General Rules of Business Correspondence

LETTERS

Hints of Business Correspondence

A very large part of business in the world is conducted by means of correspondence. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to write good business letters — letters that represent one’s self and one’s organisation to best advantage.

Writing good business letters is a matter of detailed and often quite specialised technique, which is not so complicated as you have been let to fear. All you need is the supply of visiting cards, some good paper, a pen, a typewriter, personal computer and some good will.

General Rules of Business Correspondence

¾ You should be familiar with two kinds of letters:

business letters and personal letters. Business organisations usually use printed letter-head for their business letters. Private business letters are typed on plain paper.

¾ You should answer all letters promptly: within ten days at the outside. If you can’t fully answer them within that period, the least you can do is to acknowledge them and explain your delay.

¾ Let everyone involved know what action has been taken on a letter.

¾ You should always write a thank-you note to anyone who has given you a letter of introduction, reporting at the same time how well you were received or what results the introduction produced.

¾ You should sign and send out only the letters that are well typed, well spaced, faultlessly neat and inviting to the eye, i.e. letters that make a good first impression. The letter you write is always a mirror which reflects your appearance, taste and character.

When writing a business letter in English, be careful not to use an old-fashion commercial instruction book as a guide. The style of writing is changing rapidly. Every year it gets simpler and less formal. Business correspondents prefer simple English to express what they want to say as effectively as possible. But a writer of a business letter must create a good impression, so a few words to promote a feeling of friendship and good will be just to the place.

However, compliments must not be exaggerated, as they may produce the opposite effect, and the reader may feel that the writer is being insincere.

The following is to be remembered when writing a business letter in English:

1. Make a new paragraph for a new subject.

2. Say what you want to say in the simplest, clearest way.

3. Don’t say aggressively.

4. Don’t exaggerate compliments.

1. Remember that real feelings will have more effect than pretended ones.

2. Currency rate	валютний курс
3. Letter of guarantee	гарантійний лист
4. Freely convertible currency	вільно конвертована валюта
5. Contractual price	договірна ціна
6. Dear sirs/madams	шановні панове/пані
7. We beg to inform you that …	мі маємо за честь повідомити вас, що …
8. We shall do our best to …	мі зробимо все можливе, щоб …
9. We shall be glad to answer	ми будемо раді відповісти
10. I look forward to corporate	я розраховую на співробітництво
11. Please let us know …	будь ласка, повідомьте нас …
12. We’ll ask you to wire us …	просимо телеграфувати нам …
13. I am sorry to have caused you so much trouble	шкода, що я завдав Вам стільки турбот
14. We are delighted that …	ми дуже раді, що …
15. Best wishes (yours sincerely) yours truly	найкращі побажання, щиро Ваш
16. It was a great pleasure for us to receive your letter of …	з великим задоволенням отримали Вашого листа від …
17. We would welcome the opportunity …	ми вітаємо можливість …
18. I enclose some information	додаю деяку інформацію
19. May I take an opportunity to wish you …	дозвольте скористатися нагодою і побажати Вам …
20. May I have the pleasure of inviting you to visit our firm?	чи не міг би я запросити Вас відвідати нашу фірму?
1. Your expences will be met by our firm.	ваші витрати будуть сплачені нашою фірмою

Exercise 1. Fill in the blanks with the necessary words:

2. It was a great pleasure for us to … your letter of May 21 (receive, get, send).

3. We would welcome the … to co-operate with you (opportunity, desire, reason).

4. We would like to … your catalogues periodically (recommend, get, receive).

5. May I have the … of inviting you to visit our firm (pleasure, decision, permission).

6. We would ask you to wire us … other day (some, any, every).

1. We would like to continue this … with an educational program (trend, tradition, communication).

Exercise 2. Complete the following sentences:

2. A very large part of business in the world ….

3. Writing good business letters is ….

4. Business organisations usually use ….

5. You should answer all letters ….

6. Let everyone involved know ….

7. You should always write a thank-you note ….

8. I received many letters from ….

9. When I want to send a letter I usually go to ….

10.We send telegrams at ….

11. May I have the opportunity to wish you ….

12. It was a great pleasure to receive ….

13. Would it be possible for you to tell me ….

14. We beg to inform you that ….

1. Please, let me know how ….

Exercise 3. Translate into English:

¾ Дозвольте скористатися нагодою і привітати Вас зі святом.

¾ Ми будемо раді відповісти на будь-які запитання, що цікавлять Вас.

¾ Ми розраховуємо на співробітництво з Вами.

¾ Чи не могли б Ви повідомити нам подробиці про Вашу фірму?

¾ Маємо честь повідомити Вас, що ми готові підтримувати співробітництво з Вашим підприємством.

¾ Я хочу надіслати рекомендаційний лист.

PATTERNS

Dialogue

Read and dramatize the following dialogue:

¾ Where can I hand in the letter, sir?

¾ They deal with it on the first floor, madam. Window 3, please.

¾ Is this the right window for posting registered letter?

¾ No, madam, you have to apply to the next window.

¾ What’s the charge for a registered letter?

¾ It will cost 50 cents.

¾ When will this letter be received?

¾ It will be delivered in three days.

¾ Thank you.

TASK

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29