
良好的商务信函写作能够传递准确、清晰和专业的信息，建立良好的商业关系。
本文将介绍商务信函的写作要点，并提供一些范例供参考。
1.信函格式商务信函的格式通常包括信头、日期、收信人姓名和地址、称呼、正文、结束语和发信人姓名和职务等。
在信函开头，可以使用正式语气称呼收信人，如"Dear Mr./Ms."。
在信函结尾，应使用礼貌用语，如"Sincerely"或"Yours faithfully"，然后签上自己的姓名。
2.内容明确商务信函应该内容明确，语言简练，重点突出。
首先，简要介绍自己或公司，提供必要的背景信息。
然后，明确表达写信的目的，例如询问产品信息、提出建议或意见、解决问题或投诉等。
最后，提供对进一步行动的期望，如请求回复、请求面谈或建议下一步的合作等。
3.语言专业商务信函应使用专业的语言和商业术语，避免使用口语或俚语。
语言应该准确、清晰，避免模棱两可的表达。
句子结构应简明连贯，段落之间应有适当的过渡。
同时，注意文法错误和拼写错误的防范。
4.注意礼貌商务信函应写得礼貌而尊重，以建立良好的商业关系。
在信函中使用礼貌用语，如"please"和"thank you"等，以表达对收信人的尊重和感激之情。
避免使用过于直接或具有争议性的表达方式，以免引起误解或冲突。
5.专注于核心信息商务信函应该专注于核心信息，避免冗长而无关的内容。
正文应清晰明了，提供必要的细节和相关的背景信息。
可以使用项目符号或编号来组织信息，以便阅读者更好地理解。
以下是一个商务信函的范例：Dear Mr. Smith,I am writing to inquire about your company's products and pricing information. I am the purchasing manager at XYZ Company, a leading manufacturing firm in the automotive industry. We are currently expanding our product line and are interested in partnering with a reputable supplier such as yours.Could you please provide us with a catalog or brochure that showcases your products? We are particularly interested in your high-quality automotive parts and accessories. In addition, could you let us know your pricing structure and any discounts available for bulk orders?As our company grows, we anticipate ordering large quantities, and it would be beneficial for us to establish a long-term business relationship with your company.We would greatly appreciate it if you could also provide us with any additional information about your company, such as your production capacity and lead time for order fulfillment. This will help us evaluate your suitability as a potential supplier and ensure that we can meet our customers' demands.Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to hearing from you soon. If you have any further questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at the email address or phone number provided below.Yours sincerely,John ThompsonPurchasing ManagerXYZ Company本文提供了商务信函写作的要点，并给出了一个范例供参考。
商务英语信函的主要文体特征及翻译技巧
商务英语信函的主要文体特征及翻译技巧商务英语信函的主要文体特征及翻译技巧国际贸易竞争日益激烈的今天，为了通过发送商务信函达到有效交流，传达友好情感，增加商务合作机会的目的，商务信函必须在风格和语言上发生变化。
现代商务信函的主要文体特征可以概括为以下五点: 内容的清晰性、表达的简洁性、词语的专业性、风格的正式性、措辞的礼貌性。
因此我们要将商务信函本身的特点和英语的语言特点结合起来，分析和总结其翻译思路和技巧。
一、内容的清晰性发送商务信函的目的在于建立商务往来关系，就某一细节进行商讨，努力达成共识，以便促进一项商务活动的开展。
要达到这些目的，首先必须保证阅读者能够清楚了解写信人的意图，迂回或闪烁其辞的话语会让读信人产生不信任，甚至会怀疑对方的语言表达能力，对进一步开展商务活动很不利。
模棱两可的话轻则阻碍读信人对信函意思的理解，重则会对发函方造成不必要的损失。
例如: As to the steamers sailing fromHongkong to San Francisco，we have bimonthly directservices. 此处bimonthly 有歧义，可以是twicea month 或者once two month. 故读信人就迷惑了，可以改写为We have two direct sailings everymonth from Hongkong to San Francisco.翻译要保留原文的清晰度相当重要。
由于在较为正式的场合中，为了将一概念定义完整和清楚，英文常常用关联词将几个短句并在一起形成一个长句，而中文无法照样只用一句话来翻译，即使这样译了也很难达到通顺和自然。
这时，我们就采取将长句按特定的事情发展的顺序拆分成两个或两个以上的小句子的方式来翻译。
必要时还要增加或省略一些词语，让整段文字结构更合理、内容更清楚。
例如: The prices stated are based oncurrent freight rates，any increase or decrease infreight rates at time of shipment is to be the benefitof the buyer，with the seller assuming the payment ofalltransportation charges to the point or place of delivery.例句中以一个介词with 来分界，译为“合同价格是以运费计算，装运时运费的增减均属买方。
商务英语信函的用词特点及其翻译技巧
商务英语信函的用词特点及其翻译技巧商务英语信函的用词特点及其翻译技巧商务信函是国际商务往来经常使用的联系方式，因而其用词要准确、恰当，又要正式，在翻译过程中应准确表达原文的信息;贴切再现原文的语气从而使译文符合公函文体的风格。
下面是小编分享的商务英语信函的用词特点及其翻译技巧，欢迎大家阅读！一、商务英语信函的用词特点商务英语是英语的一种社会功能变体,是英语在商务场合中的应用,其追求的目标是用最准确、最清晰的商务语言进行最有效的沟通和交流。
很多知名学者从不同的角度对商务英语信函的用词特点进行研究,笔者认为商务英语信函的用词特点主要有以下三点。
1.使用专业词汇大多数商务英语词汇与普通英语词汇相同,但商务语境赋予其特定的专业意义,而专业意义又因不同的业务范围而异。
因此,翻译专业词汇时需要熟悉这些惯用表达。
例如:(1)sales literature。
literature 一词有“文学”,“资料”等意。
若将 sales literature 直译为“销售文学”则与国际贸易业务毫无关联,相比之下,译文“促销资料”更为贴切。
(2)Particular Average。
该词组中的 Average 源自法语,与英语中的 risk 意思相近,而不是日常用语中的“平均”之意。
该词组应译为“单独海损”,而非“特别平均”。
2.使用一词多义的词语商务英语中同一个单词在不同情况下含义大相径庭,这就需要译者认真理解,找出恰如其分的词语,准确通顺地表达出来。
笔者试举 cover , collect 两词并将这些词语的不同用法和含义加以比较说明。
如下所示:感谢您的阅读，祝您生活愉快。
商务书信英语格式范文
商务书信英语格式范文As a small business owner, it is crucial to master the art of writing proper business letters in English. 作为一名小企业主，掌握正确书写商务英语书信的技巧至关重要。
First and foremost, a well-written business letter should be concise and to the point. 客观而言，一封写得好的商务书信应该简洁明了。
When addressing a business letter, it is important to use the appropriate salutation and closing. 在写商务书信时，使用合适的称谓和结尾十分重要。
Moreover, it is essential to maintain a professional tone throughout the letter. 此外，书信中应该始终保持专业的语气。
In addition, the content of the letter should be structured in a logical and organized manner. 此外，书信的内容应该以合乎逻辑和有组织的方式进行组织。
Furthermore, it is important to proofread the letter for any grammatical or typographical errors before sending it out. 此外，在发送书信之前，审校文法及检查拼写错误是十分重要的。
In conclusion, mastering the art of writing proper business letters in English is essential for any small business owner. 总之，掌握正确书写商务英语书信的技巧对任何一名小企业主来说都是至关重要的。
商务英语（BEC）书信写作考试中的小技巧1
不管你⾝居要职还是⼀员⼩兵，不管你⾝处哪个⾏业，在⼯作中，你都不可避免地接触到taking notes和writing business letters。
Informal language is often used when taking messages, because most of them are short notes for our convenience.所以taking notes相对来说还是⽐较简单的。
However, when writing business letters, faxes or memos, we not only require more formal language, but also right forms and appropriate techniques.接下来，我们就列举⼀些商务信函的写作技巧： 1 Use the writing paper with the name and address of the company on it to help the reader know at once where the letter comes from. 使⽤公司的信纸。
2 Put each separate idea in a separate paragraph and number each paragraph to help the reader understand better.保证⾏⽂段落清晰。
3 Try to be concise since most business people are rather busy and do not want to spend much time on reading letters.尽量保证⽂字简洁。
4 Always try to be courteous even if the letter is sent to a much smaller firm.⽂字要谦逊有礼。
商务英语信函写作中的语言特点及写作技巧 全英文
1 IntroductionBusiness English can be regarded as an application of English language in commercial occasions, aiming at enabling speakers to communicate and interact effectively using the most correct and clearest business language. Business English Correspondence is an important carrier of international commercial activities which is used to deli ever information, address commercial issues and as a way of communication.Lexicon is an important factor of a passage. In the writing of business English correspondence, we should pay particular attention to the selection of lexicon. Different words may carry different meaning and even the mood of them can be very distinct. Therefore, it is of great necessity to do research of the features of lexicon in the writing of business English correspondence.This thesis attempts to do some researches on the following subjects: To have a good knowledge of characteristics of lexicon in business English correspondence. To make sense of the reason why the business English correspondence have such requirements of lexicon. To provide some suggestions that learners can improve their writing skills.2 Description of Business English correspondence2.1 Definition of business English correspondenceNowadays more and more people choose to work in companies and do commercial work. As China joined the WTO, enterprises are all choosing to open their markets and expand them into the international world, thus making English inevitably become the most used language in the world. And in this way a new subject appeared that we call it “business English”. In terms of business English, we refer to the language used in order to adapt to the job market whose contents include a lot of aspects (Kansi, 1983; 134). Unlike the general English learners, people who learn business English are more targeted and specialized.Business correspondence means the act of communicating by means of correspondences or the correspondences between correspondents (曹菱, 2000; 87). It is the main way for traders to do business, exchange commercial information and consultand give answers to commercial questions in international trade. Besides, it is a reflection of different cultures, social backgrounds and representative of interests of both parties of a trading activity. Business English correspondences is different from personal correspondences, for it is more formal and can be a legal document for both enterprises to do business transaction and deal with commercial disputes. This is a serious problem that business English correspondence writers should pay attention to.Different from the state correspondence or personal correspondences, business English correspondences has its own characteristics both in the article style and language (Ober, 1998; 98). In particular, it is high demanded of the correctness and standards of language. The business correspondence should be clear, concise, concrete, and of courtesy in language.2.2 Assortment of business English correspondenceIt can categorize business correspondences into three kinds. They are as follows: The first kind is in accordance with the letters’ content. We have invitation letters, selling letters, employing letters, and etc. In terms of the role the business letters plays in commercial activities of enterprises, we have negotiating letters which aims at address a dispute, friendly letters which is used to keep a friendly touch with another company, and etc. The last is the correspondence, which is used to give some information .The information may be good or bad.In a word, we can classify the business correspondences from different perspectives just as the way mentioned above. Sometimes, each kind is not so isolated from others. Besides we have mentioned above, there are also many kinds of business English correspondences such as letters for setting up business relationships, conclusion of business, sales contract or confirmation, sales promotion, order and fulfillment, products shipment, shipping advice, insurance, claim, asking for an agent, processing trade, compensation trade, and etc.2.3 Function of business English correspondenceToday it has come into an information society with the development of informationtechnology and the Internet. Business English correspondences plays an important part in international trading activities due to its courtesy, completeness, conciseness and other good features in order to obtain and deliver information, make effective communication, address related issues in commercial activities and maintain good and normal operating relations. Business correspondence means the act of communicating by means of letters or the letters, which pass between correspondents (曹菱, 2000; 76) .It is the main way for traders to do business, exchange commercial information and consult and give answers to commercial questions in international trade. Besides, it is a reflection of different cultures, social backgrounds and representative of interests of both parties of a trading activity. Business English letters is different from personal letters, for it is more formal and can be a legal document for both enterprises to do business transaction and deal with commercial disputes. All in all, we summarized its function as follows: First, it can improve the working efficiency of foreign trade and reduce the cost. Second, it helps enterprises to seek more new clients and deepen their relations with the companies. Third, the business English letters can promote the foreign trade economy. And finally it is bound to play an important role in fulfilling the globalization of trade.3 Basic writing principles for business correspondence3.1 PolitenessBeing polite is an important principle in business circles. A polite correspondence can help you win others’ will. Therefore, it is appropriate to use more frequently words such as “please”, “I will be highly appreciated that...”, It is our pleasure to…” and etc. There are inevitably conflicts and disputes in business transactions. And it is politeness that can function as a lubricant to break deadlocks. When doing compensation, making complaints, and refusing to accept some requests, business English correspondences’writers must be more polite and try to use words not so imperative. When responding to others’correspondences, the writers shall also use polite words no matter how bad the attitude of the other party is. First, the writers should be good at using passive sentences, which can make your words more temperate. For example, the sentence“You made a verycareless mistake” may be better if it is changed into “ A very careless mistake was made”. Second, the writers should be good at using question sentences to show politeness and euphemism and conditional sentences to make your recommendations sounds more tentative and euphemistic.3.2 Conciseness and CompletenessEmphatic and descriptive words are good ways to make business English correspondence more effective. Writers can choose abbreviated words in foreign trade fields that are familiar to people. Besides, the sentence structure should be concise and simple. Writers should use more words to replace complex sentences and try to maintain the completeness and make sentences more concise (Baugh, 1986; 39). For instance,“As what you have requested...”can be simplified into “As requested...”.Moreover, it is a key factor to keep the completeness of information. Some words used in our daily life such as “the above mentioned”,“the former”,“respectively”should not be used in business correspondences as much as possible. Make sure provide complete information to let the other party be clear at the first glance.3.3 Clearness, Concreteness and CorrectnessClearness is the most important principle in business English correspondence. An unclear correspondence may cause misunderstanding and ambiguous and even trading loss. Therefore, writers should pay attention to select correct words and make your sentences structure is absolutely right.In business English correspondences writing, the information that is delivered should be concrete and vivid to avoid the risk of ambiguity. Correctness not only requires that grammar, syntax, and marks and spelling be right, but the commercial technical terms should be represented appropriately. The communicative effects will be greatly damaged if mistakes are made in spelling, person, punctuation marks, tense, and etc. Besides, writers should use more formal words. For example, abbreviations as “I’ll”, “we’re” should not be used.4 Lexicon and writing principles of business correspondence4.1 The Definition of lexicologyIn the Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary, the definition of lexicology is the study of the form, meaning and behavior of words. Technically, lexicology is a branch of linguistics concerned with the study of the vocabulary of a given language. It deals with words, their origin, development, history, structure, meaning and application. The term lexicology contains two Greek morphemes: lexikon and logie. The former means “word”, the latter means “learning”or “the study of”(Nation, 2001).4.2 Review of studies on lexical features4.2.1Review of studies on lexical features in English for Specific PurposesEnglish has been more and more frequently used in various circles. We have summarized this situation as workplace English including tourism English, law English, medical English and etc. And in this thesis, we mainly focused on its use in business field that is “business English”. We are now living in a globalized world, and after China entering the WTO, our country’s commercial activities are increasing rapidly, which makes business English become an indispensable language tool for communication in the world’s economical activities. Business English correspondence is one of the most effective ways in international communication .A good knowledge of English is the important foundation for writers to write a good and effective business English correspondence. In the meanwhile, there are many other factors should be paid attention to, such as avoiding Chinglish, having knowledge of the background knowledge of western culture, keeping eye on the trading style of the other party and etc. In one word, with the continuous changes of the forms of commercial activities, the business English correspondences must change accordingly.4.2.2 Former studies on lexical features of English business correspondenceLexicon plays an important part in writing. And in business English writing, the lexicon is of more significance. Many scholars have made many researches of the language and lexicon in business English correspondences from various perspectives. They studied many aspects such as the lexicon meaning, function, correctness, and etc. Therefore, it is of much research value to do research in this aspect. This thesis tried to explore more meaningful things expecting to provide some useful information to the readers and business English learners (何勇斌, 2005; 196).4.3 The Lexical Features Represented in Courtesy and ConsiderationIt has mentioned that there are 7Cs principles in business writing, here, I’ll divide them into 3 classifications to illustrate the lexical features in each classification. The first classification is lexical features represented in courtesy in courtesy and consideration. In business correspondences, we often use some polite words to express our kindness to other. And we often use some special words to present consideration to the other party. So from some aspect we can say that the consideration for the other party is also show our courtesy. The second classification is lexical features represented in conciseness and completeness. As I mentioned above, business correspondence should be concise, but that doesn’t mean that the less the better. At the same time, we should notice that we give the complete information that needed. The last classification is lexical features represented in clearness, concreteness and correctness. These three principles have one common target that is to make the business correspondence be accurate and not to be misunderstanding.4.3.1 Use polite wordsEnglish business correspondences is an important way of commercial communication and play many roles such as delivering information, building cooperative relationship, promoting company’s operations and strengthening communication in commercial activities (汤军, 1998; 148). To achieve commercial goals successfully, it isessential to use polite and appropriate language. According to Leech (Leech, 1983; 236), there is a set of Politeness Principle (PP) that socially governs communicative behavior. The Politeness Principle (PP) is formulated as follows: Minimize (other things being equal) the expression of impolite belief, and maximize (other things being equal) the expression of polite beliefs.4.3.2 Use positive wordsThe meaning of word is combined with conceptual meaning and associative meaning. He former one is the core of a word and the associative meaning is a combination of a word’s emotional and stylistic meaning. Words of positive emotional meaning will deliver an unhappy feeling on readers. In English business correspondences, words of positive meaning can send people an emotion of delight, happiness and positiveness and make them feel respected, thus making words more acceptable. Therefore, in English business correspondences, words that can express gratitude and praise are often used. For instance, We would be very grateful if you could let us take delivery before the selling season. It gives us much pleasure to receive the catalogue and samples you sent us. In a word, it is more acceptable to choose words of positive meaning in English business correspondences.4.3.3 HedgesHedge words are those have certain core meaning in language while not all the sense of them are definite（伍铁平, 1999;143）. They are different from semantic ambiguity. They have their unique characteristics and rich pragmatic function. Using hedge words appropriately will make correspondence language more polite instead of affecting its preciseness of language.Hedges can be divided into two kinds. On one hand, we can use some words or expressions that can change the original meaning of discourse. For example, we can use “a little, roughly, greatly, approximately “ and etc. On the other hand, we use words that do not change the true condition of discourse but can soften the language mood (陈楚君,2004; 71). In commercial activities, there are some inevitably disputes that can not be avoided in the cooperation of both trading parties because of some interests conflicts and contradictions. In those situations, writers could use hedges to deliver their information more quickly in order to give both parties more space to save their trade and face, thus easily changing their way of trading. For example, the sentence “We can not agree with the price you offer.” may be changed into “I am afraid that we can not agree with the price you have set’. And in this way, your words can be more acceptable by the other party.4.3.4 Use more modal verbsModal words have modal meaning and modal meaning is the courage of a verb that can express the speaker’s attitude towards and emotion to the subject he talks about. Whether the language is polite depends on whether the modal words are strong. Modal words like “could, might, would, should” and etc. more of negotiable mood that can make language mood more euphemistic and are often used in English business letters.4.4 The lexical features represented in conciseness and completeness4.4.1 Choice of concise wordingWriters of business English correspondences, when write a business English correspondence, redundancy of words should be avoided. Try to make the words and sentences more clear. Too many detail descriptions should also be avoided as much as possible. For example, in the sentence “We have begun to export our machine to countries abroad”, the word “export”and “countries abroad”are of the same meaning. And in this case, we suggest that “countries abroad”should be omitted. Emphatic and descriptive words are a good way to make business English correspondence more effective. Writers can choose abbreviated words in foreign trade fields that are familiar to people. Besides, the sentence structure should be concise and simple. Writers should usemore words to replace complex sentences and try to maintain the completeness and make sentences more concise (Baugh, 1986; 94). For instance,“As what you have requested...”can be simplified into “As requested...”. Moreover, it is a key factor to keep the completeness of information. Some words used in our daily life such as “the above mentioned”,“the former”,“respectively”should not be used in business correspondences as much as possible. Make sure provide complete information to let the other party be clear at he first glance.4.4.2 Synonyms in pairsSynonym is another important word form used in business English correspondences. It refers to words of the same or almost the same meaning but have different spelling forms or sound different. These words are often used in business English correspondences. For instance,” we have some terms and pacts needing you to check carefully”.It is very common to use a great deal of synonyms in business correspondences. On one hand, the use of synonyms reflects the diversity and flexibility of language in business English correspondences. On the other hand, these synonyms have a little difference in the meaning or usage, which can indirectly reflect the preciseness of business English. Such as goods, commodity, merchandise, shipment, freight, cargo and consignment. These words that we listed here all can refer to things in commercial trading. But if we use different words, we refer to the same thing. However, there should be noted that we can not still mix them together or just take them as one word. Because they are divided into accordance with various link of international trade, they represent different links. Shipment and cargo are generally referred to things in transportation, while merchandise, goods, commodities are more likely to refer to things when they are sold or bought. Therefore, this is a special feature of lexicon in business English correspondences that deserving learners to pay their attention to.4.4.3 Use AffixLanguage is changing with the development of our society and business English, as an application of general English in commercial activities is changing as well. And the great waved of the economy’s globalization bring more opportunities for business English. In the lexicon of business English, the most striking feature is that the usage of some new prefix and affix, which contributed the birth of some new words in business area. For example, the prefix e-, eco-, tel-, and suffix -ism ,and etc. Some new words made from them such as e-commerce, tele-message, eco-friendly, endism, and etc.4.4.4 Use abbreviationsAbbreviations are an important part of business English lexicon that formed in the long-term commercial practices. The use of abbreviations can make your expression more concise and clear and they are frequently used in commercial activities. Abbreviations are often represented by the capitalized correspondences, such as L/C (correspondence of credit), B/L (bill of landing), EAT (estimated arrival time), ASAP (as soon as possible), and etc.4.5. The Lexical features represented in clearness, concreteness and correctness4.5.1 Choice of precise wordingIn business correspondences, there are some special expressions and words that re not so frequently used in situations of daily life. These words almost do not appear in general English .In some cases, they are used in ordinary English, but will have different meaning in business English. This is also a lexical feature of business English correspondences. For example, in the phrase “on the terms and conditions”, the words “term”and “condition”are both of the meaning “in some situation or with some requirements”. In our daily life, there is no need to use the two words of the same meaning at the same time, while in business English correspondences, they are must be used together like above to guarantee that the letters are precise and rigorous. In another example, the word “advise” in the phrase “advise sb of sth” is used as the meaning “give a suggestion or recommend” in daily usage. But in business English correspondences, itmeans “notice”. There are a lot of such words in business English. For instance, the word “offer” generally refers to “provide or supply sth”, while in business English correspondences it can used as of the a meaning associated with the stocks. Again, in insurance industry, “the word “policy”means “the credit to prove you make an insurance”rather than the ordinary meaning “principles”. Therefore, it is of great necessity for writers of business English writers to pay attention to this.4.5.2 Preference of concrete words to abstract wordsIn business English correspondences, writers should make sure that the information that they deliver is specific, correct and vivid as possible as they can. Try to compare the following sentences: “We have sent to you as usual under your L/C”. “We have sent to you our sight draft No. 231 of the Central Bank.” By comparison, it is apparent for us to see that information of the second sentence is more specific, which make readers can clearly make sense of the information the writer want to deliver at their first glance. However, the first one is so general that readers can understand what does the sentence mean after careful thinking.4.5.3 Use simple words to make sure of clearnessIn business English correspondences, the principle clearness is of great significance as well. It refers to deliver the information that writers try to pass on clearly and directly without causing any misunderstanding or bringing any trouble for both trading parties. A clear expression has been an important link to make sure of effective commercial communication all the time and thus become the objective and standard of business English writing. If the receivers of the business English correspondences can not make sense of what the writers intention is, the correspondence will be bound to turn out to be meaningless no matter how figured and magnificent the language is . And in some cases, such correspondences that cannot deliver correct and clear information may even cause misunderstandings and trading losses.To solve this problem, firstly, we can choose to use simple words that familiar to us. In doing trading communication, we had better use words that are simple and in line withtheir regular expressing ways, either verbally or in the written form. It should be noted that words that are complex, strange and ambiguous should be avoided. Secondly, writers should organize the structures of sentence and paragraph. And in those correspondences, writers had better make sure that the passage is rigorous while words and expressions are simple and clear. Thirdly, some determined words should be closely follow the words that that they modify, which can avoid ambiguity. For example, the sentence “Those who work rapidly get ill in these conditions.” In this sentence, the position of “rapidly” leads to two different understandings of this sentence. Readers may get confused that which word does the word “rapidly” modify, “work” or “conditions”? If we change the sentence into “ Those who work in these condition get ill rapidly, the meaning that the sentence is going to deliver will become very clear.There is another problem. In a sentence, writers should note that words of two meanings should not be used. For instance, “We shall take a firm line with the firm.” In this sentence, the first “firm” means “strong and tenacious”, but the second “firm” means “corporation or company”. It is very easily for readers to get confused. Therefore, this sentence may be changed into “We shall take a strong line with the firm”. And thus the meaning of the whole sentence will be very clear.5 ConclusionBushiness English correspondence is very worth in researching. It has its own particular lexical features. This thesis studies the lexical features on the basis of collected data and tries to explain these features form the aspect from writing principles. After the author analyzed the authentic data collected from foreign trade companies, it is found that there exist some specific lexical features of business English correspondences, such as preference of concrete words to abstract words, choice of precise wording, use positive words and use simple or common words instead of difficult words. Business English correspondence is one of the most effective ways in international communication. A good knowledge of English is the important foundation for writers to write a good and effective business English correspondence. In the meanwhile, here are many other factors should be paid attention to, such as avoiding Chinglish, having knowledge of thebackground knowledge of western culture. In one word, with the continuous changes of the forms of commercial activities, the business English correspondence must change accordingly.。
英文电子邮件的写作特点和格式
英文电子邮件的写作特点和格式一、主题主题（Subject）框的内容应简明地概括信的内容，短的可以是一个单词，如greetings；长的可以是一个名词性短语，也可以是完整句，但长度一般不超过35个字母。
YES：Supplier trainingNO：professional trainees from sister company should abide by rule of local company （太长）主题框的内容切忌含糊不清。
NO：像News about the meeting 这样的表达，YES：应改为Tomorrow's meeting canceled。
一般来说，只要将位于句首的单词和专有名词的首字母大写即可。
另外一种较为正规的格式可将除了少于5个字母的介词、连接词或冠词之外的每一个单词的首字母大写。
YES：New E-mail Address Notification；Detailed calculationNO：detailed calculation视信的内容是否重要，还可以开头加上URGENT或者FYI（For Your Information，供参考），如：URGENT：Submit your report today!二、称呼1、E-mail一般使用非正式的文体，因此正文（Body）前的称呼（Salutation）通常无须使用诸如Dear Mr. John之类的表达。
在同辈的亲朋好友或同事间可以直呼其名，但对长辈或上级最好使用头衔加上姓。
YES：Tommy，或者Mr. Smith。
2、称呼和正文之间，段落之间，正文和信尾客套话之间一般空一行，开头无须空格。
如：Jimmy, I received your memo and will discuss it with Eric on Wednesday.Best, David3、人家的名字千万不要错,老一辈的看到名字错就干脆撵去垃圾桶. 同样, 头衔都不要错. 头衔或学位,任择其一吧.以下是一样的: Howard E. Wyatt, Dr. Howard E. Hyatt4、多过一个男人,用Messrs,就是Misters的意思,不过不要跟名字,跟姓就行啦.YES: Messrs. Smith, Wyatt, and Fury 。
商务英语信函的语言特点(英语)
摘要随着经济市场化、全球化趋势的日益深入，与对外经济贸易有关的业务往来也日趋频繁。
作为国际交流的载体，商务英语信函融英语写作与国际贸易业务为一体，已经广泛应用于日常生活和常规工作的方方面面，它不同于普通函件，有其语言、内容、态度、格式方面的独特的文体特点，是开展对外经济贸易业务和有关商务活动的重要手段，对贸易全球化的实现起到了积极的推动作用。
本文对词汇和句子在商务英语信函写作中的语言特点进行讨论分析，帮助学习者更好地掌握商务英语信函中词汇和句子的用法。
关键词：商务英语信函；语言特点；文体特征；词汇；句法；7C原则ABSTRACTWith the deepening of the trend of economic marketization and globalization,the business contacts related to foreign economy and trade are increasingly frequentas well. As the carrier of international communication, business English letter is a combination of English writing and international trade business, has been widely usedin all aspects of daily life and routine work. It is different from ordinary letters whichhas its own language, content, manner, formats unique stylistic features that carry out foreign economic and trade business and related business activities of the important means, for the realization of the globalization of trade which has played a positiverole in promoting it. This paper discusses and analyzes the linguistic characteristics of vocabulary and sentences in business English letter writing to help learners better grasp the usage of vocabulary and sentences in business English letter writing.Key words：Business English correspondence；Language character；Stylistic features；Lexicon；Syntax；7C principleContentsINTRODUCTION (3)CHPTER I Overview Of Business English Correspondence (4)1.1 Development of Business English Correspondence (4)1.1.1 In the Early Term (4)1.1.3 The New Trend (4)1.2 Content of Business English Correspondence (5)1.3 Basic Writing Principles of Business English Correspondence (6)1.4 Classification of Business Correspondence (6)1.5 Functions of Business Correspondence (7)CHPTER II Lexical Features Of Business English Correspondences (8)2.1 Theoretical Foundation —— 7C Principle (8)2.1.1 Courtesy (9)2.1.2 Completeness (9)2.1.3 Consideration (9)2.1.4 Clarity (9)2.1.5 Concreteness (10)2.1.6 Conciseness (10)2.1.7 Correctness (10)2.2 Lexical Features (11)2.2.1 Using Accurate and Careful Words (11)2.2.2 Using Positive and Polite Words (11)2.2.3 Using Fuzzy Language (11)2.2.4 Using Concrete Words over Abstract Words (12)2.2.5 Avoid Ambiguous Words (12)2.2.6 Avoid Repeated Use of Adjectives or Adverbs (13)CHPTER III Syntactic Features Of Business English Correspondence (14)3.1 Using Fixed Phrases (14)3.1.1 Using Emotional Adverbs (14)3.1.2 Using Fixed Sentence Patterns (14)3.1.3 Using Conditional Sentences (15)3.1.4 Using Middle Construction (15)3.3 Using Appropriate Sentence Patterns to Highlight Key Information (16)3.4 Trying to Use Euphemisms (16)3.5 Combination and Simplicity (17)3.6 Common Parallel Structure (17)3.7 Use of Various Sentence Types (17)CONCLUSION (19)REFERENCES (20)INTRODUCTIONLanguage is a basic tool for communication between people. In business activities, people not only talk face to face, but also trade with each other through business English letters. Thus, business English letter also has a place in business activities. Nowadays, with the rapid development of economic globalization, business English correspondence plays a crucial role in the process of international and foreign trade. Business English letter is a general name of many kinds of business letters and electronic data exchange in foreign business center. Business letter is an indispensabletool for business communication and communication, and also an important carrier to convey business information. It is obvious that business English letter and ordinary English letter play different roles due to different application occasions, so there is agreat difference in writing between them. First of all, in terms of the use of vocabulary,the use of vocabulary in business English letters is more exquisite than that in ordinary letters. Even if it is the same meaning, the usage of words will be quite different. Secondly, in the process of writing, many aspects of business English correspondence must strictly abide by and flexibly apply the "7C" principle. Therefore, from the perspective of stylistics, this paper analyzes the lexical characteristics of different parts of speech in business English correspondence bycombining specific practical examples of vocabulary in business English correspondence and the writing principles that should be followed in the writing process of business English correspondence.Through a large number of examples and "Foreign Trade English Correspondence" (2016) edited by Ge Qun, this paper intends to analyze the linguistic characteristics of business English correspondence from the aspects of language, vocabulary and syntax.CHAPTER IAn Overview Of Business English Correspondence1.1 Development of Business English Correspondence1.1.1 In the Early TermThe first stage of development of foreign trade correspondence was probably from the middle and late 18th century to the period before the World War II. With the development of international trade, it is widely used. The main features of foreign trade correspondence in this period are: in terms of vocabulary, a number of large words, loanwords, legal terms and nominal structure to reflect its formality.1.1.2 In the Medium TermThe second development stage of foreign trade correspondence is from the period after the World War II to the 1970s and 1980s of the 20th century, which is also the forming period of the basic style of modern foreign trade correspondence. During this period, there were great changes in the style of foreign trade correspondence, presenting a new style. The most significant change is the practical function of correspondence. The accuracy and efficiency of information transmission required by international trade are put in the first place, which highlights its professionalism.So far, this is still the most basic style of foreign trade correspondence. Duringthis period, foreign trade correspondence became more practical and readable. For foreign trade correspondence style during this period, many documents are happy to use several "C" to summarize. It is generally accepted that courtesy, clarity, concreteness, conciseness.1.1.3 The New TrendFrom the 20th century to now, with people's new understanding of correspondence, the style of correspondence changed significantly during this period, and some new development trends appeared. Specific can be summarized as the following aspects:First, in terms of language style, correspondence is gradually getting rid of the former format of the so-called "business language", oral written business English is widely used, the writing style tends to be personalized and personal. Correspondence began to pursue a fresh, straightforward and humane style of writing; Pay more attention to the beauty of language expression, the human touch in tone and the positive enthusiasm in attitude, in order to close the psychological distance between the writer and the receiver; Focus on brevity, simplicity and clarity.Secondly, the positioning of correspondence function has also changed. Correspondence is no longer just a single exchange of specific business information, but to achieve a broader sense of communication and exchange between the two parties.Thirdly, the correspondence changed the formal face of the past stereotype, but depending on the specific situation to determine the formal level of the correspondence.Fourth, there is a trend towards gender differentiation in wording. Some words and phrases gradually became women's trade correspondence, and letters between men and women became more formalBut at the same time, the old business communication format paper still exists.1.2 Content of Business English CorrespondenceA complete English business letter consists of six parts: head, address, salutation, body, closing and signature. The contents of the header include: full name, address, telephone number, fax and E-mail address of the sending company. The content of the address inside the letter includes the addressee's name and address, the first letter of the addressee's name should be capitalized, the address order from small to large, namely: door plate, street town, county city, country name, the address inside the letter is placed in the lower left corner of the letter head, top case writing, usually separated by two lines with the time. Salutation is an indispensable part of the letter. It is written in the top case, one line below the address. The body of the letter is the main body and the most important part of the full text. Business English letters pay attention to be straight to the point, concise and to the point, and usually adopt the expression that is easy for the other party to accept. The epilogue is written in the space of a blank line at the end of the text, which is equivalent to the "kind salute" used at the end of a Chinese letter. After the conclusion, the American letter is placed at the bottom left and the British letter at the bottom right. It usually takes up 3-4 lines. The first line is the name of the company, the second line is the signature of the writer, and the third line is the position or department of the signer.1.3 Basic Writing Principles of Business English CorrespondenceBusiness English letter is a commonly used business English practical article. It is the main means for both parties to understand each other and conduct trade. While communicating business information in written form, it also reflects the business image of a company or institution. The principles of business English letter writing are changing with The Times. In the middle of the 20th century, business did not flourish as much as it does today, and even face-to-face meetings were formal. Today's business contacts are close, so it is no longer as formal and rigid as at the beginning. In the communication process, we will use more natural and relaxed language, of course and we will still pay attention to the euphemism andappropriateness. Because easy language makes it easier for us to communicate, and the purpose of communication is to suggest relationships, to communicate ideas accurately, to convey a good impression. With the desire to achieve trade through mutual cooperation, nowadays, business English letter, as an important tool for businessmen to carry out business activities abroad, has its own unique principles in writing in order to play its effect, which should follow the principle of 7Cs. They are: courtesy; completeness; consideration; clarity, concreteness, conciseness, correctness. However, under the guidance of these seven writing principles, business English letter has the characteristics of polite and tactful emotion and concise and accurate expression.1.4 Classification of Business English CorrespondenceThere are four main types of business letters: information letters (including inquiry letters, notification letters, quotation letters, etc.), persuasion letters (including sales letters, cover letters, recommendation letters, etc.), problem solving letters (including claim letters, arbitration letters, decline letters, etc.), and goodwill letters (such as congratulatory letters, etc.).1.5 Functions of Business English CorrespondenceAccording to the definition and the classification, people can easily gain a common sense that business correspondence is used to sell products or services, request information or service, answer customer’s enquires, maintain good public relations, and serve a large range of other business functions.Business English letter is the progress of the import and export business of professional written records. It is business people from all over the world to negotiate trade, contact business for import and export trade in one application documents. This time, a large number of written consultations were conducted through business English letters which stipulated the rights and obligations of the buyer and the seller and provided the legal basis for dispute resolution, from the establishment of traderelations to a successful transaction.Business correspondence can act as formal or informal public relations material. It can help to build good relationship between you and you clients, creditors, suppliers and other public groups. It also represents you and your firm to people that you may never meet personally or contact just by phone. How you express yourself forms an impression in the mind of your clients. As a result, business writing deserves considerable care and attention.CHAPTER IILexical Features Of Business English CorrespondencesLanguage is an indispensable part of the development of human society. People often take many things related to language for granted and vocabulary is a unit of language expression. Webster's New World Dictionary offers some of the most common definitions of "language". In fact, the most concise definition of language is a way of verbal communication, which is practical. However, it is difficult to make a scientific definition of "word". It is a natural bounded unit, a common factor that governs a set of forms, and a grammatical unit. According to the differences between different words, we can divide words into changeable words and immutable words, grammatical words and lexical words, closed words and open words, and parts of speech in four ways.2.1 Theoretical Foundation ------ 7C PrincipleBusiness English correspondence is the symbolic manifestation of the changes in the psychological communication between the business interests and the trading participants in the operation of import and export trade. It not only has the exchange value, but also has the economic value. The embodiment of economic value lies in that the participants in import and export trade overcome the cross-cultural economicbarriers and communicate with each other through business English correspondence in the whole process of engaging in import and export trade. Complete the entire process of import and export trade (including: establishing trade relations, enquiries, offers, counter-offers, orders, contracts, payments, packaging, insurance, transportation, appeals and claims, etc.) to obtain economic benefits. Business English correspondence this kind of language behavior satisfies the demand of the import and export trade intercourse, moreover has the broad market and the huge economic value. English is a language with strong network externalities. In economics, network externality refers to the utility generated by the consumption of a certain kind of goods increases with the increase of the number of people consuming the goods. As the world's common language, English is used by a large number of consumers, so the economic utility is huge. The systematic application of principle 7C in the writing of business English correspondence can improve the quality of correspondence and improve the economic benefits obtained through correspondence.2.1.1 CourtesyIn order to establish and maintain a friendly business relationship, business English correspondence should generally pay attention to the principle of politeness, to treat others. The principle of politeness is not only reflected in the use of words such as "please" and "thanks you", but also in the lines to reflect China's foreign trade policy and diplomatic etiquette, to be neither humble nor arrogant, decent and generous. The specific politeness principle basically includes the following aspects: abide by the international business practice; Respect each other's customs; Language should be polite and measured, avoid using command tone; Use a friendly, positive tone, try to use a euphemistic tone to point out the other side is not satisfactory, reply to the letter to be timely.2.1.2 CompletenessA complete business letter should answer each question and clarify the important information you want to convey. The integrity of the letter is conducive to the establishment of a good corporate image, to save both sides of the business time toachieve the desired effect, to avoid unnecessary disputes caused by the lack of important information.2.1.3 ConsiderationUnderstanding refers to the interests of the other side as the starting point and standing in the other side's position to consider the problem carefully, in order to get the other side's good will and achieve the expected purpose.The understanding principle is a technique used in business interactions to facilitate transactions.2.1.4 ClarityThe principle of clarity includes two aspects. One is that the writer knows what to write before writing. The other one is that when the letter received can fully understand the writer’s expression, will not produce misunderstanding. This requires a clear mind, accurate expression instead of using some ambiguous words.2.1.5 ConcretenessSpecific principles refer to the letter involved in the content to say something. Information is completely expression, detailed and specific, rich and vivid. In business letter writing, avoid general, vag ue expressions such as “soon, at an early date, good and nearly”, etc. For example, “I will send the samples to you soon. It would be better if I would send the samples to you in two weeks. ” Or “I will send the samples to you next Monday.”2.1.6 ConcisenessBrevity means to express the richest and most complete content in the least language without affecting the politeness of the letter. Brevity makes a letter more powerful and concise. The format of business English letter should be concise and to the point, the language should be easy to understand, and the content should be concise and rich. This should be about to write in the process of writing as far as possible to choose single room, easy to understand, simple vocabulary, use concise, direct sentences.2.1.7 CorrectnessThe traditional accuracy principle generally includes five aspects: correct information, correct grammar, correct spelling, correct punctuation and correct pragmatics. Pragmatic correctness refers to the appropriateness and appropriateness of language use, which should take into account the linguistic context, the conventional context and the social context. Linguistic context refers to the form, composition, information and communicative intention of the last letter if there is a previous letter. The conventional context refers to the general knowledge of the objective world of the reader, which belongs to the category of encyclopedic knowledge. Social context is cultural context and scene context. Cultural context refers to the consideration of the social norms, cultural contracts and customs of the reader's society. The context of the scene is the specific communicative environment and content of the economic events in which the two parties are involved. Correct pragmatics can make the communication between transaction parties more successful and the economic benefits more smoothly.2.2 Lexical Features2.2.1 Using Accurate and Careful WordsThe essential function of a business letter is to convey information, which is not only related to the company's business development, brand image, customer development, and even affects the company's international reputation. If you want to say "$98", you can write "$98" in a normal letter, but in a business English letter, you must write "$98.00" .It must be strictly distinguished in business English correspondence. There are two prepositional phrases like "by Monday" and "before Monday". The former includes the day" Monday", while the latter doesn't include it, that means the day before the deadline "Monday".2.2.2 Using Positive and Polite WordsIf business letter writers choose the right words, they will leave a goodimpression on the other party and lay the foundation for the cooperation between the two parties. When writing business letters, we should pay attention to the appropriate use of commendatory words and polite words. Example: (1a)" I'm sorry we blundered on your order."; (2a)" We regret the inconvenience you've had been under caused by the broken mixer. " Although the letter writers hope to express a sincere apology, negative (case 1 blunder and 2 inconvenience) will remind receiving bad consequences, affect each other's response to adverse consequences. So the writer can use neutral words to dilute the recipient's response to the consequences. To achieve good communication effect, letter writing can be rewritten as :(1b)" I want to apologize for the order we delivered "; (2b)" We are truly sorry about the experience you had with the mixer."2.2.3 Using Fuzzy LanguageLanguage communication is a necessary means of communicating feelings. In the face of emotional things, fuzzy language can harmonize feelings. The primary basis of business English letter is appropriate and polite language, while the use of obscure words can make the words implicit and euphemistic. Especially for some sensitive topics, such as the interests of both sides, the focus of conflict, etc., fuzzy language plays a role of hiding , avoiding and diversion. Sometimes using vague language out of consideration of discretion and politeness is beneficial to both parties in business dealings.Example 1: “If possible, please also send samples of the goods you are interested in selling.” The writer would very hopeful that the reader to send him samples of interest as soon as possible. But the direct expression will make the sentence rigid, to the reader left an uncomfortable feeling. "If possible" makes the statement more implicit and polite.Fuzzy language is also persuasive. One of the basic requirements of a business letter is truthfulness and accuracy. On this basis, the use of vague language may be easier to arouse the reader's interest or persuade the other side to accept their views.Example 2: “We are very well connected with all the major dealers h ere of industrial products.” The fuzzy adjunct "very well" brings the relationship between the writer and reader much closer, and this relationship provides a good foundation for smooth cooperation. The fuzzy language makes the whole statement more persuasive.2.2.4 Using Concrete Words over Abstract WordsAbstract words are ambiguous in meaning, not directly and accurately expressed in meaning, and specific words are clear in meaning, which facilitates rapid communication between both sides of the letter. It is an important feature of a business letter to use specific words to express one's wishes accurately and help both sides communicate quickly. Therefore, English business letter writing should try to use specific words to express the meaning accurately and quickly, to avoid ambiguity.Example: (1) “The payment of the goods will be effected on July 1st.” (2) “The goods will be paid on July 1st.” (3) “The shipment was affected by weather.” However, the noun "Payment" cannot be used as a predicate to express "Payment" independently, the author must use the verb "effect" to express the meaning. From the stylistic point of view, example 1 to 2 is more formal, but from the concise and accurate level of meaning expression, example 2 is concise and clear, which is more conducive to the communication between both parties. The verb "affect" does not have a clear meaning, so the recipient cannot clearly understand how the weather affects the transport of the goods, and therefore cannot take appropriate countermeasures. So the writer should use accurate words such as "hindered", the "of" or "stopped", facilitate the recipient responded correctly.2.2.5 Avoid Ambiguous WordsAmbiguous words are words that have two or more meanings in the same context. The use of ambiguous words in business letters may affect the misunderstanding of both parties and cause unnecessary trouble. Example: We assembled them by the new machine. (" By "can mean" near "or" by means of ") incase the preposition "by" in English can be interpreted as "by the side of..." and "by means of...”. We put them all together next to the new machine. We used the new machine to put them together. In order to accurately express the meaning, writing a business letter should be changed according to the meaning of the writer on patients into: (1) We assembled them near the new machine, or (2) We assembled them by means of the new machine. In addition, business English letter in a sentence to avoid as far as possible meaning of a word. For example, “Cotton and silk blouses made in China enjoy a good market in the European market. ". In this sentence, the "market" to express the two kinds of meaning: the first "market" means "sales", the second "market" said "the market". In order to facilitate understanding, should put the example for the Cotton and silk blouses made in China enjoy a good sale in the European marketplace ".2.2.6 Avoid Repeated Use of Adjectives or AdverbsChinese people are used to repeating the same meaning in writing. On the one hand, repetition can maintain a balanced lexical structure. On the other hand, repetition also strengthens the mood and the meaning of expression. English culture emphasizes the use of plain language to express meaning. When writing business English letters, we should follow the habits of English language, avoid unnecessary repetition, and keep the letter concise and clear. Repeated errors in adjectives and adverbs commonly found in business letters: General consensus; True facts ("facts "must be true=true); Assemble together (" Assemble "= put together.); Absolutely complete (" Absolutely "= completely).CHAPTER IIIS yntactic Features Of Business English CorrespondenceSentence is the basic unit of discourse. The writing of English business letter must follow the characteristics of business letter and choose the syntactic structure.Professional business English letter writing usually chooses concise sentence structure. The complex long sentence meaning expression is unclear, does not meet the business activity to saves time and the convenience request.3.1 Using Fixed PhrasesUse fixed phrases: as the medium of business communication, both English and Chinese business letters strictly follow the principles of politeness. In the long-standing customs and habits of business communities, some ready-made formulaic patterns, namely social phrases, have been condensed to express social etiquette.3.1.1 Using Emotional AdverbsWith table adverb of emotion, such as: faithfully, kindly, respectfully, sincerely, unfortunately and so on, which are attached to form request, give or inform sentences. It is used to act as additional emotion of the sentence, convey the evaluation of the sender, and express feeling of praise and respect.3.1.2 Using Fixed Sentence PatternsUsing the sentence structure like “I’m sorry to tell... ”, “I regret to say...”, “I appreciate..., but...”, “I 'm afraid.” to sh ow euphemism and politeness, to express sympathy, regret and other feelings. Use “It's very kind of you to...” “It's a pleasure for me to...” “I would like to inform you that...”. This is to express one's feelings of joy or pleasure to attract the attention of the other party. These sentence patterns are characterized by the expression of feelings of the word as the center, euphemism polite introduction of the topic.3.1.3 Using Conditional SentencesIn business English letter writing, the use of conditional sentences will often make the letter achieve a more polite effect. In particular, when making demands or Suggestions to the other party, the use of conditional sentences can euphemistically。
商务英语信函的语言特点及翻译研究
商务英语信函的语言特点及翻译研究
商务英语信函是商业交流中常用的一种沟通工具。
它具有一定的语言特点，需要注意其翻译研究。
下面将介绍商务英语信函的语言特点以及翻译研究。
1.正式语言：商务英语信函需要使用正式的语言，避免使用口语化的表达和随意的措辞。
这是因为商务信函的目的是传达信息和达成协议，需要一种正式、明确的语言风格来进行沟通。
2.准确简洁：商务英语信函需要言之有物，准确简洁地表达信息。
信函中不应使用冗长的句子和复杂的词汇，以免引起误解和不必要的困惑。
3.礼貌用语：商务英语信函中经常使用一些礼貌用语，比如：“Dear Mr./Ms.”用于称呼收信人，“Yours sincerely”用于结束信函等。
这些礼貌用语是商务信函中的常用格式，也是表达尊重和友好的方式。
1.准确翻译：商务英语信函的翻译需要准确地传达原文中的信息。
译者应注意商务英语的特点，选择合适的词汇和表达方式，以确保译文的准确性和一致性。
2.文化转换：商务英语信函的翻译中需要考虑文化差异。
不同国家和地区的商务信函可能存在不同的表达方式和习惯用语。
译者需要了解目标语言文化背景，将原文中的信息适当转换为目标语言的表达方式，以确保译文的通顺和文化适应性。
3.专业术语：商务英语信函中可能涉及到一些特定的行业术语和商业名词。
译者需要具备相关专业知识，对这些术语和名词进行准确的翻译，以确保译文的专业性和可理解性。